#they never found Sloane and it's just...fine

[deadlydelicious]

I also feel like all the terrible things Allison did in season 3 to get Claire back, in terms of like eroding her own morals and ethics, should have been held up as a mirror to Reginald doing the same for Abigail to actually make the theme hit.

Like that conversation on the bench between Reginald and Abigail feels like it's meant to be the central thesis of the show, and it kind of is - some things cannot be fixed, they cannot be undone, and by trying to do so all you are going to do is damage yourself and others further.

But because Abigail kind of only exists on screen for a grand total of 5 minutes (and no I do not count her scenes wearing Sy) there is no real impact because we don't see any emotional reactions from her or about her. We don't see Reginals actions being motivated by her loss because we never really get to know him as character, he's only a plot device.

It's my problem all over with this season - the plot is there, but there is no emotional resonance. In season 1 we felt Viktor's simmering rage, Allison's regret, Luthors isolation and so on. Ben's true death, Allison's expiriences fighting for civil rights, and Klaus's scenes with Dave in Season 2 hurt. Even season 3 has it's moments. But in this season what should be big emotional moments just....dissapate into nothing because none of the characters have any sort of true emotional reaction to them, so they have no impact.

Like we can look at the seperate pieces of the story and see what they wanted to do with a storyline about cycles of abuse and regret, they wanted to do a story about emotion, but it rings hollow this season because outside of the worlds most hateful love triangle, nothing is actually dealt with emotionally

[shelbgrey]

Hi, I had an idea for a fic . Would you be able to write a Mark Sloan x reader. He cheated on reader with her best friend Addison and found out she was pregnant after they broke up. Years later, when Mark is working at Seattle Grace, Y/N and her daughter/son travel to visit Derek but end up in a car accident. Their child is fine but Y/N has severe injuries. She wakes up to find out Mark knows about their child and wants to start again as a family. When she has recovered they get back together and Y/N becomes a surgeon at Seattle Grace. Thank you! (Sorry it’s long, it came to me in a dream 😂)

We are family(mark Sloan)

Paring: Mark Sloan X Shepherd!Reader

Summary: The reader and her son get into a car crash on their way to vist her brother Derek. While the son is fine the reader has several injuries and finds out Mark, her ex knows about his son.

Greys MasterList

“are we there yet?” Jason said looking out the window of the car. I smiled at my son's brightness as he awaited our over due visit with his uncle Derek.

“almost honey” I said taking my eyes off the road for a second to look at my son.

The drive was long and it was making us both extremely antsy but it beat flying in a plan. I hated flying and my son had never really experienced it but he decided he'd never get on one due to all the movies he's watched.

The longer we drove the darker it got... And the storm fell heavier. The ran plunked on the car loud and fast as I drove down the highway. He had about an hour till we got to Seatle and I was extremely thankful. My anxiety spiked as I saw a car behind swerved then sped up.

“mom?” Jason asked.

“hang on” I mumbled and tried to speed up. The other car did beat me to it and swayed right. I gasped as the tired screamed and hit our car head on.

“mommy!”

Then it when black...

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“Sloan, make sure the kid is okay” Webber shouted from the other side of the ER. As Jackson left to help Derek and April Mark ran to where he was instructed. He pulled the privacy curtain back and saw a small boy who was about ten years old. The little boy looked up at Mark with eyes that looked all to familiar. His hair was also a dark blonde that was shockingly familiar

Mark hesataed for a second and the two boys studied each other. The Boy titled his head for a second then Mark shaped out of it.

“Hey, kiddo what's your name?” he asked checking his head for any cuts. He only had one and it was on the left side of his forehead.

“Jason, sir”

“I'm Dr. Sloan” Mark smiled softy as he cleaned the kids cut. He couldn't shake this feeling, it was like he knew the kid or seen him before.

“is my mama okay?” he asked. Mark looked at the chart and his eye brows scrunched together as he barely heard the question. The Boy and his mother had the last name Shepherd... That's just a coincidence, right? Shephard is a common last name.

“Dr. Sloan?” the boy said softly. Mark quickly closed the chart then turned to the boy with a small smile.

“I'm sure your mom's fine, but wait here” before the Boy could argue mark was gone like a flash of lighting. He made sharp turn and nearly ran into the threshold of the room where the boy's mother was in.

His heart stopped as he watched a teary eyed Derek and Meredith giving the woman chest Compressions. “y/n...” he breathed out and stumbled backwards into the wall with his hand over his mouth.

Bailey looked over clules to the connections. “Sloan we'll need you on standby there's a nasty cut on this poor girls arm”

Her voice was muffled to him and then a ringing followed as he stood there shocked. There was nothing on his face... It was just blank.

Derek looked up and staired at his best friend with rage and sadness. Of course the two had made up and it killed Derek that he had to keep Jason a secret but at the same time anger and resent fueled him.

“stay with Jason, Mark!” Derek yelled as he checked y/n's eyes. In the back of Mark's mind he wanted to know how he knew the kids name but at the same time he left like a mindless robot.

He left the room as tears pricked his eyes. He tried to control himself but he couldn't help but shake as his stomach turned. He felt his whole body move uncontrollably and before he knew it he had emptyed his stomach in the trash can behind the nurse's station. Due to the commotion in the ER he calmed down in peace. But only one person noticed Mark Hurling in the small trash can.

“dude, you okay?” the same small voice said from behind.

Mark's eyes went wide and quickly covered his mouth and turned around. He looked down and saw the same damn eyes stare back at him.

“you shouldn't be up... You could have a conceson or-r” he's started to stutter unprofessionally as he paced infront of the boy. Boy looked up at him like he was crazy.

“I'm fine... Where's my mom?”

Jason didn't get his awnser as Mark quickly pulled him out of way. The fith strecher of the night came barreling through almost missing the boy.

'how many heart attacks can this kid give me? I just met him' mark thought as he pulled he boy to his chest and out of harms way.

Mark knelt down infront of Jason holding his shoulders. “are you okay?”

The boy nodded and smiled. Mark's steal blue eyes widened as it was like looking in a mirror. His mouth opened but no words came out. At least to the boys knowledge as a familiar voice shouted over Mark's.

“Jason! There you are” Jason's eyes widen with relief. “Aunty Amy!” the boy ran to the female shepherd and hugged her tight. Amilea looked at Mark and sighed.

“Aunty Amy...” Mark said like he got the answer he wanted all night.

“is my mom okay?” Jason asked Amilea. Amilea sighed and picked him up and carried him into the waiting room where it was quite. Mark follow as he wanted more awnsers.

“so this is your aunt?” Mark asked softly. Jason nodded. “and I Have a Uncle that works here too, he's a knea-row.. A-a nurosurgeon” he nodded each syllable as he tried to pronounce the word.

Mark's heart skipped a beat. “how old are you?”

Amilea looked between the almost identical boys. She knelt infront of the seat Jason was setting in and talked over him.

“you don't have to awnser that” Jason looked confused as he looked at the two doctors.

Mark got impatient and frustrated with Amilea. He ignored the female Shepherd and looked at Jason... Only Jason.

“how old are you kid?”

“10...now where the heck is my mom!?” Mark covered his mouth and set down as the months and years all fell into place in his mind. He sat there speechless as Amilea turned to her Nephew.

“your mom has to have surgery... She hit her head pretty hard and Dr. Sloan here is gonna stich her arm up... She'll be all better in no time”

Jason looked down with teary eyes and a pouty lip. He sniffed and cried into her shoulder as Amilea picked him up.

“hey” she started and pulled her head back so she could see the boy thst was hiding in her neck. “your mamas tuff right?”

He nodded without a sound. “and Uncle Derek is the smartest doctor you know right?”

Jason nodded again and this time Amilea nodded with him. “well you got nothing to worry about... Everything will be fine”

Amilea looked at Mark. “you got a surgery to get to, right?” Mark nodded silently and stood up. “don't let her down again... Or him” Amilea mumbled as he robotically walked away

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“why didn't you tell me about Jason?” Mark asked as he stitched up y/n's arm. He felt his stomach turn as he did his best not to ruin the elephant tattoo she loved so much with stiches.

“I wanted to tell you but y/n thought it would be better if I didn't” Derek mumbled as he stopped her brain bleed.

Mark scoffed. He had no right to be mad at Derek but he was stood scared and almost relaved that Jason was his. He need to take his frustration out on some rather If it was far or not.

“I naver wanted to hurt her... Let alone loose her” Mark said. He regreted cheating on her since day one and no other woman could match up to her. There was no excuse to what he did but if he got a second chance he wouldn't screw it up.

“she was so broken and mad after addisson she thought you didn't deserve to know” Derek explained. “after she healed she was too scared to tell you... She didn't know how”

Mark looked down after he was done he bandaged up her arm and set next to her as Derek's words ran around his head. In his mind it was all his fault, he wished he could be with Jason since day one... He wished he could have asked y/n to marry him sooner instead of falling into Addison's clutches.

He still had the ring and he carried it around. He didn't know it was a coping mechanism or it was a symbol of the hope that still sparked inside of him.

After the surgery Mark walked into the waiting for with Derek. Mark sighed as he watched Jason and Amilea playing go-fish. Mark quietly knelt next to him and smiled.

“your mama isn't awake yet but do you want to see her?” jaosn nodded softly. Mark picked him up as Jason rubbed his eyes. Derek smiled softly and followed to make sure y/n was recovering properly.

“you gotta be quite, okay?” Mark told him. Jaosn nodded as Mark sat him down.

Mark opened the door and led Jason in. Jason remained quite as he smiled as his mom.

“can she hear me?”

“I like to think so” Derek said.

“hi mommy” jason whispered and placed his tiny hand on hers.

Jason sat with her for a bit longer and talked to her believing she could hear every word. Mark stayed the entire time to and set next to her. This isn't how he imagined spending time with his family but it was the first time he was in the same room with both of them.

At about midnight Derek and Meredith took Jason to their house to watch him while y/n recovers. Mark didn't leave though and he didn't plan on leaving anytime soon.

When He was sure they were alone he took her hand as tears started to fall. “you can't leave me... You can't leave jason”

“God he has your gorgeous eyes... And he's such a good kid... Reminds me of you” he whispered.

“I'm so sorry I hurt you... And when you wake up I'll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you and jason”

Mark didn't know how long he talked to her but before he knew it he feel asleep holding her hand. His deep slumber was interrupted in the early morning of the day but the bed shifting. He slow set up as he felt her squeeze his hand.

“Mark?” she looked so confused as she looked around.

He didn't know what possessed him but he chuckled with reilef as he leaned forward placing his lips to hers. It was quick kiss that held so much meaning.

“I'm so glad you're okay and jaosn perfectly fine he's with Derek and - and I'm missed you so much” Mark started to ramble and quickly stopped when he saw her softly chuckle.

“it's good to see you two Mark” she then looked at him with a serious expression. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jason... I was just so mad and hurt... It wasn't fair to you”

He quickly shook his head. “you have nothing to be sorry for, I broke you and hurt you... And to be honest I've been miserable with out you”

“me too... I want you in jaosn's life” she admitted. Mark smiled. “Whatever you want... He's great kid and I wouldn't have it any other way”

Y/n smiled and grabed his hand. Tomorrow and the near future was uncertain but there was this silent reassurance that everything would be fine.

[prince0fpaints]

Letting off some steam..

Venture x Reader

Warnings under cut!!

WARNINGS - mentions of male genitalia, choking, name calling/degrading, PLEASE PLEASE PLEAASSSEEE PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ*✩‧₊˚

“Hey, Sloan, did you hear about this deal at the mall today?”

God.

“Hey Sloan-y look at this cool stick I found!”

What now?

“Pebble.. Pay attention to me!!”

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, Sloan was already swamped with backup work from the wayfinders society, they were assigned a pretty difficult case; finding the location of king Beau’s ceramic crown, said to be lost forever, but with bits and pieces being found in iceland gave the society hope and they, in turn, decided to put the best of them on the case.

Sloan was honored, they were incredibly ecstatic! The second they got home and told you about it you were equally excited and willing to help them. However, they told you they could handle it on their own, and even though it put you in a pouty mood, you let your lover work.

You let them work.. And work.. And work.. And then you began to miss them, they rarely left the house and that was thanks to Joel at the society to give Sloan all the time they needed to pinpoint a rough location on the artifact. Every now and again you brought them food but never lingered too long, until they would be moving around the house, just for a change of scenery not to be pelted by your requests for attention. They were nice to you at first, being as gentle as possible, scolding you and giving you tiny bits of attention.. Which unknowingly reinforced you to bug them more for attention.

“Baby, I know you’ve been missing me but I've gotta work, okay.. Fine, one kiss.”

. . .

“Amor, I’ve got work to do.”

. . .

“Minx, compórtate bien. Odiaría castigarte.”

You forgot for a moment what their Spanish did to you. You couldn't make out much, barely any at all, but they were smiling so it must have been a praise! You smiled back and went back to chatting their ear off. Sloan was currently sitting criss-cross on the comfy futon in the living room, you sat next to them talking about nothing in particular, just chatting.

You would trace the outside lines of their tattoos, lingering over the one on their wrist as their arms were bare and vulnerable, thank you tank tops! They were dressed quite casually, A black tank top, and those cartoony boxers with skulls and crossbones printed on the fabric.

“And then she kinda just left without her cup of extra cheese, and then got mad when she came back when the movie ended and ate her nachos! Like c’mon lady! That's your fault, so like-”

You weren't able to get any more words out as a hand moved to cover your lips, your eyes recognized the beautiful tan skin that was littered with tattoos, your pupils traced up the appendage to sloan’s eyes. They looked pissed.

Messy hair, bags under their squinted eyes, eyebrows furrowed to enunciate their current emotion of annoyance. A slight grimace on their lips caused their teeth to peek out slightly as they tightened their grip before adjusting your body.

You were laying on your stomach now, nose pressed against their thigh as they placed their computer on the arm of the futon, you squirmed and grunted as you tried to move and they silenced you, quick.

“callarse la boca. quedarse quieto.”

Hot.

You did as told, even if you could barely translate, you knew full well what Sloan would say when they wanted someone to be quiet. Your movements stilled, eyes looking up at Sloan from where they held your head, much gentler now as they shifted on the futon.

They released you momentarily before lifting their hips off the cushions and slipping their boxers off just to the middle of their thighs. You swallowed, hard, eyes first spotting the leather straps wrapped perfectly around their sculpted abdomen, and a familiar sight met your gaze.

Their cock, their crazily colored, beautiful length.

You stared at it, unable to tear your eyes away as your eyes looked over the pinks, purples, and yellows on the slightly curved length. You swallowed once more, body twitching unknowingly as you felt Sloan’s gentle hand wipe away some drool you didn't realize escaped your mouth.

“Messy. Here, make yourself useful while I work.”

You wanted to, to just wrap your lips around it and make your partner happy but were met with resistance as their hand tugged your hair back.

“Control yourself. Don't you dare misbehave, I can stop this at any time.”

You whine, you love when they get all dominant like this but hate when they threaten to stop playing with you like this. You felt your head nod mindlessly, Sloan’s strong hand guiding your wanting mouth to the tip of their length.

You bobbed your head in a slow rhythm, Sloan groaned in satisfaction, their head rolling back as they praised your skillful tongue, though the shaft occupying your mouth was silicone, you swore sloan was feeling every little lick and suck. They removed their hand from your now messy locs and went back to typing. You mentally pout, you don't have their undivided attention. You wanted to hear them, to feel their hands on you, to be praised about your skillful mouth. You began to pull off to groan at them only to be pushed back down, gagging slightly in the process.

“You've been mouthing off all day, god, you've been so desperate for me, haven't you.”

Your hips shift at their tone, mind so clouded, their voice felt like it wormed its way into your brain.

“God. If you'd only shut up, I wouldn't have to stuff your useless mouth like this.”

You let out a muffled moan, tears dripping down your cheeks and onto their perfect thighs and the leather straps.

“But knowing you, you probably like this, don't you?.. Apuesto a que estás todo mojado ahí abajo. ¿Sí?”

You moan around the silicon you were choking on.

“putita.”

You quite literally prove their point right after.

[hauntingkiki]

Hiii I was wondering if you can do a venture fluff alphabet? 😚

I NEVER KNEW THIS WAS A THING OMG

Sloan Camron Fluff Alphabet

Overwatch

2nd POV

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

A = Activities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

- sloan will literally do anything with you, but they prefer museum dates, pottery classes/paint pottery, aquariums, hikes, day trips, amusement parks-just anything that’s outside really

- but they also just like to relax with you at home, staying in comfy clothes and just cuddle all day!

B = Beauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

- sloan LOVES your eyes! just how they sparkle in the sun, how they light up when you’re talking about an interest and much more! sloan could stare into your eyes all day if you’d let them

- venture really like their dimples/smile. they’ll quote the line from coco where miguel goes “dimple. no dimple. dimple. no dimple.” just randomly😭

C = Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

- honestly, it kind of depends on how you were acting when they found you

- like if you were pissy and in a bad mood, they’d leave you alone to cool off. and if you’re crying your eyes out, they will not leave your side, holding you in their arms and helping you calm down from your state

- but sloan will try to get you to talk about what’s going on, so that way they can give you some advice

- and to get your mind off of it, they’ll kiss you all over your face and just cuddle with you:)

D = Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

- sloan definitely wants to get married to you sometime in the future:}

- maybe a few kids if you both agree on it, but they’ll totally be fine if you didn’t want a family!

- they’d probably wait until all of this when they leave overwatch and possibly the wayfinder’s. they just want to prioritize you and your relationship over everything and with them traveling they feel like it’ll be hard, but if you tell them to stay then they well!

E = Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

- they’re kinda of both, not one over the other, directly in the middle

F = Fight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

- sloan would be super forgiving, they’re the type of person to not want to go to bed angry at one another, so they’re always wanting to talk things out unless it’s something you don’t want to talk about in the moment

- if the two of you get into a fight, it’s the calmest thing ever. neither of you are yelling at one another, or accusing each other. just; one person goes first and gives their perspective, then when the first person is done, the other person will go

- it’s a very calming environment, maybe some crying from both of you, but the problem is instantly resolved!

G = Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

- sloan is very grateful for everything that they’ve gotten in life, all the sacrifices they made, their family/friends made,

- if you’re working your ass off, sloan is SO thankful for you and all that you do! all of your achievements will not go unnoticed by your partner!:)

H = Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

- sloan isn’t hiding anything from you(unless its family related stuff that they’re not ready to share yet) but you know everything about them

I = Inspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

- i think you mainly helped venture noticed some of the bad habits that they have, like how they’re kinda oblivious and how they talk over people by accident.

- obviously, the habits aren’t completely gone, as they have had these habits ever since they were a kid, but they’ve gotten better!

J = Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

- sloan hardly gets jealous, but if they do it’s for the right reason; like if someone’s hitting on you when you’re making it obvious that you’re taken or stuff like that

- if they are jealous, they’ll act supper touchy/flirty with you in front of the person that’s annoying you. they’ll kiss your cheeks, let their hands wonder, have their hand around your waist and whatnot

K = Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

- at first they were a horrible kisser, since they’ve never been in a relationship before

- but as time quickly went on, they got better

- the first kiss was kind of romantic, it was after a date/hangout and you both went for a kiss. their lips were chapped, tasted like gravel/dirt, and they accidentally nicked you with their chipped tooth, which made your lip bleed

L = Love Confession - How would they confess to their s/o? (this is from a scenario i wrote on my wattpad🌚)

- they waited a few weeks before confessing, getting advice from angela and also making sure that their feelings were permanent as well as a few other factors they wanted to clear up

- "i need to tell you something!"

"..."

"I REALLY LIKE YOU!! PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!"

"..."

*gasps dramatically* "YOU WILL?!"

"...”

"...why the fuck am i roleplaying with a rock."

- this is how the confession went:

"i like you! i think? i dunno! everything is so confusing about this, i don't know what i'm doing!-"

"it's okay! i already knew you liked me. and i like you too, sloan."

"...REALLY?!"

M = Marriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

- HELL YEAH THEY WANT TO MARRY YOU

- they were SOOO nervous about proposing, they asked everyone they knew for tips and advice for it

- they probably proposed with a custom ring with your favorite gemstone/your birthstone

- and they probably proposed either in a really cave that they explored OR your dream location

- again, sloan was very nervous about proposing. they almost fucked it up from how nervous they were but they were relieved when you said yes!:)

- nothing about your relationship really changed, just the fact that the two of you were engaged and getting married!

N = Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

- sloan had a verity of nicknames for you😭

cariño

mi amor

babe

hun

mi vida

hermosa/hermosos

tesoro

any cute gem related nickname that you like

O = On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

- they are the same…just 10 times worse

- they will not shut up about you (unless the person they’re talking to gets annoyed by their yapping) they’re just so in love with you!

- it’s super obvious to others, since whenever you walk into the room, they have a love sick look on their face

- they randomly give you artifacts, gems and cool rocks that they found that reminded them of you! it could even be a rock they found on the sidewalk and they’d give it to you!

P = PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

- they’re not really bragging, just yapping about their undying love, like i said on On Cloud Nine

- sloan isn’t shy to kiss you in front of others, the wayfinder’s have seen WAYY worse, so they’re not bothered by a little pda from the two of you:)

Q = Quirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

- sloan can make you laugh without even trying.

- they could say the dumbest thing and it’s the funniest thing ever

R = Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

- they’re very romantic!

- they will do everything and anything for you, just to see you smile!

S = Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

- venture is very supportive, your biggest cheerleader EVER

- they do their best to learn about your hobby/goal so they can help you in the best way possible!

T = Thrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

- venture kinda of prefers the same routine, but is down to change some things up in the relationship to add to the thrill.

- “we gotta have lore for when we’re older!”

U = Understanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

- they know you from how much you tell them things, which is hopefully a lot since they tell you a lot of things in their life:)

- they’re very understanding with things, and there might be some things that they don’t understand, but are willing to learn more about it for you, like in Support

V = Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

- your relationship is very important to sloan, they wouldn’t want to lose it

- they would quit their job if you told them too, you matter too much to them for them to lose

W = Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

- venture has a buttload of songs saved for your ringtone, such as

my girl, the temptations

be my baby, the ronettes

better in the dark, jordana, tv girl

luna, amore e no, piero piccioni

and a bunch of other songs:)

- they also have many pictures of you in their wallet, one on their drill and some other places

X = XOXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

- they are very affectionate, i go into more detail in the sfw alphabet btw:3

- they will DIE if they don’t get cuddles and kisses from you! you are their LIFELINE!

Y = Yearning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

- sloan will stay up late watching videos of the two of you, looking at pictures, listening to voicemails/voice messages, reread old texts, and…yk…

- they’re just waiting until the mission is over until they’re in your arms again!!

Z = Zeal - Are they willing to go to great lenghts for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

- yes! they’re willing to do anything to make you happy!

- unless it’s murdering someone then they might have to decline (they’ll ask someone else to do it/j)

- but in all seriousness, if you wanted them to leave overwatch/wayfinder’s they would do it, even though it would pain them to leave just an amazing job, they would for you:)

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!! AND THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST! I LOVE DOING THEM!

i need more requests😔

[venture4treasure]

“And I, well I found what’s best for me”

Words: 2817

Premise: A non-canon fan continuation of @archangelsarchway fics: part one and part two. Struggling with learning to move on from Venture after their amnesia and newfound affection for Mei, Reader feels like something isn’t quite right. Someone is pulling the strings and nobody has realized. 

Warnings: Implied major character death, Memory loss, Kidnapping, Drugging, Blood, they/them pronouns for Reader, Implied body modification, Unhappy ending

“What did you say?” Your eyes widen in alarm, turning to face the trio.

“Rein,” you demand, half begging, as your heart rate picks up, “what did you say”. 

“I… didn’t say anything,” Reinhardt answers, confused. 

Sojourn affirms that nothing was said. 

You stand up suddenly, slamming your hands on the table a little harder than you had meant. Everyone was looking at you now. Mei crowds behind Venture at your sudden action. You duly note that you never did apologize to her for that. 

“Are you alright?” Lifeweaver offers to let you lean your weight on him as you grow dizzy and unbalanced. 

“I’m fine,” you grit out, “head’s just hurting out of nowhere”. 

“I’m going to go wash up and maybe take some painkillers, be back in a moment,” you say to the group, pushing yourself off Lifeweaver, “sorry about the scare. Congratulations on your marriage” you add with a pained smile. 

You hurry off to the washroom, splashing water on your face. You must look like a mess, but the pain behind your eyes is unbearable and almost blinding. Hunched over the sink, the water still running, a violent cough overtakes you. 

There’s blood in the sink now. It’s yours. Something is wrong. You should’ve known, you berate yourself. You should’ve trusted your gut. Kiriko was here, right? You’re pretty sure she can heal you without her gear. And then you’d report your concerns of some kind of poisoning to Winston, and the scientists at Overwatch would figure it out. It was a simple plan, you could manage. 

You look up at the mirror to try and compose yourself, a feeling of dread falls over you when you see a reflection of someone behind you. You’re about to turn around when a hand settles on your back, a burning pain knocks you out. 

—

Lifeweaver nudges Sojourn, calling out to the table that they’re going to check on you. The two of them head towards the building the garden is attached to. 

“Do you think they’re doing okay?” Lifeweaver asks, “maybe seeing a wedding is still a bit much”.

“They’ve been doing fine moving on from what I’ve seen,” Sojourn replies, “I think something isn’t right. They’ve been really confused with events regarding Sloan recently. They keep asking me to confirm if certain things really happened, and some of the things they’ve been coming up with… I don’t remember anything remotely similar happening. Things that are completely made up”.

“Seeing and hearing things, and mistaking them for memories? They’re not on any medication that would cause hallucinations that bad from what I recall,” Lifeweaver brows furrow in concern. 

“We’ll get an answer if we ask, I’m sure,” Sojourn says.

She knocks on the door to the washroom. 

“Hello?” No response, she flashes a worried look at Lifeweaver. 

“Are you okay? If you want to head out, Niran and I will keep you company, we’re about done with the excitement anyways”. It’s still met with silence. 

“I’m going to come in, okay?” Sojourn calls out. 

Turning the handle reveals it’s unlocked. Both Sojourn and Lifeweaver share a concerned glance. 

“Oh my god”. Lifeweaver breathes at the scene before them. 

The faucet is still running water. Blood splattered the edges of the sink and ran down the mirror. A trail of red smeared across porcelain and streaked the floor – like a body had been dragged. 

Lifeweaver closes the door to preserve any evidence. A feeling of regret washes over him, he should’ve gone with you. Sojourn calls in a missing person, her voice calmer than her anxious pacing would have you think. 

—

Overwatch had passed the case off to the authorities, which fell cold after some months. Everyone was forced to move on with their work without their fellow agent, but not everybody was content with the idea of giving up. So when an anonymous tip – sealed with a purple skull – was handed off to Venture; Sojourn and Lifeweaver pushed for an investigation.

A small, but capable group was sent out. With Sojourn leading the team, Lifeweaver, Reinhardt, Venture, and Mei arrived at Eichenwalde. 

An eerie silence greets them. No bird songs or stray animals scurrying about. They start their search by clearing out any danger from the main roads. At the foot of the castle, a rock drops to their location, clattering noisily. Venture kneels to pick it up, checking in the direction it came from – its trajectory indicates that it was thrown and not from crumbling buildings, besides it’s not a rock common to this area. They don’t get far in their thoughts when a monstrous howl interrupts the silence. The team instinctively points their weapons toward the sound. 

A creature prowls on the top of abandoned buildings, roof tiles fall with each step it takes. It looks like a griffin – eagle’s head and lion’s body, but even that’s not quite right. Its hind legs change from fur to scales, and where lion paws should’ve been are a set of reptilian claws. Its snake-like tail whips behind it, sounding a frightening cracking noise. 

It flares its feathers, jumping at the group. Reinhardt is quick to throw up his shield. The force of the pounce has his shield cracking and pushes him back as he tries to dig his feet into the ground. Large talons slam and scratch at the shield. Like this, they can truly see how large the beast is. On all fours it matches Reinhardt’s height. 

“My shield won’t last!”

“What is THAT?”

The sound of a shield shatter is the group’s signal to scatter. Lifeweaver throws a petal for Mei, Reinhardt, and himself. Venture burrows away and Sojourn slides out of the beast’s line of attack. It snaps its beak angrily, its sight locked onto Sojourn. 

Sojourn aims a railgun shot and it moves out of the way. It dodged. It understands the concept of guns, Sojourn notes with alarm. She’s not able to slide away a second time before the creature is on top of her, caging her under its body. Between the feathers of its neck and torso, there’s hair peeking out between the plumage. It’s not dissimilar to human hair and even more similar to someone who went missing months ago. A cold despair freezes her in place.

Lifeweaver throws out his life grip to try and pull Sojourn away, it’s caught midway through its recall by the beak of the monster. A strong jerk pulls him off the platform, he catches himself, but his gear is broken – and probably his wrist too. Sojourn regroups with him, throwing out some covering fire to stall time as Mei and Venture try to flank it. 

“Niran, you don’t think this is…” Sojourn asks, hoping for a different opinion. 

Lifeweaver squints at the beast in front of it, noting down details. Its fur colour is horribly familiar and its eyes…

Tearing his gaze away, he hisses out a swear.

“I thought so,” Sojourn remarks bitterly. 

—

“Mei! Can you get us some cover? Just some time to regroup with a plan,” Sojourn yells over the fighting. 

“S-sure,” Mei calls back, throwing up an ice wall. The creature pounds against it, the cry of ice giving away reminds the group that they’re on a timer.

They take cover in a buried storage room, banking on the idea that birds have a weak sense of smell. 

“Venture,” Sojourn says, placing a hand on their shoulder, “did you figure out who that is?” 

“Yeah,” Venture swallows, “yeah, I think so”.

“Then I’m sure you know that they loved you dearly. Even after you moved on to another, they never stopped loving you,” Sojourn pauses, “even if it was to a fault”. 

“And I’m not saying this just to slander them while they’re like this, that first year for them was rough. But every day after, they worked hard to learn to move on, so you could move on,” Sojourn continues, “I think you should try and talk to them, maybe it’ll snap some sense into them and give us the opening we need to win”. 

Mei tries to argue and is cut off by Sojourn before she can speak a word, “I’m not asking you to get back together or to pretend like you love them still, just talk to them. Your voice is enough, trust me”. 

A doubtful silence falls over the group, broken by the crumbling of wood and stone as the creature lets out a growl. It’s looking for them, and they all know they’re running out of time. 

“I have one Tree of Life I can use,” Lifeweaver shouts over the sound, “if we’re going to try this, we’re going. Now”.

The team hurries out of the storage room they were taking cover in. The creature immediately turns towards them with a deafening roar.

“Life protects life!”

The pink tree pulses brightly, stunning the beast. It approaches the offending structure with malicious curiosity. 

Venture shouts their name – the name of someone gone missing months ago. 

The beast snaps towards the sound, growling lowly as it approaches Venture. 

“Hey,” Venture says as if striking up a conversation, “I’ve heard a lot about you. And I should know a lot about you if what I’ve been told is true. I’m sorry that I don’t”.

It stops in its approach, the growling doesn’t cease, but quiets to a noise that doesn't make their body tremble with fear. It blinks at them, as if to tell them to continue.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t ever reach out and I’m sorry that I treated you the way I did,” Venture’s voice shakes, they hadn’t meant to get emotional over this, “I should’ve done better, especially when I saw that you were trying to do right by me. If you’ll give me a chance, I’d like to try to do right by you this time”. 

It lowers its bird-like head to Venture’s eye level. It stops growling and seems to be observing Venture. It makes a couple clicking sounds, the latter half of noises starting to sound like vowels. 

It’s trying to talk to me, Venture realizes in shock.

They hastily turn to rummage something out of their bag, they can hear their team yelling at them through comms to not turn their back to it, but this felt like the right thing to do.

Venture looks back to the creature, a silver ring cupped in their hands, “look! You gave this to me, didn’t you? I know I stopped wearing it, but I couldn’t just throw it away because it felt like it was something special. Too special to throw away, you know?” They rambled. 

It shifts its body, tilting its head so it can better look at the ring. Venture moves the ring in their hand, holding it between two fingers so if it wants to grab it from them, it can. For a moment, it seems like it does want to take it, it moves its head closer, emitting a soft audible vibration.  

The rumble of an engine makes both of them turn to the sound. The beast turns faster, but it’s too late. Reinhardt’s hammer slams into the side of it, sending it through brick railing and off the edge. It screeches in pain, it’s an ear piercing noise that makes everyone flinch. 

“NO,” Venture breathes in panic, racing to the ledge. 

—

Your head hurts and your body has been moving on its own accord. Every time you try to think or remember, your brain feels like it’s going to explode. So, you’ve just followed exactly what you’ve been told. And maybe it’s not so bad like this. When you do as told, you get to eat tasty food and sleep on a soft bed. And like this, you’re not hurting. You were hurting before, you think. At least that’s what she tells you. Plus, this form makes you powerful. Strong enough that no one can hurt you again, strong enough to protect- 

Protect what? You don’t remember. 

Through the fog of your brain that you left on autopilot, you can hear a name. One you should know. 

It’s your name, isn’t it? Then who’s saying it? 

You try to squint to see better, but this body doesn’t have the muscle to do so. Instead you blink, the sudden darkness stuns you for a second. The voice starts talking again, and it makes you feel. The emotions make you recoil, but you have to know. You lean down towards them to see better. 

Venture! 

‘Sloan’ you try to say. Your body doesn’t have vocal cords, so it comes out as a series of meaningless chirps. Frustrated, you try again, ‘Sloan! Venture! Help me! Save me! I’m sorry.’ None of it comes out right. 

You’re prepared to keep trying when they cut you off by searching their bag. You can hear the rustle of items better than you can understand the mess of colours in your vision – you guess your vision changed with your body, you just never noticed until now.

They bring a small trinket into your vision. It sparkles in the sun and artificial tree’s light. 

“You… me… special…”

Special… you guys were something special, weren’t you? You think it’s a ring they’re holding, but you can’t really make out an item so small. Maybe if you get closer, you’ll be able to see better.

A motorized noise makes your body’s instincts kick in, you spin towards the direction it’s coming from, snapping your beak in aggression. You barely register what’s happening when something heavy smashes into you, you can feel your bones break from the impact. Your mind blacks out. 

The ground beneath you disappears and your claws scrabble against stone to find something to keep you from falling. You manage to hook your talons into something to keep you up. 

When you regain a sense of self again, your memories come back to you in complete clarity. You almost let go of your grip because of it. You’re in full control of your body now, you realize. There’s no barrier to your thinking, it’s just you. And you're scared. You try to stretch your wings to get back up. They’re broken, you realize. You peer up desperately, Venture’s looking down at you equally as panicked. 

“Help me,” you say, expecting it to come out incomprehensible, but Venture jolts.

“Hang on,” they answer back, they’re looking around to find a way to save you. 

You feel your front claw slip from its hold as stone falls away under it. You swing your hind legs to find some kind of purchase, but there's nothing, you’re kicking at air. You take a moment to look around you, it’s all stone bridges. There’s a castle, old and adorn with moss. Familiar worn orange roofs come into sight. It’s Eichenwalde. Finally, you peek below you – you already know what you’re going to see – a seemingly endless fall. There’s a river down there, or so you’ve been told, not that you can see it through the dense fog. 

“Sloan,” you look back up and they’re moving to face you again. 

“Do you have an idea?” They ask, frazzled, a hand in their hair, “Mei’s ice wall and Niran’s petal platform don’t have any ground to work on, and his life grip was destroyed by…” 

“I’m sorry,” you try to smile, you’re not sure this body can but you try, “I’m sorry,” you repeat a couple more times. 

“I hope you’re happy,” you say. You’re concerned it came across as passive-aggressive, so you correct yourself, “be happy”.

The wall crumbles underneath your grip again, you strain to keep a hold on what’s left. You’re tired and your strength is wearing away with your adrenaline. 

“Talon… purple doctor! She!” You rattle off what you can remember, “poison, medicine, made me forget… made you forget? Hallucinations!”

“Sorry Mei…” you add. 

You let out a surprised shriek when your claws slide against stone, you’re going to fall. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you squawk. 

You think you see Mei and Sojourn silhouette besides Venture now.

“I love you. Live your life doing what makes you happy”.

You fall. 

—

The noises sound more like words now, but they’re still horribly animalistic, especially when you got more panicked. 

“I love you. Live… happy,” they had managed to make out from your last words. Venture’s heart sinks.

Venture watches you fall in horror. They can feel Sojourn and Mei’s grip on them, keeping them from doing something stupid. They scramble away from the edge as a sharp pain stabs through their head. Hazy memories returned to them. Memories of their time with you. 

Venture covers their mouth with their hands as if to keep themselves from speaking, but the guilt falls out anyways. 

“It’s my fault”.

—

A figure muses at the scene beneath her from a shadowed ledge out of Overwatch’s sight.

“Fascinating”.

Author’s Note: YOU. @archangelsarchway. YOU BETTER START RUNNING, CAUSE WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU. /pos

This is something super self-indulgent. A little treat for me, if you will 😋

I re-explained the motive behind this story to myself. And yeah, I guess I did kill Reader to save Reinhardt and Mei from being the bad guys. Sorry Moira…

Because I care too much about this world; the reason why Reader was able to become what they did is probably due to their body composition, as in, they’re not completely human to begin with – this is also probably related to their abilities that got them into Overwatch. What I’m trying to say is, Talon wouldn’t be able to create more creatures, their world is not doomed.

Quote is from Little Pistol by Mother Mother.

[writtenbeneaththestars]

The burn of your touch

Summary: how everyone else found out that Lia had been assaulted Warnings: past sexual assault, flashback/panic attack, brief thoughts of suicide, brief self-harm, thoughts of self-harm (please tell me if I missed anything!!) A/N: I love Lia so much and protective Dean and Michael fuels my entire existence so yk this came out *please tell me if I made any mistakes!!*

Tags: @catapparently

“So,” Michael said, his voice tantalizing and smooth. “Are we doing this?” Lia returned with a smirk.

“Well, they already know, don’t they?”

They both knew who she meant. The rest of their family. They had kept their new get-back-together as a secret for about a month before Lia needed to distract the rest of them when they had gotten into trouble. It wasn’t her fault Cassie got them caught while they were coming back from some party or other. Even Sloane managed to keep it together, but oh no, Cassie just had to give it away. She was noticing a trend with that girl – she was a terrible liar.

Michael brought his hand up to her face. But the moment their skin made contact, it was like a switch had been flipped. Because Michael turned into him. She could feel the rough skin of his hand on her face and it– it couldn’t be.

She was back in the room. Her old bedroom.

Everything was white. It was dark outside. He was sitting there. He couldn’t– she had to make up a lie. She had to– she had to– it couldn’t be– it couldn’t–

No. It wasn’t real. This couldn’t possibly be real. But it felt so real and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. But she had to get away. She had to get away– as far away as she possibly could because she– she couldn’t breathe and she couldn’t– she couldn’t let it happen. Not again.

She was supposed to be free.

Michael was confused. One moment his girlfriend was fine and they were getting ready to make out again, and the next she was flinching away and– god the pure terror on her face. Her eyes were vacant, as if they weren’t really there. And she was so scared.

The dread and fear and self-hatred and pain was so clearly visible it was palpable in the air.

In all of the years he’d known her, Lia Zhang’s emotions were never this easy to read. It was like she was in a completely different world.

“Hey, um, Lia?” He asked, reaching out his hand. He hadn’t even touched her yet before she flinched violently away, backing into the corner and curling into a ball. She was moving as far away from him as possible, and that hurt something deep inside him. “Ok,” he said, desperately trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Ok. So no touching. Got it.”

He was back. He was back and there was nothing she could do. Not this time. He wasn’t listening. He wasn’t– why wasn’t he listening? She could– she could be a good girl. She could be good. She could be perfect. She would do everything he told her to do. Why wasn’t he listening?

Michael didn’t know what to do. He’d never seen her like this. Not Lia. Not the girl who was always so… strong. The one that never broke. He wanted to scream at himself, because he should have known, especially as the emotion reader, that the ones that look the strongest are the ones who are hiding their hurt.

He was advancing. She wanted to scream at him and push him back but she couldn’t. Because none of this could be real. She’d spent so long trying to prevent this from happening. It couldn’t– it couldn’t possibly be happening.

“Ok,” he repeated. He could tell her breathing was quickening now. It was shallow and fast and she was hyperventilating. And he knew that was bad. “I’m, um, I’m going to get Dean, alright?” She didn’t react. So he practically ran out of there, his heart pounding and his thoughts racing.

It was all her fault, wasn’t it. She should have known this would happen. She should have been good and everything would have been fine. But it wasn’t fine because he was here and he literally could not possibly be here because she– she wouldn’t survive if he was. But he was here. He was in her room and he closed the door and sat on her bed and– he couldn’t be here. He couldn’t– he couldn’t– he–

Michael ran down the hall to Dean’s room, pounding on the door once he got there. He heard giggling behind the door and he wanted to scream at whoever was behind there that this wasn’t a time for laughing. That something was happening with Lia and he felt so freaking powerless and he needed to do something, anything to help her so how dare they laugh? Dean opened the door, a light expression on his face.

“Hey, Townsend, stop assaulting the door. Jeez, what’s up with–” he stopped, his face darkening when he saw Michael’s face. He would have felt bad for ruining Dean’s mood, but not now. He realized on some level that he must have stopped hiding his emotions, but it didn’t matter that he was showing Dean what he was feeling because he was so effing scared and worried and– he just needed Dean to come. “Michael,” Dean said again, his voice louder and firmer than it was before. “What. Happened.” Under different circumstances, he would have made fun of Dean for his voice shaking. But under different circumstances, he wouldn’t even be here.

“Lia.” He could only let a single word out of his mouth. His voice shook the slightest bit. The moment the word made its way out of his mouth, he could see Dean’s expression change. The worry, the fear, the anger, it all multiplied exponentially. Michael heard Dean curse, his voice shaking. He knew how much Dean cared about his sister. How protective he was of her. How out of all of them, Dean knew the most about her past.

“Which room?” He asked. Michael could see the self-hatred and the pent up anger, but for once he wasn’t going to aggravate it.

“Mine.” Dean nodded, brushing past Michael. Lia hardly ever let anyone into her room. Michael had asked her about that once but she just brushed it off. It didn’t matter now though. How could it?

“Hey, what’s going on?” Cassie asked, walking up to the door. Michael couldn’t answer. The only thing it seemed that he was capable of doing right now was following Dean.

The moment Dean entered the room and saw Lia on the ground, he ran toward her. He knelt down next to her and reached out a hand but she flinched away with a scream that tore Dean’s chest in half. He wasn’t the emotion reader, but Dean knew what kind of scream that was. It was the sound of someone who had been hurt and knew they were going to be hurt again. The kind of desperation and resignation that made him want to punch someone over and over again until they were dead because his sister didn’t deserve this.

He wouldn’t leave. He kept coming closer. She deserved it, didn’t she. She– she deserved it, didn’t she? It was all her fault. And she– she really couldn’t breathe. She felt like she was about to pass out, and that would be better than this. Anything is better than this. With him.

“What did you do,” he asked, turning around to look at Michael. His voice was dark and dangerous, but he didn’t care. He was vaguely aware that Cassie walked in.

“Nothing,” Michael said. He was clearly worried and scared which meant something was deeply wrong with everything because Michael never showed his emotions. “I– we were going to kiss but then she flinched away and she– I don’t know.”

“What’s happening?” He heard a quiet voice behind him. He could see out of the corner of his eye that it was Sloane. He didn’t know when or how, but somehow he was on the ground again. He made sure to sit a few feet away from her, but she really needed to start breathing normally.

“We were going to kiss, and I didn’t do anything, I swear! But then she kind of just flinched and now she’s on the floor, screaming whenever anyone touches her.” Dean could see Michael pacing, and he wanted to do the same himself. Ok, that wasn’t true. He wanted to punch a punching bag until everything was ok again.

She needed to be not here. To be anywhere but here. To be anywhere but with him. She needed him to go away. He won’t go away. He won’t go away and she can’t move and she can’t breathe and she– she just couldn’t anymore, she just couldn’t she–

Sloane walked closer and sat down a few feet away from his sister on her other side, but she was looking at Dean, as if she was trying to communicate something without actually having to say it. And something told him that whatever she had to say would hurt him in one of the worst ways possible.

“What is it, Sloane,” he asked softly. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again and shook her head.

“Hey, Lia?” She said instead. “It’s ok. He’s not here. You’re safe. This house has incredibly high security measures, I can attest to that, and everyone here is safe to be around. He’s not here. You’re not there. You’re in Michael’s room, and you’re safe.” It took Dean’s buzzing brain a moment to register what Sloane was saying in her words. Lia was having a flashback. And as Sloane kept repeating it over and over again, it took another second for him to realize the rest of Sloane’s implications. Something about a man. He had a few suspicions about what specifically, but he refused to believe that it could be true, that someone could– no.

There was a faint noise. She could make out a few words. Something about being safe. But she wasn’t. He was here. He was here and she wasn’t safe and– and she couldn’t breathe. But then the voice said something about him not being here. But he was literally here. He was right in front of her, he was right there and coming closer. And then the voice said something about not being there. Of being in Michael’s room. It took her a long moment to realize who Michael was. And it took another moment for her to realize who the voice belonged to. Then she blinked and he was gone, though his touch still stayed.

After who knows how long, Dean breathed a sigh of relief when Lia’s eyes seemed to finally return to the present.

“Lia, can you– can you breathe for me please?” He said softly. Her eyes snapped over to him, and her breathing quickened still more, before she seemed to realize who he was. Dean wanted to scream when he realized that right now, men were terrifying for his sister and she was terrified of him. That hurt on a level he wasn’t aware was possible. “It’s ok. You’re safe. You’re safe in Michael’s room. I just need you to breathe, Lia, ok?”

She shook her head as she scrunched her eyes tightly closed and started clenching and unclenching her hands. Then she started scratching herself, and Dean wanted to punch the wall. He had forgotten what her panic attacks were like. It had been a few years since he’d seen one, and he wanted to yell at himself for thinking that they had just gotten better when he should have realized that she had just gotten better at hiding them.

“Hey, Lia? Don’t hurt yourself, ok?” She didn’t seem to hear him. And he wanted to hold down her hands, but that would just trigger her more and he felt so effing useless. “Please, Lia.” He whispered, scared that any volume above that would make her go back to wherever she was.

“Can’t,” she gasped out, her nails digging into her hand. “Breathe.”

“Just breathe in for four for me, ok? Can you do that?” He needed her to listen. He needed her to be ok. He wanted to jump up in joy when she followed what he said. It didn’t matter that it was way too quick to actually be effective, it was working. “Ok, now just hold it for four. That’s it. Now out for four. That���s good. That’s good, Lia.”

On some level she was aware that Dean wasn’t going to hurt her. That he was safe. But the voice kept switching back and forth and back and forth between Dean’s and his and why couldn’t she breathe? She followed what the words said. What the voice told her to do. She just wanted it to be over. She needed it to be over.

As her breathing slowly and shakily returned to normal, she stopped scratching herself and Dean could see the smallest amount of blood. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be ok, but he knew that would be bad. He just needed his sister to be ok.

She leaned her head against the wall and for the first time in a long time, Dean saw just how exhausted she was.

“Lia,” he heard Michael say. In his peripheral vision Dean saw him kneeling down next to Sloane. “What happened?”

Lia was so tired. She just wanted to sleep except she hated sleeping and being on the bed because he– no. She refused to think about that. Not now. She shrugged, rolling her eyes. At least she could finally breathe now.

“Flashback or panic attack type thing. What, have you never seen one before?” Her tone was flippant, thankfully.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Michael’s voice was soft. Gentle. Like she could break at any moment and she hated that. She hated it so much. That was how he treated her mother. And she would not become her mother. She refused to.

“One, stop treating me like I’m fragile.” She shot a glare at Michael. Then she let out a sigh and leaned her head against the wall. She really would have to do this, wouldn’t she. “I was nine the first time. That was when I killed a man. Lies are protection, you know, and they’re also weapons. He just kept coming. But the lies always worked. They kept him back. Away. So it was safe. Then I turned twelve, and of course puberty happened and suddenly, they– the lies stopped working.” She was distinctly aware of her voice shaking. She could still feel him all over her. He had never stopped being all over her and she– she needed him to leave. She shrugged as she tried to block out the memories that were flooding into her mind.

“Lia, I–”

“No.” She cut Michael off, not looking at him. She was shaking. Why couldn’t she stop shaking? “Don’t, Michael.” She took another shaky breath. “He called my honey, sweetie, darling, any supposedly endearing term you can think of and he called me that.” She closed her eyes, lost in the pain. “He said I was special.” Her voice was barely audible, but she knew everyone in the room heard. “She knew what he did to girls he called special. She let him anyway.” She opened her eyes again. There weren’t any tears. There weren’t any tears because this had long progressed beyond the point of crying. It hurt too much for tears. She was too numb to cry. She knew that was a juxtaposition, but she didn’t care enough to make sense of it.

“He’s gone now,” Dean said and she wanted to curl up next to him like she used to do when she was younger and it was just the two of them and she had just started trusting him. But she couldn’t because she– she didn’t deserve to be comforted. And she’s scared that if he touched her, she would get transported back in time again and she couldn’t handle that.

“No, he isn’t.” Her voice shook. She hated that. “They never caught him. He’s a serial rapist on top of everything else and they never caught him.” She saw Dean flinch, as if he couldn’t quite believe that Lia had been– no. She hated using that word for herself. “And she just let him.” She sounded broken. She couldn’t quite bring herself to care; she was just exhausted. The only thing she wanted to do now was to sleep and never wake up. She was aware that it sounded like dying. Maybe she did want to die.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Sloane sounded so desperate for her to understand. “I– I should have said it when you first told me, but it wasn’t your fault, Lia.” Lia let out a soft laugh.

“Wasn’t it? If I had thought of a better lie, if I had found another way to keep him away, if I was invisible, if I wasn’t special,” she spat out the word. “If I had been better then it wouldn’t have happened.” She wanted to cry. She really, really wanted to cry but it hurt beyond the point of crying. Plus, she had already used up all her tears the night before in the safety of her locked room. There couldn’t possibly be any left.

“Lia,” Dean said with a strange intensity she hadn’t seen in him before. “It’s not your fault. Please, trust me. It’s not your fault.” Lia smirked for a brief second.

“Dean-o, you know I have trust issues.” He gave her a soft smile. She could tell that he wanted to hug her and hold her and she hated that he couldn’t. And god, why was he still all over her?

“Your mother shouldn’t have done that,” Sloane whispered. Oh Lia loved that girl.

“When I was still debating whether or not to take her with me, she told me she loved me.” She took a shaky breath. “And it was the truth. The funny thing about truths is that if you believe it, anything can be true.” She closed her eyes. “I’ve spent my entire life trying to figure out if that was really true or if she just believed it was true.”

“People who love you don’t– they don’t let that happen. People who love you don’t do that to you.” Sloane’s voice was vibrating with intensity. Lia gave her a soft smile.

“I know,” she whispered. And suddenly the overwhelming presence of him became way too much and she– she needed to get away. She needed him to be gone. She stood up, aware on some level that she was still shaking. “I’m taking a shower.” She clenched and unclenched her hands, yearning to feel something physical to get rid of the mental anguish. She knew the moment she stepped foot into that shower she was going to have a breakdown and she was going to make herself bleed but she couldn’t bring herself to care, she just needed him to get off of her.

“Hey, Lia?” She heard Dean say when she started shakily walking to the door. She stopped walking but didn’t turn around. “I– we’re all here for you.” She nodded the slightest bit. “And we’re going to catch him and make him pay.”

“Ok.”

But it wouldn’t be enough, and she knew that. Just like she knew that no matter how many showers she took, he was still going to be all over her. He was never going to leave.

And so what if the moment she stepped into the bathroom she broke down crying?

[strangebiology]

Free Resources I Made for Nonfiction Book Writers - $$$

If you're writing a nonfiction, non-memoir book, you're welcome to join my free monthly video chat group Authors of Nonfiction Books in Progress (ANBIP.) If you join you'll get the recap emails and the invites to meetings, but if you don't like meetings, then just enjoy the emails. Note that it's sort of a professional group so we talk about book writing as more of a job than some universal higher calling or whatever.

Through that, I've had a few people ask me for some of the following documents in this journey, so I decided, why not just make a copy for sharing so that anyone can find them, instead of just people who email me? Feel free to use these as samples, share them, whatever. But first:

What I wish I had known before the book: While I'm here, before you start your book proposal, I learned too late that you can get paid $80,000 to write one at a journalism fellowship! People do that at the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, The Scripps Fellowship at the Center for Environmental Journalism, and probably the other Knight Journalism fellowships that I haven't looked into. So, keep your ears open for fellowships if you're thinking of starting a nonfiction book proposal.

To the resources...

Results from my agent search Note: most people suggest Publisher's Marketplace, so, even though I didn't like my results from looking there, there is surely a reason everyone else does.

My Book Proposal & how I contacted the agent Result: contract with MIT Press to write a book about dead animals and $50,000 advance.

My Proposal for the Sloan Grant Result: I got $56,053 for the book Carcass. Also, at least two other people in my group got the grant, and one mentioned that she never would have known about it if it weren't for ANBIP, nor would she have applied!

List of suggested grants to apply to Note: most of these book grants--and most legit ones in the world--require a traditional contract. I find a lot of "prizes" for people without trad contracts are not grants at all, but an effort to get you to think you "won" what is, in effect, a contract. That's fine if the contract is fine, but don't let them stroke your ego with the words "you won" if you think you could get a better contract elsewhere. A grant is more like free money.

I also got $500 and some free resources--and miiiiight get some more money in the future?--from a program called Investing in Wyoming's Creative Economy, so, maybe your state has something similar. IWCE is brand new (started in 2023) so we'll see if it even continues on. MANY funding opportunities only exist for a few years before they run out.

My contract with my fact-checker

How I found Science Advisors & how I described their task Note: I really just made this up, as with the contract with the fact-checker. I'm just some person and I'm only giving these to you because I couldn't find anyone else's that may have been done better! Make a copy, read through it carefully, and make all the changes you need to yours. Or if you already have a better one to look to, send it to me and LMK if I can send it to my colleagues at ANBIP!

Spreadsheet National Park Artists in Residences Applications Note: I have never got any of these, and most don't pay or work well for writers, TBH. But I know a science writer who did get one. Also, I only included the ones I liked in this spreadsheet and left out the historic parks. Here's a map of more and the National Park Arts Foundation. I only apply to free ones because I noticed that one residency said they got 800 applications and the fee was $120, which, mathematically, is like paying $96,000 to do it (and that one paid $4,000 to the winner.) Also: state parks and BLM land have Artist in Residence programs!

Copy of #PublishingPaidMe spreadsheet (I didn't make this, and I don't recommend making graphics or pivot tables from this as some of the numbers are def wrong)

Book Progress thermometer

That's all for now! If you found this helpful, just pay it forward by being open with your experience for the next people who ask you.

PS. My next task is finding events to hire me to do talks about the topic of my book, which is dead animals. I know some authors make plenty of money on speaker fees after their book is launched! But I'm struggling to find events/places to speak because I mostly only want to go places where I am paid, but I also worry about a conflict of interest if I'm paid by organizations I've covered--or even, orgs that promote or protest anything that I've covered in general! I don't want to be a PETA-funded journalist or a Safari Club International-funded journalist either. If you have experience with setting up a book tour where you profited financially and were journalistically clear, I'd love to hear your story!

[writing-house-of-m]

No More Interruptions

Taylor Sloane x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Comfort, Angst

Warnings: Anxiety/depression, cheating, asshole-ery, swearing

Word Count: 6,943

Summary: You and Taylor are friends. When her husband becomes insecure in their marriage and cheats on her, you help Taylor as much as you can through her divorce while you hide your true feelings for the blonde.

A/N: The request can be found here. I hope you enjoy anon! (I'm sorry it took so long)

You have been in love with Taylor Sloane and there was nothing you could do about it. 

The two of you had become good friends. Great friends even, which is why you couldn’t say anything. You didn't want to ruin what you had. Not to mention the fact that she was married. 

And you had to watch.

Watch the couple’s interactions with a smile on your face. Listen to everyone commenting on 'how cute' they were and how they were the ‘perfect couple’. 

Every word felt like a knife was being twisted in your chest. Over and over again. 

You tried to move past your feelings. Spent some time away from her, admittedly it helped for a little while. You even started dating again and started a relationship with someone but as soon as you were back in Taylor's orbit all your feelings came rushing back. 

Eventually, you and your, now, ex-girlfriend split amicably. You tried to love her but when those words didn't ever come from your mouth after she said them to you, you knew it was unfair to hold on to her. 

On the other hand, Ezra, Taylor’s husband, was jealous of you. He had it in his mind that you would make a move on his wife. Regardless of your feelings towards the blonde, you would never have come between them. 

However, having had enough of living in her shadow on top of being so convinced she would cheat on him, using his own words, - 'I cheated on you, before you could do it to me.' 

Taylor was heartbroken. She loved the man wholeheartedly and felt betrayed. 

She wasn't aware of his jealousy. She hadn't caught on that he would be overly affectionate when you were around. How he would grit his teeth when his wife would talk about you to others. He’d be so caught up in his jealousy that her words about him being 'so talented,' and 'the best husband anyone could have asked for,' fell on deaf ears. 

After Ezra's cheating scandal and their divorce was caught on by internet gossip sites, you tried to be there for Taylor but, with her ex-husband spilling lies about you and her, you found it was better to keep your distance and only met up with her in small groups of people. Never just the two of you alone. 

As the months passed by, you helped with as much as you could while Taylor grieved her relationship with Ezra all the while dealing with her divorce. It got to a point where you had made a schedule so that someone was always with her to ensure she wasn't alone. 

Because it couldn't be you. 

… 

Music was blasting through the house as you stood in the kitchen with your friend, Dan.

“She’s so fine, Y/n!” He was talking about a girl he had been talking to and you were standing there smiling at his antics to bed the, in your words, poor woman. 

He knew about your feelings for Taylor, as well as everything you were doing for her, so he made sure you turned up to this party to give you a chance to relax a little. 

He was successful for the most part, seeing you speak to new people, making new friends. He even helped be your wingman a couple of times. Even so, while you were pretending to listen to these girls you had a different one on your mind the whole time. 

He took a swig of his drink and asked “Anyone caught your eye? I saw you talking to that brunette, are you taking her home tonight?” 

You told him you appreciate what he was doing but you just wanted to see Taylor. It had been over a month since you last saw her. 

He shook his head disapprovingly but sympathised with you. "So, who's with her tonight?" He asked, satiating your need to talk about the woman that wouldn't ever leave your thoughts. 

Finishing the sip you had just taken of your drink, you struggled to keep a straight face when you told him, "Nicky," forcing yourself not to smirk, waiting for his reaction. 

His face scrunched up when he caught on, "Nicky?!" You scoffed at his facial expression. "Nicky? Her brother? The ‘always-wasted’, ‘ready-to-party’, Nicky?" He questioned. 

You chuckled slightly, "Yeah, that's the one." You took a mouthful of your drink, before continuing with a smile on your face, "He's actually stepped up in a big way and been really protective." 

"I don't blame him. This Ezra sounded like a dick. I would have kicked his ass a long time ago," he says and before either of you get to say another word you hear someone shout, "LET'S PARTY MOTHERFUCKERS!" Recognising the voice instantly you move to the main room of the house, with Dan following. 

You see Nicky waving and saying ‘hi’ to several people he probably didn't even know, as you walk up to him. He sees you so addresses you too, "Y/n! It's about time I saw you at one of these again!" The blonde says as he pulls you into a tight hug. 

You return his greeting and when he lets go, with furrowed eyebrows, you can't stop yourself from asking, "Why aren't you with Taylor?" Voice raised so he can hear you over the music. 

He shrugs his shoulders, "She told me she wanted some time alone," he says nonchalantly.  You're about to scold him for leaving her but he stops you because he's been on the receiving end of this before, having had this kind of conversation with him a few times already. 

He puts up his hand to stop you before you start, "Wait, just listen," He pulls you to a different room where the music is a bit quieter, "I told her I would stay with her but she insisted. She said she was just going to sleep anyway." He clarifies and from his expression you can see he's telling the truth. 

He is looking around at the other party goers, giving someone a head nod and another person a wave, while you nod your head, "Ok," you say solemnly and hesitate to continue. "How is she?" 

"Ehh…" He was trying to think of the right words, "She's… better than she was but still has a while to go," then blurts out an afterthought, "She always asks about you, you know?" Someone dancing catches his attention and his face lights up. While you're distracted thinking about what he has just said, the excited man sees this as his opportunity to leave you. "Gotta go bros!" He says to you and your best friend before rushing off. 

Dan starts to speak from behind you so you turn around, "Look, I know you think you're helping by not going over. But it's been long enough since you last saw her." He pats your arm grinning, "Go over and just say 'hi'." 

“Maybe you're right,” You smile at him. 

“I’m always right,” He responds, going in to hug you goodbye. 

"Plus,” you both pull away, “I gotchu bro!" Dan says comically, mimicking Nicky and making you laugh. 

… 

It doesn't take you long to get to Taylor's from the party. You thank the driver and make your way to her door.

You know it will be fine but you feel nervous. It feels like a lifetime has passed since you last saw her. 

After a few knocks and no answer. You think she could be sleeping so you are about to leave but just before you do you figure, since you're already there, you could at least text her to make sure.  

-

Upstairs, Taylor,  already looking at her phone, smiles when sees your message pop up at the top of her screen:

I know you're home. Come and answer your door, lazy 😴

She considers not answering because she's been crying and doesn't want anyone to see her like this. She’s been laying in bed for a few hours reading comments about herself online. 

She hears her phone ping again: 

Don't leave me on read now Sloane 🤨

She laughs tearily at the message and types her reply. Once it is sent she moves to her bathroom to splash some water on her face hoping it will soothe her eyes and irritated skin. 

When it obviously doesn't work she throws on a hoodie bringing the hood over her eyes hoping to keep you from seeing them. 

-

You smile when you hear your notification sound.  

You're not allowed to comment on how I look 

After a few minutes you hear the door unlock. Taylor is standing in front of you, drowning in an oversized hoodie. 

"When you said I couldn't comment on how you looked, I thought I'd at least be able to see your face and crazy hair," you say with a smile. 

"And yet, you still commented on it." She retaliates. 

You laugh at her jest. 

"Hi Taylor," you say, still smiling. 

She whispers a "Hi," and you see a small smile because it's all you can see of her face. 

"Can I come in?" 

She moves to the side as you step in, not going any further. Once she has locked the door and faces you, you open your arms. She falls into you without hesitation. 

With your arms around each other, her head against your chest, you press your cheek on top of her head. 

"I've missed you," She says in a small, sad voice that you can't help but feel a twinge inside you. 

"I've missed you too," you reply. 

"Sorry, it's been so long," you whisper into the dimly lit house. It's so strange to see the bubbly blonde so down, you still haven't gotten used to seeing her like this. 

You place a kiss on the crown of her head and stand there for a little while longer enjoying this moment you've been longing for the past few weeks. 

It’s been quiet for too long, so you decide to break the silence, "You haven't gone to sleep on me, have you Sloane?" You quip. 

The blonde laughs and sniffles as she pulls away. 

"You've been crying," You knew it as soon as you heard her voice when she first opened the door. "Is that why you're not letting me see your face?" 

She finally looks up from the ground to your eyes and when you see hers, your heart breaks with how sad she looks. "Maybe," she whispers with a small smile on her face. But a tear falls and you can't help but pull her in for another hug. 

The two of you stand there for a few more minutes until she apologises; for crying and for ruining your shirt. 

You can't help but laugh at her as you grab her hand, "You have nothing to apologise for." 

She looks at you again with teary eyes. 

You just want to wrap her up so you can keep her with you and make sure she never hurts again. 

Using your other hand you brush away a stray tear and cup her cheek, "Do you want to talk about it?" 

.

You're in her room, sitting across from each other on her bed. 

She has finally taken off her hood and you can see just how broken she looks. 

Messy hair, red and swollen eyes. You don't think you've ever seen Taylor this sad before. You hate that she's feeling like this. 

The influencer opens up about everything going through her mind. All about how she didn't know Ezra was feeling insecure in their marriage. How she lost you because of everything. Her insecurities about finding love again - If she'll ever find 'the one'. 

You talk her through it all, reassure her and call Ezra a variation of names from 'dick' to 'the worst type of scum' gaining a few laughs from the sad girl. 

Overall she looks better. Relief settling in her bones after getting all of this off her shoulders. She couldn't be happier that you showed up. And being honest with yourself, you felt better too. 

"I saw what they were writing about you. Online. What he said about you. I know that's why you stay away." She thinks to not say her next thought but continues anyway, "I would stay away from me too." 

You give her a puzzled look, "Taylor. I didn't stay away because of you, I stayed away because of them," she returns your look. "I stayed away so they wouldn't have the ammo to use against you with these lies, I never want to be away from you. I really have missed you." 

Taylor's eyes fill with tears again, only this time they're happy tears. 

“You’re kind of my favorite person,” you say, pushing her shoulder teasingly, which she laughs at. 

You talk even longer. Hours and hours of talking about everything and nothing. 

You talk about some of the weirdest influencers you've come across, Nicky and Dan arguing over stupid things - in your opinion,  they'd both die first in a zombie apocalypse. "I know! Nicky couldn’t stop going on and on about it when he came here that day!" The blonde adds. 

You're both laughing when you look out of the window and see colors of the sunrise. You hadn't realised how late, or early, it had gotten. 

"Oh wow, I should really go," you say, taking out your phone to look at the time. You see a flurry of notifications you didn't know about because you had put it on silent earlier. While you have it out you quickly read over a few messages as you pull down the status bar on the screen and stand from the bed. 

You don't see the way Taylor's face drops at the prospect of you leaving. 

Her voice stops you from picking up your jacket.  

"Stay." 

The word comes out so soft, that if the room wasn't so quiet you would have missed it. 

You look up from your phone and see green eyes shining at you, begging you to accept her request. 

There's a hopeful look on her face and you knew from early on in your friendship you wouldn’t ever be able to deny her of anything, especially when she's looking at you like that. 

"Okay," You smile at her. 

Who knew one word could make someone so happy? She's beaming as she slides to the other side of the bed pulling her covers over so you can get in. 

You're not sure if you should face her or not as you put your phone down next to the bed and move to lie next to her. But when you see her facing the middle, you do the same. 

Once you’re both comfortable, you look over and see her smiling at you. You can’t help but smile back. 

Goodnight’s are whispered to each other and Taylor is asleep within a few minutes. 

You gaze at her sleeping figure. She looks so peaceful, so soft. You make a mental note to text Dan thanking him for pushing you to see her. 

With your mind going one hundred miles a minute it takes you a while to fall to sleep. 

…

From then on you had both been texting and calling frequently but avoided meeting in person to avoid any complications while her divorce was being settled and rumours were still circulating. 

It only took a few more weeks but once the divorce was done, you were able to be Taylor's close friend again. Physically speaking. 

Even though your feelings were as strong as ever you never overstepped that line of friendship. 

You didn't want to ruin what you had. 

You couldn't. 

… 

Life, from there, carried on for Taylor. She was back on Instagram, made a few videos about her divorce and talked about how she was going to fully embrace this time she had to herself. 

To work on herself. 

She was happier, your friendship was better than before and you both frequented different social events while pushing one another to be better in your respective circles. 

Everything was good for months until she ran into Ezra at a grocery store. 

… 

Nicky was in town and staying with Taylor. 

After the incident, he tried all he could to console her but whatever he was trying didn't help. 

Many failed attempts to comfort her later, he called the one person he knew could help. 

-

You were away for some humanitarian work and were going to be out of service for at least a week. 

When you told Taylor you were going she whined asking you to let her tag along next time. After explaining it wasn’t her scene because there were no five star hotels… or any hotels as a matter of fact - her face wilting was the only answer you needed, making you chuckle. 

"Just hurry up and come back," she whined. 

-

When you got back and saw the amount of missed calls and texts you had from Nicky, you called him as soon as you could. 

Whenever you were away from Taylor, be it in meetings for work or away for whatever reason, witty messages from the blonde were usual - ‘You better be missing me,’ ‘I’m bored,’ ‘Hurry up and finish what you’re doing,’ etc. 

So when her brother explained everything and told you Taylor hadn't been herself for days, you weren’t surprised. You had deduced that much when you saw her messages had stopped around the same date of the confrontation Nicky filled you in about. 

He had been making sure she was eating and taking care of her basic hygiene but overall she wasn't doing well even if she was pretending she was fine. 

When you got to Taylor's house you used your emergency key to get in. 

You raced to her room but entered slowly. 

You spoke cautiously "Taylor?" She was laying in bed, back facing the door. "I know what happened," you say softly as you approach her. 

She looked so small. 

-

Ezra had fast become the biggest lowlife you'd ever come across and that was one of the nicest ways to put it. 

While Taylor went shopping and was in the produce section, he and his new girlfriend surrounded her. Talks of her using her fame to bad mouth him, making him look bad while Taylor was playing the victim. 

She got out of there as fast as she could. It was a good thing Nicky saw her being ganged up against and stopped her ex from saying anything else by sucker punching him in the jaw. 

He drove her home but she didn’t say a word to him the entire drive. 

When he explained to you what had happened you knew she would fall back into that state you found her in months ago. 

She'd come so far since then and all it took was a few words from this literal piece of shit to bring her back down. 

-

"You're so much better than him Tay," she stays quiet. "Remember when I called him the scum of the Earth? I found a better way to describe him - 'dung nugget'," you try, but still nothing. 

As you shrug off your jacket, placing it to the side on her chair and sitting on the bed so you can almost see her face. You change your tone to a light hearted one, "I guess I need to bring out the big guns to make you laugh," you're met with even more silence so you carry on. 

"Did you know the first french fries weren’t cooked in France?" You see her eyebrows furrow, confused as to how you went from trying to cheer her up to something so random. 

She wonders if she should say something even though she doesn't have the energy but you don't give her a chance as you continue, "They were cooked in Greece," you smile, proud of yourself. 

Still nothing so you carry on. 

You make a fake face humming like you're thinking of your next joke even though you have a few ready to go. 

"Why did the scarecrow get an award?" She wants to roll her eyes but she just lays still on her side. 

"Because he was out standing in his field." She bites the inside of her lip to suppress a smile but remains quiet. You see some movement of muscles on her face and try to suppress your grin because you have one more you’re sure will work. 

"What do you call a dinosaur that uses really cheap toilet paper?" She closes her eyes, pursing her lips because she thinks she knows where the joke is going to go: she's wrong. 

You end your ‘pause for dramatic effect’, "Mega-sore-ass," you hear her scoff and you let out a chuckle too, "I knew you'd like that one." 

As your laughter subsides, you hear her speak, "I thought you were going to say something about the ‘dung nugget’," she says quietly. 

You smile, shaking your head, "Damn, that would have been way better. When did you get funny?" 

The blonde reverts back to silence until, "Y/n, I know what you're doing, and it's sweet, but I just want to be miserable." 

You press your lips together and let out a breath through your nose. She thinks you're going to leave but you’re taking off your shoes to then slide in next to her on the bed. 

She automatically moves so she can lean into your side with her arm over your stomach. You get comfortable by placing your arm around her and pull her close to you. 

Once you're both settled, with her head on your clavicle, you hear her release a shaky breath and feel her relax into you. 

You kiss the top of her head and begin to stroke her hair while you lay in silence. 

After a few minutes you break the quiet atmosphere, "I know it doesn't feel like it but you won't feel this way forever. One day, you'll be so happy that nothing will bring you down." 

"How do you know I'll be happy?" She asks with a sniffle. 

With your chin leaning on her head and you smile to yourself, "Because I'll be there to make sure of it." 

Taylor brushes a tear gathering in the corner of her eye with the sleeve of her hoodie wrapped around her thumb and says, "How? With your lame ass jokes?" Finishing with a small chuckle. 

You let out an exaggerated gasp, "How dare you insult me like that Taylor Sloane!" You begin, as you pull away from your cuddled position.

Taylor's disappointment from moving away from your warmth doesn't last long because you continue, "You know what I have to do now, don't you?" 

Looking at you confused, Taylor is about to ask what but before she can say anything you answer your own question with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, "Payback," not giving her any time to react you start to tickle her. 

She screams and starts to giggle from the sensation of your attack on her ribs. Her giggles turn into howling laughter and soon you're both laughing at each other because Taylor doesn't back down from a challenge. Not with you. 

She tries to retaliate but you have the upper hand because you've moved on top of her. 

You grab her flailing arms by her wrists and pin them down to the bed either side of her head. You both breathe hard, as your laughter slows, "I guess I win, Sloane,'' you say with a smirk on your face. 

She tries her luck by pushing her arms up but you push back not giving her a chance, making you both chuckle at her failed attempt. 

When she sees she is trapped she realises something, “So what now, huh? Your hands are too busy to attack,” she says smugly. 

You smile down at her. 

She looks so beautiful. 

Even with her messy hair that's tied up in a bun giving you a full view of her face. 

Her tired,  shining emerald eyes look at you the same way you're looking at her. 

You take in every detail of this moment which feels like an eternity. Both your smile's lost as this boundless moment drags on. 

Her gaze drops quickly to your lips then back to your eyes. 

You look at her lips a second longer she looked at yours, thinking to yourself; Is this really going to happen? 

When both your eyes meet again, you are waiting for her to tell you to stop as your head lowers slowly. 

Just as you're almost at the finish line, the tip of your nose brushing hers, you hear the front door of her house open, "Taylor!" You hear the voice of her brother and the rustling of some bags making you pull away at a record speed. "You better not be moping around! I bought us some food!" He shouts. 

You get off her sitting on the edge of the bed, moving to put on your shoes, your back facing her as she sits up looking at you. 

No words are exchanged as she walks out of the room first. 

Taylor makes it into the kitchen but you hang back a little while longer, mind reeling at your almost kiss. 

Nicky smiles and Taylor gives him a full one back, it's not like one of the half-assed smiles he's been getting from her recently. He sees her eyes are not as dark as they have been the last few days too. 

As you make it to them soon after, you look up to see Nicky sorting through the food, plating it all up. "Y/n, I didn't know you were here," he realises now, why Taylor looks better and offers you a smile that you easily return. "There should be enough food for the three of us." 

‘Maybe it's not meant to be.’ - This is the mantra that always goes through your head when you're with her recently. 

"I should go," you smile and start to turn to leave. Just before you do you whip your head around, "If you need me just call me, okay?" You say to Taylor once she makes eye contact. 

She smiles and nods her head. "Thank you," she rushes out before you turn to leave again. "For today. I feel better." 

You give her a small smile, "I'm glad," you reply. You say your goodbyes to them both and leave the house. 

Taylor stares at the spot you were standing as you leave. She hears the door shut and lock, while her mind replays the moment on her bed. Nicky's voice brings her back to her standing in the kitchen, "Is Y/n alright? They never say no to free food," he jokes as she turns to look at him. 

She smiles at his comment and starts to help him with the plating. 

When he starts talking about one of his 'bros doing a backflip into a pool' her mind goes back to you and his voice turns into white noise. 

If Taylor was being honest with herself; 

She would admit that she had imagined a future with you; 

Your kind and loving nature had only pulled her in more and more; 

That she was in love with you. 

… 

A few weeks pass by and while you and Taylor haven't been avoiding each other your interactions have been… less. 

Nicky has left the city again but not before making sure his sister was going to be okay without him, speaking to you to make sure you were going to be around more than you had in these weeks. 

The two of you have only met a couple of times since the day in her bedroom. Neither of you mention it when she calls you on a random Thursday morning asking if you’re busy. 

Her house is running out of necessities so she needs to go shopping. While Nicky was there he would do it but now that she has to do it, she doesn't want to go on her own. 

You agreed to go with her but under one condition: you would drive. 

The two of you have a long running joke about how bad of a driver she is. She, on the other hand, doesn't see it. 

Her laughter in response was music to your ears, you had hated being away from her. 

.

Greeting Taylor, albeit a little awkwardly at first, the two of you fall into your rhythm once more after a few jokes and insults like the way you both usually interact. 

When you get to the grocery store Taylor is sitting in your passenger seat, working up the courage to enter. 

You sit there giving her the time she needs to build up the courage to enter the store. "It's always been so easy, to just walk in," Taylor says as she plays with her fingers, replaying the last time she was here in her head. 

You reach over and take her hand in yours, "Take all the time you need Sloane," you smile at her. 

She takes a final deep breath as she reaches for the door handle and leaves the car. You follow her lead by stepping out of the car and moving inside. You make sure the blonde takes her time walking through the aisles. 

You manage to complete the shopping trip without a hitch. There was an almost incident where Taylor thought she saw Ezra after rounding a corner. Before she could freak out though, you wrapped your arm around her, hand resting on the shopping cart handle, "You're ok, it's not him," you said calmly, as you successfully walked past the man. 

Now that all of her shopping bags were bought in from her car and resting on the counters in the kitchen, it had finally caught up to Taylor. 

She was shaking and you did what you always do which was take her in your arms, "You’re safe now, I’m here." 

Once her trembling stops, she takes a step back and looks at you, "I don't know what I'd do without you." 

Smiling you say, "I know you'd be fine because you're Taylor fucking Sloane," making her chuckle. 

When the moment passes, Taylor takes on a more serious expression, "Really, Y/n. You mean so much to me, I can't imagine my life without you," she says, truthfully. 

You look to the floor and then back to her eyes, "You mean a lot to me too, Taylor," your heart begins to race. 

Your mouth is getting drier by the second. The expression on your face is so serious, Taylor is slightly taken aback. 

You play with the keys in your hands and take this opportunity to say the words you've longed to say. 

"Tayl-" 

Both of you look in the direction of the front door when you get interrupted by the doorbell ringing. She mumbles something about going to see who it is so you nod your head acknowledging her. 

You take a deep breath and jump slightly when your phone rings. 

By the time she gets back she hears the end of your speech, "I'll be there soon, bye," she can't help the frown that takes over her face. 

You turn around seeing the look on her face, you ask,  "Everything ok?" She smiles, explaining it was a package for Nicky. 

She can't help but ask, "You have to go?" 

"Yeah, there's an emergency with some photos and I'm the only one that can deal with it I guess," you say and she smiles softly at you. 

"Saving one person at a time," you smile at her comment and want to say you would always drop everything to save her, but you don't. 

You wrap her in another hug after making sure she will be alright. You then say goodbye before leaving. 

Before Taylor gets on with sorting through the shopping she finds herself spaced out once again after another interaction together. 

A major thought being: ‘What were you going to say?’ 

… 

You had been so caught up with everything going on with Taylor and distracting yourself with work you don't know the last time you spoke with Dan. 

The two of you arranged to meet, so right now you were both sitting outside enjoying a day of leisure together. 

Once he had updated you about his life, you started with yours.  

He already knew about the almost kiss in the bedroom but you use this time to catch him up with the latest. 

When you get to the part about you almost telling Taylor how you feel about her in her kitchen he called you- "dumb! You are such an idiot Y/n!" 

"Thanks," you deadpanned. 

"For real Y/n, why can't you just tell her how you feel?" He sounds frustrated and you can’t blame him. He has had to listen to you talk about the same girl for over two years. 

"We keep getting interrupted, I think it's a sign," you exasperate, as you look at a few clouds in the sky leaning back in your chair. 

"Bullshit!" He shouts out and you turn your head, smiling, to look at him, "What about all the times in between when you haven't even tried?!" His expression is serious and you lower your eyes to the bottle in your hand for a second and back to him, "You need to tell this girl how you feel," he lowers his voice, accentuating his serious expression. 

You're not smiling anymore and he knows where your mind is going to go with this "I-" 

"No!" His voice goes back to being raised. 

You try again, "You don-" 

"I do understand, because I know exactly what you're gonna say," damn, he knows you too well. 

You sit there for a few seconds shaking your leg while you chew your lip in thought. 

He leans forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees as he looks at you, voice lowered and a lot softer than before but still as threatening, "I know what's going on in that head of yours. I can literally hear what you're thinking," 

You pause your ministrations and squint at him, "Bullshit, you don't know what I'm think-" 

Before you can finish your accusation he is already saying what's on your mind, albeit, cynically, "Oh I don't want to ruin our friendship(!) The universe is against me(!) Wah, wah, wah. You big baby," he finishes leaning back in his lounge chair. 

You look down while you stay slouched in yours. "You're an asshole, you know that?" You say, smiling as you look back at him. 

"You know what? I do know that, I know I'm a correct asshole and you need to get your head out of your own ass," he finishes. 

You scoff, "Dick," then go silent as you start thinking and considering he's not letting you speak, now he's not going to let you think either. 

"Y/n, no. No big romantic gestures, no big speeches just tell her how you feel." 

Wow, he really does know what you're thinking, it's kind of scary. 

"Alright! Alright," you sigh, leaning forward. "I'll talk to her, but-" 

"No. Shut up," You laugh again at his abruptness, "You said yes, so you have to do it now. And by now, I mean NOW," he waves his hand as if to shoo you away, "Get the fuck off my property."  

You stand up, you can't believe you're about to do this. But before you leave you you’re about to voice a doubt in your head, "What if-" 

You shouldn't be surprised to get cut off yet again, "Y/n, man. If you don't leave right now. I will get violent," with his threatening voice you scoff and shake your head. 

As you start to walk away you pause before continuing and turn back to him, "Thanks Dan," He stopped himself from heckling you again when he heard what you were saying, "For everything, really. You're a great friend." 

"Bitch, I know. Now get outta here before I hose you down." He says, then takes a sip from his bottle. 

You walk with renewed vigour in your step. 

You were really going to do it. 

You are going to tell her. 

… 

As you get to Taylor's house, instead of letting yourself in, you knock. It wouldn't feel right to just walk in. Not with what you have to say. 

Looking at your shoes you don't have to wait long before she opens the door. Your head flies up and when she sees you, she smiles. You automatically smile back. 

"Hi," you say uneasily, hands balled into fists in your pockets. 

She doesn't understand why you look nervous, so her greeting comes out as a question, "Hi?" She laughs, "Y/n, what's wrong?" She looks a little worried but still has a smile on her face. 

You let out a breath, you didn't realise you were holding, as a shaky laugh, "I actually wanted to talk to you about somethin-" 

"Taylor? Who is it?" You hear a deep voice coming from behind the door making you pause. 

The door swings further as someone pulls it open to see you standing there. It’s a man you don't know. He’s holding two wine glasses, it doesn't take much to piece it together. 

She was on a date.

Your tense muscles collapse just as your facial expression does. 

She smiles at him, introducing you to each other. But you can’t hear anything. Blood is rushing in your ears and your throat feels like it’s about to close in on itself. 

The whole situation is overwhelming, you can feel your eyes filling with tears so you look away. You need to get out of there quickly, before you break down, "Sorry for interrupting, I'll leave," you hope you manage to say. 

"What? What was it you wanted to talk about?" She asks, confused. 

You’re already turning on your heels so you rush your words out, "It's not important, bye," walking away as fast as you can. 

Taylor calling out for you falls on deaf ears because you knew this was a stupid idea, you knew you shouldn’t have even thought about talking to her about your true feelings. 

You’re not sure if it's from the speed you’re walking or because of this whole situation or both but your heart is racing and your breathing picks up quickly. 

Everything is confusing but one thing is for certain - you feel yourself breaking. 

It's only when you're halfway down the street that you realise tears have spilt over. 

You finally take in your surroundings and can hear someone closing in on you. 

It's Taylor. 

"Y/n, what's going on? You're scaring me," she asks, as her brisk walk reaches you. You take a step back when she goes out to reach for you when she sees your tears. 

She's in front of you and you can’t stop thinking about her and how pretty she is. How much you feel for her. 

Your chest is heaving, your breathing heavy, the lump in your throat doesn’t ease off. 

You couldn't have stopped your next words even if you tried. You’re not thinking properly and the words you've been wanting to say for so long finally spill out. 

"I think I'm in love with you," you can't stop blinking. Whether it's to blink away your tears or from your nerves, you don't know. 

Taylor is looking at you, speechless. She always wondered if there was something in your feelings towards her but always brushed it over thinking it was all in her head. 

"No, I-," you scrunch your eyes closed for a second taking in the fact that you're really saying this, "I am in love with you," you finally say your truth, looking her in the eye. 

All the blonde can do is stare, bewildered as you look at her. 

You've gotten this far, why should you stop now, "I've loved you for a while now and I didn't know what to do so I kept it to myself." 

All the times you held back has led to this moment where you can't stop rambling, "I came here to tell you, but now you're on a date with someone and I-" 

You've lost count with how many times you've been interrupted today but this time it was because Taylor's lips were on yours. 

It takes a second for your brain to catch up to what's going on but eventually you kiss her back. 

You pull her in by the waist as her hands cup your cheeks so she can fully kiss you. It feels eternal and you're kissing her like your life depends on it. 

You both need to stop for air, breathing heavy. 

"It isn’t a date, he's a friend of Nicky's," you rest your forehead against hers, scoffing at how ridiculously you acted with your overreaction. 

You pull back again so you can look at her properly. She's smiling. She's smiling so brightly that she could be compared to the sun. 

You take your time looking at one another so you can take in this moment. 

Even with how fast your heart was beating and the loud rush of blood still in your ears, you hear her say the words you could have only dreamed her saying before now loud and clear,

"I love you too." 

A/N: Thanks to Reddit for ‘Dung nugget’ and to @8bitscarlet for the French fry joke lol

[garricks4thwingqueen]

Hi! I have a request. Would you consider writing a fic where Garrick’s gf is having a panic attack and he comforts her through it?

The Gauntlet: Garrick Tavis x Reader

             The Gauntlet: Garrick Tavis X Reader 

Synopsis: Your Liam Mairi’s younger and much shorter twin sister barely reaching 5 feet. You're in an established relationship with Garrick Tavis; your relationship officially started when the both of you were fostered together after their parents rebellion. You passed the parapet barely; your only drive being seeing Garrick before stepping on the dreaded thing and knowing you’d be in his arms afterwards after 2 years of being separated. What could possibly be worse than the Parapet? 

Word Count: 1401 

Trigger Warnings: Panic attacks and swearing 

My love: Mo ghràdh

   You stood outside with your squad next to your brother looking up at the side of the mountain; you had never been more terrified in your life. You didn’t even think you were this terrified as you huddled with your brother and younger sister Sloane as Garrick stood behind you as you all watched your parents get executed. You had barely been listening to Emeterrio as he was describing the obstacle of death as you clutched onto your brother's arm for dear life. “Relax.” He squeezed your hand softly. “I’m gonna die; I’m not even going to make it past the spinny log. Tell Gare I love him.” You heard your brother chuckle next to you. “That’s not funny Liam.” You groaned as Professor Emeterrio started calling cadets to start. “You’ll be ok, you maybe short but you're strong just remember to grab the ropes if needed.” 

     “Y/N Mairi.” You groaned as he called your name looking back at Liam one final time; your twin giving you a nod of encouragement. You tried remembering the names of the obstacles as you stood before the spinning log, the pillars and the mouse wheel of death. If it wasn’t going to be the wheel that got then it would be the big bouncy balls on death chains. If it wasn’t those then it would be the weird moving iron broads of death. If you somehow made it past those then you’d surely fall off the staircase of rolling logs. You knew damn well this thing would kill you at some point you’d never make it to the leaning chimney and then the ramp of death at the end. “Let’s go Mairi. You’ll also be timed the day of.” You cursed stepping onto the log slowly trying to gain your balance. You feel barely five feet on to the log; thankfully you still had part of the cliff to catch yourself; you knew you had two more attempts for each practice. You gathered yourself and started again. You made it a little further before you found yourself grasping for the rope. You cursed as you barely made it back onto the flat surface. 

     “One more attempt.” You could hear Emeterrio  yell from below. You breathed heavily not being able to catch your breath; you slowly stepped onto the log and almost made it to the end that time but again you found yourself grasping for the rope and sighed in defeat. Back on solid ground and standing with the others in your squad you watched biting your lip as you watched your brother gracefully make it to the wheel. 

         “I’m gonna fucking die.” You sighed sitting down next to Garrick at dinner with your group of rebels. Dinner was the one time Garrick and Xaden chose not to sit at the dais with the others in leadership. You felt the familiar soft touch of Garrick placing his hand on your back as he pulled you closer. “You’ll be fine Mo ghràdh.” Garrick said softly, nuzzling his nose into the crook of your neck. You hadn’t even realized you had started shaking your legs until your brother placed a soft hand on your knee on the leg that was next to him. “I can’t even make it past the spinny log of death.” You sighed heavily feeling your panic attack coming to a climax. Which you knew Garrick had felt as well as he shifted you onto his lap at the table and wrapped his arms around you as you buried yourself into him. “You're not going to die baby girl.” He said softly into your shoulder. “I’ve got you. You're alright.”  “Can’t I just piggy back it on your back across the gauntlet?” He chuckled softly and said, god that was a sound that you loved that you always loved and missed terribly over the past and now you feared it would be the last time that you did hear it.  “I wish that it could be that simple; my Y/N. You’ll finish Mo ghràdh, I promise. I love you.” He said softly but reassuringly, kissing your forehead softly as you propped your chin on his chest; “I love you to Gare Bear, so much.” “Gross, get a room.” Imogen snickered. You snuck your tongue out at your best friend, laying your head fully onto Garrick’s chest as you were no longer hungry. 

       It was the night before the final day of the gauntlet. It was almost 10:00 p.m. and you knew you should be making your way to Garrick’s room but instead your feet somehow guided you to the gauntlet. 

                                                 Garrick’s POV

  I paced in my room. It was almost 10:30 p.m. an hour and a half past curfew. I knew Y/N should have been in my room by now; I sighed pulling my shirt back on and grabbing my boots. I had checked Imogen’s room, even Xaden’s and Bodhi’s before making my way to the first year boys shared dormitory and opening the door making my way over to Liam’s bed and shaking him awake. “Jesus fu-.” Liam started to groan. “Have you seen your twin or any idea where she is?” This had made the younger boy sit up and reach for his shirt and boys. “No but I might have an idea.” “Yeah me too and that's what I was worried about.” I sighed as we made our way to the gauntlet. “Do you see anything?” I asked Liam as we both made our way up the stairs; “Wait down there on the rolling logs.” I half smiled knowing she made it that far as Liam and I started making our way across barely enough light to see. I cringed as I heard her faint swearing and saw her rolling back as she grabbed onto the rope. Y/N was still clinging onto the rope when we reached the logs. Her body was shaking and trembling as she clung there. I placed a soft and gentle arm around her waist holding my own balance on the logs pulling my girl back in. 

        “I’ve got you. You're alright. Look how far you made it.” I said softly as she clung to me. “Finish the end with me?” “I’ve never made it to the end.” She said barely above a whisper. “You will be with me, let me guide you back down the bottom of the logs and I’ll have one hand on your back the whole time. Liam is already at the end.” She nodded as she started to let me guide her back to the start of the logs. “That’s it, small quick steps and there it is baby you did the logs. “Do you want to do the chimney first or me?”  I asked softly, never taking a hand off my girl's back. “Me. I’d feel better with you behind me.” I nodded as we started the ramp to the chimney. “That’s it my girl use your bottom legs more than your arms.” “That’s my girl you did it. You did the chimney and the vertical ramp. You’ve got this. I’m so proud of you; just never do this at night again promise me?” She giggled “Thank you my Gare Bear and I promise.” “Do you feel love better?” I asked once we were back on solid ground. She nodded. “I won't feel 100% about until tomorrow and I’m still alive but yes I feel less anxious about it. Thank you my Gare Bear.” 

     I chuckled as she snuggled into my side as we laid in my bed. “You know you never have to thank me Mo ghràdh. I love you and I just want you to feel safe and comfortable.” “I love you to; so much, Garrick. Promise me something?” I chuckled, “Anything.” “Promise you’ll be waiting for me at the other side of the gauntlet tomorrow?”  “I promise; I’ll be right there baby girl; you’ll be right in my arms when you're done, and I’ll carry you back to my room and we can celebrate.” “Promise?” My girl said with a twinkle in her eye. I chuckled again “I promise we will be right here tomorrow night. I love you. Good night my little one, you need your beauty rest.” I wrapped my arms around her tightly as she snuggled into more; “Good night my Gare Bear. I love you. Always.” 

[rynbeerose]

Been obsessed with captain price for awhile. By awhile I mean years😭

I don’t know why but I always have a massive crush on this man even before the new franchise came out.

I didn’t even think of anything when I first tried the game, it was just in my steam library for some reason so I gave it a try. I was so shit at fps games and thought I wouldn’t enjoy it as much, but boy…

“How a muppet like you passed selection?”

While looking like a whole fine dining meal?!?! And that’s it folks, how I found out I’m into older men.

Never been into call of duty that much because competitive fps games are just not my cup of tea so I didn’t know that they made a reboot of modern warfare until the covid era😭 I accidentally came across Barry Sloane’s greeting videos as Price and thought it was just a cosplay😭

And then I found out that he’s playing Captain Price for the reboot and was like, THIS FINE MAN PLAYS AS MY MAN?!?!?!

And, I’ve been stuck here since then😔

Anyway, I’m new here, and still unfamiliar with tumblr. Hope I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not good at making friends online, but I’m hoping to be able to meet more Price’s fans here😋😋

[maarriiii]

Simp (Part 2) | Wilbur Soot

A/N: Oh wow, thank you so much for all the love for the first chapter!!! It means a lot. Also, i have another fic called Happy (Sad) New Year if you’re interested in seeing. And another thing is that I might update this series weekly.

Summary: You might have a crush on Tommy’s cute tall friend with the glasses.

Pairing(s): CC!Wilbur Soot x gender neutral!reader, CC!Wilbur Soot x actor!reader.

Warning(s): None.

italics: streams

my masterlist :))

~~

After your Twitter interaction with TommyInnit, The same thing happened again, funnily enough, was with a friend of Tommy’s and fellow streamer. You recognized him from the first vlog you’ve watched of Tommy’s, the cute tall one with the glasses. Wilbur Soot was his name or at least that was what people called him. Again, your fans tagged you in various posts, moments caught from his stream. In one of those clips, he jokingly banged his fist on his desk.

“That was suppose to be me, chat! I like them first! It’s not fair. Tommy keeps rubbing it on my face.”

There was another one where he talked about when he first liked you.

“I found this soundtrack, right, chat. And it was from this movie. I searched it up, watched it and just immediately it became one of my favourite films. They played one of the characters in it and I found out they wrote a song from the soundtrack that coincidentally is my favourite.”

The thing that got you though was when he complimented your singing and writing in the song that you wrote. You remembered being scared shitless for that particular role for two reasons. One, you never sang in front of that many people before and it made you nervous. Two, although you loved writing songs—you have a journal filled with unfinished songs—you didn’t think you had the ability to write one that was vital to your character’s arc.

“They have a very good voice in my opinion, no, a great voice actually. And that specific song was quite relatable for me—I’m pouring my heart out here, chat, and here you are calling me a simp. Fine, go ahead, call me a simp. I don’t care. Maybe I am a simp. What about it, chat?”

You thought it was really sweet how he thinks of you and you couldn’t help the slight fluttering in your heart and the butterflies in your stomach when his fans tell him that he has a crush. Also his cute smile didn’t help at all with the sensation growing inside you. Honestly, you could just watch a video of him smiling over and over again.

For days, you keep thinking about him which was frustrating and exciting in some way. You felt like a teenager again, crushing on a boy that smiled at you in passing. You haven’t told anyone about it, knowing that everyone was going to tease you if they knew and would try to convince you to reach out to him. You wanted to, badly even, but life in the spotlight has its ups and downs. You don’t want the paparazzi to be crowding and violating this man’s private life just for the sole reason of trying to find out who you might be dating next.

You were scrolling down YouTube again, filling the time as you sat down in the hair and makeup trailer, when you came across a band. From experience, artists you found on YouTube most of the time was your cup of tea so you clicked on the video titled ‘Taunt’ by Lovejoy. The already enjoyable song got more enjoyable when you saw the familiar face that had been invading your mind. You eyes grew wide, your head no longer bopping, and finally that feeling in your heart returned.

“Don’t smile too much. I’m doing your powder.” One of the makeup artist spoke, moving a brush across your cheeks.

“Oh shit, sorry Sloane.” Yet, you smiled again as the video plays out.

Sloane smirked, looking at your phone screen. “Know one of ‘em? Is that why you’re smiling all of the sudden?”

“I know that tone.” You glared at the older woman beside you. “And yes, I do know one of them if you must know.”

“Which one?”

“The one with the glasses and the hat. The tall one.”

Sloane leaned closer. “He’s cute.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I can see why you’re into him.”

“I did not say that I like him.”

“You didn’t have to.” Sloane pointed the brush she was holding at your face. “Your smile already did.”

~~

When you realized Wilbur Soot have a band, the obvious choice was to go on a rabbit hole of listening to their entire discography. It took a few listens but their songs grew on you and eventually made their way into your various playlists—some grew annoyed listening to you repeating their songs. Now that you found a perfect opportunity to try and talk to Wilbur, the only thing that’s left was the execution. You didn’t want to make it too obvious that you’re trying to reach this guy. You could only imagine the article they would write about and you didn’t need to be ask about “a mystery guy” when doing press junkets later on.

“What are you scared of? You’re just posting about this band that you like. You’ve done it a million times.” You said, trying to calm yourself.

With one last inhale and exhale, you began typing. Your heart beating vigorously with each letter that you pressed. It was incredibly ridiculous how nervous you were. You kind of wished someone was there to give you some emotional support but alas you were alone in your trailer.

“Okay, that’s good enough, I think. Not too long, not too short. All that’s left to do is post it.”

Your thumb hovered over the button, still contemplating whether or not this was the right choice. Maybe you should’ve chosen the lowkey route. Just slide into his DM’s like many of your friends did. What if he doesn’t see it? What if he doesn’t interact with it the way his friend Tommy did? What if he turns out to be an absolute dick? The possibilities were endless.

When the waiting and the doing absolutely nothing began eating you out, you decided it’s now or never.

“Fuck it.” You closed your eyes, pressed the button and the deed was done.

[n-14-a2509]

Umbrella academy s4 ramble spoilers!!

Huge ramble ahread for the characters and just general thoughts

Not loads to say about some of the characters but plenty about the rest

Also I’ve never read the comics, but have seen that this season may reference a few, so there’s a good chance I’ve miss understood stuff.

Oh! The whole five and Lila thing didn’t actually happen you know? You just remember it from a different timeline not this one dw it’s all good.

But seriously, if the ending was like the first three seasons where they stop the apocalypse but this time for good, if they somehow completely got rid of the Marigold and the Durango, i wouldn’t be mad at the repetition because I had really hoped for the cliché of super happy normal ending. With them all among family, friends, new faces, the lot.

I actually didn’t mind seeing the handler, hazel and Agnes if they weren’t secret agents, could’ve been interesting. Even though they might not be all been from the same point in time but what ever. Happy ending am I right?

Five

I know five is quite a common aro/ace icon, and I really like it aswell. But if this ^ were the actual ending and he didn’t have to worry about any upcoming apocalyptic events, no taking care of his super powered family, no being stuck in the past/future/alternate timelines, I honestly wouldn’t have minded if we got a quick shot of him bumping into someone new or even him seeing or working with someone who reminded him of Delores. Would’ve been good for him to meet someone who helped to keep him grounded and relaxed. And he might’ve gotten a more civilian job. If given the chance to not worry about extraordinary stuff at least. I think he only went to the cia because something was up.

I don’t really get how quick he was to give up on his family when (no matter how rude or how much he insulted them) his family were what kept him pushing forward and were, arguably, what he came back for in s1. I also know he had no real life person in the first apocalypse, was stuck there and didn’t have the leisure or timeline hopping to suit his fancy, and wasn’t desperate to get back to his family by any means and HAVING to adapt, and didn’t have someone with him who’s also been through some serious shit. But. Really??? I’m fine with being corrected if I’m wrong and I can’t write stories or characters at all, but it just felt so out of character.

They didn’t even show them growing closer by talking about their experiences or feelings or thought of what to do or the current situation. It felt like attraction by proximity. Like hey you’re a girl I’m a boy wink wink. It would been a bit more believable to an extent if they showed a tad bit of communication not a fucking shave. But I know there were less episodes. Actually no because if there were more there’s a chance it would’ve meant more of those types is scenes :(

Also where the fuck did the book come from what

Luther

Ok so Sloane. His wife. Gone.

He briefly mentions her but like she’s a good friend who’s living far away in a different country or something like “aw man she would love this :D” my guy she might be dead or non existent wtf 😭

The stripper thing made me laugh but after thinking for like two seconds why was that his job? I hate to sound rude and I’m not trying to shame the job or occupation but surely he’d be clever enough to get a good job somewhere or at least something higher up the strip pole than legs and eggs. It’s so confusing because literally none of the characters talk about the past 6 years! A lot is given in context or is shown on screen or snippets on conversations. But much less than previous seasons.

But I love how he’s still trying to be kind and include people. Season 4 won’t make me hate Luther I just hate how they treated him I suppose :/

Also the actor slipped up a lot with his American accent. More so than previously. Didn’t bother me tbh I found it quite funny

Lila

Biggest thing is the her and five thing. I dead ass thought it was over when she was laughing explaining to Diego “no lol that was five he was disguised I don’t love him” Why were they hinted at before the subway bit? Thought they were the “apocalyptic brother sister duo who’ve both been through some shit and know each other quite well despite them being snarky and rude to one another”

I wasn’t minding her wanting a break from normality because like 90% of her life was fighting, the audience would connect the dots on her missing something she’s always done. But I wasn’t a huge fan of the reasons of her and Diego bickering. And when they send the kids away neither of them cared in the slightest. Allison in S1 ONLY thought of Claire and what was best. Hell if Claire had a cold or was a bit too tired she’s be there in a heartbeat fuck the apocalypse Claire needs her.

Parents aren’t the same and even think and do things for their kids differently I get it. But you could tell Allison was a mother in S1 despite hardly seeing Claire on screen but Diego and Lila?? I’m sorry if I missed it but unless they were literally holding their kids hand or picking them up you would barely be able to tell they’re parents. Might just be me but surely they’d be more concerned or bring them up in a better light? Correct me if I’m wrong I really want to be

Diego

Similar thing to Lila really. His reaction to five and Lila was me. what was happening. Him as a dad was quite sweet and him trying to be the best he could was good for him and great for his character but again there were just odd bits that felt out of place or a bit too open ended

Victor

Mvp. Didn’t cause the apocalypse, was there for his family when he could and is a sweetpea. I’m massively biased but to be fair there isn’t much to judge, his arc wasn’t as wide or tall as others. Was more of a direct line. Felt good to see him shout at hargreeves about how he’s more than a background teammate and just wanted to be seen. I liked the writing for him. Didn’t go far tho I guess

Wasn’t a fig fan of the no explanation of the he’s dated all the women lol he’s single. Like wtf give a bit more context does he struggle? Does he just have bad taste or were the writers just looking for a quick joke i’m not supposed to look into?? Who knows

Klaus

Sorry but do the writers hate him so much that they give him this whole ass storyline that vaguely stemmed from the main but then fucked off to nowhere and he then just hopped back in in time to see a love triangle with two brothers and an in law. It felt like recycling the whole junkie getting a fix and being rescued thing again. Seeing him being so protective of Claire and wearing a helmet in a car was too much he’s such a softie for his family. I still love his character but would’ve liked a bit more development after the marigold thing and living ‘mortal’ for 6 years :(

Ben

I might be the only one but the whole “anti” marigold was super interesting, but poorly executed I thought. Wasn’t big on him and Jennifer falling for each other right away but eh it’s media they need romance.

Him being infected/over taken by the Durango wasn’t the worst part in my opinion and could been a really good opportunity for character building or maybe like a fate/destiny and he’s also linked to apocalypses like his siblings. Or given they’re opposites or cause bad things when together could’ve been foreshadowed by all the umbrellas being together causing stuff maybe.

The offhanded comment about him having tentacles and her being cut out of a squid was just daft. What the fuck were we supposed to think. “Wait YOU have shoes?? I have feet!! CLEARLY we’re destined to be together 🥺” I really didn’t care for it and we never got told why she was in a fucking squid or that big box. Or hell why Ben got shot by his dad. It WAS explained but seriously? I thought it was hinted at him being too powerful or potentially self destructive to the point of getting killed by accident, not opening a crate. This would’ve linked so much better to him being foreshadowed at being LITERALLY self destructive or dangerous with Jennifer and the Durango

Jennifer

Why was she in a box? How did they find out about the Durango if she didn’t cause a cleanse? If we’re taking it at face value, SOMEONE knew that Durango+Marigold=big fuck off apocalypse.

Whether it’s Reginald or someone else, was it though tests? If it was and they tested on her or someone else with Durango then what happened to them? If they died it would’ve been from the cleanse no? If not then that means that Reginald or someone else found a way to stop the cleanse. If that’s true, how come it wasn’t possible this time? If it’s not possible to stop the cleanse, then how did they know what a cleanse was? So confused it’s not been properly thought out or it’s too open ended even thinking about it for 5 mins

Could’ve been a really good storyline, I didn’t mind her and Ben but again what’s with the instant romance and we must be together. This is probably a me thing so I’ll park this thought here

Reginald/Abigail

What were they there for? Viktor got to shout at him but I was super underwhelmed by them both when Abigail was hyped up and revealed and the ONLY a thing that referenced her being on the moon or her sudden appearance was “thanks for looking after me Luther” “uhh yeah sure that’s ok” I’m just shell shocked they were so well written into the show and had shit all to do. And for some reason Abigail can skin and wear people??? Hello????? Never brought up or the alien thing or robo regi. Yeh just leave it not like I wanted answers who tf want that from a question

Diego/Lila/Five

I’ve said this, but man fuck that. I hate love triangles with a burning passion it’s so “girl can’t choose between basic and average” and with a brother a brother and a sister in law? Even if it wasn’t a woman with two men and it was literally any other combination of sex/gender it’s fucking messy and puts strain on the most precious things people have. And five and Lila didn’t pull away like “no this is wrong I’m married/I have kids/you’re my sister/brother in law.” It’s just a wet blanket on top of this season. And five teleporting them because Lila grabbed him and said “I need you to” holy shit I need men in black to make me forget that. It wasn’t good :(

Overall the general marigold/durango thing could’ve worked. Repeating myself but it was poor excecution. No hate to the people who weren’t writers there were some excellent shots and cinematography in this season and I liked it a lot. I was nearly able to feel the wind and smell the subway because I was THAT immersed. Brilliant in many many places. The Durango monster thing at the end has real weight to it when moving and I was panicking as it kept growing. Sound design in all 4 seasons in beyond exceptional I adore it. And the sound track. Even though the story was odd the way parts of it were told was very well done and I was on the edge of my seat for a few parts in suspense. Other parts I legitimately skipped through and had to miss the lighting and acting due to the messy fucking love triangle.

Ramble over I’m going to cry then look at fan art to cheer myself up

[gravity-barbie]

Ben Hargreeves crushing on a writer HCs

Request: Could you do hcs of Ben having a crush on a writer purely by reading her works and then sneaking out to meet her?

Masterlist

-Despite how overwhelmingly busy he often is, Ben has always found the time to read, it’s one of the only things that helps him unwind, and by his late teens he found the works of one particular author that really transfixed him

-The first book of yours that he read became an instant favourite, it was immersive enough for him to care more about some fictional world with fictional problems than his own, which was the exact kind of escapism he needed

-And beyond that he was engulfed by the lovely prose, witty dialogue, and a theme that he himself had often thought about

-He re-reads the book repeatedly, even taking time to analyse different passages, getting spotted intensely reading it enough times for Alphonso and Jayme to joke about him having a crush on that book (to which he rolls his eyes and calls them illiterate)

-Despite all that, throughout years of loving the book, he never much considers who’s behind it, until for a birthday Sloane is sweet enough to get him another book from the same author

-That definitely sparks his curiosity, he finishes the the new book overnight, and by the end of it he knows he has to look you up, the mind you have just amazes him

-There isn’t much about you or your books online, not even a photo, which irritates him not just because he was wants more information about you, but also because you deserve so much more attention

-He more or less resigns himself to just knowing you through your books, but occasionally he looks you up again, always hoping for new information, and one day he finally gets some, with news that you’d be doing a book reading to promote your newest work

-It would be happening in the city, but still a while out of his way, it’d be hard to pull off such a sneak-out, but he’ll be damned if he isn’t going to try

-After waiting anxiously to be sent to bed, climbing out his window, taking a train and practically sprinting to the venue, his disappointment is immeasurable to get there just as the book store is closing

-You had just left your reading when you see Ben run up, looking frustrated enough for you to ask him if he’s alright, and he composes himself enough to say that he’s just late for something

-Sympathetically you ask him about it, getting him begrudgingly talking with a tense politeness, until your wit melts his defences enough to get a smile out of him

-Eventually he asks what you’re doing in the area, and you explain you’re waiting to be picked up, having just finished promoting a book you wrote… and his heart stops

-Ben walks a fine line between being vain but not shallow, it honestly didn’t matter what you looked like, but to realise that yes, he does find you physically attractive, and kind too apparently… he is down bad

-Compliments are a hard thing for him to give as he always feels like he’s in a power struggle with whoever he’s talking to, but awkwardly he manages to tell you that he really likes your writing, the smile you respond with making his heart skip a beat

-There must have been dozens of questions he’s thought about asking you but he can’t seem to remember any of them, and he quickly runs out of time as your cab approaches

-He figures this is it, a light dread settles in his stomach as he realises he may never see you again, until you turn to him and say ‘Hey, do you need a ride somewhere?’

[mekazashitpost]

S4 SPOILERS AHEAD! SCROLL AWAY!!!!!

I honestly liked the last season. I do still have a bunch of questions that were never bought up ever again which sucks.

If they needed to sacrifice their marigold/themselves for everything to fix itself..then what about the other kids? There were 36 children created (I think??? I haven't watched season 1 in like 2 years so correct me if I'm wrong) only 14 were found/adopted (15 if you count Ben twice) sparrow academy all died, Sloane just vanished, emo Ben carried over with the rest of the UA..what about the others?

On-top of that, what about the Ben with the glasses at the end of season 3? Is that supposed to just be emo sparrow Ben before he went and did the crypto shit?

Also what happened to Allison's rumour? Like did the writers forget she had that ability or?? There's just so many times she could have rumoured something and be fine. ESPECIALLY when that guy hit her on the head with the metal bat so her power wasn't working. Ma'am, seriously? Your blinking eyes won't work? Ok, "I heard a rumour you punched yourself in the face with that bat" "I heard a rumour you told me where Klaus was" SIMPLE.

I feel like with the 4 missing episodes for the final season, everything was just rushed. It felt like everything was just "this happened and then this, oh and that happened but that's ok- OH AND HERES THAT! Oh nevermind we won't bring it up again, this happened by the way lol".

There's plot holes from what I can see and possibly even more as people watch it and point them out. I wish they got to address things. In saying this though, it is 3am and I only just finished the season since it came out whilst I was working, so I'm most likely just misremembering everything anyways..

I will say this though. I did like the ending, it felt right. If they were the reason the timelines were fucked, getting rid of them permanently was the best cause of action for both the end of their stories and the happy end for series. Im glad they came back as flowers in the end though, just a way of saying "hey, I'm still here"

[foxiejun]

-ˏˋ 𝐋𝐈𝐄 ˊˎ- 𝒞.ʙɢ

𝑐.𝑏𝑔×𝑓𝑒𝑚!𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

summary - what happens when you start to realise that beomgyu's starting to lose feelings for you and all you want him to do is lie?

wc - 737

content - angst

warning - shorter than my life. Wrote while brain dead so it's gonna be a tad bit shitty

🎵 - Lie by Sasha Alex Sloane

Don't sleep on the couch tonight. Even though you took it for the weekend.

"Are you really gonna take the couch tonight? You sure you don't want to join me?"

You found it a bit frustrating. The situation of it. Never being used to ask beomgyu to join you on the bed and now you're here. The male was sprawled upon the plush of the couch, blanket around his body. Beomgyu gave an once-over through the edge of his eyes. A exaggerated sigh leaving his parted lips.

"I think this is the zillionth fucking time I'm telling you, y/n. I'm better on the couch. The bed is too..it makes my back ache"

Your brows stitched together. Well this was something new and it made a slight pang to your heart. You could the strength of this very relationship. It was like a blunt pencil, too much pressure added and snap! It goes. The distance between you both felt that you were on the other side of the mountain. It was certain that beomgyu didn't really favor the idea of accompanying you to bed and the excuse he gave only made a temporary one.

"Fine..do have a second thought though."

And that night there was no sounds of love in the house. The empty space beside you on the bed reciprocated the emotion you were looking at that night. Missing the warmth of the male's body on yours, the dazy kisses. He had you under a spellbound. A serendipity to you.

𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲. 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Beomgyu on the other hand, was awake through the twilight. His mind racing a million thoughts. The brows eyes of his gleaming in the dark and his lips lonely. The mere silence only made his mind to go back to the first kiss shared between you. That feeling was now numb for him. He remembered vividly on how he was desperate to make you his. Doing everything in his strength. The sparkle in your eyes whenever he got your late night ice treat, the gentle stretch of your lips upon catching sight of him. The way his hands fitted perfectly with yours, his body just right for you. They were fresh in his mind. But his love for you wasn't starting to be oh so fresh now. Maybe it's the time's doing.

You wanted nothing but for him to lie. Lie that he still loves you. And push his hands on your waist. Lie right to your face. Lie that he still adores you. Lie in his touch. Lie in his kiss. Lie in the way he makes you feel. Even though you knew, his feelings for you was starting to rot, you wanted him to lie. To say that he's lucky to love you like he used to.

The music of crickets outside was like a dead sound to their ears.

You slowly crawled out of bed and out of the room, the early morning light was starting to filter in through the gaps of the curtain. you already familiar with the layout of the dorm, kept your gaze solely towards the ground, eyes glancing down as the dim lighting casted mysterious shadows on the creaking wooden floor beneath your feet.

The man was already awake making his daily dosage of a cup of morning coffee. The smell of the crushed beans wafted through the kitchen.

"Beomgyu.."

Hearing the silken voice belonging to you, he turned around and his eyes landed on you. A blank look etched onto his face. Lie. And the eyes that held a look of blossom in them was now empty as a broken wine glass. Lie. Even a gentle stroke of his hand to your cheek was more than enough. Even if it's all a lie. Your fingerbuds ran across the pores of his porcelain skin, the heat radiating off his body and eyelashes fluttering down at you was all it needed to fall for him again. And without a single thought, grabbing the curve of his nape pulling the male down into a kiss. Both your lips pressed firm against the other's. But this felt like wood to electric. There was not a hint of spark like before. Dry. And you couldn't help notice how his hands that once used to wrap tight around your body pulling you close to him was now limp. For what seemed like an eternity of expecting beomgyu to return the kiss, pull you in all ended in an utter nonsense. Pulling away from him, your eyes already trembling with tears and scrutinizing him.

"Why can't you just lie?.."

Beomgyu traced down on you. Avoiding any eye contact. Silence filled the room. His lips still stinging from the kiss.

"You know I can't"

𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒆, 𝒍𝒊𝒆, 𝒍𝒊𝒆..

a/n. First fic-so it's shitty. But plz do reblog and support me if you'd like. 😅😅😅

[she-karev]

The Talk About Kids (Jolex Imagine)

Previous Chapter Here

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: Two of Two

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Alex and Jo

AN: I decided to shift my focus to a power couple that deserved so much more. I decided to show Alex and Jo throughout pivotal moments in Season 16 and 17 that I believe would fit them.

Summary: Alex and Jo go over adoption agencies online in the loft until people come over to celebrate their nuptials, cutting the moment short. The gang figures out their plans and react with joy.

Words: 1642

November 1st, 2019

“How about this one?”

Jo asks Alex who is busy making coffee while Jo is at the table going over adoption agencies in Seattle. The couple are still clad in their pajamas, having just woken up with Jo already on the track to finding a baby to adopt. Alex is giddy at her eagerness and feels his dream coming closer by the minute.

Alex walks over and looks over Jo’s shoulder at the screen showing an adoption agency website, “What makes this one special?”

“They take in safe haven babies instead of letting them go through the system. I mean its fate, right? For us to find a baby like me who was left by their mother outside a fire station?”

“Yeah, that would be great if we found a baby who was in your situation.” Alex closes his eyes at how that sounded, “Not great for the baby, I meant great for us to give that abandoned baby a chance we never got.”

“I know honey.” Jo says with a grin, “We still have to find a house and make it picture perfect for inspection so we’re just going over our options before we apply but this definitely looks promising.”

“If it has your approval then it’s got mine.” Alex pulls out his phone, “I should look into real estate agents while you do agencies, divide and conquer.”

A knock on the door stops him from typing up in the search engine. He groans but puts his phone away and walks to the door opening it to find a group of five people on the other side. Meredith Grey, Jackson Avery, Link, Andrew DeLuca and Amber Karev are on the other side holding items in their hands. Jo sees the gang and closes her laptop, not quite feeling ready to tell them about their plans to have a baby.

“Hey, what are all of your guys doing here?” Alex asks causing Meredith to raise an eyebrow.

“You told me you got married last night; did you really not expect a celebration? Or gifts?”

“Yeah dummy.” Amber adds passing her brother with a waffle maker box in hand, “It was about time you two knuckleheads sign the damn papers like you should have from the beginning.”

Andrew shakes his head amused at his live-in girlfriend, “That is Amber speak for congratulations from both of us. Happy marriage.”

The whole gang enter the loft and greet Jo who smiles at them, “Hey guys you really didn’t have to do this, the last wedding was good enough for us.”

“Well Meredith insisted we come over and congratulate you in person.” Link explains putting a box of whiskey glasses set on the table, “I think she’s antsy for a party.”

“I just got out of prison.” Meredith reminds them all, “And my medical license might be taken away from me and everyone at Grey Sloan hates me so I need have happy moments otherwise I will start throwing furniture. Coffee?” She asks sharply.

Alex quickly heads to the coffee pot, “Yep.”

Jackson hands Jo a bottle of fine whiskey, “Congratulations you guys.”

Jo grins, “Thank you, you didn’t bring Vic?” Jo sees Amber pursing her lips at the mention of Vic clearly still detesting the firefighter Jackson is casually seeing.

Jackson catches Amber’s disgusted look, “I was planning on coming tonight to bring you the gift, but Amber insisted I ditch my breakfast date with Vic. More like demanded even though I’m her boss.”

“Oh boo hoo.” Amber says dismissively, “Your good friends got legally married last night, celebrating that takes precedence over being sad rebounds for firefighters.”

Jackson groans at that and asks Jo half seriously, “Please remind me why I keep her around?”

Jo chuckles and pulls Amber in for a side hug, “Oh come on, you and I know underneath that crusty exterior there’s a heart. Besides it’s not the first time she disliked someone who’s seeing her favorite men in the world.”

Alex chuckles nostalgically, “Yeah that is very true. One time I caught her putting a cockroach down my dates back and she ran away screaming. I swear I wanted to give her an atomic wedgie so bad.”

Amber grins at that, “Well the high school tramp was calling mom a nutty loon and she talked down to me and told me to make myself useful and get her a water. And most of your other girlfriends treated me just like that, a mini waitress working minimum wage. Same goes for Aaron, you two like to pick girls whose IQ is as high as their bra sizes.”

Meredith chuckles, “So I guess this attitude towards Vic is because you see her as not being good enough for Jackson? Nobody can be good enough for your brothers?”

Amber scoffs and acts tough, “Your crazy if you think I’m that invested in these idiot’s love lives. I just hate awful people and they have a preference for them.” Jo glares at that, “Except for you, you are the exception.”

Jo chuckles and pulls her sister-in-law in for a side hug, “Well I’m glad I got your approval.”

“Please do me a favor though.” Jackson asks Amber with a pleading face, “Don’t scare Vic away with a cockroach or a snake or whatever disgusting creature feels drawn to your evil nature.”

“Are you gonna make me some coffee?” Amber asks causing Jackson to roll his eyes but head towards the coffee maker to Amber’s satisfaction, “I’ll do my best then.”

Jo chuckles and pulls away, “We feel bad if we knew you were coming, we would have made a spread or something.”

“Since when do you cook?” Meredith teases before proposing, “We’ll just go to a pancake house and celebrate with lots of carbs and syrup.”

“And bacon.” Link adds with a smile, “You can’t have a celebration breakfast without bacon.”

Meredith laughs, “And in that spirit I’ll find us a breakfast place nearby that serves all of that.” Meredith opens the laptop to Alex and Jo’s distress.

“Wait Mer don’t-” Alex’s attempts are stopped as the screen pops up showing the adoption agency website that Jo left it on.

Meredith looks at the website in silent shock with the rest of the gang looking at her confused. Alex and Jo look both embarrassed and relieved at the cat being out of the bag. Jo sighs and stands next to Alex wrapping her arm around his back as they face Jackson, Link, DeLuca and Amber who look confused by Meredith’s frozen face. Jo and Alex look at each other silently communicating that it’s okay to tell people.

“We have an announcement to make.” Alex starts.

Jo smiles, “We’re gonna have a baby.”

The gang have different reactions of joy with Link asking ‘what?’ with a big smile, Jackson’s eyes shot up in shock, Amber’s mouth gapes open before laughing in joy with her boyfriend Andrew next to her smiling saying congratulations.

“Eventually.” Jo elaborates with a smile over their joy, “We’re looking at adoption agencies which is what Meredith is seeing at the laptop that caught her off guard.”

Meredith closes the laptop and goes to the happy couple with a smile, “Congratulations! Your gonna be parents!” She hugs Alex first who smiles at the affection as well as Jo who gets a hug as well before Meredith pulls back, “And if you ever need help with the adoption process, I am the person to turn to.”

“Thank you we really appreciate it.” Jo tells her good friend.

“And seriously.” Meredith starts with a grin, “Zola is the best thing that happened to me and Derek, I knew from the moment I saw her that she was ours and you’ll know it with your baby.”

Alex grins, “I hope so and you know if it wasn’t for me that little girl wouldn’t have even come here and you wouldn’t have met her so really, I’m the reason you started your family.”

“Humble as always.” Meredith quips, “But thank you for that.”

Amber shrieks at the news and immediately tackles her brother in a bear hug that takes him by surprise, “Wow kid I think this is the most affection you’ve ever shown me.” Alex tells his sister in a strained voice over how tight she’s squeezing him.

Jo giggles and at the sight, “We take it your happy.”

Amber pulls back still smiling, “Of course I’m happy I’m finally gonna be an Auntie, Auntie Amber. What took you two so long? I have been dying to have a niece or nephew to spoil.”

Alex chuckles, “We’ll things have happened, and life got in the way of us taking the next big step.”

Jo holds his hand, “But then we realized that life is always gonna be unpredictable so we might as well have a little more love and joy to get through it.”

“Amen.” Link states, “And if you guys have a baby before me, I can just watch you two and figure how to not screw up my kid.”

Jackson chuckles, “What he means is congratulations and we hope you guys start a family soon. And if you ever need a reference, I am always up for it.”

“Or you can pick me and DeLuca and Link instead.” Meredith and Jackson look at Amber with a raised eyebrow over excluding them, “Sorry guys but out of all of us you two have a record as dirty as a swamp rat in a sewer.”

Jackson clicks his tongue, “Ouch.”

“She is right.” Meredith says, “She’s mean but she’s right. Okay shall we get a breakfast spread to celebrate you guys getting legally married and starting to have a baby?” The gang all agree and head out for a breakfast party to celebrate this new chapter in Alex and Jo’s life.