#whoopie cap

[sycamorelibrary754]

Whoopie!

Summary: You decide to play baker while Yelena is at work and you’re stuck at home recovering from an injury. A fluffy sugar rush ensues. 

Pairings: Yelena Belova x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Comfort, Angst

Word Count: 2k words

Warnings: A tiny bit of angst, but with a happy ending. Mentions of injury. 

A/N: I had so much fun writing this! I took from my own experience as a dessert lover with a tendency for sugar rushes. Plus, I like the idea of Yelena saying whoopie lmao.

You were feeling restless, cooped up at home. You had already cycled through the TV channels several times that morning, having exhausted all the episodes of Friends on Netflix. It had only been a week since a mission gone awry left you with a gunshot wound to the shoulder and a few lacerations. After undergoing surgery and spending a week in the Med Bay, Cho gave you the green light to continue your recovery at home.

You felt ready to return to work in some capacity, but Yelena insisted that you should keep resting at home. It was her first day back at the compound following your surgery, so you knew she would be calling soon to check on you and ensure you were sticking to the rest. While trying to pick something to watch, you came across an episode of The Great British Bake Off. This show was familiar to you – back when you and Wanda were on an undercover mission together, she had convinced you to watch it with her.

You were notorious for your sweet tooth, which was common knowledge among the team. Your unique habit of stashing candy in your suit pockets sets you apart. There was that one memorable incident when Nat ended up with a Twinkie instead of the weapon you intended to hand her during a heated skirmish, much to her dismay. The power of subliminal messaging was evident as your craving for something sweet led you to search for a treat. Despite your careful movements due to your arm sling, you made your way to the kitchen in pursuit of a sugary delight. Disappointed by the lack of candy, you grumbled as you began to head back to your room. Suddenly, thoughts of "The Great British Bake-Off" came to mind.

You considered yourself an accomplished baker. You made Christmas cookies for the team and pastry chef-quality birthday cakes every year. After a brief pause, you began searching for ingredients and the KitchenAid stand mixer. You figured your girlfriend couldn't be upset with you for being up and about if the stand mixer was doing most of the work, right?

You reach for your phone to look up some recipes and come across red velvet whoopie pies. The idea of baking something delicious for Yelena felt right - a sweet gesture to show her how much you appreciate her. She's been there for you since the moment she found you wounded on the ground, and caring for you has been a challenge. You want to express your gratitude, and for you, baking has always been a way to show love.

You carefully gathered all the ingredients on the kitchen counter: flour, baking soda, vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, salt, buttermilk, and vinegar. The sturdy KitchenAid mixer blended the base mixture perfectly, and then you carefully added the rich red food gel. As the batter gradually turned a vibrant shade of red, the faint sound of your phone ringing caught your attention. You reached into your pocket and pulled out your phone, revealing your favorite picture of Yelena smiling back at you. A warm smile spread across your face as you gently slid your finger across the screen to answer the call.

"Hey, Yelena," you greeted, as you put the phone on speaker.

"Hi, detka. How are you doing?" Yelena inquired.

Okay," you grumbled, exasperated. "But I swear if I have to endure that Rogers: The Musical commercial one more time, I might just have to march down there and give Cap a piece of my mind, preferably to his annoyingly flawless face.

Hmm, I’ll be sure to tell him how much you miss him," Yelena said sarcastically. She continued, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I left some of the pain medication that Cho prescribed for you on the counter in case your shoulder starts getting cranky. I know it’s tough with only one arm, but have you taken a moment to check your stitches today?”

Yep," you said, "I've checked, and everything seems good.

You crank the mixer to high speed to ensure the vibrant red food gel is thoroughly mixed in.

"What's that sound?" Yelena asked.

"Ah, just watching the Food Network on TV," you fibbed. You didn't want to spoil the surprise of the whoopie pies you were baking. Besides, you knew your girlfriend would kick your ass if she caught you not resting and playing baker simultaneously.

Yelena expressed hope by sharing, "I should be home in a couple of hours. Natasha promised to help me write my overdue mission report from the day you were injured so I can get out of here sooner."

"Sounds great, I've missed you," you admitted.

“I've missed you too, malyshka. Make sure to get some rest, and I'll be there soon for some cozy snuggles.

“Looking forward to it,” you said. “See you later, love.”

"Bye," she replied.

You carefully tuck your phone back into your pocket and return to the delightful task of baking. After thoroughly mixing the batter, you gracefully use an ice cream scoop to transfer it to the waiting trays before gently placing them in the preheated oven. Working on the sumptuous filling, you lovingly combine butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff, and a hint of vanilla extract. As you taste the filling, a contented smile crosses your face, and you have to exercise severe restraint to keep from devouring the entire bowl right then and there. While the round cakes are baking, you take a moment to rest on the sofa. Fanny jumps up next to you, seeking your affection and not minding that you only use one arm at the moment.

"I can't wait to see your mom's face when she sees the surprise; how about you?" You asked the dog with a grin.

Fanny charmingly tilts her head back at you. 

"Sam here. Or, she might scold me in Russian for not taking a break. Either way, we can indulge in dessert," you remark before affectionately kissing her head.

After the oven timer goes off, carefully remove the pan and set it aside to cool. Despite hesitation, you adhere to Yelena's advice and change your bandages. Fortunately, it's your non-dominant arm that sustained the injury. Once you finish tending to your wound, the whoopie pies are cooled and ready to be filled. Using a spoon, you delicately spread the filling on one cake and gently place another on top, feeling satisfied as you finish assembling all the whoopie pies.

You carefully stow away the batch of eighteen luscious whoopie pies in a trusty Tupperware container and pop it in the fridge. As you settle down at the counter, glancing at the clock reminds you that time certainly flies by when you're having fun. In just 30 minutes, Yelena will be back home. At this moment, you become acutely aware of the throbbing ache in your shoulder. You reach for the prescription she had set out for you and grab a glass of water. But as you're about to gulp down the pill, you spot the fine print on the label, indicating that it's meant to be taken with food.

You slump down in your chair with a tired groan, feeling too drained to even think about finding something to eat. Perhaps Yelena was right – maybe you had overexerted yourself. But then you remember the whoopie pies. They may not be the healthiest pair for pain medication, but they are fresh. You open the refrigerator, grab one of the confections, and reach for a soda. You devour the whole thing, then wash down your painkillers with a swig of soda.

You hoped the medication would take effect before Yelena returned home. It was a fact - as an Avenger, you were great at many things, but hiding things from your world-class spy girlfriend was not one of them. You relax back onto the sofa and absentmindedly flick through your phone. Your gaze keeps drifting back to the fridge. Maybe just one more whoopie pie wouldn't hurt. You do need to keep your energy levels up. Giving in to temptation, you grab another treat and a soda before returning to the living room. Fanny's eyes are fixed on you as you savor the second dessert.

"Alright, just a tiny piece. But, let's keep it our little secret," you whispered as you ripped off a small chunk of the crimson cake and sneaked it to the pup.

As you finish up, you let out a contented sigh and run your hand down your face. The baking session was your most physical activity since your injury. Refusing to retreat to your bedroom, you opt for the cozy comfort of the sofa. Wrapped in your favorite blanket, Fanny snuggles up at your feet. After about 20 minutes, you realize the shoulder pain has almost completely disappeared. Delighted, you treat yourself to a little seated happy dance. You cue your favorite playlist and can't resist jumping to your feet when the beat drops on your favorite song. What started as a small happy dance became a full-on, one-armed dance-off with enthusiastic singing. It seems all that sugar is finally getting to your head.

You are so caught up in your sugar rush that you lose track of time. Unaware, you don't hear the jingle of keys or the opening of your front door. Suddenly, Yelena appears in the doorway, silently watching you before finally startling you with an interruption.

"Is this what you call resting?" Yelena asked with a raised eyebrow.

You leap three feet into the air before realizing there's no danger. "Yelena, you're back! Woohoo! Happy dance time!!" you exclaim as you break into a joyous dance around the room.

"What's going on? Have you been sneaking sips of my vodka?" she questioned, her eyes tracking your every move around the room.

"What? No, I just had a snack! Two snacks... Well, dessert. Oh, and sodas! See, I wanted to do something nice for you because I know you've been worried about me since my injury, and I love you, so I made red velvet whoopie pies!" You rambled excitedly.

"Calm down... you made what now?" Yelena asked, her brow furrowed with confusion.

"Red velvet whoopie pies!" you repeated excitedly. "They're these delicious soft rounds of red velvet cake with a luscious cream filling sandwiched in between." With eager anticipation, you rushed to the counter and eagerly picked one up to show her, a child-like grin spreading across your face as you marveled at the sweet treat.

Yelena stares at you blankly for a few seconds before launching into her native tongue. 

Tebe polozheno otdykhat', a vmesto etogo ty provodish' ves' den', kricha! Vy s uma soshli? Vas zastrelili. Chto delat', yesli shvy razoshlis'? YA ne khochu snova okazat'sya s toboy v Med-Bey. YA znal, chto mne ne sledovalo ostavlyat' tebya odnu.

You are supposed to rest; instead, you spend all afternoon making whoopies! Are you crazy? You were shot. What if your stitches split open? I don't want to end up back in the Med Bay with you. I knew I should not have left you alone. 

"Is that your way of saying, 'Wow, you're amazing sweetheart'? I'd love to try one," you questioned with a giggle from the sugar rush.

Yelena shook her head softly as she approached you. Her eyes bore into yours with concern. 'You really should be in bed,' she said gently.

"Come on, just try one for me, please," you pleaded with your best puppy dog eyes.

"If I try it, will you rest?" Yelena asked.

“Absolutely, for sure, of course, affirmative, by all means, certainly, yep, very well, okey-dokey, yes,” happily bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet.

You offer Yelena a whoopie pie. She gazes at you with curiosity, studying you from head to toe, and then takes a deliberate bite. 

“Well?" You inquire with a grin.

"It's good," she conceded, wiping a bit of cream filling from the corner of her mouth. But there's this subtle smile tugging at her lips, and it's obvious that she's absolutely loving it.

"I knew you would love it!" You exclaimed, doing a little celebratory dance and raising my uninjured arm in victory.

She reluctantly admitted, "Okay, it's delicious. Sweet, just like you, Y/N."

"Whoopie! It's really cool, isn't it?" you exclaimed.

Yelena agreed, patting your cheek affectionately to regain your attention. "Yes, your little American whoopie is so cool. I'm going to hop in the shower and change. Could you do me a favor and head back to bed now, detka?

"Absolutely, I could keep doing this all day!" You playfully quipped, channeling your inner Captain America.

Yelena sighed, exasperated, and muttered, "Now I'm going to punch Cap," before turning on her heels and heading towards your bedroom.

As you start following her, you can't resist the temptation to reach for one more whoopie pie quietly.

Yelena's sharp voice cut through the room. “And no more whoopies!” she yelled, her words hanging in the air without her even turning around.

"Awww," you whimpered.

You finally make your way back to bed, feeling the exhaustion creeping in after the rush from all the sugar. Yelena, having showered and changed into comfortable sweatpants and one of your band T-shirts, joins you. She slips into bed beside you, wrapping her arms around you comfortingly.

"I'm the best baker on the team," you whispered before slipping into a peaceful slumber.

“Yes, detka, you're the best baker on the team,” Yelena humored. “Get some sleep now, whoopie.” 

[fanaticsnail]

Hello Snail! Just a stupid question :D

I'm writing a new fic and I have problems with a really silly thing: an onomatopoeia. I need to write the sound that boots made when the person is walking over wooden floor.

Context: Buggy shoes, he is walking slowly on deck, scrutinizing each pirate in a row one by one.

I thought first about: tap, tap, tap

And later: clunk? thud? stomp?

Which one would you use in a situation like this?

Thanks!!

Oh my gosh, hi Jintaka! Thank you for your ask, and I hope I can help! There's a few elements I would think about here before the sound is thought about.

Boots: Leather, buckles, braces, laces, steel-capped, matte, heavy, light, thick, plush, cinched ribbons, elevated heel.

Deck: waxed, polished, old, worn, unstable, thick, supporting, water-rotten, flimsy, swollen, soft, pliant, hard, durable.

Walking: Strides, intentional, furiously, enraged, purposeful, lengthy, disciplinary, fists balled, straining, buzzed, shoulders squared, chest puffed.

Now with all those in mind, how would it sound? Here is a little snippet, just in case:

{The captain walked with lengthy, intentional strides atop the wooden deck. Each moment he took an aggressive step, he would halt and pay insult to a row of his loyal crewmen.

"Where's the enthusiasm?" His voice cracked out a barked reprimand, "Row if your life depends on it! Because believe me, buttercup, it does."

Each heavy step he took, the thump of his matte boot-heel ricocheted from the swollen wood. Contrary to his furious steps, the soft jingle of his belt buckle rang melodically in dangerous harmony to his aggression.}

In saying all that, Buggy is known for pranking his crew and not taking himself too seriously.

Would he hide ballooned squeakers in his toes and whoopy cushions in his heels, so each time he took a step; a crude combination of a tooted mock-flatulence expelled from his boots? Possibly.

He'd absolutely use this as leeway to discipline his crew further if they ever dreamed of laughing.

I hope this helps! Let me know how you go 🖤

[pondslime]

I was watching this youtube reaction to House of Wax and one of the guys pointed out that Bo had a whoopi cushion on his trucks dashboard and I havent stopped thinking of it since

RJFSDKJSDFKJKFSDJKFDSJ

are we talkin about this thing jfdhhfdjfhdjfds

SCREAMING!!!! I always figured it was a balled-up t-shirt or a rag or a cap but the idea of it bein a whoopie cushion is SO fckin funny hfsjdhfsdjhfsdjhjfsd 💀

also look @ that up-to-date registration sticker. boy rocked out to the baton rouge dmv to get his shit all legal. law-abiding citizen. maybe he really WILL be cawlin the cawps!!!!!

he is SO cartoon character-coded 😔

u could overlay this over EVERY single one of his scenes and nothing abt the movie nor his character would change:

this is what his brain sounds like @ all moments of every goddamn day

imagine him heehawing alone in his truck to the mere THOUGHT of leavin a whoopie cushion on the seat for some unsuspecting bitch to sit on. tryin to work a whoopie cushion into his sad weird backstory that he's gonna dump on the next batch of hapless ambrose victims. how trudy n vincent were traveling circus performers and a whoopie cushion was their downfall.........how the whole town could hear the whoopie cushion wheezin' all the way up @ the house.........

just laughin 2 himself. thinkin this is TRULY the mastermind comedic snl roast comedy central looney tunes bingo bongo joke of all time.

getting OUTRAGEOUSLY mad when he gets into his truck later and someone has placed it on his seat, tossin the joke in his face. he accuses lester and holds a grudge abt it for years. bc this was his goofy ahhh sillyboy moment!!!! how dare u clown on him when he's the court jester king supreme!!!

vincent was the one who did it. he will never find that out.

[deirdreisme]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Maine Whoopie Pie Festival Ball Cap 2016 Orange Vacationland Fair Travel Otto.

[worldrandom]

Maine, Massachuestts

Native American Tribes 1st

Viking in Maine 1065-1093

French 1st settlement 1604

only state bordered on 3 sides by canada

most forest cover of any us

2500 lakes and 500 rivers and streams

with inlets and islands 3478 miles of cost line

4000 islands

maine 2nd to the most population of moose

90% of lobsters

toothpick capital of the world

state fruit wild blueberries

state treat whoopie pie

state bird black capped chichadea

state cat maine coon

state tree eastern white pine

4 famous people

Massachusetts

lowest divorce rates

oldest public park

dunkin donuts dedham

state capital and largest city boston

state size land and water 10,555

population 6,984,723

state hood feb 6, 1785

number of counties 14

highes point mount greylock 3489ft

lowest point alantic ocean

length 113 miles width 183 miles

statr nickname baystate old count state

nobel prize winners 7 famous people 4

us presidents born 4

folk songs massachusetts

state dog boston terrier

state fish cod

state bird cactus wrech

state game bird wild turkey

state gem rhodonite

state reptile garter snake

state fossil dinosaur tracks

state shell new england neptune

state berry cranberry

state tree american elm

state horse morgan horse

state bean baked navey bean

[loveandcyanide]

This is a hat I made from Ravelry I had to put on 7 points just to have it fit right and it’s a bit short but hey, that’s chil. I didn’t exactly make it with the right sized needles. Still it’s a really simple pattern so even beginners can knit it. All you need to know how to do is knit back and front and knit 2 together. This hat was made with cheep wool yarn. Patons Classic Wool in the color of plum heather if you wanna make one like mine.

[scifidancer]

STAR TREK: PICARD

[recycledcactus]

Here’s my Dream SMP sona!! They’re literally just like my regular sona except instead of ghost, I made it Ghast and I added some human genetics.

Here’s the reference I used for the pose because I don’t know how to draw people well at all

I forget to add they were and always will be a L’Manburgian at heart and also possibly had their flower shop double as an apothecary.

If you can’t read my handwriting (it’s okay, sometimes I can’t either) then I’ve copied my words under the cut!

Recycledcactus has entered the game > 50% Ghast, 26% Skeleton, 24% Human > Possesses a cactus because they have too little human parts for a proper body > Will screech and scare people when stressed/scared > Has a warm steam-like substance seeping off of her from the Ghast parts > Collects flowers and will give you flower crowns as a sign of love > Warm :D > Probably owns/owned a flower shop > Showed up towards the start of L’Manburg and now probbaly lives in Snowchester > Doesn’t speak Common (the main language I guess) very well. > Teenager(?) > Enjoys building. Hates redstone > She/her and they/them but also doesn’t care too much > Naturally good with a bow because Skeleton > Isn’t hostile but will retaliate when provoked > Just Ghast/Skeleton enough that mobs don’t attack her > Steam gets too hot for humans when (di)stressed > Does okay in the Nether and hates the ocean > Carries varioud herbs and ingredients for potions > Sometimes cries or makes clacking noises for no reason > Doesn’t have great vision. (Literally what are her eyes) > Wears gloves all the time ‘cause Skelly hands

Notes I put around the body: [Regular wear] -Gardening gloves -Mud stains -Steam! -Basket to collect flowers

[grande-caps]

The Stand (2020) size: 1280x720 14,108 caps please like/reblog if using!

[teethunderyourpillow]

Archie Comics!Jughead Jones | This one is better than the last ones I made, but still not that good. The Archie Comics Jughead is probably my favourite out of the comics, and Jughead is my favourite from Riverdale, but it just annoys me with the stuff they change about Jughead. He doesn't eat enough food!

[draptorronin]

Ah, so kinda like how Pokemon has Nidoran Male & Female listed as different species (despite both being technically the same creature).

One mechanic regarding breeding that crossed my mind is: compatibility. How likely are two breeds of clown to produce offspring that aren’t themselves able to breed (in other words, possibility of producing Mule-clowns)? [Tho that might be something that should be left out/hand-waved away for general practicality]   

I thought of a few more clown-breeds, such as:

Jolly Ol’ Hobo, Class Clown (pretty much looks like a doofy kid wearing a dunce cap & holding a whoopie cushion), and Cringey Comedian (which looks kinda like a caricature of Jerry Seinfield) 

i really would love to see a game like Petz (ubisoft) but where you breed and care for clowns. like lil creature clowns not human clowns. and make lil hybrids with different randomized traits from the parents, and stuff.... and maybe some horrifying ass feral clowns that eat your pet ones if they run away lmao

[abiik]

but how r we feeling about lil hyeoky as a libra? thoughts? are we laughing at him too?

[crispin-kreme]

Requesting for dorm leaders with fem!mc singing while working/studying/resting?l pls! You can use the following songs so you won't have a hard time~ Thank you! ❤

Happy 300!

🌹: In A World Of My Own

🦁: Spirit (Beyoncé)

🐙: Kiss The Girl

🧞‍♂: Speechless (Naomi Scott)

🍎: Breath of Life (Snow White & the huntsman)

💀: I Won't Say I'm In Love

🐉: Once Upon a Dream (Maleficent Version)

twst dorm leaders with fem!mc who sings

pairings: every dorm leader x fem! mc 🕺

warnings: grammatical errors

notes: i used some songs as reference so that my ideas get sparked up. i hope you enjoy this <33

RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS

you were studying and you weren’t aware on how audible your voice was

riddle was with you because he wanted to join you in studying

he stops what he’s doing and listens to your voice

hesitant to comment at first but he does tell you that your voice is beautiful

“you have a beautiful voice.” riddle says genuinely. you blushed at riddle’s comment

he hopes to hear you sing again

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

leona was napping on your lap for some reason

you hummed a soft tune (even tho the song came out strong you were able to make it soft)

well leona kinda woke up to your sweet lullaby

but sure it also made him sleepy (ok wth leona-)

“keep singing. it makes me relaxed.” he yawned

would let you sing him to sleep no cap :(

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

he caught you dancing while you cleaned the lounge 😐

thats not cool azul, not cool

anyways as he watches you dance he hears you sing

he was trying not to laugh but he found your voice beautiful

he failed in trying not to laugh so you hear him giggle

“AZUL WHY ARE YOU HERE”

so he explains why and tells you your voice is beautiful

“i would love to see you sing and dance next time.”

KALIM AL ASIM

you were in the bathroom singing your heart out

plus you were kinda belting yknow

so kalim actually hears this because your voice was echoing

he stands in front of the bathroom door just listening to your voice

ooh this man fell in love with your voice

once you exited the bathroom you were like “💧👁👄👁 how much did you hear”

kalim chuckles “not much but you sing really well.” he says

mans would love to hear you sing like that again <3

VIL SCHOENHEIT

basically you were helping vil with his make up

but you couldnt stop yourself from singing so bOoM you started singing

while placing on vil’s eyeshadow he hears you sing

thinks you’re really professional when it comes to singing

“you’re a wonderful singer.” he blurts out

oh my you were flustered

dw mans sings with you too and you appreciate that <3

IDIA SHROUD

you were lounging around in idia’s room. and you actually laid on his bed beside him

while resting, you were singing softly as you were staring at the ceiling

basically idia watches you do so and he actually felt sleepy :o

idia found your voice beautiful but he didn’t know how to say it.

“your voice- its… beautiful.” he says shyly. you smile at him in reply

you decided to sing him to sleep for him to rest and he would want you to do that next time

MALLEUS DRACONIA

whoopie you were having your simple walks with malleus at night

you basically let yourself hum and then sang

malleus hears this and he found your voice wonderful- he was also familiar with the song so he sang a long

once you heard malleus you stopped. “you know this song?” you asked and malleus nodded in reply.

“your voice is beautiful. please sing some more, child of man.”

[historicalsnail]

Pat: Since Halloween is approaching I want to suggest we ask Alison if a haunted house is an option. Get some decorations, invite some living guests, let Robin do his thing...

Captain: Such a childish idea. And clearly not well thought out, as only Robin, Julian and Mary would get to do anything useful.

Pat: I was going to suggest that you plan the decorations, Cap.

Captain: Really good thinking, Patrick, as always. I shall accept of course.

Thomas: You can’t put him in charge of lighthearted gaiety or fun-making! This man was born old.

Julian: Yeah, what’s he know about tricking, or treating?

Captain: I know tricks! I have you know that as a young lad I acquired a whoopie cushion to put on our teacher’s chair. I never deployed it of course, but the potential was there.

Kitty: Can we put on costumes?

Fanny: Clearly we can’t.

Mary: I wants to dress up in a nice hat.

Robin: Maybe, if Kitty give Mary her hair feathers, that could be nice hat.

Kitty: ...oh, Mary, you look so pretty!

Fanny: I can’t believe that worked!

Humphrey: Pick me up, I want to see!

Pat: So we could’ve swapped clothes this whole time?

Thomas: You say it as if any of us would want to do that.

Humphrey: If we found my body we could swap tights. I don’t mind.

Thomas: ...I bet Alison would like me in burgundy.

Julian: Dibs on literally anybody’s trousers! Actually, I’ve just looked at all the options *waves dismissively at Pat and Thomas* and I want the Captain’s.

Captain’s: There’s not a chance on God’s green Earth that you will make your way into my trousers, Julian.

Julian: l’ll file that away as a “maybe later”.

Pat: Alright, I’ll ask Alison about the haunted house, and then I’m having a go at your fur boots, Robin!

[pirate-tink]

My dear @hmslusitania, yesterday was your birthday, and I intended to have this finished by then, but best laid plans of mice and men and all that. It didn't happen.

It has been so long since I've written anything, let alone shared anything, but this post of yours tickled my muse, and I decided to write you a present. So here, have this half-baked, one day late, hopefully coherent rambling, that grew legs and ran away from me, and know that your stories and the words you share always make me smile. 🥰

As Sure As The Sun Will Rise

It's a shit show, that's all Buck has to say about this shift. It's been a mess from the start.

The day had started out so promising; Buck woke up on the Diaz's couch after sleeping over following their weekly movie night. He made breakfast that morning - Chris's usual request of pancakes featuring the blueberries Buck had bought on sale that week - and then rode with Eddie into work. It was a perfect morning. Normal. And then all hell broke loose.

They still don't know why there are wild animals roaming the streets of downtown L.A., but it's apparently their job to take care of it. Whoopie. Buck might be more excited about the possiblity of wrangling escaped zoo animals if it wasn't Eddie's second week back at work, and Buck wasn't split between keeping an extra eye on his partner and trying to act like he's not.

"Has dispatch got any more details on how all these animals got loose in the first place?" Hen asks again.

"Nothing new," Bobby updates them, "just that there was some kind of malfunction with the zoo's electronic locks, probably from the blackout." Bobby cautiously leads the charge, as the five of them creep forward through haphazardly parked cars. It looks like people just stopped in the middle of the street, abandoning their vehicles to take shelter in nearby buildings instead. "Zoo personnel are still taking inventory of which animals are missing, but at last count it was seven species, and a total of eighteen animals, including lions, camels, and emus."

"Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my," Chimney mutters under his breath. Hen swats at his arm without taking her eyes off her surroundings. They follow behind Bobby, carrying their medical bags, with Eddie and Buck bringing up the rear armed with halligans from the truck.

"Remember, our job is to locate and triage potential victims, and gather people in secure areas. Animal Control is mobilizing to recapture the zoo animals. No one's playing hero today," Bobby chides them gently.

"Copy that, Cap," Buck responds quickly. He can feel his teammates' questioning gazes on him at his ready acknowledgement of their orders, but Buck isn't about to run off half cocked after a wild animal - he has more important things to worry about.

Buck flashes a quick glance at Eddie, catching his partner's eyes for a short moment, before they both go back to scanning their surroundings. Buck can tell Eddie is nervous but trying not to let it show. He's doing a valiant job at it, but it's only his fifth shift back since his medical leave, and here they are, wandering downtown city streets again. Granted, Hollywood Boulevard is far removed from where they'd been the last time- but they're still surrounded by skyscrapers, parked cars... it's throwing Buck for a loop, so he knows Eddie is struggling at least a little bit too.

Bobby sees a group of people inside a nearby building, waving their arms and trying to catch their attention, and directs them toward it. "Let's go check on these people and get them taken care of."

~

The elevator doors must have opened somewhere in the middle of the chaos. Buck isn't sure when or how, since the building's running on emergency power, but he's sure they were closed at the start of all this. All he knows is that one moment Eddie is next to him, distracting the lion and luring it away from Bobby helping a woman with a sprained ankle into a nearby office where Chimney and Hen have gathered the other people hiding from the lion, and the next they're both diving out of the way of the animal's sudden charge out the open front doors of the lobby. Buck lies on the floor, catching his breath and willing his heart rate to go down, while he tracks the lion's progress down the street through the lobby's glass walls.

Once the lion is out of sight, he's searching for Eddie. They'd been side by side, but must have jumped in opposite directions, because while Buck is lying in the middle of the open floor, Eddie is inside the open elevator. Their eyes meet for all of two seconds before an unassuming ding rings out.

Buck is on his feet faster than should have been possible in 20 pounds of turnout gear, racing toward the closing elevator doors and Eddie struggling to get his feet under him, but neither of them are fast enough. The doors slide shut just before Buck can reach them, and he pounds his fist against them in frustration.

Breathe, he reminds himself, Eddie's fine.

Pulling back he hits the call button repeatedly, praying the doors open up. They don't. Instead there's a whooshing noise, and the numbers above the button panel start changing.

Cursing under his breath, Buck sprints for the stairs. He's crashing his way onto the second floor landing when the emergency lights flicker, and a groaning thud comes from the elevator bank. Buck's boots slip on the slick flooring as he tries to make a sharp turn out of the stairwell, and then he skids to a stop in front of the elevator doors. The emergency lights continue to flicker ominously, and the floor indicator number panel is dark.

Buck takes a deep breath. "Eddie?" he calls, fighting to keep his voice steady. Eddie was barely on his knees when the doors closed, and that was before the elevator started going up and then ground to a sudden halt. What if he'd hurt himself jumping into the elevator? What if he'd landed wrong, or been knocked down, and re-injured his shoulder? "Eddie?!"

Eddie's response is slower coming than Buck likes, but it does come. "Buck? I'm okay." The words are muffled through the closed steel doors between them.

Buck sighs in relief. "Hang tight, I'm gonna get you out of there. Do you know where the car stopped?" Hopefully it was in line with the outer doors, and they could just pry them open and Eddie could walk out.

"The number had just changed to three. I'm probably stuck between floors." Eddie's words were faint, but Buck could still hear him.

Great, he thought, just great. "Okay, uh, do you have your halligan with you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Good! Uh, use it to pry open the doors on your side, and check if you're closer to the second or the third floor. I gotta go back downstairs to get mine, but I'll be right back, okay? I promise. Uh, don't go anywhere."

Buck's pretty sure he heard Eddie call back "Where am I gonna go?", but he'd been running back toward the stairs at that point, and could have imagined it.

~

"Okay Eddie, I'm back. I've got the team with me too. Did you get your doors open?" Buck had run into Bobby, Hen, and Chimney while downstairs, and quickly recruited them to come help him free Eddie. Now, Buck is fitting the end of the halligan bar into the seam between the elevator doors, and preparing to wedge them open.

"I did," Eddie calls back, his voice slightly clearer without half of the block in the way. "I am stuck between floors, but the car didn't get all the way past the second floor, so I should be able to jump out once you get the doors open."

Buck's sigh of relief is perhaps louder than he intended. Bobby walks up to him and clasps him on the shoulder, giving him an evaluating look.

Buck nods that he's fine, he's got this, and adjusts his grip on the pry bar. The lights flicker above them, and the elevator groans.

"Get those doors open now," Bobby orders, waving Chimney over to help. "We don't know what that car's about to do, and I don't want to find out."

Buck pushes, and Chimney pulls, and together they make the doors spring apart. "Eddie!" Buck steps toward him.

"Buck, watch out!" Chimney grabs one of his arms, catching him from over-balancing and falling down the open elevator shaft.

Buck shouts as he's jerked backwards a few feet, eyes not leaving Eddie where he's crouched in the middle of the elevator, less than three feet of clearance between the floor of the car and the top of the doorway, and looking ready to leap out to safety.

Bobby's already calling out new orders. "Everybody freeze! Eddie, hold it. Buck, you okay?"

Buck nods, but doesn't look at Bobby. Eddie still looks startled, mouth dropped slightly open and eyes wide as he looks at Buck. Buck imagines his own expression is probably similar.

The elevator makes a loud, squealing noise and shakes. Eddie catches himself with a hand to the floor and shifts on his feet; his eyebrows furrow and his jaw clenches. He looks determined, and Buck mentally swears at what he knows is about to happen.

Bobby is in the middle of telling Eddie to stay put, he's safer in the car than he is trying to jump out and getting sliced in half if the car drops below the floor, when Eddie launches himself out. The car drops, and Buck surges forward. He catches Eddie and manages a controlled fall to the floor, heart pounding in his throat the whole time.

There's two seconds of silence before the elevator car crashes at the bottom of the shaft.

"What the hell, Eddie?" Buck pants against the side of Eddie's head, breathless with terror he's sure. His arms are locked around the other man, and Buck can't make them let go yet. They're sprawled out on the floor still, Eddie on top of Buck. "Just because you told me I'm your back up plan doesn't mean you get to go throwing yourself into harm's way."

Eddie just huffs a laugh into Buck's neck where his face is pressed.

"Why'd you jump out? You could have gotten hurt."

"I knew you'd catch me."

"How?" Damn, he's still panting. Why can't he catch his breath? He ran like four steps.

Eddie pulls his head back so that he's looking at Buck when he says "You've never failed me before, you're not gonna start now."

Buck is startled enough by that statement that Eddie is able to pull out of his hold and tip over into a seat on the floor by Buck's hip. Hen and Chimney both rush in to check him and Eddie over, Chimney shining a pen light in Eddie's eyes, while Hen helps Buck sit up to check his gaze too.

He slides his hand over until it bumps into Eddie's, the sides of their fingers touching. Buck's not ready to give up the touch, the physical reminder that Eddie is whole, and safe, and there with Buck. Judging by Eddie's gentle pressure against Buck's fingers, he feels the same.

Bobby is still off to the side, frozen where he'd been standing when Eddie flung himself into Buck's arms. He sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose, before dragging his hand down his face and stepping closer. He stops near Buck's feet, and with the tone of a weary father says "I was expecting the return of reckless behavior when you came back, Eddie, but I didn't think it'd be coming from you."

"Yeah, Buck was strangely well behaved while you were out," Chimney adds. "It felt very un-Buck."

"Hey," Buck interrupts softly, "Buck 4.0 is super responsible, I'll have you know."

"Oh, we're on 4.0 now?" Hen asks as she sits back on her heels, finished checking Buck over. "What inspired the level up this time?"

Eddie gives Buck a raised eyebrow when he tries to deflect, saying "I'm just making mature decisions regarding my future, that's all."

Chimney jumps in again with "I thought 3.0 was your 'maturity' upgrade?" He sits back from Eddie and gives Buck a calculating squint. "Why all this sudden worry about your future? What aren't you telling us?"

Before Buck can try to respond, Bobby adds "And what did you mean 'back up plan'?"

There's another few seconds of silence. Buck tries to reboot his brain, glancing up at Bobby and then over to Eddie, wondering how he's going to explain away that slip of his tongue. Hen and Chimney blink owlishly for a moment before they both start asking questions and talking over each other.

Eddie holds his gaze for a brief second, and then tips his head down and quirks his mouth into a half smile. Ah, so he's gonna try to make Buck explain all by himself? Fat chance. "Eddie did it." Buck says, and points to the man next to him. Childish? Yes, but Eddie is just as much at fault for their current predicament as Buck is, if not more, and Buck's not about to let him off the hook.

Eddie looks up at their teammates and raises his hands to hold off their verbal onslaught, and simply says, "I changed my will, made Buck Christopher's legal guardian after me."

That starts Chimney off on another round of wide-eyed blinking, while Hen and Bobby give both of them a calculating look.

"After you got shot?" Hen asks gently.

Eddie shakes his head. "After the well."

"But, that was last year," Chimney points out.

"A year and a half ago," Buck clarifies. "But he only told me after he got shot."

Buck looks over at Eddie, and finds him already watching him. They've had so many close calls, too many really. Another one so soon after Eddie's come back to work just feels like bad luck, like the universe is trying to tell them something. Maybe it's stay away, or maybe stay together. Buck wants to believe it's saying they're better together, that they belong in each other's lives, pulling each other out of the literal and metaphorical fires.

"Did you forget that when one of you is in danger, the other is usually only five feet away?" Chimney asks with a wry half smile. It breaks the moment, drawing a soft laugh from Buck and Eddie, while Hen shakes her head balefully, and Bobby pinches the bridge of his nose again.

"Alright," Bobby claps his hands, drawing the team's attention, "the day's not over, we've still got a job to do."

Buck clambers to his feet and reaches a hand back down to Eddie, pulling him up and into a quick, reassuring hug. Buck steps back and releases him, but Eddie's hand finds the back of Buck's neck, and holds him from pulling fully away. Eddie stares at him intently. "You've always got my back," he says, his casual tone at odds with the promise in the words.

"You just believe that?" Buck wonders.

"Sure I do, same as I believe the sun will rise tomorrow." With a brief squeeze, Eddie releases Buck and turns to help gather the gear spread out on the floor.

Buck stands there for a moment, struggling, again, to come to terms with Eddie's unwavering trust in him.

Bobby comes up to Buck and grips his shoulder. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, yeah, just uh- just mentally preparing myself for the rest of this crazy day," Buck stammers out.

Bobby nods, accepting his excuse, but says "We'll talk later, okay?"

Buck nods, and takes a deep breath. He can do this, they can do this. Eddie comes back over with both of their halligans, and hands Buck's back to him. They've got this, they're good. They nod to each other, and follow the rest of the team down the stairs. They can make it through the rest of this shit show of a shift, they've got each other's backs.