#why did they do bobbi like that like there was even competition??

[actualalligator]

Buddie!

63. "You can't even say it with a straight face."

Anon, it's been 8 million years, and I apologize for that, but we got here in the end.

Buck frowned, watching Eddie. "You don't want to tell them," he said after a second.

"What? No! I said we could!" Eddie replied, pulling back.

Buck leaned back against the jeep. "You can't even say it with a straight face. Boyfriend. Buck is my boyfriend."

Eddie scrubbed a hand over his face. "You are! I just don't see why everybody needs to know. It's our business, Buck."

Buck looked toward the firehouse, then back at Eddie before pushing away from the jeep. He hiked the strap up his bag higher up on his shoulder. "It's the 118, not a bunch of strangers. But if you don't want people to know you're dating me..." He shrugged. "I can't force you, Eddie."

"Buck, hey, that's not--" Eddie started to reach out right as Chimney pulled into the lot, window down. He drew back but caught the hurt on Buck's face before he managed to shove it down.

"I'll see you inside," Buck said.

He thought this was different. This thing with Eddie felt different. Sure, it hadn't started as a shining moment, both a little too tipsy, Buck heart broken over Tommy and Eddie in whatever had been happening with the shirt, briefs, and tube socks. They'd woken up and promised it was just one night, but it wasn't. Because it kept happening. They kept falling into bed over and over.

And Buck realized somewhere along the way that whatever they were doing felt right. It kinda felt like forever. He'd tried to keep that to himself, to stay casual, but then he lost someone on a call, and Eddie was there to keep him together when he started to fall apart.

"I think I love you, Buck," Eddie had said two days later. "But I'm scared. All of this is still new. I need time before I'm ready to let the world in."

But six months had gone by, and Buck was sure Eddie was the love of his life. He couldn't tell anyone, and in that, he felt lonely and isolated. He didn't have anybody to talk to, and he'd finally said something, made it clear that he couldn't just be Eddie's dirty little secret forever.

He wouldn't force Eddie to out himself, wouldn't dream of it. He'd end it. Smash his own heart in the process. What other choice did he have?

He changed quickly, sat down with the others for breakfast, made enough small talk to seem normal. He didn't look up when Eddie joined them, just picked the crumbled sausage from the breakfast casserole.

"Oh, Eddie!" Chimney said as he sat down. "Maddie wanted me to ask if you would be interested in coming with us to pickleball on Saturday. She wants to introduce you to Penny from the call center, and we got a great deal on a doubles package."

"Like a date?" Buck asked before he could help himself.

"Apparently, you putting your foot down on all future setups has not slowed your sister down one bit, Buckaroo," Chim laughed. "She just switched targets. What do you say, Eddie?"

Buck watched as Eddie sat down with a plate. He watched as Eddie smiled at Chim and, with an easy shrug of his shoulders, replied, "Why not?"

Buck felt as though someone had his lungs caught between their hands, giving a big squeeze.

He stood, the chair scraping loudly enough that everyone looked at him.

"You okay, Buck? You've hardly touched your casserole. I used half spicy sausage just how you like," Bobby asked.

Buck offered him a tight smile. "Yeah, just not hungry. I'm going to go make sure everything is stocked after last shift." He carried his plate to the counter and scraped it before rinsing it off and tucking it into the dishwasher.

"Buck, wait," Eddie said. His chair scraped against the floor. "I can't meet Penny, Chim. I'm... uh..."

Buck had stopped at the top of the stairs, but he wanted to disappear as he watched Eddie fumble.

"You'll have fun," he said. "Maddie's got a mean competitive streak."

Eddie stared at him for a few seconds, then shook his head. "But I already have a doubles partner, and if I've got any chance of beating Maddie, I'd better be playing with her equally competitive brother."

"Guys, it's just pickleball. It's not that serious," Chimney said after a short pause, then yelped when Hen smacked him in the arm.

"They're not talking about pickleball," she hissed.

"Eddie," Buck said quietly. He shook his head.

Eddie practically tripped over his chair on his way towards Buck. "It's never been about not wanting them to see you. Everyone should know how lucky I am to be loved by you. I've been afraid of people seeing me. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." He held out his hand.

Buck could feel his pulse racing, could hear little else than it pounding in his ears. But he took Eddie's hand and immediately tugged him close. "I love you."

Eddie wrapped his arms around Buck. "I love you too."

Thank you for the prompt!

[makethatelevenrings]

Hi can I request I feel safe with you, with Hangman? Thanks

TW: f!reader, alcohol, reader is drunk, slight angst at the end bc Hangman is an emo baby this is canon because I said so

When Jake entered the Hard Deck, he was met with Penny’s amused, half-hearted glare and a grinning idiot practically leaning off of one of the stools at the bar.

“Thanks for coming,” Penny said. “Phoenix challenged her to a shot competition and, as we all know, Natasha Trace can handle her alcohol. She can pay next time she comes in.”

Jake sighed as he bracketed you in with his hands on your hips to ensure you wouldn’t tip off the stool and face plant into the wood. He handed his card to Penny and she smirked, but didn’t say anything as she passed it back to him once she closed out your tab.

“Jaaaake!” you cried when you turned and saw him. Your eyes were glassy and a loose smile clung to your lips. A bottle of water was clutched loosely in your hands and he snagged it from you, twisting off the cap and putting it to your lips. You dutifully took two long sips and he pulled it away from you, placing the cap back on it, and then shook his head.

“C’mon, Piggy,” he sighed. “Remind me to ream Phoenix out tomorrow for letting you get this drunk.”

As if the aviator heard him from across the packed bar, Phoenix and Halo waved. Jake smiled at his friends and raised his middle finger in response. Natasha blew a kiss and he pretended to catch it before pressing his palm gently to your forehead and then jabbing his thumb over his shoulder towards the door. She replied with two thumbs up.

“Alright, let’s get you home. You’re going to finish that whole bottle and eat some toast before bed,” he ordered. The last thing he wanted was to wake up to you heaving over a toilet because you always cried when you threw up and he hated seeing you cry. 

For fuck’s sake, the two of you weren’t even an “item” and yet here he was, being called to pick you up from girl’s night. He didn’t understand why you kept flitting around him. He was cocky, self-centered, and a dick. You were plain sunshine and daisies with a smile that lit up the whole damn room. Yet, the moment you had met him courtesy of Bob bringing his “friend from knitting club” to the Hard Deck, Jake Seresin found himself drawn to you.

“Thank you, Jakey,” you hummed as he scooped you up and began to carry you out. Your cheek pressed against his shoulder and he almost shivered at the feel of your soft breaths brushing across the exposed skin of his chest, courtesy of the baseball jersey he had on.

“If you throw up in my truck, I will leave your ass in the sand,” he threatened, but there was no real heat behind his words. You giggled and pressed yourself impossibly closer.

“You wouldn’t do that, Kermit.” God, that stupid nickname shouldn’t warm his chest as much as it did. Your eyes widened as your alcohol-addled brain slowly processed words. “That would be dangerous. But you won’t let anything happen to me. You’re too good.”

“You have a lot of faith in me, Piggy.”

You nuzzled your nose against the column of his throat and let out a soft hum. “I feel safe with you. Always have.”

His heart lurched into his throat at your admission. Jake Seresin had been labeled a lot of things in his life. A pain in the ass, selfish, arrogant, but never safe. This had to be your tequila-soaked tongue talking and not the rational, brilliant woman he knew you to be.

But you continued talking, even as he maneuvered open the door to his passenger seat and gently set you down. He slid the seatbelt over your shoulder and stomach before clasping it into place and testing it was secure. His hand slid up to rest on your jaw as you stared at him with wide eyes.

“Like the night Bobby brought me here and that guy was making me scared, you knew what to do. You bring me soup when I’m sick and you help me when there’s storms.” Your smile softened and your eyelids drooped. “You make me feel safe, Kermit.”

Jake couldn’t help himself. He pressed a delicate kiss to your forehead and then stepped back. “Let’s get you home, Piggy, before you fall asleep for the night.”

Surely you would forget everything you had just said. He would make you breakfast in the morning and drive you to the Hard Deck to collect your car before you two parted ways and never spoke about the constant brewing tension between you. Because someone as kind and loving and caring would only be disappointed in the reality of who he truly was behind this veneer of arrogance. He was a broken man and he wouldn’t subject you to the jagged shards of Jake Seresin.

[ereardon]

The Back Seater and the Baker || Chapter 1 [Bob Floyd x f!OC]

Overview: Bob hasn't seen Haley Nichols since he was fifteen. But when Haley shows up out of the blue with one sentence that throws Bob for a loop – "I'm turning thirty in two weeks, are we still on?" – all of the feelings from their childhood return. Bob never thought that Haley would remember the marriage pact the two made when they were just kids, even if he never forgot. So what happens when Bob falls all over again for his childhood crush? And what will Bob do when he discovers the real reason she came back to capitalize on the pact is to secure her inheritance and save her bakery from bankruptcy? Will he believe Haley when she confesses that she loves him, too?

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x OC [Bakery owner Haley Nichols]

Tropes: Marriage pact

Chapter summary: Bob gets a surprise at his front door; Haley grapples with how to save her bakery business

Warnings: Cursing, alcohol

Word count: 3K

Series masterlist here; next chapter here

It had been a long day. Bob was dragging the moment he left the training facility, drenched in sweat, dehydrated from a day in the skies. 

The only thing he was looking forward to was taking a nice cold shower, putting on a pair of pajamas and ordering Thai food.

So when the doorbell rang just as he was pulling on a shirt, hair still wet from the shower, he groaned audibly. 

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself, padding down the hallway of his small cottage. He thought it would be Phoenix with a case of beer under her arm, or Bradley with the door to his Bronco flung open, beckoning Bob to join everyone at the Hard Deck. 

He yanked the door open perhaps a little too hard, face stone cold in preparation for turning down whatever nitwit idea his friends had. 

That’s why you were almost knocked over from the weight of his angry stare as the wooden door swung open. 

Bob’s eyes went wide as he took you in, standing on his doorstep, a smile spread across your face. 

“Haley?” Bob asked. He sounded like he was seeing a ghost. That’s what happens when you haven’t seen or spoken to someone in fifteen years, you thought. He looked older, but so much better. Blond hair pushed back messy from his face, wire glasses perched precariously on his delicate doll-like nose, blue eyes wide and clear, perfect little pink lips opened in surprise. 

“Hi Bobby,” you whispered softly. 

“What, uh, what are you doing here?” he stammered. 

You grinned. “I turn thirty in two weeks,” you said as realization started to creep through Bob’s brain. “Are we still on?” 

***

You were nine when you met Bob Floyd for the first time. 

You were thirteen when you decided you loved him. 

You were fifteen the last time you saw him, or at least what you thought would be the last time. Waving his hand in the middle of the street as you sobbed, watching him from the back of your dad’s pickup truck, your fingers pressed against the glass in the back of the cab as you sat turned around in the backseat, watching until his form became so small that he disappeared beyond a hill in the road. 

You were thirty the next time you saw Bob, standing on his doorstep, asking if he remembered the marriage pact that the two of you had made as kids in the South Carolina low country.  

***

You were up to your ears in buttercream. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. Why you had agreed to take on a three-hundred person wedding two days before the event you had no idea. 

Actually, you did know why. They were going to pay you four thousand dollars. And you desperately needed it. 

“Need help in there?” 

“God, please,” you groaned, using the sleeve of your jacket to push the hair out of your face as you filled a piping bag. “Can you stir the lemon curd?” 

Calvin nodded, taking over at the stove, stirring the large vat with a wooden spoon. He looked you up and down. “No offense, but you look like shit.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Well I’m not trying to win a beauty competition, just want to get through this wedding in one piece and I’ll be happy.” 

“You shouldn’t have taken it,” he said, as if you didn’t already know that. “We’re behind as it is.” 

“In more ways than one,” you huffed, bending over the metal prep station, swirling a perfect ring around the edges of the cupcakes. 

Calvin put one hand on his slim hip. “You gonna make me say it?” 

“Say what?” 

“We’re both thinking the same thing,” he said. “Grandma Lee.” 

You looked up at him with eyebrows furrowed. “No fucking way.” 

Calvin shrugged. “Then it’s your funeral. And the bakery’s.” 

“Were you this much of a pill in culinary school?” you asked. 

“One thousand percent,” he said with a grin. “Even worse when I was dating Dylan. God, remember him? He was gorgeous.” 

“He stole from you,” you reminded him. 

“Yeah, but he was hot.” 

You laughed, shaking your head as Calvin flicked off the heat on the stove. “Grandma Lee is not an option.” 

“Why not? She’s filthy rich and old as fuck.” 

“Because she hates me,” you said. “And she’s mean.” 

“Mean, but rich,” Calvin reminded you with a knowing look. 

You set the pastry bag down on the metal table with a sigh. 

He held up his hands in a sign of defeat. “Hey, it’s not my business that’s about to go down the toilet,” he said. “Way I see it is, either you marry a billionaire overnight, you call Grandma Lee, or you lose the bakery in three months when the bank forecloses.” 

“Isn’t there a secret fourth option?” 

“Nope.”

You refilled the pastry bag. “Sell feet pictures on the internet?” 

“With those fucking hobbit feet? You’d be lucky if they didn’t make you pay to post those.” 

You rolled your eyes. He was right and you both knew it. Even if you hated to admit it. 

***

You brought it up first, on a crisp fall day as the two of you were walking through the marshes. Bob didn’t know it yet but you were moving in a few weeks. You refused to admit that it was real. That it was happening. Instead, you grabbed Bob’s hand.  

“Bobby?” you whispered. 

He smiled at you. Behind him, the sun was starting to set softly, tossing a halo of light around Bob’s already golden head. “Yeah?” 

“How old is old, do you think?” 

He smirked. “I don’t know, thirty?” 

“So if I’m thirty and still not married, and you’re thirty and single, should we do it? Get married?” 

He squeezed your fingers. Bob looked at you like you turned on the sun every day, lighting up the world. You could feel his smile all the way to your toes. He grinned. “No way will you not be married by then.” 

“Shut up.” 

Bob laughed. You loved the way he laughed. He didn’t do it often, only when the two of you were alone. He was shy back then, and quiet. He hid behind a pair of bulky glasses, shirts a size too big, a backpack overloaded with books. But you loved him. You had said so six months before, as the two of you kissed for the first time under a weeping willow on the edge of your grandparents' property. 

He had said it back. It was the best day of your life. 

You looked at Bob expectantly and he realized you were serious. You were the one with all of the ideas. Bob was just along for the ride. But he knew even back then that you wouldn’t lead him astray. 

He trusted you. 

Bob leaned in, brushing the hair from your face back behind one ear, the right one which stuck out more than the left. He nodded. “OK,” he whispered. “I’ll marry you when we're thirty.” 

“Shake on it,” you murmured, sticking out one hand. Bob slid his long, slender fingers into yours and you wrapped your warm ones around his, gripping him tightly. You never wanted to let him go. “No going back,” you added. 

“I wouldn’t dare.” 

***

“I, uh, what?” Bob stuttered, his mouth still popped open in shock. He shook his head quickly. “I mean, um, come in, we’re letting the cold air out.” 

You stepped over the threshold and Bob closed the door until it was just the two of you standing in the small foyer of his house, staring at each other. 

Bob adjusted his glasses with one hand. They were wireframes now, and his blue eyes looked massive behind them. You hadn’t expected the fervor that would course through your veins, seeing him again. The desire. How even after fifteen years, it felt like he was the first boy to ever look at you and truly notice you. 

You smiled. “Got anything to drink?” 

Bob frowned, stepping into the kitchen and you followed him. He opened the fridge, scanning it with his eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to the store,” he admitted before pulling out a bottle of sparkling water. “I have this?” 

“Anything stronger?” 

He shook his head. “Sorry, my teammates pretty much cleared me out last time they were here.” 

“That’s fine,” you said, reaching out a hand. Your fingers brushed over Bob’s and he almost dropped the bottle but you caught it, smiling up at him. He felt woozy. “Sit,” you said. “You look a little green.” 

“Thanks.” Bob took a seat at the small kitchen nook in the corner and you rummaged around for glasses before pulling out two and pouring water into each. You slid one toward Bob. 

“Drink,” you said and he lifted the glass to his mouth, sucking half of it down. “Feel better?” 

He shook his head. “Haley, what are you doing here?” he asked softly. 

Your smile fell and Bob wanted to kick himself. “You’re not happy to see me.” 

“Honey, that’s not it,” he said and that small drawl came jutting out. You smiled. “It’s just, it’s unexpected. It’s been a while.” 

“I know.” You leaned forward, pressing one hand over his on the wooden table. “I’m sorry about that.” 

“Not your fault,” Bob said. “We were just kids.”

“I could have tried to stay in touch better,” you murmured. 

“We tried,” he whispered. "We did our best." The unspoken hovered between the two of you.

You nodded. “I’ve missed you, Bobby.” 

“How’d you know where to find me?” he asked. 

“Grandma Lee.” 

Bob nodded. Your grandmother knew everyone and everything in Mount Pleasant. No doubt she had somehow kept track of the Floyds. 

Bob studied you. You were beautiful. As kids, you had been a little gangly, awkward. By fifteen, the year you moved away, you were just starting to come into your beauty. But now, another fifteen years had passed and Bob could barely believe he was breathing next to you. Caramel colored hair, big green eyes, stunningly white smile. Your fingers pressed into his. “Bobby,” you whispered. “What are you doing tonight?” 

“I, uh, I don’t have plans.” 

“Let’s go out,” you said. “Dinner. On me.” 

“It’s been a long day, Peanut,” he mumbled and you smiled at the nickname. 

“OK. What about tomorrow?” 

“Um.”

You grinned. “Not taking no for an answer, Bobby.” 

He frowned. “What are you doing here?” he asked again. “In San Diego.” 

“I came to see you.” 

“After fifteen years?” 

“If you don’t want to get dinner, I understand.” 

“No, no!” Bob shook his head furiously and you smiled. “I just, feels random is all.” 

“I had some vacation time,” you said, “and like I said, I’m turning thirty at the end of the month.” 

“You can’t be serious.” For the first time, Bob raised his eyes to yours. 

Your lips pulled back in a perfect smile and Bob felt it in every inch and crevice of his body. He thought you would have forgotten about him. Even if he had never forgotten you. 

Somehow, you had always been there in the back of his mind. A looming countdown. Perhaps he had always just been counting down the days until he turned thirty on the off chance you showed up, looking to seal the deal the two of you had made over a decade ago. And now here you were, like he was dreaming. 

You shrugged, lips still quirked up in a smirk. “Maybe, maybe not,” you said, teasing. “Don’t you want to find out?” 

***

Bob tapped his foot nervously. On the bar next to him, a ginger ale was growing warm. 

“Floyd? You doing OK?” Nat took a sip of beer and squinted at him. “You look antsy.” 

Bob thought about confiding in her. Of the daggers, he was closest to Phoenix. But on the other hand, he hadn’t wanted to bring you here tonight. He had wanted the two of you to simply get dinner somewhere off the beaten track. But when he had gotten conned into going to the bar for pre-birthday drinks for Fanboy, he texted you to move your date and you had volunteered to meet at the Hard Deck first before heading to the restaurant. 

Phoenix leveled Bob with her brown eyes. “Spill.” 

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Just don’t want to stay too late.” 

She looked over at the corner where the group was already calling for shots. “They’re going to get rowdy. I say stay for one more round and then you can Irish goodbye.” 

Bob nodded, picking at the cup of pretzels between his legs. He was too nervous to notice that you had just stepped into the bar, wearing a pair of jeans and a tight tank top, brown hair pulled back into a soft bun with a few tendrils framing your face. You spotted Bob immediately, his back partially turned to you, and started to make your way toward where he was sitting at the bar. 

You tapped his shoulder twice and smiled as he turned, face automatically lighting up. 

“Hi,” you whispered, cheeks flushing. Even in a bar crawling with men in uniform, Bob was still so handsome in a way that swept you off your feet. 

“Hey,” he murmured, his eyes locked on yours. After a moment he scrambled to his feet. “Can I get you a drink?” 

“Tequila soda? Casamigos if they have it.” 

Bob raised an eyebrow but nodded. He turned around and flagged down the bartender as you fidgeted. Nearby, a group of rowdy men were on their way back toward the bar when a handsome blond narrowed his gaze on you. 

“Hey sugar,” he said and you placed his accent in a millisecond. “New here?” 

“First time,” you said. 

The brunette woman next to him smacked his arm. “Shut up, Hangman. Can’t you see she’s with Bob?” 

Hangman barked out a laugh just as Bob turned around from the bar with your drink, handing it to you gently. 

“Here you go,” he said. “No Casamigos, I’m afraid, but Penny said this was good.” 

You accepted the glass and took a sip. “Thanks, Bobby.” 

Hangman turned his gaze between the two of you. “You know Bob?” 

You let your free arm wiggle up over Bob’s broad shoulder, resting on the back of his head as your fingers threaded through his hair. “I’m his fiancé.” 

All eyes turned to you. Bob blushed. “She didn’t mean that.” 

You shrugged, taking another sip of your drink. “Well, technically he hasn’t proposed. But I think he’s going to.” You winked up at Bob and he turned a darker shade of crimson. 

The brunette crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk. “Care to fill us in, Floyd?” 

“Guys, this is Haley.” Bob held out one palm toward you. “Haley, this is the squad. That’s Phoenix, Fanboy Hangman, Rooster, Payback and Coyote.” 

“I’ll never remember those names. Except maybe Coyote, I like that one.” 

The taller man in the back grinned. “Thank you, ma’am.” 

“Haley,” Phoenix said, settling down on a stool. “We’re going to need the full story of how you know Floyd here.” 

“Oh, you know,” you said softly. “Childhood friends fall in love. Girl moves away. Girl comes back fifteen years later because her thirtieth birthday is coming up to see if boy still remembers the pact the two had to get married when they were thirty if they were both still single.”

Rooster barked out a laugh in the back of the group. You dropped your hand from Bob’s shoulder, letting it dangle at your side, brushing against his hip. 

“But I’m having a hard time convincing him,” you said with a smirk. “Maybe there’s someone else.” Despite your light tone, your heart froze in your chest. What if there was someone else? 

Bob looked down at you softly, shaking his head. “There’s nobody else, Peanut.” 

“Floyd here has been girl-free as long as I’ve known him,” Hangman said, clapping Bob on the shoulder before ordering another beer at the bar. 

Bob grimaced as Rooster piped up for him. “Not to say he doesn’t get hit on his fair share,” Rooster added. “Bob is a hot commodity around here.” 

“Not true.” Bob’s voice was quiet. Without thinking, you intertwined your fingers in his at your side and squeezed. He looked over at you and you smiled reassuringly. 

“So how long has it been since you’ve seen each other?” Rooster asked. 

“Fifteen years.” You glazed over the summer that you turned seventeen. It was something you and Bob hadn’t spoken about since it happened. Perhaps it was better to stay unsaid. 

“Long time,” Phoenix said, tipping her head, examining you. “Why’d you come back?” 

“Had some vacation days,” you said. “And I’ve never been to San Diego.” 

Phoenix nodded but there was something behind her eyes. Bob squeezed your hand affectionately. “We actually have dinner reservations,” he said quietly, “so we should be getting going.” 

There was a collection of groans from the team and you smiled, eyes trained on Bob. The two of you made your way out of the bar and you were pleasantly surprised to find that one of his hands was pressed against your back, guiding you through the crowd. 

“This is me.” Bob pointed to a black pickup truck. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah.” He frowned. “You don’t like it?” 

“Oh that’s not it,” you said, pulling open the passenger door and scooting in. “Just not what I expected.” 

“What did you expect?” he asked, tugging the truck into gear and peeling off down the road. 

You leaned your head back against the headrest, looking over at him. “You’re different,” you whispered, eyes freely examining him. “In a good way. Better than I had hoped, I guess.” 

Bob gripped the wheel tightly, eyes locked on the road. He snuck a glance over and noticed you taking him in and blushed. “You’re more beautiful than I imagined,” he murmured. 

“So you’ve thought of me?” you teased. 

“Peanut,” Bob said and the nickname rolled around in the cab of the truck, penetrating every pore on your body. It was syrupy and delicious and it rolled off his tongue like he had never stopped saying it. “I never stopped thinking about you.” 

“You’re the one that got away, Bobby,” you whispered, turning to face back through the windshield. “Always were.” 

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[the-confessions-of-a-fangirl]

Saw this on Twitter and it annoyed the heck out of me so let me practice my essay skills to demonstrate why these two situations DO NOT correlate

(this person has been getting ratio'd left to right back at Twitter so please don't try to find them and send hate, it's entirely unnecessary and a poor show of attitude)

In the former situation, Tommy made specific racist remarks to Chimney (calling him a delivery boy) and took part in alienating him along with the rest of the firefam.

To be scared to be an outcast is a valid fear but there's a difference between being a bystander versus an active participant which he was

In "Hen Begins", Chimney tries to pay a compliment to Hen by saying she seems like she's from the East Coast and Tommy immediately undercuts the moment by insinuating that Chimney is saying that Hen has 'New York bitchiness'. It's a very mysognistic insult to call a woman bitchy because she's... anything other than a submissive housewife and daring to be a firefighter.

An important aspect of this is the power dynamics, Hen and Chim are alienated from the entire 118 by the Captain. Tommy is making these remarks from a position of power because he won't be rebuked by Captain Gerrard unlike the situation where Hen makes a slight comment against Gerrard and he immediately reprimands her.

COMPARE THIS TO BUCK AND EDDIE

A lot of people on Twitter want to simply dismiss this as buck being repressed and insecure, which is true but I don't want to dismiss it.

In this situation, Buck doesn't say anything about Eddie's Mexican heritage. He says that Eddie needs to not act like he owns the place and does try to engage in a weird competition of who has the best story.

But in this the power dynamics are on Eddie's side. The captain here, Bobby, is on Eddie's side of the debacle and so are Hen and Chim. Everyone welcomed Eddie with open arms and that is what causes Buck to be insecure and sort of lash out.

And Eddie calls him out on it. Eddie is in a clear position to be able to talk back against Buck without worrying about being reprimanded (in the gym where Chim was listening in). Chim even undercuts BUCK trying to act tough with the "respect your elders thing"

Buck is not trying to alienate Eddie from the entire team, he doesn't like how close he is to the team and needles at him. He isn't trying to tell Hen and Chim to ignore him or Bobby to fire him. He's passive- aggresive and rude sure, but only to Eddie and he's the ONLY ONE.

But that doesn't even last a full shift, when Eddie goes to take care of the live grenade, Buck actually volunteers to help him and at the end of that, he makes his peace with Eddie and becomes friends.

If it were another white man that came in 2x01 and made fast friends with the firehouse, Buck would have acted the exact same way.

A day of teenage pettiness born out of queer repression and abandonment issues that was constantly rebuked by people is NOT the same as making racist and mysognistic remarks and participating in ostracizing for weeks on end because of repression and issues (I think Lou talked about Tommy having some family issues but we don't see it in canon so I'm not gonna put that here)

I'm saying this as a Tommy fan (when bucktommy doesn't work out, I would like Tommy sticking around as a side character coz I like helicopter shenanigans plus he vibes well with everyone now),

These situations are not the same. What Tommy did shouldn't be compared to what Buck did. It makes light of what Chim and Hen went through with these situations and I don't appreciate that.

[infiniteimaginings]

Hi, I was the kickin it anon! That’s ok!

If I would be able to send it in again if ok? It was one where Kim has a younger sibling who was part of the wasabi warriors while Kim was part of the Blag Dragons, and while Kim never bullied them, she never really noticed if of stopped it; and once she joins the WW, she realised what’s happened and the pair slowly rebuild their bond?

The Wasabi Code (Sister!Kim Crawford x Sibling!GN!Reader) [Platonic]

Summary: Your sister was apart of the Black Dragons, but she's not anymore. She joined the Wasabi Warriors and she swore by the code, but did she really follow the code? Does she even know she's already broken it? Pronouns: You/Yours, They/Them Warnings: None Word Count: 2.6k A/N: I LOVE KICKIN IT. Sorry, got a little carried away there, I love Kickin It.

Competitions for you have been harder to get through as the years went by, and everyone at the Bobby Wasabi dojo knew exactly why. Well, everyone but the new kid Jack.

You were practicing on one of the dummies, but your mind seemed elsewhere. Rudy was trying to bring your spirits up, but this happened every competition, this happened every single time. Due to that, Rudy wasn’t that hard on you, he patted you on your back and told you to take a break, sending you to Falafel Phils to grab lunch for the dojo.

Jack watched you leave with a bit of confusion, “What’s up with them?” He asked, adjusting his uniform since it had been sliding over.

The group of boys trying their best to practice heard his concerns and stopped what they were doing, deciding to group up at one of the benches. 

Jerry huffed out a breath, “It happens every tournament against the black dragons, we can’t really blame them. They might have it worse than us.” He expressed, scratching at the back of his neck.

“How?”

Their redheaded friend pointed to the group of black dragons out in the courtyard who had just finished their practice. “One of those monsters is related to them by blood.” Milton stated, shivering as he looked away.

The prodigy of the dojo sat with a mouth wide open, “Don’t tell me it’s Frank-”

Eddie shook his head, “It’s the girl.”

“Kim?”

The group nodded and Rudy finally joined the conversation. “The two don’t have the best sibling relationship, so they don’t like being against Kim.”

“What does that have to do with karate?”

“Because Kim doesn’t care who they are.” Rudy spoke, clapping Jack on the back before standing, walking off to his office.

Jack looked around for a bit more context, but Jerry and Eddie already decided to walk off, hands raised in surrender. The only person who stayed was Milton, and he was the only one who seemed willing to answer. “Kim has shown through tournaments that she’d rather gain the respect from the black dragons than worry about how they treat her sibling.” 

That was the last of the conversation about you before you came back to the dojo, a bigger smile on your face than when you left.

“What are you so happy about?” Jerry asked, hands still up to help Eddie with his punches. 

You grinned and held up four bags, “Phil gave me free extras!” You announced, causing the boys to rush to you and open the falafel filled bags.

No one told you that they told Jack about your family rivalry issue, Jack didn’t mention it because he realized he preferred his friends all smiling rather than down. 

Someone else noticed your bright smile, how happy you were, and how everyone gathered around you. Someone noticed how strangely familial the scene looked in the dojo from the outside, but they didn’t feel much about it so they walked away.

Once the dojo began to close up, everyone went their separate ways and you walked home alone after showering, new clothes smelling fresh and clean. 

You walked into your home, saying hello to your father, and heading straight to your shared room with your younger sister. Kim was the one with the bedroom to herself since you decided to share with your other sister a few years ago. She greeted you and told you that it was your turn to set the table, to which you didn’t argue. You set all your bags down and beelined for the kitchen where your dad was cooking dinner.

“How was practice?” He asked you, trying not to burn himself with the oil on the stove.

You hummed, grabbing four plates to set around the table, “It was good, we have a tournament on Saturday.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s against the Black Dragons, did Kim not tell you?” You asked him, grabbing napkins and silverware.

Your dad thought about it before shaking his head, “I don’t think so.” He answered simply, this was a typical occurrence. You remember her tournaments so you tended to let your dad know more than she did herself. You didn’t mind it much.

After a while of the two of you talking, you sat at your spot and your dad called for your sisters. Your younger sister took one of the seats close to you around the square table. Your father on the other hand left an empty seat to one of his sides, but he sat across from you, the farthest seat from you at the table. This meant that Kim would have to sit next to you, you weren’t worried, why weren’t you worried?

Kim was the last one at the table, she sat down and ate, talked to your sister and your dad, she was so full of life. She didn’t talk about karate but she talked about a movie she saw or a go-kart she got to race with some friends from school. She wouldn’t talk to you though…oh, that’s why you didn’t mind when she sat next to you, because she never acknowledged you.

When your little sister talked, everyone would laugh and smile, they would interject for more stories, and the young girl would feel like a princess with all the attention. She would tell you all about projects, books she read, activities she did, and sleepovers she would be having. It almost made you feel as if all of you were connected, all of you.

It became your turn, and Kims eyes would dim, her fork would get heavier, her head would never lift up enough to fully look at you. You would tell stories of what happened at the dojo, how Jerry got detention again, how Milton and you won the science fair, the attempt of flirting Eddie tried, or how Rudy tried a sandwich challenge at a sub place and lost miserably. You would talk about how much you adored your friends. Then, when you spoke about all the fun you were having with the new kid Jack, Kim would excuse herself and walk off.

You didn’t mind, this happened all the time. Your sister didn’t like when you were able to win, because Jack chose the Bobby Wasabi dojo over the Black Dragons, in Kims mind Jack Brewer chose you over her, and she didn’t like that.

You didn’t mind, this happened all the time. You didn’t like that she felt as if there was an ability to win or lose, but this all started when you went to separate dojos. Kim chose the Black Dragons over the Bobby Wasabi Dojo, in your mind Kim Crawford chose almost complete strangers over you, and you guessed you didn’t have any right to feel like that, according to her.

Both of you were fine with ignoring each other, neither of you cared much at all.

When you were at school, your lockers were on different sides of the hall. When Kim would be alone, grabbing her textbooks, you would be walking by with the Bobby Wasabi Warriors to your locker, even if none of you had a class together. 

In Kims mind it was ridiculous how stuck together you all were, but if that were the case why was she frowning, why did she feel a tug in her chest when she saw you laughing with the group so easily. You had never laughed like that with her before, how do these boys get the sentiment so quickly, without doing anything?

Kim didn’t notice that she was standing and staring until Jack met her eyes, he waved slightly and Kim hesitantly waved back, books in her hand.

You noticed Jack waving to someone so you followed his gaze and saw Kim standing frozen, almost like a deer in headlights. You tilted your head a bit, and Jack noticed you seemed to have no sense of malice in your eyes, maybe a bit of confusion, but not sort of hatred. Due to this, he decided to wave Kim over. Everyone in the group saw this motion, but no one seemed to really mind.

Kim saw no protests, but she didn’t know why she walked off in the opposite direction hastily. She didn’t know why she wouldn’t walk over.

The boys all looked at you and you held your hands up, “I don’t know, don’t look at me.” You chuckled out, closing your locker, signaling that it was time to get to class.

It became a habit, sometimes you guys would see Kim looking at you. In the halls, at lunch, after school, even when you were inside the dojo. The Black Dragons have to pass by Bobby Wasabi to get to any place in the mall, they have no choice but to look away if they don’t want to see you guys. Kim looks through the windows, she sees all of you sparring, practicing, she sees how you guys laugh and dogpile each other, she sees how much fun you all have.

When you notice someones eyes on all of you, you would look up and Kim would rush away as if she didn’t want to get ‘caught’. It was weird, she’s never paid much attention to you so you weren’t used to the attention on you and the guys. 

You assumed it was because of Jack, but if you were to share that with the boy he would shake his head and tell you, “I don’t think so”. You were sure it was though, there was a competition tomorrow and Jack was the star of it all since he was going to help you guys win the belts you needed. You were very sure that Kim was just getting intel for the Black Dragons, but they don’t get much when Jerry is giving Eddie a head noogie, so you didn’t really care.

You didn’t care until Kim Crawford, your sister of all your life, suddenly quit the Black Dragons the moment she saw how much her ‘team’ was just a group of liars and cheaters. You didn’t care until Kim only quit the moment she saw how the Black Dragons treated Jack after breaking his leg. You didn’t care until Kim walked into your dojo after quitting to try and join the Wasabi Warriors as if she’d never done anything. You didn’t care until everyone just let her in with the snap of her fingers.

When Rudy had Kim stand in front of him, making her copy his movement of pressing his fist to his palm, he recited the Wasabi code. “We swear by the light of the dragon's eye, to be loyal, honest, and never say die.” When she repeated the code, they ended with a ‘Wasabi’ and a group hug you refused to take part in.

Jack walked over to you and tried to ask what was wrong but Kim took hold of your wrist with a sickeningly sweet smile, mumbling a small excuse before dragging you outside of the dojo to the middle of the courtyard.

“What is your problem?” Kim asked you, letting go of you, hands on her hips.

You blinked at her blankly, “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you actually talking to me now?” You asked sarcastically, crossing your arms.

“You’re being childish.”

“I’m not the one who completely disregarded the fact I had multiple siblings.”

“I never did that!” She spoke harshly, voice getting higher as she glared at you.

You sighed, smoothing the knot in your brows, “Kim.” You spoke her name slowly, looking up at her. It’s been so long since you’ve made eye contact with her for this long, when did this all stop, when did you stop being family? “I just don’t trust you, but can you blame me?”

Kim blinked at you with a mouth wide open, “I’m your sister.”

“Are you?” You asked seriously, “After you joined the Black Dragons, suddenly I didn’t exist anymore.” You reminded her of how the past few years had been, “You practically abandoned me because why? Because we went to two separate dojos?”

Kim stayed silent, moving her hair over her shoulder, the sudden realization of how little time she actually spent with you.

You nodded at her silence, “You just swore by the Wasabi Code that you’d be loyal.” You told her, tilting your head, “So you can be loyal to them, but not to me, the person who has known you for all of your life.”

There was no response.

“I know everything about you Kim.” You told her honestly, tongue poking the inside of your cheek as you spoke. You noticed she began to look down, tears filling her eyes slightly, “I knew all your tournaments, your fairs, charities, when you were in cheer.” You listed off, “I still gave you birthday gifts, I knew of the recommendation letters, I moved rooms because I knew you would want your own.” You continued on, not letting her speak. “I know everything about you, but for some reason you treat it as some disease to try to get to know me at all.”

Kim sniffled a bit as she looked up to meet your eyes. Her eyes were watery, her cheeks splotched with red, “I didn’t realize that-”

“That you’re just like the Black Dragons?” You interrupted, your phrasing causing something to twist harshly in Kims chest. “Admit it, you’re just as bad as them.”

“I didn’t mean to be!” She suddenly spoke out, grasping at her chest, her blonde hair sticking to her face due to the wet tears on her cheeks. “I thought I could find people like how you had them.” She mumbled out, breathing heavily. “I saw you all the time, having fun, not worrying about whether you’d get kicked or not!” She cried, her voice cracking as she continued to explain. “I wanted to find that myself, because if I got it without you, maybe I could actually deserve to be a part of it with you.” She continued on, tears continuing to fall.

“Why didn’t you just join Wasabi then if you wanted it so bad?!” You yelled, shaking your head slightly angrily.

“How was I supposed to just join after everything they’ve done to you all!” 

There were no more words exchanged, just your heavy breaths and Kims choked out sobs.

You understood what she meant now, no matter when she joined, it still would’ve turned out like this. The only way it wouldn’t have been like this was in some alternate time where you both joined the Wasabi Warriors, an alternate time you guys weren’t in.

You never expected Kim to cry in front of you, you never expected your sister to care so much about being with you to the point she thought it over and knew she couldn’t just be friends with you after all of that. You never expected your sister to want to be your friend.

After a moment, barely a second, you brought Kim up in your arms, her face buried in your shoulder, your chin on hers. You gently rubbed her back up and down. 

“You aren’t like the Black Dragons…I’m sorry.” You muttered to her, “You’re better than how they were.” You continued to whisper reassuring words to her as her cries calmed down and her arms found their way around your torso. 

She sniffled once more, “I swore by the Wasabi Code that I’d be loyal, and honest.” She told you, “I promise I’ll be better.”

“I know you will be, you’re my sister.”

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 7: Something's Gotta Give

So Jenn was eliminated and I honestly was not shocked. She was the most obvious choice for elimination last week, even with the overscoring of 4 couples. She had her best dance of the season though, so it was a good note for them to go out on. Now before I get into anyone else, I need to vent a bit about the mess that we dealt with last week.

The scoring was atrocious. I am still frustrated by it. Let me tell you why. Ilona came out and while she gave a respectable routine, there were some issues. A 24 was a normal score and definitely deserved. But when you look at Dwight, Joey and Danny's dances and how CAI gave them all 10s (and Bruno giving Joey a 10 as well) while they all had OBVIOUS technical issues, it makes it seem like Ilona was horrible while they all completely knocked it out of the park. And while they did well, they were closer to Ilona in terms of execution than the judges made it seem.

So you think that's it, right? That it can't get any worse? Well, we get to Chandler's dance and it was perfect. You couldn't see a mistake under a microscope. And yet CAI tells her that she can't give her a perfect score because it has more criteria than contemporary and the Argentine tango. What that means? None of us know. She doesn't even know. It's also bull because the Argentine tango has quite a bit of criteria in order to be good and she KNOWS how to properly judge a contemporary dance. And when questioned by Chandler on what she can do to improve (because this is maybe the 4th week that she hasn't gotten an actual critique from her), instead of answering, she hid.

So here's where I'm at. We cannot play these foolish games on this show. Not with scoring. This is how you get dumb results. This is how someone like Tinashe or Demarcus gets eliminated early. This is how you get someone like a Joe Amabile getting 5th and a Bobby Bones winning the whole thing. Is anyone this season like those two? No. BUT, there was a legit chance that we could've lost Ilona or Chandler prematurely. Heck, we still can lose them. Y'all remember how Nastia and Simone were both unjustly eliminated in the semis on their respective seasons? That's because the judges kept zeroing in on complete nonissues in their dances (the same exact thing they're zeroing in on for Chandler). After a while, GP starts to believe it and they vote that way too. I refuse to let them do this and then continue to blame us for wonky results when it's on them! The judges shoulder the vast majority of the blame when those things happen. Yeah, the viewers have blame too. But when the judges' scores count for 50% of the overall total, they have to be more responsible with this. I'm sick of them just doing what tf ever, just like CAI basically admitted to last week. Dwight was out of sync at points. Danny was hunched over and his footwork needed a lot of work. Joey also had footwork issues and his lifts were kinda rough. Jenn was probably the cleanest of them all, but there was one part that was kind of messy toward the end. We need to call things out across the board.

So where does that leave us? Simply put, we need a 4th judge on the panel that can keep everyone in check. Bruno is not that cuz he has his moments too. Derek clearly can't be that person and he be on some bs too. We need someone else that is going to force the judges to respect the integrity of the competition and the dances. Things like this can quickly turn folks away from this show. I've been watching for almost 20 years and I damn near gave up on the season and probably the show at the moment CAI whipped out a 9 for Chandler after giving out 4 undeserved 10s while also acknowledging they were undeserved and also letting us know she had no real reason to not give Chandler a 10. You see how stupid that looks? It felt stupid for me to type that out.

Listen, I sound like a broken record at this point. But the scoring has to be better and it has to be consistent. I'm more mad this week because this was the most egregious occurrence that I have ever seen. You don't get that together, you kill your show. Conrad, come here. Get your talent together. Y'all flying a little too close to the sun right now.

That's all that I have. I pretty much gave my thoughts on each dance in this rant, so I won't do too much more. I'll just say that Stephen had a great night and I'm glad he got a moment to have a really great dance.

My Scores

1 Chandler and Brandon- 30 2 Stephen and Rylee- 28 3 Jenn and Sasha- 27 4 Dwight and Daniella- 26 5 Joey and Jenna- 25 6 Ilona and Alan- 24 = Danny and Witney- 24

[aylacavebear]

She Thought She was Normal

Chapter 1 - In case you missed it :)

Story Summary: Maria really thought she was normal, for most of her life. It was normal for people to have natural talent, she would tell herself the older she got. Many things came easy for her, and that was probably how their rivalry began when she was five and he was seven and she met the Winchesters. Little did either of them know that it wouldn't stay like that forever, both having a far larger destiny than they could imagine

Please don't take my work. I'll post warnings for each chapter. Will eventually be 18+!

Word Count: 3578

Warnings: Childhood rivalry, mention of deceased parent

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

Chapter 2

The team-up of their fathers lasted for two months. Maria and Dean butted heads when their fathers weren't around. Dean didn't like the fact that a girl who was two years younger than him was better at anything he could do. In a way, it had helped push him at a time when he needed it. Sam adored her as she was always making him laugh at, and with her, it was always play time. John and William parted ways but agreed to stay in touch and try to give the kids time together if they ever happened to be in the same area. Maria had enjoyed it, to a point. Dean was competitive and she'd noticed that the first day they'd met. She didn't enjoy being put in a position that required her to prove a point, but she wasn't going to let him win either, it just wasn't in her, even at five.

After she and her father had driven away, he glanced at her briefly. Her mother had always been better at this than he was, “Did you enjoy being able to hang out with other kids that are hunters?” he asked her, being as soft with his tone as he could.

“It was okay, Pappa,” she answered. 

He pursed his lips, debating his next words, “That's not what I'm asking.”

She looked over at him and sighed, “Dean is really competitive. I didn't like it, and… I wouldn't just let him win like you don't let me win. I have to do it on my own. Sammy was sweet though, and I enjoyed playing with him and making him laugh and smile.”

William smiled, “I'm proud of you for that, even with it being hard on you. I think it's just how John's raised Dean as to why he's that way. Who knows, maybe it will help him be able to get better,” he chuckled a little, “Might be interesting when you see him again and he might win.”

Maria scoffed at that, “Just means I'll make sure to train more so he won't beat me.”

That made her father laugh, that deep, belly laugh of amusement and adoration, “Don't forget to be a kid sometimes though. There's nothing wrong with having a rival, even with a possible friend.”

To that, she crossed her arms across her chest, “He didn't want to be my friend. He was just mean, teasing me that I didn't act like a girl, that I was a tomboy. He said that girls can't hunt because we're weaker,” she huffed, annoyed.

William chuckled, “Munchkin, that's how boys are. They tease a girl like that when they like them,” he chuckled, finding it kind of cute how his daughter was reacting, but made a note to talk to John about this.

“Well, he's mean and I don't like him and I'm not gonna let him win. I'm gonna prove girls can hunt better than boys,” she huffed, then got quiet, “You don't count though, neither does Uncle Bobby or John.”

“Girls are smarter and some hunt better than boys, so keep that in mind,” he said softly, and fought back his tears, remembering her mother, his wife. The yellow-eyed demon was a type of demon they'd never encountered before, and she had no chance, no one did.

She smiled, “Work smarter, not harder,” she told him, something her mother had said to her often.

Maria still refused to give into the pain of the loss of her mother, wanting to feel happy remembering her mother and not sad. So, she made a choice, that no matter what, she’d feel the happiness that her mother’s memories brought her. In her five-year-old mind, it made sense to her. Just because someone was gone didn’t mean that they weren’t still with you, so that was when she held onto.

For the next three years, the two of them traveled around, her father hunting supernatural creatures while she helped with research. It was something she found she was a natural at. She always seemed to be able to put the pieces together in ways her father never saw or had even thought to. Even her Uncle called and had her help with a few different cases after William had noticed her knack for it. She'd seen the Winchesters a few different times as well, still beating Dean at whatever challenge he came up with. She did notice the last couple of times, he'd actually seemed to put more thought into what he'd come up with compared to in the beginning. Back then he'd seem to come up with something on the spot, and it was usually stupidly easy.

Two years later, her father dropped her off at her Uncle's, as William and John thought they found another lead on the yellow-eyed demon and didn't want the kids anywhere near harm's way. Dean was twelve and Sam was eight now. Maria wondered what Dean would come up with this time. 

When the two pulled up to her Uncle's, she grabbed both her bags out of the truck, as well as flung her backpack over her shoulder. Bobby met them at the door, happy to have her stay for more than just a couple of days this time. He'd set up the room for her, so that was where she took her things.

“You got a time frame?” Bobby asked William. 

“No, sadly, I don't. Here's her schedule. Her gun, ammo, and knives are in her duffle. She's got shooting practice and three different knife routines,” William explained. 

“Damn, Will, she's only ten,” Bobby exclaimed. 

“Bobby, we've had this talk already. She needs this, okay,” William told him just as she rejoined them in the living room.

Maria went over and gave her Uncle a hug, “Are we gonna get to cook again?” she asked him, curiously. 

“Of course munchkin, you gotta eat,” he chuckled.

That made her happy, causing a smile to match. She excused herself to settle in, knowing her stay would be at least two weeks long, but it could last for a couple of months. Maria was looking forward to reading more of her Uncle's books. He had so many that she could never find in Libraries, no matter what town she and her father had been in. She had a thirst for knowledge that never seemed to be satiated, no matter what books her father had given her, and the amount she retained, even after years of having read it, was almost photogenic. 

Maria unpacked her clothes into the dresser, keeping things neat before taking her toiletries to the bathroom down the hall. Once her bag was empty, she tossed it into the laundry bin Bobby had gotten for her during her first stay when she was five.

“Five years, momma…” she whispered to herself as she opened her weapons bag.

The gun her father had given her was placed under her pillow with the silver knife she usually kept on her. While she was at her Uncle's, she'd decided to keep her boot knife on her as a ‘just in case’. Maria looked at the other weapons in her bag; a machete, a small hatchett, a shotgun with plenty of salt rounds, a bottle of holy water, and her set of throwing knives. She decided to leave those in the bag and slid it under her bed, near the head of it. She placed her school books neatly on the desk that her Uncle had added a few years ago when she spent two weeks with him. It was at that moment she heard the familiar purr of John's Impala pull up in the driveway. Ever since she'd first met them, she had adopted Sammy as her little brother, which had only partially annoyed Dean. She smirked, thinking about what challenge Dean would come up with this time. She pulled on her flannel before heading back out to the living room.

Maria excitedly ran outside, “Little brother!” she exclaimed, as she opened the kitchen door and ran over to Sammy, who was still two inches shorter than she was.

“Sis!” he exclaimed as she practically picked him up in a hug.

Dean just rolled his eyes, discreetly taking note of how she had changed since the last time he'd seen her, and John just chuckled at all three of them.

“So, ready for the challenge?” Dean asked her, somewhat smugly. 

She smirked as she looked over at him, “Ready to watch you lose again.”

“You two can do that another time,” John told them, doing his best not to chuckle, “We're gonna be heading out before dinner, so let's enjoy the visit.”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied, respectfully as the four of them went inside. 

Maria hugged John after they made it into the house, and the boys shook William and Bobby's hands. She headed back into the kitchen and pulled out the hamburger patties and the package of bacon from the freezer to defrost. She noticed Dean just watching her but she pretended that she hadn't. She saw Dean as an annoying rival that she refused to let win. Little did she know that one day, all that would change with what was ahead for all of them.

John and William only stayed for an hour, catching Bobby up on the lead they had and that it hopefully would take little time to investigate. Maria hugged her father, shook John's hand, and wished them luck on the hunt. She watched them drive away in the Impala, leaving the truck behind since they would be working together for a while. She knew she'd miss her dad, but she was going to enjoy the time at her Uncle's and getting to hang out with Sammy. She was really looking forward to watching Dean lose another challenge of his choosing. 

Maria didn’t get the opportunity to cook very often while she and her father were on the road. It was very rare for her father to get a motel room with a kitchen. She set up the pans she'd need for burgers before getting the frozen fries in the oven on a greased cookie sheet. She also made sure to season them, something she'd been wanting to try since she'd had them at one of the diners. She smirked when she realized that again, Dean was watching her. 

Dean, being twelve, girls were an enigma and annoying at the same time. Maria was both of those on the furthest end. He'd never met any girl like her before. She was confident on a level he'd never seen, nor had even within himself. Due to her consistently beating him at every challenge he'd come up with over the years, had pushed him to hone his skills and learn more. William had informed John of their interactions five years ago, to which John sat Dean down and explained she was to be respected and not flirted with. She was also the only ten-year-old girl he knew who could cook with the confidence she showed.

“Do you let her do that all the time?” Dean asked Bobby as Sammy made his way into the kitchen. 

“Yup. She's good at it and enjoys it, why wouldn't I?” Bobby replied, paying attention to how Dean was watching her.

“What are you cooking sis?” Sammy asked.

“Bacon burgers and seasoned fries. You hungry little brother?” she replied softly, a smile to match.

“I am now,” he laughed.

“Good. I think you'll like it,” she smiled.

Dean was almost mesmerized by her, and how she was with his little brother, who adored her. He had to act cool though, it's what boys his age did.

Maria talked to Sammy while she cooked the burgers and bacon, explaining each step to him and why she did it the way she did. She had Sammy's full attention, as his stomach had begun grumbling the closer it got to being done.

“Hey, Uncle Bobby, can you get one of those dinner bells, so I can ring it when I cook?” she asked as she pulled the fries out of the oven.

He chuckled a little, “We'll see. Dean, go set the table,” he replied, leaning back in his chair to watch them.

He'd let Maria do her own thing as she was one of the most mature girls he'd ever interacted with no matter what age she was. He wasn't about to tell her she wasn't allowed to cook, not with as good a cook as she'd become. Bobby also noticed the grumble Dean attempted to hide as he went into the kitchen to do what he'd been told. Bobby shook his head a bit, quickly realizing the difference between Dean and Maria. Sammy even pitched in, getting the ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard out of the fridge and put them on the table.

Maria put the cheese on the burgers, turned off the burner, and covered the pan before she put the bacon on a plate that had a paper towel laid out on it to catch the grease. She carefully put the seasoned fries in a big bowl and almost jumped when Dean grabbed it to put it on the table. 

“Smells amazing,” Bobby told her as he sat down at the table, knowing she liked to do things her way when it came to food since she'd gotten a little older.

“Thanks. I tried something new with the fries this time. I had em’ like this in a diner once and wanted to try to make em’. Please be honest, on how they taste,” she replied while she put the burgers on a plate, and then brought them to the table.

Sammy grabbed the plate of bacon before Dean could, sticking his tongue out at his older brother, which made Maria stifle a giggle. Dean grabbed the buns before he sat down as far away from her as possible, which put him next to Bobby but across from his brother. Things were quiet until they bit into the burgers.

“You've become quite the cook,” Bobby told her, surprised at how the burger had come out, now curious about the fries. 

“Thanks, Uncle Bobby, I don't get to do it as often as I want to though,” she answered before eating one of the fries.

She was her worst critic, mentally making notes on how to change the amount of seasonings she'd used, also deciding it needed a dash of chili powder. She barely noticed Sammy scarfing the fries. Dean even liked them, but he wasn't about to say that.

“The fries are pretty good too, but it's like they're missing something,” Bobby told her, honestly. 

“Yeah, they needed a dash of chili powder and the spices aren't quite right. I'll have to try again while I'm here,’ she replied looking up at him.

“But, they taste fine, sis,” Sammy argued. 

She looked over at him and smiled, “Thanks, little brother. You like everything I cook.”

“Cause you make yummy food,” he told her. 

Maria only glanced at Dean briefly, managing to see a small amount of enjoyment in his expression before he quickly got a plain look. She rolled her eyes and went back to her dinner. Why did boys have to be so immature, she thought to herself. What she didn't understand was that boys, especially hunters, needed to be a certain way. The biggest was to keep their emotions out of their expression, and whether she liked it or not, she was helping Dean learn how to be a better hunter.

“I'll clean up tonight, okay munchkin,” Bobby told her, proud of her in ways he couldn't express, partly because he didn't know how.

She was a little surprised, but smiled over at him, “Thank you, Uncle Bobby. I'm glad you liked dinner.”

Maria went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, then her hair, and headed to her room where she sat down at her desk to do some reading. She knew her Uncle wouldn't quiz her on it, as it wasn't part of her daily schedule. It wasn't long before Ssmmy made his way into her room and looked over her shoulder. 

“What are you reading?” he asked curiously. 

“A book about witches,” she replied as she flipped to the next page.

��How come?” he asked, not understanding why she'd be doing that of her own choice. 

This time she looked over at him, still seeing that three-year-old boy she'd met five years ago, which made a soft smile cross her lips, “Well little brother, I'm going to be a hunter and I want to know everything I can so I am prepared and can kill what needs killing, without getting hurt,” she explained. 

Sammy thought about what she said for a minute. He too, loved learning but hadn't considered doing it like she was, “Makes sense I guess, but I like reading other stuff.”

What she didn't realize was that even now, Sammy was having his own internal battle. On one hand, he wanted to be a hunter like his brother, and father, and even like her, but on the other, he didn't want to. Dean had been listening from the hallway, unseen by either of them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, annoyed. 

Dean moved so that he was in her doorway, “Challenge tomorrow, after breakfast.”

She smirked when she looked over at him, “What is it this time?”

“Knife throwing,” he said, confidently. 

“You brought the knives or am I using mine?” she asked.

“I brought mine,” he said before he walked away, feeling as though he would finally win one of these.

Sammy had been watching his brother, but turned back to her, “How come you two do those?” he asked her, not understanding the point of it.

“Pretty sure Dean doesn't like losing, let alone to a girl younger than him,” she chuckled. 

“Are you gonna win again?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she replied, as she got up and pulled her bag out from under her bed. Maria sifted through it and pulled out her throwing knives, showing Sammy, “I've been practicing,” she winked before putting them away.

Sammy giggled just as Bobby showed up in her doorway, “Time to clean up for bed,” he told Sammy, knowing Maria had already done her stuff.

“Okay Bobby,” Sammy replied, heading out of her room.

Bobby watched him leave before he looked back over at her, noticing she had sat back at her desk, “Dean told me about the challenge he came up with. Just make sure it's out in the scrapyard and not in the driveway,” he told her.

“Of course, Uncle Bobby,” she answered looking over at him, “You think he'll ever get tired of losing?”

Bobby sighed, “Probably not,” he replied, then chuckled, “Give him a run for his money, 'cause I'm bettin' on you.”

That made her smile, “Always Uncle Bobby. I'm not gonna let him win. He's gotta earn it,” she winked, “Not like a monster will let him kill 'em, same principle.”

“That's my girl,” he smiled before he left to check on the boys.

Once her Uncle left, she closed her door and changed into her pajamas, still thinking about what book she'd snag out of her Uncle's collection to read that night. He had so many options and they were all interesting. Maria wasn't even concerned about the challenge with Dean the following day, in fact, she was looking forward to it.

Maria waited till her Uncle wasn't in the living room, roughly an hour later, before she crept out there and grabbed one of his books as quickly as she could. She closed her door and got comfortable on her bed, gently running her hand over the raised letters of the book, Angels: Myth VS Facts. She knew that she couldn't believe everything she read. No one ever seemed to have all the truth of anything in just one book, hence why she loved her Uncle's collection. She read for an hour, finding the book fascinating before she heard a knock on her door, quickly shoving the book under her pillow behind her.

“Come in,” she hollered. 

It was her Uncle and Sammy, “He just wanted to say good night,” Bobby told her.

She smiled and climbed off her bed as Sammy met her in the middle of her room, “Night sis. Don't let me sleep through the challenge please. I wanna watch,” he told her, grinning. 

“Night little brother, and I promise, I'll wake you up,” she replied before she hugged him. 

Bobby watched from her doorway, smiling at the two of them, grateful they had each other. Most kids of hunters didn't ever get to interact with other kids in the same line of work, just getting jostled from school to school, always being the new kid, and it never lasted long.

“Night munchkin, lookin’ forward to Dean's sour face tomorrow,” he chuckled. 

“Same, and goodnight Uncle Bobby,” she replied. 

She glanced at her clock after her Uncle left. Eight, she thought to herself before calculating how long she could read before she had to sleep. Maria set her alarm for five, and then read the book for another hour before she reached the chapter on Nephilim.

It was eleven before she realized it, closing the book and sliding it under her pillow before going to bed.

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

Chapter 3

Tag List

@deans-spinster-witch

Link to the master list for this story.

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

[blues-of-randomness]

The Pasts of the Forgotten Critters/Frowny fox (rewritten)

The forgotten critters were all part of different collections, paired with a smiling critter that was supposed to be part of the same collections.

Dogday, Catnap, Hoppy hopscotch, and Silly Shelly were part of the Pet collection

Jerry Giraffe, Clever Claws and Bubba Bubbaphant were part of Safari collection (In my au Bubba is an Indian Elephant but I could see Playtime co trying to sell my off as an African elephant thinking people wouldn't tell the difference)

Kickinchicken, Picky Piggy, and Molly Mc Moo were part of the farm collection

Craftycorn and Jolly jaws were paired up in a fantasy collection as Jolly wasn't any ordinary shark, he was supposed to be a Megaladon.

and finally Bobby and Frowny were made as a set for a Wild things collection (hence why their pendants are almost identical)

Their purposes and stories within the cartoons:

Jerry was going to be a love interest for Craftycorn. The two of them were paired up with the image of two shy souls who barely fit into the world coming together and changing each other for the better. Jerry was an expert at measuring, he could even guess how tall something was without needing a ruler. This, Without saying, was very useful for Crafty's art projects

Clever claws was smart but he was also dazzling, attractive, and oh so cool, everything that Bubba lacked. While Bubba was shown to get picked on and teased for not fitting in, Clever claws was able to mask himself and fit in with the crowd. He even tried to teach Bubba how to mask and fit in with the crowd but whenever Bubba tried it was met with failure, he did everything Clever claws did but it wasn't enough. Clever claws knew this and it wasn't fair, he became Bubba's best friend and taught him there was nothing to be ashamed of even if no one liked him.

Jolly jaws and Kickinchicken were paired as a playful duo, Jolly jaws was just as adventurous as Kickinchicken but he was more in favor of being save while doing (hence why a lifesafer is his pendant) While Kickin was more or less about being reckless and having fun. He teased Jolly jaws about being safe, calling him a coward, etc. One day the two of them had a surfing contest but during the surfing Kickin was knocked off his surfboard, Jolly jaws was happy until he realized that Kickin never resurfaced. He quickly dove under the surface and rescused Kickin from a watery grave. That's when Kickin really learned about the importance safety.

Molly Mc Moo's purpose in was to teach about how there needs to be a balance within someones life when i came to something they enjoy. In this case it was teaching Picky Piggy there was nothing to be ashamed of when it came to her love of Pb&J sandwhiches even if it wasn't healthy because Picky had control over herself and cared about her healthy. As long as she kept that up there was nothing wrong with a little treat now and then

Shelly and Hoppy were paired together as competitive opposites situation. Their story was supposed to be a parody of the tortoise and the hare. The two would race but Hoppy would hurt herself going so fast and Shelly would help her out teaching her that sometimes slower is better.

And finally Frowny was a fox who was hurt and bullied all his life. Then he met Bobby and she showed him what love is and how to be happy despite all the pain he's been through

Reasons for rejection:

The kids weren't impressed with Clever claws, some of the older girls thought he was a typical "self centered prince charming" and the kids thought that Jerry looked weird and made fun of him.

Similar reasons for Frowny fox, the kids hated how he smelled and saw no point in having a "Sad toy".

The kids were scared of Jolly jaws because he was a shark they tried removing his teeth but he looked too silly without them.

There was nothing wrong with Milly MC moo its just that Kickin and Picky were more popular so Molly was thrown away

Silly Shell was playing on the swings with Hoppy when he fell off, he retreated into his shell but it cracked and shattered upon impact with the ground. Shelly was deemed too hazardous for the children.

Without Molly and Shelly they could still have pet and Farm sets but they saw no point in realising Bobby, Bubba and Crafty on their own so they were all combined into the smiling critters we know today.

As time past the critters had moved on from their lost companions and forgot about them, not because they didn't care about them, it was more of a "I thought you were dead" type of forgetting

[ateezyuri]

WHATS IN YURI’S TRAVELING BAG

“what’s in my bag? i don’t even know what’s inside.”

MAKEUP BAG

“so to start off with, i have this makeup bag that mingi got me for my birthday last year!”

“i just have the necessity’s in here — moisturizer, sunscreen, foundation, concealer, powder, mascara, blush, brow gel, contour, lip gloss, all those life savers. it’s really handy for when i wake up an hour late and have to do my makeup in the car. i think that’s why mingi even bought it for me.”

“if i had to pick my favorite item from this i would probably pick my benefit brow setter and my rare beauty lip oil in the shade happy, rare beauty is my favorite makeup brand ever, the makeup is so pigmented and it’s run by selena gomez, it’s a win win.”

TOILETRIES

“when i first got my purse, i got really excited and just started shoving everything in there, and i quickly figured that i wouldn’t be able to find anything or things would get broken, so i put everything in pouches. i have another pouch, which is chanel, again! i think this was given to me as a gift after my first chanel photo shoot.”

“but in here, i have just a bunch of mini toiletries. i have a mini native deodorant, my favorite scent is coconut and vanilla, it smells so so good.”

“next i have some hair ties, bobby pins, safety pins, and a claw clip. i also have a tiny mirror in here as well.”

“this perfume is literally my favorite perfume ever, it’s the YSL LAVALLIERE. it makes me smell so so good, i have the actual perfume bottle but it’s in my room, for now i’m just keeping the sample in my purse. but it’s literally the best perfume, it lasts so long, and i love to put it on after i work out or after practice, and sometimes when the boys are really stinky i spray them too.”

“lastly, i have some hand sanitizer, hand lotion, a mini dry shampoo bottle, a mini hair brush, and mini toothbrush and toothpaste. i know it’s a lot, but this is the bag that comes with me everywhere, and i mean everywhere.”

MEDICINE BAG

“in this pouch, i just have a few things that i may need throughout the day. first, i have some advil, i have some cough drops, and then i have the powdered electrolyte mixers that you put in water! i also have some mints in here as well. super helpful on days where we are performing!”

HEADPHONES + CHARGER + KEYS

“are you kidding me?!? *yuri sighs when she picks up the charger — that looked like it was on the verge of breaking.* i looked for this EVERYWHERE, and it was in my purse the whole time?”

“hey, don’t make fun of my charger, atiny. it works PERFECTLY fine.”

“i used to be an airpod girly but they kept falling out of my ears when i was working out so now i use headphones. i only use my airpods when i’m in my bed now.”

MINI COLORING BOOK AND MINI COLORED PENCILS

“okay don’t judge — but when you’re waiting to perform or for others to get ready, it can get very boring. i find coloring mini fairies very therapeutic in stressful times.”

EYE DROPS

“you gotta have them — they are a NECESSITY. i think i need to restock my eye drops though — i used them all after i held staring competitions with all the boys yesterday on vlive. i won all of them, by the way.”

“what do you mean “did they know of these competitions?” of course they did! they just chose to lose like the losers they are.”

SNACKS

“if you know me, you know i always need some snacks. in my purse i have some protein bars and cookies, and then it look like i have some sea salt seaweed crisps. a very interesting combination, but they are really good when i have low energy!”

GLASSES + CONTACTS CASE

i have my eye glasses and then a case for my contacts as well as solution! after schedules my eyes get really dry or if the air quality is bad i like to take my contacts out and put my glasses on! or if i want to take a nap i take them out, before i used to just take a nap in my studio with them in and they would fall out and i had a lot of dried contacts everywhere, so hongjoong made me start taking them out. he was tired of finding contacts everywhere he sat i guess.”

WALLET

lastly, here is my wallet! i have my keys attached to it because sometimes i just grab my wallet when i’m just going to the store or something, i only haul my purse around when i really need it.”

tags: @atzaria @ateezjuliet @m00niesk7 @btsnvra @softieteez @shinyddeonghwa @girlzwfun @still-astray @txt-yaomi @kittiverse @billboard-singer @mrk-lees [send an ask to be included or removed]

[unmotivated-student]

"No, no, no, it has to be a fucking joke" He muttered, clenching his fists trying to contain his anger.

Something had to be wrong, it was impossible, he just refused to believe the green team was dead.

They have strong members like Etoiles, Fit or Forever, they also have Bagi, his sister who, although not very strong physically, is mentally strong and...

They also have Roier...

Oh Roier, his husband who is strong mentally and physically and is always willing to show a smile even if he is not well, one of the few people he cared about on that island, probably the only person he trusted 100%...

He couldn't be dead, he couldn't, he couldn't, Cellbit loved him and needed him, Roier couldn't leave like this forever.

That thing was lying to them, right?....

Right?...

"Aren't you happy? Your team won, YOU won "

The voice of that fucking entity echoed in his head again interrupting his thoughts.

"It's not true right? You just want to see us suffer" He wanted answers but in response he received nothing but silence.

"Answer me!" Cellbit shouted, but he didn't get any response this time either.

He turned his gaze to Jaiden and Foolish looking for some kind of support or encouragement but both of them were looking at him with a combination of pity and sadness.

"I know this is harsh, but it seems like it's telling the truth" Foolish said resting one of his hands on Cellbit's shoulder.

"Maybe we have to accept it" Jaiden also tried to calm him down.

Cellbit wanted to yell at them both, telling them how wrong they were, that they didn't understand anything because they don't love Roier as much as he does, that they were idiots if they thought he could be dead, but... Cellbit knew it wouldn't be fair.

How could he say something like that to Foolish? Roier's father. Despite their various "fights" Cellbit knew how much they both love and care about each other.

And Jaiden, she was Roier's partner, they lived together for a long time, they raised Bobby together... Cellbit knows very well that those two had a special relationship, which was born thanks to Bobby.

He would truly be a heartless being if he let out his anger and frustration in any of them.

"You never told us anything about this!" Cellbit shouted to the entity"Why did you do this?!"

"Me? I didn't do anything, you are the ones who are fighting to win here, aren't you?"

"But I wanted to win to save my son!, I didn't want to..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

"In my opinion it is quite obvious that in a competition the weak lose and this time you were the strongest, congratulations, enjoy your sweet victory"

Had he contributed to the loss of the only family he had left? just by blindly following the instructions of something they didn't even know if they should trust?

He, who had told him "take care" before being sent to that place, was now part of the reason why Roier was no longer there.

If only he had thought things through better, if only he had not gotten carried away by everything that had happened on that island, if only...

That wasn't a "sweet victory" at all, it was bitter.

Whether Roier is alive or not, the entity won, Cellbit is suffering without knowing the whereabouts of his husband, perhaps he is dead, perhaps he is somewhere else suffering worse things. If it is the second option, he only had to trust more than ever in his husband's strength.

A little thing that occurred to me when I read about the elimination.

I don't think anyone dies and maybe it just means that the team "dies" as a concept but I wanted to explore the implications of the loss of a team or at least the implications of the ones left believing it died.

And that's it.

I guess we'll find out soon what happens to the losing team but for now I just wanted to practice my writing 🫡

[bisluthq]

Why would CFW be treated u fairly though? Like did people have some bias against Joe even when he was with Taylor? Unless there’s some reason idk I’d assume it just want very good to most ppl but you personally liked it a lot. A lot of people find Joe boring and his portrayal of the character boring (yes I know he’s supposed to be etc) who don’t have any bias about him due to Taylor one way or the other

I think lots of people had and have anti Joe bias tbh ESPECIALLY and WHILE he was with Taylor lol like I think it’ll decrease over time. Literally every other review that DIDN’T like it made jokes about London Boy/Lover/etc so yea no they knew.

I think lots of people misunderstood the book. I say this very wholeheartedly but I saw reviews that were going on and on about how this isn’t how they imagined it/how “wrong” it is, but Sally was involved so… it’s how SHE imagined it? It’s also stylistically very in keeping with the book idk? I’m not sure what people imagined. I saw everything from Joe is “too young” to play Nick (he’s explicitly stated to be 30, Joe looked 30 in the show so idk) to Frances is too weird and awkward (that’s explicitly her personality in the book?? She’s super socially awkward, as is Nick, and that’s why they gravitate towards one another because both are overshadowed by Bobbi and Melissa generally and find they sorta can speak to one another rather).

3. I actually think people had Rooney fatigue after NP and BWWAY. She was like EVERYWHERE and I suspect that for a lot of people it sorta started to get less fresh and more annoying. I must say, I personally didn’t really enjoy BWWAY that much so like I too was perhaps a victim of Rooney fatigue and I’ve thought maybe I should reread that book in like 5 years and see what I think then. I’ve read it twice and I did like it better the second time so perhaps if I give it another 5 years I actually will legit like it. My current gripe with it are Alice’s emails, not because I dislike them individually but because I got the sense that they’re just Sally’s essays on like… life… and then she should’ve published an essay collection.

4. I also get the sense it came at a different time and was “bigger” than Normal People/a lot more hyped than that (I learned last nights one of the awards it won is being the most looked up TV project on IMDb) and that in part was Taylor related but it’s also just not a good thing because NP followed an organic thing and came out during the pandemic when we were all sad and horny and bored and so it was very zeitgeisty. (Same as folklore lol). Those two things were very pandemicy. By the time CWF came out, people had gotten vaxxed and were starting to go out so sad and boring and horny wasn’t necessarily what people wanted. Also people who WEREN’T the demographic for or hadn’t ever watched NP watched CWF and… were bored.

5. Back to the overhype/oversaturation like it’s a problem Marvel faces now. People are over it. I was watching a fairly long form piece on BBC about like Marvel’s fuckups in relation to Deadpool and Wolverine (obviously which will actually be a huge hit but which is also very different in tone/vibe than the rest of the MCU) and the one woman did say like audiences are just over Marvel and I tend to agree. I’m not sure the movies have gotten that much worse but we’re just over them.

6. I bring up all of the above because it wasn’t just Joe related obviously but like I saw criticism of essentially Lenny’s style (the hyper realism which is his hallmark) and it didn’t do well in technical categories even though it was technically phenomenal so 🤷🏻‍♀️ No, it wasn’t purely Taylor/Joe related but that didn’t help.

7. As I have said many, many times - Limited Series is probably the most competitive thing to seriously compete with these days and plenty of ones with big names and that are actually very genuinely GOOD, to use my least favorite term, “flop” but most (all based on that weird this was the most looked up thing on IMDb award) aren’t as hyped as this so people have more choice to watch it or nah.

[sparxaf]

TSIME: Meet Bobby's Crew (part 2)

So we met the Russo-Bells, who apparently look nothing like how @longbobmckenzie imagined. So, I'm here to ruin your day again, with some more of Bobby's inner circle 😆

Meet Maitland (my favorite):

Interesting facts:

🗸 Grew up in an extremely happy, functional family that swore a lot. Has several siblings. Is especially close to her mam, who is a chain-smoking factory worker.

🗸 Smoker.

🗸 Is a bit of a musical genius. She plays the drums, bass guitar, piano, violin, and has a singing voice best described as, Annie Lennox after a shot of whiskey and a couple cigarettes.

🗸 Briefly attended the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland but dropped out after less than a semester. "Why'd I quit? Cuz, everyone has their heads up their arses, smellin' their own fuckin' farts, that's why."

🗸 She met Nivaan at RCS and they ended up friends. They have a shared love of old school punk music, so they started Paisley Cuddle together.

🗸 Never been in a relationship.

🗸 Had sex twice. Didn't care for it.

🗸 Makes extra money doing gig/session work, but the job she actually likes is teaching music classes for a local music shop. She's a very popular, sought-after instructor, especially for drums, as she's entertaining and foul-mouthed, but also surprisingly patient with the kids.

🗸 Has a fundamental disdain for labels of all kinds, and would never label herself as NB or demi-anything, despite likely being both. "Call me whatever you want. You don't need ta' know my fuckin' business, you arsebadger."

🗸 Once dreamed of being a football hooligan.

🗸 Secretly loves Hannah Montana. "What? No, not Miley, you fuckin' tube. Hannah. Montana. It's different. And if you wanna keep yer teeth, you won't be tellin' anyone."

Meet Jonno:

Interesting facts:

🗸 Was an abrasive and lonely child. He literally saw Bobby and said, "You're my best friend now." And Bobby just rolled with it.

🗸 Allegedly has the ability to be funny, though no one but Bobby claims to have seen it happen.

🗸 A bit of a shapeshifter. Worked in the hospital because Bobby did. Baked because Bobby did. Would never admit to anyone (not even himself) that Bobby is his hero.

🗸 Somehow manages to get tons of one-night stands. But there are ZERO repeat customers.

🗸 Despite being a pig, Jonno understands and respects consent. Because when he was 19, he he grabbed Maitland's arse at a pub, and still has the x-ray of his broken nose to prove it. Knowledge unlocked.

🗸 His mam bailed when he was four. He hasn't seen her since. He was raised by his dad (and his dad's long-term girlfriend who didn't like him very much). Has one older half-brother who bullied him pretty badly as a kid.

🗸 Besides being able to fart Scotland's national anthem, his only other notable skill is fixing up and reselling antiques. He has an eye for what can be spruced up. So he spends a lot of his free time sanding and staining old furniture and fixing lamps that don't switch on anymore. Then he sells them at flea markets and makes a tidy profit.

Meet Fenella:

Interesting facts:

🗸 Parents are incredibly wealthy. She is the youngest of three.

🗸 Was a competitive highland dancer as a kid. Is very embarassed about it.

🗸 Parents wanted her to go to university but she felt it was bourgeoisie and refused. So they made her get a job and she was pretty upset about it. So she used this as an opportuity to live as someone who wasn't rich and did this for years, working minimum wage jobs, living under bridges sometimes, and never telling anyone about her family.

🗸 Despite her distaste for the bourgeoisie, she made sure to return home when she was twenty to get her trust fund. Then she spent the whole thing on a coffee shop that she has absolutely no idea how to manage. She's done well because she had plenty of starting capital and actually does serve great coffee, but her trust fund is basically gone now, so she has no safety net and no idea how to budget.

🗸 Took a class on auras once, so she's pretty much an expert now.

🗸 Has been dating someone called Marti for many years. Marti is in a folk band and makes macrame. They were browbeat into veganism by Fen, but they secretly love bacon and eat it whenever Fenella isn't around.

🗸 The two have an open relationship, but that doesn't stop Fen from getting "choked by the ties of the pair bond," and breaking up with Marti every six months or so.

🗸 Very sensitive to criticism and has a strong fear of being disliked.

🗸 Donates coffee and tea to the Homeless Project Scotland, as well as to women's shelters, and several charitable organizations in her area. She also does volunteer work for HPS. She knows the names of many of the local homeless folx and once a week, she invites them to come for free baked goods and coffee.

Meet Nivaan:

Interesting facts:

🗸 Wealthy family. Born in Bangalore. Family moved to Scotland when he was six years old. His father, previously a holistic physician, was a stay-at-home dad. His mum is a highly-regarded physicist.

🗸 He has six sisters. He is the baby and the only boy in the entire expanded family. His uncles and aunts all have girls. So he was surrounded by women growing up and has an amazing rappaport with them.

🗸 Loves old school punk music.

🗸 Going back hundreds of years, no one in his family has ever eaten meat.

🗸 He graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with an MA in Musical Theater. But his theater career never really took off.

🗸 Talented guitarist and singer. Can dance his ass off. Makes a healthy income from TikTok thirst traps, much to his mother's dismay and his father's amusement.

🗸 Sings four octives. Has a resonant bass voice with an impressively clear, ringing falsetto. Think Avi Kaplan [previously of Pentatonix].

🗸 Met Maitland at RCS. One night they took a heroic dose of shrooms while listening to Hüsker Dü, and decided to start a punk band. The next morning , they stumbled up off the floor where they'd slept sprawled on top of a broken guitar for some reason, and found a note on his kitchen counter that read, "Paisley fookin' cuddle, wankstains!" in Maitland's scrawling handwriting. Neither of them can quite remember what the hell it meant, but they decided Paisley Cuddle was as good of a name as any for a punk band.

Meet Samantha:

Interesting facts:

🗸 Born in the highlands. Parents are traveling folk musicians. Moved around a lot as a young child. Home educated. Never went to traditional school.

🗸 Has an older brother with a relatively successful career making avante-gard pop folk. No one knows what that is, but dammit, they're all proud.

🗸 Loves gardening. Started a garden when she was ten years old and in just a year was growing all of the vegetables for her family.

🗸 Has published four popular and successful poetry books under a pen name.

🗸 Has a tattoo of a turnip crossed with an ink pen on her ribs.

🗸 Likes working lots of different kinds of jobs so she's never bored.

🗸 Has seen films, but has never watched television and doesn't own a tv.

🗸 Once went a whole month without weed. She's still recovering from the trauma.

Stay tuned for part 3 to meet Bobby's family!

#litg fanfic#litg bobby#bobby mckenzie#litg tsime#tsime#character introduction#character creation#litg the sun in my eyes

[dawntainbobbynash]

wait but bobby's sister as the 133 captain is so cool, i need more of it

Sadly I don't have any fics or moodboards or anything, but I do have headcanons!

And for reference, I specifically mean Captain Shore from May Day, since she's pretty much a blank slate and it's convenient that she's already in that episode

-Her first name is Pamela. She's the eldest Nash sibling, a lesbian, her wife is an ER nurse named Jordin, and they have three adopted teenagers

-I have many conflicting ideas about what Bobby's parents and childhood are like, but for this headcanon they took the "every boy has to be a firefighter" thing too far. Pamela always wanted to be a firefighter, but once her brothers were born, all of the firefighter legacy pressure fell solely on them and no one took her seriously (and their mom too desperately wanted one family member who didn't work a potentially fatal job), so she moved to LA the second she was old enough to become a firefighter there (this is also why she took Jordin's last name)

-Bobby didn't actually know this, because she only stayed in contact with their mom. It was a shock when he moved to LA at the lowest point in his life and on a random call ran into his sister for the first time since he was a kid

-Her backstory runs fairly parallel to Bobby's. She was severely injured herself around the same time he broke his back, but because she'd escaped the pressure their family put on her brothers to be perfect unbreakable heroes, she was able to heal and happily return to her normal life while he fell apart. She and Jordin were actually in the process of adopting one of their kids when he moved to LA with nothing and no one

-After a bit of a rocky start, they repaired their relationship, and they're closer than ever now

-When they eventually go back to Minnesota to face their family again, they do it together

And that's the gist of the significant stuff! Here are some bonus fun stray thoughts I've had:

-They do annual cook-offs thanks to the Han brothers. They started arguing about whose captain was a better cook and got them to actually have a cook-off judged by both teams (Pamela won), and even though Albert left the 133, it's still a fun and competitive way to feed two teams of hungry firefighters, so they kept doing it

-She hates the sexy firefighter calendar as much as Hen, but just like Hen did for Chimney, she supported it just that once in 2x01 because trying to get in was good for Bobby's recovery

-Her crew sent her every pic they took of Bobby and the 118 trapped in the engine in Jinx and the funniest one became her lock screen. She has never and will never let him live it down

[jake-whatthefisgoingon-kiszka]

Summer Crush

Hydrangeas

Part 3

Summary: Sam had been caught in the middle of a friendship triangle for years. The problem was it wasn’t a competition for you. No you actually had a secret crush on his other best friend, Danny. When the boys come home for the summer Sam gives you one word of advice, distance yourself from Danny.

Pairings: Danny Wagner x fem reader x Sam Kiszka *slash pairing

Warnings: 18+, NO minors!, sexual content, slash pairings, friends to lovers, kind of enemies to lovers, love triangles, drinking, talk of jealousy, potential threesomes, not going too into detail yet don’t want to spoil it but do be warned 🫣, if the part number is in italics then there’s spice

Word count: 5.1k, ok it just happened

As you exited the coliseum you were hit by the thawing feeling of the warm early summer air against your frozen skin. It was almost unbearably cold during the whole ceremony which had to be a crime in Detroit to keep everyone so cold after the weather had finally started to turn for the better. A steady breeze kept the hot beams manageable and you gripped onto your graduation cap to keep it from flying off even though you were sure (you counted to keep track) you had 30 bobby-pins in there to keep it secured.

You heard your parents calling your name from near the exit and followed with your eyes in the direction your ears were guiding you. You could make out the shadowy profile of your parents waving you down a few feet away, the sun behind them making it incredibly hard to see through more than a squint.

What you couldn’t make out as you started walking towards them, was the tall lanky figure situated just directly behind them.

“Look who’s here!” Your mom exclaimed in excitement.

Your eyes were finally able to focus as the image of your best friend was revealed.

“Sam?” You questioned just to make sure your eyes were not trying to fool you in a trick of the light.

“The one and only” he cracked a smile and held out his arms waiting for you to run forward and hug him, which you did.

“I thought you weren’t going to be able to make it?” You continued to wrap your head around how he was actually physically here right now hugging you back.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world” he spoke just directly above your ear where his nose was buried into your mess of heat pressed curls.

“Let’s get a picture of you two!” Your mom called out, barely tugging on your arm to get you to separate from Sam just enough to turn and snap a photo.

The wind picked up and both of your hair was blowing wildly but you didn’t care, your face was beaming with happiness as you watched your mom get her phone angle just right. She took a few shots then Sam turned his head towards yours, pressing his lips firmly against your cheek while she took one more.

“Ok I think I got it” she was proud of herself, and proud of her daughter, and you were glad it was finally over.

“So, where are we going to celebrate?” Sam questioned assumably as everyone had finished their mingling and congratulations.

“Let me call Stephen and see if he’s getting off work soon” you pulled out your phone and started to pull up his contact.

“Who’s Stephen again?” Sam pretended he didn’t know although you stopped what you were doing for a brief moment to shoot him a look just in case he wasn’t joking. “Your roommate, right!”

“My boyfriend” you corrected with a roll of your eyes and started the call, stepping away just a little bit while he answered and you spoke for a while.

“So why couldn’t Steve ditch work and make it to your graduation?” Sam shortened his name like not using every syllable would give him some sort of power over him who he hadn’t even met yet.

“Stephen” you corrected as you started to make your way to the parking lot that held your car, Sam in tow since he probably got a taxi to get here. “He doesn’t like Steve”.

“Well I don’t like Sammy” he replied.

“Shut up, yes you do” you reached a hand over and playfully pushed his shoulder.

“No that’s what you guys called me when we were kids, can’t you see that I’m a man now?”

“You look like a man who’s wearing women's pants” another playful stab, but that’s only because you knew Sam could take it. In fact he looked like he was enjoying the bantering back and forth like you used to tease each other all the time over the years.

“Hey, I’ve got to keep up appearances, you never know someone could recognize me out here”. You both looked around at the busy parking lot and absolutely no one was fazed by either of you.

You started stripping off your graduation robe when you reached your car, tossing it in the back seat before getting back to the actual conversation at hand. “Anyways, Stephen is up for a promotion so he couldn’t get the day off” you had convinced yourself you didn’t really care. Him getting this promotion would make life a whole lot easier for the both of you meaning not having a job lined up immediately after graduation wasn’t that big a deal. Stephen had taken care of you through your last years of college. He was a few years older than you so he had graduated and already gotten a job secured from a past internship. You were grateful for the opportunity to continue to focus on school and your projects but now you were definitely ready to get to work and start pulling your own weight.

“He’s going to meet us a Joe’s, it’s a popular spot for the local college kids, maybe you will meet someone your own age”.

“A bar?” He questioned with a scrunch of his nose. “I thought we’d go somewhere where I could drink too”.

“It’s not just a bar, they have a kitchen and a cafe of sorts” you tried to encourage him that he would still have fun

Joe’s was a pretty special place in your heart. When you got to Detroit you didn’t know anyone. It wasn’t until your first year roommates who were Detroit natives drug you out of the dorms to Joe’s that you started to open up and make new friends.

You ended up meeting Stephen at Joe’s. It was during his summer internship he had gone out with some colleagues the same night you and your friends were celebrating your birthday. When he overheard your friends ordering you birthday shots he took the opportunity to get you a drink as well, and from there your relationship was history.

Once at the bar Sam seemed to be a little uncharacteristically stand-offish while you introduced him to all of your college friends. It was almost like he hadn’t expected your life to have carried on without him while he was gone.

That didn’t last long though as the drinks came rolling in and the girls at your table got more and more interested in your friend he too started to flirt back with them.

You sat back and watched unamused as Sam taught your friends a drinking game where you bounce a coin off the table into a shot glass. They were amazed by his ability to make it every time, though he was far more sober than they were and you knew his brothers had been making him play that game with them for years now.

Just as you were about to shoot Stephen a text asked where he was at he snuck up from behind you, startling you as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders and kissed the top of your head.

“So proud of your sweetheart!” He congratulated you as he came around to your front and leaned back over to place a long kiss on your lips this time.

You heard Sam clear his throat from behind him causing him to break the kiss to see who was intruding on his moment.

“Stephen this is Sam, Sam this is Stephen” you introduced the two officially. Your boyfriend extended a hand but Sam had already glided past him to your side.

“Well if it isn’t the lucky guy!” Sam exchanged a playful yet slightly targeted first few words.

“I am” Stephen stuffed his hands into his pockets since Sam had accidentally, or purposefully you weren’t sure, missed his offer to shake.

“Can I get you anything? Another drink, perhaps some water?” Stephen directed his attention back to you who was still working on the last drink someone had brought you.

“I’ll take a water” Sam spoke before you. Clearly he knew Stephen was talking to you but he included himself anyway.

“Alright then, two waters” he took one more glance at you, second guessing whether he should leave you there or not, but ultimately walked off towards the bar.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re acting strange” you looked up at Sam who was still standing to your side.

He cracked you a smile to show he was only messing around. “One of your friends gave me a few hits of her joint in the bathroom” Sam revealed how he had gotten his nerves from earlier to subside.

“Samuel Kiszka!” You whisper yelled at him but he only grinned wider before returning to his game across the table.

“And Danny lost his room key because they were in my pants so we had to sleep on the couches in the hotel lobby” Sam began to conclude his chaotic story while causing your friends at the table to erupt in laughter. You had heard that story plenty of times, but hearing Sam excited to tell it again still made you smile and listen intently.

As you were focused on listening you heard someone from behind you having a separate conversation of their own.

“I mean who does he think he is?” A guy spoke first then your heart dropped when you heard who he was talking to.

Stephen started his reply, “I’ve known her for three years, half of which I’ve been dating her, and I’ve never met the guy in person. Now he shows up out of nowhere” he scoffed at the end showing he clearly wasn’t enjoying Sam’s company as much as everyone else was.

You hadn’t even realized the little off conversation had made you so mad, but you swung your head around to face them. “Sam is my best friend” you reminded the two who now realized they had been talking a little too loud.

Sam immediately jumped up from his end of the table and came over to see what you were getting upset about.

“All I’m saying is he hasn’t bothered to visit you before, why has he decided to come now?” Stephen stood up as well to match Sam’s movements.

“You know he’s been busy” you shot back. Stephen knew all about Sam you hadn’t ever tried to keep your late night phone calls or backstage dressing room video tours a secret, so why was he acting like an ass about Sam being here now. “Regardless, Sam was here today, and that’s all that matters”. Stephen knew there was a second meaning to that remark, he knew underneath it all you were upset that he didn’t take time off from work to attend your ceremony, and he sighed at the face of having to apologize to you again for something he says wasn’t in his control.

“I think maybe I should head out” Sam peeped out in the middle of you staring down your boyfriend who refused to admit he could have tried harder.

You broke the eye contact to turn towards Sam, “What? Where are you going?”

“I was planning on getting some sketch hotel near the airport” he pulled his phone out to start looking for a room to book.

“Absolutely not, you’re staying with us” you informed him without taking a second to discuss it with Stephen first.

“We don’t have a second bedroom” Stephen tried reminding you but you were ignoring him at this point.

“I have a really early flight in the morning. I don’t want to bother you guys” Sam tried to decline but you weren’t taking no for an answer.

“I can take you to the airport in the morning, you can sleep on the couch” you had made up your mind and both of them knew tonight there was no use trying to argue with you so they both sucked up their animosity and the three of you made your way to the apartment.

Once you were home you were glad to get out of your dress and heels in favor of comfy pajama shorts and an old tee. Sam had honestly expected to stay at a hotel so he hadn’t brought anything to sleep in other than his boxers but you gave him some of Stephen's pants to wear while he was in the shower.

You headed to bed with Stephen but as soon as you were sure he was in deep sleep you snuck out of the bedroom to go bother Sam laying on your couch.

“Sam? Are you awake?” You called out in a hushed voice.

“Yea, I am” he replied, “not going to lie, your couch is kind of uncomfortable” he sat up and moved the blanket around so that it was stretched out across his shoulders. You took a seat next to him and he wrapped his arm with the blanket around your shoulders.

“I’m really glad you came” you told him again and he squeezed you a little in response. You didn’t want to ruin the moment, but ever since you had gotten home you had an uneasy feeling. A bottomless pit forming as your stomach fell. “When will I see you again?”

“It better be soon!” He replied trying to bring you out of your funky mood. “Maybe now that you're done with school you can come to some of our shows. You know we’re playing at Coachella this year right?”

“That sounds fun” you giggled, although you still had a lingering bad feeling. You looked around your dark apartment and felt nothing. You were so excited when you moved in with Stephen but you realized now that you were only reacting the way you thought he wanted you to. You thought moving in together was a little too rushed, but your increasingly busy schedules were keeping you and Stephen from seeing each other. At least this way you knew you could sleep in the same bed every night. Except now you weren’t in bed with Stephen, you were out here talking with Sam like time had never passed.

Sam continued to fantasize about you coming on tour with them, he told you about a few plans they had coming up and how his brothers would love to see you again soon as well. He even mentioned that Danny sometimes asked him about how you were. You hadn’t thought about Danny in a long time, and you felt kind of bad about it now that Sam had mentioned he’d asked about you.

You and Sam had ended up staying awake all night talking with each other, sometimes getting a little too loud and giggly, but never bothering Stephen sleeping in the bedroom.

When it came time to head to the airport you and Sam piled tirelessly into your car, watching the sunrise on the horizon as you drove him further away from you and back towards his life on the go.

You mentioned kidnapping him, taking the exit towards home to see your families instead of the way to the airport. He played along with you for the rest of the drive but ultimately you ended up at the signs that said departures, saying goodbye once more to the only person in the world you knew ever truly meant anything to you.

Your phone ringing woke you from your dream in the middle of the night.

Your eyes were still puffy from crying yourself to sleep so they stung and you had to furiously squint at the bright screen next to you.

If Sam was calling you were going to be pissed he woke you up. You were just barely able to make out the big numbers on the front of the screen. It was just after midnight.

Although you had only been asleep for about an hour and a half you still didn’t appreciate being woken up.

That was until you managed to read the name on the screen next. It wasn’t Sam calling to bother you, but Danny.

You sucked in a deep breath quickly and picked up the little rectangle device before you let the last ring come through. “Hello?”

“Did I wake you up?” A quiet and alluring voice came out the other end and you pressed the cool glass closer to your ear while you sat up in your bed.

“Yes, but I’m awake now” you replied with a clearer tone than the raspy and drowsy answer when you picked up.

“I was thinking about you so I couldn’t sleep” he revealed his reason for the late interruption. “I was hoping you would tell me more about this crush you mentioned” even over the phone, you could hear the smirk in his voice.

“You would like that wouldn’t you?” Whether it was the late hour or something else you found that talking to him on the phone was easier than you imagined leaving you able to tease a little.

You heard a small chuckle, it sounded like he pulled away so you wouldn’t hear it clearly. “Yes I would, so tell me, when did it start?”

“Hmm, I don’t really know. It just sort of happened” you hummed into the phone trying to remember something to pinpoint the exact moment your gaze towards him turned from just one of the guys you hung out with to one that when you saw him made your heart flutter and your toes scrunch inside your shoes. “I guess it was in highschool” you finally admitted.

“Highschool?” He gasped at how long you had managed to keep your feelings hidden. His breath stressed a little as he decided whether or not he wanted to bring up this next bit “I’m kind of glad you didn’t say anything back then though. I’m not sure how I would have reacted. You were intimidating to me” he chuckled again, this time not turning away so you could hear every little inclination in his voice.

“Intimidating?” This came as a surprise to you, nothing about your highschool self would mark you as what you considered to be intimidating.

“The way you fit in so well with the Kiszkas. Jake has told me himself you’re one of the smartest people he knows, you can match Josh’s energy, not to mention Sam is mesmerized by you” if you couldn’t still hear the laugh in his voice then you might have taken his confession as one of jealousy, but instead you could tell he only meant to say he was inspired by you.

“That’s just because we’ve known each other for a long time. I practically grew up with them” you tried to take some of the illusion away since it really wasn’t that impressive to you.

Danny fell silent for a moment and you worried maybe you were being too convincing about there being nothing special about yourself. “Can I ask you a serious question?” He finally spoke again in a serious tone.

“Of course” you tried to hide the shakiness in your voice.

“You and Sam never-?” His voice trailed off again like he immediately regret trying to find that answer.

“Sam?” Although he didn’t complete his sentence it was obvious what he was trying to say “no, umm, Sam and I are just friends”.

“I see” he sounded like there was still more he wanted to say, but must have decided against it as he quickly changed the subject before you could try to question him in return.

“Can I take you to breakfast in the morning?”

“Oh, I have some work to do so if you don’t mind my laptop tagging along then sure” breakfast with Danny sounded lovely. You pictured the way the early morning sun would shine in his usually dark hair, illuminating and glorifying the true deep burnette that it was.

“I don’t mind at all, I’d love to see some of your work if you would show me”. You stopped to think if you had ever had a conversation with Danny about your career aspirations. Sam of course had heard all about it, and surely he might have in turn spoken about it to any of his other band mates. Now that your mind had wandered off to Sam you started to second guess if going on a date, if you could even call him asking you to breakfast a date, was a good idea.

“You know Sam was over really early today, I’ll have to come up with a good excuse for why I didn’t call him in the morning” you sighed into the phone.

“Sam was only up that early because he crashed with me the night after the party and I made him get up” Danny let drop in response.

“Ok that makes a lot more sense now” you replied and you both shared a soft laugh before both ends fell silent again, seemingly with nothing left to say to each other.

“Well, if your going to drag me out of bed tomorrow too then I better get back to sleep” you hated to be the one to end the call, but something told you if you didn’t soon then the two of you might accidentally stay up all night just listening to each other breathe on the other end.

“Good night” was all he said, your name trailing at the end with the sound of his exhale. He didn’t sound too excited to be letting you go either.

“Good night” you told him back and watched your screen stay illuminated with the call as you hesitated before hitting the red end call button.

The morning came quickly, but your newfound excitement for the day made it easy to get up and get ready. Before you had only expected to throw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweats or something comfy to get work done, but now that you were going out you decided to wear something a little cuter.

Danny had text you a meeting place, a little cafe in town that had a private patio in the back. When you arrived he was already there waiting for you.

“Good morning” he stood up to greet you, stealing a quick kiss on your cheek when he had you close in a hug. It was a satisfying feeling to have had the last thing and first thing he said to you good night and good morning.

Because you were the only two who chose the patio the waitress was quick to come by and take your orders. After she left you went ahead and got your laptop out to boot up.

“Sorry to get to work so soon, but I have to turn this in by noon”.

“No problem, what are we working on?” He took the chance to move his chair from where it was situated across the table over next to you so he could see what was on your screen as well.

Your laptop finally powered to life and opened up on your desktop screen saver of you and Sam at your graduation.

Your eyes glanced towards Danny as he obviously was taking in what he saw.

“I remember when Sam left to come see you here” Danny recalled his version of the story in the scene. “Josh was pissed” he chuckled a little bit at the mention of Josh like he could ever honestly be pissed. “We were going to Europe a few days after and he thought Sam wouldn’t make it back in time”.

“Well I’m glad he came anyways, it was good to see him” you couldn’t feel selfish about wanting your Sam time and before then it had been a few years since you had actually seen him in person instead of on a little FaceTime screen. He had been and still was your best friend, you didn’t think anything could change that fact.

“I’m glad he came too. You deserved someone to be there for you” His eyes shifted from the screen to you now which only reminded you that you were staring at him.

“Anyways” you quickly turned your attention back to what you were doing and fumbled with inserting your flash drive in the little slot at the side of the laptop.

Your food and drinks came out together and Danny watched mostly in silence as you worked. You stopped every few minutes to take a quick drink but was so enveloped in nearing the end of the project that you had barely touched your food.

“Here” Danny spoke up causing you to break focus for a moment. You turned towards him to see he was holding a forkful of food extended your way with his other hand hovering underneath prepared to catch any falling pieces.

“You don’t have to do that” you tried to reach over and grab the fork from him but he pulled it away quickly while still trying not to spill anything.

“Let me help” he was trying to ask you seriously but there was a joking tone in his voice and he had an amused smile spread wide across his lips.

You gave up easily, years of growing up with stubborn boys had made you pretty non-combative.

He successfully fed you the bite and waved his hand along for you to keep working. He kept the act up, although you continued to argue with him the next couple of times, by the end you were just accepting it.

“I think I’m just about finished” you spoke with the mouthful Danny just fed you.

He smiled again when you turned back to him. You were assuming he was glad you were done, but instead he reached over and used his thumb to wipe the corner of your mouth. You brought your arm to your mouth and vigorously wiped it to make sure there wasn’t anything else left behind.

“You're fine it was just a little crumb” he laughed at your over exaggerated response.

“You could have just let me know” you replied, still trying to hide your flushed face.

“Next time I could lick it off” he leaned forward like he might still do it anyways.

“Ok that’s enough of that” you scooted your laptop to the side then slid your plate towards you and away from him.

“Why are you embarrassed?” He continued to taunt you like he wanted to see just how red he could get your cheeks to turn.

“We’re in public” you replied quickly as an excuse, he glanced around and there was still not another soul in sight. Even the waitress after the last few times she came to check on you not needing anything she had started to appear less and less.

He moved to the edge of his chair, leaning forward and placing an arm across the back of yours. “So you’re saying if we were in private I could lick your lips?” His voice was hushed but you heard it loud and clear, sending an electric jolt through your body grounding you there in your seat.

You took one more backward peak to make sure the waitress or anyone else wasn’t about to come through the door then grabbed the front of Danny’s shirt pulling him down into a kiss.

“That didn’t count” he forewarned you but still accepted the small win, letting your chair go and settling back into his. “So you finished your work?”

“This one is done, but I have a few more projects lined up for the summer.” You went ahead and repositioned your laptop again so he could see it since he seemed to still be interested. “I’ve been working on advertising for a few business promotions. It’s not really what I ultimately want to be doing but the more work I do my name can get passed around”. You shrugged, not expecting him to really be that intrigued.

“This is pretty good” he didn’t sound surprised, more like he was starting to think of something. “Do you have anything else you’ve worked on?” He asked and you shook your head yes, clicking the folder button at the bottom to show your flash drive was nearly full of completed work, works in progress, and personal designs. He pointed towards a certain piece you had been working on mostly for fun so it wasn’t completed but you opened it up for him anyways.

“Have you shown Josh any of this?” He asked as he studied the various designs in your portfolio.

“No? Why?” You questioned, not seeing how Josh had anything to do with your work.

“You should, we’ve been looking for a new tour manager. Josh wants to do a lot of crazy stuff” he huffed at the memory of Josh trying to explain his extravagant ideas to everyone.

“Tour manager?” You blinked at him in shock, “I don’t think I’m qualified for that”.

“Well, maybe not the manager, but you could definitely help us out!” He sounded so genuine and thrilled about the idea that it started to get you a little excited as well. You had yet to figure out where your next big career move would be so if this truly was an opportunity then you thought maybe you should give it a go.

“Alright, next time I see Josh I’ll show him” you agreed to do at least that and Danny took your hand in his, giving it a little encouraging squeeze.

Now that you weren’t expecting it the waitress came one more time to check on you.

“I can take the check” Danny finally asked her, signaling that you guys were finishing up.

“What’s next for you today?” You asked Danny as you started to pack up your stuff.

“Nothing really, just hanging out at home” he shrugged his shoulders. He had gotten so used to constantly moving from hotel to hotel, venue to venue, that sitting at home sounded so weird to him now, but he was going to take it while he had it.

“Sam and I are supposed to be going through his wardrobe or something like that” you tilted your eyebrows up to show how enthused you were about it.

“I could come by later tonight?” He offered, unsure if Sam would keep you preoccupied all day. On second thought Sam had a lot of clothes it most definitely could take all day.

“I’d like that” you accepted his offer to his surprise. “I’ll text you when I make it back home?”

“Okay, that sounds great to me” his smile was growing wider and he clasped his hands together in order to contain his eagerness.

“I’ll see you tonight then Danny” you stood up from your chair and swung your bags strap around your shoulder.

“Yeah, see you” he muttered out and watched you as you left the cafe to head towards Sam’s house.

<<<Previous chapter Next chapter>>>

@jessicafg03

[mykey-and-bobby-koopa]

14: I AM MORTON

| Versión en español |

| First | Previous | Next |

__________

After having seen how Morton rushed towards Mykey, hugging him, Roy had left the place, somewhat in a bad mood. He didn't want to admit it, but he was a little jealous, remembering that his own brother had rejected him when he wanted to give him a hug.

It's been a while since then, so he hasn't wanted to talk to anyone, staying distant.

Roy: why? Why do I feel this way? It's not too important...

– What is not too important? –Asks someone who was nearby listening to the last thing Roy had said. That someone had surprised him, making Roy look in that direction. It was Bowser Jr., who was eating some cookies

Roy: uh... it's you, Jr.

Jr.: yeah, I finished drawing a little; it's exhausting using the brushes (laughs) is everything okay, B’bro?

Roy: yes, everything is fine (adjusts his glasses)

Jr.: well, I heard you murmur something and...

Roy: (interrupts) yes, but I was just thinking out loud

Jr: and about what?

Roy: you wouldn't understand...

Jr. stares at him with a raised eyebrow.

Jr.: I know I'm just a kid, but there are things I realize

Roy raises an eyebrow at what Jr. said.

Jr.: (looking somewhat strangely) even if you don't believe me, Roy

Roy: yeah, well, whatever...

Jr.: If you feel bad, do you want me to give you a hug?

Roy: what? Why?

Jr.: Mykey says that hugs are usually the cure for the soul.

Roy: mmm… no, thanks

Jr.: you sure? If you want I can… (Puts his hand towards Roy)

Roy: (he interrupts with a scream) I ALREADY TOLD YOU NO!!

Roy makes a movement with his arm to push Jr. away, but this makes him throw away the cookies that Jr. brought with him.

Upon noticing this, Jr. bent down to pick them up and throws away the cookies that made contact with the ground. While doing so, Jr. had his back turned to Roy, who sees that and feels regretful, turning his gaze to the side and looking at Jr. again instantly.

Roy: I... I'm sorry, Jr., do you want me to buy you some more cookies? You tell me and we’ll…

Jr.: (sighs) it doesn't matter, after all I didn't even want to... I'm sorry for bothering you

Roy: b-but…

Jr.: Just forget it. I already have Larry for discussions

Without saying anything else, Jr. goes away and leaves Roy alone. The young Koopa with glasses puts his palm on his forehead and sighs.

Roy: why the hell do I have to act like this?

While he laments, he remembers how Morton hugs Mykey, which makes Roy grit his teeth and from the adrenaline of the moment he hits a nearby wall with his right fist, damaging his knuckles a little without bleeding, since the impact wasn’t going so hard, he just needed to vent.

Roy can't help but look at his damaged hand and shake it out of discomfort, then hold it with his other hand and cover himself.

………………………………………

After lunchtime, Morton and Mykey meet up to continue teaching the young eater. This time Bobby joins in, which surprises Mykey a bit.

Mykey: What are you doing here, little brother?

Bobby: I hope you don't mind if I come with you.

Mykey looks at Morton waiting for an answer.

Morton: (smiling and whispering) of course not, you can accompany Morton and Mykey

Morton strokes the little green-haired boy's head, who giggles a little.

Mykey: I thought you were playing with Larry and Jr.

Bobby: yes, but for some reason Bowsy came in a little upset and we tried to cheer him up, but Larry got more competitive and so did he, so I told them to play something else but they didn't listen to me and they started arguing and then everyone got angry. It was his way (shrugs)

Mykey: that explains why at lunch they were quiet (whispers) and Roy too...

Bobby: what?

Mykey: no, nothing. Let's get in

Morton and Bobby nod and enter to Kamek's office. There Morton settles in and Mykey goes to get the materials. Bobby sits in front of Morton and takes out his green copybook and his pencil to write his own notes. Morton looks at him somewhat curiously while Mykey brings his study materials

Morton: (whispers) what do you write, little one?

Bobby: I'm writing my adventures and thoughts here. Mr. Kamek gave it to me and I am using it this way

Morton: (whispers) how long have you been?

Bobby: Let's see... I'm like twenty pages in.

Morton is surprised and lets his jaw drop a little, to which Mykey gently lifts it.

Morton: WOW!! THAT'S A LOT (covers his mouth)

Mykey sits to Morton's right and leaves the supplies on the table.

Mykey: You see... Bobby has always liked to write and read.

Bobby: For as long as I can remember, Mom always read me fairy tales. Someday I'm going to write my own story, that's why I'm starting

Mykey: and you will, lil’ brother

Mykey raises his thumb in support and the little boy smiles at his brother, closing his eyes tenderly. Morton sees this and feels moved but at the same time motivated, so you can see a small sparkle in his eyes. With a look of determination and clenching his fists he exclaims…

Morton: OKAY, LET'S START

That catches Mykey's attention, which makes him look with a proud smile

Mykey: I agree

Thus, each afternoon they met, Morton's desire to know more increased. Bobby usually accompanies them at that meeting, writing down his own thoughts.

…………………………………………

The next day, already the fourth day where Morton and Mykey meet, Bobby also heads there, but before that Jr and Larry were waiting for him nearby.

Bobby: Hey, guys

Larry: Hi, Bob. I wanted to know if you're going to do anything right now.

Bobby: Well... I was going to be with Morton and my brother. Why?

Larry: Well, I was wondering if you want to play with us a little bit. We missed you last night

Bobby subtly looks down and then looks from him to his friends.

Bobby: Well, I don't know, are you going to argue again?

Larry and Jr. felt a tone of annoyance from Bobby

Larry: uh... I...

Jr.: (interrupts) it’s my fault, Bobby. I was the one who was in a bad mood and I made things worse, I'm sorry (puts both index fingers together, looking down)

Larry: Yeah, and I didn't help either (puts his hand on the back of his neck) I'm sorry too.

Bobby: Well, we could play later. Right now I'm going to write a little. I have ideas and I don't want to forget them. I will gladly play with you again another time.

Larry: promise me?

Bobby: I promise, but don't be so competitive again; the idea is to have fun.

– I promise, Bobby –both brothers said in unison. Hearing that, Bobby smiles and then enters Kamek's office. There, the little brothers are left wondering what they will do.

Jr.: and now what do we do?

Larry: Do you want to play something?

Jr.: nah, this time I would like to do something different

Larry: any idea?

Jr.: Do you want to see my drawings while we listen to your music?

Larry: That... seems like a great idea. Come on!

Thus, the little ones head to their rooms to spend the afternoon. While they walk they continue talking

Larry: and how are you doing with your homework?

Jr.: good. I have learned a lot of things

Larry: That's good, Jr., I hope this year goes well for you with that.

Jr.: thanks, also to you with Spanish

Larry: Yeah, I have to get better at that, but I'll be fine.

They both walk away laughing and talking. In the distance you could see Roy, who listened to the conversation that Bobby, Jr. and Larry had, remaining somewhat thoughtful.

The young Koopa remembers the last thing Jr. told him: “just forget it. I already have Larry for discussions”. Those words echoed in Roy's mind.

Roy: (thinking) wow, those two really get along even though they fight. Maybe I'm losing sensitivity, maybe I... (Sighs)

Roy leans with his back to the wall and crosses his arms, also resting his foot on the wall, sighing lightly. Before this, King Bowser passes by with Ludwig. They both notice Roy.

Bowser: What are you doing here, son?

Roy is surprised because he didn't see them coming, but he hides it by moving his head in their direction and raising his eyebrows.

Roy: Oh, hello, dad. Nothing, just here, leaning against the wall. What do you say?

Bowser: I was going out to the neighboring village to see about something. It won't take long. Behave well and don't cause a disaster, I'll know. I love you so much

After saying that, the king retreats towards the main door, leaving Ludwig with Roy.

Roy: I thought you were going with them, gnocchi-head.

Ludwig: nah, I was going to my room to practice the piano.

Roy: Ah, yeah (shrugs) well for you, I guess.

Ludwig: Seriously, what were you doing here?

Roy: nothing, I was just here, doing nothing

Ludwig narrows his eyes suspiciously and looks at Roy.

Roy: what?

Ludwig: You're not fooling me, Roy.

The young man with glasses places his two feet on the ground and stands face to face with his brother, somewhat annoyed.

Roy: don't bother me, stupid (points Ludwig with the index finger towards his chest) besides, you don't know me

Ludwig: maybe, but I know that, generally, when you lean against the wall like that like a bad guy, it's because you did something (he crosses his arms)

Roy: ugh…

Ludwig: Am I wrong?

Roy remains silent for a moment. After that he clenches his fists and releases them, giving a big sigh, lowering his gaze.

Roy: damn it... (Sighs again) you win...

Ludwig raises an eyebrow. Roy tells him about the incident with Jr. and why he was so defensive.

Ludwig: Was all this because you felt jealous?

Roy doesn't answer, scratching his cheek, looking away, slightly embarrassed.

Ludwig: (shakes his head) oh, wow... you know? You shouldn't give so much importance to that, after all you are not very affectionate, right? I don't see the point in this being a problem.

Roy remained silent again, looking at his brother, and then exclaimed a few words.

Roy: Yeah, you're right, heh heh! I am more of strength than of speech

Ludwig: I can see it, anyway… I'll go rehearse. Good luck, Mr. “hugger”

Roy: hey, don't go too far, don't call me that, and don't tell anyone this either, you hear me?

Ludwig: calm down. I'm really not interested in going around saying things that are none of my business.

Roy: You better, because otherwise... (Cracks his knuckles)

Ludwig: yeah, yeah, I know, the same as always, blah, blah… you might as well have another way of “convincing”, don't you think?

At those words, Roy subtly gritted his teeth while clenching his fist. It seemed like he was going to explode at any moment, but he just turned around and walked away, stomping his feet and slamming the hallway door.

Ludwig viewed him with some disdain, so, shrugging his shoulders, he turns around and leaves. However, before leaving he looks at the door to Kamek's office. His gaze reflects a feeling of contempt, so he cockily shakes his chin to the side and walks away.

…………………………………………………

A few days later, it being a week since Mykey began teaching Morton, the dark-skinned Koopa was already more advanced in writing and as he could, he read short stories to exercise.

At one of those readings, he was accompanied by Mykey, Bobby, Larry and Jr., who listened attentively and patiently.

Morton: (whispers) (…) and they lived… uh… happily… e… ever after. The end

The four Koopas applauded when Morton finished reading.

Mykey: You're doing very well, Morton.

Bobby: Yes, it was very entertaining.

Larry and Jr smile and nod frantically; Morton blushes and laughs a little.

Morton: (whispers) Th-thank you guys heh heh...

The dark-skinned Koopa hadn't noticed but he was learning faster and faster and he liked that. Mykey gets up from his seat

Mykey: well, the reading exercise is over

Jr.: So class is over?

Larry: yes, recess!!

Bobby: Well, we're volunteers, remember?

Larry: I know, but I like to say it. It's my favorite period of school

Bobby: I think so.

Bobby boops his nose at Larry, who blushes and smiles silently; Jr. laughs almost silently.

Jr.: well, let's play cards, okay?

Larry: nah, I don't know, I'm not sure.

Bobby: I do want to play cards; it's a lot of fun.

Larry stares at Bobby for a moment and then continues talking.

Larry: On second thought, playing cards isn't so bad, heh. Come on?

Jr. looks at Larry with a raised eyebrow and then rounds his eyes in the opposite direction.

Jr.: Let's see if you decide... (Whispers) fool...

Larry laughs nervously as he scratches the back of his neck; everyone there laughs too

Bobby: well, let's go

After that, Bobby takes both of their hands and the three little ones leave almost running. Morton and Mykey chuckle and shrug.

A few moments later, Morton leaves his book on the table and Mykey makes a small intervention.

Mykey: Well, Morton, it's time to practice “that.”

Morton: (whispers) is it time? Great!!

Morton nods and decides to sit down. Mykey sits next to him and looks him in the face.

For his part, Bobby was going with the boys to Larry's room, but then he stops short, which catches the attention of Jr. and Larry.

Jr.: what's wrong?

Bobby: I just forgot my things. I'll be back

Larry: we are waiting for you here

Bobby: don't start without me

Thus, the little green-haired boy walks back to where his things were. On the way he meets Ludwig as he turns a corner, which had finished his piano practice and was going to drink some water.

Bobby: ah, hello Ludwig.

Ludwig: oh, hello little one. What's up?

Bobby: I was going to look for something I forgot.

Ludwig: I see.

Bobby: Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go so I can play with Larry and Jr.

At that, Bobby continues on his way but is stopped by Ludwig.

Ludwig: w-wait... Bobby!

Bobby stops dead, reacting to the call of his name, and turns around with a look of doubt.

Bobby: Yes? What's wrong, Ludwig?

Ludwig, with a serene expression, was about to say something to him, but he closes his mouth and looks at the little Koopa, noticing his green eyes as bright as spring grass.

Ludwig: ah, no, nothing. I was going to tell you something, but I forgot, heh. Sorry

Bobby tilts his head a little and looks at him very confused.

Bobby: well, but if you remember, tell me (smiles at him)

Ludwig: s-sure... (Smiles shyly)

At that, Bobby turns around and continues on his way. Ludwig thinks while he turns around and goes to the kitchen.

Ludwig: (thinking) that kid is... adorable... but... I still don't completely trust them... however... that look on Bobby's face is so innocent that he doesn't seem to be bad... what's more... I even like him more than my brothers...

He reaches the kitchen and prepares to pour himself water, but instantly changes his mind and pours milk into his favorite cup, which is a dark blue one with a treble clef and a musical staff, with his name in gold on the other cylinder face. Slurping a little and exhaling a sigh, he continues thinking

Ludwig: (thinking) and... Now that I think about it... Mykey's eyes don't seem to show evil... what's more... I've never seen eyes of that grayish color... and it's rare... I wonder what it is... I still don't deny that he has beautiful eyes

Thinking that last thing, he takes a sip but when he realizes what he was thinking he chokes a little, causing him to cough abruptly, leaving the cup aside. Afterwards, Ludwig quickly covers his mouth and shakes from shock.

Ludwig: (thinking) what the hell am I thinking? Did I say “beautiful”? No. This must be a joke, how can I go around thinking that... and especially about someone I don't like?

As Ludwig continues to wrestle with his thoughts, a pang manifests itself again. This causes him to put his hands on his head and scream a little out of discomfort.

Ludwig: (thinking) great, this again...

Ludwig leans down and rests one knee on the floor, holding his hands off the furniture. When trying to get back up, he accidentally grabs the cup and it bounces, accidentally knocking it to the ground, causing it to break and make a loud noise that makes the blue Koopaling more upset, who cannot believe what just happened.

Little by little Ludwig sits on the ground and holds onto his knees while he still holds his head where the pain hurts, which is decreasing in intensity. The Koopa breathes softly to calm himself. Ludwig doesn't avoid looking at the broken cup and sighing in disappointment.

Just then Kamek, who had heard the noise, arrives and looks at Ludwig.

Kamek: what happened?

The young Koopa lowered his gaze and trying to hide

Ludwig: I knocked over my cup by mistake (gets up) don't worry, I'll clean up.

Kamek: o-okay... just be careful not to cut yourself

Ludwig: Do you take me for a fool? I'm not dad Bowser...

The young Koopa goes to pick up the remains of the cup when it suddenly cuts off, causing him to let out a groan. Noticing the wound on his finger, Ludwig puts it in his mouth to stop the bleeding.

Kamek, who had brought him the broom and a rag, looks at him somewhat disappointed for not having been more careful and crosses his arms.

Kamek: Did you say...?

Ludwig: I know, I know, I deserve it for being a big mouth...

The magikoopa takes a bandage out of his tunic pocket and places it on Ludwig's wound. Moments later, the Koopa in blue begins to sweep and then dry the floor, with a thoughtful look. Kamek notices him and asks him

Kamek: everything’s okay?

Ludwig: Yeah, I just can't believe I was stupid enough to break my mug.

Kamek: Oh, Ludwig, don't say that... accidents happen. Although... how did you drop it?

The Koopa in blue remained silent for a few seconds without looking at Kamek, and then answered the question.

Ludwig: I was just drinking milk when I slipped it. I thought I was holding it well, but I wasn't (he shrugs his shoulders) anyway...

Kamek: mmm… I understand

Ludwig finished collecting the remains and was going to throw them in the trash.

The young Koopa did not want to talk in detail about what really happened to him, he did not want to be invaded by questions, because he knew, or rather assumed, that Kamek would not stop investigating his affairs, which Ludwig did not like. Ludwig hates being suffocated by anyone, including his father and Kamek.

Ludwig just nodded and shrugged. The magikoopa changes the topic.

Kamek: well, the king is about to arrive. I'll start getting the table ready. Can you tell your siblings that dinner will be there in a moment?

Ludwig: (with a subtle discouragement) of course, I'll tell them

Ludwig leaves the kitchen and heads towards the central hallway, with a more thoughtful look and holding where he had had the sting, gently.

Ludwig: (thinking) no one has to know about this. I will be the mockery of everyone here...

The Koopa arrives at Kamek's office and knocks on the door. He waits a few moments and someone opens the door and both Morton and Mykey come out.

Mykey: oh! Hi, Ludwig

Ludwig: Hello. I came to tell them that dinner will be soon

Morton: YAY!! TIME TO DINNER!!

Ludwig covered his ears, looking somewhat annoyed. Morton notices this and covers his mouth and the Koopa in blue decides to ignore him.

Ludwig: well, Kamek says that we have to tell the others, can I please ask you to tell the little ones, Mykey? They're playing in Larry's room, I think

Mykey: sure, with pleasure (looks at Ludwig's injured finger) what happened to you? (Points there)

Ludwig: (hides his hands) nothing… d-don't worry

Mykey: oh, well, if you say so... (Shrugs) anyway, just now we were going to rest from so much reading

Ludwig: oh yeah? And how are you doing?

Mykey: We're doing well. Morton gives it his all, doesn't he, Morton?

Ludwig: (raising an eyebrow) oh yeah?

Morton nods, his mouth still covered by his hands.

Ludwig: Maybe don't get too excited, Mykey. Morton is special, it has taken him years to pronounce words well, imagine reading. By the time he is an adult he will still be receiving kindergarten lessons.

Mykey: yes, what a good joke, heh!

Ludwig: (rolls his eyes) it wasn't a joke.

That comment was greatly embarrassing Morton, who removed his hands from his mouth and frowned without saying anything.

Mykey: it may take him longer, but no one is born knowing

Ludwig: oh yeah? Seven years? Seven years does it take you to learn? I'm surprised it didn't take him seven years to potty train.

Morton was feeling more embarrassed and every second he spent listening he became more irritated, not wanting to be there, so he covered his eyes.

Ludwig: (sarcastically) don’t you have anything to say, Morton?

Mykey: Ludwig...

Ludwig ignores Mykey and continues with his sarcastic tone.

Ludwig: Oh, wait... you can't say things, you shout them, like every good caveman who only eats and hits, nothing more. You can't even fit any more in your mind despite having a head as big as a watermelon.

Morton manages to get a look of complete fury on his face, so, clenching his fists, he utters some strong words.

Morton: (screams) MORTON HATES YOU!!!

With that scream, both Mykey and Ludwig cover their ears and close their eyes. Later Morton returns to the room and whips it very hard, sending a gust of wind into the hair of both Koopas. With the impact and inadvertently, Morton manages to knock over some flower pots that were hanging as ornaments in the hallway.

Mykey: Morton...

Ludwig: he'll get over it, it's always like that

Mykey looks at Ludwig seriously. The Koopa in blue can't help but feel a little uncomfortable

Ludwig: (looking away) d-did I say a lie?

Mykey: (sighs) I guess that doesn't matter anymore... (Looks at Morton's door and then turns to Larry's room) I'd better go get my brother

As Mykey goes there, Ludwig looks at him with some regret, but when he sees his eyes, he notices that his grayish irises acquire a rapidly shifting bluish glow for a moment. Ludwig is surprised when he sees this but believes it is his imagination, so he does not take it into account and heads in the opposite direction to see his other siblings.

Ludwig: (thinking) I must be imagining things...

Later, at dinner everyone was gathered including King Bowser, except for Morton. This doesn't go unnoticed, so Lemmy asks the question

Lemmy: Where's Mort?

Mykey: he's in his room

Roy: how strange... he's one of the first to come when there's food involved ha, ha...

Wendy, Lemmy and Iggy look at him somewhat seriously, which makes Roy stop laughing.

Roy: don't worry, it was a joke.

Jr. decides to make an intervention without looking at Roy.

Jr.: it's too bad that your jokes are the same as your way of speaking: completely null...

At this comment given by the little redhead, the others were doubtful and surprised, especially Roy.

Roy: Are you still upset about midday?

Lemmy: what happened at noon?

- Nothing!! I don't want to talk about that... -both Jr. and Roy say in unison, which look at each other in surprise and then look away. This catches the King's attention.

Bowser: wow, calm down, my children. If you argued, it is best to resolve it

Roy: I...

Jr.: (interrupts) I have nothing to discuss, dad...

Roy: well... what he said...

Roy's eyes were not noticeable, but his eyebrows were, which detonated some discomfort, while Jr. rested his face on his hand, which was held by his arm on the table.

Bobby, for his part, served some juice to Jr., who silently thanks him and drinks a little. Bobby smiles at him and Jr. later does too.

Bowser, returning to the topic of Morton, can't help but comment something about it.

Bowser: I'll go look for him. If he doesn't want to eat it's because something serious is happening to him.

Mykey: Mr. Bowser, I don't recommend it for now.

Bowser: what do you mean?

Mykey: well... when I went to his room to tell him...

Mykey was remembering when, after telling the little ones, he went to Morton...

FLASHBACK

There, Mykey wasn't sure, but he decided to knock on the door. He didn't know if the dark-skinned Koopa would be in the mood to receive him.

Mykey: Morton? Dude, are you there?

A few moments later the internal lock opens and he surprisingly takes Mykey by the hand and pulls him inside. While inside, Morton locks the door again. Mykey couldn't see almost anything, because the room was dark.

Before Mykey could say a few words, opening his mouth in the process, he is interrupted by a sob from Morton. Mykey hears him and goes to turn on the light, managing to see Morton, who was crying, so he subtly approaches him.

Mykey: oh, Morton...

Morton: MORTON... (Whispers) is fed up... he doesn't want any more...

Mykey gives a long sigh, then takes Morton by the hand and leads him to sit on the bed, which the Koopaling does. Mykey sits on the floor in front of him and gets into the lotus position.

Mykey: Morton… I'm really sorry that Ludwig said those things.

Morton: (whispers) but... it's true... everything Ludwig said... (Sobs) Morton is a disaster and always will be... everyone thinks it... even dad must think it

Mykey: I don't think so, Morton... you have moved forward, at your own pace, but you have done it.

Morton: but... it's not enough... it's never enough for Ludwig... Morton... wants to quit... it-it's not worth your time to teach Morton, he's always going to fail (sobs)

Mykey looks at him and feels a small sense of pity for the young Koopa, and no wonder: his brother humiliated him.

A few moments later, Mykey gets up and goes to get a copybook that was on a small table near the window and returns to Morton. The indigo Koopa opens the copybook and shows Morton the contents.

Mykey: Tell me something: can you read what he says here, please?

Morton wipes his tears a little with his palms and then focuses her gaze from him to the notebook.

Morton: “ME…SL…UP…” ah…w-what?

Mykey: Do you remember that you wrote that while you were trying to put your name in for the first time?

Morton: ah… Morton thinks so…

Mykey: well... (Turns the page) and now what does he say?

Morton: “MO… R… TO… N…” there it says Morton…

Morton groans in surprise and Mykey continues…

Mykey: Do you think that if you were a failure, Morton, you wouldn't have started to improve?

Morton looks down and is thoughtful.

Mykey: listen to me carefully, Morton... (Takes both his hands and looks him in the face) “Brick by brick builds a castle”, remember it well. It is true that you take time to learn, but it is better this way than doing it in a hurry and doing it all wrong. I see it in your eyes, I know that what others say about you affects you, but I also see a look of determination, like when he saw my little brother writing his notes.

Morton: well... y-yes, you're right... but... Ludwig...

Mykey: (interrupts) Morton... others shouldn't decide for you. It is you who decides. It is you who wants to improve. If others don't see that, they are the ones who miss out.

Morton looks down and sighs.

Morton: that... is true...

Mykey gets up and strokes Morton’s head, which makes Morton surprised and sees that Mykey is smiling at him. The older Koopa looks in the copybook for something specific. Upon finding it he shows it to Morton

Mykey: and what does it say here?

Morton: “I… A-AM… M-MOR… TON…” “I am Morton.”

Mykey: Exactly, you're Morton. This was something you wrote, remember? I recommend that you always read it and don't forget who you are. Being yourself is something that no one can take away from you.

Morton: y-you're right... Mykey (starts to smile)

Mykey: heh heh... and tell me something: are you happy being Morton?

The smaller Koopa made a confused face and answered timidly

Morton: (whispers) y-yes...

Mykey: I can't hear you (saying it with a slight mocking tone)

Morton: (whispers a little louder) y-yes!

Mykey shakes his head, smiling.

Mykey: nothing yet

Morton didn't want to talk as usual because that meant that his loud noise would bother Mykey, but upon noticing that the older Koopa was looking at him for an answer, he decides to talk...

However…

END OF FLASHBACK

Mykey smiles as he comes out of his trance, then looks at King Bowser. The Indigo Koopa omits to tell all this to the others, to which he limits himself to saying...

Mykey: well… he told me that he needed a few minutes to rest, that he would come

Bowser: so...?

The king is interrupted by the sound of the side door, from which Morton comes with all possible serenity

Mykey: yep, here he comes

Morton: Morton is sorry it took so long, he was a little busy.

Ludwig: doing what?

Morton glances at his older brother but ignores him and goes to his place.

Morton: Mykey… THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! (Smile)

Mykey: why?

Morton: (whispers) well... you asked Morton if he's happy being Morton, right? Well… Morton has to say something to that…

Lemmy: and what would it be?

Morton: YES!! MORTON IS HAPPY BEING MORTON!! I AM MORTON!!

Mykey: (nods) that's good, Morton

Everyone there gapes in surprise, except for Mykey. They did not believe that Morton would speak in the first person, even once

Morton: now... MORTON IS HUNGRY...

Bowser: Yep, Morton is the same as always (laughs loudly)

The other Koopalings laugh at that too. Morton is blushing but happy that his brothers are laughing with him and not at him.

Mykey: (thinking) was “that” what you needed…

FLASHBACK

Mykey: Well, Morton, it's time to practice “that.”

Morton: (whispers) is it time? Great!!

Morton nods and decides to sit down. Mykey sits next to him and looks him in the face.

Mykey: repeat after me: “I am…”

Morton: “I-I… am…”

Mykey: “Morton…”

Morton: “M-Morton…?”

Mykey: (nods) now say it all together

Morton: “I… am… Morton…”

Mykey: very good!! Now write it please

Morton settles down and takes the pencil from him, slowly writing that sentence. After finishing it, Morton shows it to Mykey, who gives it a thumb up.

END OF FLASHBACK

For his part, Ludwig looked at the situation with some surprise and observed how Mykey had his sights set on Morton. Mykey felt that Ludwig was looking at him, so he moves his eyes in Ludwig's direction, which looks away as soon as that happens, blushing a little in the process. Mykey smiles and then decides to continue eating. Morton does the same and the good atmosphere continues.

However, Ludwig was somewhat lost in his thoughts. Seeing Morton so happy made him feel sorry for what he had said to him, and having Mykey help him cheer him up was something that made him feel even more guilty.

For some reason, Mykey looked at him out of the corner of his eye and noticed that expression. He didn't want to stifle him because he could cause even more trouble, but he doesn't usually leave things like that. Whatever he has in mind, he will take it easy… or maybe not?

- END OF CHAPTER -

__________

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[carebooks]

my S2 rewatch of HOA

so the thing about HOA is that the first couple episodes are always the weakest, it’s before the mystery begins and it’s not that interesting

i despise love triangles and the fact that couples break up due to misunderstanding so fabina breaking up so fast wasn’t fun for me

alfie was the best part of those first couple of episodes in his amber quest, the king tut outfit was iconic

i love bobby lockwood, sad to see him go, glad that it was for wolfblood

i should rewatch that after i finish hoa

joy’s storyline being completely fabian obsessed isn’t my favorite either, especially bc we see how organized and smart she is in planning events, that was fun, and we could’ve explored her having more tense moments around the teachers and victor.

though Klariza plays her with such charismatic acting that hey, Joy's in her villain era and she works it so well. im highly attracted to her when she's in control and scenes where she's just a plain bitch, like not signing up Mara for the competition. it's not a good thing to do obviously, still kinda hot in a villain way.

but anyway, all in all i hate making her into this almost wattpad-like character that is all about the boy and makes Nina into this horrible person that stole everything from her when there was never any build up to them being enemies. like never.

seeing her high-five mr. sweet was all around weird when you remember he was one of the adults responsible for her kidnapping

not even ms. andrews tries to apologize. come on daphne, you’re the one of these assholes i like (adults i mean)

i dont even like jasper all that much

WAIT NO IM SORRY TRUDY I DIDN’T MEAN IT YOU’RE A TREASURE AND IK I WOULD LOVE YOUR CHOCOLATE CAKE IF I HAD IT

i gotta say, victor playing young sarah’s message about ‘the atheneum is the place to look. lift the wings to find the book. hidden in this book of old, water of life and tears of gold.’

i recited that from memory

im just wondering, why did little sarah do that? record that message? did dad tell her about it? did she figure it out and did it herself? gimme context @frobisher-smythe if you got any

lets review some characters so far yeah?

eddie really doesn’t get the vibe that he’s in a boarding school with rules, it’s hilarious to see him make pancake runs in the kitchen and have victor catch him and him try to talk victor into it. he’s the newest kid so it makes sense especially when you count in his troublemaker personality. but still quite refreshing, i want to see him succeed one day, get victor to do a pancake run with him and get him to feel like a kid for once bc the guy is 95 and you best bet he didn’t feel like a kid even when he was a kid.

jerome is particularly interesting with his sister. he almost feels like a parent actually. poppy said so herself that she keeps his pictures on her phone because he was there for her, he came to recitals their mother flaked on, and he was there a lot. he tells mara he ‘trained her himself’ so he definitely spent time around her when she was little. and he takes her phone, keeps it, and if you rewatch the episode during the masked ball where she’s hiding and trying to get the letter and he feels betrayed by mara for her helping poppy do this, he sounds like a dad. he sounds like a dad trying to keep his kid out of trouble. and its really sad when you think about how he had to grow up fast. he’s been at boarding school since he was 5 years old, and the thing about boarding school is that it’s teenagers gaining some independence from parents, they’re alone more often despite the adult supervision, they don’t have their parents. jerome basically spent the better of 10 months every year since he was 5 without his parents. no wonder he became the way he is, and no wonder he tried to be there for his sister when she was growing up.

when he gets kidnapped by Rufus and he's fighting back, Rufus threatens to get Poppy as well and it's the absolute horror on his face that really sells it to me.

ngl, i feel bad for victor. rufus clearly sent vera with all the bullet points on how to sweeten up to the old bird and he is falling hard and fast. “smart and pretty lady likes to stuff animals AND she despises children? plus she cooks?” im surprised he didn't propose on the spot

idk about ya'll but i completely forgot about whether or not Vera really cared about Victor since i havent seen this in a minute. so lets talk about her. Vera's motives can be seen as though she's completely in cahoots with Rufus but really she's just a hired gun. he likes her, sure, but she genuinely believes that Rufus is insane. the whole 'becoming a god via the mask' is just too wild for her. think about it, from her perspective the Mask is a really old, really priceless thing she can exchange for lots of money but this old English bloke created a set of tunnels, why? bc rich people are weird. that's understandable, that's somewhat believable, the evil Senkhara ghost thing? pff, that’s going in the denial bucket. she denies it so much even after her frozen debacle. but even if she believed it all she wanted was riches in this life not the afterlife. and when he gets the wrong mask, he threatens to kill her, so she shifts her allegiances. get the mask, if this elixir thing Victor talks about is real then even better for her but overall? sell the damn thing and get rich. she might not have been 100% on Rufus or Victor's side, she was on her own side.

we’re finally at the chasm episode and they got the crocodile and i forgot this is where the rest of sibuna comes in!!! yeah!!

reminder that Eddie speaks fluent French. and so does Nina.

Alfie did an improvized interpreted dance for Ms. Andrews. it was glorious.

Victor reading Amber’s diary, “How can a man with perfectly groomed facial hair be so horrid?” as he proceeds to check out said facial hair in the mirror. fucking amazing

NOT AMBER FLASHING THE AMULET IN FRONT OF VICTOR BABE YOU’RE BETTER THAN THAT

not gonna lie, the phobia episode was so interesting when it came to Alfie. we love seeing his progress.

the fact that the Book of Isis was in the study the entire time, no one, not even Victor would’ve found it with the idea of the Mask on everyone’s head

Alfie being a genius with the itching powder

i remember someone posting about the episode where they all keep Victor awake to take the amulets off him, and man i agree, it’s a goddamn hoot

i love it when everyone comes together for something. reminds me of the episode of the cameras where alfie and jerome come up with staring at victor through them.

Alfie killing two birds with one stone, getting to do a fun jewelry heist with his best friend whilst scoring a point for Sibuna.

holy shit, guys, i think Alfie’s my favorite character.

you just know he had so much fun shaking that case.

when victor sleeps, he cuddles corbierre. its adorable.

again, some times i feel so bad for Victor this season, can’t see that Vera is clearly manipulating him.

I know a lot of people didn’t care for the goose chase and the other goose stuff. but the line, said by Alfie, “Alfie knows people.” when explaining how he got the goose is top tier for me

am i the only person thinking that Mr. Sweet feigned knowing Jerome’s dad because he was somewhat responsible for him going to jail? like idk, they were all in on it and pushed John under the bus? otherwise, why deny it and act all sus? @frobisher-smythe @mask-of-anubis thoughts?

damn, i forgot how long the hathor challenge took. between them all being hexed and trying to do everyday stuff with the hexes. nina gets real pushy and unlikeable but i mean i understand, she’s seriously under pressure, her and her friends lives are on the line and she’s the only one who isn’t hexed so she's the only one fully concentrated on the task, plus she feels massively guilty for doing all this. it’s bound to happen.

i suddenly remembered they need a cowbell or smth for this task. ugh, im not gonna lie, this was my least favorite one. probably bc it was just so long.

Jasper stealing the gem and Jerome declaring war. I don’t know why but it’s hilarious. Jasper you have no idea what you’ve started. i forgot that eventually Jerome and Jasper team up and that was actually pretty fun. Jerome started it out because of the Gem, bc Jasper stole it and then finds out that Trudy got kidnapped by this 'Collector', they're in cahoots now and y'know what, Jerome getting into this sketchy business is very-Jerome. idk it just fits his character, both he and Jasper have things to hide, and it's still about Egypt and/or the Frobisher-Smythes so it doesn't feel out of place, it's perfect.

Nina and Fabian hiding in the attic from Jerome and Jerome hiding under Vera’s bed from Vera.

when Sibuna + Jerome figures out that Rufus is back and then they actually decide to tell Victor is a pretty big deal. i really like it. because at this point, it's not about the Cup, it's not about the Mask, it's about Rufus. and that's never a good idea to keep secret. so instead, they immediately tell him, they tell him the truth about Vera, and big reminder that the number 1 rule in Sibuna is to not involve the adults. but they are all so terrified of this man that they know not to keep this hidden. and this time it's Victor who screws up by not believing them (but can ya blame him, all they do is lie)

reminder that during the scheme into giving Rufus a fake mask, Alfie was given the ‘replica’ to give it a new paint job so as to pass it off as the real one. so, not only did Rufus actually have the real one in his hands, throw it across the room, and dented it, but, out of all the Sibuna members, Alfie was the first one to hold the real Mask of Anubis.

and he painted it.

ok so, random thing but i’ve got to say, Klariza Clayton’s acting is incredible. i love Nathalia Ramos but some times certain scenes are left to be desired. but when Joy starts crying her eyes out, even when she knows she’s done bad, it’s heartbreaking and even relatable. Nina however, has to be written a lot in cliffhanging scenes that end up being more silly than serious by the next episode. but it's just a couple of scenes, not the whole show.

so, Victor Sr. died in pursuit of the Mask. does that mean he went through all the tasks? if so, how did they all get reset? and where are his bones?! did Nina just summon up his ghost out of nowhere??

i love how they all have good and proper reactions to Nina getting lost to the game. Alfie's freaking out, he's scared shitless. Patricia is yelling and silently crying. Amber's scared with shock that she couldn't even remember her steps to go back and her tears are much louder than the others. but not louder than Fabian's. he is an absolute wreck, sobbing the loudest and angry and just— just brilliant acting by Brad Kavanagh.

i've got to say, having Nina be benched first is weirdly perfect. it was a red herring that Amber was going to go down first, but instead, it was the main character. and everyone's feeling that loss. and it gives Nina a chance to talk to Victor Sr. and get some exposition about being the Chosen One and find out about the Osirian.

ok, so the next time they play the game, PROPS TO MY FAVORITE: ALFIE LEWIS MANAGING TO NOT GET SWALLOWED UP BY THE GAME BOARDS HE’S AN ICON, PEOPLE. NO ONE ELSE COULD DO IT

them all nominating people to bring over who are smart at chess but also needing someone ‘sneaky’

- Fabian picks Joy

- Amber picks Mara

- Alfie picks Jerome

- and Trixxie picks no one, vv Patricia

idk why but i liked that, they all had good choices, but Joy really was the one. glad she joined in.

i completely forgot that Trudy’s memory doctor was Rufus until he literally rips off the mask.

let me repeat that. Rufus Zeno. rips off his face. Scooby-Doo villain style. this is an actual thing that happened.

i completely forgot that Alfie gets taken by the game during Victor’s period as the gamemaster. ugh. Fabian, this was your idea, first Nina now ALFIE? you seriously suck during this task. buddy, come on, you were great for the spiderweb one but now? get your act together.

I FORGOT THIS IS THE EPISODE THAT JEROME GETS KIDNAPPED FUCK YOU RUFUS

hey Eddie, great Osirian instincts on being able to detect danger. *sarcasm*

the fact that Victor actually tries to call Sweet about Alfie's disappearance, and Alfie’s his least favorite last I checked (that or Eddie probably is) (some might say Nina but i think it’s mainly a rival thing rather than dislike) it tells you, just like when Alfie was immediately lost, Victor was beside himself, he refused to do this, hurting the students wasn't part of the plan. when you think about it, i don't think Victor really likes seeing children in pain, he was obviously abused as a child himself and then he took it out on Sarah, doing the same to her. he may enjoy punishing them with the most inconvenient cleaning supplies but actually hurting or killing any of them was out of the question.

AND THEN FABIAN MESSES UP AGAIN LOSING AMBER AND PATRICIA WHEN JOY'S THE GAMEMASTER BRO COME ON

FABIAN, MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST NOT HELP?? YOU LOST NINA, YOU ALMOST LOST ALFIE, THEN YOU ACTUALLY LOST ALFIE, THEN THE GIRLS. NOTHING YOU'VE DONE IS GOOD DURING THIS GAME.

i honestly love how it comes full circle with Sarah’s doll riddle leading them not to the book of isis but to the key that led to the mask.

AND jerome’s gem being part of what completes the mask.

this season is fucking genius i swear.

AGAIN the idea that Senkhara was planning on having Nina wear it all along— it’s so deceptively obvious but no one ever expects it because we just don't question it. Amber asks what Senkhara even wants the Mask for anyway, she's dead. it’s so fucking cool

i think as a kid i understood that maybe Senkhara was tied to the Mask, that she needed Nina or something to unleash her so she could be free and then they'd find a way to tie her back or banish her

WE WERE CHEATED

I WANT THE ENTIRE SCENE OF ALFIE RUNNING THROUGH ALL THE TUNNELS WITH THE FAKE MASK W THESE TWO 90-YEAR-OLD MEN ON HIS TAIL

i finally got to hear the voices that Eddie's been hearing and the final one, "Find Nina," was Sarah's voice. (at least that's what it sounded like) that was so nice.

i also have a theory about Nina and the Dollhouse. what if Sarah wasn't actually watching them the entire time and Nina was actually unknowingly using her Chosen One powers? times where she legit asks the dollhouse for help, it lights up, after a while it feels like lazy writing for them to find answers quick rather than writing more clues for them to find. we've established that Nina can see the dead, she has 'the gift of sight' as Victor Sr. said. and Eddie can also see the dead, but he can also banish (and eventually have visions). so how do we know that Nina can't summon the dead as well? she constantly dreamt of Sarah, and now she's summoning her for information or help, only through a dollhouse instead of a crystal ball.

Nina telling Victor she had something for him and it was from his father, the utter confusion on his face as to how she could have possibly found this and her giving that message to him, "He says, sorry." as he holds it and weeps.

see, this is another reason to dislike S3, because when he's told that Nina won't be coming back he's glad of it, "she brought too much trouble" which ok fair, but you still wouldn't have gotten the cup because you had the wrong Chosen One, and never would've found the Mask anyway. she brings trouble for you but she's also the only reason things happen. and then he puts her down as being a 'bad influence' in front of Fabian the rest, and Fabian just explodes. like come on, the last time Victor saw Nina she was doing him a kindness, she gave him his father's ring. told him that his father was sorry. and the ring turned out to contain a tear of gold tHAT WE NEVER HEAR ABOUT EVER AGAIN.

what else, what else, what else.

i stand by being a Neddie shipper, because as said before by the resident neddie truther, @frobisher-smythe they have great personalities that compliment each other well.

I'm not surprised that Patricia broke up with Eddie, she's afraid of getting hurt so she does the hurting but the thing is that as a couple, while they enjoy bantering and have a lot in common, they could be foils for each other. kinda like Beck and Jade from Victorious. they're an iconic couple with a cool dude and a mean girl, but the thing about them is that they're incredibly toxic. that doesn't make them uninteresting, but very bad for each other. while i don't think Peddie is full-on toxic, they do have certain things going on like trust issues and lying (on both sides) and jealously issues too. and if you're that insecure about your relationship, if what you have with your partner is so fragile that you can't trust them around other people then why be with them?

Neddie had potential to be something huge and they couldn't even be bothered to explore it a lil bit.

well, i think thats about it, i hope you liked this messy review, the upcoming clips of some of my favorite moments, and be on the look out for my new sibuna inspired side-blog. i think i may get into writing one-shots again over there. @houseofwolfbloods