#with brba he said that walter did what had to be done… and that jesse was very stupid for following along

[my-wildflwr]

my dad is genuinely one of the smartest people i know but when it comes to media literacy his brain stops working. he takes everything at face value. absolutely no thinking. he’s like a baby watching a youtube video and it pisses me off

[quin-ns]

Taking Care (Saul Goodman x Reader)

Word count: 2K

Summary: after jesse beats up saul you help fix him up

Tags: brba ep. 5x11, canon violence, canon behavior, blood mention, hurt/comfort kinda, hurt!saul, saul being a bit sleazy but it’s goofy it’s fine, fluff, flirting, humor/comedy, very light hearted despite the episode, kissing, happy end :)

A/N: finished breaking bad and couldn’t get this episode out of my brain. im a saul simp now and even tho he lowkey deserved it i didn’t like seeing him get beat up. my self indulgent fix it- idk how big the fandom for saul fics is so I’ll just have to see lol

Cross-posted to ao3 • brbabcs masterlist • writing masterlist

As you headed into Saul’s office from the waiting room, you heard a commotion. Saul was screaming at someone. The door had been kicked in. You’d seen some pretty crazy things happen here, but you were in no way expecting to find Jesse being the cause of the chaos.

“Jesse! Stop!” you shouted, gaining the young man’s attention. He was standing over Saul—who was on the ground, hands raised in defense—with a gun pointed on the man.

Jesse stared at you in surprise, obviously not anticipating your arrival. His jaw tightened and he looked guilty. You were one of the only people left whose opinion of him actually mattered to Jesse. The two of you were friends; you could only hope he’d listen to you.

“Oh Y/N, thank god,” Saul said in relief when he spotted you in the room. “Call the police!”

You weren’t sure if he was serious or not—Saul never wanted police at his office—but it must’ve been bad if he was even willing to mention calling help.

“No need,” Jesse decided. He dug into Saul’s pocket and grabbed something out. Sounded like keys. “We’re done here,” he told you calmly. Huell, Saul’s massive bodyguard, tried to block the door. “Back up!” Jesse yelled, pointing the gun at him. You weren’t in the line of fire and you really hoped Jesse wouldn’t shoot you, but you stumbled back further away from him. Huell moved too and let Jesse out the door.

Huell ran over to Saul and tried to help him up. “Get off me! What do I pay you for?” Saul yelled at Huell and grabbed his phone. He frantically called someone and said, “hey, it’s me. We got a big problem.”

Huell ran off out the door and you turned to go after Jesse too. As much as he was deranged in the moment, you tried to convince yourself maybe you could help, but Saul interrupted your contemplation after making his call that you didn’t pay attention too.

“Leave him,” Saul coughed out. “He has a gun and is clearly not afraid to wave it around.” You looked back at him and became aware of the damage Jesse had done.

“Oh, you idiot,” you muttered, approaching Saul where he had slumped back to the ground. It was only the two of you in the office now. “What did you do?”

He let out a dramatic scoff. “Me?” Saul asked, offended, as you crouched down next to him. “I get assaulted and I’m somehow at fault?”

You took his bloody face in your hands and inspected the injuries. “Jesse wouldn’t beat you up for no reason.”

A guilty look crossed his face as your hands fell. “I’ll tell you about it later,” he grumbled reluctantly, sitting up straight. You weren’t sure if he ever would. “Can you help me out first, maybe?” Saul gestured to his face.

“Yeah,” you replied curtly, standing. You kept a first aid kit in your car. You were in a similar line of business to Mike and through him you met Saul (and Jesse, Walter, and Gus). Although, the only ones you became friends with were Jesse and Saul.

Your friendship with Saul was a little more… well, more complex. You had a good rapport with him and often bantered back and forth, flirting and what not.

You stopped by his office more than you probably should’ve and he was always pleased to see you appear. That’s how you thought today would go when you came by to visit. You had a couple minutes to spare so you figured you’d swing by for a few. He joked more than once that you could take up all his time in a day and he wouldn’t charge you a dime.

You went out and grabbed the kit from under your seat as quickly as you could. It was something you kept on hand given your past experiences in your occupation. And right now, it was about to come in handy.

Saul was standing when you walked in, looking around the room at the mess. His expression was defeated, which was only amplified by the cuts, bruises, and most of all the bloody nose.

“God, he did a number on you,” you commented, unable to hold back. You actually felt bad for him even though you weren’t sure whose fault it was—it looked like it hurt.

“I’m aware,” he replied, disgruntled, and dropped down into his chair.

You rounded the desk to his side with the kit and set it on the surface of it. You began to unpack the kit and set aside the things you needed. Saul watched you—your back was to him but you could feel his eyes on you.

The first thing you did was check his nose to make sure it wasn’t broken. Good news, it wasn’t. Just really, really bloody. And there was a cut on the bridge. You grabbed a packet of wipes and started to get to work.

You focused on wiping the blood away, but you noticed Saul’s eyes scanning your face. He was watching you almost transfixed. He had been quiet for a few seconds, which was longer than usual for him.

“If I knew I could get you this close I would’ve gotten my ass kicked sooner,” he finally spoke up in that sleazy manor you were so used to.

You scoffed out a laugh. “At least you’re not trying to say you won that.”

Blood was still dripping from his nose, layering onto what was already present, so you took care of that first. You cleaned it from his face which he groaned and whined about, but you wouldn’t have expected anything less.

“Don’t be such a baby,” you muttered.

You finished up with that and his nose finally stopped leaking fresh blood. It was a start, right? You threw bloody wipes away in a little desk side trash can and moved on.

You leaned in a little, glancing over the injuries. You dabbed at the cut on the bridge of his nose with one of those tiny square alcohol wipes.

Saul winced but recovered quickly.

“Are you gonna kiss it and make it better?” he teased while you rolled your eyes and reached for a band aid. “If so I think I might have a scratch on my lip.” You raised your brows with a look that said a sarcastic ‘really?’ “What? I—I thought it was a legitimate healing method.” The lie rolled so easily off his tongue you might’ve believed he believed it. Part of being a lawyer you assumed.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if I did,” you said offhandedly (baiting him), unwrapping the bandaid and placing it on the bridge of his nose.

“What?” Saul sounded incredibly offended. “I so would,” he argued.

Before he could get another word in, you grasped his face in each of your hands and leaned down to capture his lips. Saul, as expected, was stunned. You pulled back with a light laugh while he stared at you dumbfounded.

“See?” you said with sass and a smile. “Now can I finish?”

Saul nodded, speechless for the first time in… well, as long as you’d known him.

Now that his nose was taken care of, which is where the brunt of the damage was, you could focus on the more minor things. Like the eye that was probably going to be a tad swollen and the cut on his forehead.

“You’re taking such good care of me,” he mused. “I’m starting to think you like me.”

“Maybe I do,” you replied smoothly, not missing a beat as you worked.

“I want a do-over,” Saul announced, referring to the kiss where you’d very effectively proved your point.

You ignored him, except for biting back a small smile to yourself. “I can’t do anything about the eye and the cut on your forehead is so small it probably doesn’t need a bandaid. Unless you want one.”

“It’s fine,” Saul dismissed.

“Alright then,” you stepped back to look over him one more time. “You’re good to go.”

“Thanks,” he told you, but was already distracted by prodding at the bandaid.

“I only had a few minutes so I gotta head out now,” you told him as you packed up the first aid kit.

You closed it and grabbed it, then headed for the doorway. Saul realized you were leaving and furrowed his brows, trying to find something to say. You only made it about halfway before—

“Wait! A date!” Saul scrambled to stand, but recovered and tried to act casual. “A date. We should go on one,” he suggested. “Like, for real.”

There it was. Something you’d been waiting for for a while. You knew he had a thing for you beyond just provocative comments and flirting, it was obvious, but he never actually asked you out. So you didn’t plan on taking him up on any of his offers until he was serious. It took a while, but that moment finally came.

If you were mean, you would’ve said the punch knocked some sense into him.

“Sure,” you replied after a beat.

“Really?” He sounded surprised. “I mean, really?” he repeated, much more collected. “That’s great. Okay. So uh, how about dinner this Friday?”

“You sure you don’t have… other stuff going on?” you asked vaguely, but he knew exactly what you were referring to.

Saul flashed you that charming grin of his. “For you? I have all the time in the world.”

You couldn’t help but smile and let out a laugh at that. Sure he could be coquettish but you genuinely did enjoy his presence. Besides, it suited him. You couldn’t imagine Saul being a perfect, boring gentleman. The flirting was like a game with him and you liked to play just as much as he did.

“Do me a favor, though—”

“Anything,” he responded a little too quickly.

“—try and keep that handsome face intact, alright? No more bloody noses,” you requested with a sarcastic tone (though you did mean it). “If you and I go out I don’t want people thinking I beat you.”

Saul chuckled at your joke. “I’d let you,” he said lasciviously. Despite the wicked glint you were pretty sure he was joking. Although with Saul you could never be too sure.

You scoffed, but with a sense of humor. “I don’t think that’s the compliment you think it is.”

“Whatever,” he said with a shrug. Saul strolled towards you, going overboard with how leisurely he tried to be. You laughed to yourself when he stopped in front of you. The sound made him crack a smile of his own.

“Can I get my do-over?” Saul implored.

“Hmm,” you hummed. “No,” you said unseriously. You laughed at your own joke and Saul sensed your tone.

“You sure?” Saul placed a hand on your waist and decreased the distance. His other hand rose to your cheek. You looked into those soft blue eyes of his.

“Maybe not,” you sighed out as he was already closing the gap between your lips.

Saul initiated and you gladly reciprocated. This kiss, unlike before, was expected. And not to prove a point. You weren’t sure what you thought kissing him would be like, but it was nice. Good. He had you practically swooning by the time the two of you separated.

“I gotta go, but um,” you said softly, eyes lingering on his lips. “I’ll see you Friday?” You flicked your eyes up to meet his.

“How about seven? I’ll pick you up,” Saul offered with a lopsided smile.

You clicked your tongue. “But your car is so tacky,” you teased.

“Hey! My car is awesome,” he defended. “You’ll look great in the passenger side.” Saul patted your hip (nearly your ass) and shot you a wink.

“You better make this date worth my while.” You poked him in the chest, all teasing and accusing like, and stepped back. You turned on your heal and headed out of the office.

"I wouldn't dream of anything less!" Saul called after you. You could hear the smile on his face and for the rest of the day, nothing could get rid of the one on yours.

[woozapooza]

Breaking Bad: The Verdict

For many years I thought I would never in a million years watch this show. It looked intense and violent and depressing and I could handle those things in historical fiction and fantasy, but not in a story set in the real world in the present day. I credit It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for making me realize that my tastes in media had changed, and therefore I ultimately credit IASIP for getting me to give Breaking Bad a shot. AND I’M GLAD I GAVE IT A SHOT! WHAT A SHOW! WHAT A LITERAL SHOW!

Favorite character: Jesse, obviously! Love of my life! He is everything Walt could never be. He is the heart of Breaking Bad and he deserves only good things ever.

Second favorite character: Saul! Every time he was on screen I was like YES IT’S THIS GUY AGAIN YES. I completely see why he got a spinoff. Also, I called his number and oh boy it was worth it. I highly recommend doing so if you haven’t already. 505-842-5662.

Even though he sucks so hard, Walt is undeniably one of the most fascinating main characters I’ve ever seen. And really, I shouldn’t say “even though he sucks so hard" because that makes it sound like his awfulness is an impediment to him being such a fantastic character, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The seeds of Heisenberg were present all along BUT you can also 100% see how he justifies every decision he makes and why he’s able to continually convince himself that he’s not the villain. And honestly, this might sound bad, but I found myself sympathizing with him a lot, even when I knew objectively that he had only himself to blame for whatever problem he was facing (which is the case most of the time). And I’m fine with that! It’s literally just a testament to how well written and acted he is. Part of me thinks it shouldn’t be allowed for an actor to win multiple Emmys for the same role because it’s not really fair, but part of me is like, no, actually, it is good and right that Bryan Cranston won four Emmys for playing Walt. He deserved every one of them.

And Walt and Jesse have one of the most interesting dynamics I’ve ever seen. “Dynamic” is a special word I like to employ when “relationship” just doesn’t feel strong enough to express the depth of what’s going on between two characters. Other “dynamics” include Uhtred and Alfred in The Last Kingdom and Flint and Silver in Black Sails. It’s pretty undeniable that Walt feels genuine affection for Jesse, however twisted his ways of expressing it are. Walt turning against Jesse in Ozymandias was one of the most painful things I’ve ever seen a show do. I was very relieved that their last interaction in Felina ended on a not-utterly-terrible note.

Skyler White has done nothing wrong ever in her life.

Neither has Marie Schrader.

Walter Junior is my son now. I adopted him. He’s mine. I kept wishing that he would meet Jesse, and I’m so disappointed that he never did. They have so much in common! Since finishing the show and reading stuff that other fans have said, I’ve learned that this is a common sentiment. Ah well, that’s what fanfic is for, I guess.

What a perfect blend of comedy and drama this show is. One example of BrBa’s comedy that stands out to me is in the second or third episode when Walt and Jesse are cleaning up after the bathtub incident. After they clean inside the house, there’s a shot of the two of them outside, each standing in an inflatable pool, passing a hose between the two of them, taking turns hosing the blood and gore off of each other. The most brilliant thing about this scene, the thing that elevates it from funny to hysterical, is that the pools are decorated with adorable cartoon sea creatures. The contrast between the horror of what’s happening, the cutesy pools, and the characters’ trance-like demeanor had me DYING.

Overall grade: A+

[falafel14]

Still not done talking about ‘El Camino’ right here...

Thanks to those sending me your thoughts on my review. Going to respond here, because my original post is already obnoxiously long.

To @rukukazuya yes, I agree with most of what you’ve said too. It’s fair to say that Jesse’s previous attempt to put things right made matters so much worse. Jesse showed genuine contrition when he surrendered to Hank and made a full confession, but that decision led to a sequence of events where Hank was killed, Andrea was killed and Jesse was put through a horrific captivity ordeal. I’d say this was more down to tragic misfortune than Jesse making the wrong choice (morally at least). But it makes a fair case against Jesse turning himself in. One because Jesse had seen so many previous blue meth informants murdered in prison and we know Hank himself didn’t care if Jesse lived or died, so who is to say any other cops would take measures to protect Jesse from further harm. But two, they actually gave Jesse a moment of surrendering to the police again in El Camino who turn out to be evil fake cops, so at that point we can’t blame Jesse for thinking giving himself up is always a terrible mistake. 

And also, I do agree that Jesse’s phone call to his parents was genuine in its sentiment that he only blamed himself for what happened to him, not them. I did appreciate Jesse taking responsibility in that way. Even though it’s difficult with Jesse, because he is both a guy who has committed horrific crimes and a guy who has been the victim of horrific crimes. And I don’t feel like you can just say that Jesse’s victimization serves as the karmic equivalent for Jesse being justly punished for his own crimes. Because fucking Todd and his inhumane abuse of Jesse should not be seen as any fitting form of retribution. However it is fair to say (as Vacuum guy states) that Jesse’s criminal choices were what led him to his terrible fate. Jesse never could’ve become a meth slave if he hadn’t made the choice to learn to cook the best meth on the market.  

So I’m fine with the message we get from both the Mike and Jane flashbacks that Jesse’s best path was to take control of his own destiny rather than put his fate in anyone else’s hands. I still feel like this idea of Jesse starting ‘clean’ in Alaska is a bit of a fantasy though. He’s still living off blood money and the guilt that comes with it. Jesse is also exhibiting serious PTSD symptoms and he is covered head to foot in scars that are unmistakably torture scars. If Jesse forms new relationships in Alaska he is going to have lie about his entire past and one of Breaking Bad’s themes has been that lies create barriers between people. And will Jesse even get to meet new people? Walt had to live in the cabin in New Hampshire alone because he was all over the news. So if it’s the same for Jesse then he will always be kind of alone. Which makes me sad. But I guess given the trail of destruction and ruined lives Jesse has left behind him, it’s good that he’s taken himself to a far away place where he’ll (hopefully) live quietly and harmlessly, if not exactly happily from now on.             

To @twentyghosts - I knew as soon as I saw Jesse’s letter that it would be addressed to Brock, for sentimental reasons, but I really wanted it to be for someone else. Like, a grown up for starters. Because it’s true that one major way Jesse could put something right is by simply telling what he knows. The whole reason he was a ‘person of interest’ is because Jesse’s the one who’s seen and knows everything. Aside from why Andrea died, he is also the only living witness to Drew Sharpe’s murder and there’s nobody else who could give that kid’s parents closure. Also, the innocent cleaning lady that Todd murdered surely has family somewhere and instead she’ll be lost to an unmarked grave in the desert. So that’s one way Jesse could’ve atoned which we didn’t get. Unless I just head-canon it that Jesse wrote a full confession to Brock trusting that the letter would be intercepted by the police. I find that a more comforting idea than Jesse writing to an already traumatized child to tell him his mom was murdered because her short-term boyfriend was a meth cook who was kidnapped and tortured by men who were threatening to murder Brock too.     

To @elephantandthedove yes, it is hard to ignore the fact that the actors have aged ten years when they’re doing S2 flashbacks. Ditto Jesse Plemons’ weight gain which fans haven’t been shy to point out. And (my biggest nitpick) why was Jesse’s beard continuity between Felina and El Camino so awful? That new fake beard was like several inches longer than in the original scene of Jesse driving away. So yeah. Those discrepancies were there and I obviously noticed them, but it didn’t bug me to the point where I couldn’t get caught up in those scenes. Wrinkles aside, Aaron did a great job of capturing the energy of early seasons Jesse who is so drastically different from who Jesse later becomes. And more than anything I did really like seeing the old Walter White again as opposed to getting a flashback of later seasons Walt in Heisenberg mode.  

Actually one thing I didn’t mention in my review but should have, was how we saw so much Walt in Jesse in El Camino. Not Walt’s evilness, but a lot of Walt’s quirks and some of his intelligence. Jesse turning Todd’s flat inside-out was a reminder of how much Walt’s OCD rubbed off on Jesse. And the whole plan for confronting the Welder guy was very similar to Walt’s plan in Felina, i.e. go in looking weak and outnumbered but have a secret gun ready. Also that whole hilarious bit where Jesse is bragging about how he’s outsmarted the Vacuum guy (but he hasn’t) was SO Walt. I could just imagine Vince directing Aaron to do his best Bryan impression when he was acting that scene. 

Thanks for getting in touch after so long, my old BrBa homies! It’s great to have this movie, but doubly great to have a lil fangirl reunion.