#young army buds?

[ogsherlockholmes]

As much as I go on about how Holmes and Watson are sold as a set and that every adaptation has to include both of them, I always think about what they would be like apart.

For example, Holmes in his teen/young 20's years, trying to get through University and failing because he's uninterested in most of the topics, apart from the ones he's obsessed with which he cannot and will not break away from. Holmes basically isolated from the world because all of the other students find him too strange, too eccentric to hang around and be taken seriously (I'm purposefully excluding Victor Trevor here because he's always been a Watson prototype in my mind). Holmes starting to take drugs to stop feeling so depressed, to actually feel normal for once or to compensate for his feelings of loneliness by telling himself he's okay with being shut off from the world. Holmes' solving his first cases with Scotland Yard, gradually gaining more and more of a reputation, both for being a clever detective and for being an outcast. Holmes battling with his sexuality and his gender identity, because he sees men his age getting married to women and he isn't interested in that but he's still a little too interested in men, and maybe he's hoping he grows out of it, but deep down he knows he can't.

And then Watson has his own narrative and storyline: successful army doctor trying to find his feet in the war. He knows how to include himself with the other soldiers and the other men- after all, he can relate to their experiences with women. But secretly he knows that isn't all, he knows there's something different about himself that he just can't figure out, but he comes close when he looks at certain army 'buds' for a little bit longer than he should. Watson might have gone to war to escape from a situation at home, and he's trying to shut it out with the chaos, and he's mostly successful but he still feels something inside of him.

Both of them are struggling to understand their identities, to find their place in the world and who they might even share it with. They're nearly there, there so close but there's something missing: they're whole, but sometimes, things have to come in pairs to work at their best.

[kiwipineappleparasol]

A Collection of my Mario Fan Characters (Info Below) 🍄

Zizzle (she/they) - An easygoing wanderer, who never sticks to one place for long. Secretly a Magickoopa dropout from Bowser's army, although she regrets her past. Plus, they were never good at magic.

Lumini (they/them) - A previous caretaker for young stars in Starborn Valley, they have delusions of grandeur and think that they ought to ascend to Star Haven themselves. Still, they act for the greater good.

Duplio (she/her) - A travelling magician (and con artist) who's name is known by none, but who's face is known by plenty. She's a charming trickster, who's great at weaseling in and out of situations.

Vinny (they/them) - Previously a news anchor, now a ground reporter, they always sensationalize the news regardless. Talks more akin to a salesperson than your average journalist. Their breath is rancid.

Nebble (she/her) - Resident of a place I'll call Rock Candy Caverns, she hates the mining gig destroying her home. Reclusive and slightly eccentric, but ultimately good natured. Her nose glows in the dark!

Robin (she/her) - A bandit who only takes from the well off, and gives it to those in need. She's cocky and brash; quick to get herself in trouble, but clever enough to find a way out of it. ...Probably.

Pail - (she/her) - Clumsy, sweet as sugar, and exceedingly gullible -- she takes people at their word, even when she really shouldn’t. She hopes to become an ice cream salesperson someday, ironically.

Hammie (she/her) - A bubbly, outgoing rollerblader! She's got great balance, and an uplifting attitude. She participates in acrobatics, racing, and even inline hockey -- and always tries to be a good sport!

Johnson (he/him) - Named after the unseen X-Naut in the beginning of TTYD. An elite scientist that only got promoted because he refused to divulge his potion recipes. Has little respect for authority. Rockey (he/him) - A pokey made of rocks. Dude-bro who wants to be best buds with everyone, and cannot recognize when he’s annoying people. Negative words are all water off a duck’s back with this guy.

(The two Shy Guys -- I haven't decided on their names yet, but the first one is an extremely introverted toy maker, who repairs anything brought to their shop, but refuses to show their “face” to anyone. The second is based off Mario Strikers, but instead he plays paintball. He loves bright colors and causing havoc wherever he goes. He’s pretty competitive.)

And that’s about it!

[futurebird]

Ants and their tendency to bite off wings

“wing clipping” is frequent among ants. There are several contexts where the behavior occurs: -A young queen will remove her wings after mating. She won’t need them underground. -primitive ants clip the wing buds of daughters & sisters to keep them from becoming egg-laying queens -many species of ants clip wing buds of their aphid livestock to keep them from leaving. -When a male alate shows up at the nest of army ants the workers help him remove his wings so he will stay with their queen.

I just thought of one more! When a prey item, such as a large fly, won’t fit in the nest entrance the workers first remove the wings to make it fit. (then the remove the legs etc.)

Wing clipping & wing bud trimming are a behavioral routine. I wonder if all these varied applications are triggered in similar ways? Discretion matters. It’s good to trim the wing buds of extra queens. But if everyone is trimmed the colony dies (the buds structures also produce hormones for fertility)

[vampireimiko]

hi, my darling! seeing that you have requests open for mortal kombat, i need to share this scenario with you! (it's a smoke x princess!reader request) (yes, she's Mileena and Kitana's younger sister.)

Imagine reader visiting Tomas after the events of the game, and even training with him.

An Unlikely Love

warnings, none at all ! just fluff <33

note, this was so fun and cute to write omg, I HEART SMOKE 🗣️‼️

After the events of Shang Tsung's attempt to manipulate the timeline, outworld settled into a new semblance of normalcy. Amidst the shifting dynamics, you grappled with the loss of your mother and the return of your father. Your older sisters, Mileena now the empress and Kitana as the army's new general, took on formidable roles, leaving you as the young princess on the cusp of adulthood.

In the aftermath, your thoughts often drifted to Tomas. You had crossed paths with him during the tournament, and a connection sparked instantly. The spark between the two of you was hard to deny. You knew you had to see him again. So you, being the determined princess you are, decided to seek him out under the guise of wanting to train.

"Is there any specific reason you wanted to see me again princess?" Tomas teased, getting into position to clash with you.

With a playful smirk, you parried his strike, the dance of blades mirroring the dance of your hearts. "I simply wished to improve my skills, Tomas," you replied with a twinkle in your eye, feigning innocence. The training ground became a canvas for the unspoken, each clash of steel echoing the uncharted territory of your budding connection.

The training grounds became your clandestine meeting place. Beneath the watchful gaze of sparring warriors and amidst the echoes of clashing blades, you and Tomas cultivated a connection that transcended the boundaries of duty and royalty. The guise of training sessions provided the perfect cover for stolen glances and whispered conversations, a delicate dance between a princess and a warrior.

However, whenever the two of you weren't training, you would spend time listening to each other and spending time with one another whenever the both of you were available. Tomas talked about his life before the Lin Kuei. How grateful he was that the Lin Kuei took him in as a boy, and how he is forever indebted to them. It hurt him dearly that Bi-Han wished to stray away from the principle's and wishes their father had.

As Tomas opened up about his life before the Lin Kuei, you found yourself drawn not just to his skills with a blade but to the depth of his past. His vulnerability mirrored the tender moments between strikes, and you listened with genuine interest.

You, too, began to unveil the intricacies of your life as a princess—responsibilities, the weight of expectations, and the lingering sorrow from the recent losses.

Tomas appreciated the vulnerability you shared, a rare and genuine quality in the tumultuous world you both navigated. Your openness about the challenges of royalty, the weight of expectations, and the echoes of sorrow resonated with him. In those shared confidences, the connection between a princess and a warrior became a sanctuary.

It definitely took him some time to build up courage to finally ask you out.

After a particularly intense training session, Tomas lowered his blade, locking eyes with you. "Princess," he began, a hint of nervousness in his voice, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Your heart quickened as anticipation hung in the air, the moonlight casting a gentle spotlight on the two of you.

With a genuine smile, you encouraged him to continue, sensing the vulnerability beneath his stoic exterior. Tomas took a deep breath, the weight of his past and the uncertainty of the future evident in his eyes.

"I've enjoyed our time together, not just as training partners but as confidantes," he confessed, his gaze unwavering. "And I was wondering if, perhaps, you'd consider spending some time beyond these training grounds—with me."

Your face softened at his confession. Your hand found his, fingers intertwining in a silent promise. The world around you faded, leaving only the echo of Tomas's heartbeat and the shared breaths between you. The air shimmered with anticipation as you caressed his face, tracing the lines of a past etched with both pain and gratitude.

"I thought you'd never ask," you whispered, a delicate admission that held the weight of unspoken desires. With that, the distance between you closed, and a tender kiss sealed the beginning of a chapter that extended beyond the confines of training grounds.

The moonlight cast a gentle spotlight on the two of you, painting a scene that echoed the tapestry of emotions woven between a determined princess and a conflicted warrior.

As you pulled away from the kiss, the moonlight reflected in your eyes, and a shared understanding lingered between you and Tomas. The journey from clandestine meetings to a whispered confession had paved the way for a new adventure—one that transcended the boundaries of duty and royalty.

𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞; 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐅𝐔𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐎𝐌𝐆𝐆!! 𝐢 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 🫶🏾 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 (𝐢𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥) 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 !!

𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

[on-a-lucky-tide]

I'm gonna say Nik for the character ask meme, but you've probably already gotten him so how about Laswell if you haven't already? Love your writing so much btw 🥰

Nikolai! You got in there first, bud.

favorite thing about them

His loyalty to Price. Has to be. This guy is so intelligent, has so many connections, he could literally be running a criminal Empire from a yacht with a laptop and a roll up, but he's scurrying after John Price and flying an old helo that he has to patch up and repair himself. He jumps dick first into the biggest clusterfucks for that man. It goes beyond sharing values and end goals.

least favorite thing about them

The fact that they use a song of a band currently fronted by Alex Terrible. I choose to believe Nikolai doesn't share any of those values. I'll leave it there.

favorite line

"I see you do not have situation under control."

"Engine is a little cranky."

"Hard to run with concussion, no?"

and the line that made me sit up and pay attention, "your favourite."

brOTP

Gaz & Nikolai 4eva.

OTP

Hmm. Tough one. (Ha.)

Nikolai/Price.

nOTP

Nikolai/any Chimera.

random headcanon

He's an army brat. His dad was high up. They moved around the satellite states a lot when he was young, which is where his keen mind began to absorb languages. He got into mechanics and engineering out of boredom. His dad caught him pulling a helicopter apart and sent him to the air force.

unpopular opinion

Nikolai is a gay man. Call it intuition.

song i associate with them

favorite picture of them

[see separate ask: add link here later].

[poorks]

Rpverse Lorenzo too! Lorenzo was a prostitute who had the responsibility thrust upon him with very little fanfare. Long story short, his traveling party was all captured and killed by Vivi's followers, and Lorenzo was forced to give birth to Suyin and died shortly after.

Short story long, on his journey to the holy land Lorenzo fell in love with a member of their party who was a young scholar named Pepin looking to record the trip for historical record. Pepin was the last of the traveling party to be killed, but his records survive in very old collections. The entire trek is recorded until its tragic end, including his fondness and affection for the Goddess' chosen Maiden.

To this day history remembers Lorenzo as The Failed Maiden, as the terror of the Black Witch Suyin has still had a lasting effect on the people. The tale is remembered as one of failure and disgrace, and no one remembers the traveling scholar and their budding romance. If they did, they might recognize a resemblance to a soldier in Vivi's undead army...

[thebadgerclan]

Wedding Bells

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova x reader

Summary: The many weddings of Aleksander Morozova...

Over his many identities, you were Aleksander’s constant.  Whether you disappeared for a few years together or separately, you always emerged together, or sought each other out soon after.  And every time you took on new names, new titles, new occupations, you also got married.  It didn’t matter that you’d already sworn your vows to one another centuries ago, your newly crafted identities hadn’t, and good society demanded you do so.  And Aleksander certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to once more swear himself to you.

***

The first wedding would always be the most special; when you were Y/N and Aleksander, just two young people in love.  Your father had been hesitant to grant your hand to Aleksander, but you’d worn him down, insisting you had no need for wealth or fancy clothes when you had the man you loved.  And that was true, all you needed was your Sasha.  Your gown was handmade by your mother, shimmering gold, the skirts fluttering on the wind, your hair arranged in a simple braid.  You wore no veil, no crown of pearls, but you had no need for such frivolities.

The ceremony was held in the chapel of Sankt Ilya, your groom-to-be standing at the altar.  One side of the church was full of your family and friends, the other was bare except for your soon to be mother-in-law.  The thorn wood crowns were placed on your heads and your vows were exchanged.  Old Ravkan was still the tongue of the land, and you felt tears building in your eyes as Aleksander swore devotion and fidelity to you.  When his lips touched yours and the priest declared you wed, you knew that your life would never be the same.

***

The second wedding was nearly 30 years later.  The Fold was what drove you and your husband into hiding, and in that time, he had shared his immortality with you.  You entered society once more as Staski and Rosa, a lieutenant’s son and his betrothed.  Rumor had it that Staski was distantly related to the Darkling that had created the Unsea and was committed to expanding the budding Second Army.  

Your wedding was a quiet affair, vows sworn before the King’s Apparat in the silence of an empty church.  It felt wrong, you said, to promise to love Staski rather than Aleksander, but later that night, in the comforting embrace of your husband’s arms, he whispered those same words in Old Ravkan, your true name in your ear.

***

The third wedding was the one that presented a challenge.  You’d had to disappear separately for the first time, coming back to Os Alta under the name of Elsabet, the niece of the recently deceased count, and Arkady, the son of the recently deceased Darkling.  Your reppearances were staggered as well: Aleksander returning to Os Alta only a week after his departure, appearing to be mourning his father, and you entering the city from your former residence in Os Kervo to take up the mantle of your late uncle.

The public hadn’t known that Staski and Rosa had a son, which prompted the policy that a Darkling and his heir never lived at the Little Palace together.  The people accepted it as truth, acknowledged the risk of assassination, and that was that.  But that wasn’t the complication.  The way Ravkan society ran at the time: a woman could not accept her own engagement.  Her father, brother, or other male relative had to accept it on her behalf.  And since you had no one to do so….

Aleksander petitioned the King.  You were a woman who had been thrust into a position of power with no training, you had never been to the capital before, but above all, you were in love.  King Ivan was sympathetic to your plea, and accepted Aleksander’s engagement on your behalf.  Beyond that, he hosted the wedding at the Royal Chapel, refusing to let you see the bill.  It was your most extravagant wedding to date: your gown was billowing gold silk, a tiara of diamonds in your hair.  Your husband was dressed in similar finery, but his smile when he beheld you outshone all the chapel’s finery

*** Your fourth and fifth weddings were muted, almost somber affairs.  Ravka was at war, the Grisha were persecuted, the Second Army’s growth had been stunted by the war.  There was no time nor resources for an elaborate ceremony.  Yet you still wanted to swear your vows to your husband, to proclaim your love for him.  So you found a priest and were wed.  For your fourth wedding, you didn’t even have a priest: you exchanged your vows by firelight, using your true names for the first time in nearly a century.

***

The sixth wedding was the grandest to date.  It wasn’t every day that the General of the Second Army got married, now was it.  The Grisha were finally respected, the Second Army was secure, and no expense was spared.  Your husband wore his black kefta, and you wore one of glittering gold, a train trailing five feet behind you.  You walked yourself down the aisle, smiling the entire time, and Aleksander kissed your forehead when you reached him.

You used the traditional Grisha vows, but as you danced–you’d never had a wedding reception before, never had the time, never had the money–you cooed the same Old Ravkan words in your husband’s ear.  “I have married you six times now,” Aleksander said, holding you close.  “But I will never tire of marrying you.  Ya lyublyu tebya, moye serdtse.”  I love you, my heart.

You weren’t sure what it was, but you had a feeling that this marriage would be the longest lasting, the one that lasted for the rest of your lives.  You’d used your true names this time, speaking your husband’s name before others for the first time in centuries.  “The next time we’re in that chapel,” Aleksander said.  “It will be when I make you my queen.”  Your eyes widened, and he kissed you deeply.

“Queen Y/N and King Aleksander of Ravka.  We will bring peace at last.”  “Sasha, you don’t mean-”  “Shh, not here, my little wife.  Besides, the time isn’t right yet.  But when it is…”  Your husband leaned in close, kissing the place before your ear.  “Moya tsaritsa, I shall worship you.”  You shuddered, and Aleksander smirked.  “I love you very much, my darling wife,” he said, tucking an errant strand of hair behind your ear.  “I have loved you since I married you in Sankt Ilya’s Chapel, and I will love you for the rest of my immortal life.”

Your knees went weak when he kissed you again, and Aleksander swept you into his arms.  He then carried you to your rooms, where he gave you the wedding night you hadn’t had since your first wedding.  And three years later, you stood in the Royal Chapel once more, where you were crowned Queen Eternal of Ravka.

[octuscle]

Hey support, I'm Blake, a young dude from cali and wanna join my best buds in the marines. But every time I take the test, I get told I'm under the entry weight and need to bulk up more before they let me in. I've got another try coming up in a couple weeks and I really wanna show them this time. I need loads of muscle and since we're at it, lots of cool ink would be great too. I don't wanna be the only one with blank skin. I'm hoping you can help me out, I'd do pretty much anything at this point.

Comrade, I'll do anything for our troops! Get in the car, I promise you that this time you will succeed.

The car radio plays "In the Army Now" by Status Quo. How theatrical. How cliché. But it fits. Your head empties. And fills with memories of a childhood on military bases. Memories of schools in Europe and the Western Pacific. Your father was always your hero. You never wanted to be anything but a Marine. That's what you studied for. That's what you worked out for. You only want one thing now, to make your father proud!

When you showed him your tattoo, which you had gotten especially for the military service, your father showed something like feelings for the first time in your life. That alone makes you proud. But now let's go to the base. And show them what you're made of!

Pic of you on the way to the base found @maxx-magnum

[fyrewalks]

officially meet tommy kinard, andie's (@lvebug) uncle

Tommy is born on Nov 10, 1980 to two successful parents - his dad is an award-winning chemistry prof at ucla and his mom owns an event planning business that has strong Hollywood ties 

His full name is Thomas Elijah Kinard, but he’s always gone by Tommy.

He has an older sister, Rebecca, who is 11 years older. Despite the age difference, they are very close. 

Tommy is a shy kid, mostly - and it works out. He doesn’t mind being left at home or hanging out in his parent’s offices or backrooms of events so long as he’s got books and comics and tv to keep him entertained. 

The trouble starts when he’s in middle school. He switches from a Jewish day school to a public school, and alongside a growth spurt, he starts to outgrow his shyness. He gets into sports, makes new friends, and it becomes clear that he was an ‘oops’ baby with two parents who prioritize their own careers and miss a lot of his games and extracurriculars.  They already did it once with Rebecca, and beyond keeping up appearances, don’t want to do it again with Tommy. 

Tommy is 15 (1995) when he moves in with Rebecca and her fiance, James.

He’s on the football team, popular both academically and outside of school, but he’s still a shy kid at heart and keeps an eye out for outcasts. 

After his third fight, his parents are done with his antics. No one cares that he was only standing up against a few bullies; he threw the first punches. 

Despite the potential for awkwardness, it’s a relatively smooth transition. He’s happy to spend more time with his sister and bonds with James over cars and football. 

Tommy stops attending synagogue. Rebecca encourages him to go but respects that their parents made it feel like an obligation. He keeps up culturally, though. 

Tommy graduates high school early; he starts college/rotc at 17 (1997) and finishes at 20 (2000).

While Rebecca and James are welcoming, Tommy’s aware he’s holding back their relationship. Plus, between Andie being born in ‘96 and him no longer living with his parents, there’s a fire to get started with his ‘adult’ life. 

His football coach is an army vet and knowing his interest in cars, figures Tommy would make it well as a mechanic or get some advanced training for something more technical. 

Tommy plans on just enlisting, but Rebecca pushes him to consider college. (They were, after all, raised by the same parents who put a heavy emphasis on education.)

He attends ucla and joins the rotc, considering it a compromise. Between the program and his father’s benefits as a professor there, most of his expenses are covered. While his parents don’t love his plan, they support him monetarily, and really, they know his success and future army career reflect well on them. 

Tommy majors in psychology figuring it’ll be easy since he had no real interest in going to college.

This chunk of time is also when Tommy starts noticing his interest in men. There are a few hookups, but it’s explained away with tiny excuses and the idea that he’s young and horny. Although, he is careful to keep it away from his budding army career. 

Beyond that, Tommy thrives in college. He was a popular kid in high school so this is no different. He’s charming and genuinely kind. (And being a guy’s guy, aka into typically masculine things, doesn’t hurt.)

Tommy secures a spot in flight school (20-21) and is an active duty as a helicopter pilot until 2004. 

He might’ve dragged his feet about his college, but he ends up grateful since his status as an officer comes with better pay and a chance to become a pilot. 

Given the timing, Tommy faces a lot of pressure to continue past his initial active duty commitment. While he’s faired better than some in terms of only suffering minor injuries, he didn’t understand the scope of his commitment nor did he imagine being in actual war when he was seventeen. He misses Rebecca and Andie; when the time comes, he decides to serve his remaining time in the reserves. 

Like college and high school, Tommy finds it easy to fit in. If his masculinity was praised in college, it’s tenfold during active duty. Of course, only as long as he plays up the same ignorance where his sexuality is concerned - he doesn’t think DADT personally affects him since he very firmly shuts down any interest in men. (Obviously, with reflection and time, he knows this was just denial and a way to keep himself safe subconsciously.) 

At 25, he is in the reserves, back in LA, and new to the 118. A few months before he finishes his probie year, Rebecca and James are killed in a car accident. In their wills, it’s their final wish that Tommy take in Andie, who is almost eight years old. 

His parents offer some financial support, but not much else. They further withdraw with the death of their daughter; as has been the case for a while, his parents find it easier to love him, and by extension Andie, from a distance. 

Tommy struggles a lot during this time. He’s navigating life post-army, grieving his sister and brother-in-law, and struggling to balance his job with taking care of Andie. Reserve duty also proves challenging since it requires a weekend away every month and two weeks away once a year. 

All this to say, his attitude isn’t the greatest. (It’s part resurgence of the shyness he felt as a kid and part anger at how hard everything’s become, only mildly tempered by someone who finds popularity and fitting in easier now.)

After his sister’s death, Tommy starts attending synagogue again.

While his attendance is spotty, he makes the effort to go because he doesn’t want Andie to go alone or miss out. This time, though, he feels a genuine connection to his faith rather than a familial obligation. 

The support he and Andie receive through their synagogue ultimately helps them adjust to their new life - frozen meals, car pools, babysitting, etc. 

Andie meets Chimney as his probationary year comes to an end (2007). Starting to feel more settled in their life, and having a community to fall back on, Tommy makes more of an effort to be friendlier and welcoming at the firehouse. He starts sharing more about Andie, his sister, and what his life looks like outside of shifts. 

At twenty-eight, Tommy officially retires from the reserves. He starts pursuing his flight instructor certification and becomes a certified instructor by thirty for extra income. 

Also, during this time, Tommy starts casually dating. He feels old, out of practice, and finds it hard to relate to people given he’s raising his niece. 

He dates both men and women at first, and experiments with labels, before realizing he’s gay and always has been. Andie is the first person he tells and he decides against being out at work too. 

In 2017, at 37, Tommy transfers to the lafd air station and decides he’s tired of living his life half in the closest. It’s not what he wants for himself nor the example he wants to set for Andie. He’s been proud of so much in his life (his military career, his piloting, and raising Andie through so much grief and heartache) that there’s no reason he shouldn’t be just as prideful and open with his gayness too.  

So, current season - Tommy is 44. 

other details:

alt fc if i ever make promos/icons: oliver jackson-cohen

[faithhearted]

@honorhearted {x}

She wanted to listen intently about Sammie and his father. She did. But God help her, she couldn't shake the onset dread that this would be the last she ever saw of Ben.jamin Tall.madge.

The serendipity of his visit home from Connecticut had been snuffed out by the news that he was enlisting in Washing.ton's army, and while Katherine knew this was right, that the men of this country were morally obligated to stand up against tyranny, she couldn't bear to picture Ben as one of the many casualties that was sure to come.

Growing up, Katherine had always chased after her cousin, Ca.leb, and his best friends, Wood.hull, Se.lah St.rong, and the Tall.madge brothers, but over the latter years she's grown closer with Ben even if many of their interactions were nostalgically ribbing each other and seeing who could get on the other's nerves more.

He was a good friend. Hell, he was like family. Back when her mother was still alive, the woman would never let him leave without a full stomach and a pie to take home to his father.

Upon his completion of college, Katherine was so thrilled to have him back, only to quickly lose him again to his new teaching position in Wethersfield. It was then that she realized her feelings for him were more than just platonic, more than just the whimsical fancies of a budding young woman.

Oh, how terribly she'd missed him, corresponding with him constantly to keep him updated on the goings on of Set.auket. Now she shuddered to think of his dangerous address change and the thought of never seeing his bright eyes and lopsided smile again.

That's when she'd blurted out the question, catching both him and herself off guard.

"What?"

Not wanting to appear sheepish, Katherine instead did her best to play coy, her foot nudging his in return as she offered as nonchalant a shrug as she could manage.

"Well, would you?"

"Kitty, I..."

"I'm serious, Ben."

He was red-faced and at a loss for words as he set aside the apple he'd been snacking on, "Are you honestly asking me that now? Here, in your uncle's cabin?"

With a sigh and another shrug, Katherine shook her head, "When else am I supposed to ask? You'll be gone tomorrow."

And maybe forever.

Still trying to appear anything but self-conscious, she offered him a playful little smirk, leaning toward him and bumping her shoulder into his, "Would it be so outlandish, you and me? We've known each other forever, all our perks and quirks, yeah?"

Here, she slid her hand over his, grazing over his fingers as if to memorize their topography.

"Might be the only chance we get...and being with you...it would be as easy as breathing."

[rosze-v]

sleepy birthdays

pairing: Kozume Kenma x Reader

synopsis: A 24 hour stream for Kenma’s birthday turn into a surprise for the world

tags: fluff, birthday celebrations, cute sleepy Kenma, NOT PROOF READ

w.c : 1.2k

a/n: Hello, this is for the collab from Camera, Lights, Action by @yeosatinyngz . I’m sorry for posting so late, I’ve been very busy and it took a toll on me. This is not my best work, but I hope you will like it. Thank you for reading.

You could hear Kenma’s voice from his gaming room, talking to the people in his stream chat. You giggled at how slurred his voice have become now that the birthday special stream is hitting the 20 hours mark. Tonight, is going to be his birthday, and so to celebrate it, Kenma decided to throw a special 24-hour stream. The stream blew up immediately since it has been quite some time since Kenma have such long streams, with him being a Youtuber, and a CEO has in fact, made him incredibly busy.

Time by time, you would sneak into his room to pass him some food and drinks, as well as some kisses when he have the camera turn off for awhile with an excuse of going to the bathroom. Some have speculated in the chat room that Kenma is going away to kiss his little partner, and you could only giggle at the claim because no one have known yet that Kenma is dating someone.

The reason for the hiding could be dated back to the first time you met him. You were a young, fast on their feet and witty intern that was accepted into Kenma’s PR Team. At first Kenma wasn’t really fond of you because of your crazy ideas on how to ‘improve’ his image. The ideas consist of Kenma doing challenges like ‘A Gamer trying Out the Army Training’ or the ‘Going up to People and have a Staring contest with Them’. Though eventually, some of your crazy ideas actually worked out, especially the time when a tabloid of him came out accusing him of getting close with Hinata just so he can have Hinata become his brand’s face.

Your solution was bizarre and completely something his PR Team wouldn’t thought of. Kenma remembered your determined face when you suddenly asked for his permission to use his old volleyball matches videos, and of course, since they don’t really have many options, Kenma agreed. For the first time in a while the office was quiet of your voices, as you secluded yourself in one of the private rooms.

Kenma won’t ever forget the look on your face when you came out of the private room at 1 in the morning, the brightest smile on your face and your laptop in hand. What you did was simple, you created a Tik Tok video of Kenma’s matches with Hinata and then you edited it in a way where it showcases their friendship looking as if its more than a friendship. The PR Team agreed on posting the video and who would have thought that your video would completely deflect the rumors and also increased the popularity of Kenma and Hinata.

Yet also creating another catastrophe of “Is Kenma the Youtuber and Hinata the Professional Volleyball Player dating?”. Despite it all, Kenma was thankful for your quick wit and your team also praised your efforts. From there, you were offered a permanent position in the PR Team which you, of course, accepted happily.

Then somehow, the relationship between you and Kenma starts budding. Kenma wouldn’t have thought he would fall for someone so loud and hyper yet here the both of you are, now sharing the same bed after being together for a year and a half.

You were in the kitchen getting his birthday cake ready for a little celebration between the both of you, when you noticed that the 24 hours stream is ending in a few minutes. Quickly, you place the cake on top of a tray that you have decorated. You checked the clock again and noticed that the stream is finishing as you picked up the tray and walk over to the gaming room.

“Thank you y’all for spending your time with me for 24 hours. It was fun but damn, I’m tired as shit bro. I’ll end the stream now, thanks for all the wishes again”. You were standing in front of the door, waiting for him to end the stream, and you noticed how dishevelled your boyfriend looks.

“The stream already ends right?”. You whispered as Kenma whipped his head towards you, staring at you blankly. When he realized the cake on the tray you’re holding, a smile slowly etches on his face as he put out his hand, gesturing for you to come to him. Slowly you walk over and places the tray on top of the desk while placing yourself on his lap. You took the cake in your hand and shows it to him with an excited look.

“Why is there a drawing of a cat on the cake?”. He asked as he slides his hand to your hips and pull you closer to him, making you lay your back to the side of his chest.

“Well because you look like one”. You said with a giggle as you held the cake up to him and lit the candle. You then looked up, your eyes meeting his as you give him a gentle smile and begun singing Happy Birthday.

“Happy Birthday to my love, Happy Birthday Kenma. Make a wish and then blow the candle”. You instruct as he closes his eyes for a bit and then blew the candle. He gives you a kiss to your cheek and whispered to your ear.

“Thank you, my baby,”. You nodded and took the spoon to feed him the cake when Kenma’s phone rings. Kenma groans as he picks it up and told you that it’s from Kuroo. Kenma was going to declined when you told him that maybe Kuroo wants to wish him Happy Birthday and its nice to pick it up. Kenma could only roll his eyes as he picked up.

“What do you want? You can just wish me tomo-”.

“Yo, you do realize the stream is still on, right?”. You gasped as your head and his turned towards the screen, and there, the blaring red light indicating that the camera is still rolling. Then the both of you noticed that the chat was going crazy and questions were popping up about the two of you.

“What do we do now?”. You whispered, a coldness washing over you as you search for his face. There was a blank look on him when he slowly looks at you, and give you a gentle smile. He squeezes your hips and pats your head, physically reassuring you. Suddenly, he places his hand on the desk and pulls the chair forward while adjusting the camera.

“Well, everyone, meet the love of my life”. He said as a blush covers your face and you wave shyly. The chat was going crazy, sentences came out so fast but you could read some.

OMG SHE’S SO PRETTY!!

Yo King Kenma have rizz

MOVE! She’s our girlfriend now!

WAIT YOU’RE NOT DATING HINATA?

You were expecting backlash, but thankfully, there were so many kind comments. Kenma then encourages you to speak to them while he eats his cake. You were having a blast replying to the questions from the stream when you heard a light snore behind you. You turned around and you were met with Kenma’s sleeping face as you kiss his forehead.

“Hey guys, I think we should go now. I’m gonna bring Kenma to bed. Thank you for all the nice words and thank you for always supporting Kenma. We love you!!”. The chat of course says their goodbyes and left so many kinds words. You then struggled a bit with turning off the stream and eventually managed to lead your boyfriend to the bed.

The next day,

KENMA THE YOUTUBER REVEALED HIS GIRLFRIEND ACCIDENTALLY!

[queer-geordie-nerd]

"Olja and Vlada come to take us to the airport. Belgrade is gray and asleep. We are driving in silence. I carry an envelope with our humble cash in my underpants. It is forbidden to carry more than $5,000 over the border. The Serbian government sees it as a way of depleting the country’s cash reserves. Which is truly funny in light of the constant and continuous grand theft that is being committed on a daily basis at the very top by Milošević’s thugs.

Shady characters from all over the former Yugoslavia are making huge amounts of money by simply taking loads of cash in bags and suitcases over the border and hiding them in foreign accounts. Millions, billions have been transferred in that way and in other illegal ways. And those who have profited from it are quickly becoming the new elite. From time to time someone is prosecuted, more as an attempt to show a clean and proper face to the West than from trying to eradicate criminal elements from the society. But that’s a whole other story concerning a whole other kind of people. As for us, there are no millions or billions. We have to hide our humble savings in our underpants.

On our way to the airport we have to stop at a couple of checkpoints. There are many scary elements to this prospect. First, we are carrying more that the allowed amount of money over the border (the cash mainly came from the sale of our recently acquired car). Second, Goran is subject to military duty, either in Croatia where he was born, or in Serbia where he’s been living and working. These checkpoints have been created, among other reasons, to prevent the dramatic desertion of young people who don’t want to fight in a war they don’t understand and don’t approve of.

The Yugoslav Army has been literally chasing young men in order to enlist them and send them to fight against their former buddies. We have a whole bunch of friends in Belgrade who for months have been sleeping in other people’s apartments to avoid the draft. Goran solved his problem a couple of months before when he cleared his military status in a highly dramatic episode involving a fake letter from America inviting him to a film festival in New York and a bribe to a military official, a bribe that consisted of a couple of elegant pens – yes, pens (maybe the guy was a budding writer!). But you never know: there is a huge possibility that they stop him from traveling on account of his pending military obligation. They could even send him back to Croatia where another army, the newly formed Croatian Army, would draft him with great enthusiasm: it was a known fact that Croatian Serbs were drafted first and sent to the frontline to fight the other Serbs, the Serbian Serbs, the enemy Serbs.

As a Croatian actor of Serbian ethnicity would later tell me: “In the Croatian Army I had to watch my back for a Croatian knife and my front for a Serbian bullet.”

At the first checkpoint we are stopped by two policemen with their guns at the ready. Our faces are white, our voices shaky. “Oh, Ms. Mira, hello. Nice to see you. And you, young man, where do you think you’re going?” asks the guy with the gun. His hands trembling, Goran takes the envelope from the military out of his backpack. “Here it is, officer. I’ve been invited to an important film festival in New York. Please, take a look.” The guy is reading the letter with a morose expression. He clearly isn’t happy. “At this crucial time for our nation you, young man, should be in a trench fighting for your country, not visiting film festivals abroad.” “Well, you see…” Goran begins to explain the inexplicable. The other guy takes the letter, looks at it and says: “Ok, go, whatever. Those who don’t care about the future of our people and its very survival, are free to go whereever they want to go. But, remember, the homeland doesn’t forget. And it doesn’t forgive.” (I’m taking liberties here. I don’t really know if the guy said those precise words; his face was saying it.

These same words could have been spoken at a border crossing in Croatia, with the heavily compromised notion of “homeland” expressed by a different word (“otadzbina” in Serbian, “domovina” in Croatian). We continue, relieved. I’m thinking: god, was I right in making the decision to leave. Those two patriotic policemen could not be more symbolic of what we are fleeing from.

The next check point is even scarier. They ask us about our money and we have to lie. They want to check the letter from the military again. They look at the letter for a long time, then they look at Goran with the utmost disgust, then they look at me with the usual lecherous, misogynist, patronizing “sympathy.” “Oh, Ms. Mira, so how are things in Zagreb? Not that good, ah?” I smile. Nobody says a word. Let this be over.

Finally on the plane, the first thing I do is go to the toilet and take out the envelope with the money from my underpants. I sit on the toilet and sigh deeply. It is over. We are out. I begin to laugh. And then I cry. The flight attendant knocks on the door. “Is everything OK?” “Oh, yes, everything is good. It’s really, really good,” I say and flush the toilet in order to silence the sounds of laughing and crying that my happy body is emitting uncontrollably. We are flying with KLM and have a night to spend in Amsterdam.

Could it be more perfect? We get out of the plane and the air is different. We feel we can finally breathe. We are lighter. We need a drink. We need a joint. We need a couple of drinks and a couple of joints. Long live freedom!"

- Mira Furlan, Love Me More Than Anything In the World

[still-a-morosexual-help]

idk if this has been asked before but. what songs remind you of mammon?

I've answered this like 3 times before this but I keep adding new songs so here's the (new) full list again

Some of the choices are much less serious than the others

Mammon:

Why Should I worry - Jonathan Young Cover

Tangled up in me - Skye Sweetnam

Must have done something right - Relient k

Accidentally in love - Counting Crows

Take on the world - Girl Meets World theme (male cover if you want ig)

Better - Ananya Birla

Greedy - Ariana Grande (male cover)

Hell and You - Amigo the Devil

In case you don't live forever - ben platt

Sledgehammer - Fifth Harmony

I can't fight this feeling anymore - REO speedwagon

Cheerleader - OMI

La Da Dee - Cody Simpson

Invincible - Crossfade

I think I'm in love - Kat Dahlia

Sucker - Jonas Brothers

They don't know about us - One Direction

Never Enough - Karl Loxley cover

Better Place - Rachel Platten

Somebody to you - The Vamps

Paper Rings - Taylor Swift

Handclap - Fitz and the tantrums

Honey I'm good - Andy Grammer

Casino Royale - Derivakat

Greedy - OR3O ft Swiblet

Gossip - Måneskin ft Tom Morello

MC about Mammon:

Best Friend - Sofi Tukker

Umbrella - Rihanna

Fire Meets Gasoline - Sia

I'll stand by you - The Pretenders

Hot Mess - Cobra Starship

Parachute - Cheryl Cole

Animal - Chase Holfelder

Let it be me - David Guetta ft Ava Max

Unconditionally - Katy Perry

Burn with you - Lea Michele

You & Me - James TW

Stand by you - Rachel Platten (to me, this is just the general mc song overall. It fits so perfectly, specially after seeing what their priorities are like in nightbringer)

Sweet tooth - Scott Helman

Both:

Army of Two - Dumdums

Don't let go - don diablo ft holly winter

I'l think of you - Kurt Schneider ft. Sam Tsui, Alex G. & Alyson Stoner

Only Us - Dear Evan Hansen

Partners in Crime - Set it Off

ME! - Taylor Swift ft Brandon Urie

Bud like you - AJR

Two voices one song - Barbie the Diamond Castle

This Hell - Rina Sawayama

True Friend - Hannah Montana

Better than one - The Score

And because I'm having EMOTIONS about angel Mammon:

Stand out, Fit in - Caleb Hyles cover ft Aruvn & Tre Watson

We are - ONE OK ROCK

Family:

Fire - Gavin DeGraw

Archers - With Confidence

Wicked Ways - Halestorm

People like us - Kelly Clarkson

Family - Mother Mother

Sinners - Lauren Aquilina

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Idea #52: Targaryen Restoration, but make it magical

I have approximately a thousand and one thoughts about Brynden Rivers. This is less to do with his position as The Three-Eyed Raven and more to do with all he accomplished before becoming part of a tree - becoming Hand of the King, playing a key role in defeating three Blackfyre Rebellions; becoming Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. In addition to being a master of realpolitik, he is an example of everything Jon Snow could have become in a world where Rhaegar won.

So, naturally, my mind took all the things I love about Bloodraven, mixed in a little TH White, and came up with: What if Brynden Rivers got to be House Targaryen's Merlin - and its King Arthur?

Aka: The Shiera Snowbird Fic

Just imagine it:

Everything in Robert's Rebellion happens as per canon - save Rhaegar gets his Visenya. Or, more accurately, his Shiera, as Lyanna's daughter is born with all of her mother's beauty and a pair of mismatched eyes: one lilac, one dove grey.

Shiera Snow, as she is called, is raised as Ned Stark's bastard in Winterfell. Like her namesake, she becomes a great reader, found more often in the company of the Maester than any of her half-siblings, and by the time of Jon Arryn's death there are rumors she has become a sorceress of the blackest arts.

These rumors are fueled in part by Lady Catelyn, who sees Shiera's great beauty and fears she will use it to seduce her way into Robb's inheritance, and in part because of Shiera herself, who seeks out the Witches of the Wolfswood and keeps no gods.

The truth is rather different - Shiera is a budding greenseer, haunted by dreams she can't explain - dreams of the Long Night and an albino man with a red birthmark crying out to her for help. In her search for explanations, she's dived further into the esoteric than any in the North have in years but found none of the answers she seeks.

When Ned goes south, Shiera heads north, eventually crossing the Wall and reaching the cave of the three-eyed raven. She rescues a surprisingly youthful Brynden Rivers from the roots of weirwood trees and destroys the Children of the Forest who were keeping him hostage, using the magic of his Blackwood and Targaryen blood to hasten the return of the Others and the destruction of mankind.

While canon proceeds elsewhere - Ned is executed, the War of Five Kings rages, Daenerys becomes the Mother of Dragons - Brynden teaches Shiera the secrets of sorcery and reveals her Targaryen ancestry. Together they work to ensure the success of Dany and Young Griff's actions in Essos - and the downfall of their enemies in Westeros.

Dany and Young Griff - who truly is Aegon VI - join forces, wed, and reconquer most of Westeros, which is too divided to stand against them.

Eventually Dany and Aegon make their way North to determine why no word has been heard from the Kingdom since a single bloodied missive was sent to King's Landing by the Boltons some years before - and why no messengers who pass The Neck return alive. They and their armies learn that the Wall has fallen and the Others have overrun most The North.

They're almost equally surprised to find Bloodraven and Shiera - by this point called Snowbird for the snow buntings she wargs into - leading a group of survivors in the ruins of Winterfell.

An extended War for the Dawn sequence follows, with Aegon VI proving to be Azor Ahai reborn, Dany agreeing to die so that Lightbringer can be reforged, and Aegon dying in battle with the Night's King.

Brynden and Shiera, whose magic was instrumental in defeating the Others, are now the last of Targaryen blood left alive. Only they can control the dragons Dany brought into the world. They are crowned King and Queen of the Seven Kingdoms somewhat against their own desires, but well aware that the civil war that would follow if they refused would decimate an already destroyed realm.

What follows shouldn't quite be a golden age, but should be an age of great renewal and rebirth - a Renaissance, if the Renaissance included the return of magic.

Bonuses include: 1) Everything about Shiera Snowbird echoing Shiera Seastar, intentionally or unintentionally, with at least half the accusations of sorcery against her in her youth coming more from male fear of an educated woman and female jealousy of her beauty; 2) Unlike everyone else, Bloodraven should find only surface similarities between his half-sister and great-niece, and be repeatedly heard to say they are very different people; 3) Brynden and Shiera's relationship starting very much on mentor-mentee footing, which slowly evolves into friendship and true respect. The romance between them should be very late to the game and only come after Brynden realizes that the relationship he had with Shiera Seastar was deeply unhealthy; 4) As much magic as can be shoehorned into the world, with more magic being capable the more people believe - and the stronger Dany's dragons become; and 5) The triumph of practical, pragmatic politics over all else.

And that's all I have for this plot bunny. As always, feel free to adopt this bun, just link back if you ever do anything with it.

Other Jon Snow Headcanons: Aelor the Accursed | Aegon the Adopted | Aegon the Undying | Aegon the Unyielding | Aemon the Adventurous | Baelor the Brave | Daemon the Destroyer | Daena the Dreamer | Daeron the Desired | Dyanna the Defiant | Jon Whitefyre | King of the Ashes | Lady Arryn | Lady Baratheon | Lady Lannister | Lady Stark | Lord of the Dance | Prince Consort | Prince of Summerhall | Queen Mother | Rhaegar the Righteous | River Queen | Shiera Snowbird

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[dehautdesert]

If there's something I absolutely adore it's when a long-ass book or book series does its work with the worldbuilding and messages so well that by the halfway mark the author doesn't need to add any, like, interpretation or commentary to their scenes, just present them as they are, and you get the metacontext anyway and feel exactly what the author wants you to.

I'm currently on the third book of the Inda tetralogy, which is a series whose protagonists come from a pretty gung-ho, militaristic, honor-based culture, and the series explores how this type of culture kinda hobbles their society through following a group of military academy buddies from childhood until they all take up important positions in their society (and the main protagonist is a strategic genius with a natural flair for leadership who leaves his backwards backwater country at a young age and spends large swaths of time running a pirate fleet that robs other pirates Robin Hood-style, if I may try to get some of my Vorkosigan-loving mutuals to consider reading this).

So, anyway, I'm at the point where they're all in their early to mid twenties and they're going off to war against a far superior invading force. And because their culture glorifies war and military accomplishment so much, and because the king and all his generals are childhood best buds who haven't actually gotten to spend time all together in a while, they basically make the march a sort of a frat boy party, but in a cute way.

They're so happy and enthusiastic to see each other, they're literally like puppies, hugging each other and jumping at each other and talking and laughing over each other and begging their fathers to let them ride ahead to meet the army so they can all ride together to the castle. And they do the most ridiculous playful shit, they march into towns at a gallop with banners and trumpets and shit and throw feasts and competitions and sing songs and do cool war dances and are all charming and hot as they retell their dumb schoolboy stories and the locals are all FUCK YEAH THESE GUYS ARE SO COOL I NEED LANDRED TO DICK ME DOWN TONIGHT and literally every one of the POV characters is so filled with enthusiasm and exuberance and zest for life and childish, giddy happiness at the prospect of finally getting to spend so much time with the people he loves (and their love for each other really permeates every interaction they have), and reading all this... kinda makes you wanna cry.

Because they're riding off to war and the series has been so poignant so far about the follies of war that at this point it doesn't have to move a finger to imply how harrowing it all is, nor does it need to portray the dissonance between what they're walking into and their fundamentally good-natured, loving, youthful enthusiasm for each other, beyond just showing it to you.

It's one of the warmest and funniest and happiest parts of the series so far, and it's also a big payoff because they spent the last 1000 pages apart and they have excellent character dynamics, but it also makes you want to cry the entire way through it as you're reading it because the implications of the larger world around them loom so large, and I think that's a brilliant accomplishment as far as writing goes.

[nananamunsons]

Bills to pay.

Summary: When you carry with the pain that actions you always knew they were wrong left inside of you.

pairing: Eddie Munson & Fem!reader.

words: 5783 ;(^__^)

CW: Mentions of smoking, Mechanic!Eddie, mentions of depression, anxiety, doubting yourself, teenagep pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, young single mother mentions, reader is (very) forgiving, crying.

Notes: I was really wondering if i should start posting the things i write to myself and one singular friend lolol, so this is really just a test on how to post in tumblr ahaha

Chapter 1: Unattended and untouched.

Eddie covers with one hand the cigarrete that was sustained on his lips, hoping the winter cold will allow him to turn it on.

It was normal for him to wait outside the cafè for his black coffee on his breaks, the workers there already assumed he was gonna be a regular to do that behavior so he will stay on the door after ordering until a sweet girl hands him the cup from inside the shop.

Winters made him depressed, he was totally honest with himself about it as well, the white skies, white floors, cold air and humidity on his hair, it was too much for him to handle, for him to be okay with. Winters also felt nostalgic, in a way that left his walking back at work such a bother, leaving him alone with his loud thoughts.

throwing half done bud to the snow, he was welcomed back by the warmth of the repair shop, listening to the commercial music that his boss made him play for the clients in the waiting room.

“Munson, you’re back so soon?” a coworker of him asks behind him as Eddie takes off his jacket. “It is hell outside right?”

“I don’t get how we still get clients, man.” he chuckles, grabbing his cup again to finally take a sip. “What do we have today?”

“We are almost done for the day really, just the old truck again… The old man refuses to let it go but it just means more money for us, right?”

Eddie shook his head, he hated how much the company robbed that man but again, he was stubborn as hell so there was not much to convince him about. “What is it this time?”

the coworker puts his hands on his hips “I’m not even sure at this point, dude… Could be all at once if you ask me.”

“I’ll handle it… What about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow… Elise, did we get any calls for tomorrow?”

the two guys turn to see the receptionist on Eddie’s left, a small blonde who in Eddie’s head she just ‘was too much, another tammy thompson on his life’ The woman checks her notes for a solid minute “There’s…” she dances the words around the air with her southern accent. “We have an Oxygen Sensor replacement without an assigned worker for tomorrow, client said it was urgent.”

“I’ll take it.” Eddie spat before the other man took it, such an easy job was commonly fighted around, easy money. “At what hour should the client be here?”

“Night shift.”

“That’s fine then, you can count me on nightshift for the rest of the week, Elise.”

The woman rolls her eyes in annoyance “Our hero.”

Drinking his full cup of coffee in one sit, he throws the cup on the trashcan before comforting the old man with his old and barely alive truck, knowing that after that, he will be allowed to go home.

Eddie was living fine on his own, after getting his own trailer next to Wayne’s he did his best to mantain himself up, getting the shifts that will pay him more, doing his own grocery shopping, cooking… He wanted to prove to Wayne he can be by himself, something that (not so) surprisingly Wayne doubted about him. Of course living on his own means getting back home to an empty bed, empty kitchen, empty livingroom. He could get pretty lonely some days, some others it will be him and his thoughts and regretful actions from the past that kept him awake at night. But other than that, Eddie felt okay living by himself.

That shift got him army crawling his way home, even his arms felt heavy as he drove his sweetheart back to the trailer park, he walks his way to the porch to see several bills discarted on his floor, from his rent to medical bills Wayne could not longer take care of amd just a bunch of another bullshit. He sighs looking at each one before tossing them on the table, taking his boots off and the hairtie that was almost tangled to death on his curls.

“For fucks sake.” He groans, pulling out several hairs out of his head with the baby blue tie. “This is fucking stupid.”

There are knocks in his door that interrupts his cursing to himself, he knew it was Wayne that he didn’t even bothered to walk through the door when the old man walks inside. “Hey Uncle Wayne.”

“You had dinner?” the old man puts a tupperware on the same table with the bills.

the younger chuckles “no, i just got home… What is it?”

“Don’t ask, just eat it boy.”

The men had dinner together, in silence, it has been years that there was no words to share, it was just awkward now, it was not like they outgrew eachother, Wayne still loved his son but he also knew he has done stuff that does not agree with his lifestyle, Wayne can’t even hide it the longer the time passes without Eddie fixin’ what he broke.

the metalhead wanted to deny that he was hurt by the coldness of his uncle, but he was, his chest ached everytime he sees the man avoiding eye contact or when he clearly wants to say something but keeps it to himself. Eddie regrets a lot of stuff, he for sure regrets letting his relationship with Wayne walk in a thing thread, knowing that one day, maybe today, tomorrow or in years but one day, the older will leave him on his own.

When Wayne leaves the trailer, Eddie finally takes in the deepest breath has ever took today, his palms rubbing against his tired face, taking a good feel to his hard leather skin and big eyebags. He wishes life was different, he didn’t liked how he grew, the person he has become and how easy was for him to mask everything to others.

Eddie was supposed to be the other way around, always unafraid to show who he was, not comforming to be what others wanted him to be, not hiding or running away and sadly he cannot ask himself what went wrong because he knew exactly what he did to deserve everything he has right now.

He deserves his own voice echoes around the trailer that lacked that spark that made it a ‘home’ for him. He deserves waking up cold in an empty bed, by the sound of his alarm, he deserves realizing he ran out of shampoo because he forgot to write it on his list last sunday.

He deserves every little thing that went wrong.

And you deserve the world. You with the brightest smile and the soft touch, You with warmth and love that you had to offer. You with those fat tears in your eyes the last time he saw you. His heart ached to only remember, because he did, every single time he closed his eyes he could see the tears and the redness of your face.

He deserves nothing and you deserve everything, wherever you are, he hopes you are in a better place than he was.

His dreams were always filled with you that sometimes felt like nightmares, a sick trick his brain played to remind him how much of a fucking idiot he was, coordinating with his heart to bring him the worst life possible just because he let you go. He let you go with the stupidest excuse ever and now he cannot see the end of it.

But at the next morning he knew that everything was done, you probably didn’t even wanted his help and to be fair he doesn’t really know how to help so he begins his own routine all over again.

Shower, blow dry his hair like you said he needed to, breakfast and usually work. But today he doesn’t have work until late at night, he had at least 8 hours to spare.

8 hours of him basically drowning himself in the emptyness of his home.

Shit.

“Shit indeed.” he answers to his own head in a sigh. “Maybe i should do my groceries early, what do you think jr.?” he asks to the panda bear sitting on his sofa. How ironic to call Jr. to a panda you gave to him years ago, it’s like even himself LOVES to annoy himself.

“Yeah, maybe i should.” he rolls his eyes to grab his keys, ignoring the letters that still sat on the table, putting his snow boots on amd the long black jacket, aware of the coldest morning ever was right behind his front door. He knows he shouldn’t drive in snow, Eddie has been warned thousands times that his wreckless driving in the iced streets could cause death amd for some reason that never made him afraid. Not when his mom warned him, not when Wayne did and probably not when you did. Well that was a lie. Back then he did worried to get into an accident, leaving you alone in the cruel highschool world.

Something that was the same level of ironic as Jr. who sat on his sofa.

But you were away now, he doesn’t have to worry for something that already happened years ago.

It tormented him the rest of those 8 hours he waited for to start, the shortest shift even. At 6PM he arrived to the shop, hanging his keys on the reception and taking off his jacket. “Hello, Elise.” he teases the woman.

“Munson.” She responds dry as always. “Your client just arrived 5 minutes ago and it’s waiting on the children cubicle.”

“What, am i fixing a toy car?”

“You are such a comedy genius, Edward.” She rolls her eyes “Hurry up before i even regret putting you to this shift.”

“Have a good night, Elise.” The man winks at the woman who was already bagging everything she owns for the end of her own shift and turns his back at ger, sighing as loud as he could and walking to the kid’s cubicle, a cublicle that was only recently added in suggestion of his coworker Mark who has toddler to take care of, he knows where is at but doesn’t really pass through it, he hasn’t heard of clients using it until tonight. “Excuse me m’am, do you have the keys to your car so i can start with the–“

Tension grows when he opens the door to the cubicle, both heads snap to see him standing there and the woman who was in her knees in front of a baby groans. “Fucking great.”

Eddie tries to process how was it even possible to see you in his own workspace, how was possible that you didn’t aged a single bit but he probably looked like two truck ran over him. He watched you stand up from your knees and he realized that he was not breathing at all. “You’re… The mechanic here, of course you are.”

“I’m sorry… Yeah i just–“

“It’s fine, listen is just a check up… it should be an easy job, after that i can go again.”

his hands reached for the keys that you dangled close to his face and he cursed that he even followed your actions, his heart swells by the sight of you and your cold face. “I’ll work right up, feel comfortable and– yeah…”

You simply nod at him, even the dryness of your nod made him want to just dig a hole and jump straight down to it. So he turns half a circle and leaves to where your car was and he jumped right on the driver seat, taking a deep breath at the smell of that sick, disgusting cherry perfume women always chose for their cars, somehow you weren’t the exception to his personal rule this time.

He wonders more about you, what is your job, where do you live, how do you live? why are you here? It was like his switch detected something that made him remember every single thing about you and it was like you never left. But you did, the picture behind your steering wheel made him clear that you did left. The baby seat on the backseat, the toys in the passenger seat, the backpack next to the toys.

You left, you kept the kid amd you had your life away from him and it was clearly something that hurts him. Because back then he swore he will never regret the choice he made.

And he did.

He regrets screaming at you, making you cry, not answering your calls, disappearing when you needed him the most. He knocked you up and ghosted the shit out of you that same year, being so scared, furious and confused. How was he supposed to explain that to Wayne? how was he supposed to explain that he got his sweetheart pregnant at the young age of 19 when he was about to turn 21 and still sold Rick’s cheap stuff that barely made enough for the two of them on weekends? It wasn’t like he didn’t wanted a kid, he wasn’t sure at the moment but he was completely sure that it was not something he wanted at that moment.

So he told you exactly how he felt.

He remembers the exact words that made your heart take a leap from a bridge, how could he not? he remember regretting them as soon as they left his mouth but he also was too much of a hubristic to even allow him to take it back.

“Hey.” an echoe interrupted him. “Where’s the bathroom to this place?”

“What?”

“Bathroom.” You repeat. “Esther really needs to go.” to Eddie it looks like you hugged yourself but processing the unknown name he could just assume you totally meant the 5 year old behind you.

“Oh!” he reacts, getting out of your car. “Well– the actual bathrooms are not– not childproof so i’ll let you use the office’s place instead, follow me.”

“How can a bathroom be childproof?” you follow his steps, confused at his behavior. “And why is the office’s bathroom is childproof and the clients one not?”

“Because clients don’t take their kids to the repair shop.” he grabs the keys from the wall. “But a coworker does take care of his kids here every 2 weeks, you’ll be amazed how determined he is to childpoorf everything in this office.”

“Oh yeah, i can– yeah it shows.”

Eddie turns for a second to look at the five years old next to you and his sweat ran cold again.

If only.

If only the kid wasn’t an exact copy of his mother he could go on with life and pretend it isn’t his. But she looks just like a Munson. Too much for his liking.

“Listen, just flicker the switch twice before turning it on, we are mechanics not electricians so there’s some issues around the place but… Its way better than the one outside, you know how social levels work.”

“Right.”

“Sure.” he sighs. “I’ll go and check your car, anything else just tell me.”

Another dry nod from you and he consider himself dead, it was more the embarrassment than anything at all, being only the three of you in the building shouldn’t be an issue, he was distracted with the car anyways. He had to be honest, it was a shit ton of work what he had in his hands, the car was just like he expects a woman that doesn’t know anything about cars to be like and it was more work than what any of them expected, whoever tested the vehicle did not found all the issues.

“Great.” He mutters to himself before turning on the car lift and walk his way back to the kids cubicle and knocks three times before opening the door. “Would you mind following me for a bit?”

“Safe to leave her alone?”

He looks around the place and behind him before shaking his head. No he does not trust a kid away from her mother in such a place, he could not see the light of day if the kid scrapped her knee or something worse. “Is just about the diagnosis of the car… She won’t get dirty or anything.”

“Fine.” You whisper, following his steps with the kid in hand.

“So– You remember who did your initial diagnosis? any name or… appearance?”

“Yes!” you straighten your back “His name was… Richard, i believe.”

“Of course.” his head falls backwards. “So, there’s more than just the replacement they told you about… You need an oil change and just a bunch other stuff to fix, all quick fixes but all of them together may take us… 5 days? at max, it all depends on how well your car behaves.”

“What? Eddie i need this car for Nancy’s wedding this friday.”

“I’m working as fast as i could, sweetheart.” He groans, looking up to the car. “I’m sorry to ruin any plans but– it’s that or a car accident on the way.”

“Is there really not option then?”

The man turns to press the button on the lift, bringing the car down to the ground “The only option is to slave me away and work in this car without breaks and you’re not the only one going to Nance’s wedding.”

You laugh to yourself. “You owe me such thing but i guess not.”

“Good call.”

“Man so i don’t have a car for the rest of the week?”

“I’m afraid so, sweetheart.”

He felt guilty by calling you such name, he feel like you would cuzz him out if he kept going but you didn’t. You let him call you like that, Eddie can’t figure it out why.

You called him by his name why can’t he bring the same emergy to you? even when he wanted, he tried to… But only ‘sweetheart’ came out of his mouth. “Well, i should keep working on this one, but if you want a ride home just tell me, no issues.”

You wanted to deny the offer, you really did but yout yawning 5 y/o was begging to be somewhere except an old leather sofa right now. “Can i take the baby seat to your van first?”

“Feel free.” he says, reaching for his keys. “Not changing the music tho.”

“Of course you’re not.” You laugh like it was something natural. Like you laughed all the time in front of him, like anything ever happened.

And as much as he hates to repeat everything, it’s pain. Pain like he never felt before, not even when you left, not even when he heard from Nancy that your kid was having complications when she was born, not even when he heard nothing else from that.

the pain came from the fact that you’re back, you’re here in front of him and you look happier than ever.

Healthy, well put together and emotionally there for everyone and he is not, he is a mess. He can’t even see his uncle in the eyes because it hurts too much to be reminded that the moment he left you was the moment his uncle was first disappointed in him.

“Done.” You simply say. “Should we go?”

Eddie nods, turning off the lights of the place and closing all doors. He could deal with the car tomorrow if he wants to, today was enough of a burden for him to keep going in that cold place all night, so as soon as he turns to see you inside his van, he locka the place.

“Where to.” He asks, turning on his van. “Can do several trips if you need, i’m a personal taxi today.”

“Wayne changed his shift right?”

“3 years ago, yeah.” he starts to exit the place.

You humm at first “Maybe i should visit him before going back to the apartment, is it a problem?”

“What? no, it’s fine uh– the old man and i live in different places now so you can visit him at any point you want now, feel free… We don’t– we are not that close anymore.”

“Really? What changed?”

You, is what he wanted to say, he wanted to tell you so bad how much his life went downhill since he said those things to you. But you didn’t deserved that, you don’t deserve to carry the guilt of his life, he did. After all he was the one that chose to run away.

“Oh you know…” he whinces, was he gonna lie to you? “I uhh–“

“I get it.” you interrupt him.

“Yeah.” Eddie sighs. “Listen… I think it comes without a say that– Sweetheart, i’m sorry i did this to you.”

“You don’t.” You could only laugh, rolling your eyes to look at the wet and dark street

“I do… I shouldn’t have said those things, i shouldn’t have leave you and work with this on your own.”

“You shouldn’t but you did.” Those words echoes more than he wanted, it bounced in his head for seconds and will probably haunt them all night. “If you know you shouldn’t why you did it?”

Eddie turns left to enter Forest Hills, he didn’t had the courage to face you or answer right now, he couldn’t admit how much of a fuck up he is and will be.

And when he parks in front of Wayne’s he sighs, knowing the man will come out any minute now to tell him to park in front of his trailer. So as soon as the old man opens the door he raises his hands up in the air. “Someone wanted to see you, okay? i’ll move in a minute.” he declared and you get out of the van, like it was a signal he asked you, an entrance.

The old man’s eyes softened at the sight of you, oh how he missed to see your face full of youth and happiness. “Hi, Wayne…” you whisper, walking closer to Eddie instead. “Hey i– Esther fell asleep in the chair and…”

“Oh! yeah i’ll– should i let her sleep at my place? is this one right next to Wayne’s”

“Oh don’t worry i just–“

“Let him.” Wayne interrupts. “Is the least he could do.”

Eddie shrunk in his place by the coldness of Wayne’s voice, you could see the shine in your eyes disappearing when the man looked at him and like a robot he turns towards the van from your seat, unbuckling your kid and lift her up without a struggle. “I’ll just take her. don’t worry.” he looks at you with a tired face and walks to his trailer.

Eddie felt knifes punching his guts with every step he took, feeling the heavy figure in his arms made it even more harder. He tried to ignore that she was right next to you in every move, even when she had the most prettiest doe eyes he has ever seen, even when she looks like those pictures Wayne had of his childhood where his mother smiled wide at the camera… He tried so hard to ignore the fact that you named her Esther like his mother even when you knew she will never know about that.

He carefully placed her on the black satin sheets and took an actual look at the toddler.

She also had features that resembled you so well. Your nose was clearly there, his freckles, your long eyelashes… It pained him so much to see how she was a perfect mixture of both of you.

When he gets out of the room, leaving her there, he knew you were there, he felt you follow from behind. “I was scared.” he said, looking down at his feet. “i was scared that my best wasn’t good enough for one, how could it be enough for two? it scared me that i would do more damage to the kid than i will do them good, i was so scared to be like my dad and just– just fuck up everything and it turns out i was right, see? i fuck everything up.”

“Eddie…”

“I thought about you, when i graduated, when i gave up corroded coffin, when i started working in that place… I thought of you when Nance told Robin that the kid was still in the NICU, i somehow wanted to blame me for everything and i should, because i left you and you struggled… i heard what happened with your mom and that you left hawkins and i just– i’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

You sigh, looking at nothing and everything at once, you heard every single word that came out of his mouth and you waited until he was done for you to speak “she had a resuscitation in the delivery room.” you started heavy. “She wasn’t breathing well because she was too small for her gestational age, that happens a lot of times for babies, it has nothing to do wit you.” you explain. “My mother? yeah she did kicked me out of the house but– that was way before the whole– the whole pregnant issue. That was on me, it was because of you but it was my choice… My choice to date you, right?”

He didn’t said a word.

“It is a lot, i did struggle, i thought about not having her but also– even when you didn’t said a thing, when you left, when you screamed at me… i knew it was correct for me to have her… I was going to do this with or without you, Eddie…”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you are.”

Eddie then looks your way, with regret he looks in your eyes that started filling with tears at same time as him. Neither of you thought this moment was gonna happen, it didn’t felt real. And Eddie regretted everything, he regretted to ever break your heart.

“She doesn’t have to be yours if you don’t want to, i more than everything know how hard is to carry with a kid… But i do have one question.”

Eddie nods slightly.

“If the circumstances were different– if we weren’t as young as we were… you wouldn’t leave?”

Eddie thinks for a minute, part of him think he will always be scared to ruin a life like his father did but that was also the part that kept him from not running, he doesn’t trust that part of him one bit. “I wouldn’t.” he answers.

He was honest, if the circumstances were different he would have adored you, the kid, he would have been the same eddie he was in highschool, the one that pampered you with kissed and hugs around the halls and took you to dates ever single sunday. “Then what stops you now?”

“I’m afraid i’m too late.” he admits again. “That no matter what i do… i would never forgive myself for what i did to you.”

“You don’t know that, Eddie.”

“There are thing we can’t fix anymore, sweetheart… I’m afraid to admit that what we had before is ome of those things… I promised you the moon but i will never reach those expectations for you, i failed you once, you shouldn’t trust that i will not do it again.”

His truth was loud, just like the silence that came after that, Eddie looks at his table instead, looking at the bills that were left unattended and untouched. The envelopes were still closed, waiting for him to open and be paid, to assume his responsibilities once more. ironic.

“I can’t forget about you, sweetheart.” he adds. “You were my everything… if i did that to you, how am i deserved of a second chance?”

“You don’t get to tell me who to give a second chance to, man.” You whine. “The fact that i saw you after years of trying to avoid you makes me feel like– like we have stuff to finish together… Don’t let her be another Munson with a shitty dad, be there for her, make her have what you didn’t.”

“You say that but–“

“We don’t have to be together for you to be her dad if you don’t want to, you don’t have to love me or even stand me… But i want her to be happy.”

Eddie then breaks, he sobs under his hands, he never noticed when but those rubbed his face with his salty tears. “But i do.”

“Eddie.”

“I still love you, princess… I didn’t knew i was until i saw you again, i don’t want to love you the way i do but how can i not? you still wear your heart on your sleeve even to white trash like me, makes me wish that you hated me, why can’t you hate me?” he cries, his breath became unsteady as you approached even more to him, trying to hold his hands but getting a hold of his wrist, your touch made him feel weak on his knees.

“I hate you.” You whisper, burrying youself in his arms. “I hate your stupid big brown eyes, i hate your fucking long hair and your big shoulders.” he keeps crying, but his arms moved to hug you, his face now hidding itself in your hair. “I hated you when you left me… If it makes you feel better, i also hate how right you are, we cannot fix us anymore.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“Don’t be.” your hand rubs his back. “Come on, big man, you’re gonna make me cry too.” you only chuckle to avoid the tears. “Fuck you know i hate to see you cry.”

Eddie kept muttering sorry’s in your neck as he kept crying and they started to feel like he had them saved for you, for this specific moment of his life.

“Look at us… we grow up too fast didn’t we?” You break the hug, palms on each side of his face who was red and wet from tears, he nods, ashamed of his feelings. “Eddie i promise you that Esther doesn’t have to be a mistake to you, we can do this… for her.”

“What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Then we can say that we tried.” you shrug your shoulders. “I really doubt that would happen though.”

Eddie looks at your face, you really didn’t changed one single bit, your eyes were as kind as he could remember and your cheeks were always rose pink. It made him cry even more.

You stay untouched by time while he felt like his body was rotting from the inside and the outside. He wanted to dig a hole and jump to never get out of there. But instead he got a warm kiss on his right cheek, a soft and short one that was enough for him to kneel in front of you. Knees touching the wood hard enough that it stings but his hands huggimg your waist still.

“Get up, you silly man.” You laugh.

“I’m so sorry, please… Please forgive me, sweetheart.”

“Eddie you don’t have to do that! get up!” you keep laughing. “Hey, look at me.” He searches for your eyes above him. “Let’s give this conversation a rest, should we? i wanted to visit Wayne.”

“Don’t worry, i’m here okay?” Wayne opens the door with a firm step. “It’s a great moment for us to talk, isn’t it?– get up from the floor, boy.”

Eddie got up from his knees, cleanning his own tears with his black sweater and you nod, looking at Wayne with the most serious face you have seen ever in your life.

You cannot help but wonder if this was the look he gave to Eddie since you left and how much have it hurt to the boy. You can’t really imagine, Wayne adored his boy, that was his son…

“Wayne–“

“Save it boy… I’d like to say something i have been saving for years now if it doesn’t bother you.” The old man points at the sofa behind him and both of you walk to sit down, facing him. “I don’t want to know how or why you suddenly are face to face but i think it comes without a word that both of you are worked out about all of this, you both are adults, we have certain maturity already to understand this is more than just a cry and a hug.” Eddie nods, leaning foward to rest elbows on his knees, head hung low and already tired. “There has always been a life between you two, that kid right there deserves more than your wity cries and misserable aura, boy.” Wayne points at Eddie’s room. “it’s either you grow out of it or rest a case for her, you are already 25, act like it.”

Wayne has maybe seen the way you furrow your eyebrows because he sighs deeply before talking again, of course you didn’t agree with those words, even when they were directed at Eddie you felt them too, word you heard everytime rang in your mind.

“Is she healthy?”

“Yes sir.”

“Happy?”

“I’d like to think so, sir.” you nod. “She’s the prettiest, sir.”

“i bet she is, kid.” he nods before rubbing his temple. “I do agree with one thing you said… You grew up too fast, this wasn’t meant to be an easy task, you two created a whole human, do you know how heavy is that shit?”

Wayne cursing was definitely what made both the young adults stiffen in their seats, looking at eachother in fear. “We know Wayne…”

“Do you, boy?” the man raises a brow. “Have you known that for 5 years or did it just hit you?”

“I know, okay? i always knew how impactful this was, Wayne, i am a fucking moron i know, you remind me every day, everyone fucking does!” Eddie stands up from his seat, he didn’t want to raise his voice at all, the kid was sleeping on the room next to him. “I regretted every single second of my life these 5 years and i thought about stuff, everything was just way too much at the moment i completely blacked out of my mind! i was fucking 19, Wayne! She was 18 and i completely fucked her life with my own shit! don’t you think i have given myself hell for it?”

You look up at him, the tears were back and they rolled stronger than ever on his cheeks, too much emotion, too much feeling.

“I know you are disappointed as fuck with me and i know i was an asshole to her but come on! you don’t have to bring her into this shithole when you kept everything quiet for years! specially not now with the kid sleeping in the other room.” Eddie takes a big breath. “I’m fixing her car this week, please give me time.”

You can’t help but to smile at his words, it was the bare minimum but still made you feel like not everything was lost… Maybe you did had a chance to give to him and he was just scared to accept it.

Wayne saw it too. “Boy–“

“Mr. Munson– if… i can have a word i would just like to say” You interrupt the older man, standing up from your place. “Eddie was the first one to bring up the issue– i know that i shouldn’t be that easily forgetfull of the struggles i’ve been to but– if you don’t mind… i would like Esther to have a father to look up to.”

The man softened his gaze at the sound of the kid’s name, oh how much he wishes his sister was there for her boy, maybe if she was still alive this issue wouldn’t have been a problem, his parenting was not as perfect as hers after all. “Are you sure, kid?”

“Only if Eddie wants to.” you smile. “He also deserves a choice.”