#Bitch my exhausted would put you in hospital

[0last-ditch-effort0]

I know I'm supposed to be good and gracious and kind but yaknow what? Sometimes, just sometimes, I wish ableists would develop disabilities-chronic fatigue and pain and migraines and the rest of it- and I wanna give em a lick of what they gave me. How does it feel, to be told your best isn't good enough? That you're not trying hard enough? You can break your back and it'll never be enough to please me. Get a taste of your own fucking medicine

[strawberryshortcake0413]

Last hope (part 1)

Characters:yandere Leon S Kennedy (older version) x reader

Disclaimer: This fanfic contains dark-themed topics, such as kidnapping, depression, suicidal thoughts, non-consent, unwanted pregnancy,etc

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. MDNI

Warning: yandere Leon Kennedy, kidnapping, non-consent, depressed reader, manipulation, Stockholm syndrome, unwanted pregnancy, emotional & mental abuse, out of character leon etc

@dollywons credits for the divider, thank you :))

The pictures used does not belong to me!!!

Chapters: pt2 pt3

“Fuck off” you muttered to your Alex. Today was already as hard as it was. You didn't need him giving you unnecessary advice on how to grief a patient.

Who does he think he is?? You thought to yourself. Listening to a bratty egotistical younger resident telling you what to do when your patient dies during surgery? No. At least you will not tolerate his behavior.

Growing up with a careless single mother in poverty may have made you like this. Always numb and cold. That's just what people think of you.

You weren't always this unattending. In the first year of medical school, you were the nicest and the most helpful student there is. Things changed as your career proceeded within the years. You saw how ugly people can be. They took you as weak and something they can use to get what they want.

Not again. Never again

The loud alarm went off in the hospital wing. You quickly got up as your pager rang. In-room 303, there was a little girl. 10 years old, had a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy. When you were working the night shift and doing regular rounding checkups, she talked about her birthday plan to you.

“I want Princess Jasmine to attend my birthday party. Her hair is so long and shiny and pretty and, and she's pretty. She's also so smart. Mommy promised me she would come” the girl suddenly stopped. After a few seconds she opened her mouth again.

“She said she… she will come if I live… will I live? Doctor?”

You thought about the past as the attending announced her time of death. 23:44. 12th of May, 2015.

Two patients. Two patients. In one day.

Hiding from people, you hugged your knees in the corner of an empty hallway as you sobbed. God. People thought you were heartless. What other choice do you have when you have no choice but to leave your toxic mother who had no other motivation in life other than drinking, to build a better future for yourself. What other choice do you have when you were the best student in the school but had no money for college? Would you rather stay with your mom to take care of her all your life, doing everything that drives you insane or follow your dreams?

Unfortunately for you, your dream was not something you imagined. Burden, depression, exhaustion were the main 3 words you could use for this job.

Not to mention the creepy, flirty attendings. Always being underestimated by the men in the field.

After the long hard 24 hours and arguing with your mentor about your recent research about brain cancer, you took a box with your belongings.

Bitch

The old fat man fired you for standing up for yourself. Why would you allow anyone to take ideas from your paper? Especially if they were your teacher.

Fine. I'll find a better job in a better hospital.

After putting on your comfortable black coat and causing your boss to fire you for no actual good reason, you walked to your car with the box in your hand.

“Fuck” you yelled as you struggled to open the car door with the damn box in hand. In the reflection of the car window at midnight you saw a face behind you. Just as you were going to turn away, something was put around your nose and mouth and everything went black.

Leon grinned to himself as he carefully put the young woman in his jeep. Tonight was the new moon. There was almost no light in the parking lot and he was sure the cameras couldn't catch the glimpse of his face.

He observed her for a few weeks. First he got a little headache and decided to go to the hospital, only to find a little angel for himself.

Leon noticed she was quite unique compared to the women he met before. Even though he wouldn't say she's rude, she wasn't exactly nice either. He was sure he could fix her up nicely to become a sweet little wife for him.

His baby just needed some guidance in life. What would he be if he let go of this girl to become a rude old bitch. Instead she could help the community by giving Leon a family he wanted for the last few months too much.

Staring at his sweet pumpkin through the rear view window, he was planning what to do next. For the last week he had already planned what to do. But his bunny was in a worse condition than he thought. Overworked herself, dressed in sad gloomy clothes. He would strip her out of these and put her in comfortable , cotton pajamas.

And feed her. He knows what she eats in a day. Sad cold dark coffee with a tuna sandwich for breakfast. No lunch. Leftover pizza or burger for dinner. Leon will make sure she eats plenty of vegetables and homemade food that will nurture her.

During the night he changed her clothes to what he had bought for her.

“Just perfect” he muttered as the t-shirt he got fit her perfectly. Hugging her waist, making her breast more prominent. He held himself back from touching her cunt as he pulled down her pants, along with her underwear.

He sniffed her and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent. “I’ll show you how much I love you when you wake up honey. Not yet… Leon… gotta wait” he muttered to himself.

He put a little underwear on her and undressed himself. Crawling next to the love of his life, Leon put an alarm at 4am on his phone.

“The drug should be out by then,” Leon thought as he cuddled her.

After a few hours Leon was woken by clicking on the doorknob. His angel had woken up and was trying to open the door. Leon sneakily grabbed his phone and looked at the time. 3am.

The blonde signed and got up, causing his angel to scream and throw a vase on the shelf nearby at him.

“Get away from me, you freak!” you yelled, almost on the verge of crying making Leon's heart beat faster. He hated seeing you in pain.

“It's okay. It's okay, baby. Everything will be alright.” Leon cooed, getting up from the bed to her.

“Step away!” You screamed, throwing the left souvenirs on the shelf to him.

Leon walked in a few short big steps, in hurry and stopping you before you hurt yourself.

“It's okay my baby. Daddys here to take care of you. It's okay. Calm down. Everything will be okay.. no more work, no more ignoring yourself. It's okay..” Leon muttered trying to calm you down. He gripped your arms tightly above your head while kissing your head.

You squirm while sobbing, trying to kick him.

“What did I do to you?? Let me go.” You demanded squirming more, causing Leon to tighten his grip. Leon kept muttering to you his reassuring words while kissing your face all over when you managed to kick him in the crotch.

He let go of you and inhaled deeply, trying not to lash out on his dove on their 1st day as a couple.

“Y/n…. Honey… calm down…” he breathed out.

After a while of trying, Leon gave up. The constant cursing and screaming were giving him an awful headache, same as the ones he gets after missions.

“SHUT UP BITCH” he yelled at you, shaking your arms. Your eyes widened as you shut down, the room was quite apart from your sniffling and leons hard breathing.

“Please… just… let me go…” you sniffed out. You haven't felt this humiliated and weak since you were a little girl. Since your mother used to beat you after not cooking for her. Since you went against her words. Your childhood wasn't something you liked talking about, nor getting pity from strangers. You wanted nothing to do with the alcoholic bitch. When you were near her, you were a prisoner.

Ironic, now I'm a real prisoner

Leon breathed out and stared intensely. Suddenly he grabbed your waist, pulling you towards him before jumping on the bed. You protested, tried to bite his arm, kick him, scream, call for help, every way. Leon almost tore the piece of garments he put on her before.

“What are you doing?? Stop. No. Stop-” you protested, only for him to shut you up with a kiss.

After the first night, Leon felt guilty. Not because he made love to his lover when she was throwing a tantrum. But because of the way he lashed out on her. For the last few days she was avoiding him, sitting in corners, not eating or making any noise. After a while being a gentleman as he is, Leon decided to surprise his bunny.

“Honey. I'm home” Leon smiled, locking the doors securely. He hid a small box behind his back.

You crawled away from him, to the edge of the bed. Leon reached out his hand to pull your hair back.

“My beautiful baby. Did you miss me?” He grinned stupidly. You wanted to cry. But you didn't want to show him your weakness, especially after that night. Leon frowned as you pulled your head back.

“Look what daddy got you sweet girl. I know you overworked yourself so daddy got you vitamins.” He grinned as he showed the box.

You frowned seeing it. The multi vitamins that had fruit flavors.

“Don't you like it? Daddy got you this one specifically because the pharmacist told me a lot of trying women get it” Leon smiled, placing his hand on your thigh.

You snatched the vitamin to see what it has.

Vitamin D, B6, B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, B9

What the actual fuck

“Are you insane??” You yelled. Leon's eyebrows raised. You finally said a word to him after the event, but yelling at him? He can't be having his wife yelling at the breadwinner.

“Dove. Watch your mouth” Leon said calmly, but his grip tightened.

“All I ever wanted for you is happiness honey. We will have many children. Look around the bedroom honey. The outside. Can't you see we are more than available to raise children? You're young and beautiful. We can have children. For now, I'm worried you're short on essential vitamins. And I heard it could affect fertility” Soon his eyes narrowed as he understood it was necessary to take another way.

“I know what I did was… wrong… Maybe you would have wanted me to approach it in a traditional way. But I just couldn't wait for you. Plus… you already know you would have rejected my offer. You were too deep in hurting yourself. I'm helping you. I'm helping us. We're building a future. Together”

“You should go to therapy”

Leon narrowed his eyes again. “Sleep well angel. You're not clearly thinking well” he said, kissing the forehead before lying beside you.

During the night you tossed around. What if you could overdose on vitamins and just end this suffering? There was no one to look out for you. You got fired, the only family you have is an alcoholic that you cut contact with, and no real friends. You were alone in this.

[cultofdixon]

Day One to the Rest of our Lives

Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • Part 1 • Before The Outbreak - The Farm • The nurse next door always had a soft spot for the Dixons as they were her family. It took the end of the world and an almost near death experience to get the youngest Dixon to make a move • ANGST/SFW • TW: Canon Violence / Scars / Injuries / Blood Loss / Emergency Surgery / Abuse / Drug & Alcohol Consumption / Anxiety

Requested by: Anon

NEXT

Before The Outbreak

“Merle you’re a fucking dumbass” Daryl groans trying to help walk a drunk and injured Merle up the stairs to their apartment.

“That bitch deserved it!” Merle shouted only to be shushed because of the time of night it was and most of the neighbors hated him.

Except, surprisingly, Y/N. Their next door neighbor that is rarely home or seen because her other home seems to be the hospital she works as a nurse at. One of the times their paths crossed was when Y/N went to the bar Merle frequents at and got blasted after a long day but still managed to give Merle stitches when he decided the bar window was nice to go through.

When the brothers reached the top of the steps, Daryl instantly noticed Y/N sitting on the floor propped up against her door. Merle squinted to see why his brother stopped.

“Y/N WAKE UP” Merle shouted causing Y/N to flinch awake and for Daryl to groan letting go of his brother making him fall onto the floor. “Bitch…”

Y/N blinked a few times to get the sleepiness out of her eyes as she gave a confused look to Merle’s still body on the floor. She was about to ask questions but decided not to and accept the extended hand coming from Daryl.

“Do I even wanna know?”

“Besides drunk, what else you wanna know?”

“Nothing” Y/N laughed a bit, bending down to grab her backpack to get her keys out. “He needs stitches?”

“Just an ice pack, I think imma let him hang there” Daryl crosses his arms looking at his now passed out brother watching Y/N walk over to him and rolling him on his side. “What’s that for?”

“In case he throws up. I’m gonna grab a blanket so he won’t be too uncomfortable out here” Y/N returns to her door unlocking it. “I know he may have ruined it but you want a beer?”

“More so a smoke than a drink” Daryl rubs the back of his neck giving a concerned look to his brother that Y/N noticed once she was halfway through the door.

After dropping off her stuff and taking her coat off, Y/N stepped out gesturing for Daryl to follow her lead in picking up Merle. Her by his legs and him by his arms. Eventually Merle got settled on her couch still on his side and with a trash can beside his head.

“We could’ve—-“

“Nah too many extra steps to get him back in your apartment. Besides, I’m a trained professional in case other shit happens” Y/N went over to her window as she spoke, opening it up enough for her to climb through with Daryl following shortly after.

One would think anyone wouldn’t want anything to do with the Dixon brothers mainly because Merle puts trash onto their name. But Y/N likes their company, Daryl’s mainly, because it keeps her sane and human. Working in a hospital so much to the point one is accused of “living there,” anyone would want normalcy.

It’s an added bonus finding themselves sat in the fire escape, sharing a cigarette from the pack that Y/N hides in the empty plant pot that the previous owners left at her apartment.

“I had to take a decontamination shower at the end of my shift because of the vomit and blood from that singular patient”

“Sounds awful” Daryl frowns, watching Y/N smoke for a moment as he kept his gaze on how tense she was for a while before finally relaxing after exhaling the smoke. Her eyes were exhausted just as the rest of her, but they told so much more that he worried for. “Ever thought of taking a break? Vacation more like”

“With all the hours I’ve got saved, I could. But I’ve been in the hospital for so long that I wouldn’t know what I’d even do”

“Uh…well you like Merle and I, you can join us for our hunting trip” Daryl put that up in the air, looking her curious expression. “It’ll be next month”

“I haven’t gone hunting since my old man was still around…” Y/N put out the last of her cigarette thinking about the option. “You sure Merle would be cool with it?”

He didn’t think that would work. Daryl shrugs as he looked back into the apartment where Merle laid on the couch snoring loudly. “The worse to happen is Merle would hit on yea for most of it”

“I’ve dealt with worse, trust me…a lot worse”

“So…?”

“I’d be happy to. As long as I get a ride from work. I wanna work as much as I can before taking a few days off”

“We can pick yea up from work. Merle will be on his bike and I’ll be taking the truck”

“Works for me, I’ll give you my stuff the day before” Y/N smiles and that quickly faded along with Daryl’s when both heard the eldest Dixon vomit his stomach out. “Yup. Love his company too”

During The Hunting Trip (and the start of the outbreak)

“You wear anything other than the scrubs?”

“Sundresses, but I wasn’t going to pack one of those for a hunting trip Merle” Y/N rolled her eyes, quickly stopping when she heard something. Merle quickly but stealthily followed the noise.

It felt unreal, how quick something can escalate from standing in the open waiting for either Dixon to come back from the noises they’ve heard…to falling back in shock to the undead stepping closer.

The closer it got, the more Y/N let the shock take over that when she reached for her knife…the sicko fell on her. But thankfully with a bolt in its skull. Y/N couldn’t register what had just happened until Merle kicked the corpse off of her body making her lock eyes with the equally shocked Daryl across from her.

“You alright girlie?” Merle asks, not waiting another second as he grabbed her upper arm pulling her up on her feet. “Come on speak! Are yea bit?”

“No I’m…uh what the fuck?!” Y/N shouted once it hit her letting Merle check her arms and neck before shoving him back. “Is this what that fucking radio broadcast was about?”

“Makes sense right about now. But the fact that one is out here…people makin’ camp and bringing those who’ve been infected out here with them”

“Fuck. The hospitals must be flooded with patients with symptoms before it reaches this stage.” The worry on her face only drew an annoyed one out of Merle and an equally concerned expression from Daryl but not for the strangers. “I have to go back, see if I can help or something!” Y/N stated as she started to make her way toward the truck.

“Doll, that won’t be a smart decision” Merle planted his hands on his hips continuing the annoyed look on his face until it turned to confusion when his brother quickly caught up with her.

“You can’t go back”

“I have to! I took an oath” Y/N scrambled a bit, putting her hunting rifle in the bed of the truck dropping her pack on the floor to grab a clean scrub top. “I didn’t spend years in school to not save people’s lives——“

“Y/N, if this shit spread. The hospital ain’t safe and I can’t lose you”

His words caused her to freeze in her place before turning toward him with a much softer expression compared to her worry filled one.

“W-We can’t lose you…okay? If they didn’t figure the virus out, I don’t know what you could do”

“I wish I could do something…” Y/N felt the burning sensation of tears building in her eyes forcing her to look away.

Daryl stood for a moment wanting to pull her into his arms, but both were startled by Merle’s crazed excitement when he found something off the corpses body.

They’ll have to get used to this…new life

The Quarry

“Does it still hurt?” Y/N frowns gently dabbing the cut on Carol’s cheek with a wet rag. She pulled the rag away to wet it more with water from her canteen. “Is he really helping Shane? Or waiting for you back at your tent”

“Knowing Ed, he’s waiting back at the tent. I’m just…thankful Sophia wasn’t there” Carol frowns, flinching when Y/N went back to cleaning up the blood giving her apologies for the suddenness. “You understand…don’t you?”

“I don’t get what you mean…”

“You know…being with them at the start of all this…I doubt they were good company” Carol scoffs when they both heard Merle shouting like usual at Shane. If they weren’t labeled “typical rednecks” when they first joined this group, then they would’ve seen it was Shane’s fault for what Merle was yelling at him for.

“You’ve got them wrong.” Y/N scoffed to her words, looking over at them in what looks to be an argument. Watching Daryl try to de-escalate the situation from how intense Merle decided to make it. “Me wrong too…I’ve known them for years. I was their neighbor and while Merle did have his moments, they were both still nice to me. Hell…even there for me when I needed it” she frowns looking back to her bag to take out a bandage for Carol’s cheek and once it was placed, she stood to her feet. “Give them the benefit of the doubt instead of judging right away…”

With that she took her leave toward her tent that was next to the Dixons which were a camp away from camp because a few shared private concerns making them isolate. Y/N wasn’t about to leave them even if Merle did make the comment when they first joined this group.

“She’s more like them” is what he said

“Stupid fuckin’ pig” Merle scoffs returning to their little campsite taking a seat beside Y/N who was just as annoyed as he was but more on the melancholy side of things while his was filled with rage.

Concern only washed over Daryl when he noticed her expression but he didn’t even get a second to say anything before Merle went off.

“Y’know I bet yea that motherfucker only wants me to go on that trip just so something bad can happen and I end up a sicko”

“Wait, what trip?” Y/N quickly turned to Daryl knowing he will give a better explanation of everything while Merle only focused on what mattered to him.

“Shane, the fucking moron that tells us not to hunt at a certain hour so he could do who knows what in the woods—-wants me to join the girlies, the Chinese kid, and the other two to go into Atlanta for supplies”

“Well, he’s Korean first of all…”

“Doll like I give a fu—-CK” Merle shouted when Y/N elbowed him in the side. “They using me as a goddamn escort nobody gonna give a fuck if I meet my maker out there”

“We do” Y/N gestured to Daryl and herself. “Merle, you’re more of muscle along a few of the others from the main group. You sure he didn’t ask for yea to make sure the others are safe?”

“That’s exactly how he put it, Merle is just dramatic” Daryl sets his crossbow down beside him once he sat on the ground with them. “They’ll die without us”

“As much as people can adapt, Daryl has a point here. Shane will only lose game if he went shooting his shotgun at deers and squirrels” Y/N leaned back on her hands. “Hell, the squirrels will explode if he shot at them. They’ll need the both of y’all to bring back a lot of game to survive. Besides, you know Atlanta better than most. You can survive a few herds”

“You both are a bunch of bitches” Merle wasn’t serious when he stated such at least when it’s directed to those two, but he still didn’t like the idea of leaving with these people to Atlanta.

That when they returned with someone who wasn’t Merle, Y/N knew they were about to meet a whole world of hurt.

“Fuck no”

“Y/N—-“

“I could never get Daryl to calm down” They both know that was a lie, Y/N is honestly the only person that could calm him down. But what they both can agree on is they don’t know how he will react to the news.

“Bullshit. You’re gonna have to try somethin’ so he doesn’t fucking kill the man”

“But isn’t that what you wanted?” Y/N watched the color leave Shane’s face. “For this Rick guy to remain dead so you can lay your pipe in a place you shouldn’t be laying it”

His fists clench at either side of him trying his hardest not to strike, but Y/N had enough of keeping that shit to herself. She didn’t care for what happened next…for the most part

When Daryl returned to the camp in search for Merle, ignoring everyone’s questions while he came up empty on finding his brother within the camp. But the annoyance only grew when he couldn’t find his—-Y/N.

“Where’s—-“

“We left Merle. Well, I did.” Rick stated noticing the concern on Daryl’s face which led him to believe there was more to it and he instantly turned to Shane. All the man ever does was shrug but it quickly turned to pulling the youngest Dixon off his “brother”

His presence would normally bring joy in any mood she was in, but given the situation and what happened prior to Daryl finding out about his brother? Y/N was miserable and hiding something.

“You hear what those fucking sons of bitches did?! Leaving Merle chained up to a goddamn roof!” Daryl shouted, quickly stopping when he noticed Y/N flinch to his words. “Sorry—-Fuck, I’m just—-“

“Mad. Rightfully, mad” Y/N rasped, squeezing her eyes shut while she pressed her wet bandana to her cheek. “That Rick guy said he was going to go back to get his dumbass even after putting him up there.”

Daryl didn’t say anything right away as he steps around her to get a look at her front watching her duck her head. “Lori wasn’t too happy about it”

“Figured” Y/N frowns continuing to look at the ground watching his shadow grow bigger practically covering her and indicating he was knelt in front of her. Daryl gently removed what she was using as a rag to see what happened. “It’s superficial. Not like I’d have anything to do stitches anyway…you need to get Merle back”

He didn’t say a word all he did was nod while reaching for her pack to take out those butterfly bandages she has.

“Can I—-“

“Yeah”

The youngest Dixon didn’t push her on what happened, all they talked about after he saw was the plan to get Merle’s ass back to the camp. Even if it meant she couldn’t come with which infuriated her.

But that didn’t matter. The feeling useless part passed quickly when their camp was being washed through with a herd. Y/N always had her axe beside her and didn’t hesitate to start taking out sickos while most of the women protected their children. The only thing she’d want to protect wasn’t there. She didn’t need to worry too much.

Carol let out a scream when one got too close that lead Y/N to quickly swing her axe into its skull watching her quickly get away following Lori. Y/N pulled the axe out and didn’t know of the walker creeping up behind her until a gun shot both killed the walker and almost burst her ear drum. But she quickly turned toward who fired and saw Daryl, both having a relieved look that turned into focused quickly to finish off the walkers.

Once all the dead and undead were mourn or taken care of…the plan was to go to the CDC in hopes for something to help Jim when it was revealed he was bitten. But on the way, they stopped and left him as per his request.

The CDC

Y/N of course sat with Daryl in his truck with Merle’s bike strapped in the bed of it. Neither of them talked for most of the ride given they were worried, angry, and a bit upset…but not at each other. Daryl knows Y/N has her reasons for not telling him how the cut on her cheek happened but that didn’t mean he didn’t worry. She on the other hand was infuriated and struggling to keep the tears at bay. Being a nurse and feeling useless was getting to her. That bastard leaving Merle was getting to her. That stupid bitch Shane was getting to her.

“You think Merle is fine?” Y/N questions while she watches the scenery go by the woods slowly disappearing. “What kind of son of a bitch cuts his own hand off? Doubt he even knows how to properly stop the bleeding…burning it isn’t the right way”

“Merle is a roach. He’ll turn up…eventually” Daryl frowns gripping onto the wheel tight as he continued to follow the RV. The truck ran over a walker causing it to jump and for Daryl to instantly force his arm in front of Y/N as she held onto it out of anxious habit with bumps.

“Never going to get used to that…maybe we should’ve just ditched the truck and taken the bike”

Daryl took note of that

When they got to the CDC, right away one assumed that it was empty and barren. Honestly who could blame the scientists for running from this mess? The government already decided more destructive solutions that didn’t work. But when the doors opened, everyone was on edge. Thankful, but on edge. Y/N was given the hunting shotgun Daryl he had back at camp to pair with the axe strapped to her back under her pack. She raised it instantly along with the others when the doctor stepped out to greet the survivors.

Dr. Jenner was his name and he happily let them in giving them the facility for the night. He of course had them get tested for anything which had Y/N feeling nostalgic and given her background, he asked for her help in a few ways before everyone decided to enjoy the luxuries that the place gave.

Booze. Booze was the start along with food.

Y/N only drank with Daryl and Merle, so she didn’t feel comfortable drinking as much as the others were during the dinner the doctor made for them. She kept an eye on Daryl given he was drinking til he couldn’t see straight anymore, he needed it after the Merle nonsense.

But every time he looked over at her, he smiled. In a way it was to make sure she was still there but there was so much more.

When the group started to turn in for the night, everyone stayed with who they were close with. But given how much Glenn drank, Rick and Shane suggested he’d stick with Y/N and Daryl. Mainly Y/N for she has the training in case he aspirated. Which nothing a good “having him sleep on his side” wouldn’t fix.

Daryl stumbles into the room squinting at the sight of Y/N helping Glenn lay down on his side before moving to the couch which would be her bed for the night. She made Glenn’s bed out of the back cushions of the other couch knowing Daryl was going to rip them off anyway. He came to the apartment drunk once and she’d let him crash, he did exactly that before passing out.

“Did you shower? In your state?”

“Nah. Got lost” Daryl scanned around the room quickly switching the light off.

Before Daryl even thought about going to the other couch and sleeping off the effects alcohol has on the body, he brought himself to sit on the floor leaning up against Y/N’s couch. He flinched slightly when she brought her hand to his forehead before easing into the smallest touch.

“Just the alcohol. No fever”

“Just checking” She said in a hushed tone before laying back on the couch keeping her eye on him watching his brows furrow contemplating on saying something or not. “You should get some sleep, bubs”

He felt the heat rise instantly in his face as he decided the couch was no longer an option and laid down right where he was. Y/N watched him get comfortable on the floor before grabbing a couch cushion and giving it to him to use as a pillow.

The night progressed and Daryl laid awake for the most part, thinking staying conscious would subside the feeling of liquor and the strange but familiar one lingering in his chest.

Just when most thought the next morning would be peaceful after some breakfast and much needed pain killers…it was revealed what the clock was on the wall. It was a countdown for total power loss and the last of it to destroy the CDC in a fiery explosion.

Leave or Die

Leave or Die

Leave or Die

Who would’ve thought that would be a hard decision to make while most panicked around her and once Jenner finally opened the doors for them. She froze in place and felt the tightness in her chest grow.

When Daryl watched the door open he immediately turned to his side half expecting her to be with him. But soon realized she stood by the panels with the doctor and those debating to stay or know for fact. He stood there waiting. Waiting for any sign.

Even if it was Y/N simply turning around to look at him with tears in her eyes. Daryl then acted without a thought by sprinting toward her and instantly picking her up before booking it for the main lobby of the CDC. Where the commotion involving a grenade was being conducted.

“Duck!” The sheriff yelled as everyone did exactly what he said, Daryl shielding Y/N when he crouched feeling her shift out of his arms but her arms remained around his neck holding him close.

They parted when the grenade explosion dissipated, but Daryl didn’t hesitate for a second to usher her out of the building before getting himself out.

The explosion of the CDC rattled the earth and those especially barely escaping it.

“Everybody alright?” Rick asks everyone getting a few yeses and more of annoyed groans after being shaken. “We have to get out of here. Before the herd comes”

“Help me get the bike off” Daryl gestured for Glenn to help as he went to do so. Y/N instantly bringing herself to the bed of the truck grabbing their gear before they took the bike off.

“Rick, siphon the gas from the truck and fill up your cars. Should hold us up for a while or at least until we find more cars”

As they were quick to scramble and move some of the gear from the truck to the RV, Y/N was about to move into one of the cars when Daryl gripped her shoulder gently.

“Ride with me, yeah?”

“I uhm. It’s been a while, Daryl…”

“Alright…Uhm. Don’t sit with Shane, least do that for me” The look he gave her when he said that, only told her that he knew. He knew who gave her that wound on her cheek.

Y/N instantly nods and goes to join Andrea, Glenn, and Dale in the RV while Daryl got situated on his bike leading the way back to the freeway. Hopefully they can find shelter elsewhere.

The Farm

“You and Daryl seem…close. Is there like more to that?” Glenn thought maybe since there wasn’t many in the RV, and especially Daryl, that he could ask things like that.

Y/N being more open to answer after spending more time with these people. “We’re close, but if you’re insinuating what I think you are then no…”

“Is that what you want?” Andrea cuts in, looking directly at Y/N from her spot in the passengers seat. “You want something more don’t you?”

“I-…Well, why would I if the other party doesn’t seem interested” Y/N stated, only for Dale to scoff with a laugh after. “What?”

“You would have to be blind as a bat to not notice how much that man cares for you. If you really wanna know? Try and talk to Shane. About anything.” Dale gave her a look through the rear view mirror before stopping in the freeway when his RV started to make noise. “Damn thing breaking on me at the wrong time”

When the RV stopped, everyone stopped.

Daryl brought his bike to the banks of the freeway watching the RV from his spot seeing Dale get out first along with Glenn. He was about to go in to check on—-

“Hey, this’ll be the perfect time to fuel up on some gas. Even check some of the cars for anything that will be useful.” Rick interrupted his thoughts, Daryl nodded to his words watching him go ahead of him before taking a quick glance at the RV finding Y/N stepping out with a look he couldn’t fully read.

“Hey, Y/N can you take a look at these meds I found?” Lori caught her attention instantly and the second she approached him, Daryl went ahead to investigate some of cars himself.

Then things turned for the worse and a herd started to come through the cars. Most hid underneath the closest car they were near and Dale got stuck on top of the RV…but the worst to happen was the cries of Sophia had attracted some of the walkers. Leading her to run away and the sheriff quickly went after her.

‘Sophia’ Carol whisper shouted as they couldn’t entirely leave when the herd was passing, they only started to get out of hiding and took out the stragglers.

Y/N quickly pulled herself out from under the car watching Carol quickly get out with Lori trying to stop her. She wanted so badly to chase after her daughter and the walkers but Rick’s got it. He’s going to save her…

“You didn’t find her?” Carol couldn’t hold back the sobs anymore, Lori laid a comforting hand on her back.

“They’ll find her or at least try their hardest” Y/N tells Carol with concern littered in her voice even if she only wanted the first part. “There’s still plenty of people in the world even after it ended. She could’ve ran into somebody that will help her get back to you…” she gave a sad smile before turning to Daryl watching him straighten up.

“We’ll find her. We’ll keep lookin’”

This is a mother’s worst nightmare Y/N thought as she organized the trunk of their findings before being pulled away to help T-Dog in terms of his injury.

Rick and Shane left a while ago with Carl to go search for Sophia which left the others splitting into searching themselves and staying at the RV. Y/N being with the RV group given she wanted to keep an eye on T-Dog’s injury but some part of her was screaming internally over this whole situation.

Sophia hid because Rick instructed her to do so but she ran. You would run if your life was about to be in the hand of walkers…

Now Rick, Shane, and Carl disappeared. What could’ve possible gone wrong?

“Are you okay?” Y/N frowns watching Andrea come into the trailer with a bit of annoyed but equally anxious look on her face.

“Yeah, but someone took Lori. Knew Carl and her name so we are gonna go to the place they are at” Andrea sat across from her at the little table noticing Y/N pinching her arm which some spots started to bruise.

As Andrea reached across the table to take her hand to get her to stop, ultimately holding it so she wouldn’t continue. Daryl flew the door open instantly locking eyes with Y/N before stepping away to get on his bike while Glenn and Dale flooded in.

The second the RV arrived on the farm, Rick ran out of the house toward it. He gently pushed Glenn and Andrea out of the way to get Y/N taking her hand dragging her toward the house.

“Where’s the fi—-“

“Carl’s been shot. The man of the house is a vet and is doing his best. Could use another set of—-“

“I’ve got it” Y/N didn’t need to hear more to understand the just of it. She was going to be told everything by Hershel, the head of the house, anyway.

Once Shane came with the right medical supplies, Hershel was relieved to have someone with full medical training to help him fix Carl’s injuries. But that didn’t stop him from discussing certain matters.

“If you don’t mind me asking…”

“Is it about this?” Y/N gave him a confused look keeping hold of the retractor while Patricia continuously squeezed the ambu bag that Shane managed to snag for Carl.

“No…these people you’re with…you trust their judgement?”

“Yeah, a little bit. I’m still trying to get used to the fact that one of them left my—-my best friend’s brother on a roof” Y/N picked up a piece of gauze to dab at the blood that spilled. “He wa—is a racist sexist son of a bitch so. Who could blame him”

Patricia fought back a laugh as Hershel rolled his eyes but was going to take her word for the first part. He can give some trust in these people.

“Listen, Hershel. I may have not been with these people for long…but they are good people. They mean well at the end of the day even with their flaws.” Y/N finished her thought before helping him finish with the closing.

After the operation, Y/N stepped out into the kitchen where Patricia instructed her to wash her hands in the sink. As she was doing so, Lori instantly went to her and without any words she gave her a smile and let Hershel explain how everything went smoothly.

Y/N stepped out realizing how late it was and how everyone set up their tents already. Part of her wished she still had her apartment and could simply crash without having to set anything up. But when she was about to head toward the RV to get her things, she noticed her tent set up and close to his.

Sweet… Y/N felt the twitch of a smile before entering her tent and laying on the floor for a moment.

Laying on the ground in a tent after a successful surgery was very different compared to laying on the kitchen floor with a half empty bag of chips and a bottle of Merlot. Felt nicer and worse in some way.

“Y/N?” Daryl whispers, just in case she was still asleep but when she opened the tent flap he relaxed a bit from the awkward feeling. “The kid alright?”

“Yeah, he’ll probably need another transfusion but we won’t know until he improves” Y/N sat in the way of the flap giving Daryl an unreadable look and all he wanted to know mostly was if she was alright after what she had to do. But decided to focus on different matters. “Did you need something, Dar?”

“Uh. No I just…I’m gonna look for Sophia in the mornin’. Wanna let yea know”

“Thank you…be safe and back before nightfall”

“I promise, sunshine” He gave a small nod shortly leaving after, letting Y/N get some sleep even when once the tent flap closed she felt the heat consume her face when he called her that.

But that small happiness faded when her anxiety started to eat at her the more the sunlight faded in the next day.

“You need to stop pacing. You’ve done laundry, you checked Carl’s incision site, you gave Maggie and Glenn a list of drugs to look for on their run, amongst other small tasks. Creating a ditch in the dirt just from pacing back and forth is only going to wear your shoes out and not make Daryl come back any fast” Andrea told Y/N while she got up on top of the RV to take watch.

“She’s got a point. You’re wearing yourself out over possibly nothing” Dale said while handing his rifle up to Andrea expecting her not having to use it. “He’s looking for signs of Sophia or her overall and will be back. He told you that much”

“Least you know what his intentions are. Most partners don’t realize their significant other is cheating on them because they beat around the bush when asked “where have you been”” Rick stepped out of the RV saying such which in response was a confused expression from Y/N. “He is your boyfriend is he not?”

“No! We aren’t together at all…”

“Hm. Odd”

“How so?”

“I had to pull off a very angry drunk Daryl off of Shane the night we spent at the CDC. Threatened to kill him if he ever laid a hand on yea again” Rick shrugged. “That’s when I thought y’all were somethin’ more.”

Andrea laughed at the situation, earning an annoyed groan from Y/N as she turned to Dale about to question if he knew about that incident when her friend’s tone shifted.

“WALKER” Andrea shouted rising from the lawn chair. “Walker!”

“Just the one?” Rick question without a confirmation on the number but he couldn’t focus on that anymore when Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog started to make their way over to said walker. “Hold up. Hershel wants to handle the walkers”

“We’ve got it” Shane assured continuing on his way while Andrea had the brilliant idea that she can take out the walker with the rifle she has and the sun in her eyes.

Dale kept trying to tell her not to take the shot. Maybe because they were heading their way toward the “walker” and she couldn’t accidentally hit the living.

But she did that. To the walker that was actually an injured Daryl.

When he dropped, the ounce of joy Andrea felt immediately faded when all three by the RV heard the shouts of no!

Y/N quickly made her way over to the shouting and noticed the limp hunter in between Rick and Shane that she started to feel that itchy feeling that came with anger. She gripped the tank top she was in, quickly turning around and heading straight for her tent to get her scrub top before making it to the house the second Hershel was informed.

Regardless of the minor protests of having her patch Daryl up, even from the man himself, Y/N was persistent and pissed.

When the adrenaline wore off, Daryl passed out but thankfully his wounds were taken care of and he was left alone. Not entirely though. Y/N sat on the window bench watching the rise and fall of his chest every now and then. But for the most part she kept her focus on her hands and how much blood stained her skin. Especially her nails.

Just the thought and fact of it being his blood resulted in her curling up on herself and sobbing ever so softly.

The time Carol came in and told him how grateful she was that he still went out of his way to go search for Sophia, Daryl noticed Y/N’s sleeping form in the window but especially the redness slightly above her cheeks.

“She’s been here the whole time. She does a good stitch job from what Hershel says” Carol whispers with a small laugh at the end of her sentence. “Get some rest, Dixon”

Y/N woke to the sound of struggling and a few curses. Daryl thought he could go unnoticed given their group was asleep in their tents and so was the family that owned the house but the light sleeper that was his—Y/N woke up.

“Stop starin’ and give me a hand”

“You deserve to rest in a bed, Daryl…” Y/N frowns getting up from her spot and approaching him but before he could protest, she helped him stand to his feet. “Least let me help you to your tent”

Daryl nodded, letting Y/N wrap one of his arms around her shoulders before getting out of the house. She made him take it slow and practically at her pace given it was what she wanted him to go at.

The silence was killing him that when they finally reached his tent and Y/N was about to part from him, he gently grabbed her wrist pulling her back.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?”

“You haven’t talked. Not a long walk but still. You just…haven’t”

Y/N stared at him. Stared into those deep blue eyes that bore into her soul for an answer which only let the damn break loose.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” The wobble in her voice shook him in his core. “Seeing you…in the state that you were in…yeah, you made it…but a little over and you wouldn’t be here and I would’ve lost you” she felt a few tears slip, pulling herself away enough so that she could hold his hand. “You mean…so much to me, Daryl Dixon.”

The staring from said Dixon only continued and that couldn’t help the thought of crossing a line to flood Y/N’s mind. But before she could even think to pull away and head to her tent, Daryl pulled her in and pressed his lips firmly against hers…

[tboybuck]

rest

for @steddiemicrofic | written for rest | wc: #387 | rated: t | cw: none

They both deserve the rest.

Those boys have had such a rough go of things these past few months and now that Eddie’s out of the hospital, they deserve this. 

Wayne feels like he should be taking a picture. He also feels like he should be averting his gaze, intruding on something quiet and intimate, something that’s none of his business.

He gets home earlier than he used to, these days. He gets home sometimes and Eddie’s awake, dark circles under his eyes from the nightmares and insomnia, a mug of coffee clutched in his hand that’s long since gone cold. He gets home sometimes and Eddie’s sprawled on the couch, brows furrowed, sawing logs like the snoring is just the weapon he needs to battle the monsters in his dreams.

And sometimes, Wayne gets home to find Eddie like this: in his bed, curled in on himself in the fetal position with Steve Harrington wrapped around his back. It’s nights like this where Eddie looks well and truly at peace. He looks like he’s never had to fight any monsters, like the only thing he cares about is the warm body pressed to his own, the big hand pressed to his chest as if to monitor the beating of Eddie’s heart.

During the day, when Harrington comes by the trailer and Wayne sees him awake, well… Steve Harrington looks as though he’s having just as hard a time sleeping as Eddie. He looks half dead on his feet, eyelids drooping, jumpy whenever the door creaks on its hinges or a dog barks too loud.

He doesn’t complain, though. Wayne’s never heard him utter a word about how exhausted he is, never once heard him bitch and moan about the work they’ve all been putting in to get the new trailer resembling something like a home for Eddie and Wayne.

Oh, and the way Eddie looks at Harrington sometimes… Wayne would be worried, frankly, if Harrington weren’t so busy lookin’ right back at Eddie the same way.

Wayne can give Harrington whatever shovel talk he deserves… later. After the dust has well and truly settled and those boys figure out what they are to each other. Wayne can have a sit-down with Harrington then.

And until that day comes, those boys deserve a safe place to rest.

bc you've both gotten on my case for not tagging you in everything i write: @steves-strapcollection, @patchworkgargoyle

[guess-my-next-obsession]

Because I adore the elementary series ; I’m curious if there will be more drabbles about their first baby & the cute moments like the birth, first shots, first everything; smiles, first mom insecurities, etc.

My apologies if you are not taking any requests of the sort! 🫢

The Firsts

pairing: elementary!joel miller x f!reader

rating: M (talks of labor from a person who’s never given birth so bare with me, talks of shots/needles, first-time mother highs and lows, joel being the husband of our dreams)

wc: no clue but probably around 2-3k?

a/n: sorry this took so long @jennfromthebayarea !! this semester’s been a bitch, but i’m trying to find the spark to write again so bare with me if this is a pile of shit 🫶🏼

elementary masterlist

| The First Delivery |

Though you were well warned and made aware of the pain caused by childbirth, nothing compared to the reality of a contraction, or the searing pain of pushing a baby through your fucking vagina.

Even Joel seemed to have underestimated what birth would be like, his face pale and sweaty as he stood at your side, allowing you to squeeze his hand so hard he was sure it was broken.

“You’re doin’ so good, baby,” he cooed, wiping the sweat that gathered on your forehead away with a damp cloth. “Can already see her head.”

“Fuck this,” you cried, tossing your head back into the pillow you brought from home, your eyes clamped shut as you pushed again, hoping that this one would be the last.

“Doin’ so good,” he murmured against your hairline as he pressed a kiss there. “Just a few more pushes, baby.”

“I’m getting the epidural next time,” you panted, taking a second of rest to gather your strength.

“Next time?” he grinned, but you didn’t reply as you started to push again, hard enough to get her shoulders out. “Hardest part’s over, baby. Soon she’s gonna be cryin’ her eyes out in your arms.”

“Can’t wait,” you groaned, your head rolling back against the pillows. “This better be the last one.”

“Go on, then,” he urged with a smile. “Gimme our new babygirl.”

Though it felt like the next few minutes took hours to pass, your entire body screaming at you from overexertion, none of the pain seemed to matter or register the second that the room filled with your daughter’s gargled little cries. Joel let out a choked sound, something between pure joy and disbelief, as he left your side to cradle your messy newborn in his arms. Neither of you were capable of listening to the nurses or doctor’s congratulations as he carefully lowered your bundled up daughter to your chest, her screams music to your ears just because it meant that she was finally here.

She was real, made up of equal parts you and Joel. His dark hair and your kind eyes, his curved nose and your lips. The epitome of love come to life.

“Oh, babygirl,” Joel cooed, a tear rolling down his cheek. “You sure put up a fight on the way out.”

You laughed, something exhausted and yet so full of love and joy and relief.

“I can’t believe…” You shook your head, allowing your tears and emotions a moment to breathe before turning your glossy eyes to your husband. “We made her. Isn’t that insane?”

“I think we did a pretty good job,” he chuckled, lifting a thumb to wipe a rolling tear from your face. “Got all her fingers and toes. Looks like you, not like me. I’d say she’s perfect.”

You gave him a loving pout, rolling your eyes before turning back to your slightly calmer daughter in time for the nurses to take her away for a little clean up.

“How long ‘til she’s back?” Joel asked, his eyes fixed on his daughter as they laid her in her cart.

“Just a minute,” the nurse assured with a smile.

“I still have to push out the—“

“God, forgot about all that,” Joel winced, resuming his seat beside the head of the hospital bed, his hand finding yours. “You know how proud I am, baby? How much I love you?”

“How about you remind me,” you grinned, eyes batting with exhaustion. Joel leaned over, his lips ghosting against yours.

“So fuckin’ proud,” he murmured in between kisses. “And so fuckin’ in love with my wife. Mother of my girls. Fuckin’ everything to me, baby. Everything.”

| The First Shot |

“How long are we supposed t’wait?” Joel groaned, adjusting his posture in the uncomfortable plastic chair in the pediatrician’s waiting room. You grabbed his wrist, lifting the face of his watch up to read the time. “How long we been here?”

“An hour,” you sighed, letting your head fall back against the wall as you let your dry, tired eyes rest for a moment while Iris took a nap in her car seat on the floor in front of the two of you.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he cautioned, reaching his hand over to lay flat on the top of your denim-covered thigh, his touch warm and soothing even in all your irritability. “Y’know they’re gonna call us as soon—“

“Miller family?” the nurse called from the door leading to the patient rooms. With a rub of your eyes, you stood up along with Joel who, thankfully, already had Iris’ car seat handled. The nurse smiled at the three of you in a way that looked trained rather than genuine, but given your exhaustion and annoyance at having to be out in the world doing real people things with a newborn, you might just be extra critical. “Hi, come on back, guys.”

“S’about time,” Joel muttered under his breath, seemingly just as cranky and desperate to get home as you. “Any reason it took an hour for us to get called back?”

“Just a hectic day, I do apologize,” she offered, though once again…trained. Leading you down a hall, she pointed at a room with an open door on the right. “Right through here.”

Joel was even more tense than you as the two of you watched the nurse take your diaper clad newborn’s vitals before handing her back, Joel’s hands quick to take her into his arms.

“Fuckin’ cold in here,” he murmured as the nurse left the two of you with the assurance that the doctor would be right in. “Baby girl’s probably freezin’.”

“She’s behaving at least,” you said, reaching over to place her blanket over her as Joel kept her cradled in his arms. “No tears yet.”

“Until the needles come out,” he snarked.

“Just because you faint every time a needle comes near you—“

The sound of quick, sure knocks cut you off as the doctor walked in. “Miller family?”

“Yep,” you offered her a smile.

“Alright, and this must be Iris,” she said, walking over to Joel. “May I?”

Joel looked tempted to tell her to fuck off but conceded, handing Iris over.

“She’s a cutie, isn’t she?” she asked as she rested Iris on the examination table.

“All from her mama,” Joel added, forcing a smile onto your face.

“Well, her stats are looking great,” she said, pressing her stethoscope to Iris’s chest. “Only thing left to do is give her some shots, and I’m gonna need one of your help for that.”

“Joel,” you nudged him, not entirely confident in your ability to keep your daughter still in the middle of a potential tantrum.

“I’ll faint,” he said, no humor in his voice. “You gotta.”

“Fine,” you sighed, nerves coursing through you as the doctor walked Iris over to you. “How many shots?”

“Three today,” she said as she and the nurse set up the needles.

“Okay,” you nodded, taking deep calming breaths while Joel chose to close his eyes altogether as the doctor walked over with the first needle. “Alright, baby girl. Don’t hate me.”

“Just a quick pinch,” the doctor said as she injected the shot into Iris’s right thigh, the so-called “quick pinch” tearing a wail from your daughters chest.

“Oh, baby,” you frowned, holding her tight as she screamed her lungs out. “Just two more.”

The crying didn’t end until the three of you were seated in the car, the color drained from your faces as you all recovered in silence.

“Next time, I’m leavin’ the room for the shots,” Joel said, turning the key in the ignition.

“I feel so bad,” you frowned, leaning your head back against the headrest to listen to your daughters sniffles. “Poor baby.”

“Fuckin’ doctors,” Joel grumbled, shaking his head. “Makin’ babies cry.”

“Absolute sickos,” you agreed with a chuckle.

| The First Steps |

“Baby!” Joel’s yell was almost enough to get you to drop the sudsy plate in your hand as you washed the dishes. You quickly set the plate down and wiped your hands off on the dish towel hanging off the oven door before hustling out to the backyard where Joel, Sarah, and Iris were.

“What happened?” you asked in a panic, finding Joel half-crouched over with his back turned to you.

“Look,” he smiled over his shoulder before nudging his head to call you over. You hesitantly approached, rounding his frame until you saw what had him smiling so hard.

“She’s standing!” Sarah announced, squatting in front of her little sister while she held onto two of Joel’s fingers for balance.

“Stay,” you ordered the three of them before sprinting inside to grab your camera. When you returned to the patio, however, you almost forgot what you’d set out to do as Iris, guided by Joel’s clunky steps behind her, waddled and stumbled towards you. “Damn it, I don’t want to cry.”

Joel laughed, “Take the damn picture, baby.”

You sniffled away your tears and held the camera up, watching through the viewfinder as Joel leaned down to blow a raspberry against Iris’s cheek, making her laugh. You clicked the camera a couple times, determined to get a good photo unlike all of your previous attempts at documenting her growth—closed eyes, frozen frames of her right before she turned herself red with a tantrum, dribble flooding down her chin.

“Jesus, I’m getting this framed,” you cooed, frowning adoringly at the picture. “She looks so much like you when she smiles, Joel.”

“Poor girl,” Sarah teased, walking up to you to look at the picture. “She is a cutie, though. Especially when she’s not covered in barf or drool or snot or—“

“Like you were any different?” Joel teased her right back as he scooped Iris into his arms to settle her on his hip. “Had to get rid of half my shirts back in the day ‘cause someone wouldn’t stop pukin’ on me.”

“I probably did you a favor given your fashion sense,” she returned with a flip of her curls.

“Okay, you two,” you chuckled, handing Sarah the camera before reaching for your daughter. “You interrupted my chores so now they belong to you. I’m gonna go cuddle with my precious little—“ A whiff of something familiar hit you the second you hugged Iris closer. “Oof. More like my stinky little girl.”

“You’re takin’ diaper duty over dishes?” Joel asked, arching his brow.

“You’re right,” you said, handing your daughter back to him. “You’ve been doing it longer than me, I’m sure you’re better at—“

“Load of shit,” he laughed, leaning over to kiss your cheek. “Sarah’s got the dishes. You go sit down and think of some new ways to manipulate me into changing her diapers. Material’s gettin’ stale.”

| The First Day |

“Joel,” you sniffled as you started on Iris’s hair for her first day of preschool. “I can’t drop her off. I’m gonna have a breakdown and then she’s gonna have a breakdown and then I’m just going to cave and bring her home. You have to go do it.”

“Baby,” he laughed, his voice still coarse from sleep as he leaned in the doorway of Iris’s bedroom with a cup of coffee in hand. “S’gonna be fine.”

“No, it’s not,” you returned, more snippy than you’d intended. “I’m already a blubbering mess.”

“Mama,” Iris frowned, turning in your lap to stare at the tears sliding down your cheeks. “S’okay. Don’ cry.”

“Mama’s alright, baby,” Joel intervened, setting his coffee on the dresser before coming over to sit on her twin mattress beside the two of you, his arm wrapping around your waist. “You’re excited to go to school, ain’t ya?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, flashing a toothy smile. “Sissy said it’s not scary, so I’m not scared.”

“Good, there’s no reason to be,” he smiled at her before turning to you. “See? She’s good, baby.”

“But I’m not,” you managed through a whisper. Joel frowned and reached over to wipe your cheek free of your tears. “Can you please just come with me? I know you’ve got work but—“

“I’ll call Tommy n’ let him know,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “How ‘bout you go take a second to yourself and I’ll finish up here? Sound good?”

You gave him the sort of smile that screamed appreciation and undying devotion, one that was reserved just for him. “I love you.”

Joel placed a kiss on your shoulder and scooped your five year old out of your lap and onto his. “We love you more, mama. Don’t we?”

“Mmhm,” Iris grinned. “More than the whole wide world.

“Don’t get me started again,” you chuckled, wiping a few fresh, happier tears from your waterline. “Alright. Pig tails, she said.”

“What’s that? A lopsided ponytail? Comin’ right up.”

[hubbvrd]

#35 with Joe Burrow? Seems fitting with what's going on currently for him.

summary —Prompt 35: "What can i do for you right now?"

pairing — joe burrow x reader

words — 1723

notes — thanks for your request. I hope you like it!! 🧡

The music drifts softly out of the car radio. Your right hand is gripping the steering wheel tightly while your eyes are fixed on the road to get you and Joe home safely.

The last few days have been pretty chaotic and exhausting, so you are now more than happy to drive home with Joe in the passenger seat next to you.

Three weeks ago, Joe suffered a wrist injury during the game against the Ravens, forcing him to leave the second quarter.

This morning he had successfully undergone the operation and couldn't be dissuaded from staying in hospital any longer than necessary, so he was now on his way home with you.

He had been pretty quiet and lost in thought the whole journey, so you had more or less accepted the silence.

"Should we take some food home with us?" you break the silence as the building where Joe's favorite restaurant is located appears in your view.

"No, I just want to go home," he replies, mumbling, and a glance over at Joe shows you that he's still looking out of the window, as he has been the whole drive.

A soft sigh leaves your lips, but it's so quiet that Joe can't hear it.

Ever since Joe had to leave the field with his injury against the Ravens, Joe's mood has been pretty down and you knew the Bengals' star quarterback was blaming himself.

Every attempt to cheer Joe up so far had not really worked. But all the failed attempts were no reason for you to simply give up, which is why you started to plan in your head how you could cheer Joe up after all.

The rest of the journey, which wasn't too long, was another period of silence, in which not only Joe seemed to be lost in thought, but you too.

You were incredibly sorry and hurt to see your friend so dejected and introverted.

This situation wasn't easy even for you, because Joe wasn't the only one suffering. You were also affected by his injury and where he was.

You would have liked to take away all his frustration, pain and anger, if only you could do so without hesitation.

But as this was not possible, you had to resort to other means to make your boyfriend feel better.

- - -

"Wait, let me help you." With two big steps, you closed the small distance to Joe so that you could help him out of his jacket.

His right forearm was in a cast, which was in a sling in which Joe was supposed to hold the arm most of the time.

In the hospital, Joe had already cursed about the sling that the doctor had put on him, while he had made it clear that he had to wear it.

You knew that Joe would use every moment that you weren't looking to take the sling off for just a few minutes.

"Thanks," Joe mumbled, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead before slipping off his shoes.

"Would you like to get some rest?" you asked as you both went into the kitchen, where you unpacked the medication Joe was supposed to take for the pain.

"I'm fine, y/n. Really," Joe assured you as he gently pulled you towards him with his left hand on your hip.

"I'm sorry, Joey. If I'm being overprotective or worrying too much, please tell me, okay?" Your hands moved up to the back of his neck, where your hands interlocked and you looked up at Joe.

"You're sweet when you worry. And I'm grateful that you're by my side and getting through this with me."

"That goes without saying. But if you bitch or moan too much, I'll kick you out, just to make it clear, Burrow," you joked warningly, raising your index finger in front of his face.

A grin formed on his face. "Have you ever heard me whine?"

"Yes, only about forty-five minutes ago, when you had that noose put around you," you reminded him, pointing to the black sling that held his real arm

"That damn thing -" he began to grumble as his eyes wandered down to the noose and his face contorted slightly.

"Hey, what did I say?" you reprimanded him lightly. "Now off to the living room. You need to rest."

Without waiting for Joe's answer, you pushed the older man out of the kitchen and into the adjoining living room.

Only when Joe was comfortably seated on the sofa, with the remote control, his cell phone and a blanket within easy reach and you had given him a kiss on the cheek, did you make your way to the laundry room, where you began to take care of the delicate laundry.

- - -

From the living room you heard the sound of the TV, otherwise it seemed to be pretty quiet in the living room. Joe had probably fallen asleep in the meantime.

You tiptoed over to the living room and took a look inside.

There was some college football game on the TV, but your friend wasn't paying any attention.

Joe's gaze was fixed on the large living room window that led out into the garden.

His gaze was almost fixed on a point outside in the garden, so you knew he had been sitting there for some time, mulling something over.

"Babe?" you asked cautiously as you slowly approached your friend and carefully crouched down in front of him.

Joe didn't seem to react, however, as much as he was in his stupor, so you gently grabbed his left hand and he flinched.

"Joe." Carefully, your thumb began to stroke the back of his hand as Joe slowly began to come out of his stupor, blinking a few times before looking down at you.

He had tried to hide his watery eyes from you, but he hadn't really succeeded, as his eyes were still slightly watery and the skin under his eyes was slightly red.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Slowly, you rise from your crouch to sit down next to Joe.

Your warm hands gently touch Joe's cheeks as your thumbs gently and carefully stroked his cheeks, Joe looked you straight in the eye.

There was pain in his eyes, so the sight made your stomach tighten painfully.

Since Joe's injury, which you had witnessed live, Joe had hardly said a word about his feelings and thoughts.

Every time you had tried to talk to him about it, he had changed the subject and promised to talk to you when he was ready.

You knew that there was something that was bothering him so much, but you also knew that you had to give Joe time. You had to wait until your boyfriend was ready to open up and pour his heart out to you.

There were often days like that. Sometimes it took him more, sometimes less days before he could open up to you.

It always took the longest when he and the Bengals suffered a defeat or he had made mistakes in the game.

"I feel so bad," Joe whispered into the silence a moment later and slowly he begins to open his heart to you and give you an insight into what has been bothering him so much since the Ravens game and his injury.

"Oh Joe..." you murmur softly as your thumbs continue to stroke his cheeks. Because you know how much he enjoys this touch and that it makes him feel special that you are there.

"What if my recovery takes even longer than expected? What if this injury ruins everything and I won't be as good after my recovery as I was before the injury?" his voice sounds more and more fragile with every sentence that leaves his lips.

You feel your heart begin to ache slightly and you have to fight back the tears that are welling up.

It hurts you incredibly to hear your boyfriend thinking about himself like that, so you quickly wrap your arms around his body and hug him tightly to you.

"Joey, please stop that. You mustn't ruin yourself with these thoughts, do you hear me? I understand your fear and your thoughts and I'm sure they're not unnatural. If your recovery takes longer than planned, then unfortunately that's the way it is. But you know what? It's better that it takes longer than you get back to feeling fit pretty quickly and something worse happens in the end. And I'm sure that the rehab and everything around it will ensure that you get back to your old form, Joey. You are a fighter and no matter how rocky the road will be I know you will come through it with flying colors and be back in perfect shape in the end and who knows? Maybe you'll come back even stronger after the rehab and the whole program."

As you spoke, you felt Joe wrap his healthy arm around you and give you a gentle hug to silently show you how much his words meant to you and how much strength they gave you.

"What would I do without you?" he sniffled softly into your hair as you buried your face in the crook of his neck and gave him a gentle kiss on the neck. "I love you, y/n. So much, you wouldn't believe it."

"I love you too, so much, Joey."

You slowly sit up and look into Joe's eyes. There's a soft smile on your lips, which he returns and then pulls you close, pressing his lips to yours.

"What can I do for you right now? Make you feel better?" you ask him, after you've detached yourselves again and Joe has pulled you tightly against his chest.

He has wrapped his left arm around you while you rest your face against his chest and reach for the remote control to turn off the TV.

"Stay with me, very close. Cuddle with me and just stay here. You're all I need right now."

Joe carefully lays his head on yours as you carefully spread the blanket over the two of you.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

And Joe knew you would never break your promise. And so you spend the rest of the day cuddled up close to each other on the couch.

[beneathashadytree]

LOOK AFTER YOU - XAVIER SHEN X READER

Warnings : mentions of injuries and anesthesia, reader is gender-neutral!

Genre : sickening fluff <33

Word count : 1.2K words

Additional notes : This had been sitting in my drafts for a while now, and now it’s finally here!! Given how Xavier selectively chooses his missions and work, it makes sense that he’d feel more like a househusband than anything😭💗

Tip jar!

Masterlist

With dragging feet and a very noticeable limp, it took all they had to not just completely pass out halfway on the way home—still, they had to hold on. Just a few more minutes. They could handle that. Dr. Zayne had managed to patch them up well enough for them to stay conscious until they ended up on their doorstep.

Finally standing in front of their apartment, they lifted an aching arm to knock on the door—only to stumble forward as it swung open, their boyfriend’s face poking out from behind it. Already before they could speak, a small frown had formed on his face. “The hospital called just now. I didn’t know it was this bad.”

Xavier pushed the door open fully, reaching out for them with open arms that they—all too happily—slumped into. He could carry 10 times their weight if need be; they didn’t worry about him struggling to carry them inside in the least. “Thanks,” they mumbled against the wool of his sweater. Almost reflexively, they melted into his hold as they inhaled the scent of him clinging to the soft fabric: cinnamon, vanilla, and sunshine.

“Are you okay? In pain?” he worriedly asked as he heaved most of their weight and began to guide them to their bedroom.

At that, they snorted. “They gave me enough anesthesia to knock out a mule. I’m just trying to avoid putting pressure on the wounds, since I won’t be able to feel just how bad they are—“

“Until it wears off.” He nods in understanding, having been in their place more times than he could count. One hand left their back to push their bedroom door open and switch on the lights. “Then it’ll all hit you like a freight train.”

“Put nicely, yes. I would’ve said “hurt like a bitch,” personally.” A look of amusement danced on his face as he huffed out a laugh at that, kicking a few slippers out of the way so he could lean over the side of their bed. He lowered them to the bed as gently as possible, and they groaned out as their body sunk into mattress. “This feels like heaven now. Could you—?”

Before they could finish their request, Xavier had already nudged their fluffiest pillow underneath their head with one hand, while the other was pulling up their softest blanket up to their neck. “You’ll want to nap, of course,” he quietly said, brushing back a few sweat-slicked strands of hair away from their face and settling into his spot beside them on the bed.

“Just for a little. Mission was exhausting.” Sighing, they closed their eyes for a few moments, as though collecting their myriad of tangled thoughts regarding it, before blinking back up at him with a tired gaze. “Keep me company until I fall asleep?”

“Of course,” he quickly replied, crystalline eyes shining with the sort of fondness only they could alight within him. “Wanna tell me about your day?”

They shook their head, an apologetic half-smile on their lips. “It was shit. Nothing much to say about that. I’d rather hear about yours, though.”

A barely-there squeeze to their hand reminded them that it was fine. He’d always indulge them, after all, and if that entailed him talking about his certainly-in-comparison-boring day, he’d oblige.

And really, he’d once told them—in that solemn manner of his—that if they asked him to serve his heart on a silver platter, he’d gladly carve it out of his chest and welcome the gaping hollowness. How else would he carry it to them, still beating and yearning for them? Maybe when it fluttered in their palms it’ll bridge the chasm of space and time that he sometimes felt between them.

“I woke up at two, I think.” He looked a little embarrassed as he confessed, though it was nothing that surprised them. “I didn’t want to… ah, have another accident, so I stuck to ordering lunch for us both.” His spine straightened, as his eyes lit up in remembrance. “Oh, I got you salmon and potatoes. Is that ok?”

This time when they smiled, it almost seemed lovesick—or maybe they were growing drowsier by the second. “More than ok. How’d you know that I was craving it?”

“You tend to have eating patterns,” was all Xavier said, as though that were explanation enough. Maybe that truly were the case, or maybe the feeling of his knuckle brushing against their cheek was too soothing for them to question it. “It wasn’t too hard to notice.”

“Mmm. What else?”

Voice little more than a whisper now, they seemed to burrow into the covers even more. Just a few tufts of hair showed from the edge of the blanket, and Xavier had to resort to stroking the top of their hair now as he went on. “You probably didn’t get to notice it when we walked in, but I cleaned the entire house. Top to bottom, and I didn’t even have to pull out the vacuum.”

“Sounds like you’ve earned yourself some praise,” they slurred out, their chuckle sounding like it was distorted underwater, though it was only the effect of being filtered through sleepiness.

He hummed, a mischievous glint to his eyes. “Not to be too greedy, but I believe I do. Unless you happen to have any complaints about my cleaning skills?”

“I’ll be… the judge of… that.” To hear the last sentence, he had to really strain his ears, but it was all worth it.

When will the novelty wear off? When will he stop clinging to every single utterance of theirs; every soft sound and breath that escaped their lips? He feared he’d spend his entire lifetime clutching at every one and stowing it deep between his ribs. That greedy feeling of wanting to keep every fragile part of them to himself never went away, it seemed. And he supposed it never would.

“I guess I’ll have to aim for a 5-star review, then.” No response; just the sound of their even, deep breathing, and the shift of the Hunter’s outfit they still hadn’t taken off with every exhale. Xavier’s hand stilled its ministrations, and he carefully untangled it from their hair to set back in his lap.

For a few moments all he did was simply take the sight of them in. Soot-covered attire and perspiration-dotted face and all, he still thought they were the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on. Perhaps, they were even more striking in his opinion when they were so battle-weary.

Still, it can’t have been too comfortable, and he knew that the first thing they’d want to do after waking up—aside from taking pain medication, since the effects of the anesthesia would’ve long worn off by then—would be to shower. With an impossibly softened gaze, he leaned down to leave a fleeting kiss against their forehead, one that somehow still left his heart stuttering in his chest as they hummed and smiled in their sleep. Falling back to their side, he curled his warm palm around their hand that lied on the pillow, his mellow voice carrying his love in a whisper and on his frayed sleeves.

“Sweet dreams.”

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[bitchesgetriches]

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about How to Pay off Debt

Understanding debt:

Let’s End This Damaging Misconception About Credit Cards

Season 2, Episode 10: “Which Is Smarter: Getting a Loan? or Saving up to Pay Cash?”

Dafuq Is Interest? And How Does It Work for the Forces of Darkness?

Investing Deathmatch: Paying off Debt vs. Investing in the Stock Market

How to Build Good Credit Without Going Into Debt

Dafuq Is a Down Payment? And Why Do You Need One to Buy Stuff?

It’s More Expensive to Be Poor Than to Be Rich

Making Decisions Under Stress: The Siren Song of Chocolate Cake

How Mental Health Affects Your Finances

Paying off debt:

Kill Your Debt Faster with the Death by a Thousand Cuts Technique

Share My Horror: The World’s Worst Debt Visualization

The Best Way To Pay off Credit Card Debt: From the Snowball To the Avalanche

The Debt-Killing Power of Rounding up Bills

A Dungeonmaster’s Guide to Defeating Debt

How to Pay Hospital Bills When You’re Flat Broke 

Ask the Bitches Pandemic Lightning Round: “What Do I Do If I Can’t Pay My Bills?” 

Slay Your Financial Vampires

Season 4, Episode 3: “My credit card debt is slowly crushing me. Is there any escape from this horrible cycle?” 

Case Study: Held Back by Past Financial Mistakes, Fighting Bad Credit and $90K in Debt 

Student loan debt:

What We Talk About When We Talk About Student Loans

Ask the Bitches: “The Government Put Student Loans in Forbearance. Can I Stop Paying—or Is It a Trap?”

How to Pay for College without Selling Your Soul to the Devil

When (and How) to Try Refinancing or Consolidating Student Loans

Ask the Bitches: I Want to Move Out, but I Can’t Afford It. How Bad Would It Be to Take out Student Loans to Cover It?

Season 4, Episode 4: “I’m $100K in Student Loan Debt and I Think It Should Be Forgiven. Does This Make Me an Entitled Asshole?” 

The 2022 Student Loan Forgiveness FAQ You’ve Been Waiting For

2023 Student Loan Forgiveness Update: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 

Our Final Word on Student Loan Forgiveness 

Avoiding debt:

Ask Not How Much You Should Save, Ask How Much You Should Spend 

How to Make Any Financial Decision, No Matter How Tough, with Maximum Swag

Your Yearly Free Medical Care Checklist

Two-Ring Circus 

Status Symbols Are Pointless and Dumb 

Advice I Wish My Parents Gave Me When I Was 16 

On Emergency Fund Remorse… and Bacon Emergencies

Should You Increase Your Salary or Decrease Your Spending? 

Don’t Spend Money on Shit You Don’t Like, Fool

The Magically Frugal Power of Patience

The Only Advice You’ll Ever Need for a Cheap-Ass Wedding 

The Most Impactful Financial Decision I’ve Ever Made… and Why I Don’t Recommend It 

3 Times I Was Damn Grateful for My Emergency Fund (and Side Income) 

Buy Now Pay Later Apps: That Old Predatory Lending by a Crappy New Name 

Credit Card Companies HATE Her! Stay Out of Credit Card Debt With This One Weird Trick 

Ask the Bitches: Should I Get a Loan Even Though I Can Afford To Pay Cash? 

The Bitches vs. debt:

I Paid off My Student Loans Ahead of Schedule. Here’s How.

I Paid off My Student Loans. Now What?

Hurricane Debt Weakens to Tropical Storm Debt, but Experts Warn It’s Still Debt

The Real Story of How I Paid Off My Mortgage Early in 4 Years

Case Study: Swimming Upstream against Unemployment, Exhaustion, and $2,750 a Month in Unproductive Spending 

That’s all for now! We try to update these masterposts periodically, so check back for more in… a couple… months??? Maybe????

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Unexpected 38

Sequel to Unsolicited

Warnings: non/dubcon, pregnancy, pegging, Lloyd being the worst, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You roll over, eyes opening as you groan. The dull ache in your back is heavy, worse than the usual. The pressure in your pelvis is so bad, you feel like you might just vomit. A ripple of agony tears through you as you pant, whimpering into the dark as you clutch your stomach.

"Fuck," you grunt as you dig your elbow into the mattress, "fuck, not now."

You shakily sit up after several tries. Your muscles tauten and your spine pangs. Lloyd isn't there. The bed is empty. Where the fuck is he?

You grip the bed frame and stand with all your strength. The slimy gush between your legs assures you of your worse fear. No fucking way. This has to be a nightmare. Where is Lloyd? You can't do this alone and fuck him for trying to make you.

It's too early. Your c-section isn't scheduled for another month. It's a false alarm. God, you feel like you're going to shit yourself.

You waddle to the door, breathless as you get there. A radiating burst of pain blooms in your back and you barely keep from falling onto your stomach. You collapse to your knees and growl.

"Fuck!" You utter the guttural word, puffing as you hold the doorframe, "LLOYD!" You holler, "where the fuck are you?"

You don't hear anything. You lean forward, pressing your hands to the hardwood. You lift yourself, crawling towards the stairs. You stop at the top and suck in air.

"LLOYD!!!" You boom down and it echoes onto the first floor.

You hear a clink and lazy footsteps. He could go a little faster. You snarl and heave, blowing out between your teeth as you try to temper the pain. Lloyd gets to the bottom of the stairs as you whine.

"What's going on, peaches? Ice cream--"

"Don't be a fucking moron," you sneer and ram a fist into the floor, "this goddamn demon is trying to claw its way out of my ass."

"Huh?" He sputters.

"Huh?!" You spit mockingly, "Lloyd, I think it's time."

"Now?"

"Yeah, fucking now-- could you stop asking stupid fucking questions and help me!"

Your back arches as you bellow through another contraction. Holy fucking shit. This is not how you expected to wake up. You never truly believed you wake up to anything worse than that mustachioed dimwit.

"Oh, uh, yeah, yeah, oh wow," he scrambles around and grabs his keys, searching for shoes in the closet as you bring yourself to sit on the top stair, gripping tight the railing as you shake. "Right now! Fuck! And I thought I was gonna surprise you," he turns and runs up the steps. God you hate him and his spritely fucking body. Look at him moving without a single goddamn obstacle. "Come on, baby cakes."

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" You bark as he bends over you, guiding your arms around his neck as he helps you to your feet.

"Good luck," he snickers.

"Not fucking funny, dickweed. I'm serious," you curl your nails into his back, just along his shoulder blade until he cries out, "you did this to me and I'm gonna rip your taint open so you know how it fee--ARGGHHHHHHH!"

"Peaches," Lloyd grits out, barely restraining a warble in his voice, "I got you. You're a strong bitch, you can do this."

"I put up with you, I know I'm fucking strong," you raise your hand to his neck and pinch him meanly. "Get me to the fucking hospital! Now. There's no way I'm pushing this thing out. They need to cut me the fuck open--- MOTHERFUCKER!"

"I will be soon enough," Lloyd grins.

"Do you have a fucking death wish?" You retort as he helps you down the stairs one at a time. "Life for a life. You go, this fucking parasite comes out."

"Okay, let's just... get where we need to go," Lloyd hisses in pain as your nails dig into his neck, "please, peaches, take it easy."

"Take it easy?" You get to the first floor, "take it easy! I feel like I'm in that scene from Alien. EASY? You think this if fucking easy?!"

"Nope," he grunts as he turns and angles your towards the front door, "alright, we're almost there."

You moan and babble as you lean your head back, legs moving stiffly as he urges you on. You can't. It's too much. You're used to pain but this is too much.

Lloyd gets you to the car and opens the door. He turns you and slowly eases you done, "try not to get anything on the seat--"

"Shut the fuck up," you snap, "I can't fucking help it!"

"Just, put your legs together--"

"Shoulda done that a while ago," you shove him so he hits his head on the top of the car. He sighs and shuts the door before running around the hood of the car.

He gets in the driver's side and taps on the wheel. He makes small noises as if trying to decide what to do next. It's not hard, drive!

As the pressure swells in your pelvis, you clasp onto the door and measure your breaths. Finally, he starts the engine and backs out. You let the motion of the car reassure you, though it does little for the pain.

Your head lolls and silver moonlight streams through slits of your eyes. You're almost delirious with the shock and pain. Wake up, wake up, it's too soon! It can't be real. You're not ready. Not ready to be a mother. Please, just a little longer.

You hug your stomach, tears in your eyes, and drone. You turn your head and look at the man next to you. You know what comes next, you know how this goes.

You're no more than used goods. Once there's a squalling, shitting baby, he'll find even more reason to be gone. More often and for longer. You're going to be alone like you were before. Attached to a man who doesn't care about you at all.

You wheeze and throw your head back, the street lights streaming by. The dread sinks in your stomach. This little girl is going to hate you. You don't even know if you can love her. You're just going to have one more person in this world to disappoint.

The dialing of a phone interrupts your doom. The Bluetooth clicks and a groggy voice comes from the other end.

"Marion?" Dottie wonders quizzically through the speaker.

"Ma," Lloyd says, a tremor of panic breaking through as he reaches to squeeze your arm, "it's time--"

You sob and snort, trying to fight through. Your body doesn't feel like your own. You have no control over it, no control as your bones split and your muscles tear.

"Time?" Dottie chimes, "oh my-- sweetie," she coaxes, "breathe, just breathe, Marion, you breathe with her--" There's rustling against the microphone, "Harley, get up. We gotta go!"

"I got it ma," Lloyd says, "I can do it."

"Ain't you doin' all the work," Dottie retorts, "you keep your wife cozy, don't be thinking of yourself. Harlan, not that one, the other-- I gotta go, honey bear. We'll be there fast as we can."

The call ends and you gnash your teeth as another contraction rolls over you. You lean forward, coughing out a breath as you brace the dashboard. Lloyd keeps his hand on your shoulder as he drives.

"Almost there, peaches."

[witchy-scribblings]

the way he cares

haganezuka hotaru x reader

synopsis ➳ somehow, the worst part of being involved in a mild car accident isn't the actual accident, but having to deal with your annoying mechanic.

warnings ➳ car accidents, cussing, can be read as either platonic or romantic, lowercase

wordcount ➳ 0.7k

[crossposted on ao3]

“care to explain what the actual fuck happened to you?”

you had been dreading this moment all morning. well, actually, you had been dreading it for way longer than that. from the moment you were released from the hospital and fully comprehended the damage that your car had sustained, you had known that hotaru, your trusty (and that was the only kind way you could put it) mechanic, was going to give you absolute hell.

you were so not looking forward to it that you seriously considered pretending you weren’t home when you saw his old but reliable towing pickup truck pulling up in your driveway. alas, you had been the one to call him to get your car (if it could be considered a car anymore) to his workshop, so he knew that you were home and you knew that he’d kick down the door if you didn’t come out yourself.

“some fucker hit my car from behind and i got whiplash.” at this point, you had explained what had happened so many times, to the doctors, to your car insurance advisor, to your family and friends, that you had exhausted any patience you would have once spared the infuriating man. hotaru was known for asking the right questions in all the wrong ways, it was just that today you weren’t feeling like putting up with his usual bullshit. “so? can you fix my car or do i need to find a new mechanic?”

at that, he looked downright offended. “of course i can, who the hell do you take me for?” he delivered a hard look to your poor car and its misshapen rear, clicking his tongue. “you’re lucky this is covered by insurance. all this fucking damage…”

“no shit, haganezuka. i have eyes,” you scoff, and he doesn’t answer. instead, he sets to work loading your car onto the tow dolly attacked to the back of his pickup. you watched silently, wanting nothing more than to go back home and rest because your neck was a constant pain in the arse and the relentless july heat was making your neck sweat and itch uncomfortably under the cervical collar.

“you should be more careful,” he speaks suddenly, roughly, bringing you back from your thoughts, and you would have caught the hint of care if you hadn’t been pissed off by the way he dared to express it.

“don’t give me that fucking shit, hotaru. as if it’s my fault that someone else wasn’t paying attention on the road-”

“didn’t mean it like that,” he sighed raggedly, running a hand along the back of his neck, trying to collect the stray hairs that escaped his long ponytail. he didn’t bother elaborating, you didn’t think he had it in him. but you understood, regardless.

“i know,” your voice comes out surprisingly soft, and you see his lips press into the tight line that you’ve long associated to him trying to conceal any visible emotion other than anger.

hotaru is hopping back onto his own vehicle sooner than you can realize and, if you didn’t know better, you’d say he was avoiding looking at you. looks like that was more sincerity than he could stand in one morning.

“the towing service isn’t covered by insurance, but you can manage the fee, it won’t sting like a bitch.” he’d do that, start rambling when you knew he was feeling embarrassed. “i’ll call you when it’s ready to pick up, or bring it back here myself, whatever, but know that it’s gonna take a shit-long time. not that you can drive like that, anyways.” he buckled up, checking his mirrors reflexively and still not bothering to look at you. the fucker.

“maybe i’ll just start calling you to drive me places,” you tease, and that does earn you a hurried, offended glare to which you would have shrugged if your neck wasn’t so messed up. “i mean, i have groceries to buy, for example, which i might also need help with taking inside and putting away.” 

“you’re such a brat,” he grumbles, and you grin despite your predicament. his lips curl into a small, sneering smile of his own. “i’ll charge you for that.”

“of course you will.”

[tfyoulookingatgiuxs]

hola , can i please request a sub!nancy and she’s needy and whiny after a while of being away from R

thank you 🙏🏾

-🧞‍♀️

•Ooooh. my. God. 😜 I like this request!

Take a sweet relax

Sub!Nancy Wheeler x Dom!Reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: Needy. Your girlfriend was needy but you couldn't keep up with her, so what could you do? Maybe relaxing wasn't such a bad idea, what do you think?

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: SMUT!!! +18!!! MDNI!! Lesbian sex, fingerings, mommy kink, praise kink, pet names (good girl, pretty girl etc...),degradation (slut, whore etc...), begging, nipple sucking, cunnilings, overstimulation, aftercare, bad language, Dom!fem!reader, slightmean!reader, Sub!Nancy, no use of Y/N.

𝐀/𝐍: Requested by an anonymous person. I had never wasted my hours thinking about a sub!Nancy, so I wasn't sure where to start but, I must say, I don't mind the result! I hope I have satisfied your request, anonymous! Sorry for my english this is not my native language. Please support and reblog. Hope you enjoy! (DIVIDER NOT MINE)

You arrived home tired and destroyed. That Friday afternoon it had sent you to the mental hospital! Too much fucking work! You couldn't stand it anymore...luckily you still held yourself up and with those only strength you managed to enter your apartment. You turned the key in the lock and then opened the door and didn't find your girlfriend in the living room. Maybe she was already in bed? Probably. You thought. It was very late and perhaps it was a good thing that Nancy was in bed at this time.

You made sure not to make too much noise as you placed your jacket on the coat rack. You headed to the bedroom and almost jumped when you saw her. Nancy sitting on the bed without her nightgown and wearing a white lace bra decorated with a few pastel pink bows, she smiled lovingly looking down at you "Welcome back darling" she said while you responded with a simple "Hi".

Nancy knew you would be late today, so you didn't think she was worried "How come you're not sleeping Nance? It's very late" you told her taking off your white shirt "I was waiting for you" she said and you heard the bed springs make a strange noise, now Nancy had gotten up and was behind you, you could feel her breathing on your neck. Her arms wrapped around your waist gently as her trembling fingers traveled from your belly to your breasts "You know I felt very lonely without you" she continued and you felt her cold skin on your back, making you realize she was completely in underwear.

You knew what she wanted. But no. You weren't in the mood "No, Nancy. I'm very tired, I don't think I'm in the mood for sex" You answered and heard Nancy whimper slightly "But work has you too stressed love, maybe some sweet sex can help you relax, what do you say?" She tried to convince you. She was needy, and you knew she would continue like this all night. You snorted. “Nancy, please” your tone was tired and exhausted but her cold fingers on your bra were impossible to miss. You didn't want to, but you weren't doing anything to stop her from groping your tits "Please love, you need it, I need you" she had chosen perhaps the worst time to be needy and as beautiful as she looked in that sexy underwear, your answer was always "No" You took her hands off of you while you put on a white t-shirt with nothing underneath, remaining in your underwear, you didn't even have the strength to put on pants apparently.

Meanwhile, Nancy remained looking at you and sulked and sat back down on the bed offended, while every now and then she whined or muttered something. You closed your eyes for a moment, she knows how much you can't stand these stupid scenes of a needy bitch "Nancy, stop, go to sleep please, tomorrow I promise I'll fuck as you want, okay my love?" You proposed but she let out a grumble before replying with an “Okay” in an annoying tone as she slipped under the covers and turned off the lamp on the nightstand next to the bed.

You didn't want to believe that your girlfriend was serious. She should have understood you and instead she starts mumbling and acting like an offended fucking child! You brought a hand to your forehead, feeling the heat. No. You should have let it go, tomorrow morning she would surely rejoice again when you fucked her good. You headed to the bathroom and washed your face noticing the dark circles under your eyes. You looked at your reflection for a while, as if your face had taken you into oblivion and made you think for at least four minutes straight. Fuck it. You thought as you exited the bathroom with a rather irritated expression.

Your heavy footsteps could well be heard on the wooden floor as you walked back into the bedroom "Hey" You said turning on the light that Nancy had previously turned off and you saw her open her eyes, most likely trying to sleep but failing as soon as she got you you heard "What—" you didn't even give her time to speak before in no time you discovered her, revealing her beautiful body with shiny pink skin. Nancy was taken aback and looked at you with her brown eyes submissive to you. With one hand you took her jaw, forcing her to kiss you, throwing you both headfirst onto the bed, with Nancy under you while you continued kissing her passionately and without stopping. She didn't stop you, in fact she let you do it as her fingers slipped through your hair. The kiss was intense and hungry, you were tired it's true, but thinking about the way Nancy had behaved and the shitty day you'd had, you couldn't help but vent like your girlfriend had advised you to do. You had to relax. And what better way than to ruin your girlfriend? Letting her become a complete mess before your eyes while she would cry and praise. You fucking needed it.

You separated from the kiss while you tried to catch your breath "Damn, can't you even wait for tomorrow? Do you always have to want everything now? You little bitch" You regained your breath while one of your hands groped her breast forcefully making her let out a moan "Please...” is all she could say feeling between your legs how she squeezed her thighs together in excitement “Just as I thought, you can't hold yourself even a fucking minute without mommy can't you, whore?” She nodded and you let out a light laugh "I'm too tired to punish you, so be a good slut and let me fuck you so you don't whine anymore" she nodded again and you pressed your grip on her breasts tighter making her whimper, making her understanding that that wasn't the correct answer "Yes mommy" she corrected herself as she watched your figure move.

You took off her white panties noticing the wet puddle that had been created "Are you already this wet? For two words I said to you? You're pathetic Nance" your words were hard as ice, mean but Nancy didn't care, she loved when you acted that rough, especially in bed making her even more excited. You threw her panties on the floor making her totally wet pussy air, she was fucking beautiful and ready to be destroyed by you "Mommy please" Nancy begged you as her eyes were focused on your hand dangerously close to her pussy "Tell me one more time and I swear I'll leave you like this" you threatened her and she went quiet "Good girl" you praised her sticking two fingers in her needy hole. You didn't waste any time, you didn't want to tease her, so you started moving your fingers in and out repeatedly until Nancy was a mess of whimpers and moans.

“Mommy—ugh” she called out to you as more sighs and moans overwhelmed her, at the sight of your girlfriend totally out of it you showed a smirk on your face feeling that tingle forming under your legs “Show me those tits” You almost whispered getting faster the rhythm. Nancy didn't have to repeat it and with one move she uncovered her breasts showing her hardened nipples "Oh fuck" You exclaimed cursing while your fingers were wet with her juice. You bent down to get your lips to her tits sucking on one “Yes mommy!!—” she said throwing her head back. You licked every inch of her nipple sliding your saliva onto her cold tit “Mommy—I‐ugh!” She tried to speak and failed again. You looked up "Mmhh do you want to come? Do you want mommy to let you cum on her fingers? Do you want that?" Nancy nodded quickly "Yes!" She almost screamed as she was reaching the edge, the sound your fingers made in her pussy was inaudible "So come on you fucking whore, come on my fucking fingers now" you told her and soon Nancy reached her orgasm filling with her cum your fingers “That's my sweet Nancy, well done” you praised her, removing your fingers from her pussy and getting dangerously close to it again.

Nancy, while she was trying to catch her breath, looked at you "Darling..." she said to you in a tired tone "Darling? Mommy hasn't finished with you yet, do you think that after the scene you made I'll leave you like this?" You told her as you placed her legs on your shoulders bringing your lips closer to her pulsating pussy "I'll make you come again and again so you'll stop feeling needy" and so you would. You brought your lips to her clit, stimulating it with your tongue while Nancy gripped your hair. From her clit you moved down to her folds sucking and tasting every nook and cranny of her vagina “Oh fuck—” she cursed.

And so you moved on. It was one in the morning and you were still eating out your girlfriend even after her fourth orgasm "Mommy! Please stop!—" She still begged you as she pulled your hair trying to get you to come off "Come on gets to the fifth darling, you can do it" you told her, letting your tongue go into her hole. Nancy couldn't help but cry and moan louder and louder, surely making herself heard by the neighbors "I-I can't! - ah" she replied and you raised an eyebrow "Yes instead Nance, come on, obey your mommy" at that sentence Nancy relaxed the grip on your hair, letting go and arriving at her fifth orgasm "Yesyesyesyesyes-" and as you wanted, Nancy came again on your face and you moaned between her pussy "Good love, just like that" and you pulled away looking at the state where Nancy was. She was totally destroyed and ruined, the tears had now wet the bed sheets and the mascara that she hadn't taken off that day had all dripped onto her sweet cheeks.

You lay down next to her placing sweet kisses on her shoulder and the same thing on her neck taking care of her "Thank you‐" she managed to say between labored breaths, you smiled giving a light and sweet kiss on her wet cheek. As soon as Nancy fully recovered you looked at her sweet brown eyes "So, now how about we make mommy feel good before going to sleep?" You proposed and she nodded. You took off your now completely wet panties and positioned yourself on top of her with your pussy on her face, letting yourself be carried away by the sweet sensation of pleasure. You couldn't relax any better than this.

[abovethemists]

Never Let Me Go - Chapter 4

Summary: Bonded together by tragedy, Lacey and Gold shared an intense relationship that ended when she split town. Lacey has spent the past five years trying to move on, while Gold has been stuck in a town that never seems to change. When Lacey is forced to return to Storybrooke, she is faced with the demons of her past and the fear that she made the wrong choice all those years ago.

A/N: This fic is so old it's from when I still made headers for my stories. It's been years, and I doubt anyone wanted more of this, but here you go.

TW: Minor character death, hospitals, medical stuff in this chapter 

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3)

Read it on AO3

Monday Evening

Vascular Dementia. 

That was Moe French’s official diagnosis, brought on by a series of mini strokes he hadn’t even realized he’d had. 

They’d spent the whole day at the hospital, her poor dad getting poked and prodded. He was lucid enough, but the doctors said his short term memory would continue to degrade. Lacey slumped on to the sagging sofa once her father had gone to bed for the night, feeling an exhaustion that had nothing to do with lack of sleep. 

She hadn’t seen Gold since he kicked her out of his house on Friday night. She didn’t expect to see him. But now her stay in Storybrooke was stretching out before her with no end in sight. She would eventually have to go back to her life, but for now she was here. Her father needed her, and probably would for the rest of his life, however long that might be. Gold couldn’t skip town forever. He’d have to come back eventually. She would give him his space, she resolved. He didn’t want to see her and she wouldn’t force her presence on him. She’d done that once already and it had led her to forsake her marriage vows for the first time. Never mind that she had loved Gold long before she married Will. Never mind that they were separated, possibly never to reconcile. He didn’t deserve to be cheated on. He was a good man. She was the villain of this story.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed beside her and she looked down at it, not really having the energy to speak to anyone. But she couldn’t avoid real life forever. 

She held the phone up before her, swiping her thumb to answer the FaceTime call. 

“Hey, Will,” she said, trying to keep her face neutral. Pretending the sight of him didn’t make her want to cry. 

“Hey!” Will’s smiling face appeared on her screen. He was standing in their kitchen, in their apartment. She could see the overly complicated fridge he’d insisted on behind him. Lacey hadn’t had much use for a fridge that could play music and make shopping lists, but it made Will happy, something she just couldn’t do. “Look, I know you said you need space but it’s been days and I’m worried about you, Lace. How’s Moe?” 

“Worse than expected,” she admitted. “I didn’t realize…”

She trailed off, feeling the guilt of the last five years weighing so heavily that for a moment she couldn’t breathe. She had left Gold, she had left this town, she had left her own dad, the only family she had left in the world. Things had gotten rough between them, but he didn’t deserve that, to be abandoned by his only child. 

She had only thought of what she needed, to put as much space between herself and Storybrooke as possible. She was such a selfish bitch. 

“Lace?” Will prompted. She blinked, shaking her head. 

“It’s, uh, vascular dementia,” she said. “Probably caused by smoking so let that be a PSA for you.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. He looked it too, all big brown eyes. “Not your fault,” she said with a shrug. “You didn’t force him to smoke a pack a day for decades. But I’m gonna have to be here a bit longer than expected, I think.”

“Yeah, sure,” Will said with a nod. “Take as much time as you need.” 

“Thanks,” she said. And she meant it. Will would give her space and time and be there for her at the end of it, if she chose to return to him. Isn’t that what he’d done five years ago? The guilt gnawed in her belly. She never should have chased Gold down on Friday night. 

“Um, it’s pretty late here,” she said, glancing at her watch. It was almost 10 in the evening. 

“Oh, shit, the time difference,” Will exclaimed. “I’m headed out to dinner with some of the lads from work anyway. Um, when can I talk to you again?” 

Lacey bit her lip, looking at the corner of her iPhone screen instead of at Will’s big eyes. 

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ll check in in a few days or if anything changes.” 

Will looked disappointed but didn’t protest. 

“Look, Lace,” he said haltingly. She could see him set his phone down on the kitchen counter, bracing his elbows on the edge and leaning forward to stare at her through the screen. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said before you left, about that fight. You’re right. I shouldn’t be trying to force my idea of a perfect family on you. If you’re happy just the two of us, then so am I.”

Lacey smiled ruefully. 

“No you’re not.” 

He blinked owlishly. 

“What are you saying?” 

“The same thing I’ve been saying for weeks,” she said. “That you deserve everything you want in life. You deserve the picket fence and the 2.5 kids in the suburbs.”

“But I can’t have that with you,” he returned. “So I don’t need it. I just don’t want to lose you, babe.” 

“You haven’t lost me,” she said. You can’t lose what you never really had.

“It kind of feels like I already have,” he said, staring down at his hands clasped together on the kitchen counter. “Enjoy your time back home, Lace. I’ll see you when I see you.” 

With that the screen went black, the call ended.  

Lacey let out a frustrated groan, letting her head fall back against the couch cushions. What on earth could she possibly do? She’d tried to end things with Will, but he loved her too much to realize it. And it wasn’t as though she had a future with Gold. She’d burned that bridge thoroughly 5 years ago. 

A thump came from somewhere down the hall and Lacey sat up, listening. She heard the thump again and shot up, heading down the hall to her parents’ bedroom. 

“Dad?” she called, with a knock on the door. “Is everything alright in there?” 

The thump came again, sounding like a hammer against the wall. What had he gotten in to?

Fuck! Lacey thought, throwing the door open only to be met with the sight of her dad, still in his pajamas, stooped over his old toolbox and rifling through a box of nails. 

“Oh, hello sweetheart,” he said with a smile at her as he stood up. “Your mother’s been on me to hang these photos for weeks so I figured I’d better get on it.” He started hammering a second nail into the wall beside the first.

Lacey glanced at the floor next to his feet where an assortment of framed photos were stacked. The top one was from her high school graduation, Lacey sandwiched between her parents in her cap and gown, both of them beaming with pride.

“It’s the middle of the night, Dad,” she said wearily. 

Moe’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. 

“Is it?” he asked, turning toward the darkened window. “Well, look at that. The day must have gotten away from me. I’m sorry, darling. I hope I didn’t wake you.” 

“It’s alright, Dad. Just get some sleep, okay?” 

Moe set the hammer down on the bedside table, moving to climb into bed. Lacey made sure he was all tucked in before leaving the room, closing the door behind her with a gentle click. 

She leaned against it for a moment, closing her eyes. 

Will, Gold, none of it mattered right now. This was what was important, taking care of her dad and getting him through the day. She owed him that much after what she’d done.

7 years ago

“Miss French,” Lacey jumped, her eyes fixating on the woman in front of her. “Did you hear me?” 

Lacey shook her head, completely overwhelmed by the steady stream of medical lingo that had just been thrown at her. She’d been at work at Granny’s when she’d received a call from the hospital. Her mother had flatlined. They’d been able to revive her, but they weren’t certain how much longer she had.  

“Um, I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her sweaty palms against the red skirt of her uniform. 

“She had a seizure,” the doctor repeated. “We’ve revived her twice already, but we cannot get in touch with your father. It’s putting a lot of stress on her body and I’m not sure how much more she can take. We need you to make a decision.” 

Lacey shook her head, feeling completely lost. 

“What…what kind of decision?” Lacey asked. 

“Your mother doesn’t have a DNR. She doesn’t have a medical power of attorney. You would know best what she wants.” 

What she wants. They needed Lacey to tell them whether to pull the plug. To let her mother die with some sort of dignity or keep shocking her back to the half life she’d been lingering in for months. 

“I…I need my dad,” she said. 

“I know,” the doctor said kindly. “We can try calling him again.” 

Lacey nodded as the doctor walked over to the nurses station, speaking quietly to them. 

She wandered down the hospital hallway to where her mother’s room was, peeking in through the doorway. Colette didn’t look like herself. She looked small, and frail, and old. She’d been so beautiful, so full of life. Her mother had been gone for months. This shell, this broken husk, it wasn’t Colette French. 

She knew what her father’s decision would be. He’d want to keep her with him as long as possible. When she was a child, Lacey had thought her parents had a storybook romance. The way they told it, Moe had fallen head over heels the moment he saw her in a park in Melbourne. Colette had been reading on a park bench and Moe, never much of a reader himself, had sat next to her and asked her about her book. Colette had rambled on for 30 minutes about Dostoyevsky and at the end of it, he was smitten, never mind he had no interest in Russian literature. They’d married 6 months later. 

But her father wasn’t here now, when his darling wife needed him most. He’d said he couldn’t see her like this, but he couldn’t let her go either. She was his world. 

Lacey wasn’t sure she’d ever feel that kind of love for someone. She didn’t feel it for Will, despite going out with him semi-regularly for the past two months. But if she did find love like that, she’d want to be with them at the end. To hold their hand, to tell them it was okay.

Lacey squeezed her eyes shut, sinking down into a chair outside her mother’s room. She wished someone would tell her everything was going to be okay. But the only person she could think to call at the moment had his own burdens. She couldn’t add to them. 

Twenty minutes later, her mother coded again. 

Lacey could hear the frenzy from inside the room, the doctors and nurses doing their best to keep her mother technically alive. 

She braced herself for the end, breathing steadily through her nose and trying not to succumb to the waves of grief lapping around her ankles. 

“Miss French,” the doctor was beside her again. 

“Yes?” she returned, though she knew what the doctor would ask. 

“We’ve tried to get hold of your father. He’s not answering the home phone or his cell. Do you know where else we could try?” 

Lacey shook her head. She had no idea where her father disappeared to these days. He wasn’t at Granny’s or the Rabbit Hole. There weren’t many other places in town open in the late evening. 

“Then I’m afraid we’ll need a decision from you.” 

Lacey looked up at the doctor with wide eyes, the waves of grief reaching her chest now. 

“I’m just a kid,” she gasped out. It wasn’t true. She was 21 years old. She was an adult in every respect. But right now she felt like a frightened child. She wanted her mother. She wanted her Daddy to show up and take care of everything. She wanted the grown ups to make the decisions.  

“I’m sorry, Miss French,” the doctor said. “Lacey. I’m so sorry.” 

Lacey nodded, swallowing down the bile in her throat and trying to form the words she desperately didn’t want to say. 

“She wouldn’t want all this,” she managed to croak out. “She’d want to be at peace.” 

The doctor nodded, disappearing inside the room. A moment later she was back at Lacey’s side. 

“We removed her intubation tube and other life support,” the doctor said. “She’s on pain medication to make her comfortable. If you’d like to sit with her…” the doctor trailed off, looking at Lacey sadly. 

“Yeah,” Lacey nodded. “I want to be with her.” 

She felt numb as she entered the room, sitting in the chair next to her mother’s bed. Colette had never been a vain woman, but she’d taken care of herself, presenting a pristine appearance to the world. The dye to cover her grays had grown out, her face gaunt despite the feeding tube. The fine lines around her eyes and mouth, etched there from years of joy and smiles, looked deeper in the fluorescent lighting. Lacey wished she could brush her hair for her, apply her favorite lipstick, do something to make her look like herself. 

“Mum,” she said, her voice wavering. “Mum, it’s Lacey.”

She took her mother’s bony hand in her own, her skin feeling dry and cold. “It’s okay, Mum,” Lacey said, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t know if you can hear me. But if you can, you can rest. I know you’ve fought so hard to stay with us, but…I can’t let them torture you just to keep you here a few more hours or days.” 

Lacey closed her eyes, sobs wracking her body. 

“I’m here Mum, you’re not alone. I’m here.” 

She stroked her thumb against the back of her mother’s hand. The beeping from the machine next to her bed was a slow drone, her mother’s chest rising and falling so shallowly it was almost imperceptible. Lacey sat there, holding her mother’s hand for what felt like ages as the beeping slowed ever more. She talked to her about everything and nothing. Telling her about her dates with Will and her conversations with Mr. Gold. She told her about an article she read in the New Yorker and a movie trailer she’d seen online. She told her that she was the best mother she ever could have asked for. She told her how much she loved her. It could have been minutes or hours later when the sound of the flatline droned out. Lacey squeezed her mother’s hand, feeling like she’d cried too much to ever cry again. Even still the tears came again. She leaned forward, kissing her mother’s forehead as the doctor called time of death. 10:38 PM on January 4th. 

After the doctor had shut off the machines, after they’d removed the wires and tubes, Lacey sat with her, her chest hurting from the sobs and her face feeling tight and sticky with dried tears. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now. 

“Where is she?” she heard a voice from the hall. A familiar voice. “Where’s my wife!”

A moment later Moe French barrelled into the room, taking in the sight of his wrung out daughter, his wife’s body on the bed. 

“What did you do?” he demanded of Lacey. “What the fuck did you do?”

“You didn’t answer the phone,” Lacey’s voice rasped out. 

“You did this,” he accused. “You let them kill her!” 

“She was already gone, Dad,” Lacey said, tears stinging her eyes once more. “She was gone.” 

“Get out!” he shouted at her. “Get away from her!” 

Her father stumbled forward, collapsing in tears across the bed. 

“Colette,” he moaned out. “Don’t leave me, darling. Please!” 

Lacey just sat there frozen. She’d never seen her father cry. He’d never raised his voice to her either. 

“Didn’t you hear me!” he cried out viciously, turning to look at Lacey with such blistering hatred in his eyes that it took her breath away. “GET OUT!” 

Lacey jumped up from the chair, stumbling backward out of the room. 

The Following Friday

There was much to be said for Gold’s little cabin in the woods. It was beautifully situated, right on the edge of a tranquil lake. Neal had swam in the lake in the summers as a boy, and ice skated there in the winters. The inside of the cabin was small and rustic, but cozy, easily warmed by the large stone fireplace in the living room. The one small bedroom had a window out to the lake that framed the sunrise beautifully. The front porch boasted two rocking chairs, the perfect spot for a cup of coffee of a morning or a glass of wine in the evening. 

Unfortunately, if one was not inclined toward swimming or ice skating, or meditating over coffee, or birdwatching, or hiking, it could be downright boring. 

The internet and cell service were spotty, and despite catching up on his reading, by Friday morning, Gold was growing restless. 

In addition, he was running low on provisions. The loaf of bread in the larder had gone stale, he was almost out of coffee beans, and most damningly, he was completely out of whisky. 

It was time to head back to Storybrooke.  

Besides, she couldn’t possibly still be in town. Last Friday night would be one ill advised indiscretion that he’d never have to think about again. Never mind that he’d thought of it constantly alone at his cabin. He’d had little enough else to occupy his mind. He’d replayed every moment of their last encounter over and over again. The way she’d smelled, the sounds she made, the feel of her soft skin against his own. It was enough to drive a man mad. The last five years of celibacy hadn’t helped in banishing thoughts of her from his mind. Lacey French had opened a dam of feelings and emotions that he’d repressed for half a decade. Suddenly he was wanting things, things he had no right to want again. And he was still so utterly furious with her. 

She’d broken his heart. He couldn’t let her do it again. 

But Lacey was certainly gone. He’d given her a whole week to look after her father. Hopefully she was on a plane even now back to the other side of the country. He could go back to the carefully crafted stoicism that kept him from feeling anything too keenly. Not his loss, not his lust, certainly not his love. 

The drive back into town took no more than half an hour, and Gold decided to stop at the grocery on his way home, certain his coffee and whisky stores at home were just as depleted as the cabin’s. 

He was slowly perusing the aisles, in no real hurry to be home, shopping basket in one hand and cane in the other, when he caught a whiff of something achingly familiar. He set his basket down, turning away from the shelf of cooking oils and looking around. 

It was the warm scent of cinnamon, spices and jasmine, earthy and beautiful. A scent tied to powerful memories, and one he had reveled in again just one week ago. Lacey . 

Just as quickly the scent was gone, and Gold could have believed he’d imagined it. She’d been on his mind enough these days. But something in his gut told him she was here. And the part of him given to self destruction had to see her. 

He rounded the next aisle, spotting her a few yards away. 

She froze at the end of the aisle, her hand halfway outstretched for a box of cereal. She dropped it quickly, turning and heading off in the other direction. 

Something perverse within Gold made him follow her. 

“You're still here,” he called at her retreating back.

Lacey stopped, turning to face him, but her blue eyes refused to meet his. 

“Yes,” she said, her shoulders sagging. “I’ll stay out of your way.” 

“See that you do,” he returned coldly. “How long do you plan to be in town?” 

Lacey shrugged. “Indefinitely,” she said. 

Gold nodded stiffly. He couldn’t very well hide in his cabin for the foreseeable future. For one, he had a much more comfortable home here in town. Secondly, he had businesses to run, tenants and clients and customers. No, he couldn’t hide like a dog with his tail between his legs. He would have to live with the fact that Lacey could be lurking on any street corner. Perhaps seeing her regularly would numb the pain, would make him immune to her. He could only hope. 

“I’m going to help my dad with his shop,” she continued. “Make sure money is coming in. And take him to his doctor’s appointments, make sure he’s taking his medication and eating well, all that stuff.” 

Gold just nodded again. 

“Like I said, I’ll stay out of your way.”

“It’s a small town,” he observed. “We’re bound to run into each other.” 

Lacey licked her lips, and didn’t he just hate that he couldn’t help but look at her mouth, imagine the feel of it on his own. He wanted to kiss her, right here in the middle of the grocery store where any town busy body could see. And he also wanted her to leave and never come back. He wanted her to be as broken hearted as he still was, no matter how much time had passed. 

“Daniel,” she said softly, stepping closer to him. “I don’t want to hurt you. I promise you’ll never see me. If you do, we can ignore each other completely, okay? These are the last words you ever have to hear from me.” 

“I’m not hurt,” he lied. 

She took half a step back, a look of hurt crossing her own face. His hand twitched at his side, wanting to reach for her. He’d always wanted to give her comfort. It’s how they’d wound up here in the first place. 

Lacey nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I’ve got to finish the shopping. Goodbye, Mr. Gold.” 

She grabbed a box of cereal off the shelf blindly and tossed it into her shopping cart before wheeling it off, not giving him a second glance. 

7 Years Ago

She’d never been to his house before, though of course she knew where he lived. Storybrooke was a small enough town and there were few homes as grand as Mr. Gold’s. She stumbled there blindly, her boots slipping in the snow. She was shivering, her teeth chattering from the cold and from grief and from fear. Her father would never forgive her. And she wasn’t sure she could forgive him, for abandoning her, for forcing her to make decisions that never should have been hers. 

Before she knew it she was standing in front of the three story pink Victorian she knew to be the Gold home. She trudged up the icy steps, knocking twice on the front door. 

It was late, nearly midnight, and if Lacey had been remotely in her right mind she’d never have bothered him. He had lost more than her, a child rather than a parent. He’d been alone for the past five months while she’d still had her mother lingering between life and death. She had no right to seek him out for comfort. 

And yet here she was. 

A light flickered on behind the stained glass window, a shadow moving in the hall, before the door was thrown open. 

He must have been asleep was Lacey’s first reaction. He was wearing a dressing gown over a pair of navy blue pajamas. It was an incongruous sight. She’d never seen him in anything but a buttoned up three piece suit. She’d be willing to bet no one outside of his immediate family had ever seen him as undressed as she was now. A funny thing to think about at a time like this. 

“Lacey,” he said with a look of surprise. “It’s freezing out. What are you doing here?”

“You were sleeping,” she blurted out. 

Gold’s eyebrows rose imperceptibly. 

“No,” he assured her. “Attempting to, but not meeting with much success. You didn’t wake me.” 

“Oh,” Lacey said, her teeth chattering. “That’s good.”  

“You’re shivering,” he pointed out, ushering her inside. “Come in out of the cold.” 

Lacey stepped into his foyer, the door shutting behind her and shutting out the world just as decisively. 

It was warm, and not just because of the heated air. Everything about the house was warm and inviting, decorated in shades of burgundy and gold. Even the lighting felt warm, like she was being embraced by the house itself. 

Some people probably would have thought Gold’s home would be sterile and cold, but Lacey knew better. He was the only person in the whole damn town who cared about her, a silly 21 year old college drop out with no future. 

Gold led her down a short hallway and into a sitting room, two large leather sofas facing each other across an antique coffee table. 

“Sit,” he told her, gesturing to one of the sofas. “And tell me what’s wrong.”

Lacey took the offered seat, wrapping her arms around herself. She was still in her Granny’s uniform, her little white puffer jacket the only thing shielding her from the cold night. 

“She’s gone,” she croaked out. “My mother.” 

“Oh, Lacey,” Gold said, taking a seat next to her. The sofa dipped under his weight and Lacey slid slightly into him. He placed an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” 

“I didn’t mean to bother you,” she said, staring blankly at the coffee table. “I just didn’t have anywhere else to go.” 

“Well, you’re more than welcome,” he said. “But what do you mean nowhere to go? Where is your father?” 

Lacey shook her head. “He hates me,” she whispered. She could see the look on his face, the hatred in his eyes, every time she closed her own. Whatever relationship she’d had left with her dad since the accident seemed well and truly destroyed. 

“What?” 

“It was my fault,” Lacey said, her voice rising in pitch. “I told them to take her off the life support. I’m the reason she’s dead!” 

“No,” Gold said fiercely. “None of this is your fault. It was that bloody fucking drunk who took everything from us. It could never be your fault.” 

“I didn’t know what to do,” Lacey continued. “She just looked so frail and so tired. I couldn’t let them keep bringing her back. She wanted to go, I know she did.” 

“You should never have had to make that choice,” Gold said, rubbing her back. 

“He’ll never speak to me again,” she said. 

“Of course he will,” Gold said. “He’s your father and he loves you. Grief makes people say and do terrible things. But never doubt a father’s love.” 

Lacey shook her head. 

“He hates me,” she said again. 

Gold didn’t say anything more, just held her until the shaking subsided, her nerves finally calming after the adrenaline left her system. Her head leaned against his chest, nestling under his chin and he readjusted them on the sofa until she was stretched out beside him, his heartbeat thumping reassuringly under her ear.

He’d never touched her like this before, she thought, arms wrapped around her, his big hand rubbing her back in slow, steady strokes. It was intimate, almost like lovers.

Their relationship over the past several months had been friendly, comrades in arms, but there’d been carefully drawn lines between them. He was twice her age, for one. It was something they’d never acknowledged but always seemed unspoken. They were united in their shared grief, but nothing inappropriate ever occurred. 

Mr. Gold was a perfect gentleman. 

Lacey knew she was attractive. She’d never lacked male attention. But to Mr. Gold she was as sexless as an old running shoe. He’d never shown the slightest interest in her that way. That was one of the reasons she liked him so much. 

She moved her head slightly, looking up at his face in the lamplight. His eyes were closed and she wondered if he’d drifted off. It was late after all. 

Her eyes traced the line of his nose, his sharp cheekbones, down to his lips. For the first time she wondered what they would taste like, how it would feel to kiss him. The quiet intimacy of snuggling with someone on their sofa suddenly had her thinking all sorts of inappropriate things. 

Her heart still hurt so badly, broken by the loss of her mother and her father’s anger. She thought she’d probably never feel happiness again and yet, here she was objectifying Mr. Gold in his sleep. 

She wondered what he would do if she pushed him back on the sofa, and straddled his lap. Would he stop her? What if he didn’t? 

He really was so handsome. She wasn’t sure when the thought had turned from a detached assessment to a visceral need. He was beautiful and she wanted him. She wanted him now. 

She turned her head, pressing her nose into his neck. He smelled so good, warm and clean, like laundry fresh out the dryer. But there was something spicy there too, some hint of aftershave. She could feel his pulse beneath her lips, the steady thrum. The ones they loved were gone, cold and lifeless. But he was so warm and alive. 

She didn’t want to feel dead anymore. She’d been sleepwalking through the past few months, in a constant state of mourning her mother. She was exhausted by it. She felt far older than her twenty-one years, haggard and drained. She wanted to feel alive. Even if it was only for one ill-advised night. 

She moved her lips against his neck, a soft fluttering kiss just beneath his jaw. She felt him tense beneath her, holding himself deathly still. So not asleep after all. 

Lacey leaned up on her elbow, looking down at Gold, his eyes still shut. She could swear he was holding his breath. 

She leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. Gold’s dark eyes flew open, wide with shock as Lacey pulled back slightly.

“What are you doing?” he whispered. 

“Kissing you,” she said softly. She kissed him again, and this time he kissed her back, his lips warm and soft. It was a short, chaste thing before his hands came up to cup her shoulders, pushing her back gently as he sat them both up.  

“Lacey, you’ve had a trying evening,” he pointed out. “You’ve suffered a devastating loss.” 

He was pushing her away. She should let him, she should get up and walk away before she fundamentally altered their little friendship. But she had nowhere else to go. She didn’t want anywhere else to go. 

“I want this,” she said. “I want you.”

An unfathomable look passed across his brown eyes. Confusion crossed with something like longing. Then he shook his head.

“You’re only saying that because you want to feel something other than the pain.” 

Lacey scooted forward, closing the distance between them he’d created. 

“Is that so bad?” she asked, running her hands through his long hair. “Don’t you want the same? To forget for a minute and feel something good?” 

He caught her hands in his own, holding her wrists lightly in his hands. They were rougher than she would have thought, calloused. She wanted to feel them everywhere. She wanted to see beyond the little triangle of skin exposed by the open neck of his pajamas. She wanted him.

“I’m not asking you to marry me, Mr. Gold,” she said, her voice almost pleading now. “But I think we could help each other.”

“How?” he asked, his voice ragged. His eyes were so large, so vulnerable. “What would it help?” 

He still had hold of her wrists, but she chanced reaching for his hair again and he let her. She combed her fingers through it, running her short nails against his scalp. His eyes slipped closed and he let out a little sigh as he let her pet him. She wondered the last time he’d been touched like this. He’d been divorced as long as she could remember. Did he date? Did he have a girlfriend? Did it matter?

“How do you do it?” she asked, her hands slipping through his hair and down to the nape of his neck, rubbing at his tired muscles above the collar of his pajamas. “How do you wake up every morning knowing you’ll never see him again, never hear his voice? How do you get through the day?”

Gold licked his lips, his eyes still closed.

“It’s a bit like being on auto pilot,” he said after a moment. “I wake up, I dress, I go to work. I exist. It’s not living though, Lacey. It’s survival, nothing more.” 

“Exactly,” she said. “I feel the same way. These past 5 months have been hell. We deserve to feel good.” 

His eyes opened again, fixed on her own. She could see the same weariness, the same pain, the same hurt, reflected back at her.

“We could make each other feel good.” 

The air was electric, taut with tension. Lacey was afraid to breathe, to do anything that might break the spell. 

A split second later, Gold had her pinned to the sofa, his mouth relentless against her own. His lips pulled at hers, his tongue dipping into her mouth to taste her. Her hands found his hair again and she pulled at it as he grunted, his hips thrusting against hers. 

Lacey gasped as he broke away, kissing down her neck, pulling at the buttons of her white button down shirt. It was like she’d opened a dam and she was being carried away by the flood waters. All thought of anything but the man overtop her flew from her head. His hands were on her breasts, between her legs, and she was gasping and writhing with pleasure. 

“I’ll make it good,” he whispered against her ear as she clenched around his fingers. “I’ll make it so good, sweetheart.” 

And he did. It was one promise he always kept.

[dragon-creates]

Safe and Sound

Funnybunny Week Day Six: Escape . “Jax?” “Hey sweetie,” he confirmed, “Sorry I took so long.” “You’re here,” she gave him a watery smile, “You came back for me.”

Read on AO3

Hey guys, sorry for being a day late, I was really exhausted after rehearsals the whole week so I wanted to have the day off. This one is also gonna be a lot heavier than the last few ones so please keep that in mind before going into this. Stay safe <3.

.

Just close your eyes, the sun is going down You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound - Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift

.

Everyone was out, everyone was free, everyone was done with this nightmare. Except for her.

It was a glitch in the system, a bug from Kinger’s collection that proved to be an actual ‘game bug’. Everything after was a blur, seeing an exit door, ignoring Caine begging them to stay, actually leaving and feeling their physical bodies again for the first time in years.

But then there was the march of people, their faces covered with masks and dressed in bulletproof uniforms. The group had ran, and ran, and ran. But they knew that they couldn’t get far…not without a distraction.

And so, Pomni had stayed behind, giving the others a chance to escape. She could remember someone screaming, telling her not to do this and stay with them. But it was too late, she was already gone.

Now, she was here. Strapped to a hospital bed, with foggy memories and remembering nothing but her circus name. Feeling only loss and hollowness at her closest chance of freedom yet losing it all within a few moments.

It didn’t matter though, everyone else was safe and free, even if it meant she couldn’t be. 

She bit her lip, feeling tears burn in the corner of her eyes. She didn’t dare cry, this was her choice, she couldn’t fuss over it now. 

It was funny, wasn’t it? She was the one so desperate for an exit and finding a way to leave, yet she was the one who was still trapped. Irony was cruel and brutal. 

Her blood froze when she heard the door of the room unlock, shaking and pulling at the straps in an attempt to escape. Three scientists entered the room, ignoring her panicked state as they surrounded her. “Well subject P0-11, I have to say I’m impressed,” one of the doctors observed, “You actually managed to escape our little simulation.”

“You know my name, don’t you!” she spat, “Just say it! I’m not a lab rat!”

“Unfortunately you don’t get a say in that,” the scientist said, “It must be sad, being out of the game yet you still have no idea who you are. How pathetic.”

“Fuck you!” she growled. God it felt good to swear again.

“Regardless, you’re still here and useful to us,” He turned to the other scientists in the room, “Bring it forward.”

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the other two scientists pick up a headset. Tears started to rush down her cheeks as she thrashed at her binds and screamed enough that it almost made her throat bleed. But she didn’t dare stop. There was no way she would be putting on another headset, in this lifetime or the next.

The first scientist was handed the headset as the other two held Pomni down by her arms. “GET OFF ME!” she screeched, “GET THE FUCK OFF ME!” Without warning, she lunged at them, grabbing at one of their arms with her teeth and bit down hard. 

The second scientist yelped out in pain, clutching their appendage that now started to bleed. “You little bitch!” he growled, gripping her face, “You wanna take that kind of attitude with me! Huh?!”

“Now, now,” the first scientist deadpanned, placing a hand on the second scientist’s shoulder and pushed him away. He sneered as he looked down at Pomni, “Keep a calm head P0-11. It will only get worse from here.”

No, no this couldn’t be how it ends. Not with her being placed into another simulation, with a lower chance of escaping. This couldn’t be how the rest of her life would carry out. She kept thrashing, screaming, doing anything to delay the headset being placed upon her. She squeezed her eyes shut, shutting out the reality of the situation, buying herself the last few seconds of normality she had left…

The sound of a fist meeting flesh and a body hitting the ground was what made her freeze, though she refused to open her eyes. Not until the threat was gone. She heard the crash out metal and two other voices cry out before being silenced as well. 

She could hear footsteps approach her, making her tremble for what could possibly be awaiting her in the light. She whimpered as two soft hands gently cupped her cheeks, wiping away a stray tear that leaked down her cheek.  

“Pomni,” a voice whispered, “It’s me, love.”

It was so familiar. She knew that voice, didn’t she?

“Could you open your eyes for me?” the voice asked, “It’s okay, you’re gonna be alright.”

Pomni found herself opening one eye, a man with a kind face looking down at her with a caring smile. She opened the other one, letting the pieces fit together in her head until the puzzle was fully formed. “Jax?”

“Hey sweetie,” he confirmed, “Sorry I took so long.”

“You’re here,” she gave him a watery smile, “You came back for me.”

Jax moved his hands the the restraints on the bed, “As if I’m gonna let those fuckers take what’s mine.”

“Easy there,” she let out a tired laugh, “Let’s get out of here first.” Everything that had, it felt like such a blur. The escape, the capture, the fear. “I..I thought they…that I was…I thought I was gonna be trapped again.”

She let out a strangled sob, Jax’s hands immediately going back to her cheeks after untying the last restraint to wipe them away again. “Hey, hey, it’s okay I’m here,” he shushed her gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “I won’t let anything happen to you, never again.”

She let out another cry, it was all too much, she never felt so relieved and scared than she did right now. Jax scooped Pomni up into his arms, the girl clutching to him tightly as she pressed her face to his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here,” he spoke.

“W-wait! How are we gonna get out of here?!” she panicked, “The guards-”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t come alone,” he told her, “When we got far away enough, we managed to find the folks working on finding us. They’re the reason I was able to get back to you.”

“I wanna go home,” she sniffed. She couldn’t remember home, she didn’t know what she looked like. But right now, in his arms, it felt a whole lot like it.

“Yeah,” he nodded, stroking her arm, “We can go home.”

He passed the hallways, guards in uniforms swarming the halls and taking down the people who had kidnapped and tortured them for years on end in that digital hell. 

For the first time in so long, Pomni felt the fresh air fill her nose the moment Jax stepped out of that building. For the first time, Pomni took a true, real breath. For the first time, Pomni was reminded that she was actually alive. She wasn’t a character in a simulation, to be pushed around like a toy.

She was human and alive .

Jax carried her to a nearby ambulance, not even daring to leave her side once she was placed down on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.

“I’m here,” he whispered, holding her hand and placing a kiss against the back of it, “I’ll always be here.”

Pomni gripped his hand back weakly, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Jax’s eyes widened in surprise at the fact she would guess that, leaning into her face slowly one more time, “For you love, never.”

He sealed that promise by gently pressing his lips against hers, slow, sweet and soft. 

This is it Pomni decided, smiling against Jax’s lips as she let out a comforted sigh.

This is freedom.

[luulapants]

Sorry, I just can't get into anime. The only time in my life I watched anime was one summer during college when my apartment didn't have A/C so every day after work I would go to my girlfriend's weeb friend's place because he was the only other person who stayed in town during the summer and he at least had a decent window unit, and we would drink cheap beer and watch Initial D, which is objectively such a shit-ass show, but every fucking episode ended on a cliffhanger and we were a little drunk and it was ten billion degrees and we didn't really know each other that well but we were both working exhausting jobs that barely paid our bills and eating ramen on the daily we were hot and tired and the show was repetitive and made no sense and every time they drifted the cars (at least once per episode) the characters would flip out like it was the craziest shit they'd ever seen and we'd sit there laughing and bitching about how bad it was, then the cliffhanger would come and we'd shout, "FUCK GOD DAMN IT now we have to watch the next episode, I HATE this show," and we'd put on the next episode and we spent the whole summer like that and by the end of it we still didn't really know each other but also we did and I didn't talk to him after I broke up with that girl until 7 years later when I fell down the stairs in my new house and broke both my legs and he was the only person I knew in town that answered his phone so him and his boyfriend came and carried me to their car and drove me to the hospital and we texted a few times since but stopped, that was last year, and that summer watching Initial D is such a perfect memory, an ephemeral connection with another human being, and it's probably the worst show ever made but no god-tier well-written anime can ever be better than it either, but thank you for your recommendation.

[simulation-machine]

Controversial opinion: Being sick is not a good time

Hey y'all! Haven't really been around too much. I've been sick for the past week-and-change, (probably the 'VID or a sinus infection) (I didn't bother getting tested because I go literally nowhere and my partner, who does go places, tested negative).

Basically, I imagined Teen Lou and Esme cheering me on whenever I did Olympic-level feats like showering or making myself tea.

If for some reason you wanna know more, here's a cut because I suck at being pithy.

My body's response to getting sick is basically 1) whine so, so much and 2) sleep for 17 hours a day until conditions improve. Fortunately, my partner is very much a caretaker at heart and ensured I was fed and that the dogs were looked after. Oh, did I mention school started this past Monday? So yeah I haven't been online much.

On top of all that, my mom was hospitalized. I was on the phone with her wife every day and long story short, it was a combination of getting bronchitis and pneumonia at once, a blood clot in her liver KIDNEY, being on too high of a dose of 'beetus meds, and also being allergic to one of the antibiotics they put her on. Oh, and she has Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which means they had to pay extra attention to her heart so she wouldn't have to get a 3rd ablation.

So, when I was online, it was on FB to let people know what was going on with my mom. FB is basically the equivalent of a mass text to everyone I know and I otherwise don't really get on it. ANYWAYS.

The #1 fear in my life, that I have had since I was a wee little kid, is my mother's untimely demise. She's been sick a lot throughout my life despite being a tough ol' broad who is the real-life inspiration for Destiny Child's "Survivor."

Which is to say that on top of being physically worn down, I have been endlessly emotionally exhausted as well. Like every update from my step-mom/mom's wife about her hospital stay would end in me crying and freaking out, having super vivid dreams about having to plan my mom's funeral (THANKS BUT NO THANKS NYQUIL, YOU NASTY YET SUCCESSFULLY CONGESTION-KILLING BITCH).

I have been playing Sims 4 still, but not the Orson's because I cannot be trusted when goofed up on cold meds. I've been playing a very casual game that sort of started off as a 100 Baby Challenge with Wicked Whims turned waaaaay up, but is now the story of 7 sisters who have the same mom but different dads.

I might show some pictures from that because some of those kids turned out hella cute and interesting. Plus I was needing a bit of a break from the Orsons anyways.

That's all! I'm feeling like 75% human these days so I'll likely be on a bit more, but mainly just wanted people to know that I didn't die or rage quit or anything.

[ereardon]

Come Back [Chapter 2][Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x OC]

Summary: Eight years ago, Bradley Bradshaw was just a college boyfriend who broke your heart. Now, he’s back in your life after a coincidental reunion, and he’s adamant about starting up a friendship. Will it be possible to be just friends with Bradley, or is he inevitably going to end up ruining everything you’ve spent the better part of a decade rebuilding?

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x OC [Nurse Maggie Brooms]

WC: 3.7K

Warnings: Cursing, angst, alcohol

Series masterlist

A part of you knew that Bradley would keep his word. So it was only a small surprise when Friday morning rolled around and a text popped up as you were getting ready for your shift. 

Busy tonight? Bunch of us are going out. Would love for you to join us. 

A second text popped up moments later. 

How was that? Friends worthy? 

You laughed and slid the phone into your pocket. When you got to the hospital and changed, you sat down in the locker room on a bench and pulled it out, staring at the screen, debating a response. 

Finally, you wrote, Sure, why not? 

He sent back a smiley face a little too quickly for your liking. You put the phone down on the nurses station and promptly forgot about it for the rest of the day. The floor was busy, too busy. There was barely enough time to strip the beds between patients before another person came in, always urgent, always in a rush. 

By the time your shift was over, you were sweaty and exhausted. A night out sounded like the last possible place you wanted to be. You’d rather be at home, wearing a pair of old yoga pants and eating Chinese takeout straight from the paper box. 

Instead, you drove home and jumped in the shower, wrapped a towel around your body and stood in front of the closet for twenty five minutes trying to decide on an outfit. 

Flopping down on the bed, still wrapped in the towel, you grabbed your phone. 

“I don’t know what to wear,” you grunted into the mic. 

“Well hello sunshine,” Kailey said, “aren’t you a pleasure to hear from.” 

You sat up. “I don’t know what to wear,” you repeated. 

“Don’t know what to wear for what?” she asked. 

“To go out.” 

Kailey sighed on the other end of the line. “OK, babe, you’re really making me do all the legwork here. What the fuck are you talking about.” 

She was going to yell at you. You just knew it. “I don’t know what to wear to the bar to see Bradley and his friends.”

There was a pregnant pause. And then another. You actually peeled the phone away from your face and looked down at the screen to make sure you hadn’t lost the connection. Then, “Bradley fucking Bradshaw?”

You nodded even though she couldn’t see you. 

“You dumb bitch,” she said and you couldn’t help it — you laughed. Kailey had been your sophomore year roommate at UVA, the year you met Bradley. She had seen it all go down so it’s no surprise she wasn’t Bradley’s biggest fan. You loved her for that.

“Now’s not the time for chastising me,” you said. “I need an outfit and I need it now.” 

“Bradley fucking Bradshaw,” she repeated. You sighed and she cleared her throat. “OK, fine, I’ll help. What’s the place?”

“I don’t know, some bar. He texted me the address.” 

“You guys text?” 

“Keeks,” you moaned into the phone. 

“Fine! Go casual, but hot. Low cut top and jeans. Your heeled booties. Leather or suede jacket. Hair down.” 

“You’re a fucking genius,” you said, rummaging through the drawers for your dark wash jeans and stretchy black bodysuit. “Have I mentioned that lately?”

“I expect a full recap tomorrow,” she said. “And text me later when you get home so I know your dumb ass didn’t go home with him.” 

“We’re just friends!” you said, putting the phone on speaker and tossing it on the bed, dropping the towel and shimmying into the bodysuit and jeans. 

“Since when?”

“Since he showed up in my ER a few days ago,” you said. 

“Need I remind you how fucking trash this man can be?” Kailey asked and you sensed the warning tone in her voice. “I can write it out if you’ve forgotten.” 

You picked up the phone. “I haven’t forgotten, Keeks. I’m just giving him the benefit of the doubt, OK? He seems like a genuinely decent guy now. Or at least, he’s trying to be.” 

“Yeah, because people are so quick to change,” she said. “I gotta run. I love you. Don’t fuck him.” 

You laughed. “Love you too.” 

When you drove up to the bar, you were surprised to find it was a dive right on the beach. You weren’t sure what you had expected from Bradley. He had never been the fancy restaurant guy, much preferring a burger in the backseat over a four course meal. 

What you hadn’t expected was to open the doors to the Hard Deck and see it was packed to the brim with uniforms. It looked like the inside of a can of neutral-colored sardines. You tried to weave your way back to the bar and it took a lot longer than you had expected. You stuck out in your civilian clothes, garnering looks before you made it to the wooden bar and ordered a vodka soda. 

A tanned arm flashed into view, followed by a familiar grin. “Nurse Maggie, to what do we owe the pleasure.” 

Bed five, concussion guy. You racked your brain for a moment, taking a sip of your drink, before responding. “Mr. Seresin. How’s the headache?”

He leaned across the bar, trapping you in. “Lot better now that you’re here, darlin’. And please, it’s Jake.” 

You laughed. “Honey, I know I already told you that I don’t date patients.” 

He affixed a faux frown across his perfect face. “Sweetheart, I’m crushed. Why even show up here tonight if you’re just going to break my heart?”

You shook your head, chuckling, eyes searching the crowd for Bradley. Jake’s eyeline followed yours. 

“Looking for someone?”

You nodded and bit your lip. “Your darts buddy.” “Should have known you were here for Bradshaw. Well come on, darlin’, I’ll take you to him.” He held out his arm and you took it, snapping up your sweating glass from the bar. Jake weaved you through the crowd, checking to make sure a few times that you were still behind him, all the way toward the back near a pool table and old upright piano. “Bradshaw, Florence Nightingale is here!” he called and you blushed, dropping your hand from his arm. 

Bradley turned from his conversation with a stunning brunette in uniform, a large smile painted across his face. He quickly made his way to your side and reached out for a hug, before stalling slightly. You shifted uncomfortably before reaching out and kissing his cheek, letting one of his hands brush against your waist before falling back to his side. 

“You made it,” he said quietly and you nodded, looking around. Everyone in the corner was staring, watching the interaction intently. Bradley put his hand on your lower back and turned you to face the group. “Guys, this is Maggie. She’s a friend from college.” You watched their eyes narrow, sensing the familiarity. He went around the room for introductions. “You’ve met Seresin aka Hangman, and Coyote.” You nodded and smiled and Coyote raised his beer glass with a wink. “That’s Phoenix, or Natasha,” he said, gesturing to the beautiful brunette he had been speaking to when you approached. “Payback and Fanboy.” Two other guys sitting on stools in the corner. “And that there is Bob.” He pointed to a handsome man wearing glasses who looked startled to hear his name called out, spilling a few peanuts from a plastic cup he held in his lap as he smiled a shy greeting. 

“Nice to meet y’all,” you said softly. Bradley leaned down. 

“Can I get you another drink?” You looked down and realized you had nervously chugged your entire drink in the time it took to get from the bar to the group in the corner. You nodded and Bradley patted your back before sliding his hand away and heading for the bar. 

Looking around, most of the group had gone back to their individual conversations. Bob and Phoenix were the only ones unoccupied, and you approached them hesitantly. At that moment, you realized everyone Bradley had introduced you to was wearing the same type of uniform: a well fitted khaki two piece outfit. Everyone except Bradley. 

“Hi,” you said, sitting on the empty stool next to Bob. “How’s it going?” 

He looked flustered. “It’s uh, it’s good ma’am. How are you?” 

You threw your head back in a laugh. “Honey you don’t have to call me ma’am.”

He shook his head with a small smile and you watched his glasses slip down his nose. He was adorable, you had to stop yourself from reaching out and righting the glasses on his face. “Sorry,” he whispered quietly and you put a hand on his knee to calm him, which only served to turn him bright red. 

The brunette gave you the up and down with her eyes. “So how do you know Bradshaw?” she asked. “And Coyote and Hangman for that matter?” 

“I’ve known Bradley since UVA,” you replied. “He and the other two showed up in the ER in the middle of the night a few days ago as my patients.” 

“You’re a nurse?” she asked and you nodded. “Got it. Well, those idiots were always bound to end up in the ER, so I am not surprised.” 

You laughed and removed your hand from Bob’s leg. “So I have to ask. What’s with the uniforms?”

“What do you mean?” Phoenix asked. 

You shrugged. “Like, why is everyone in this bar wearing a uniform? Is this some military bar?”

She cocked her head to the side. “Bradshaw didn’t tell you he’s a Navy pilot?”

Your mouth hung open and she laughed.

“I’ll take that as a no.” 

A hand reached out with a new drink and you took it, mouth still agape. “I was getting there, Trace,” Bradley said, slinging his arm around the back of your chair. “Guess you beat me to it.” 

You looked up at him in awe. “You’re in the Navy? And you’re a pilot?” 

He smiled. “Told you I had a job.” 

You shook your head, actually rendered speechless. Bradley’s chuckle finally pulled you back to reality. “I’m shocked,” you said finally. 

“He’s just alright,” Jake said, smoothly entering the conversation. “If you want to know who the best pilot on the team is, you’re looking at him.” 

Phoenix audibly groaned and you even saw Bob roll his eyes a bit. “Is that so, hot shot?” you asked and he turned his megawatt smile on you. 

“Darlin’ when you’re the best pilot in the Navy it’s OK to be cocky.” 

This time you groaned and Bradley laughed, hand moving from the back of your chair to your shoulder and squeezing. You looked at him with surprise, but he simply smiled back, not lifting his hand. 

“So did y’all date in college?” Jake asked, chewing on a toothpick that you hadn’t even seen him pull out. 

“We did, yeah,” Bradley said, and there was a hint of nostalgia in his voice. 

“It was a long time ago,” you added, taking a sip of your drink. Vodka soda. He had remembered. “We were different people.” 

“You were the same, Mags,” Bradley whispered. “Determined. Smart. Beautiful.” He said that last word so softly you had to lean into him to hear it. It was like everyone else faded away and it was just you and Bradley in a bubble in the middle of the crowded bar. You had almost forgotten how he could make you feel like the only person in a packed room. He had that magnetism that made you think he was speaking to you and you alone. 

But, like everything with Bradley, it would only last for a moment.

You shook your head. “Well you’re different.” You looked out at the others. “This is a guy who would stay up all night playing poker, listening to The Killers and drinking beer and forget to set an alarm and would sleep through his poli sci exam in the morning. On the regular.” 

Phoenix and Bob laughed and Bradley did, too. “Mags, you’re really painting a picture of me I’ve tried to forget.” 

“Hey, you invited me here tonight,” you said softly. “You knew this came with the territory.” 

He leaned in. “Worth it to have you here.” 

You felt the illusion start to fray. There was a reason exes shouldn’t be friends. He was still the same Bradley who had left you, crying, in your underwear on the floor of your apartment. He was the Bradley who had broken your heart and walked away as if you hadn’t shattered right in front of him. 

Everything he had done had shaped you. He just didn’t realize it. 

As the night went on, you lost track of how many drinks Bradley and Jake bought you. They fought over who would get your next round, and you let them. It was fun to watch them compete, and it was even better not to have to pay for a drink yourself although you got the vibe that they only paid for about half of the drinks they bought just given how friendly they all looked with the dark haired woman behind the bar. 

It wasn’t until you started to physically slide off of the bar chair you had propped yourself up on near Bob that you realized just how many drinks deep you were. “Are you alright?” he whispered softly. 

You nodded and without even thinking, slung your legs over his thighs, tossing one arm around his shoulders to steady yourself. He looked at you with wide eyes as you let your head rest against his shoulder. 

“Maggie?” he murmured and you blinked quickly. 

“Yeah?”

“Think we should get you home,” he whispered and you looked up. He had a kind face. Handsome beneath the glasses. Bob looked like the kind of guy who would never hurt you. It was clear from the way he was holding back, respecting your boundaries despite the fact that you were tangled all over him. Bob looked around for Bradley, spotting him near the piano. The two locked eyes and Bradley noticed how slumped you were in Bob’s arms, stepping away from the piano quickly and making his way across the bar. 

“Is she OK?” he asked Bob quietly. 

“She’s pretty drunk,” he replied. “I can drive her home if you want.” 

“I stopped drinking a few hours ago,” he said. “I got her.” 

Bradley reached out to grab you and you groaned, the room starting to spin. You clung to Bob’s neck, resting your face on his chest. “Don’t want to go,” you murmured. He rubbed a hand over your back soothingly. 

“Bradley’s going to take you home, OK?” he whispered into your ear. 

“No, not him,” you moaned. In your drunken stupor, Bradley looked the same as he had almost a decade earlier. He looked like the guy who had left you, more than once, to fend for yourself and get home alone from a party. Even under the warm lights of the Hard Deck, his new mustache highlighting his frown, to you, Bradley looked like someone who could hurt you if you were stupid enough to trust him. 

“Sweetheart, please,” Bradley whispered to you, touching your arm lightly. “Let me drive you home.” 

Bob smelled fresh, like linens and lemons. His thin fingers held you lightly, like he was afraid you would break. He felt safe, but you knew it was only temporary. 

“Mags, please,” Bradley begged and you opened your eyes, sliding your arm out from Bob’s shoulder. Bob looked down at you and smiled, nodding, and he scooped his hands under your legs, letting Bradley swing you into his arms. You rested your head on his chest, letting your fingers grab his neck as he hoisted you higher and grabbed your purse. “Thanks, Bob. Tell Phoenix I’ll see her tomorrow.” 

Bob nodded and you shut your eyes again as Bradley carried you through the crowd, which had thinned out considerably since you had arrived. 

To your surprise, Bradley dug in your bag and pulled out your car keys, depositing you in the passenger seat and sliding into the driver’s side, fidgeting with the GPS until he found the home setting. 

You didn’t remember getting undressed or crawling into bed. You didn’t remember plugging in your phone on the dock charger on the nightstand, or wiping off your makeup. 

So when you woke up in a sweat in the middle of the night wearing a baggy t-shirt and panties, you were shocked to see Bradley passed out on the reading chair in the corner of your room. You reached for the glass of water on your nightstand, fumbling to set it back down when you heard him stir. 

“Bradley?” you asked. 

He opened his eyes and let out a yawn, along with a little stretch that showed an inch of taunt muscle where his shirt rode up. “Hey there, sweetheart. Feeling OK?” 

You shook your head. “No. Think I’m dying.” 

He laughed softly. “Haven’t seen you that drunk since senior formal.” 

You groaned at the memory. You still couldn’t drink rum after that night. “Don’t remind me,” you moaned, lying back against the pillows and headboard. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t you remember me taking you home?” he asked. 

“Kind of.” 

Bradley chuckled. “You sure made a scene at the bar, baby. Crawling all over Bob’s lap. Man looked like he was about to self combust.” 

“Oh, God,” you moaned, flopping your hands against the fluffy duvet. “I’m so embarrassed.�� 

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve seen all of them ten times worse off than you were tonight.” 

“I embarrassed myself in front of your friends,” you said softly. “I can never show my face there again.” “Face as beautiful as that one? Now that would be really unfair.” He was smooth. That had always been part of his persona. Only Bradley Bradshaw could try to woo you in the throes of a hangover. 

“I appreciate you bringing me home, Brad,” you said, “but you can go. It’s late.” The clock on your nightstand said it was nearly five in the morning. 

He stood up and crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. In the darkness, you thought about reaching out, running your fingers over the familiar scars on his cheek. Like all of the nights you had laid next to each other, tracing constellation patterns over each other’s skin. How you would still be able to taste him hours after he had left. The way the mattress felt empty without him once the sun breached the horizon. 

The memory of him haunted you, even as he sat right in front of you.

“I drove you in your car,” he said quietly. 

“Shit, I’m sorry.” 

He shook his head. “It’s OK. I’ll just sleep on the couch, call someone in the morning to pick me up.” 

“I can drive you. Once I’m human again,” you said, taking another sip of water. 

Bradley put his warm hand on yours over the covers and you felt a small jolt run up your arm. You had acclimated to the darkness in the room so you could plainly see the look in his eyes. “How badly did I hurt you?” he whispered. There was so much pain pressed into his words, you had to bite back tears. 

You shook your head. “It’s in the past, Bradley.” 

“Fuck, Mags, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I was an asshole.”

“Yes, you were.” 

He didn’t drop his gaze. His thumb traced lightly over your hand in broad strokes. “I’ll never forgive myself for what I did to you.” 

“You seemed to forgive yourself pretty easily if I remember correctly,” you said. “You walked out of my life like I was nothing. Like I meant nothing.” 

“Maggie, I didn’t deserve you,” he said. “I left because I was stupid and I couldn’t give you what you wanted.” 

You sat up, yanking your hand away. “You didn’t want to even try,” you said sharply. 

Bradley hung his head. “You’re right.” 

“It’s late,” you said, sliding back down to lying on your back. “I’m still fucking drunk. Can we just not be having this conversation right now, Brad? I spent too many nights crying about you. I told myself a long time ago I wouldn’t let myself grieve for you anymore.” 

“Fuck,” he murmurred, running his fingers through his hair and standing up. “I treated you so poorly. I am so sorry, Maggie. You’ll never know how sorry I am.” He turned and opened the bedroom door, the light of the hallway flooding in. 

You called out to him. “You want to prove me wrong? Want to show that you’ve changed?”

He turned around with hopeful eyes. 

“Be here in the morning. Don’t let me wake up again and see that you’ve gone. You want to be different, Bradley? Show that you can be someone I can depend on. Be the man you never were back then.” 

Bradley bowed his head in the doorway. Illuminated from behind by the light, you could have sworn he was an angel. And then he opened his mouth. “I didn’t deserve you then,” he said softly. “And I sure as hell don’t deserve to know you now.” 

He turned and shut the door, leaving you in the darkness. 

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