#I felt like I got hit with a tsunami of news after my shift

[toadtusks]

I missed all of today’s news because I was buried at work but wow, so much!!

I can’t wait to dig into the extra Beacon content, loving what I’ve seen so far.

And LOVM SEASON 3 NEWS FINALLY. FALL THIS YEAR. Can’t wait.

And BH live show too! 👀 With Brennan!

So much to look forward to.

[evanjinx]

alternative universe buddie fics recs :)

note: the links weren't working the first time i wrote the post but i edited and they're okay now!! if it still isn't working for you is probably because you're trying to open from a reblog from before i edit it, so try open directly from the original post on my profile.

Blind Date by @sassypopstar [complete | teen and up audiences | 3.8k words]

Buck feels a little ridiculous dressed in a jacket and a shirt. But Maddie had insisted on him dressing up for the occasion and even Chimney had quipped that it’s the right thing to do. So Buck, who never went on a blind date before in his life, listened to his big sister and her boyfriend because apparently that’s who he is now. Or the one where Buck goes on a blind date with someone called Eddie.

Buckley's Bouquets by awashleyno [complete | teen and up audiences | 23.4k words]

A world where Buck owns a flower shop and manages to develop a huge, massive, ridiculous crush on a handsome firefighter that comes in for a visit one day. Or, 5 times Eddie gives flowers to other people and the 1 time he gives them to Buck.

Call It What You Will - Fate? Destiny? (A Tsunami) by @abow123456 [complete | mature | 20k words]

Evan Buckley's day of relaxation is cut short when a tsunami hits the beach he was relaxing at. He has to fight to keep himself and a lost little boy safe from the water, as well as anyone else he finds. After, he meets the boys father and family, and it causes a snowball effect of good things for him, for once.

Capuccino with extra, extra sugar by buckbng [complete | teen and up audiences | 2.7k words]

Buck is the cute barista and Eddie is the grinch that hates coffee. Until, he doesn't. Because if Buck says he looks like the kind of person that would love a cappuccino, who's Eddie to disagree with him? OR Eddie really doesn't like coffee but pretends he does just so he has an excuse to see the cute barista at the coffee shop.

Confirmation Bias by strifechaos [complete | mature | 31k words]

After the fallout with his ex-wife, Eddie believed he could only trust his family with his son. He hadn’t imagined falling for his son’s sweet-hearted nanny, Buck. With his own family so distant, Buck never considered that he’d be lucky enough to find a home for himself, let alone people he could count on. Not until he meets the Diaz boys. AU: Buck was never a firefighter, and becomes Christopher's sitter when Shannon's job takes her away from Eddie and Chris for the summer. Eddie tries to not fall for his son's nanny, he's not very successful.

dream of some epiphany by extasiswings [complete | mature | 7.3k words]

Evan Buckley is lost. It’s happenstance that he wanders into the navy recruiting center—he’s been in San Diego for a few weeks, bartending late nights and weekends, living in a house with three other guys not because he needs the roommates but because he doesn’t want to be alone, and the military is…respectable. Stable. So Buck thinks maybe and opens the door. Buck leaves ten minutes later with a set of printed instructions for sending his first letter, assured that he can drop it off whenever he’s ready, and a name. Staff Sergeant Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz.

Frequent Flyer by red_to_black [complete | mature | 13.4k words]

In his entire time being a firefighter, Eddie has never met anyone as accident-prone as Evan Buckley. And Buck - well, he's quickly becoming the 118's best customer. (Or - the one where Eddie is a firefighter, Buck isn't, and Eddie finds himself rescuing Buck from increasingly sticky situations. Sometimes literally.)

Gave me no messages, gave me no signs... by @reallysmartladymariecurie [complete | teen and up audiences | 7.4k words]

"Buck is beyond nervous, and he’s really trying to convince himself that the familiarity of the situation is not some sort of bad omen. Just because there are parallels of the start of his relationship with Eddie to that of his relationship with Abby doesn’t mean that this new adventure is destined to end in the same miserable fashion. He hopes it won’t, has to believe it won’t. Because even with Abby, he hadn’t fallen this hard for her before their first official date. With Eddie, everything is already intensified by a thousand." Or, Buck covers a shift for a firefighter at the 136 and it leads to a budding relationship through text messages.

Gotta Find My Corner (Of the Sky) by doctornineandthreequarters [complete | general audiences | 31.3k words]

It was the last day of 2016 and two lost souls found themselves in a quiet dive bar, as the loud noises of the city celebrating New Year’s Eve buzzed around them. Most people chose loud, flashy bars with DJs and entrance fees and promises of champagne for New Year’s Eve. But both occupants of the dive bar preferred the quiet. They both didn’t need the added chaos when everything around them already felt chaotic. --- Or, Buck and Eddie meet on New Year's Eve, 2016, a meeting that sets of a series of events that changes the trajectory of both of their lives.

I Didn't Know I Was Lonely 'Till I Saw Your Face by @hmslusitania [complete | general audiences | 10.4k words]

After the ladder truck and the blood clot and the tsunami, Bobby makes Buck go to therapy before he does something stupid (like sue the city). Buck's not totally comfortable being alone with a therapist, but fortunately he makes a friend and ally who's willing to help him out - Eddie Diaz from the 136 who's just been caught in an illegal fight club. OR Total strangers Buck and Eddie go to couple's therapy together to get out of the therapy requirements their captains have placed on them.

i want your midnights by allyasavedtheday [complete | teen and up audiences | 36.3k words]

In which Eddie decides to rent out his spare room to help with mortgage repayments right around the time Buck decides to move out of Abby's place after some not so gentle prodding from Maddie. It's a coincidence. Or serendipity. Or maybe just really good timing.

i wanna be know (by you) by @starlightbuck [complete | general audiences | 12.5k words]

“I didn’t mean to do it.” Hen glances down at Eddie’s phone then back up at him in disbelief.

“How do you ‘not mean’ to download a bunch of dating apps but still have them on your phone?”

Or  In which Eddie delves into the intimidating world of online dating.

if i got locked away (would you still love me the same?) by @firefighterhan [complete | general audiences | 3.7k words]

Buck gets accidentally thrown in jail after meddling in a fight outside of a grocery store. There, he meets an unexpected guest, famous music artist Eddie Diaz, who is being suspiciously quiet about how he ended up here in the first place.

if only in my dreams by @buttercupbuck [complete | general audiences | 5.4k words]

Years before Eddie joins the 118, Buck meets him at an airport bar on Christmas day.

in a week by @buttercupbuck [complete | explicit | 78.9k]

in which Eddie joins the U.S. Forest Service and in the meadows of California, finds the things he thought he lost and the things he thought he'd never have.

It Started With A Bang And A Hostage Situation by JayJay__884 [complete | general audiences | 6.6k words]

Buck goes to the store one late night to buy food because of Maddie's pregnancy cravings. Whilst at the store, Buck accidentally gets caught in the middle of a robbery and gets knocked out. After waking up in the backroom, Buck finds himself as a hostage with a handsome and caring stranger.

Leading with the Left by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels [complete | explicit | 84.7k]

When Buck said he was a "bartender" in "South America" what he actually meant was "stripper" in "Mexico." And when Eddie said, "What's your problem?" what he actually meant was, "Is this about the time you gave me a lap dance?" In other words, there's a few things the 118 doesn't know about Buck. Or Eddie. Or Buck and Eddie's relationship.

Lift me up by @captain--sif [complete | teen and up audiences | 5.5k words]

Buck gets stuck in his apartment building's broken elevator with his good-looking neighbor from the sixth floor.

Love and Bullets Both Shatter Hearts (But Only One Can Put You Back Together) by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels [complete | explicit | 11.2k words]

Agent [Redacted] Diaz is the best at what he does. Usually. But lately there's this real pain in the ass* who's been ruining his missions: Code Name "Buck."

*stupidly handsome and annoyingly talented rival spy

Mr. Buckley's After Hours Detention by aresaphrodites [complete | mature | 11.4k words]

It’s not like Eddie Diaz planned on this. Really, there was no scenario in his mind where he would ever be bringing his son’s teacher a freaking goody basket to class; a homemade goody basket, no less. Then again, Christopher has never had a teacher quite like Evan Buckley.

MukbangsWithBuck by @reallysmartladymariecurie [complete | teen and up audiences | 19.3k words]

After growing tired of eating alone in his loft, Buck decides to start a YouTube channel where he records himself eating dinner and telling stories about crazy things his team has encountered on calls. He eventually gains a substantial fanbase, and he is led to the channel of another LA firefighter who uploads informational videos and also casual vlogs with his ten-year-old son. It isn't long before the two start a friendship through messages, both of them secretly hoping it will turn into something more. Or, Eddie and Buck are both firefighters/YouTubers and they end up falling in love.

Objects in the Mirror by SevenSoulmates [complete | explicit | 139.1k words]

The voice had always been around, Eddie remembers it, like a stream of consciousness that babbled incoherently to the point where Eddie just tuned it out.  But then the voice started speaking directly to him. Conversing like he was a whole person standing right in front of him. Like he could see what was happening around Eddie. Eddie shook his head. No one was talking to him, and Eddie most certainly was not talking back. He wouldn’t talk to the boy in his head ever again. There was no boy in his head. 

Passive Aggressive Flirting by @starlingbite [complete | general audiences | 4.5k words]

Buck and Eddie have never met. They both work at the 118 but just on different shifts. That's all about to change when Buck finds a sticky note message, signed E.

String of hearts... by @reallysmartladymariecurie [complete | teen and up audiences | 11.1k words]

“Now. Eddie is this incredible presence. He’s funny and smoking hot, and he has a son who sounds wonderful. And he’s serious and vulnerable at times. But so enjoyable to be around, every single second that he’s there. And how can I put myself out there when the expectation is so high? When the thing I might lose is so beautiful?”

In which Buck owns a plant shop in LA, and Eddie becomes his new favorite customer. Pining ensues.

check out my post of buddie fics with dad!buck

[winchestershiresauce]

Don’t Leave My Mind

Summary: Daryl hadn’t visited you in Hilltop for a while, but the sex was worth the wait.

Daryl x F!Reader

2158 words

Warnings: NSFW, smut, oral sex (female receiving), swearing

If you interact with this in any way, including reading, you are agreeing that you are over the age of 18.

--

When you and Daryl got together, you'd learned rather quickly that he wasn't a big fan of public displays of affection. Luckily, it also didn't take long for you to realize that he more than made up for that behind closed doors. 

You were reminded of this one afternoon when he'd made his way to Hilltop after not having stopped by in a couple weeks. You knew he was out doing his thing, living in the woods and looking for any sign of Rick, but you had to admit you'd missed him. When he snuck up on you as you did your gardening in one of the community plots, you were ecstatic and relieved to see him, but it was quickly replaced with worry when he'd grabbed your hand, stated, "Need to talk to you," and dragged you into the trailer you called home. 

The moment the door slammed behind him, you turned to face him and ask what was going on. You were sure something had gone horribly wrong, or was about to go horribly wrong, until he clasped his hand behind your head and pulled your mouth hungrily to his. You let out a muffled sound of surprise against his lips, and he pulled away. Using both hands to push your hair back and frame your face, he held you in place. You searched his eyes for signs of worry or distress, but were surprised not to find any. 

"Daryl, what's the matter?" You gently held his wrists as you looked up into the face of the man you loved. 

"Nuthin'. Missed you," he mumbled as he placed a kiss to your forehead. 

"I missed you too. I always do, but you said you needed to talk to me. What's wrong?" 

"What's wrong is I ain't tasted you in weeks, woman," he growled, diving in to nip at your neck. He shifted so one of his hands dropped to your lower back and he pressed your body into his. You couldn't help the groan that escaped as you felt his hard length press against your center and before you knew it, you were suffocating him with hungry, sloppy kisses.

As you grabbed his face in your hands so that you could push your mouth feverishly against his, he held your body flush against his. Without stopping for breath or to see where you were stepping, Daryl walked you backwards until the backs of your legs hit the bed. Before you'd even realized he'd pulled away, he had your shirt off and his mouth was back on yours again. His tongue slid over yours, mapping the inside of your mouth like it was new to him. He pulled the left cup of your bra down to expose your breast, and you cried out as he wrapped his lips around the pert nipple. 

"Fuck, Daryl," you whined as you clawed at the hem of his shirt, desperate to pull it off of him and feel his bare skin against yours. He groaned at your words and moved his mouth off your nipple to switch his ministrations to the other, immediately grabbing and kneading the breast he'd just left alone. When you finally managed to get a hold of the hem of his shirt and pull it off, the momentary separation only spurred him on further. 

He pushed you back onto the bed, moving to kneel on the floor next to it. You sat up on your elbows to watch as he unceremoniously worked to unbutton, and help you shed, your jeans. He pulled them down your legs and sat back on his heels to admire the view of you splayed out before him, your panty-clad pussy right at his eye level. As he ran his rough, calloused fingertips up your soft thighs, you saw the way he looked at you as if he was still surprised that you were real. No matter how long the two of you were together, he never could believe that someone as soft and kind and sensual as you were could see value in someone like him. But he saw the way you looked at him, too. People could say anything without meaning it but no one could fake the way your eyes sparkled when he made you laugh, or the way you bit your lip when you didn't think he could see you staring at him as he worked with his hands. He knew because he looked at you the same way, whether you were working to keep up morale with those around you or laying, mostly naked, on the bed in front of him. 

Seeing him lost in thought as he dragged his hands up and down your thighs and stared somehow simultaneously at you and through you, you reached out for him. You put one hand on either cheek and leaned forward to kiss him. It lacked some of the desperate hunger your kisses contained earlier, but adoration was simply laced in with the lust. He got up just enough to lean over you, kissing you as he laid you back down on the bed. The kisses he placed down your body, starting with your neck and collarbone and moving down to the only article of clothing you still wore, were both soft and steeped with need. He moved so excruciatingly slowly down your torso that by the time his kisses peppered the waistband of your panties, you were holding your breath with anticipation. 

You could feel that you were wetter than you'd been in quite a long time as he continued to leave unhurried open-mouthed kisses across the front of your simple white cotton panties. The warmth of his mouth on your clothed mound was almost more than you could handle. With the way your now-damp panties did little to shield your pussy from his hot breath as he hovered over where you needed him most, you were sure you were going to lose your mind. It took everything in you, but you could tell that Daryl needed this slow, intentional dance to reconnect with you, so you refrained from pressing his face into your core where you wanted him. 

Luckily, allowing Daryl the time and space to reconnect with your body was more than good for both of you. You really couldn't see a downside to the way he slowly teased his tongue over your inner thighs until it met the elastic that held your panties in place. He traced the outline with his tongue, torturing you with the anticipation of having his mouth just a few inches away from the wet hot need that awaited him. When the rough stubble on his chin tickled the sensitive spot on your inner thigh, your body involuntarily tensed as you waited for him to touch you the way that you needed. You couldn't help the full body shudder when he finally pulled the crotch of your panties aside and dipped his tongue into the wet space between your lips. 

"Oh, God." You hadn't even noticed right away that it was your voice moaning those words, you were so entranced by the delicate and tantalizing movements of Daryl's tongue along your slit. He flattened his tongue and dragged it over your hole and up before he made it into a point and flicked it over your clit. If there was one thing you knew for sure, it was that the man loved to eat pussy. In fact, you weren't sure who loved it more when he ate your pussy: you or him. 

He put all he had into the task at hand, licking all around your entrance, labia, and clit before flicking over the bundle of nerves with the tip of his tongue, and slipping two of his fingers inside to caress your g-spot. You writhed with pleasure as he placed sloppy, wet, open-mouthed kisses over your aching clit. It felt like he was trying to lap up all your wetness before you could make more, and he paid so much attention to his work that you knew there could be nothing else on his mind. Not that there could be anything else on yours either, with the way you panted and whined at the way he fucked you magnificently with his fingers and gave you a thorough tonguing. 

When he slid a third finger into you, stretching you out deliciously before slamming unrelentingly into the sensitive nerves on the top wall of your cunt, it knocked the breath out of you. Your vision darkened for a moment and you saw stars, your whole body tensing stiffer than you thought possible in preparation for the onslaught of your pending orgasm. "Fuck," you panted over and over like it was a mantra. 

"Mmm, cum fer me, Y/N," Daryl growled against you, so close and so deep that you felt the vibrations shoot through your nerves like electricity through a live wire. That was all it took, knowing he wanted to feel you cum just as desperately as you wanted to cum was enough to set off your orgasm as if it were the earthquake that triggered the tsunami. 

Your walls fluttered and clenched around his fingers as he worked you through your climax with fervor. You screamed, entirely unable to care about who might hear, which drew a deep moan from Daryl. Precum leaked out of his tip and he worried for a moment that he might cum in his pants like a teenager. 

"Oh, fuck," you gasped as your body began to relax and your breathing attempted to return to normal. Daryl climbed up on the bed and hovered over you, letting out a deep grunt. His cock was aching to be inside you but he wanted to let his desperation die down just enough that he wouldn't cum the second he slid through your slick wetness. 

You ran your hands up his sides as you simultaneously came down from your high and got riled up again. He dropped his mouth to your throat, kissing with less fervor but more intention than before. 

"You gonna fuck me, Daryl?" you asked as you moved to undo his pants and reach your hand inside. He hissed as your thumb brushed over the swollen head of his cock, and you smirked, taking that reaction as an affirmative. 

He groaned into the crook of your neck as you wrapped your hand around his shaft. You grinned and placed a kiss to the side of his head, loving the effect this all was having on him. You pulled your hand away for just a moment to push his jeans down his hips and over his ass, allowing you to pull his stiff cock out of its confines. 

"Ugh, wanna be inside ya," he grumbled as he pulled away to stand up. He slid his jeans the rest of the way off so that you were both naked, and he climbed on top of you again. 

"Wanna feel you inside me," you mewled. As he pressed a firm but loving kiss to your lips, he guided his cock to your slick and waiting entrance. He hummed in delight as he sunk into you. He moved slowly to let you adjust to him, but you needed him. You wrapped your legs around his hips and jerked your pelvis up toward his, thrusting him in to the hilt. 

"Fuck me," you pleaded. Feeling you wrapped tight around his aching cock fanned the flames of his desire and he smashed his lips into yours. You kissed him back hard as you rocked your hips up to build friction between you. He growled into the kiss when you clenched your walls around his cock, bucking his hips forward and thrusting into you. This started a relentless pace as your body felt folded so that you could kiss his sweet mouth as he fucked you senseless. You hooked your ankles together and moved your legs further up his back to tilt your hips up and give him a better angle, and you keened in ecstasy as the tip of Daryl's cock slammed into your sweet spot. 

"Gonna cum again," you cried as you felt yourself begin to flutter around him. 

He gave a chesty growl as he fucked you with purpose. You took a deep sharp breath in as your second orgasm hit you like a brick wall. His thrusts became short and rough as you spasmed and came around his cock, and soon he was following you over the edge. He slammed into you deep and hard then stilled, and you felt him pulse as he came inside of you. 

"I love you, Daryl," you panted as he collapsed on top of you, his softening cock still inside. 

"Love you," he grumbled into your chest and you couldn't help but grin. You were definitely glad he'd come home to you, even if you knew the woods would call him back. 

[neozoid]

Peril comes out

Peril's wingtips touched Clay's as they silently soared through the soft gray rain.

Half an hour ago, she had asked him if he would take just one moment to fly with her. After everything that had happened, with Jade Mountain Academy under threat and those little rapscallions - Moon, Turtle, Kinkajou, Anemone, Qibli, and Winter - had all managed to save it. The past week... no, weeks? She had lost track of time. But they had been a blur - a blur of emotions, of frustration, of painful, deep searing guilt, Darkstalker's scroll looming in her mind, and of longing. She hadn't gotten to talk to Clay in so long, and she wasn't sure that at the end of it he'd still feel the same way about her that he did when she saved his life on the brightest night.

She turned to look at his face in the grayness. His expression was focused, concentrated, effortful.

He must still be in a lot of pain from that burn I gave him, Peril thought guiltily.

No! She shook her head. I kept him alive! If it wasn't for me he'd be dead! But that didn't make her feel any better.

She turned her gaze back down to the valleys below, vast and dotted in slate blue pine trees obscured by the falling droplets. They rolled harmlessly off Clay, but they sizzled when they hit her and dissolved into steam, making her look like a ghost in flight. The rocky outcroppings below resembled a sleeping dragon - as if the landscape itself, was, once again, put to rest after Darkstalker's second sleep.

"Peril," Clay spoke.

She whipped her head around to him. "Clay?"

"I'm... I'm starting to get a bit tired. Do you think we could stop somewhere down below? Maybe in a cave."

She quickly scanned the landscape below her, and saw an opening just a half mile away. "Yeah, I see something down there." She turned herself in the direction of the cave, and Clay followed her.

As they came in for a landing, Peril opened her wings wide, scattering a million fallen petals that intermingled with the rain. She softly touched down and carefully wrapped her wings around herself, and looked back at Clay, beckoning.

They both sat in the mouth of the cave, tails twined, watching the rain fall.

After what seemed like just a moment (but Peril knew full well was the better part of an hour,) Clay looked at her and asked "So... do you want to talk about Scarlet? Or Ruby? Or the stuff that happened while you were helping Moon and her friends save Jade Mountain?"

Peril stared at him, startled. "No! I mean, yes! I mean, just..." She sighed and looked at the roof of the cave. "I do, but like... hrmmmnnm." She closed her mouth shut and hummed.

"I get it. It can be hard to talk about stuff like this. It took us five forever to find the time to reflect and talk about our feelings after everything happened." He looked at the ceiling too and laughed. "Tsunami..." he muttered happily, and shortly his smile faded, his face a sad, wistful stare. "And Glory."

"I... hm." She fidgeted with her talons nervously. "I mean, I DO want to talk about Queen Scarlet and Ruby and-" she shook her head, "not-queen-Scarlet and- arghh, but it's so! CONFUSING! And it makes me mad to think about her manipulating like that. I trusted her, I really did and..."

Clay looked into the rain. "Like we trusted Morrowseer."

"I... I guess... yeah..." She looked into a corner awkwardly, but then curled her fist. "She shouldn't have betrayed us like that!" she roared.

"What about... Turtle?" Clay offered.

Peril's heart jumped in her stomach. She thought about Turtle, the only other dragon who had understood and trusted her, at least for a while. How protective she felt of him, how she wanted to follow him (and then not...) when they were trying to find Queen Scarlet. She thought about how he went underwater that night, making her rage about how she couldn't get to him, and how regretful she felt when she left him behind. He made her feel new things, just like Clay, new weird things.

"He was nice, I guess."

"How did he feel about being an animus? That must've been why he was able to sympathize with you. He knew if he revealed his animus secret he'd be thrust into the talons of others and the plans they wanted for him, and the only way to avoid that was deep, resolute isolation. He knows how that feels, Peril."

She fumed with fury for a second. Why could he hide! He got to choose that lousy isolation, but she didn't have a choice! Then she thought about his pain-stricken face when she found his healing rock, or his vengeful look as he bashed Chameleon upside the-

Chameleon.

She stared through the wall of water passing outside.

"Peril," Clay whispered.

"Oh. Right." She looked back at him.

"I know it's a lot of stuff to think about, but I can't keep carrying this conversation by myself." He softly chuckled with a warm, patient smile.

She blushed and fluttered her wings. "Right. Sorry, sorry. I was just- argh. Arghhh." She squirmed, as if caterpillars were crawling out of her skin.

Do I tell him?

"Turtle," she said resolutely, "taught me new things about myself. He reminded me of you, actually, Clay. You were my first exposure to life outside the Skywing Palace, and if I'm being honest I was kind of disappointed with the other dragonets at Jade Academy, how they treated me. I thought they'd be like you - I thought everyone in the outside world would be like that."

Clay winced.

"But Turtle! Turtle has his friends, and, surely, he's taught them! I keep getting letters from them. Which is like, weird, but the fact that someone's thinking about me!? While I'm not in front of them!?! Threatening to blaze their FACE or melt their SKIN off!?!?!" She yelled with a smile. "It's CRAAAAZY!"

Clay let out a hearty laugh, smiling as well.

"And Queen Ruby - she hated me, she hated me so bad Clay, she hated me just as much as the other Skywings did, if not more. If Scarlet's twisted love is what makes me ache, Ruby's absolute hatred of me tore me to the core. She looked at me and didn't want anybody, nobody in the whole world to do anything with me. Didn't want anyone to touch me, look at me, love me. She saw me as an irredeemable monster because of things I couldn't control." Peril's face contorted in despair.

"But Tourmaline... Someone who hadn't been fed Scarlet's lies... She saw right through that and she knew deep in my heart I COULD love." She scratched her snout awkwardly. "Well, at least I think I can. I'm not sure."

Clay lovingly jabbed her with her shoulder, and she giggled.

"But that pure strong spirit.... It's so." Her stomach dropped. "It's so scary what Chameleon did to her. Ripped her title, her memories, her life away just for some gold, some jewels." She spat on the ground.

"And Chameleon..."

Her stomach felt like a howling void, ready to collapse her from the inside out.

Do I tell him?

What if he hates me?

He should hate me.

I'm just as bad as him.

I'm just like my dad.

She turned to Clay terrified.

"I-" she sputtered. "I want to tell you something."

Clay looked at her face, concerned, but he motioned around. "Just you and me."

"I-" Peril's muscles clenched, her veins wrapped all around inside her, her bones stabbed inside her, shame made her heat blaze ever hotter, shame and guilt and pain and fear. She wanted to fall into the ground and have it swallow her up, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

"I'm not - I'm not actually a girl. I was hatched as a boy. I- I- Queen Scarlet, she said, she- she wanted me to be like her and- " Words started running over one another. "When you got here- I- I- I just felt like protecting you- and- but- I didn't want you to give up on me- Having a relationship- I-" She wanted to die. She wanted to disappear. "I'm a liar. I'm- I'm just like Chameleon," she howled. "I'm faking it. I- I wanted you but I- I just-" She let go, and wailed.

She looked back at him. "P-please don't-don't hate me," Peril choked through tears.

Clay softly gazed at her, leaned in closer, his wings wrapping around her, and kissed her on her snout.

Peril tears turned to confusion as she leaped with delight and her scales roared a bright blazing blue, the searing heat singing any leftover moss in the cavern. Clay reflexively pulled away, and patted his singed scales, laughing.

"Ow, geez, haha! Not like that!"

"I- I- Huh??"

Peril stepped back, but looked up and peered at his expression.

He really doesn't hate me, she thought wondrously.

As Clay turned looking over himself, his scales settled, and as the smoke rose, he looked at Peril.

"You know, someone else actually said something similar to me a little while ago." He sat back down.

Peril crooned. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. It was - it was Sunny."

Peril's jaw dropped open.

"She'd mentioned to me how she'd - during our time fulfilling the dragonet prophecy, she'd... we'd kind of ignore her most of the time. Not take her seriously. When we first planned on escaping the cavern, we didn't tell her.... she was so upset, afterwards. And in all of our discussions and planning afterwards, we'd step on her feelings. Actually, you remember the Nightwing invasion? Or, well, whatever came of the invasion before they all came crashing into Glory's rainforest under fealty."

"Yeah?" Peril looked at him.

"She was the one who came up with the idea of using the sleeping darts! But Glory was planning, and the others were shouting, so she had to ask me to use my voice and SHOUT it at everyone. The point is, she felt small. And overly protected - we didn't respect her whole, y'know, feelings as part of the team."

Peril flicked her tail, anxious.

"So... A couple nights ago, she talked to me in private, and she told me how she'd been feeling, and... she said she didn't really feel like it was right to be a Queen anymore. Given Thorn had safely secured the position, and was doing a good job... And with everything about the Eye of Onyx." Clay shifted on his talons. "She could trust it to pick a new leader. And the thing is, you know how... you've seen Deathbringer. You've seen Riptide. You've seen Starflight and maybe even Winter and Qibli. And maybe even Darkstalker, and Clearsight."

He sighed.

"Male dragons have a strong feeling to protect one person, the one person who brings them all the light in the world. Sunny said she didn't really feel like that - like one person had captured her whole heart in their hands. But she certainly didn't want to be the object of that kind of affection either. And Sunny didn't feel like Queen Coral or Thorn or Scarlet either, where she wanted to protect her own kin, her own future. She wants to protect everybody. And more than that, she doesn't want to be Sunny the small and weak and lovable, or Sunny the fierce and possessive and loyal. She just wants to be... Sunny, helping out wherever she can."

Peril stared at him intently, blue eyes locked in brown. "And?"

"Well, at first we tried just referring to Sunny by name to sort of, you know, respect her decision, but Starflight looked through the library and found in some old scrolls people using 'they' to refer to - did you even know there were dragons who decided to live past being a boy or a girl in the past, just like Sunny? I was surprised."

Peril's mind was racing. "They must be so happy," she said, eyes sparkling.

Outside, the rain had cleared, and Peril noticed out beyond the cave was a huge field of sunflowers, waving and dancing in the cool wind.

Suddenly her thoughts returned to her.

"But that thing you said earlier about protecting..." Peril looked down at her talons uncomfortably.

"Oh yeah - sorry, I... I didn't mean to. I just..." Clay caught himself. "I... I'm sorry Peril. I know your feelings about this must be really, really complicated. I..." Clay looked away again with a twinge of guilt on his face.

Peril stared at him, trembling.

"But Sunny taught me something I hadn't even thought about before." He chuckled. "I did think about it too, but after a long night of restless staring at the sky and thinking I figured I was perfectly happy being a guy. But that look on Sunny's face... they must have struggled as much with telling us as you did."

"I love you, Peril. I don't think you're anything like Chameleon at all. He only used his identities to trick and manipulate others, to get what he wanted for himself. But you've only ever been trying to find yourself - with Scarlet twisting your thoughts from birth, with how everyone's avoided you and you've been excluded from all the Skywings and, man, even the other dragon's games on Jade Mountain. It must hurt so much to be that isolated."

Peril stared into the field, unable to meet his gaze, tears running down her face.

"I just want you to know, Peril, I love you for who you chose to be. For all of your heroism, and your kindness. Your self-restraint. Chameleon had none of those qualities. But you do."

He stared her straight in the eye.

"What you chose is noble, and so so hard. Being true to yourself - more than Chameleon ever was, he couldn't handle being boring old him - is so, so hard. I know."

Peril thought about the Chameleon's enchanted necklace that removed her firescales. She shuddered deeply."

But you did it. And you shouldn't have to live with the shame, or the guilt anymore. You can have a new beginning just like us." His eyes creased as he looked into hers so warmly, making her melt. "You might protect my scales, but I want to protect your smile. I hope you can let me do that."

"I-"

She rushed forward and hugged him, squeezing him tight. Tears streamed down her face, and she choked down a sob, but she hugged him as tight as she could, not letting go.

"Thank you, Clay," she said when she finally let him out of her little death trap.

"Woof!" He stumbled backwards, breathlessly. "I know I said be true to yourself, but maybe we can work a little on the intensity." He looked at her with a silly expression on his face. "Just kidding. You're perfect the way you are."

"Ha ha," she guffawed. "Tell that to anyone else at Jade Academy." She joked, but she knew deep in her heart that the others were starting to see her for what she could be, too. Not just a monster, or a weapon - but a friend.

"So my queen, shall we return to the mountain?" He curtseyed awkwardly, then looked up with one eye. "Actually, wait, that sounds kind of weird? Girlfriend? Babe?" He started scratching his head. "Names were never really my strong suit."

She howled with laughter and smacked him on the back, taking flight. "Just call me Peril," she triumphantly roared. As Clay lept into flight behind her, grinning, Peril thought... Not gonna lie - I like babe too.

[firefam-stan]

(inspired by @bvckleydiaz post: “ someone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE write something where eddie and the rest are sitting around telling stories/talking about buck!! my heart needs this! 😩🥺”)

yeah my inspiration muse struck, and here we are 

(a.k.a. help I accidentally wrote a bit more than a drabble)

************************************

“Hello? Is anybody in here?”  

Eddie looked up from his locker, surprised to see an older couple making their way over from the front entrance. A quick glance around revealed nobody else on duty nearby. 

He sighed. He really didn’t want to deal with well-wishing senior citizens today. They tended to be overly nice and expected his full attention, even when he had other things to do. Usually, Eddie enjoyed the visits as a welcome break during the day, but this time he was a bundle of tightly-tensed nerves waiting to combust ever since Buck had come in that morning. 

Buck. 

Eddie lightly rested his head against the cool metal of the locker, chasing away the sudden onslaught of images from earlier, the terror that had overcome him when he’d thought his friend had... gone in the explosion. The events from earlier had affected him more than he’d let on. 

Maybe if he just stayed really still and didn’t look up again, the older couple would find someone else. 

“Excuse me?”

Or not. 

Eddie turned around, plastering a tight smile onto his face. “Can I help you with anything?” 

The man nodded. “Is Evan here? We... need to talk with him.” 

Eddie spun around and felt his blood run cold as the words fully registered. 

It was them.

And they had the nerve to show up here after Buck had nearly died saving a stranger’s life. Eddie's gaze flickered to the punching bag in the corner, a memory springing up of Buck, angrily punching the ever-loving crap out of it.

“Two dinners, and I’m twelve years old again,” he’d said, face filled with fury. And pain.

And now? Faced with the dread parents themselves?

“Mr. and Mrs. Buckley, I presume?” Eddie finally managed to say, snapping himself back to the present.

“Yes, it’s good to meet you!” Mr. Buckley offered his hand, but Eddie ignored it under the guise of turning around to look for someone else.

“Buck isn’t here right now,” Eddie’s tone was terse. “He’s getting examined after our last call.”

“...examined?” 

“Medically examined. He was exposed for too long at the factory fire.”

“Factory fire?!” gasped the woman, dread etched on her features. 

The man’s face only hardened, his jaw clenched. “He has no right,” he said. “no right to do this to us!”

“Excuse me?” Eddie interjected, feeling his temper quickly rising to dangerous levels. But he pushed it down, bottled it securely into the bottom of his chest. He couldn’t afford to behave rashly---lives were lost when people behaved rashly.

But he allowed a small trace of his anger to show itself in his eyes and the tense set of his shoulders. Judging by their silence, it was enough. 

“If you’ll please come with me, you can wait upstairs in the seating area.”

Eddie gestured up the stairs and they soon followed. But before they reached the top, he turned around and leveled his gaze at them. “Your son is a hero, not the reckless daredevil you think he is.”

“You have no right to tell us what we do or don’t think of our son!” 

Eddie clenched his jaw tighter. That punching bag was looking more and more appealing. 

“Just please, sit down over there.” He looked up at the seats and saw with relief that Bobby, Hen, and Chimney were all nearby. 

Good, that accounted for all his impulse control. 

He turned his face away from the couple and raised his eyebrows deliberately to the team. “Bobby, Hen, Chimney, this is Mr. and Mrs. Buckley.”

After that, it got very tense, very quickly. Chimney’s expression was very blank and tightly controlled, while Bobby and Hen looked closer to a tightly wound spring. 

“Oh, Howard! It’s good to see you!” smiled Mrs. Buckley, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. “We’re just looking to talk to Evan for a moment. I understand he’s gone and hurt himself?” she pulled a distasteful face. 

“With all respect, unless you have something to apologize for, I think you’ve talked to Buck enough for now,” said Bobby, trying to sound courteous. 

“He still lets people call him that?” broke in Philip Buckley, clearly annoyed with the fact. 

“Yes, and it suits him.” said Hen, stepping forward a bit. 

“Oh, enough with the stupid nicknames already!” snapped Margaret Buckley. “Just tell us when he’ll be back!” 

Eddie cut in softly, “he’s getting a medical examination after a massive fire and you’re worried about when it’s most convenient for you to talk?” 

“That’s not what...” Margaret trailed off. “Fine. What of it?”

“Did you know that he has smoke inhalation--” Eddie started, but Philip cut him off.

“I’m so sorry on his behalf, he seems to get himself injured often. It’s been a problem for--”

Bobby put his hand up. “Stop right there,” they looked up. “You have no right to apologize for him,” he nodded to Eddie. “I think what Mr. Diaz over there was trying to say is that he has smoke inhalation as a result of giving his mask to a stranger trapped in the burning building.” 

This seemed to shock them, and they looked at Eddie for confirmation, and he nodded, never breaking his cold stare. 

“Well that’s a first,” mumbled Margaret. “I wish he’d had that kind of character when he was younger.” 

Bobby squared his shoulders. “I will not tolerate unnecessary and untrue degrading comments in my firehouse.” his tone was icy and brooked no room for disagreement. 

“It’s not untrue...” Margaret murmured under her breath. 

“That’s enough,” ordered Eddie, letting the soldier in him leak into his tone. 

They stood around awkwardly for a few moments, until Hen spoke up. “I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but your son, our Buck, is an incredible person. He would never needlessly endanger himself. He knows we care too much.” That last sentence was ever so slightly barbed. 

“One time he climbed to the top of a roller coaster with no safety equipment to get to someone in trouble.” Eddie said, raising an eyebrow. “It was on the news and everything.” 

“And the man let go---he failed!” Philip dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand.

“But he still tried!” Hen uncrossed her arms and stood up straighter. “From what we’ve heard, it’s more than you’ve done.” 

“Look, we don’t care what he has or hasn’t done, but it wasn’t Evan’s place to complain to you about his personal problems. Did you know he even has to see a therapist?!” Margaret was indignant. 

“Margaret,” Philip put his hand on her shoulder. “These firefighters haven’t done anything wrong. We’re here for Evan, not them.” 

“He saved my son’s life.” Eddie said suddenly, remembering what Buck had said about Daniel. “He was with my young son on the pier when the tsunami hit.” He shifted, his voice softening. “Christopher would be... gone if Buck hadn’t been there.” 

The Buckley’s had frozen. Sensing an opening, Eddie continued, “My son has cerebral palsy, and Buck risked his life over and over again to make sure he was safe. Christopher wouldn’t have stood a chance if he hadn’t been there.” 

Just like that, Margaret and Philip stopped. And Eddie knew it was because the story of Christopher had reminded them of Daniel. It was a low blow, he knew, to exploit their grief like that. But he had to make them see.

Chimney picked up the conversation. “He was pinned under a fire truck---it shattered the bones in his leg---and he still came back so he could help people.”

“And he once saved a man who was hanging out of a car windshield on the road. Off duty.” Hen added. 

Bobby sighed and cleared his throat. “Whether you see it or not, Buck is a hero. He’s brave and selfless, always making sure everyone else is safe before checking himself.” 

Margaret nodded mutely, still processing the information. 

“And whether Buck knows it or not, he has a family here who will always be there for him.” Bobby spoke the last part with such conviction that the Buckley’s couldn’t help but look ashamed. 

Philip turned to Margaret, unsure how she was reacting. “Margaret, I think we need to apolog---” he stopped short when he noticed Eddie had perked up and was now looking at the door, listening intently. 

A red paramedic truck pulled up, and then Eddie was gone, already halfway down the stairs. 

Bobby had noticed too, and addressed the couple again. “It looks like Buck is back now. We’re going to go check on him, and we’ll let him know you’re here.”

“And whether he comes up or not is his choice,” added Hen.

Margaret and Philip watched them hurry down to greet Buck.

“We messed up,” she said softly.

Philip only nodded.

[buckleysjareau]

you are my glitter and my gloom, i am so numb without you

But right now, with Eddie by his side, he doesn’t worry. For the first time in almost a year, he doesn’t have to worry.

or

Buck has a flashback, or six, after the landslide. Eddie is there to bring him back, like always.

tw; vivid description of a panic attack, description of drowning in flashback, minor mentions of blood

Read on AO3

A dam break. A landslide. An exploding bus occupying his captain that probably should have killed him but by some miracle didn’t. 

Tsunami. Eddie!!!—mud, dirt that took days to wash off—Thirty feet of wet earth. 118, 118, this is dispatch. We have Bobby Nash on the line, he says it’s important. Dispatch, please re- BOOM. 

He felt like he was put through a hose roller and drained of every bit of energy he had by the time they’d made it back to the station. His bad leg was the most sore it’s been since before the screws came out, his head was pounding, and his heart wouldn’t stop racing. He just wanted to go home and sleep through the remainder of 2020. 

“If 2020 were a day, it would be this one,” Hen whistled. “I am so ready to get home to Karen and the kids.” 

Chimney smirks. “Tell me about it. If this day has taught me anything though, it’s that I need to be at home and in bed with my girlfriend instead of on FaceTime. So alas, Buck, the time has come I leave you alone.” 

Buck stills. Just yesterday, Buck was practically begging Chimney to move out. He should be happy, really, but the thought of going home alone with the hurricane of bad on his mind makes him nauseous. 

“Buck?” Chimney calls, and it’s then that Buck realizes he hasn’t said anything. 

He shakes his head to shake away the thoughts and tries his best to put on a teasing smile. “Oh no, how am I supposed to survive without?” 

Buck feels like he got himself into the next thing out of Chimney’s mouth. “You’ll be just fine, Buckaroo, you’ve got your COVID Crush to keep you company.” 

“COVID crush?” Eddie walks into the locker room, freshly showered, an eyebrow raised. 

“He talks to her hours at a time.” 

Buck tries to suppress the groan of frustration that escapes him. “For the hundredth time, Chim, it’s not like that with us.” 

Chimney raises his hands in defense. “Alright, alright, I believe you.” 

He definitely didn’t believe him. 

He tunes out the rest of their conversation as gets into his civies. He tries to get ready to leave as slowly as he can, completely dreading being alone again for the first time since quarantine started. 

Christopher! 

Before quarantine, Buck absolutely despised going home after shift. He was so convinced that he was going to end up alone and the emptiness of his apartment made it so much worse. 

Wait, what? Dispatch, please re- 

BOOM. 

Having Chimney with him made things a little less empty but running the same shifts as his soon to be brother in law, Buck never seemed to get privacy. It felt a little claustrophobic at times, and Buck wants to kick himself for feeling that way when he was so desperate not to go home to an empty apartment. To not be alone. 

Ed—Eddie! Eddie! No. Eddie! Eddie! No! 

He wanted him to go back to his own apartment. He wanted to be able to talk to his therapist without Chimney assuming it’s a girlfriend. To talk about how low he’s feeling without worrying Chimney will hear him. He wanted to be able to shout dramatically about his super scary non-platonic feelings for his best friend without outing himself to Chimney. 

CAP!

Christopher! 

Eddie! 

Where did all the water go?

“-Buck!” 

Buck’s head snaps up at the sound of his name. Eddie is the only one left in the locker room with him, worry painting his face. 

“Yeah?” 

He really doesn’t want to see the way Eddie’s face softens into a sad expression when his voice cracks with the word so he looks away. He’s totally gonna believe he’s okay after that. 

“Are you okay? 

Buck rocks back on his feet and clenches his fists at the question. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. What were you saying?” 

The lie earns him a look that says Eddie is calling bullshit. Which is what it was, but Buck hates that he can’t lie to Eddie.

He thanks whatever higher power there is that Eddie doesn’t push. 

“I was saying that since you rode in with Chimney yesterday, I told him I’d take you home.” His smile is patient. “I’m ready when you are.” 

Buck willed his eyes not to tear up over something as simple as having a ride and shot Eddie the most convincing smile he could. By the look on his face, not convincing at all. “Thanks, man. I’m good to go.” 

The walk to Eddie’s truck is quiet. He doesn’t look up from his feet, doesn’t meet Eddie’s eye when they get in, and he definitely doesn’t hear Eddie ask him for a second time if he’s okay. 

Eddie turns up the radio and a news station is covering the dam break and the landslide and Buck swallows the lump in his throat. His throat is dry. His heart feels like it’s in his throat. 

Where did all the water go? 

118, 118, this is dispatch. We’ve got Bobby Nash on the line, he says it’s important. 

Hey, there’s a kid under here! 

How long can he last down there? We’re talking thirty feet of wet earth coming down on him. 

You’re new. 

No! Eddie, Eddie! No, Eddie! 

“We’re here,” Eddie shakes his shoulder to get his attention. “Let’s go.” 

When Buck looks up, he’s not outside of his apartment complex. He’s in front of Eddie’s house and for a second, all Buck can think is, I’m home. 

Then reality hits him and he thinks it probably isn’t safe for him to be in the Diaz household when Christopher is at high risk for getting the virus and they’re in an enclosed space and he’d had his mask down so a deaf patient could read his lips and he—

“You coming?” Eddie’s voice has a teasing tone to it but he could tell he was worried. 

Buck swallows once more before answering. “Is it safe? I mean, with Christopher being—”

“You’ve seen him since the pandemic started and it was okay. We’re both coming from the same place and he misses you, Buck. I know you miss him, too. We’ll take precautions of course, but it’s okay. Now, I’m beat. You coming?” 

Why do you have his glasses? 

Christopher! 

“Yeah.” 

It’s quiet when they enter the house. Carla is sitting on the couch and Buck is assuming Christopher is in bed. 

Carla grins when she sees them and quickly picks her mask up to greet them. 

“Well I wasn’t expecting you tonight, Buckaroo.” 

Buck smiles, effortlessly, at Carla’s enthusiasm and tries not to hug her. God, he hates social distancing. 

“Hi Carla,” 

As Eddie continues to talk to Carla, Buck zones out. He’s bone tired, more than, and he hasn’t felt this tired since the tsunami. 

Where did all the water go?

He’d felt this way after searching for Maddie for hours. 

We’ve got blood out here. 

Maddie! 

Why do you have his glasses? 

Wait, what? Dispatch, please re- BOOM. 

Christopher! 

“- is gonna be so surprised to see you when he wakes up.” 

Without even realizing it, Buck had made his way into the kitchen with Eddie. There’s a plate of toast in front of him and for the first time in the past day, Buck laughs. Toast is the only thing Eddie can make without burning it and Buck finds it totally endearing. 

“Eat up,” Eddie smirks. 

“I’m not really hungry.” 

“I don’t care that you’re not hungry, you still have to eat this. We haven’t eaten since this morning.” 

Buck rolls his eyes and picks up the toast, making direct eye contact with Eddie as he takes a bite. “Happy?” 

Eddie gives him his own eye roll and scoffs. “I will be when that plate is gone.” 

It’s quiet as Buck eats, quiet enough to fear Eddie can hear how fast his heart is racing. He couldn’t get it to slow. 

Dispatch, please re- BOOM. 

Hey, there’s a kid under here! 

We’ve got blood out here! 

We’re talking thirty feet of wet earth coming down on top of him. 

Where did all the water go? 

Christopher! Christopher! 

Hey, Buck, is everyone off that thing? I think it’s venting fuel. 

CAP! 

Eddie! Eddie! Eddie, no, Eddie! Eddie! 

Maddie! Maddie! 

Where did all the water go? 

He tastes salt water. He’s trying to fight the current of the wave so he can breathe but he can’t breathe and no matter what he seems to do he can’t reach the surface and Christopher is out in this and oh my God Eddie— 

Eddie! Eddie! No, Eddie! 

Eddie is the one who is trapped thirty feet underground but Buck can’t breathe. He feels like the air has been taken out of his lungs with no way to put it back and Hen and Chimney and Bobby are giving him a look. They think he’s dead they think he’s dead oh my God he’s gonna have to tell Christo— 

Christopher! 

Christopher is screaming Buck’s name but it sounds like he’s above surface so Buck needs to get above the water because he can’t breathe but the current keeps pulling him down and down and down and Christopher is still calling for him but he can’t do anything and—

“-to breathe, Buck. It’s okay, you’re safe with me but you need to breathe with me. In for 7, out for 7, okay?” 

Christopher! 

“Christopher is safe, in his bed. He’s safe and so are you.” Eddie reassures. “C’mon, try to match my breathing,” 

He can’t breathe. 

“Yes you can, Buck, you can breathe.” 

He’s not breathing! 

“Buck! Can you hear me?” 

Dispatch, please re- BOOM. 

“Tell me five things you can see.” 

Christopher! 

“Christopher isn’t here right now, Buck. You can see him soon, we just have to get you calmed down before then. Tell me five things you can see.” 

Eddie! 

“Yeah, I’m here, Buck, I’m here. Another thing you can see.” 

CAP— Eddie? Eddie’s here. Eddie’s here? 

“Yes, I’m here, I promise. Can you name another thing you can see?”

Buck tries to focus on his surroundings, tries to see anything other than death and debris and smoke. When he sees Eddie’s green sweatshirt, he chokes on a cry as he lists it. 

“Good, good, that’s so good. Another thing you can see?” Eddie’s voice is getting clearer, like Buck is getting closer to the surface of the water. 

Buck’s work bag. Eddie’s shoes. Christopher’s lego blocks. 

“Good, great. Can you name four things you can feel?” 

The couch? He’s on the couch. Eddie’s couch. The remote. The pillow. Eddie. 

“Now three things you can hear.” 

Eddie’s too-loud AC system. Sirens in the distance. 

Where did all the water go? 

“Hey, Buck, come on. Focus on me. What else can you hear?” 

You. 

“You’re doing so good. Tell me two things you can smell?” 

Eddie’s shampoo. Cookies? 

“Carla and Christopher made some today.” Eddie smiles. “There’s a lot left, don’t worry.” 

Buck takes a deep breath and smiles small. 

“Alright, now one thing you can taste.” 

Blood? Why does he taste blood? Is it another pulmonary embolism? Is he—

“Hey, it’s okay, you just bit your lip too hard. Nothing to worry about, yeah?” 

Yeah. 

“Do you know where you are?” Eddie asks in more of a hushed tone, calm and collected. Calming. 

“Home.” 

And with that, he collapses into Eddie’s arms and rests his head against Eddie’s shoulder as he shakes apart. Every bit of pent up emotion slips from his lips in broken sobs and falls from his eyes in the form of hot, salty tears. 

Eddie doesn’t ask, doesn’t push. He just holds Buck through it without any hesitance. 

It takes another ten minutes for Buck to stop crying and for Eddie to try and pull away. Buck just grips on tighter, pulling him even closer, and Eddie does the same. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles into the crook of Eddie’s neck. 

“There’s no reason to be,” Eddie promises vehemently. “It’s okay.” 

There’s a stuttered breath and Eddie holds on even tighter, as if holding onto him so tight will put all of his broken pieces back together. Maybe it can. 

After a while, he finally pulls away to find that Eddie’s eyes are damp as well. He winces. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry…”

Eddie shakes his head with such conviction. “Please don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault. I love you, Buck, and seeing you hurting hurts me but that’s not your fault.” 

I love you, Buck— no. He doesn’t mean it in the way he wants. He couldn’t. 

“How do you know I don’t love you the way you want?” Eddie challenges, voice strong but eyes nervous. He’s nervous? Why is he nervous? 

“Because… it’s not possible.” 

“Anything is possible, Evan. How do you want me to love you?” 

Be in love with me. 

“Being in love with you is not impossible. I should know, I fell in love with you pretty quick.” 

Eddie loves him back? Eddie is in love with him—in love. This isn’t real, he has to be dreaming. This is definitely a dream. A nice, beautiful dream he wasn’t expecting toni—

“Buck?” Eddie’s voice finally quivers and it’s then Buck realizes that it’s not a dream at all and he hasn’t said anything since Eddie spoke. 

“You love me?” He tries to stop his voice from cracking half way through but the emotional whiplash he’s feeling is making that feat impossible. “You’re in love with me.”

Being in love with you is not impossible. 

“Head over heels.” Eddie swallows. 

He loves him back. He loves him back. Eddie Diaz loves him the way— 

“Please say something?” Eddie asks desperately, seemingly unnerved at Buck’s silence. 

“I love you too,” Buck swallows his nerves. “I’m in love with you, too. Head over heels.” 

The breath of relief Eddie releases takes Buck’s own breath away, in a way he’s never felt before. His mouth is pulled into a grin and it’s for Buck specifically and wow, he’s so pretty. 

“Can I kiss you?” He blurts out and it makes Eddie throw his head back in a startled laugh before he looks back and nods. 

They both lean forward and— fireworks isn’t the correct word for what he feels when their lips touch. A symphony plays in his heart and fireworks erupt around them and Buck finally feels like his world is put together. 

The kiss doesn’t put all of Buck’s broken pieces back together, it doesn’t stop the physical and mental exhaustion after the day— year— he’s had, but it does help ease the pain of it. 

When they pull away, Eddie’s smiling from ear to ear and Buck’s face is as red as the trucks at work. He goes to hide in the crook of Eddie’s neck again and when he does, he can hear that his heart isn’t the only heart racing. 

They sit like that for another five minutes before Eddie taps him on the back and pulls away. His expression is serious compared to the grin he was wearing just minutes before. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Yes, I would love to talk about how you’re in love with me,” Buck deflects. 

Eddie gives him another eyebrow raise. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” 

Buck shrugs and looks at his nails like they’re the most interesting thing in the world. 

“I’m sorry I brought up the tsunami earlier,” Eddie speaks up after it’s obvious Buck isn’t going to say anything. “It was insensitive, even if I didn’t mean for it to be.” 

Hey, at least it’s not a tsunami, right? 

“No, Eddie, it’s okay. It was a valid point, it’s not a tsunami and hey, we were fine. It’s fine.” Buck tries to laugh it off, fight back tears he thought ran out. 

“We were fine but you were still triggered, and that’s okay, but I’m sorry that I made it worse.” 

“You didn’t make it worse.” Buck says vehemently. “It’s not your fault I’m a baby—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Eddie cuts him off. “Being affected by trauma doesn’t make you a baby.” 

“I was fine, I wasn’t near the water, I shouldn’t have freaked out.” 

“A freak thing happened that reminded you of something traumatic you went through and you pushed those bad feelings aside when people needed your help. You’re so strong and that’s one of the many things I admire about you, okay? Having flashbacks and panic attacks don’t make you weak.” Eddie says with conviction. “Having trauma doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong because you survived that trauma and you’ve come out on the other side.” 

Buck chokes back a sob. “It all came back.” 

“What did?” Eddie prompts. “What came back?” 

“The tsunami. The truck bombing. You being buried alive. Maddie. It all came back.” He croaks. “The dam break brought me back to the tsunami, the bus explosion brought back the truck bombing and that dread of not knowing if Bobby was okay brought back the terrible feeling of not knowing Christopher was okay during the tsunami, or you when you were underground, or when Maddie was kidnapped. It all came back and it won’t go away again.” 

Eddie sighs. “Oh, babe. It’s going to be okay— you’re going to be okay. You know why?” 

“Why?” 

“Because you’ve got me by your side. We can call Frank—”

“We don’t have to call Frank.” 

“Listen, I know how against therapy I was when I was mandated to go but he really helped me process my trauma and it could really benefit you, too.” Eddie grabs Buck’s hand and smiles at the look he’s giving him. “Yeah, I know, me talking about my feelings. Crazy right?” 

Buck snorts. “No, I mean, we don’t have to call Frank because I already have a therapist.” 

“You do?” 

He flushes. “Yeah. As Chimney has deemed her, my ‘covid crush’.” 

Eddie’s eyebrows shoot to his forehead in surprise and laughs. “Your ‘covid crush’ is your therapist? Not gonna lie, I was a little jealous at first.” 

“You? Jealous?” 

“Oh, yeah, very. Here I thought you had gone and found someone in the middle of a pandemic when I was standing right there.” 

“No one but you.” He bashfully grins. “I need no one else.” 

Eddie leans forward to peck his lips before pulling back with a soft smile. “Have you talked to her about any of this?” 

“Kind of?” He shrugs. “Never in depth. She’s asked but I wasn’t ready to bring back all of these feelings and memories that I had buried in there, scared that something like tonight would happen…” 

“Have you ever actually talked about this to anyone? Like, in depth conversation about what it was like for you or have you just pushed everything down and tried to work around it?” 

“Not really…” 

“Working around your trauma is only going to make things more painful for you. You’ve got to work through it or else all of this pain builds and you end up doing something stupid.” He clears his throat. “I learned that one the hard way.” 

“You must have learned that one from Frank, too, huh?” He chuckles. “Maddie told me the same thing once.” 

“He’s wise. I’m sure your therapist is, too, so try to talk about it with her. I’m always going to be here whether you talk about it or not.” 

“I promise to try to open up about it in therapy.” He sticks out his pinky and giggles when Eddie links his own pinky with his. 

“It’s all I can ask. I’m always here to talk about it too, okay? I know I’ve come to you enough times about my own shit.” 

Buck playfully rolls his eyes. “I’m proud of you, by the way. Opening up about—” 

A yawn escapes him, cutting him off abruptly. He meets Eddie’s eye and they simultaneously burst into tired laughter. 

“I think we should get to bed, what do you think? We’ll talk more in the morning.” 

Buck grins. “I think that sounds like a plan.”

Eddie leans in for one last kiss before he stands from the coffee table and pulls Buck up with him. 

When Eddie starts to walk, still having not let go of Buck’s hand, he stops when Buck doesn’t move. Does he want Buck to follow him? 

“You coming?” 

“To bed with you?” 

“Well yeah, that was the plan. Unless you don’t want to?” 

Buck shakes away the shock and starts to walk with Eddie. “No! No, I want to. I would love to.” 

With that, Eddie grins and guides them both to his room. 

The second Buck is cuddled up in Eddie’s arms, shielded from all of the things that can hurt him, he relaxes for the first time that year. 

The days to come are going to be hard, he knows that. There was a reason Buck was never ready to talk about what happened and how he was feeling. It’s going to bring back ugly feelings and scary thoughts and he’s not ready for the nightmares to come after digging up everything he’s forced himself not to think about in so long. 

It’s going to be hard, and he’s sure there’s going to be more panic attacks and breakdowns to come. 

But right now, with Eddie by his side, he doesn’t worry. 

For the first time in almost a year, he doesn’t have to worry.

[cocochanelstar]

-don't be scared to feel the foreign feeling of hurt

That's what they say, but to me the feeling isn't foreign- its normal.

___

A young girl sat aloft on a small grey stone. The smoothness yet certain discomfort felt oddly familiar.

She stared at the grey smoky sky as the blue water sparkles below her. She hated air pollution, she never gets to see the pretty stars she searches up ever so much. The pretty stars her mom described to her. Except her mom couldn't describe them to her anymore.

Her mother was just pronounced dead from cardiac arrest. Doctors said it was more than likely because of stress. That reason alone is why the young girl is sitting in the rocky stone. The tears flowed down her face gracefully as she held a small blanket around her frame.

The sound of the crisp air in the late night was almost calming.

The only thoughts trailing her mind were 'why her? Why my mother? Why such a loving soul?'

Her unspoken thoughts traveled through the air in question and not to her avail, they stayed unanswered.

Her poor, mourned inquisitive inquiry never being answered.

The chill of the air got cooler as she brought her knees to her chest and secured the blanket firmly around her, already wishing she wore more clothing or brought more coverage.

It may be a bit chilly but this was her place. Her safe place. She felt nothing could hurt her here.

Not a soul, a bug, an animal, not even her own thoughts and feelings.

Here, right here, she was truly safe.

Her eyes closed slowly as the air dried her tears even though more came after.

The air dried every drop, almost making a unsaid promise to help her or comfort her.

Maybe it was her mom? No, she shan't think that way. She'll sound like a complete baboon.

"Keep me with you, even when your far away

And I'll promise to you

That I'll try my very best to stay

Though this heartbreak is a different take

And my body feels like it might obliterate."

Her words were soft and trailed off with the wind. Her soft but strong singing voice being the main sound in the vicinity.

She found her self coming up with this tune immediately after she grasped the fact her mother was actually dead. She did her crying, well the deep deep god awful crying. She's crying now but this kind of hurt never goes away.

That's a fact.

The girl wrote songs to express herself.

She'd write a thousand songs in 30 quick minutes as she was so passionate about it.

She wrote this song just as quickly, but it was harder to quite grasp her feelings seeing as this would hit too close to home.

God she could imagine herself singing this in the future still tearing up while expressing it.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Once more.

She'd been ignoring her phone, once thinking to put it on silent but halted the idea because she'd wanted to see just how many would actually be concerned and considerate of her.

She decided to check her phone for once, out of genuine curiosity of who it was.

Anyla: I don't know if your reading this, but I hope your okay. Your my best friend and I love you with all my heart.

Read

Anyla was the girls best friend. They've known each other since freshman year, it wasn't that long of knowing each other seeing as she's a junior now.

The friends she thought she had that she'd know since pampers were - correction are as fake as plastic.

They would betray her quicker than her big heart could handle.

She gave and gave but she never... received.

Her heart had involuntary little scars on it. Her moms death being the biggest one by far.

She could only count them slowly at each heartbreak she had, and each time she'd thought it was healed- she was healed, just for it to either reopen or make a new gash somewhere else.

Then again, it's never nice being the nice guy. Especially when you get nothing in return but a shake of a head and an occasional thank you or bright smile.

Her hands shifted over her thighs as she felt the goosebumps run over them like a tsunami.

She'd sometimes wish she could be a cold hearted bitch.

She knew better of herself though, she knew, that her golden girl soul would never allow her to do that.

Her phone sounds again and this time she silenced it.

Switching over to her notes app and quickly typed and read lyrics.

"No facts just hope and unsaid doubts

My mind it hurts as I continuously pout

Your warmth that I used to lean into

Is gone now I have to learn to live without you

.... I don't wanna live without you

No body can fill this space

Your spot it can't be replaced

The hurt I felt was expected

You took my purpose but you left me"

The finger tips of her fingers grew cold as they slid across the slender box of the phone.

She checked the time- 9:52

Thinking it was time for her to leave and ultimately deciding once she felt a drip of wetness on her arms. Before she knew it, it was pouring raining, she gathered her things and made way to her car.

In her car sat some random clothes thrown and her toiletries.

Every since the corrupt news, she hasn't been able to be in the house for more than 10 minutes.

She grabbed some things and camped in her car.

Going to a hotel every now and then to have an actual bed to slumber in.

Brushing and washing her face in the daily with the big cartons of water in in trunk and the toothpaste in her glove compartment.

Before deciding ultimately that she was going to have to find a new house altogether.

When she came into the one she knew all too well she felt as if she was collapsing, her lungs sinking in, her airways closing, her mouth agape and tears pooling her eyes. She labels it a trigger of a panic attack.

So she never tried to consistently enter, only when needed. Keeping the doors locked with the key under a rock with a key department that was tucked neatly with the other rocks.

She found herself at a hotel tonight, not wanting to get a neck cramp from sleeping the wrong way again.

"One bedroom please."

The lady at the desk clicked the keyboard in a aggravating sense. The young girl tried to ignore it.

She held her breath as they women smacked on gum and mumbled incoherent things.

"How many nights?"

Her voice was high pitched and the younger girl didn't like it. It reminded her of a mice.

"One please."

The women grunted in response and blew a fat bubble that popped and flew spit at the younger girl. Landing directly on her cheek.

She quickly wiped at it disgusted and morphed her face into a judging stance.

"Here's your key."

She looked at the girl under her long false lashes and smacked loudly while holding it out to the girl and raised her eyebrows in impatience.

Fucking bitch

The young girl immediately disliked the woman at the desk.

Her displeasurable attitude and persona is not one she would like to know.

She reminded her of a hot Cheetos girl. She's just a bit old to be doing that, isn't she?

The young laden locked the singular door as soon as she entered the room.

Changing the sheets with her own, not completely trusting the hotels cleaning stats.

Same with the pillows. Once finished she ran her a shower in the bathroom after sterilizing it.

Deciding not to even trust the toilet, she'd rather pee outside.

Once she left the shower she clothed herself and laid down diligently on the bed.

Praying no bed bugs or any type of infestation is here.

Once she was satisfied she laid back and closed her eyes. Mentally mentioning that she would go apartment shopping tomorrow.

Also telling herself that she'd be perfectly fine, or her name isn't Sa'kura' Love.

1380 words excluding this.

[dreamescapeswriting]

BTS Reaction | If The World Was Ending [Song] [Request]

[BTS X Gender Neutral!Reader]

Seokjin: ~ If the world was ending you’d come over right? You’d come over and you’d stay the night

Screams could be heard from every street corner but you kept your hood up around your head as you walked through the streets. You had to get to Jin while all of this was happening, it didn't matter that you'd broken up four months ago, it wouldn't even matter if it was a year ago. You loved him and he loved you so you had to be together. He'd called you right before the phone lines went dead and everything was cut out, begging to see you but before either of you could make arrangements the lines went dead and you were met with the painful sound of the dial tone.

"I love you, okay?!" You heard a man's voice say, you turned to you right to see a couple sitting on the floor while they looked up at the sky. Parts of the asteroid were already slamming into the atmosphere causing Earthquakes, tsunamis and a lot of other natural disasters that scared the life out of you.

"I love you too." You put your head back down as the couple hugged one another. It was getting late and you knew it was soon since everyone was staring up into the sky at the asteroid itself. It was becoming clearer with every passing second and it started to feel like you couldn't breathe, every step felt like it was taking a life time as couples and people around you began to come together for their final moments together.

"You should be home, where are you going?" You ignored the calls of people asking what you were doing and you started to run towards Jin's apartment thinking he would be there.

"Y/n? What are you doing here?!" Yoongi asked as he opened the door, you were sweating and panting as you tried to say you were there for Jin.

"He left, he went to your place." Your eyes widened with fear as you realised it was almost the end of the world and you were going to miss your final moments with him.

"Y/N! WAIT!" You ignored Yoongi as you ran back towards your apartment, not stopping to look at couples, ignore the screams of people who were telling you to go somewhere safe you just ran. You didn't care that your heart was pounding so hard you couldn't breathe, you didn't care that you could taste salt in your mouth or that you were running so hard it was hurting the pads of your feet.

"Y/n?!" You heard your name and you skidded to a stop turning around to see Jin on the opposite side of the road screaming out your name,

"JIN!" You cried out ready to run over to him when an idiot on a bike knocked you back onto the floor,

"Watch it!" He yelled at you as he rode off down the road in a rush, it wasn't like he could become ET on a bike and fly, you got off the floor and rushed over to Jin.

"I thought I'd missed you- I thought maybe you'd gone to be with someone else." He rushed out cupping your hands in his cheeks as you stood in front of the television store, the news was blaring out through the speakers.

"I love you Jin, I went to your place and then Yoongi said that you weren't there and that you'd gone to me." You started crying heavily and he was crying along with you, shaking his head as he still held your face in his hands. If this was how the world was going to end you were okay with it, as long as he was right there with you holding you just the way he was,

"I love you too," He ran his thumb under your eye to remove the tears and you sniffled hearing the news begin to countdown to the end of the world,

"These are our final moments, I hope you're with people you love and care about. It's been wonderful hosting for you all, 10..." A robot voice took over the count down and Jin looked at you trying not to cry, you both knew what this was but you weren't going to say anything. He sat you down on the floor and you kissed one last time not wanting to ever let go, his hands were holding you close as your hands held onto his neck.

"5...4...3...2...1."

Yoongi: ~ The sky’d be falling and I’d hold you tight and there wouldn’t be a reason why, we would even have to say goodbye

You held onto the bedsheets tightly as you heard another crash coming from down the street, people had been going insane since the news had aired that morning. You were too terrified to leave your bed and couldn't understand why everyone seemed to be running around the way they were, they should be at home with the people they love and the people that love then. Surrounded by love while the world crashed around them. At least they had someone to stay with, you were laying in your bed staring at your phone, you'd tried to call Yoongi but your phone had no service. No one had cell service or internet, everything was down because the world was ending. Tears rolled down your cheeks as you hid into Yoongi's sweater trying to at least pretend he was there with you, neither of you had been together for the last year you'd broken up over something that seemed insignificant to you now, everything was insignificant to this. You wondered what he was doing right now, he was probably with the boys saying their final goodbyes to everyone they knew, Yoongi was never portrayed as the kind and loving guy that he truly was but you knew that this would be eating up at him. The second siren of the day blared through the radio and TV in your apartment, they were letting off signals whenever they knew an Earthquake was going to hit. You rushed over to your bedroom door standing between the frame since there was no desk for you to hide under - you knew it was useless. The world was ending so it didn't matter if you died in the Earthquake or not, you were all going to end up dead.

"Shit," You whimpered hearing your back door start to be tampered with, you locked it for the first time in your entire life and now someone was trying to break into your apartment. It had been an hour since the last earthquake so someone was probably trying to find somewhere to lay low but you didn't want to risk it in case it was some nutjob just breaking in. You slipped from the bed and took the baseball bat from underneath it, the joys of living in the bad part of the neighbourhood.

There was a hooded figure climbing through your kitchen window, swearing in Korean as - whoever it was - got their foot stuck in the sink.

"Yoongi?" You called out dropping the bat onto the floor once you realised who it was, you rushed over to him to help him in before shutting and locking the windows.

"I told you to always lock the doors and windows, do you know how easy it was for me to get in there? Anyone could have broken in!" You didn't care that he was yelling at you, you knew it was coming from a place of love.

"You came over..." You whispered tears welling up in your eyes as you realised he'd come to you after all this time,

"Yeah...I guess I - Well I wanted to see if you- Is that my hoodie?" You tried not to giggle as he stuttered over his words trying to come up with some kind of excuse as to why he was there but there wasn't excuse. He had to see you, he didn't care that you were broken up. He was still madly in love with you and if he was going to spend his last day alive with anyone it was going to be with you. The one he loved.

"Another siren, come on." He dragged your hand towards the staircase and up to your bedroom again but he didn't stand you in the door. The siren went off four times meaning it was go time and everything was going to end. He shifted onto your bed and you snuggled into his chest just like you used to when you stayed over at his place.

"I love you." You whispered to him as you felt the room begin to shake, he held onto you tighter wrapping his arms around your waist and bringing you closer to him as if it was even possible for him to.

"I love you too." He looked down at you and laid a small gentle kiss on your lips making sure you could feel how much he loved you within the kiss.

"Good-"

"No, no goodbye's." He whispered looking into your eyes as you both let the tears roll down your cheeks, you nodded in agreement with him and he smiled softly at you running his hand over your cheek to get rid of the tears. You just laid there until it all happened, entangled together as the last Earthquake hit, you focused on one another instead of the world falling apart around you. Loving each other in your final moments was the best thing that either of you could do.

Hoseok: ~ I tried to imagine Your reaction It didn't scare me when the earthquake happened 

Another Earthquake hit, it had been the fourth one in the last half an hour but it wasn't just Earthquakes that were happening. Volcanos all over the globe were exploding, along with other natural disasters deciding it was their time to show off as well. You looked at the photo of Hoseok on your phone for what felt like the 100th time in a row, you wanted him to be here with you but he wasn't and why should he be when you'd broken up last month. Nothing seemed important enough for it to have mattered though, you loved him even if you were broken up. You'd only split because of some stupid article claiming that both of you were cheating on the other, it was stupid you should have just talked it out like adults but instead, you acted like children and split up over nothing. Another Earthquake, they were getting closer together which meant whatever was going to happen to make the world split in two was going to happen soon, you stared at the smile on Hoseok's face and you tried to imagine what his reaction to all of this would be,

"Let me in! The world is literally falling apart around me and you're ignoring your doorbell!" You laughed to yourself, that would be his exact reaction...That was his exact reaction, your doorbell was blasting out loudly and you rushed down the stairs flinging the front door open to see Hoseok standing there.

"Get in and under the table!" He yelled at you slamming the door and pushed you into the kitchen, you were still shocked that he was actually standing there and not with the boys.

"Hoseok?!" You yelled as he dragged you down onto the floor and under the kitchen table, you both held onto one of the legs each incase the floor fell through or incase something came down from the ceiling.

"You okay?" He asked once the house stopped shaking, he moved closer to you to check you over and make sure everything was okay but you were just staring at him gormlessly wondering what he was doing there and how he'd gotten to you.

"How did you-"

"I ran, are you okay?!" You nodded and he pulled you into a tight hug not wanting to ever let you go again,

"I had to see you, I know we didn't end on good terms but-" He was cut off by your lips on his trying to stop him from talking,

"I'm glad you're here." You whispered to him as you pulled away from the kiss,

"If I was going to spend my last day with anyone I'm glad it's with you." You admitted taking his hand in yours and playing with his fingers like you used to do when you were dating, it was as if nothing had happened. The messy breakup was long forgotten and the rumours were abandoned. All that matter was that you two were together for your final moments as the world turned to ash and stone around you.

"What were you doing when the first Earthquake hit?" You questioned, you were laying on the bed together ignoring the rest of the world, none of that mattered now that he was right beside you.

"I was in the studio, like always, and it hit...I screamed as you could probably guess. I was terrified of it." You knew it and you smiled softly,

"What were you doing?" You sat up in the bed and walked over to your wardrobe, you slid the doors open to show him what you had been doing that morning.

"It was the first time I could bring myself to clean out your half of the wardrobe, I'd just put the tape on the box when it hit us." He walked over to you and saw that there were five boxes full of his stuff and then another box opened with gifts he'd gotten for you stuffed inside.

"Were you scared?" You'd convinced yourself it didn't scare you when it happened but now that you thought about it, it did.

"It made me think of you and what you'd be doing...How I wanted you to be here." You admitted sinking down onto the floor and bringing your knees into your chest, he sighed at you and sat down behind you. His legs were either side of you body so you would know you weren't alone throughout all of it.

"This is it." He whispered to you, kissing your cheek as he heard the sirens blast through the streets. The news had said that the world would blast out sirens when the world was going to end and break,

"I love you." You whispered leaning up and giving him one last kiss on the lips,

"I love you too." He whispered kissing you right as the earth shook one last time.

Namjoon: ~ It’s been a year now think I’ve figured out how to think about you without it tripping my heart out

Police sirens were blasting out as you walked down the street, a helicopter was flying around urging people to go home and you were trying to get somewhere safe. You'd been making your way to Namjoon's apartment but you doubled back on yourself deciding it wasn't worth it to and see him after a year just because the world was falling apart around you.

"You should be home with someone you love," An officer said as he got out of his car, he was offering you a ride home when someone placed their hands on your arms,

"I'm taking them now sir," You looked up to see Namjoon standing above you, your heart began to race as you realised he was really there and it wasn't some part of your imagination.

"Good, I would hurry sir," Namjoon rushed you down to the road to his apartment keeping your hands linked together even when you got into the apartment,

"Get the hammer and the nails from under the sink." You rushed off under his orders and grabbed the things he'd asked you for and when you came back to him he was holding up a plank of wood against the door, he took the hammer from you and began to nail it to the wall and door.

"Stay indoors is what the radios said, do you not listen to anything?!" He yelled when he finally finished blocking off the doors and windows,

"You were out too." You whispered as you watched him, he was rubbing his temples as he stressed about things going on around you both. A gunshot sounded and you jumped moving closer to him and he protectively wrapped his arm around you.

"I knew you'd be stupid enough to go out in this, I wanted to make sure you were safe. What were you thinking?!" His hands were on either side of your face forcing you to look up into his eyes, tears rolled down your face as you looked at him. Memories of your time together came flooding back to you, the way he used to be able to make you smile without doing a single thing and the way he used to make you laugh in the worst situations. All of the good came rushing back and you forgot about the bad,

"I was thinking about you, I wanted to see you." You admitted ignoring the voice crack as you started to cry, it was finally setting in that the world was ending right around you and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it from happening.

"I wanted to be with you one last time," You admitted and he dropped his hands from your face and wrapped them around your waist so your bodies were pushed together. Your hands wrapped around him and you squished your face into his chest listening to his heart beating rapidly as you both thought about each other instead of the world around you.

"Do you really think it's going to happen?" You questioned as he sat you down on the sofa, he nodded slowly.

"There's nothing they can do now, it's already close to the atmosphere." You hated that he was being so calm about everything, he linked your hands together,

"I want to say I'm sorry-"

"Namjoon, no-"

"Let me talk okay?" You nodded at him, you knew what he was going to though, you'd heard it all before.

"When we were breaking up I was being an idiot, I didn't mean to be like that. It wasn't me..."

"I know Namjoon, it's fine." You broke up because he was accusing you of being with other people, snooping through your phone and constantly starting fights about who you were talking about but none of that mattered now.

"It's not fine, I love you and I treated you like dirt-"

"I love you too now will you just hold me while the world crumbles away?" You didn't want to spend your last moments with him talking about the past and getting angry about everything once more. You wanted to be alone with him forever, just the two of you. He pressed a small kiss on your lips and you both snuggled close together listening to the rest of the world as everything began to blackout. The lights and electronics went first, then you heard the helicopter go down, Namjoon just held you tighter wanting you to know you weren't alone through any of it.

Jimin: ~ You weren’t down forever and it’s fine

A car exploded outside your apartment just as you got out of there and you screamed running away from the blast as it knocked out windows from the apartment next to yours. Everything was on fire, cars overturned on the roads, buildings collapsing and thunder clapping loudly. There were people screaming as they looked for family and friends around them, cars speeding down the streets trying to get away from everything but there was nowhere to go. The world was ending and it was clear that there was nothing that anybody could do about it. You clutched onto your phone trying to call someone but there was no one to call, the only person you'd ever been in love with wasn't in love with you. A flash of lightning went off behind you and you threw your phone down screaming as you were knocked into knocking you onto the floor. That was when you saw him, Jimin was rushing in the opposite direction towards your apartment.

"JIMIN!" You screamed getting up from the floor and racing over towards him, he heard your voice and turned around to see you coming over to him.

"Y/n?! CAREFUL!" His voice screeched as well as the breaks of a car but you moved out of the way racing over to him and throwing yourself into his arms. You knocked him onto the floor but you didn't care, he kissed you as he held you in his hands. His thumb caressing your cheek as you made out on the floor.

"Get up, come on." You yelled helping him up from the floor, you looked around to make sure no cars were coming.

"Where are we going?" He questioned as you walked him through the streets, you didn't even know. You just wanted to be around screaming people and collapsing buildings.

"Anywhere but here," Right as the words left your mouth the ground shook and you fell back into his arms as you stared around.

"What's going on?" You whimpered looking at him, his eyes were wide with fear as he pointed out in front of you. Right in front of you was a giant hole in the floor, sinkholes were appearing everywhere and there was nowhere for either of you to move to.

"We're stuck, okay so let's just move out of the road." You knew he was right and that you couldn't just stand in the way so you moved to the side of what was the pave. You were standing in front of a collapsed shop and he sat you down on some rocks. You stared at him remembering why you'd broken up in the first place, you'd split because he didn't want to be tied down forever with one person.

"Where were you going?" You questioned realising that he had been running towards your apartment,

"I had to see you." You scoffed at him softly and he sat down next to you linking your hands together as you sat there together.

"I thought you didn't want to be tied down-"

"You want to get into that now?" He chuckled nervously and you shook your head,

"I love you, I want to spend my last moments with you." He said to you as he looked into your eyes, you let tears roll down your face.

"I love you too Jimin," You whimpered looking over his shoulder at the giant cloud of thick smoke that was rolling towards you. You looked back at him and he kissed you softly, cupping your face in his hand and rubbing your cheek with his thumb so you would know he was right there with you throughout everything that was going on and he wasn't planning on leaving you when the world was ending around you.

Taehyung: ~ I was distracted and in traffic, I didn’t feel it when the earthquake happened

Taehyung pulled up into his driveway and you were crying on the doorstep heavily,

"Y/n?" He questioned, as soon as you heard his voice and the car door shut you got up and rushed over to him banging on his chest.

"Where the fuck have you been?! I thought- I thought you were in the-" He pulled you into his chest as you began sobbing hysterically about the Earthquakes that were happening around you. There'd been huge Earthquakes all morning after the volcanic eruption someone on the other side of the planet but it was affecting everything. A huge cloud of volcanic ash was on it's way to you as we as a bunch of natural disasters occurring all over the place making it impossible for anyone to get anywhere.

"I'm right here, I'm okay. Get in the house." He told you as he struggled to get you to move, you walked to his front door and he let you inside.

"I thought you'd got caught in the sinkhole in town, I came around. You weren't answering your phone! Why weren't you answering your phone?!" You were yelling but it was only because you were scared about everything going on, it was too much for people to even process and you were terrified.

"I was driving, trying to get to you but the sinkhole happened and I turned back." His voice was just as panicked as yours was and you looked up at him shaking your head and crying so hard you were sure you looked like a mess to him.

"I'm right here, okay?" You nodded at him and held onto you as the house began to shake around you both.

"We need to move, we have to go get safe. Come on." He pulled you in the direction of the kitchen where his giant kitchen table was, your legs were like jelly and you could barely walk without your legs giving in on you.  

"I'm sorry I yelled." You whimpered holding onto the middle table leg, he was holding onto it with you so you didn't have to be apart from one another.

"I woke up when the ground was shaking, then the r-radio it said all of the-" He nodded knowing what the radio had said, he was in the car going to see you when everything happened. You'd had a fight the night before and told him you'd go home, now you wished you'd just stayed at the apartment with him. You would have had more time to be alone together one last time,

"I'm sorry about last night," You told him as you let go of the leg, the shaking had stopped but neither of you got out from under the table, you knew it wouldn't be long until the next one ripped through the Earth.

"It doesn't matter, it was stupid okay. I'm here, you're here let's just stay together." You nodded and looked at him, he'd been crying as well you could tell from the bloodshot eyes and his hair, he had the tendency to run his hands through his hair whenever he got upset.

"Can you come closer?" He nodded and moved behind you so that his legs were either side of your body but if he needed to he could still hold onto the table leg with you. You felt his chest-beating against your back and you relaxed a little, knowing he was going to be right there made it a little easier to accept but it was never going to be okay. An explosion went off outside and you screamed holding onto him and the pole tightly as the house began to shake once again, Taehyung's eyes went over to the floor as he noticed a crack beginning to form along the floor.

"I love you." He whispered kissing the top of your head, both of you had your eyes screwed shut as if it would somehow help you while all of this happened,

"I love you too Tae," You whispered back to him placing your hand on top of his on the table leg as the house began to shake and creek as it came apart around you both.

Jungkook: ~ Would you love me for the hell of it, all our fears would be irrelevant

If someone would have told you last week that you would be laying on your bed with Jungkook again you would have told them they were a huge liar but his arms were wrapped around you. He was holding your back close against his chest as you both huddled together trying to stay calm even if it wasn't possible with everything going on.

"You're shivering, are you cold?" You nodded your head as he wrapped a blanket over you, you were freezing cold thanks to the snowstorm that was happening outside the house. The world was coming apart but it was doing it in weird ways, fires were breaking out in other countries, flooding was happening and here were snowstorms that were knocking everything out. Powerlines, heating, everything. Not to mention the spontaneous sinkholes that were appearing and sucking everything in around them. No one knew what was causing everything to go this wrong this fast but no one was going to figure it out, all anyone knew was that it was ending the world.  

"Here," He laid a third blanket over you both and you turned over so you were chest to chest with him, you wanted to look at him one last time,

"Do you think it's really ending?" You whispered, he took your hands in his trying to warm them up but it wasn't work since he was just as cold as you were and nothing either of you could do would warm you up. If you didn't die in a sinkhole you were most likely going to die thanks to the weather conditions going on around you,

"To think you used to love the snow," He joked trying to change the subject onto something else but you stared at him as you shivered trying to get him to be serious for one second.

"Jungkook." You whimpered and he nodded wrapping his arm around your waist and bringing you closer, you were nose to nose now as you laid together.

"I do," He whispered, tears rolled down both of your faces as you realised this was really it and that everything was going to end soon.

"Sort of makes everything I was ever scared of irrelevant," He tried to joke about why you'd broken up months ago but you shook your head at him.

"Don't do this,"

"Don't do what?" He asked running his hand over your face,

"Try to joke your way out of everything, we broke up for a real reason Jungkook even if this is happening your reasoning was real-" He shook his head at you hating how you were always right about this kind of stuff,

"But I was an idiot, scared of loving you so I broke up with you? I already loved...love you so I was being the biggest idiot," You smiled at him giving him a quick kiss on the lips,

"I love you too you big idiot." You whispered as he brought you closer to him, another Earthquake happened and you screamed hiding your head into his chest as he pulled the covers over you both. Nothing was going to help you out of it so both you decided to just stay together on the bed instead of fighting off the inevitable. You just wanted to be close together, no matter what the outcome was.

"I'm right here, right here." He repeated holding you closer as you heard the sounds of people screaming and buildings falling down outside, you whimpering burying your face in his chest as you tried to think of something else, anything except all of this happening around you.

Tagline: 

@writingdreamsnottragedies @snowy-meowl @jooniesdarlingdimples @lyoongx @fan-ati--c @mitzwinchester @callingmyangel @rjsmochii @btsiguess-kpop @kneel-begyourpardon @taestannie

[maxwell-grant]

The idea of the Shadow co-existing with Superheroes brings the question: How does the Shadow react when events escalate beyond the point where he can have an impact? How does he feel when the entire world is at risk, and he can't help?

Basically the above panel. By refusing to acknowledge the possibility that he can’t help, even if just to save one person, one life, at the end. 

By doing whatever he can, even if he can’t save everyone or finish those causing it. Even if he is taken aback by it (and he definitely would, because he is rarely if ever out of his depth to such an extent), there is rarely, if ever, a time where nothing can be done to help someone, even if it can’t be done by addressing or fixing the problem, even if a lot of the times, we don’t know what to do to help.

There’s a particular passage that came to mind when I read your question, from a story called The Living Joss, where The Shadow stops to mourn a man, a total stranger, whom he failed to protect in time. We rarely ever get to see scenes like this as usually The Shadow expresses thoughts and feelings through non-verbal gestures and laughter (sometimes he almost laughs more often than he talks), and this moment always stuck out to me.

Amid the misty drizzle, The Shadow lowered himself from the side of the bridge, and dropped to the craggy side of the ravine. He reached the smashed car. Blaine Goodall, in a mad effort to escape death, had opened the door of the failing coupe. Caught beneath the rolling body of the car, Goodall had met his doom. 

The Shadow stood in silence. Again, fate had contrived against his surpassing skill. He had arrived in time to shoot down one squad of blocking enemies. He had turned and driven back to deliver death to another corps of skulking assassins. But in the midst of conflict, the man whom he had come to save had hurtled to his own destruction.

Long minutes followed The Shadow's sad discovery; then a figure clambered into the speedster, and the powerful motor roared as it started along the road that led back to New York.

The Shadow had another score to settle. Never again would Koy Shan slay. Death would strike him before he had the new opportunity.

Here, after he manages to stave off the assassins and finds the guy, he takes a moment to mourn, to reflect, to think, and then he immediately gets back on track to pursue vengeance against the ones responsible for said death to stop them from killing others. 

Obviously The Shadow outright failing is a very rare occurance, unless it’s by narrative design heroes very rarely botch rescues so badly that people die or don’t manage to get at least one victory at the end of the story. But The Shadow failing or miscalculating, failing to protect people, failing to calculate certain factors and so on, was nowhere near as unthinkable of an occurance in the pulps as people seem to think. 

No matter how unshakeable his confidence in himself is, how prepared he is for everything, or how his willpower is so strong than in the radio show it allowed him to protect himself and Margo from a literal time loop through willlpower alone, he’s not the omniscient demigod he pretends to be, and he’s aware of it. He has to be, because arrogance is the downfall of every villain he’s ever fought, and third-person speaking black-clad cackling ghoul he is, he is all too aware of his proximity to them.

I...have concerns about my clarity, and my mental focus. I’m not one to suffer doubt...nor to take the scope of my actions lightly. 

Yet of late, I’ve felt...untethered. And subject to foul emotions I’d long since thought buried. 

But I am a commander in a war. There are people who risk their very lives under my authority.

But no matter how badly it got in the stories, how hopeless circumstances got or how many people had already been killed by the villains he fought, The Shadow never appeared close to giving up protecting others, no matter the cost to himself. 

It’s one of the things that runs contrary to the common idea that he’s an unfeeling sadist murder machine, how often he completely disregards everything to go and throw himself in danger to rescue anyone who’s in any danger. Creeping Death has one such sequence where he jumps out of cover to the middle of a gunfight, and gets shot in the process, to literally throw Vic Marquette into safety (Marquette, who is not an agent, or an especially likeable character for that matter), and then sticks around after the bad guys are dispatched to ensure that help is on the way. Or in Invincible Shiwan Khan, when he gets injured throwing himself on the path of a flying Moe Shrevnitz to cushion his fall, and because of it, gets beaten so brutally by Khan’s minion that he staggers barely conscious out of the fight, even though by this point he’s racing against the clock to stop Khan from acquiring his doomsday devices. At these moments, all he really could do, regardless of the odds, was to try and stop people from being hurt or killed, no matter the personal cost to himself or the mission, and so he did. 

Throw a superhero apocalypse his way, and he’s going to be doing whatever he can to recruit the right people, obtain the right resources, anything he can to stop as much bloodshed as he can. And if he can’t? He’s going to be there to rescue people caught in the crossfire. If a zombie apocalypse hits town, he puts all of his agents to work on containing it as much as they can or finding a cure. If a giant monster’s rampaging downtown, he’s going to hitch a ride in a train and fire at it so it chases him and gives others time to run. If there’s an earthquake or tsunami, he gathers as many agents as he can and starts finding ways to ferry people to safety. If everyone he knows is dead, his greatest enemies have been winning for decades, and he’s stuck in a world that hates him and has no use for him, and he has no idea anymore what he even used to be? Still not gonna stop him. The Twilight Zone traps him in constantly shifting dimensions that break down his identity until he learns he’s nothing more than a fictional character, and he walks out of it having learned a lesson in humility.

If he’s thrown, alone, in a full on dystopia setting completely unlike his own, where he has to learn single-handedly to fight alien hordes to save Earth? 

It's not that he never fails, can never fail or become emotionally distressed at it, it's that it ultimately does not stop him from doing whatever he can, whatever needs to be done, as The Shadow. His whole thing is knowing what to do above all else, and when he doesn’t know, he learns, studies, does whatever he can to remedy that as soon as possible.

[the-lady-writes-what]

Gilded Cage, Part One

Summary:

Keigo Takami, AKA Hawks, has turned villain and you don't know why. After a run-in with the League of Villains, you give chase after the former hero. When you end up taking a bullet to the knee, you're surprised that Keigo not only left you alive, but has taken you to his secret lair. He's built a special cage for you. He says it's to keep the League from coming after you, but you can't help but wonder if it's true or if he just wants you for himself.

Content: Kidnapping Sorry. No smut this time, but it'll be in the next one. Stay tuned

Villain!Hawks x Hero!Reader

(You're a pro-hero whose quirk is basically bending metal. Think Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender)

PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3

This part does not contain smut (See above mentioned note). For smut, please follow the links for Parts 2 and 3

                                                       ---080---

It was hard to walk down the halls of Endeavor’s agency these days. The news of Keigo Takami’s, also known as Hawks, betrayal hit Japan’s hero world like a tsunami. It turned into a question of who the next hero will be to go against their moral code and become a villain. Your workload had increased in the drama and paranoia that followed after Keigo’s sudden villainous change. Endeavor worked you down to the bone, but that was because he must have seen you as useful. Your hero name? Iron Maiden on account of your ability to bend metal, such as iron, steel, and copper. Netting bad guys was a whole lot easier when you could wrap them in a fence or trap them with a lamppost.

You finished the afternoon’s paperwork before heading to the breakroom for some lukewarm coffee. You half-expected Keigo to be sitting on the counter where you used to find him. He used to be a fan of Endeavor’s, so he frequented the agency whenever he felt like it. Of all the time you got to see him, it became evident that he wasn’t there to goof around Endeavor’s office. You should have known better than to encourage his casual flirting, but you couldn’t help yourself. Keigo was the first guy who turned your way after a dry spell in the romance department. It had been months since you last had a date, and even if Keigo was joking, it was nice to have a conversation with someone that didn’t involve hero work.

If only you knew back then that his over-confident smile belied an insidious plan to turn to the other side.

Keigo didn’t hurt people. Much. It wasn’t a great comfort to know that he at least didn’t go around murdering people as soon as he became a villain. That didn’t change the fact that he had become one of them. He robbed banks, caused collateral damage to the cityscape, and set the hero society into panic mode. Nobody knew who would switch sides. Heroes and civilians were starting to look at each other with suspicious eyes ever since.

You fixed yourself a cup of coffee when the cellphone on your hip went off. You immediately stopped what you were doing to pick it up. Shocked, you found your boss’s name and number on the screen. You didn’t hesitate to hit ‘receive.’

Endeavor’s voice came loud and clear, even over the sounds of fighting.

“We need you over by Central Park. Takami’s new crew showed up, and we need your quirk to help round them up!”

“On my way, sir.”

Central Park was at least ten miles from your location. Even if you speed, you won’t make it there on time by car. Not this close to rush hour. Of course, you had other methods of getting to where you needed to go. You pried open the nearest window and lept threw it. Part of your hero costume involved strips of steel wire you could sling around with like that American comic book character. Sailing over the city and swinging in between buildings was much faster than any car. You arrived at the scene with the villains terrorizing civilians trying to enjoy their day at the park. You spotted three of them charging at you as soon as you hit the ground. They were nothing but mooks. Clustered together, it was quick work wrapping them in a bundle of wire. You spotted others and repeated the process. Keigo was nowhere in sight. You heard the sound of flames engulfing the trees. Pillars of red and blue flames shot up in the distance. You found heroes to take care of the villains you’d already captured before heading towards what should have been the epicenter of the fighting. Endeavor was busy with Dabi, and there seemed to be no other villains in sight. Still no sign of Keigo anywhere.

“Endeavor!”

You dodged a blue fireball just in time. You hoped that Endeavor would order you to go elsewhere. Five more minutes, and you’d be cooking in your costume.

“Takami headed west. I leave it to you to apprehend him!” Endeavor was so focused on his opponent that he didn’t turn towards you when he gave the order.

You had to dodge more flames, both Dabi’s and Endeavor’s, to head towards Keigo’s last known whereabouts. Away from the smoke and flames, you found a trail of red feathers. There was a moment where you stopped to wonder if Keigo had been injured and left behind some feathers by mistake or if he was deliberately mocking you. However, you didn’t have a moment to linger on that. You followed the trail of feathers regardless if it was a plot.

Keigo made it easy for you to follow. That should have been your first red flag. You were so focused on getting him in handcuffs that the apparent beeline to him was so fucking clear as day. You picked up the feathers as you went. You had a fistful in each hand by the time you reached the end of the park. Your trail went ice cold.

That is until you spotted the shadow of bird wings graze above you. Your head whipped to the sky. Hawks swooped down, nearly knocking you down to the ground. His wings grazed you. He perched himself on a branch far above you.

His appearance was vastly different from the last time you saw him. He wore an all-black suit with a red and gold tie. Pewter rings were on his fingers. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, but his smile was the most unnerving thing about him. You lashed outwards with your arms, the metal from your gauntlets catching him by the ankles.

“Keigo Takami, you’re under arrest. You have the right to—”

Keigo didn’t let the mild impairment weigh him down. His wings couldn’t be easily held down by you. He flew straight towards you. His height never hid the fact that he was powerful. He plowed you into the ground. The wires unwhirled around his feet and let him soar above you.

“Get back down here, bird brain!” You lashed out your wires again in hopes of pulling him back down to earth.

Each time Keigo moves just a little bit out of reach. You already spent so much on capturing those D-level cronies that you didn’t stop to think of conserving your limited amount of iron wire. Keigo’s wings took him high above to where your weapon couldn’t reach him. He smirked down at you before taking off.

You ran after him, going so far as to hopping over the chain-link fence and following on foot. Your wires came in handy twice today as you soared from lamppost to lamppost, tracking Keigo’s aerial movements. Citizens yelled words of encouragement as you chased after Japan’s new most wanted criminal. The air stung your cheeks, and you could feel your eyes watering as you sped faster between rooftops.

Keigo made the mistake of flying to close to the building whose roof you just scaled. There was a split-second decision. You could stop and let him get away, or you could take the chance. You lunged for him, limbs scrambling through the air to find purchase. Your hands grabbed his suit jacket. Hauling yourself upon his back, you managed to secure your legs around him and put his neck in a headlock.

“As I said before, you’re under arrest!” You screamed as the wind busted your eardrums.

Keigo merely looked over his shoulder at you. His smile was cheeky as ever.

“Really, Princess? The way I see it…you’re the one at my mercy. Unless you got a plan to get us both safely on the ground without bashing our brains on the concrete.”

You growled as Keigo caught you. You didn’t think this far ahead.

You screamed as Keigo flew up towards the sun at lightning speed. Light burning your eyes, you had no choice but to shield them. Keigo used your distraction as the opportunity to shift your weight off his back. All too late, you felt your legs and arms loosen around him. Soon you were plummeting back to the ground. With any luck, your wires would find purchase on something and save you from falling to your death at the last minute. At the rate you were falling, good luck.

You were ten feet from meeting a concrete rooftop when Keigo reappeared. He wrapped you in his arms almost in a possessive manner.

“You’re way too pretty to let splatter. Come on. I’ve got a much better place to finish this!”

His clever hands worked your phone from your belt. Keigo dropped it on the ground, where it shattered several feet below you. Your only chance of survival was to let him take you where he wanted and not get your brains to plaster the sidewalk. His wings soared over the city. You once imagined being in his arms like this. It only made your stomach churn with the thought of what he was going to do to you once you were where he wanted you.

Keigo dropped down in the industrial district. Factories surrounded you. The smell of iron and diesel filled your lungs. But of all the places he picked, why did Keigo go where you had the most advantage? Didn’t he realize that with all of this metal, you were the one with the home-field edge? You didn’t have the time to ask or react when he pulled out the gun from his jacket.

In a flash, your life flashed in your mind. You didn’t stand there waiting to die. At least, you were going to make sure they say you died fighting to your last breath. You charged for Keigo, metal whips whirring to life.

BANG!

It was over. Except instead of sweet oblivion that came with death, you found yourself bleeding on the ground. Your blood pooled around your knee, where he shot you. The pain was exquisite as the bullet lodged itself in your knee cap. You weren’t going to be standing on that leg for a very long time; you could forget about fighting. Keigo’s black shoes came into your line of vision. From shock, you got onto your elbows to look at the bastard.

“What…the hell?” You ground your teeth. “I didn’t picture…you to be the sadist. Going to kill…me…slowly? Is that how you roll now?”

Keigo put his gun away. Then, he reached into the other side of his jacket. When his hand came away this time, he held a syringe.

“That was just to keep you from fighting me. I’m going to get you patched up real quick. Just as soon as I give you your medicine.”

Keigo was faster than you. Your hand shot up to grab him, but the needle was already in your neck. He squeezed the trigger and pumped you full of the drug. It took a few minutes for it to kick in. By the time he had you in his arms again, your head was spinning. A moment later, you finally found that oblivion you were looking for earlier. This time, you were reasonably sure you’d wake up this time, and you weren’t going to know where he was taking you. And that was the scariest thought you had before passing out in the former hero’s arms.

When you woke up, you noticed the stiffness in your leg. Your favorite color draped the bed you laid in. Your hero’s costume was gone and replaced with a negligee you wouldn’t own even if you had a boyfriend. It, too, was in your favorite color. The lace hem barely touched your upper thigh.

Further down, your right leg was held in a cast. Your foot rested on a pillow. As your vision cleared, you got a better picture of where you were.

It could have been described as a room if only it had more than one wall. Where plaster walls should have been, stood solid gold bars. The floors were marble tiles. There was a dresser, a desk, a lavish set up on a vanity, and a familiar coffee table on which sat a widescreen T.V. Every item in your cell was made of either wood, fiber, plastic, or metal you couldn’t bend, including the bars. Squeezed between the actual wall and the cell bars stood a small room. With its door closed, so you couldn’t discern its purpose yet. Footsteps came down the hallway. They rounded the corner. Keigo smiled at you like you were a pretty bird in his cage.

“You’ve been asleep for a while now. Doc had to give you an extra shot so you wouldn’t wake up in the middle of your surgery. Sorry I had to bust your knee cap. You can be so stubborn sometimes.”

“Why am I in a cage? Why am I dressed like this? Just what the hell are you on?” You started to get up from the bed, but it was difficult to swing your leg over the bed when it was in a cast.

“In reverse order,” said Keigo, “I’m not on any drugs. I thought you would look cute in that negligee, and it’s in your favorite color. I put you here for your protection, and honestly, you look damn good in it.”

“Why? Why the hell did you do any of this?” You still struggled to move your damn leg.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’d hate to come in there and show you why.”

His eyes held a glimmer of that charm you once fell for, but there was a predatory light that eclipsed it. Keigo leaned against the bars, stroking the beams.

“Solid gold. It took me a long time to find enough money and resources to build this thing. A pretty little cage for my pretty little bird.”

“Just how long have you been saving?” You wanted to know how long he had wanted to put you in here, yet you still dreaded his answer.

“A couple of years. My original idea was to take us on a cruise. It probably would have been much more romantic, but things come up. You change your plans. Ideals become tainted, and you have to find new ones.”

“What happened to you? You were the number two hero! Some so many people looked up to you. There are still people who believe that this is just a rouse to capture the League of Villains. How could you do that? How could you betray everyone’s trust?”

Keigo didn’t say anything. He held his head down as if lost in the thought. He braced his forearm against the bars as he leaned his head against his arm. Inhaling a long breath,

Keigo let out an aggravated sigh. When he looked up at you, you saw a different man. “Let me ask you this, Princess. How could somebody’s parents sell their kid to the government? How could anyone take a small kid and turn them into a child soldier? For what? So they can pat themselves on the back and say that they’re morally superior to the villains. They take kids from their parents and steal their childhood. And when those kids grow into adults and realize what a shitty system they were raised in, they stare up at you surprised that you had enough of their bullshit.”

“T-Takami…”

“I realized too late that everything that was supposed to be mine was taken from me. My family. My name. My childhood. For what? So I can be number two behind a man like Endeavor. Have you spent time with the bastard? I never noticed it before, but all of a sudden, it becomes clear that society cares less about a hero’s moral code and more about their ability to beat down the nail that sticks out. Ever wonder how his youngest got that scar?”

You nodded. You vaguely remember hearing Endeavor talk about his youngest son.

“It turns out Endeavor pushed his wife around so much that she went mental. She burned the side of Shoto’s face because it reminded her of the man who knocked her around and forced to have his four kids. Does that sound like hero material to you?”

Blood drained from your face. It made sense…in a way. You never met Endeavor’s youngest, so you couldn’t verify the truth or not. For all you knew, Keigo was pulling it out of his ass to make you sympathize with him.

“Why didn’t you go to the authorities? There must have been someone who would have investigated it.”

“By the time I found out, nobody would have believed me at any rate. Endeavor might be a bastard, but he’s still the number one hero. I’m just the rejected garbage the Safety Commission doesn’t want to clean up.” Keigo unlocked the door to your cage.

“Why are you telling me this then?”

Keigo crossed the “room” and picked you up from the bed. You couldn’t move your leg without feeling a jolt of pain go up to your thigh. There was no way for you to struggle. “Because I made a deal with the League. As long as I keep you by my side and you don’t go anywhere, they won’t touch you or your family. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing much of the outside world for a while. At least until Shigaraki accomplishes his goals.”

“You know he’s crazy, right?” You sneered.

“Yeah. Little bit. He’s also the first person who made any damn sense when I realized how badly they screwed me over,” said Keigo as he carried you down the hall.

There were a few rooms that he walked past, but he stopped at the end of the hall. He kicked it open. Your heart fluttered like you were his bride; he carried over the threshold. Your stomach churned with guilt rotting inside it. You shouldn’t be having those kinds of thoughts for the man who turned into a villain and kidnapped you. He confessed to planning to keep you as a prisoner for however long it took for that maniac Shigaraki to complete his mission.

Keigo brought you to an actual bedroom. It was a little more sparse than the cage he planned to keep you in. He must have spent more on you than himself. Looking around, the bedroom contained a giant bed and little else. He had you sit on the bed for a moment. Keigo pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows before gently grabbing you and laying you out. There was a contraption hanging from the ceiling that he pulled down using a thick cord. He slipped your leg into a sling and adjusted it to your comfort before Keigo left you to pull clothes from the dresser. He disappeared into the adjacent bathroom didn’t return until he was half-dressed in a pair of black sweatpants.

Small scars littered his chest and shoulders. From what, you dared not ask. You remembered his words about a stolen childhood to be raised as a soldier. You wondered if they were true. Your mind was plunged headfirst back into the present when Keigo crawled under the sheets with you. Your face went red.

“Relax, Princess. I’m not going to do anything,” he mumbled. He turned off the lights.

“Then why am I dressed like this?” You asked in the dark.

You felt Keigo’s weight make the bed dip. He settled on his side so he could snake his arm around your waist. He snuggled uncomfortably close, but he kept his hands mostly to himself or above the blanket.

“Because you look damn cute in (fave color). I like looking at you.”

His breath against your skin created goosebumps in its wake. Your eyes eventually closed to sleep. As you drifted off, you asked yourself: How long could you live like this?

                                                       ---080---

[ambivalent-anarchy]

You've Got Moves (Part 2)

Masterlist

Part 1

Gender: Female

Pairing: Peter Parker x reader

Warning: None

A/N: Better late than never, right?😂😂 (wow 2 fics in one week that's crazyyy) Also I put one of my favorite comedy tiktoks in the dialogue soooooo oops? Also Harry and Ned are wingmen who share one brain cell and I like it that way

I might make one more part to this but idk

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

It took 7 months for Peter to ask you out.

It took the time for MJ and Asher to become a couple, homecoming to go by, MJ and Asher to break up, winter formal, midterm exams, MJ and Asher to get back together, and Christmas to go before Peter Parker gathered the guts to even consider thinking about asking you out.

Scared wasn't even the word for it.

Harry Osborn, the new transfer student, laughed at how nervous Peter was at lunch. "Asking girls out is easy, Peter. I do it all the time!"

"You say it like it's the simplest thing on earth," Peter dreaded, to which Harry shrugged.

"Because it is! You just ask. How is it that I've only been at this school for 2 months and I've had more chicks than both you and Ned combined?"

"Hooking up is not a hobby of mine. That's why," Peter retorted with a pitifully unintimidating glare.

Harry shrugged with his shit-eating grin. "It's not my fault the girls and gays can't resist these lips."

Ned chimed in as he threw a french fry into his mouth. "Peter, this isn't like Liz last year. You and [Y/N] are already really close, dude. I'm sure you can just ask her. Who knows? She might say yes!"

"But what if she says no?," Peter groaned. "Then I'll just be one of those people she avoids and barely talks to out of awkwardness." He shifted in his seat nervously. "I don't want that."

"But if you don't say anything then you'll always regret it," Ned pointed out.

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Peter, pull out your phone."

Peter raised his eyebrows in confusion, but followed Harry's instructions.

"Go to her in messages and say 'hey let's get dinner'." He smiled. "See? Simple."

Peter opened your messages in his phone and stared at your profile picture.

'You can do this, Peter. You can do this.'

He bit his lip. "Okay but should I say, 'let's get dinner' or 'do you want to get dinner'?" Seeing Harry's impatient face, he explained himself. "I just feel like those two sentences have completely different vibes, y'know?"

Harry glared at him. "Are you really about to have us telling you what to tell your crush like a bunch of girls?"

Peter didn't know how to answer that question seriously. "Uh...yes?"

Harry pondered the question for a small bit before simply shrugging and answering. "Hmm, go with 'let's get dinner', so you'll sound all confident and assertive."

"Okay."

Before Peter could press send without thinking twice, Ned stopped him. "Well, actually now you sound a little aggressive, man."

"Really?," Peter asked with a wince, immediately erasing the message.

"Yeah, I mean the last thing you wanna be like is the guy that's all like 'let's get dinner' like you're some kind of caveman."

Peter groaned. "Oh no, definitely not."

Ned ate another fry. "You want to ask her to dinner, not tell her to dinner."

"I'll go with 'do you want to get dinner' then," Peter said with a nod.

That one didn't sit well with Harry. "No Pete. Cuz now you sound like a pussy."

Peter slammed his phone onto the lunch table. "This stuff is tough!"

Ned turned towards Harry. "No but listen. The last thing Peter wants to do is come off as the overly masculine type that's all like 'let's get dinner cuz I'm the breadwinner, bitch', y'know?"

Harry shook his head. "Yeah but women also love assertiveness. You have to know what you want."

Peter stared at the table, desperately wanting the conversation to be over. Why would he even go to these two for relationship advice? Harry was the king of hookups and Ned's relationships never lasted longer than a few weeks. What was he thinking? For a guy with a 4.5 GPA, he sure did feel stupid.

"I got it!," Ned exclaimed. "Okay. Text her this. 'Dinner would be something that I would enjoy taking you on, but only if YOU were also interested in attending the meal'." He held his hands up for praise.

Harry nodded. "Mhm. Perfect balance. And the more words the better."

Peter just stared back at them, wondering where he'd gone wrong in life. "...no.... I'm not gonna send her that."

Harry shrugged. "Welp,' he sighed. "I guess some people just don't want to be helped."

So close to slamming his head into the table in front of him, Peter felt a tsunami of relief hit when he saw Asher walk into the cafeteria.

Asher was your best friend. If anyone knew the proper way you'd want to be asked out, it'd be him.

The second Asher noticed Peter looking at him, he made his way over. "Hey Peter. What's up?," he asked as he found an empty seat.

Harry spoke up before Peter had the chance. "Hey Ash. Pick one. 'Let's get dinner' or 'do you want to get dinner'."

Asher thought for a second. "Depends on the girl," he said before taking a bite into his apple. "-but 'do you want to get dinner' is nicer. Why?"

Harry slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it!"

"Yes!," Ned cheered.

Asher looked around the table. "Okay, by why?"

Harry and Ned went quiet and looked to Peter, who was staring anywhere to avoid eye contact. He began to mumble pitifully."I....I-i wanna.. I wanna-"

Harry and Ned spoke up, already tired of the conversation not getting anywhere. "He wants to ask-"

"-I wanna ask [Y/N] out!," he blurted, feeling his cheeks start to burn when Asher's smirk turned into a wide grin.

"Well it's about time!," he exclaimed. "She's been crazy about you since you met."

"Really? She has?," Peter asked. That wasn't even in the realm of possibility in his mind.

Asher nodded. "She's always going off to me about how-" he mocked your higher pitched voice. "I've been dropping him hints since, like, foreverrrr!"

"Seriously?! She has?"

Ned laughed. "Well Peter. She has been calling you cute since the day she met you..."

"But I just always thought it was the friendly kind of cute, y'know?," he rambled. "Not the boyfriend type cute!"

"How many girls are out here calling you cute for you to make that assumption, dude?," Harry asked.

Asher sighed. "So this is what it's like to have low confidence." He shook his head and gave Peter a disappointed look. "I can't say I like witnessing this, Pete."

"Just-" Peter groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "Just tell me what will work, okay? I need to ask her out perfectly."

Asher tilted his head in confusion. "She's a simple girl. You just have to straight up ask her out. What's the confusion there?"

"That's what I said!," Harry yelled.

"You know he's got to make it difficult for himself for no reason," Ned pointed out.

"Okay can we all talk about how terrible I am at this after you help me?," Peter begged.

"...yeah."

"Sure."

"Ugh, fine."

Peter sighed. "Alright. So?"

"What are you going for?," Asher asked. "Like a gift or something?"

"I just want whatever's the absolute best way to ask her out."

Asher pinched the bridge of his nose. If he was gonna set you up with your crush, he wanted it to happen right.

"Okay," he said, staring Peter in the eyes with a new sort of intensity. "Think about your best moments with her. Now pick something special from all those moments and voila! You'll have it!"

Peter nodded and stared at the ground as he thought for a while about everything he'd done with you since the beginning of school. You were truly the most extraordinary, most confident girl he'd ever met.

Every time he'd thought you couldn't get more perfect, you'd just show him another side of you that was better than the rest. He always stayed endlessly impressed and most of all, he felt as if he didn't have to try too hard with you. He could be himself and mess up as many times as he could manage and you still stuck around, showing him that there needn't be any worries.

And your style? Fuck, you could make anything work for him. You were the only one who could get him out of his comfort zone and in front of a camera, for something as frivolous as a TikTok. But he'd always do it, and even find the fun in it, because it made you happy.

"Remember how we freaked out that first time when she called you cute, Pete?," Ned said. "She said that you were cute and that you only had to put it use!"

Harry laughed. "This girl is literally giving you the instructions, Peter. Take them."

"Hmm." Peter looked up with a smile and snapped his fingers. "I got it."

-

You tossed popcorn into your mouth and snuggled yourself further into the blanket. "Ash, how can you even say that? 'It' is a horror movie!"

"Yeah, technically," he retorted. "But there's literally not a single part of the movie that's scary. It's more of a drama than anything else."

"You realize the clown phobia rate skyrocketed when the movie came out right?"

Asher scoffed. "Uh, your point? It's not my fault some pussies couldn't sit through it. Still a drama. The story definitely played with your emotions more than your fears."

"Whateverrrr," you laughed. "I can't deal with you."

"Pennywise literally got up and did this," he said before breaking out into Pennywise's dance. He laughed as he kicked his legs out. "What kind of horror movie has this crap in it?" He stopped when he felt the full force of you throwing a pillow on his face. "Ugh!"

"Sit down and get under the covers, idiot," you hissed. "I wanna keep watching these HORROR films."

"Whateverrrr," he drawled out, mocking you. He sighed and plopped down next to you, grabbing a handful of popcorn after.

When school was getting suffocating, marathoning horror movies with Asher were a must. He had an endless repertoire and all the time in the world for his best friend.

Halfway through 'It: Chapter 2' though, the movie was the least of your focus and instead was TikTok.

What could you say? The app was addictive.

It was a big, entertaining, completely useless collage of everything every no-name had to offer, from stupid debates to cringey POV's to fun dance routines.

You tried to hook every friend you could on it. Asher, of course, already knew about it since it first came out and he, of course, had thousands of followers because most of what he posted was random thirsts traps whenever he was feeling hot, which was always. And thirsts traps are always in high demand for the people on TikTok.

You tried to hook MJ on it, but she'd already decided that she didn't like it before even giving it a chance. Even the messy, political side didn't reel her in.

Of course then there was Peter, who didn't know was TikTok even was before he met you. You made it your sole mission to get him hooked, but you'd since given up on that. It was a lost cause. The only time he probably ever saw TikTok nowadays was when he was doing dances with you before gym started. He let you put the app on his phone but he never used it. You wouldn't even put it past him to have deleted it, but it was whatever. TikTok had started his friendship with you, so needless to say, it'd done an amazing job in your life.

Plus your followers were always asking about him. All of the "omg couple goalssss" and "you guys look so cute together" served as massive confidence boosters. A girl can dream, right?

You shifted over a bit when you felt Ash getting closer and closer to you.

When he moved over again, you scooted away, only for him to get closer again. "Ash, what is your deal?"

"Easy there," he chuckled, backing up a little. "I'm looking at the phone, not you."

"You've been all up in my phone all day, what's up?"

"I can't tell you," he shrugged, a sly smirk stretching across his face. "But," he pointed to your tiny screen. "Some idiot is taking wayyyy too long to shoot his shot."

"Shoot his shot?" You gasped. "Who?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," he said with a smirk.

"Nooooo," you whined. "If someone has a crush on me you gotta spill! C'mon, please?"

He laughed and repeated himself. "I'm sorry, but I am not at liberty to say!"

"Bullshit! Who is it? C'mon! C'monnnnnn!"

He shrugged and this time you knew that he was dead set on not giving up the mystery guy.

"Ugh," you pouted. "Fine. Let's just finish the stupid movie."

-

"Kids next door, battle stations!!!!"

And now it was sometime after midnight. The popcorn was all gone. The movie was done and now you were watching old cartoons so that the horror movie wouldn't be the last thing on your mind before bed.

Looking over, you saw that Asher didn't need any cartoons like you did. He was already passed out, snoring as loud as ever.

Grumbling in boredom, you stared at the wall, trying to connect the tiny dots in the designs. It was like something was officially keeping you from being able to fall asleep.

*Ding!*

At the sound of your phone receiving a text, you sat up curiously. Who was texting you at this hour?

You smiled when you saw that it was Peter.

Pete: hey y/n

You were about to send him a quick,"why are you up this late" text, but he kept typing.

Pete: pls dont judge me too hard for this

With that completely vague warning, you furrowed your eyebrows, concerned.

Y/n: whats up r u okay

He sent you a link next, which confused you, but not as much as when you actually pressed it.

It led you to TikTok, and the video was waiting to be pressed to start. Peter was standing in the middle of the screen with one of his typical corny sweatshirts on. The caption at the top read: "For [Y/N] Only". Smiling already, you quickly pressed play.

You slapped your hand over your mouth. "Oh my God."

"So he finally got the guts, huh?," Asher mumbled, having woken up from the loud music on your phone but was still half-asleep.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I wake you?," you asked. You turned down your phone.

"Don't worry about me, you just got a boyfriend," he chuckled, moving to lay down so he could get to sleep again. "Text him back for god's sake."

~~~

Y/n: its been almost a whole year and youre still so cute when you make those

Pete: haha thanks

Pete: uh

Pete: i really like you y/n

Pete: do u think you'd wanna go out with me or get dinner sometime?

~~~

"He asked me out," you gasped. "Ash, he asked me out!"

Asher rolled over and groaned. "I thought that was already established? Jesus, you two couldn't possibly be moving any slower."

You rolled your eyes. "Fuck you."

"Nah, you're with Peter now," he laughed. "You're gonna have to fuck him instead!" That comment earned him another pillow to the face.

You looked back at the messages and sent a tiny cute one. You smirked at the new idea of what was about to happen and turned it off before going to sleep.

~~~

Y/n: kiss me at school tomorrow and find out

~~~

Didn't do a third edit cuz I got lazy but I'm pretty happy with the turnout anyway. Thanks for reading!

Tagging: @allegra-writes, @allegra-soleil, @yumings, @hey-its-grey, @spideyyeet, @sunkissedspidey, @tommyunderoos, @chaoticpete, @snarky--starky, @sovereignparker, @thesherlockianavenger, @bubblebucky, @kelieah, @eridanuswave, @ithoughtthiswastwitterbutfr, @kidney9-9, @gwenvrse

[snipsnsnailsnwerewolftales]

Stay (Part 1)

A/N: This is something that came to mind with a playlist I have of random Ed Sheeran songs, I hope you guys like it.

Thank you to @jazziwritesthings, @xteenwolfwritingsx, @mymonandsymon, @weeabooper and @msmischief101 for looking it over for me.

I do not own Teen Wolf or it’s characters. Sadly.

(Nor do I own any of the songs in the playlist that inspired this story by Ed Sheeran. All credit where credit is due.)

Word Count: 2,200

Warnings: None that I know of. Mild swearing? It’s really just fluffy.

When Derek comes across a familiar scent at a diner late one night, it leads to the most unexpected revelation in his years in Beacon Hills: His mate. (Aka: Wherein I am a sucker for a good mates story and my brain decided to write one.)

Series Masterlist

Xxx

Sitting at the local diner, Derek focused on his hand as it clutched and unclutched his keys against the table top, occupying his time. To his right sat Scott, and his left, Stiles, and in the center, a large awkward silence between the three.

Smirking, Derek couldn’t help the grin when Stiles scrambled away from the table as their order number was called. He had only seen Stiles move that fast a few times, and it never failed to be amusing.

Clearing his throat, Derek shifted in his seat, sitting up taller, tugging his leather jacket collar for good measure. Scott mumbled something about drinks, and after a second of hesitation disappeared off to some unknown corner supposedly getting them all a glass of something.

Someone walked over to the ancient juke box on the opposite side of the restaurant, and Derek wanted to groan. He had been listening for footsteps going that way all night so that he could come up with some diversion to keep whoever it was from changing it off of his selection. He was sure Stiles and Scott probably thought he had some secret vendetta for all things music, and that was fine. So long as nobody messed with his choice of song.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t an awful choice, and when Derek turned to see who else in this God forsaken town seems to have a decent taste in music aside from himself, Stiles obstructed his view by sliding into his seat with three steaming hot plates, mumbling a “Hot, hot, hot! Very hot!” And Scott obscured him from getting a decent scent so he could at least maybe seek them out later when he plopped three milkshakes down on the table, the combo of food and drink masking any hope at a scent.

Pushing his chair back slightly, and leaning back away from the tsunami of smells, he felt everything go on high alert when one clear smell hit him like a tidal wave. “Vanilla….”

“Well, I was gonna take the vanilla, but fine, by all means, take it, just don’t go all sourwolf on me.”

Derek quickly shot Stiles a glare before turning back to the jukebox to see no one, but the overwhelming scent of fresh vanilla, like fresh cookies, took over all his senses. It made his burger taste like dirt.

Finally pushing away from the table, he followed the scent that definitely got stronger near the jukebox, and followed it in a loop, past an empty table, and finally back to his own table, noticing a new person standing and talking to Scott and Stiles.

A low growl rumbled out of his chest before he could catch it, but it didn’t seem to startle her a bit. Walking a little bit closer he asked a bit harshly, “Who are you?” Really, he just wanted to get close enough to see if she really was the source of the smell, but the scent was forgotten when he heard her speak.

“I’m Y/N, Scott and Stiles’ TA in English this year.”

No wonder the smell had seemed so familiar. He knew her. They grew up together.

She held out a hand for him to shake, and it took a minute for him to zone back in after her voice had caused him to go into some sort of trance.

Shaking his head gently to free the cobwebs, he offered his hand in return, and they both took a sharp inhale on the contact, sparks flying up and down their skin.

Realization dawned on him the same time she made wide eyes and seemed to put it together herself.

Eyes glowing red, Derek pulled her gently closer to him, faintly registering Stiles and Scott laughing nervously and flailing to stand up and block out people’s view of his very obviously not human eyes as they settled on her very obviously completely human eyes.

Until their yellow glow gave away her secret. Derek smirked. Years of time together played on warp speed in his mind.

Blinking the red away, he couldn’t help but smile as she stood there still doe eyed.

“Oh my God, I’m the mate of a freaking Alpha werewolf,” she let out quietly, almost under her breath.

“Holy shit,” Stiles mumbled, hand coming over his mouth as he plopped unceremoniously back into his chair, the momentum making it scrap against the tiles a few inches with an ugly sound.

“Just one. Can you please not date just one of our teachers, Derek? Is that too much to ask?” Scott was unabashedly announcing for the whole restaurant to hear. Granted it was mostly empty by now, and the song was coming to an end, leaving them in silence.

“That’s up to Y/N,” Derek said, still holding her hand. “If she agrees to go on a date, that’s not my fault. And if she agrees to be my mate, well then I am off the market after that.”

“For the love of God, please just say yes,” Stiles implored her. “Maybe he will finally be more tolerable when it’s all said and done.”

Derek reached out and whacked the back of Stiles’ head gently, before raising an eyebrow in question as she gave his hand a squeeze.

“Hey! You took my line!” She cried in protest with a small smile.

“What?” Stiles looked between the two of them before she lightly whacked the side of his arm. “Hey! Oh. I get it now. Ha ha. Actually, now, I hate this idea. I take it back. Release one another! It’s easy. See?” Stiles tried to pull their hands apart and it was quite comical to watch. After realizing nothing would change, he sat down with a huff, cradling his face in his hands and saying in a mock broken tone, “Why me?”

Xxx

Staring into the flashing jukebox in the corner of the dive restaurant that had haunted Beacon Hills longer than any monster, you smiled lightly at the selection to choose from.

It was probably your subconscious, remembering things long forgotten, hidden under song titles that concealed the memories, but you could have sworn you kept getting wafts of nutmeg and leather, something that was so intrinsically….. him.

You smiled a bit wider at memories that began to play for only you, seeming to change with the flashing of the lights on the machine, pulsing to your song selection.

Cut grass in the summer, and the smell it brought.

Soaking wet in the rain, darting into any alcove nearby and standing close together under his jacket he held high like an umbrella.

Tripping on the slick, freshly cut grass, and laughing till your sides hurt and grass stains painted your clothes and skin, like tattoos of proof from a summer day.

Him laughing at you as he stared down where you fell, and his wide eyes beside you when you took his hand outstretched to help and instead yanked him down to join you.

The bubble of laughter that soon left him despite himself, as your own giggle betrayed you, and soon you both were snickering on the grass, letting the rain paint your skin with tracks as it continued to fall lightly.

You’re brought out of your thoughts by a familiar voice, looking up from your seat back at your table to see Stiles at the counter balancing three trays loaded with food. You snickered at the little balancing act he pulled trying to keep the contents on the trays and not falling to the floor. Sitting up straight as the smell came your way again, it was so strong, it was as if he were just a few tables over.

Looking to the side, you didn’t see him, however you saw Stiles setting down the trays of food at a table across the restaurant, Scott coming from the opposite direction, arms laden with drinks, and whoever sat in the third seat at their table obscured from your view by Stiles’ body as he distributed the food, lightly bopping to the beat of the song, and making you smile.

Deciding to go over and say hi, you got up, walking around your table, walking past the counter and grabbing the bag of fries the waiter was trying to wave Stiles down for. You shook your head. How Stilinski forgot fries, you didn’t know. As you walked up to their table, it was just the two of them, their mysterious third party missing, but the smell you had noticed earlier strongest in the vacant seat. It couldn’t be who you thought, they hadn’t lived here in years, but you couldn’t ignore the scent as you stood talking to Scott and Stiles.

As Stiles thanked you for the fries, you felt a wave of the smell wash over you, causing you to turn and face the supposed source, and your breath caught in your throat at the sight of an older face, but those same eyes you had been thinking about not minutes before.

He didn’t seem to recognize you, and for some reason that amused you. He had a suspicious glint in his eyes, but that was the extent of it.

A low growl rumbled out of his chest before he could catch it, but it didn’t startle you a bit. In fact it surprised you at the deep stirring it caused in your gut.

Walking a little bit closer he asked a bit harshly, “Who are you?”

Despite his puffed up chest and seemingly harsh words, you noticed him take a deep breath through his nose, taking in your scent he used to always say smelled like cookies, vanilla and cinnamon, but the breath stopped abruptly when you answered him.

“I’m Y/N, Scott and Stiles’ TA in English this year.”

Realization seemed to hit him, the glint in his eyes sparking to life with memory, and he took an easy and free deep breath, finally recognizing the scent. If you blinked, you’d miss it, but the faintest of smiles was on his face.

You held out a hand for him to shake, and it took a minute for him to zone back in after seeming to go into some sort of trance.

Shaking his head gently to free the cobwebs, he offered his hand in return, and you both took a sharp inhale on the contact, sparks flying up and down your skin.

Realization dawned on him the same time you made wide eyes and seemed to put it together yourself.

Eyes glowing red, Derek pulled you gently closer to him, and you faintly registered Stiles and Scott laughing nervously and flailing to stand up and block out people’s view of his very obviously not human eyes as they settled on your supposedly very obviously completely human eyes.

Until their yellow glow gave away your secret. Derek smirked. Cut grass, rain, grass stains and mud, hiding out in secret places and sharing secrets over years and years, laughing until your sides hurt. All of it hit you at once, and it made something take flight in your stomach, beating its wings to get out.

Blinking the red away, he couldn’t help but smile as you stood there still doe eyed.

“Oh my God, I’m the mate of a freaking Alpha werewolf,” you let out quietly, almost under your breath.

“Holy shit,” Stiles mumbled, hand coming over his mouth as he plopped unceremoniously back into his chair, the momentum making it scrape against the tiles a few inches with an ugly sound.

“Just one. Can you please not date just one of our teachers, Derek? Is that too much to ask?” Scott was unabashedly announcing for the whole restaurant to hear. Granted it was mostly empty by now, and the song was coming to an end, leaving them in silence.

“That’s up to Y/N,” Derek said, still holding your hand. “If she agrees to go on a date, that’s not my fault. And if she agrees to be my mate, well then I am off the market after that.” Something in what he said made you so indescribably happy, but also insanely mad at the thought of him ever being on the market. You swallowed the growl you felt building back down.

“For the love of God, please just say yes,” Stiles implored you. “Maybe he will finally be more tolerable when it’s all said and done.” Glancing at Stiles as he spoke, you looked back to Derek with a smirk.

Derek reached out and whacked the back of Stiles’ head gently, before raising an eyebrow in question as you gave his hand a squeeze.

“Hey! You took my line!” You cried in protest with a small smile.

“What?” Stiles looked between the two of you before you lightly whacked the side of his arm. “Hey! Oh. I get it now. Ha ha. Actually, now, I hate this idea. I take it back. Release one another! It’s easy. See?” Stiles tried to pull your hands apart and it was quite comical to watch. After realizing nothing would change, he sat down with a huff, cradling his face in his hands and saying in a mock broken tone, “Why me?”

Xxx

Tags: @mayahart02 @palaiasaurus64 @shydinosaurcandy @lucyqueenofthestars @c-breanne1999 @l4life @ethereallysimple What’s this?

[the-last-cuddlebender]

Not in Front of the Kids

Bumi and Kya were scared to say the least. Daddy almost died.

************************************

A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (feat. angst/hurt/comfort, bestdad!Aang, bestmom!Katara, bestuncle!Sokka, and littleshit!Aang)

Rating: T

Words: 2,690

ArchiveOfOurOwn

************************************

Aang carried them all out of there—little Tenzin swaddled on his back and Bumi and Kya cradled against his front. One of Aang’s arms was badly fractured by the wrist. Katara was pretty sure his shoulder, at that angle, was partially dislocated, too. He hid his wince in a laugh when Kya whimpered and held onto him tighter. 

Suki took little Tenzin from his makeshift wrap—the babe was crying but otherwise okay, to Katara’s every relief.

Katara was planning a million miles an hour as she assessed her husband and children. Bumi and Kya were filthy but favored no injury and showed no wound. Aang, on the other hand, looked like he had thrown himself over a bomb from how badly his robes—or, what was left of them—were singed and torn. He trembled like an engine missing a bolt and about to break apart.

Her children flinched and instinctively held onto their father even tighter once the sounds of the outside came crashing down on them. Katara, already fisting gauze in one hand and healing water in the other, gave her brother a look, and Sokka, cooing gently, tried to encourage the toddlers from Aang’s arms.

Aang was on the brink of collapse. Katara needed to heal him.

It was only with his careful airbending that he spared his kids from hearing his wheezing.

Aang stopped Sokka’s attempts. The kids had enough of people taking them away for the day. He needed them to go on their own.

“Hey, what—,” Aang gritted his teeth and pursed his lips, hiding a cough into a slurred sound like he was clearing his throat. It didn’t help that Kya hiccuped in the same moment and tightened her death grip on her father’s neck. Aang held her closer on instinct—her and Bumi—and smiled into her hair so she felt it. Only then did he give Sokka his attention. “What do ya think you’re doing, trying to take my munchkins from me, eh?” 

Sokka slumped, immediately seeing through Aang’s facade. Behind him, Toph’s clenched fists ground metal on metal to resist the urge to smack her former student. 

Aang felt Katara’s glare and heard what was left of her heart break as she moved closer, fighting the urge to hold her family like she was fighting to keep a tsunami away.

Sokka tried again. “Aang— ”

Aang ignored him. “What do you say, guys?” he asked the shivering, dust-coated bundles trying so desperately to hide in his robes. Aang smiled, ignoring even the thick beads of sweat rolling past his temple and trembling jaw. “You wanna go with Uncle Sokka for a bit?”

The suggestion made Bumi hold such a tight fistful of Aang’s collar that it threatened to cut off his air, and Kya shook her head so hard and so fast that it threatened to come off her shoulders.

“Nonononono!”

“Wanna...W-Wanna stay with D-Daddy…”

Aang’s heart broke not too unlike how the Uprisers cracked four of his ribs. 

Katara’s eyes were a threat and a plea—begging him. Aang would have wondered why she hadn’t talked yet if he didn’t see the tremble in her lip. 

She was struggling not to cry.

And they promised not to cry in front of the kids.

Suki stepped forward, just behind Sokka’s shoulder. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself when the children whimpered and curled ever closer. They were wired and on edge with the raw chill of fight or flight; instinct made them desperate to cling to the only warmth—the only safety—they could feel.

Aang nudged them higher so the blood leaking from his abdomen wouldn’t taint them. A shiver wracked him from head to toe, speeding his breathing and kicking his heart into overdrive. 

A quiet hush of metal on metal. “Twinkletoes…”

Bumi and Kya mumbled some more.

His kids were terrified—His wife equally so.

Aang laughed. 

It was a broken, wet sound, but it warmed the air’s tension just as his laugh always did. Even the sirens, shouts, and grindings of earthbending as Toph’s teams worked to rescue evidence and enemies from the crumbling warehouse were drowned out by the familiar sound.

Katara stepped forward. A lecture sat on her tongue and a thousand desperate pleas clouded her eyes.

Kya’s voice was a squeak. “D-Don’t go, Daddy…”

Katara gave him a look that held more than one meaning.

Aang gave her one back—that he hoped was reassuring—before he turned back to their kids. 

“Shhhhh, shhh, shhh…It’s okay, guys. It’s okay...shhh…I won’t be gone long. I just gotta go annoy Mama and do some boring grown-up things for a little bit. And I need to change my clothes—we all do. That sewer was a stinky, stinky place, wasn’t it?” He nudged Kya with his face, and he peeled her away enough from his neck to give her cheek a playful kiss and to give her terrified eyes a smile to look at. “Kya, I think you’re the stinkiest of us all, little lady.”

Kya held their eye-contact just as resolutely as she held onto his neck. Aang smiled wider, and his daughter had no choice but to do the same. 

The smallest giggle escaped her, like a shaft of light peeked through a barely opened door. “...Daddy’s stinkier.”

Aang looked appalled and gasped just as comically even though the sudden intake of air nearly sent him into a fit. “Me? Stinkier than you? I think not, little lady.”

His efforts won him a shy smile that was missing two baby teeth. “Daddy the stinkiest.”

“Not-ugh.”

“Yeah-huh.”

Aang rolled his eyes and didn’t stop smiling. “Well, I see who you take after. I’ll never win with you, now, will I?”

Kya laughed a little more. 

Bumi wasn’t swayed in the least. He held on to where Kya had let go. His voice was strained like a squeak of rubber on tile, thinned so taut that it threatened to break.

“It was scary down there…”

Aang’s smile almost faltered, and it would have if Kya—her confidence crawling back enough to pull away one hand to suck her thumb and rest her head contently on his partially dislocated shoulder—wasn’t looking at him. 

Aang shook like a stone building about to collapse. His face was paler. His robes were darker and so wet in some places that crimson beaded little pools on the fabric’s weave.

Sokka moved behind him. Suki stepped to Aang’s side where his shoulder was shifted at a strange angle. They both opened their arms—just a bit—expecting him to fall but ready to catch him.

But Aang would sooner die on his own two feet before he fell with his kids in his arms.

“Oh, Boom-Boom…,” Aang cooed. Bumi shook and bit his lip so hard that Aang feared it would bleed. He kissed his son’s hair and the darkening bruise on his forehead—the reminder of one of the Uprisers hitting Bumi with a baton—like the gesture might somehow be a bandage. “It’s okay, bud. I know it was scary. I was scared! But you two were so, so brave.”

“You…” Bumi angled his head to look up at the kind smile eager to greet him. Aang’s heart broke a little more. The vulnerability in those little eyes should be a crime. “Daddy was scared, too?”

“Are you kidding? Of course I was! Did you see how big those bad guys were? I thought I was in big trouble until you two brave warriors stepped in.” Aang’s knee threatened to give. Suki stepped a little closer with Toph right behind her. Gauze hit the ground as Katara tried and failed to hide her panic, but she was before her family in an instant. Aang gave her a look, ignored the scalding one he got in return, and turned his attention to their daughter. “Kya, you held your baby brother and did the waterwhip with one hand. One hand! Not even Mommy could do that when she was your age. And I’ll never forget the look on that bad man’s face when you kicked him in the shin, Bumi. He looked like you threw a boulder at him.”

A shy blush colored Bumi’s wet cheeks. The deathgrip on Aang’s collar loosened a bit. “He was gonna hurt Sissy…”

“But he didn’t, thanks to you. I’m so, so proud of you two. Mama is, too.” Aang trembled all the more, but his eyes were laughing and his smile carried a thousand reassurances when he looked at Katara. “Aren’t you, sweetie?”

Katara swallowed twice before she tamed her worry enough to keep it out of her voice. She kissed her children not nearly enough for her heart to stop racing, and her hands, once rubbing their backs like she did when they had nightmares, secretly wound under them to support their weights. Katara was still kissing their heads when she mumbled in a voice as soft as chalk dust but as firm as plated armor. “Very proud.”

Kya, one thumb in her mouth, didn’t move from her bed of robes and Daddy-shoulder as she found a handhold in her mother’s dress. Katara jumped on the chance to kiss her face. Kya smiled and squished her cheek—rounded from a gentle smile—to her mother’s. Quiet pride leaked into Kya’s words. “...I didn’t even cry when he hurted my hands with the rope.”

“Me neither!” Bumi piped up from his new position, relaxed and cradling himself in the dip of Aang’s other shoulder. Katara kissed him, too, and, if he weren’t struggling to stay conscious, she would have taken Aang out at his knees and strapped the stubborn brat to the nearest table so she could heal the blood oozing from his abdomen and onto her hand. 

“Did you hear that, Uncle Sokka?” Aang said. “Two big bag guys and rope, and they didn’t even cry!”

Sokka smiled, looking as tired as Aang felt. “That’s quite impressive, little warriors.”

The kids blushed. Aang kissed their cheeks with sloppily raspberries until they laughed. 

Aang laughed, too.

He was shaking even harder, now.

Katara gave him a look that he couldn’t tear away from. She wasn’t pleased in the least by the answer Aang’s look gave her in return, but she went along with it, nonetheless.

“Why don’t you two tell Uncle Sokka about your brave story? You know how much he loves those kinds of things. He tells you them all the time. He’ll tell everyone about how brave you two were.” Bumi and Kya giggled and held him tighter—not in fear or like he was the only thing keeping them from falling, but in a hug. 

Behind them, Aang gave Katara another look. 

Hurricanes killed fewer men than her returned look was capable of.

But, nonetheless, she understood. Something worse than sadness weighed down her movements as she pulled away, just a bit, and steeled herself in a subtle bending stance.

“Come on, Trouble and Mayhem, off to Uncle Sokka you go.” Aang motioned with his chin for Sokka to come forward. “Daddy’s gotta go do boring adult stuff for a little bit.”

“Cuz you're the Avatar?” Kya mumbled around her thumb.

“A bit, yes. But I won’t be long. I promise.”

Aang was just about to hand them off when Bumi spoke. “...When will you be Daddy again?”

Aang stopped shaking. He nudged both of his kids higher up on his chest so he could look them in the eye. He ignored Katara’s whine—so desperate it was audible—just as easily as he ignored the torn muscles bleeding even more of his life into his robes.

“Boom-Boom, I am always—I will always, always, always, always and forever be your and Kya’s and Tenzin’s daddy.” Aang coughed and hid it in the red fabric of his clothes. Katara looked ready to step closer. Aang silently shook his head. He didn’t stop smiling. “Daddy was the one who threw the rock at the bad man right? And gave him to Auntie Toph?”

“...Yeah.”

“And daddy was the one who carried you three out of there, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And who’s talking to you right now? Daddy or the Avatar?”

“Daddy.”

“That’s right. And your Daddy won’t ever, ever let any bad men hurt you. C’mere.” He gave them both cheek kisses, and they released his robes to touch his face. Aang nuzzled them as gently as he spoke. “I love you.”

“Love you more.”

“Impossible.” He gently kissed them again and gave Katara a final look as he handed their kids over to Sokka. “Uncle Sokka, be a pal and take these two hooligans for a bath and some ice cream. I have to bug their mama for a while. Make sure Kya scrubs behind her ears.”

In the pass-off, the kids’ attention on their father blinded them from seeing his blood being bent out of their clothes. Aang curled his arm over his abdomen just as the spot became warm and wet again.

Kya puffed her cheeks. “Daddy!” 

Bumi giggled at her, welcoming the laugh-slap-fight his sister met him with. Aang kissed Katara’s brow and patted Sokka’s shoulder before the warrior walked off with the kids.

Katara immediately started her pat-down. Her worry was palpable and thick like frozen gel in her voice. “Aang—”

“Wait,” he hissed.

Katara, very ready to argue, looked beyond his shoulder and pulled her finger off the trigger of her lecture. Bumi and Kya were looking at them from over Sokka’s shoulder. Katara waited, frozen more than anything as she was torn between her promise to her husband and her worry for his well-being.

They had promised not to bleed in front of the kids.

Aang kissed her brow in a sweet-looking way—like how he did every night when he got home. 

Two seconds later, the door was shut on the osctrichhorse cart. Six seconds later, it was turned around a corner.

Katara had no sooner glanced at the back wheel of the cart than her husband’s limp weight collapsed into a trembling puddle of whimpers, winces, and soft cries in her arms.

Aang smiled against her shoulder. Wet heat seeped from his clothes into hers.

Katara held him as tightly as she dared and shouted for a bunch of things Aang couldn’t make out. He couldn’t hear anything outside of Katara’s racing heart and the quiver in her voice (that only he could ever hear). 

She held him, and he held her, too. His fractured arm didn’t scream nearly as loudly or as angrily at him as she did. 

“Aang, don’t you dare move another muscle. Do you hear me?”

He laughed—the brat actually laughed. “It’s...It’s hard...not to hear you, sweetie.”

“Aang, this is serious. You’re hurt, damn you, and this isn’t the time to be cracking jokes.”

He laughed again. “I...disagree. It’s the exact...exact time to be.”

“Shut up.” Katara hesitated, glancing about for the supplies she was waiting for, but kissed him, nonetheless. “Just shut up and stay still so I can heal you and be mad at you later.” His eyes met hers. He was still smiling. She kissed him again.

“So…,” He paused to cough, “...So it’s a date?”

Despite herself, Katara laughed.

Aang smiled. She kissed him again.

The lasting images of his family’s grim faces were crushed under the renewed memories of their smiles. He danced the line of unconsciousness, but he forced himself awake until Katara healed him enough to be satisfied, for the moment, that her husband was out of immediate peril. 

His adoptive family gave him an earful—Toph promised to kill him later, and Suki promised to hold him down while she did it. They both gave him a hug and laughed, despite themselves, when he said he looked forward to it. 

Besides, they should have known he wouldn’t die from a rescue mission of this kind.

He and Katara had, after all, promised not to die in front of the kids.

************************************

an exercise in angst because I suck at writing it...I blame discord and A.D.Curtis entirely for making me think about angst while trying to write some bestdad!Aang content

[itrytowrite-things]

Shifting into the supernatural

Sam x reader (platonic), Dean x reader (platonic)

Summary: Y/N has a tendency to leave her world for the supernatural word and Sam Wonder why. 

A/N: From what I understand shifting is a super realistic version of lucid dreaming. It is a big thing on tik tok at the moment. So that is where I got the inspiration for this fic. I have not attempted to shift realities so I am not 100% sure how it works so if you are interested in attempting to shift watch a youtube video and do research.

I sat in the small hotel bathtub. My knees pulled into my chest at an attempt to make myself as small as possible. The tub was only about 4 feet long and half that deep, which didn't mix well when you put two people in it. Especially when one of them was Sam Winchester who stood at 6’4” without shoes. Sam let out a small grunt as he tried to sit up taller, his left foot kicking me in the back. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled, moving around trying to fit his legs at a more comfortable angle. I quickly shushed him. Dean was just outside of the door, a girl screaming at him as he calmly tried to explain why he was also sleeping with her friend after their night of so-called “passion”. It would be quite funny if he hadn’t forced Sam and I into the bathroom after getting the angry call from said girl claiming she was coming to get “something off her chest”. I am pretty sure he thought she was gonna come in, rant about her day, and then take him away to have a “good” time, meaning Sammy and I would only be in the bathtub for the five minutes it took Dean to suggest heading back to her place. But when she came in yelling about Dean being a “no good dirty bastard” we knew we would be in here for a while.

The creaking under Sam's weight felt like the loudest sound for miles, even though it hardly made a dent against the sound waves traveling from the hotel room. The yelling soon grew repetitive and old, no longer being gossip to hold against Dean. I looked at Sam for a while, trying not to laugh as he grimaced about the details the girl was giving about her night with Dean. Dean’s voice soon came into the conversation. Sam and I had both zoned it out at that point. 

“Kid, there actually is something I have been meaning to ask you,” I nodded at him to continue. “Why do you come here?'' The question stumped me. I knew why I shifted into their world everyday, why I sat anxiously in my last class waiting for the bell to ring so I could come here and be with them. Why I hold in a tiny breath every time I start to shift, praying that this still works. I had just never had to put those feelings into words. Now all of the words I was  thinking felt wrong. Like the weight of them didn’t match the weight in my heart. 

“Not that we don’t love to have you here Y/N. I mean we wait around all morning for you to get here. I just don’t understand why. You’ve told us about your world. There are no monsters or demons or angels in your world. No looming apocalypse every year or death waiting around the corner. You are safe there, so why come here?” 

They waited for me, they sat here anxiously waiting to see if I would show up. That’s why I came here, I thought. 

“I matter here, Sammy,” he looked confused at me, his puppy dogs eyes shining through. “At home I am always second best. You know the friend you talk to after your first friend said no. Or the filler friend until you can find someone better to replace me. I am average in my classes and just in life in general, but here; I matter. I am on Team Free Will, saving the earth.” My voice starts to lose its edge and volume. “I am truly loved here, you and Dean and Cas make everything better. I guess because you care about me so deeply, that it makes me care about myself. So you’re right, no death threatening event in my world, but also, no you. No Dean. No Cas. Hell I would appreciate Crowley being in my world.” We both let out a laugh that dies down quickly as we soak up the new knowledge we were each given. 

Sam suddenly had that protective big brother look on his face, the one that was normally displayed on Dean's face. It felt weird to go from being the one that cares and makes sure everyone is okay to being looked at like a fragile being that someone else is willing to hold together while you fall apart. I cried the first time Dean looked at me like that, I wanted to be mad and tell him piss off that. I didn’t need a big brother to watch over me. I had gone my whole life without one, but the truth was, I desperately needed a big brother and now I am realizing, I needed two. 

“Don’t tell Dean though, don't need him getting all sappy on me.” We both let out a loud chuckle that rippled off the small bathroom walls. Sam leaned back into his laugh. 

Cold water jolted out of the shower head, spraying me directly in the chest. A gasp escaped me, as it soaked straight through my clothes. Sam’s laugh became nuclear, he seemed unbothered by the water that was slowly making it way to his side of the bath. Too distracted by my current shivering state. I pulled sharply at the edge of his flannel to catch him off guard. He fell forward, giving me just enough room to slip underneath him to the other side of the tub. The laughter stopped abruptly, the cold water knocking the air out of his lungs. It was my turn to let out a loud cackle. 

We were so caught up in the water war that we didn’t notice the lack of yelling followed by the loud sound of the front door slamming. Dean threw open the bathroom door. His mouth formed around words but stopped at the sight of me and Sam laying on the tub floor soaking wet, water still cascading down on top of us. His angry expression vanished.  

“What the hell are you guys doing?” I could tell that it was taking everything in him not to laugh at our position. He was putting on what me and Sam call his dad face, his face set in a stone cold serious expression. It always had a way of making you feel like you’re three years old and you just got caught cutting your siblings hair with the kitchen scissors. His eyes betrayed him though. There was a glimmer of light in them that said he wanted to laugh.  

“We are doing what you told us.” I squeaked, moving into an upright sitting position, smiling sheepishly at Dean. 

“I told you guys to hide in the bathroom, not create a tsunami in the tub.” Sammy let out a bark of a laugh that was silenced by Dean's crossed arms. My lips curled involuntarily inward to stop my own laughter from spilling into the room. 

Sam now stood, making me so tiny on the bathtub floor, alone surrounded by two giants. I stood to suppress that feeling. It didn’t work. I was always a foot or so shorter than the boys even while standing. The water now hit the top of my head, spraying around me. 

“What did you expect Dean? We were in here for thirty minutes while that girl screamed about the ‘night of love making’ you two shared and how you had one with her friend two days later. We got bored.” Sam reached up and moved the shower head so it was now pointed at the very front of the tub. 

“Yeah,” Dean reached around and scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry you had to hear that kid.” I gave him a real smile followed by a shrug of my shoulders. I knew Dean was a player, I could have gone without the details, but I am not scarred for life or anything.  

“Hey, what about me? I deserve an apology.” 

“You deserve nothing.” Dean pointed an accusatory finger at Sam. “I told you that was her friend the other night at the bar, ‘No Dean, her friend was shorter with lighter hair’.” He mocked Sam's voice as he turned around in a small circle to face the opposite wall. Sam bumped his shoulder into mine lightly. Looking up I saw a mischievous grin displayed on his face, he was holding the shower head in his hand. He gave a short nod towards Dean, before mouthing a wordless countdown. 

“You no good dirty bastard!” I yelled when he got to one. Dean whirled around fast, confusion riddled his whole body. Sam was quick to lift the shower head up, spraying Dean straight in the face. His face the moment the water hit was priceless, he was truly in disbelief. 

“You two are asking for it.” Dean growled, lunging towards us. 

I quickly tried to jump out of the tub, unfortunately so did Sam. We crashed into each other landing on the tile floor, a heap of legs and elbows. Sam manages to catch my head in his palm before it smacks the ground. The room echoes with laughter, each of us wet, cold, and unbelievably happy. 

“Alright we need dry clothes or we will all catch pneumonia.” Sam says breaking the laughter. 

“Like that would kill a Winchester. Right kid?” Dean splashes water in my direction, I laughed nodding my head. My heart was growing as Sam threw a towel around my shoulders. 

I could stand being Y/N Y/L/N in my world as long as I got to be Y/N Winchester here.

[cal-tries-to-write]

Chris’s not so imaginary imaginary friend

A/n I know a lot of the firefighting stuff I say is extremely incorrect but for the sake of the story it needed to happen also to be in true 911 fashion. So I am sorry for anyone who can’t read this because of the in accuracy’s I feel for you I do. Also if your wondering why I picked the shows I did I just said whatever was playing in the background when I was writing. (Just a little fun fact I do that a lot)

“Has Chris ever mentioned a imaginary friend to you?”

Eddie turned his head from his son to the therapist next to him. “Why do you ask?”

“Ever since the tsunami Chris has been drawing pictures of himself and this person he calls Buck.” The therapist handed him a drawing, it was of a little boy with Chris written above him and he was holding someone’s hand. The person next to him was taller with blonde hair and blue eyes, he also had wings and what looked to be a crown on his head, above it written in black crayon ‘Buck’.

“No he’s never mentioned any imaginary friends or anyone named Buck either.”

“So he doesn’t know anyone with that name.”

“No.”

The therapist nodded.

“So I shouldn’t be worried?”

“As far as I can tell no. Though I do encourage you to talk to Chris about this Buck person and maybe find out more. That may help figure out who he is and why he showed up now.”

Eddie thanked the doctor as Christopher came out of the room and towards him. Telling him he was ready to go home.

Later that night when Eddie went to put Christopher to bed he saw him drawing again. The same person from the picture he had seen at the therapist’s office, except this time he was pointing to someone on a rescue boat.

“Hey,” Eddie leaned on the door frame, “what are you drawing?”

“Me and my friend Buck.” Chris put down the crayon to smile at his dad, “he saved me. Helped me find you.”

“Really? Can I meet him.”

“No.” He answered bluntly before going back to working on his drawing.

Eddie moved so he was now sitting next to Chris, “How come?”

“He’s shy. He’s also worried he’ll scare you.”

Eddie though for a moment before replying, “Well how bout you tell him that I’m not scared of anything and that there’s no need to be shy.”

A smile spread across Chris’s face as he looked up from his drawing, “Your scared of Santa.”

Eddie let out a small laugh, “Your Abeula told you that story.”

“Yeah.”

“Well I’m guessing she left out the part that i had the flu.”

“She said you say that to make it seem less worse.”

“Does she now? Well just for that,” Eddie stood up scooping Christopher up in his arms, “it’s time for bed.”

“Noooooo!” Chris turned into a ball of laughter as Eddie put him down on the bed and pulled the covers up tucking him in.

“Good night buddy.” He kissed the top of his sons head.

“Night dad. I love you!” Chris called as Eddie walked over to the door.

“I love you too.” And with that Eddie turned off the light and closed the door behind him.

Walking over to the couch Eddie sat down and turned on the tv absently scrolling through Netflix trying to find something to watch. Though his mind kept wandering to Chris’s imaginary friend. How come he did tell him sooner? Was he worried that he’d say that he was to old for imaginary friends? Did he talk to anyone else about Buck? Was this an actual person that he had met an was misremembering how he looked? Was it just someone who helped him and now he had become attached? Was Chris lonely? Realizing he was overthinking he finally redirected his focus to the tv, realizing that he had stopped scrolling in the middle of his over thinking. Netflix started playing the show that he apparent stopped on,Supernatural, he remembered Bobby talking about the show one time, apparently May really like it. She even went to comic con to meet the actors. Deciding he didn’t have anything better in mind he put the remote down and let the episode play.

Eddie groaned as he slowly opened his eyes trying to wake up. He looked around and saw he had passed out on the couch, there was a pillow under his head and a blanket over him yet he didn’t remember grabbing a pillow or blanket the night before. He was for once thankful that he had the second late shift because that meant he could spent time with Chris because it was the weekend and have some time to actually wake up before heading to work. He bolted up when he heard a crash come from behind him.

“Sorry.” He realized it was just Christopher who had dropped something on the ground.

“It’s alright,” Eddie walked fully into the kitchen now, “what are you doing?”

“When I woke up you were still asleep on the couch so I decided to make you breakfast.”

“You were? Well that very nice of you. How about I help you though?”

Chris looked at him and contemplated it for a brief moment, “ok.” He smiled picking up the bowl.

“Ok.” Eddie smiled back as he headed to the pantry to grab the ingredients they would need.

“Hey dad,” Chris had finished his pancakes and was now looking at Eddie who was still eating.

“Yeah,” Eddie put down his fork to look at his son.

“Did you know Buck has a sister?”

“I didn’t.” Eddie was glad that Chris at least seemed more comfortable talking about Buck now that he knew Eddie knew about him.

“He does. Her names Maddie she’s Chimney’s guardian angel.”

“I’m pretty sure Maddie is Chim’s girlfriend bud.”

“I know but she’s also an angel like Buck.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Eddie some how manages to be running late even with the fact that both Carla arrived early to pick up Chris and he managed to leave his house early himself. Damn LA traffic. When he finally did get to the firehouse his team already left on the first call of the shift. He knew he wouldn’t hear the end of this from Chimney, he’s been living in LA for almost two years and yet he still seemed to forget about midday traffic. Deciding the best thing to do would be start his chores and pray that that getting them done would at least help Bobby forgive him for being late he headed to the locker room to get changed.

“Eddie did you forget about traffic again?” Chimney walked up behind him slapping his back.

“No I actually left early.”

“Yet you were still late.”

Eddie shook his head ignoring Chimney’s remark and faced at Bobby, “I really am sorry about being late, I did get my chores done for the day though while you guys were at the call.”

“I’ll let it go this time because I’m pretty sure this is the first time you’ve been late since you started here. Just don’t let it happen again.”

“It won’t.”

The day was fairly slow after that, meaning everyone was just sitting around at the station. Bobby was baking, Hen was next to Eddie reading some medical textbook while Eddie was catching up on the news, and Chimney was playing pinball trying to beat the record Hen had set. The peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted by the bell going off signaling for an apartment fire.

When they arrived to the building other teams where already working on getting people out. Bobby headed straight to fire chief to find out what his team needed to do. She explained that stations 19 and 144 were clearing floors 1-10 so his team needed to clear floors 11-15.

Heading back to his team he relayed the information and assigned one floor for every three people so one truck could hold take two floors. Hen and Chimney were paired with another firefighter while Eddie was partnered with Lewis and Anderson, two paramedics that he knew somewhat well, which was a relief.

After clearing their floor, 13, Eddie, Lewis and Anderson heard Bobby called over the radio that everyone needed to get out, the building was going to collapse soon. As they walked down the hallway to the stairs Eddie swore he heard someone yelling but when he asked the other two about it they said they didn’t hear anything. As they reached the stairs Eddie heard the yell once more and not being able to leave the building knowing that their might be someone calling for help he told Lewis and Anderson to go while he double checked the room he thought the yelling was coming from. They both gave him a look and said that the building wasn’t stable and they needed to get out. He reassured them he’d be right behind them.

As he entered to room he was reassured in the fact that someone was calling out. He walked through the living room calling out to them trying to get another response. After clearing the living room and kitchen he headed to the two bedrooms. Grabbing the door frame to the master bedroom he felt the building shake, he was running out of time. He then saw something move in the corner of the room. He called out one final time and finally got a response a weak one but a response none the less. It was a little kid no older than 7 curled under the bed looking terrified.

“Hey, I’m here to help.” He walked over and knelt down, “Can you come out. Then we can get out of here together.”

The kid slowly crawled out from the bed and grabbed Eddies hand. As soon as he was out Eddie picked him up and ran out of the room, out of the apartment and into the hall, knowing he was going to be out of time soon. As he was halfway down the hall he felt the building shake and the floor give out beneath him. He held the kid closer, closed his eyes and waited for the impact of hitting the floor beneath them, but it never came. Instead when he opened his eyes he was outside the building. He was in the alley next to fire escape. Slowly he set the kid down try to process what had just happened, he looked around thinking maybe he passed out when he hit the floor and someone dragged him to the fire escape? But then someone would have been around. He shook his head, what had just happened he could try to figure out later right now he needed to get the boy to Chim and Hen so they could make sure he really was ok.

“Hey buddy,” He took off his helmet and mask so he could talk easier, “you alright? Can you walk?”

“I think so?” The kid mumbled looked confused himself.

“Alright follow me. I’ll take you to the ambulance where my friends can check you out and make sure you’re not hurt.” He took the boys hand once more and lead him out of the alley where he saw his team looking at the building collapsing in on itself.

“Hen! Chimney! I got a kid I need to to check out.” He called waving to get their attention. As soon as their heads turned they, and Bobby, started running over.

It was 4pm by the time he got home which wasn’t late which wasn’t late enough for him to just go to bed even though he was beyond tired. Even though he just got off a 24 hour shift he really didn’t feel like messing up his sleep schedule more than it already was. Instead he compromised with sitting down and relaxing that way he didn’t have to do anything but would still sleep tonight. The only downside was Christopher was hanging out with his aunt meaning that if he did fall asleep no one would wake him up. But he could stay awake so that wasn’t a problem, pulled up Disney+ this time and put on the Simpsons, not really paying attention he drifted off to sleep half and hour later.

Once again he was awoken by the noise of something crashing this time it sounded like multiple cookie trays had been dropped, the loud noise was followed by a quiet “shit!” It’s takes Eddie a moment to realize that he’s supposed to be home alone and the second he does remember he’s up off the couch and quietly walking towards the kitchen trying to see who or what made the noise. As he gets a clear view of the kitchen he sees a man with dark blonde hair mumbling to himself holding a recipe book. Normally Eddie would be confronting the man asking what he’s doing in his house, or he’d be moving to make the better move, calling the police. Yet he just stands there frozen because from where he’s standing it looks like the man has soft barely blue wings and a glowing golden halo around his head. Eddie just froze, he finally shook his head and rubbed his eyes but nothing he did changed what he saw.

“Kära gud,” Eddie breaths out, he realizes he said that aloud when the man turns around and drops the book as his wings flair up. Eddies first thought is he looks like a big chicken ready to fight. When Eddie looks from the mans wings to his eyes he’s meet with the beautiful blue eyes it hits Eddie who this person in his kitchen looked exactly like,“Buck?”

A/n that last thing Eddie says is Dear god in Swedish and it was Spanish but I changed it because I saw a post about him also muttering under his breath in Swedish.

[kitchenscene]

austin’s 911 / buddie fic rec

[ long post, so all fics are under the cut ]

tags: @michaelgrantnash , @bisexualbuck , @terryjeffordss

﹂cause love is whatever we want it to be by wafflesofdoom

summary: "he and buck, there was a sort of an inevitability to their relationship that scared eddie to his core, sometimes – but more and more now, he was realising that his fear was holding him back from something amazing.he –well, eddie was going to sweep buck off his feet."

personal opinion: there’s this line – ‘falling for you just felt inevitable’ –that just stuck with me. this is one of those fics that i’ll probably still be thinking about years from now.

﹂the ivory keys by tkreyesevandiaz

summary: buck didn’t think he’d come back to this one thing again. as a kid, he’d crashed into the habit like a beautiful accident. he’d stumbled upon the old instrument in the guest house where his parents usually held brunches and parties for other aristocrats in their circles, at age eight. after hearing the reverberating sound from the keys, it became an obsession to learn.

personal opinion: very very very sweet. i literally had dreams about this fic after i read it.

﹂encore by pline

summary: “I’m going insane.”

“Did something happen?”

A dark, bitter laugh bubbles out of Buck – a mockery of joy.

“Everything keeps happening, and it’s still the same fucking day. It’s always the same and every time it’s different and I can’t do anything.”

Or

Buck keeps reliving the same day, over and over again.

personal opinion: oh my GOD oh my god i love time loops. the angst !!! (make sure you read the tags though for tw)

﹂knocking on heaven’s door by MomentsOfWeakness

summary: buck isn’t sure where he is. the last thing he remembers was being out on a call. now he’s here, in a place he has never seen before surrounded by people he doesn't know. it's bright. that's all he can really tell.

based on a tumblr prompt where someone asked for buck and chris both ending up in purgatory at the same time before they ever met in life. buck has a ticket back to the living world but he gives it to chris who is supposed to die. an old man, seeing what buck did for chris, decides to give his own ticket for the living world to buck, because the world needs more people like him.

personal opinion: i included this on an old fic rec post and i’m linking it again because i love it. this is so poetic and lovely.

﹂eddie begins by malmal88

summary: these are words he’s never spoken out loud before. each experience that counts as proof has been folded up and carefully tucked away inside of himself. he spent all the time in between each one of the cornerstone moments trying to prove to himself, to his father, to anyone who was paying attention that it wasn’t true. he was almost successful at it. but there is only so long you can deny who you are.

personal opinion: this is part of a three fic series, and it’s one of my fav eddie centric fics. all three together are a masterpiece.

﹂i’ll see you in my dreams by talk_too_much

summary: in which buck finds himself inexplicably married to his best friend, but it’s fine, he’s figuring it out.

personal opinion: this is part one of a two fic series, definitely read both of them. not much i can say plot wise without spoiling it, but this is a fic that i come back too a lot.

﹂it wasn’t fate that led me to you by theskyisblue

summary: evan buckley was seven years old when his vision for the red string of fate came to life. his mother had talked with him for hours that day, explaining to him what he saw, why he saw what he saw, and how he should never breathe a word to a single soul about what he saw. he was still too young to understand that the red string of fate was more complicated than his seven-year-old mind made it out to be, that love was far more complex than a simple fated partner and a happily ever after.

personal opinion: oh it’s got a Moral at the end, which i like. happy ending, but not in the way you’d think.

﹂carnations by red_to_black

summary: evan buckley has never once been given flowers in his life. that is, until he mentions it in a fit of self-pity at the firehouse. then they're everywhere. what he can't work out is where they're coming from.

(or: buck mentions never getting flowers before, and a certain someone decides to remedy that.)

personal opinion: one of those fics where it’s so cute that i have to set my phone down for a sec and take a few breaths or else i’ll get overwhelmed. love love love.

﹂kiss me like you mean it by HaleyDingle

summary: 5 times eddie kisses buck + 1 time he really kisses him.

personal opinion: i think i’ve reread this like five times at least. very sweet.

﹂stick with you by soft_satan

summary: eddie licked his dry lips as he reached for his radio, trying to keep his movements slow and delicate to prevent any more damage to himself or buck.

“Diaz to Captain Nash.”

“Go for Nash,” came Bobby’s quick reply.

“You two okay? Where are you?”

“We’re in a bit of a sticky situation here…”

“We’re a shish kabob, Cap!” Buck chimed in. Eddie rolled his eyes.

personal opinion: oooh babey the angst. the self sacrificing bullshit. i love it.

﹂to glimpse red by tkreyesevandiaz

summary: red was the color of passion, of seduction, of happiness and prosperity. it was the color of danger, of fire, of violence, of blood. but in this moment, red was the color of pure terror.

personal opinion: oh im a slut for navy seals!buck and this delivers.

﹂the urgency of now by wayfarer

summary: buck is pretty sure the universe is actively trying to murder him at this point. there’s just no other explanation. in the last two years he has been blown up and subsequently crushed by a fire truck, suffered from a pulmonary embolism, nearly drowned in a tsunami and now this. how many times can he almost die before it stops being an accident and starts being some kind of cosmic hit put out on his life?

or, a building collapses on Buck and Eddie. confessions ensue.

personal opinion: i don’t usually cry when i read fics but this made me cry like a little baby.

﹂if i didn’t have you by rebeccaofsbfarm

summary: Eddie groans, but he gets down on his knee, setting their beers on the pavement. He works to unknot the laces, then ties them again. He goes to stand, but Buck stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Eddie…” he looks up to see that Buck’s eyes are the size of dinner plates. He leans on his knee, trying to understand why Buck is so flustered, and then he hears the shutter of a camera. In his peripheral, he sees that a crowd has gathered around them, and half of the people have their phones out, recording.

Eddie’s eyes connect with Buck’s, and while he is panicked, Buck is trying so hard not to laugh that there are tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. The crowd must see it and misread it as Buck being overcome with emotion, because they coo in response.

“Fuck,” Eddie curses under his breath, quiet enough that only Buck can hear him. “What do I do here?”

Buck snorts, “Sorry man, I think you’ve got to commit now.”

personal opinion: fuck dating we’re skipping straight to proposals.

﹂waves (it comes and goes) by SunSpell80

summary: evan buckley left his past behind when he left home for good at age 19. but an unexpected phone call on a quiet shift disrupts the life he's built for himself: forcing him to confront his past in order to build a new future.

personal opinion: make sure you read the tws but oooOOh the slowburn ? the family drama ? i live for it

﹂you’re gonna have a great time by waytotheend

summary: chris leaves a list of 20 things buck can do to cheer eddie up while he's at camp; somehow it turns into a 20 steps plan to woo eddie.

personal opinion: ‘i don’t know buck, i’m nine’ sends me every time.