#Letting Winston Be Mad and not just have to shrug it off b/c someone told him to shove it? would indeed be something

[unproduciblesmackdown]

working off a presumption that winston gets sent off in the first quarter of the season, Also presuming that it's not simply like as fond in-universe as possible (e.g. reluctance all around, a nice chat with taylor, kiss on the head, etc) b/c like, nobody ever gets that, & even though it's more possible re: finales, again, just Presuming winston sure won't get that:

ofc possible that it's decided that the Conclusion for winston's character ought to be an "answer" to his being autistic, but interpreted both in & out of universe as oh this person is inconsiderate, arrogant, hostile, etc. so that is just finally allowed to "catch up with him" and like seize any conflict or grievance anyone has with him as the excuse to push him out, pwning him one last time b/c he refused to Learn His Lesson & either become allistic or just essentially see himself out, either by quitting or shutting up forever

but imo it would obviously be more fun at all if the Conclusion for his character is instead focused on the also more substantial "if a character is on billions their life has gone awry; they have shown up with their [problems] suitcase at the [more problems] sunk cost factory" wherein like....winston's autistic, he's trying to be valued as a person by being valued for his quanting, and this whole time he's been succeeding Enough at that in that he was hired & hasn't yet actually been fired, but like, probably actually nobody's working back from [begrudgingly valuing winston's quanting] to valuing winston himself, even also begrudgingly....you've got rian wringing "value" from him more generally b/c by & large their moments of friendship seem to just be something she wants to take from him in those specific moments, check back 5 seconds later & that may have stopped being true & she'll be lashing out b/c What Matters is that this is all on her terms serving what she wants, which is also winston's (& anyone's) relationship with their role in his job overall. rian's above him in their own social duo, also as an employee in tmc, everyone else wherever he works are also always above him socially/professionally....i know it was like oh too busy to film much and we can't really come up with an explanation so winston's just absent from tmc get-togethers in s4 w/o anyone speaking of it at all, but like, forever whew ouch the Verisimilitude that aligns anyways like. of course he'd just unspoken collective agreement be singularly excluded

anyways to this end we Know he's not going to get an ending of finally finding [ppl have liked/valued him as a person b/c he convinced them to want to try b/c they like/value his quanting :) ] like that's never a guarantee for anyone, the [irl autistic ppl trying to "make up for" the dislike / rejection they garner for being nd by being a Good Co/worker] just leading to having to quit / be fired b/c of burnout anyways and nobody cares....there'll be some extra shit in the mix to be sure, but what i'm saying is like, if winston just Does cause a Problem on his way out out of pettiness, out of [ruin everyone's day this once like how has been done to him fifty thousand times] out of [make people pay attention to His Work(tm) b/c they won't pay attention to Him even in the end here] out of [just being pissed & getting any revenge by even like doing the equivalent of taking a not precisely aimed huge swing at mpc as a Fuck You that anyone will have to care about / exert any energy over, vs that if winston himself just expresses Fuck You interpersonally then nobody would care & would just ignore him as he left]

point is like i wouldn't be mad if he gets petty at Anyone b/c like uh, yeah. singled out at Taylor would ofc be a downer but like, if they actually get to interact about it? that'd be Something, for sure, and we're never guaranteed something. he has plenty of cause to be hostile to rian b/c to the end here she's decided to be [the person who hurts him, deliberately, continually], all while getting preferential treatment from the person he's Really been here for the whole time, just as salt in that wound even if rian didn't choose that part entirely on her own. could definitely anticipate it at least being marginally more enjoyable than what's easily expected: winston only getting some unceremonious sendoff in the midst of a scene about other shit, with everyone getting to immediately completely move on

all of this ofc about like, pretending like oh whatever billions does with winston cannot hurt me. but also not Really pretending that, and also it already has lol, i'm frustrated & annoyed as i have been abt things we've learned like [hip hooray rian and dollar bill on the trading floor. what bliss] and [nobody will mention that william exists or has ever existed behind the scenes like ugh please] and that [victor's staying power is so so annoying too just like it was when are you kidding we're getting rid of bonnie instead of him? kill me] but like. it'll hurt me and i'm just bracing to roll with that and it's also been about already clocking in at the [ow. ouch] factor abt this shit Ahead of time lol, you can't have just flipped some switch....but i also know billions may not just completely let us down & may even give us fuckall, and that knowledge is also further setup for pain lol. Can't truly have zero hopes, unforch. but also whatever also begrudging forch b/c like, we do have fun. i have my hater energy but it's not genuine but it also is lol like leave me to my galaxy brain idiosyncratic exact experience that i am having, as [we are not the same] w/frustrations & grievances as w/delights & revelations (when you are reveling in something)

basically it's like, i Would rather that the [quantessence] of winston's character be His emotional hangups that are required to even be on the show, namely, an autistic person desperate for recognition of his personhood through "merit" fruitlessly proffered to offset his rejection, or, as stated, to indeed at least be Needed so that he can have the like bare begrudging hollow inclusion of [being allowed in the building, literally], and have the "resolution" of this issue even being, very billions aptly, simply to be forced to give up on / let go of / have taken from you the means to keep acting on that motivation as you have been: for winston, naturally, having this job, working for taylor as Thee taylor mason loyalist, and understander, and supporter....all that, rather than centering Everyone Else's Hangups abt hating & rejecting an autistic person. tragically, can't put it fully past billions to not prioritize any & all other characters, and at winston's expense, basically just as has been happening to winston in-universe the whole time (& already out of it, like, where are his little arcs even just for fun? where is his being allowed to talk to taylor, or like, in general? where is he in most of s7, now? you didn't have to send him off early at all.) but also can't put it fully past billions to suddenly devote thought & effort to the character, god forbid that truest conduit for our hopes & dreams manifest which is that, if nothing else, winston gets to say something to taylor that they listen to b/c they choose to actually consider things he says, even though, indeed, they don't "have to," 4x11 to 4x12, through tears "Q is for Quantitative, babey," for sure. and even this time make it clearer that's obviously what happened, though like, there is fuckall on this show that can be made "clear" to the whole audience out here so yknow. at the same time like as though someone couldn't go "for the wynnstans" like look all the audience who also doesn't devote a neural spark to winston no matter what is not gonna care either way. but i will care so much forever. already i will probably be thinking "winston dick energy" every day for the rest of my life

you may notice as i have that i'm basically like gee billions would be fun if you at all gave winston material about him being a person in his own right rather than solely getting in one more Use of him as whatever object resource plot device for other characters' [being a person] like. would it count if (this will not happen) rian has to think about how what it means for her as a person that she Hasn't been treating winston as a person? eh, that's sure indirectly anything i guess. taylor's our best bet, someone who has already listened to winston & talked to him person to person & understood him & whom he's here for, & because of, & etc. tuk is winston's friend for real but he probably won't get to do anything, it'd be fun if idk they hug, or are confirmed to continue to hang out & get laid together, or wave & smile across the room, or anything. really obviously would go off the rails do anything blast off for the winnie n tay but you know. here we are, forever, doing it for them

[prettyfunkyunorganized]

Daughter Series - McCree pt. 2

Sorry I took such a long break! This is the first day I’ve REALLY felt okay again - not coughing and wiping my nose a ton. GET YOUR FLU SHOTS, PEOPLE!!! Holy crow. I appreciate your patience while I caught up on life stuff and planned my big fic :)

Anywho. here’s another McCree and Juniper post! Inspired by my bought of Influenza B. Only 1,800ish words. I’m learning to keep it shorter! :O

More Daughter Series: Hanzo, Roadhog, McCree, Soldier 76, Genji 

McCree installments: pt 1, pt 2

masterlist

It was about the middle of the afternoon and McCree was damn hungry. What he wouldn’t give for something fried and topped with some sorta shellfish, but Mercy had pitched the fryer weeks ago – she was a cruel, health-minded tyrant. Leftovers or a sandwich would have to do. “Wonder what my sweetpea’s up to,” he mused, wandering down the hallway. Juni was probably elbow deep in some turret or Winston’s temperamental Tesla Cannon over in Torbjorn’s workshop. How that girl could spend all day with that sour little engineer, McCree would never know. She was always smiling though and swore Torb treated her well.

The cowboy pushed open the door and was instantly greeted with the sound of angry Swedish grumbling.

“Somethin’ givin’ you trouble, Torb,” McCree asked.

“Yes, but I’m sure you can’t do anything about it,” the little man griped. He was madder than a wet hen today.

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave ya be,” he chuckled. “You know where my Juniper is, though?”

“Haven’t seen her,” Torbjorn said, muffled by the screwdriver in his mouth.

“Since . . .” McCree asked leadingly.

“Since yesterday.”

He frowned deeply. “Yesterday? She hasn’t been in here all day?”

Torb sighed heavily and swiveled on his tall stool. “That’s usually what ‘since yesterday’ means. Maybe you need to cut all that hair, cowpoke – I’m starting to think it’s clogging your ears.”

McCree burst out laughing, “Oh, but that giant-ass bushy beard never gets in yer way?”

The man opened his mouth and took a deep breath to retaliate, but then stopped dead. “Good point,” Torbjorn shrugged. “But no, I haven’t seen little Juniper today, which isn’t like her. I figure she’s got her reasons. I was going to go knock on her door, but I lost track o’ time. You going to check on her?”

“Yeah,” he nodded vigorously, “I’m gonna find her.”

“Let me know if something’s up,” Torbjorn said turning back around, “but I’m sure she’s just a little burnt out. She’s a little worker bee, that one. I found her in here at 9:30 last night and told her to take a breather. Probably just relaxing somewhere and drifted off. She definitely got that ability to sleep anywhere form you.”

Jesse beamed proudly and thanked his teammate for the tip. Every time someone pointed out a similarity between him and his daughter, McCree swelled with pride. She was an infinitely better person than he was, but she also made him feel like a better man. If Juni saw something worthwhile in him, he must be doin’ alright.

“Juniper,” he called, knocking on her door – just a few feet from his own, “you in there?”

All was quiet, but just as McCree was about to leave, the thick metal door slid open. Juni stood blinking in the fluorescent lights with a big blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her hair strung about wildly.

“Takin’ a nap, sweetpea,” he laughed.

“Yeah,” she said roughly and began coughing. The smile fell from McCree’s face.

“You feeling okay,” he asked worriedly.

“I’m sick,” she explained, rubbing her face drowsily.

“Aw, honey, why didn’t you tell me?!” He pulled her into a hug, and she giggled, coughing into her blanket after.

“I didn’t want to bug you,” she replied, smiling up at him. “I know you guys have a lot going on right now with Overwatch operations being started up again. And I already went to Angela for some meds, so don’t worry.”

“Did she say it’s just a cold,” he asked rubbing her cheek.

“Yup. She told me to take it easy and get some rest. I’ll be okay soon.”

McCree squeezed her tighter. “You still should have told me,” he pouted, “I shoulda been takin’ care of you.”

“I was going to let you know eventually, honest,” she said into his serape.

He smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead. He loved holding her close. “You doing any better now?”

“Not really,” she moaned. “I should take some more medicine and get some water, though.”

“Have you eaten?” She shook her head. “Well then, I’m going to heat us up some soup and bring it to you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Juniper insisted.

“Hey,” he said pecking the top of her head, “don’t deny me the chance to take care of my sick baby girl. I missed out on every other cold, so I got a lot of making up to do.”

She snorted and smirked, “You don’t have to make up for anything, McCree. You’ve already done so much for me.”

“I want to take care of you, Juni,” he said softly. “Now, go curl up, and I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay,” she laughed. “Thanks, McCree. I’ll leave the door unlocked for ya.”

He rushed to the kitchen and plopped a couple cans of soup in a pot, tapping his foot impatiently as the contents heated up. Slowly. He dug around in the cupboards and found some powdered “Orange Drink” and dumped it in a jug of cold water. Hopefully, it wasn’t too nasty. Winston was about the only one who liked this stuff, likely because of his time on the Lunar Colony, but it did have a lot of vitamin C and D. A while later, McCree was juggling a filled thermos of chicken noodles, a couple of bowls, two spoons, and the fake OJ. He hardly had a free finger to thumb her door’s keypad.

“Need a hand,” Juniper asked with a giggle as he walked into her room.

“I got this,” he laughed, catching the bowls before they fell too far down his side.

McCree set everything down on her bedside table, scooting a few things over.

“Sorry it’s a mess in here,” she said flushing. “I’ve never been the best about keeping my room clean.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” McCree smiled at her, “I don’t mind a bit. I was a messy guy for a long time until this place whipped me into shape. Not that you need to be whipped into shape! I was much, much worse.”

“I’ll tidy up soon,” she promised, snuggling deeper into her bed.

“It’s ok, baby girl,” he said slowly. “Stop worrin’ so much. You’re perfect, ya hear?” He kissed her head again.

“You’re gonna get sick too if you keep kissin’ me like that,” she laughed.

“Pfft, I’ll be fine! I’m healthy as a horse! Now, you eat up.” He sat on the edge of Juniper’s bed with her and they ate quietly, some soft music playing from her phone. Eventually, she slumped over and rested her head on his shoulder, yawning.

“Thanks for the soup,” she said putting her bowl on the table before leaning back into him.

“Did it help any,” he asked, putting his head on hers.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “my throat feels better.”

“Good,” he cooed softly. “Drink your juice? Or, I guess, juice-like drink?”

She smirked, “Yeah, I got a glass down.”

“Was it gritty?”

“So gritty,” she laughed.

“Damn. I was hoping that stuff had gotten better over the years, but I guess not,” he chuckled.

“I might lay back down for a while, McCree, if you don’t mind,” she said rubbing her eyes.

“Alright, baby girl, whatever you need. You want me to go? I can sit with ya ‘til you fall asleep if you want,” he offered sheepishly. “Or not.”

Her smile was wide and understanding, as it often was. It made McCree realize just how lucky he really was. “You can stay if you want to. That’d be nice. Real nice.”

Juni’s lilt was making a strong appearance now that she was medicated and sleepy, which filled her father with delight. She crawled over the small bed and flopped onto her pillow, a box of extra soft tissues by her side. McCree twisted around so he could toy with her hair and rub her back, his knee resting on the sheets.

“Comfy,” he asked quietly, dimming the nearby lamp.

“Mm-hmm,” she sighed happily, wriggling to his side so she could nuzzle against his leg. McCree almost melted, then and there.

“I’ll be right here if you need anything, sweetpea,” he whispered, sappy tears filling his eyes. She was everything he’d ever wanted.

“Okay. Thanks, McCree.”

“Of course, Juniper.” He pulled off his serape and draped it over her, making Juniper’s smile grow.

“McCree,” she said, looking up at him, “thank you, for everything. You’re my favorite person in the whole world, and I don’t know what I did before I found you. I’m a really lucky kid.”

“Aw, Juni, honey,” he sputtered, incredibly overwhelmed, “I’m the lucky one! You’re the most wonderful little thing I’ve ever seen, and I love you, sweetpea.”

“I love you, too,” she said back. “I’m really glad you’re my dad.”

He laughed, brushing her brown locks behind her ear. “Me too. You know, you can call me Dad, if you want.”

Her face drooped, and she turned away.

“But you don’t have to,” he said hurriedly, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

“I just . . . that’s a complicated word for me,” she said heavily.

McCree rubbed her arm, as if trying to warm back up her mood. “That’s alright, hun, you don’t have to call me that if you don’t want to. It’s just a glorified nickname.”

She sighed again, sitting up next to him. “It’s just that I asked Harris if I could call him ‘Dad’ when I was really little, and he said no. It kinda broke my tiny, kindergartener heart and I’ve never really liked sayin’ that word since. I’m sorry. I know it’s dumb, but – ”

“Juni, it’s not dumb,” he said wrapping his arms around her and dragging her so her back so it was pressed against his chest. “You’ve had a very, I ‘spose . . . unorthodox upbringing. If there’s some stuff you’re not feelin’ up for, I can 100% understand that. I just want to be there for you, hon, no matter what you call me.”

“Promise yer not mad,” she asked softly, putting her hands over his.

“Not even a tiny bit,” he promised her.

Juniper wormed out of his arms and turned around to give him a proper hug. “Thanks, McCree. You’re the best.”

“I try,” he chuckled, “Now why don’t you lie down and get some rest?”

She slid back under the covers, cuddling close to him again. “You’re still gon’ sit with me for a while, right?”

“I’m not going anywhere until you toss me out of here by the scruff of my neck,” he grinned.

“Good,” she said through another yawn.

He took care of her for the next few days – pouring her cough syrup, bringing her crackers, or smothering her with hugs. Of course, McCree got sick, too, so Juniper was happily able to take care of him in return. Neither one had ever been so happy while ill.

Additional tags: @watch-your-grammer @winchester-sonsandcastiel