#Rugrats being a family

[maslosstuff]

I like the episode Rachel, Rachel but I'm still going to change the plot because Tommy lying like that is out of character and it feels like that episode is just Chuckie in love but with Tommy.

[sideblogofthcentury]

Steve was flipping through a magazine on Eddie’s bed when the thought came to him.

He looked over at Eddie where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor playing around on his guitar. He’d been working out some part of a song while Steve half-listened. He said Steve “helped him think,” whatever that meant.

Steve had realized he didn’t know Eddie’s name. Or at least, what it was short for. He’d become quite close with the older boy since the spring, since he carried his lifeless body out of the upside down, since El closed the gate and burned Vecna and the entire second world to the ground.

Steve didn’t quite understand how he felt about Eddie yet. He knew he really liked him, felt drawn to him, enjoyed his presence, his personality, his appearance.

Okay so maybe Steve knew more than he was willing to admit to himself.

Eddie’s guitar made an unsatisfactory noise and Eddie shook his head, rubbed his forehead in frustration, and looked up at Steve. He smirked when he saw Steve already looking back, and raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you?”

Steve rolled his eyes, letting the snark roll off his back. “Yeah, actually. I’ve been wondering something.”

Eddie raised both eyebrows this time. “Oh? I never pegged you as the curious type.”

“Alright, keep the sass to yourself, Munson.”

Eddie threw his head back and laughed, his curls falling behind his shoulders to expose his long neck.

Focus, Steve.

“What’s Eddie short for?”

Eddie’s light smile turned into a wolfish grin. “Trying to fill out the marriage license?”

Steve groaned and threw the magazine at Eddie, hitting him on the knee.

“Whoa whoa Steve, watch the baby.”

“See you’re clearly already married to that stupid guitar.”

Eddie gasped theatrically, folding himself around the guitar as if to protect it from harm. “He doesn’t mean that dear, you’re a very smart guitar.”

“Booooooo”

Eddie almost fell backwards with laughter. Steve couldn’t help but giggle a bit himself, charmed by Eddie being so proud of his own joke.

“Eddie.”

“Steve.”

“You avoided the question.”

Eddie chuckled, resting his forearms on the guitar. “Clever boy.”

Steve would be lying if he said his breath didn’t catch, if his heartbeat didn’t quicken, his entire body didn’t feel a bit warmer.

Yes, Steve would continue lying for today.

He shook his head. “Eddie. Just tell me. Is it embarrassing?”

Eddie smiled up at Steve, revealing nothing. “Absolutely not.”

“Then why won’t you tell me?”

“Now where is the mystery in that?”

Steve groaned again and fell back on the bed. “You’re so difficult. You know that?”

Eddie threw the magazine back at Steve. “I’ve been told a few times.”

—

Movie night at Steve’s, waiting for Robin to return with her popcorn:

“Edward?”

Eddie let out a sharp laugh. “No.”

—

Family Video, rewinding tapes while Eddie sewed a W.A.S.P. patch onto his new, non-blood-stained battle vest:

“Edison?”

Eddie recoiled. “What? Oh. No.”

—

Picking up the rugrats from Hellfire, leaning on Eddie’s van:

“Edmund?”

“Steve. Gross. No.”

—

Laying on the hood of Steve’s car at Lover’s Lake, stoned and looking up at the stars:

“Edwise?”

“What?”

“Edwise? Edwise Gamgee?”

Eddie cackled out into the night sky, echoes of his joy calling back at them from the trees. “Okay, who gave you access to Lord of the Rings?”

Steve shrugged. “I had to call in backup.”

Eddie rolled onto his side to face Steve, propping up his head on his hand. “You asked the kids what my name was?”

“Yeah.”

“And the best thing those little geniuses could come up with was goddamn Edwise Gamgee???”

Steve giggled. “They’re such nerds.”

“Absolute fucking losers, Harrington.”

They both laughed until they were out of breath, panting out steam in the fall Indiana night.

“No but seriously, Eddie? What is it?”

Eddie sighed, straining a smile as he stared up at the night sky. “It’s pretty fucking lame.”

“Lamer than Edwise Gamgee??”

That made Eddie giggle again. “No, I guess not.”

They sat in silence a moment, Steve patiently waiting, and Eddie gathering courage.

“It’s just Eddie.”

Steve turned to look at Eddie’s profile. He was beautiful in the cool near-darkness, the moon hitting his face at just the right angle to sharpen his features.

“Just Eddie?”

Eddie nodded. “Just Eddie. Nothing special or interesting or exciting. It’s just plain, boring old Eddie.”

Steve blinked.

Steve blinked again.

And before Steve knew it, he was taking Eddie’s hand in his own.

Eddie’s breath caught and he continued to look up at the sky, too afraid to meet Steve’s eyes.

“Eddie. I hate to break this to you, but I am pretty sure you are physically incapable of being boring.”

Eddie snickered and stopped himself.

“I mean it. You might be the craziest person I’ve ever met. You refuse to fit in to a box you’ve outgrown. You’re too goddamn stubborn to do what people expect of you. You stand up for yourself and people who need you. You’re kind and gentle with the people you love.”

Steve took Eddie’s cheek with the hand not holding his and turned Eddie to face him. “You are the most exciting, interesting, and special person I’ve ever met.”

And with that, Eddie had heard enough.

Eddie kissed Steve.

And Eddie did not stop kissing Steve until he was bent over him, knees straddling his waist and hands in his hair.

Steve gripped Eddie’s hips and pushed him back, pausing to catch his breath. Eddie panted above him and laughed down at him, his lips reddened and his eyes blown wide. He looked absolutely insane. Absolutely gorgeous.

“Hey Eds?”

“Yeah, Steve?”

“You never asked me what Steve was short for.”

Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “What is Steve short for?”

Steve panted a light laugh. “It’s just Steve.”

Eddie paused.

And Eddie laughed.

And Eddie couldn’t stop laughing for a very long time.

—

The next year, Eddie signed a Valentine card “To: Just Steve.” and “Love: Just Eddie.”

—

That winter, Steve arranged restaurant reservations under the name of “Just Eddie”

—

The following summer, Eddie got down on one knee and asked “Just Steve” to marry him, and when Steve asked “What about the law?” Eddie said “it’s Just the law.”

—

The spring after, Steve read his vows in front of his entire chosen family. His voice faltered as he said “You’re Just Eddie the way the sun is Just a star. The way the moon is Just a rock. The way the earth is Just a planet. You are my home. You are where I belong.”

Three years after Steve carried Eddie out of the Upside Down, Eddie carried Steve across the threshold of their tiny apartment in Indianapolis.

[phoward89]

Based on this ask

Warning ⚠️ Coriolanus Snow is his own warning, child gets hurt (nothing major), unruly mobs, poison, hanging tree

“Daddy!” Cassian Xanthos excitedly exclaimed, running over to Coriolanus as you followed behind him, your belly just starting to swell with your second child so you're still able to keep up with your little blonde rugrat.

“Did Mommy bring you here to help me run the country, Cass?” Your husband asked your son, who was his spitting image at 4 years old. The little boy had the same light platinum blonde curls, the same baby blue eyes, the same prominent nose, long legs, and toothy grin.

A grin that was missing something.

“I finally lost my tooth!” Cassian proudly announced, climbing up onto your husband's lap as he sat at his desk in his presidential office.

“Yeah? Let me see it.” Coriolanus beamed, giving your son a proud smile.

You couldn't help, but to melt at the interaction you were watching unfold before your very eyes. Coriolanus, despite being a cold, callous, stern, calculated, iron-fisted leader, was a very loving husband and father. Around you and your son, he was a different man. A man that let his guard down, let himself have emotions.

Coriolanus presented himself to the public as a hard man and rarely talked about his family. The only ones that knew how much his family meant to him was the presidential mansion staff. And they knew better than to cross their boss. The staff knew that if they wanted to keep breathing and assure that their families didn't wind up banished to the districts that it's best to ignore how soft the cold hearted President Snow was with his family.

“Cass, put your tooth under your pillow tonight and the tooth fairy will collect your tooth; give you a reward.” Your husband told your son, making the little boy smile and giggle in excitement.

Coriolanus made sure to incorporate all of those little traditions he grew up with. The ones Grandma’am had shared with him when he was a little orphan boy, growing up alone and afraid during a war.

“Last time I lost a tooth, the tooth fairy gived me a gold coin.” Cassian. Xandros chirped.

Coriolanus cringed at hearing his son's improper grammar. Looking down at his boy, your husband corrected him with, “It's the tooth fairy gave me a gold coin, not gived.”

“Okay.” Cassian simply smiled.

Looking away from the little boy in his lap and over to you, Coriolanus asked, “Have the maids finished packing our bags for our trip to 12?”

Your husband, being the President, had to take trips to the districts to deal with things. It was mostly meetings with PK commanders and mayors, sometimes a few other things such as productivity at a factory or a mine. But he never went into full details with you about it. You usually just had to deal with him bitching about the incompetent people he had to meet with.

You also got stuck attending dinners with the PK commanders, mayors, and their families. Coryo always brought his family along on his business trips for that very reason. So that his family could smooze with the family of whoever he was stuck meeting with. Your husband was all about networking.

“Yes.” You nodded, leaning against the edge of his desk and resting your hand on your barely there baby bump. “Paloma, placed the bags in the foyer of the living quarters; I think the chauffeur's loading them into the car soon.

“As soon as I'm done with my paperwork we'll head out.” Coriolanus informed you, picking up his pen and resuming his paperwork while letting his son sit on his lap.

“Okay, but why do we have to go to 12? We both hate it there, can't you just send one of your staff to handle whatever mine dispute is going on?”

“Darling, I can't send an assistant. I need to handle this myself because, apparently, the last time I sent an assistant nothing got done.”

“Daddy, why you and Mommy hate 12?” Your son innocently asked your husband.

You narrowed your eyes at Coryo, silently warning him that the story of you two’s past in 12 wasn't fitting for the ears of a 4 year old little boy.

Yea… Telling your son that Coriolanus and you met each other when he was a Peacekeeper (and that he was supposed to be Lucy Gray’s beau), that he paid for an apartment you shared (he was supposed to live in the barracks, but he always seemed to sneak in and out before wakeup call), and brought you back to the Capitol with him wasn't a good idea. He was too young; wouldn't understand.

Hell, you're hoping that Cassian never learns the truth about how you and Coryo got together. It's just too complicated. Maybe even somewhat embarrassing in a way.

Your husband gave your son his old puppy plushie from his childhood. It was a plushie that your son slept with. He had to take it with him during trips, or else he'd be up all night crying without it. Cassian Xandros couldn't sleep without his plushie, Puppers.

And Puppers couldn't be packed in the suitcase. No, your son has to carry that plushie with him when going somewhere. Sticking it in the luggage gives him panic attacks.

And dealing with a 4 year old having a panic attack’s no easy feat. Especially when that child's the carbon copy of Coriolanus Snow. Oh boy…the panic attacks that Cassian would have over thinking his Puppers was lost were on a whole different level.

Like the end of the world, the 2nd apocalypse, and WW4 type of level. The little boy was unconsolable while having one. You would always hold your son and assure him that everything was fine. You'd whisper reassuring words to him and comfort him while your husband would find the puppy plushie and shove it into your son's hands.

Safe to say, it was easier to just let Cassian carry Puppers the puppy plushie onto the train with him then to pack it up.

“Daddy, did you bring Puppers on trips when you was little?” Cassian Xandros asked his father while sitting on his lap, looking out the window of the Presidential train car your family had just boarded half an hour earlier.

“It's when you were little, Cass.” Coriolanus corrected your son’s grammar, like he always did.

You just smiled from your spot on the sofa, eating some fruit while watching your favorite boys. They're two peas in a pod. You know that Cassian Xandros is most likely going to follow in his father's political footsteps when he's older. You can see it already.

“No.” Coryo shook his head. A faraway look appeared in your husband's icy blue eyes as he looked out the window over your son's head of platinum curls. Looking down at the little boy in his lap, a thin line of a smile appeared on his face as he explained, “I didn't go on trips as a little boy because things were scary back then. Panem wasn't safe like it is now.”

Looking at his dad, who was his hero, Cassian asked, “And you make it safe, right daddy? Cause you's President?”

“Yes, your daddy makes the country very safe because he's the president.” You answered Cassian before Coriolanus had the chance to correct his grammar.

And it's true, your husband had put many laws, rules, and regulations in effect when it came to the law and order of the country; to keep Panem safe. To keep the country running smoothly. Your husband had seen many horrors in his short life, more than you and that's something considering that you grew up in the districts. Your husband had an obsessive need for control and order; it showed in his political policies.

You never got into it. As First Lady your job was to just smile, go to charity events, host tea parties, etc. Oh, you also collected gossip for your husband, that he used to make decisions about who he should and shouldn't eliminate. But, as First Lady, your role wasn't as a ruler- that was your husband's job. Coriolanus was the President, he oversaw the country and you’re just his sidekick.

“You're mommy’s right.” Coryo smiled, only to ruffle his son's light blonde curls and correct his grammar, once again, with, “And it's because you're President, not cause you’s President, Cass.”

The trip from Capitol City, Panem to District 12, Panem was a very long and boring journey. Traveling from the Rockies to Appalachia was always a soul sucking experience. You and your husband avoid traveling to District 12 like the plague, but unfortunately it couldn't be avoided. It seems that the route was long and full of nothing to look at, but a few old crumbling ruins of ancient Pre-Panem cities.

Cassian Xandros, being a little boy, was excited when the train passed by the remnants of the ancient places. “Mommy, Daddy, what District that?”

Never looking up from his reports, Coriolanus told your son, “It's not a district son, it's the ancient city of Pittsburgh.”

“What happened?” The little boy, who inherited both his father's looks and thirst for knowledge, asked.

“Don't worry about it, buddy. You'll learn about it when you're older in school.”

“But daddy-” Cassian Xandros began, only for the president to sternly cut him off with, “I told you not to worry about it, Cassian.”

Seeing the dejected look on your son's face paired with his low lip quivering made you decide that your husband needed a talking to. That you're going to straighten him out. So, giving your son a soft smile, you suggested in a sweet and motherly tone, “Why don't you go to the dining car and ask an Avox for some ice cream? Hmm?”

‘Okay, mommy.” Cassian nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips, before taking off to go get his ice cream. A treat that you knew would make him feel better; would also get him out of the suite long enough for you to tell off your husband.

As soon as the door to the train car closed, you gave your husband a disgruntled look and told him, ‘Coriolanus, I understand that you're tense because we're almost at 12, but that doesn't give you the right to snap at Cassian. He's just curious about why there's ancient ruins outside of the Districts along the train tracks.”

“I need to prepare for my upcoming meetings, darling. I don't have time to conduct history lessons with a 4 year old right now.” Coryo said dismissively, as if everything you just told him wasn't important. As if his goddamn paperwork was more important.

Well it wasn't and you're going to let him know that.

“You're not the only one that's on edge about this visit to 12, Coryo.” Your said, causing your husband to look at you. Shaking your head, you admitted, “I haven't seen my brother Rein since he disowned me; called me a sellout and a whore when I became your girl. Going back there, not knowing how my family's going to react seeing me as your pregnant First Lady; the mother of your son, terrifies me.”

And your estranged family's opinion of you, after all of these years, did have you worried. You didn't part with Rein and his girlfriend, Ashlie, on the best of terms. They made you choose between them and a Capitol born and bred peacekeeper, Private Snow. You, in the end, picked Coryo. The man that took care of you while you lived in 12, who took you with him when he got discharged and sent back to the Capitol. The man who married you despite the way his Grandma’am turned her nose down at you.

The last time you saw your brother it was when you were on stage with your husband while he was giving a speech during a presidential campaign tour. Although district citizens can't vote, Capitol citizens and those serving the Capitol in the Peacekeepers can. So, Coryo decided to do a district tour to boost morale and votes of the Peacekeepers. He even made sure to use his background as one along with the fact that his father was General Crassus Snow during the election too.

But that was around the time you discovered you were pregnant, so…

“But I'm not taking it out on Cass; I won't sit back and watch you do that, Coryo.” You told your husband, needing him to know that your son couldn't be an emotional punching bag.

Setting his paperwork aside, Coryo stood up and sighed, “You're brother, Rein, and that ratty whore of his are idiots.” Going over to the sofa and taking a seat next to you, your husband snaked an arm around you, bringing you to lean your head against his chest. “I'm sorry that being with me caused such a rift between you and your family; you should've told me you've been feeling apprehensive about this trip.”

“Coryo, you know that I get over emotional from pregnancy hormones. I didn't want to bother you with my feelings about this trip.” You told Coriolanus, feeling like you're ready to burst into tears at any second.

At that very moment, your son walked back into the train car with an ice cream cone in his hand. Seeing you so sad and his daddy trying to make you feel better, Cassian Xandros went over to Coriolanus, only to hold his ice cream out and say, “Daddy, mommy’s sad. Give her my ice cream; then she'll be happy.”

“No, you eat it, sweetie.” You told your son while holding your husband's hand; preventing him from taking the ice cream.

You knew that Coryo would take the ice cream under the guise of giving it to you, but would eat it himself once you turned the treat down. Your husband has an odd relationship with free food…

“Do you want Puppers instead? He always makes me feel better.” Cassian asked, licking his chocolate ice cream cone that had every single once covered by chocolate sprinkles. That was definitely something your son got from his Snow genes. The love of chocolate.

“Oh, I'm fine, Cassian. Your baby sister's just making me a little dramatic.”

“But I thought Auntie Tigris said that daddy the drama queen in the family.”

“Looks like visits with Auntie Tigris are coming to an end.” Coriolanus coldly muttered under his breath.

“President Snow, Sir, we’ve arrived.” A Peacekeeper announced, walking into the presidential train car once the train has stopped.

“Thank you.” Your husband nodded, only to stand up and look towards you and your son. “It's time to go meet the mayor.”

“Is it still Mayor Lipp?” You wondered, standing up with your son and going over to Coriolanus.

You haven't set foot in 12 since Coriolanus did a presidential campaign tour years ago, before you had Cassian, so you had no idea what was going on politically in the district. Honestly, you didn't care either. But, you did need to know who the mayor was since that's who was housing your family for your visit.

“Yes, that wretched fool’s still the mayor.”

“Mister President, Sir.” The Peacekeeper acknowledged your husband, only to turn to you and say, “First Lady, Ma’am.”, before stating, “A Peacekeeper, says his name's Smiley, is here to escort you to the barracks.”

A puzzled look appeared on your face. “The barracks? But we're staying with the mayor.”

“According to this Smiley, Ma’am, the Commander here in 12 has made new arrangements for the Presidential family.”

“Smiley’ll tell us what's going on, darling. Don't worry, we'll be fine.” Coriolanus assured you, since he didn't want you to get yourself in a tizzy while in your delicate condition. He was always so protective of you when you're carrying his child.

But there was a need to worry. Unknown to Coriolanus and you, the miners were striking and protesting. And not just a few of them, but all of them. Apparently they were tired of working long hours underground in dangerous circumstances without being properly compensated.

The protests started at the mines, but by the time your train arrived at the depot, the station was swarming with District 12 miners demanding to be treated like human beings instead of slave labor. Peacekeepers were lined up, keeping them at bay with rifles drawn and threats to shoot. It was so bad that the Commander was afraid for the safety of Coriolanus and his family. Honestly, none of you should be there, but it was too late to cancel the meeting between the President, the mining bosses, the mayor, and the Commander of District 12.

So, the Commander sent Smiley to greet President Coriolanus Snow and to inform him of what's going on. To act as a makeshift bodyguard because the two men are friends.

Well, your husband only used his old bunkmate as a contact to keep tabs on District 12, but friend sounded much better.

“Coryo…” You trailed off, looking up at your husband. You were tucked into his side as he had an arm protectively wrapped around you, hand on your round belly. His other arm was holding your son against his chest in a vice tighter than that of a boa constrictor.

Cassian Xandros had his head buried in his father's chest, clutching tightly to his puppy plushie. The loud noise of the crowd of miners and protesters was clearly frightening him. To be honest, it frightened you too.

These people crowding around you were out for blood. You could sense that if the Peacekeepers weren't keeping them at bay, then the crowd would rush you and your family; tear you apart limb by limb- because they're angry at how they're living compared to how your family's living.

“We'll be at the van soon; then we'll go to the base and won't have to deal with the protestors anymore.” Coryo assured you, keeping a stern look on his face as he led the way towards the van as angry miners and their families shouted profanities. Smiley was up ahead, clearing the way, while the personal guards (peacekeepers) that came on the trip from the Presidential Palace flanked you.

It felt so unsettling, this short walk from the depot to the van that'll take your family to the base. To safety.

It should've been easy to get to the van, considering all the presence of the peacekeepers, but it wasn't. Because nothing in your life, in Coriolanus' life, can be easy.

No….

Because right before you reached the Peacekeepers’ van, the unthinkable happened.

“Should’ve stayed in the Capitol, sellout whore!” You heard your older brother's voice yell before feeling spit land on your cheek.

President Coriolanus Snow should've keep walking, guiding his family thru the crowd to the nearby van, but hearing his brother-in-law call his First Lady a sellout whore made him see red. Made him furious.

Motioning to one of the presidential Peacekeeper guards, Coriolanus ordered, “Arrest that man for assaulting my wife, First Lady Y/N Snow.”

The peacekeeper nodded, only to grab your brother (who put up a good struggle) and cuff him. Your brother was cussing up a storm while the crowd was screaming to let him go, that Rein didn't do anything. The protesters screamed that Rein was innocent; was being falsely arrested by the cruel, dictator President Snow.

But you know what Rein did to cause his arrest. He insulted you and spit in your face. In Coryo's eyes was that assault; something unforgivable.

But the crowd of miners and protesters (some of which were rebels and their sympathizers) didn't see it that way. All they saw was an ‘innocent’ man being carted away.

You don't know how it started, but suddenly people broke thru the lines and tried to swarm you, your husband, and your son. Smiley and your Capitol Peacekeeper guards were beating back the crowd so that your husband could whisk his family to the Peacekeepers van.

And you would've made it to the van unscathed to, if it wasn't for the moltov cocktail that somebody threw at your husband as he ushered you towards the van.

You heard the crash of the bottle and smelted the chemicals before your son's cries of pain sounded out. Turning around, as one of the Peacekeepers by the van shoved you into it, you saw flames licking at your son's back and at your husband's arm. A piece of glass from the broken moltov bottle was embedded in your husband's jaw as blood flowed freely from it.

A pair of Peacekeepers rushed over to your husband, patting the flames out of both his arm and your son's back.

“Daddy, it hurts.” Your son cried, referring to his boiled flesh.

‘Radio the hospital on base, I want the best treatment for my son.” President Snow ordered the peacekeeper that was pushing him towards the van, where you were sitting anxiously.

“Mister President, Sir, we'll get him to the hospital on base right away.” The peacekeeper assured your husband as he joined you in the van.

Coriolanus just nodded at the peacekeeper, causing the man to hop into the back of the van. You and Coriolanus tried your best to soothe your son as the peacekeeper sitting next to your husband barked for the driver to get to base; to radio the on base hospital to let them know that President Snow's son is suffering a burn on his back from the mob’s attack.

Of course, the peacekeeper driving to the base did as he was told. So, when your family arrived at PK Base D12 a stretcher with a medic and a doctor was waiting for your son.

Coryo was holding Cassian’s puppy plushie so hard, you thought the thing’s head was going to pop off and the stuffing would fly out, as the two of you were escorted into your son's hospital room by his attending nurse. His burns weren't bad enough for surgery, but they were bad enough that they needed cleaned, treated with ointment, and bandaged. The nurse explained that Cassian Xandros was asleep due to a dose of morphling he was given for the pain.

Despite him being asleep and on pain meds, you and Coryo just had to see him. Had to sit with him. Your baby boy was hurt, you both needed to be by his side.

Coriolanus might've been a lot of things, but he was a very loving and devoted husband; father. Seeing his son hurt because people didn't like him made him furious. He didn't care if somebody went after him, but going after his family was an entirely different thing.

And those District dogs that wanted prime rib instead of the scraps they got for mining coal all damn day are going to pay. They were going to pay dearly for hurting his son.

Because nobody hurts what's his and gets away with it.

Coriolanus canceled his meetings concerning the mine production, only to have the mine bosses rounded up in the middle of the night and thrown into jail. The reason? Well, they allowed their workers to turn into a violent mob; they didn't keep them in line. 

The President ordered the mine bosses to be executed at the hanging tree for being an accessory to the crimes of their mining employees.

Talk about executions…

President Snow had 100 miners rounded up and sent to the gallows as punishment for what happened to your son. It didn't matter that those people weren't the ones that threw the moltov cocktail. They were disgruntled district 12 citizens. They protested and pushed back; causing a rebellion. 

They're rebels.

Rebels! 

So they had to hang to serve as an example; a lesson on what happens when one goes against the Capitol. Dares to bite the hand that feeds it.

And your older brother, Rein. 

Well…

Your husband's currently having a meeting with him in his jail cell. 

“Heard you hung 100 innocent people.” Rein told Coriolanus as the imposing platinum blonde devil took set a thermos down on the table your brother was chained too.

“Those scum were not innocent. Their little rebellious outburst hurt my son and scared my pregnant wife.” Coriolanus told his brother-in-law, who he hasn't seen in a good 5 years, while taking a seat across from him. “I don't play around when it comes to the safety of my family, Mr. Halvir.” The president told the dark haired man, who had broad shoulders due to years of work in the coal mines, while reaching for the thermos. 

Rein narrowed his Seam grey eyes at President Snow. A man he hates for turning you against your kind, against the district that you were born and raised in. Oh, how your brother hates your husband for being your keeper, for turning you into a Capitol puppet.

Unscrewing the thermos’ lid, Coriolanus made the condescending remark of, “You should know that first hand, considering how I moved Y/N out of your shithole hovel in the Seam once she became mine.” 

“You made her choose between you and us when she was too young to even understand the damning consequences of that choice. I hope your kid brings home somebody you hate; somebody that drives a wedge in your perfectly fucked up Presidential First Family.”  Rein snarled at Coriolanus while the platinum blonde man poured some of the hot tea from the thermos into a plastic cup- that also served as a topper for the thermos.

“Mmm…” Your husband hummed, tasting the tea. “Still hot.” He remarked, setting the tea down in front of your older brother. Gesturing to the plastic cup, Coriolanus simply said, “For you.”

Rein looked between the cup and Coriolanus, only to nod and take it. His chains were long enough to make it possible for him to pick up the cup and bring it to his lips, but short enough to ensure that he couldn't lunge across the table to do the president any harm.

“How's your boy?” Rein asked, sipping on the tea. 

“Why do you care? He's just the product of a Capitol snake and a sellout whore, isn't he?” Coriolanus seethed, hate dripping from every word like venom. Leaning forward, eyes watching the miner intently as he sipped on the tea, he asked, “Do you have any little bastards running around?”

“No.” Rein shook his head. Setting down his cup, he said, “Me and Ashlie decided not to have kids. That it's not worth it, with the risk of reapings and all.”

Coriolanus’ lips twisted into a cruel smile. “Then the Halvir name dies with you.”

Rein's Seam grey eyes flashed with confusion, only for realization to shine in them as he began to feel his throat close up. Clawing at his neck, in a desperate, but useless attempt for air, your brother realized that your husband had poisoned him. He began to feel his blood boil on his body, feel it bubble up from his stomach and travel up his throat. Shaking, he used the last bit of his strength to muster out the word, “Why?”

Coriolanus pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, only to use it to stifle a small, bloody cough. A small side effect of drinking poison, but at least he had taken the antidote prior. He smiled wickedly, a thin layer of crimson staining his teeth, as he told Rein, “Your little stunt caused that crowd to attack me; to hurt my son. Anyone that hurts my family will pay with their lives.” 

Watching the light dim in your brother's eyes as blood pooled uncontrollably from his mouth and nose, your husband leaned over him and whispered, “Snow lands on top.”

Tags: @kuroosbby001 @purriteen @poppyflower-22 @meetmeatyourworst @whipwhoops @bxtchopolis @readingthingsonhere @savagenctzen @ryswritingrecord @erikasurfer @tulips2715 @universal-s1ut @thesmutconnoisseur @squidscottjeans @sudek4l @wearemadeofstardust0 @mashiromochi @gracieroxzy @belcalis9503 @shari-berri @aoi-targaryen @whiteoakoak @spear-bearing-bi-witch @gisellesprettylies @loverandqueenofdragons @qoopeeya @mfnqueen1 @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @v-love @swiftieblyth @joyfulyouthlover @harvey-malfoy @tian-monique @chxrrybomb22 @marvel-hiddles-stark @twinkletwinklenotastar @xjinnix @devils-blackrose @shellybellysstuff @zombicupcake3

[thebiggerbear]

Soldier Boy Fic Recs List

Rec list under Read More:

Hush Hush Behind the Shield by @syrma-sensei - being america's greatest hero's wife has its perks, but they don't come for free…

Home by @syrma-sensei - ben's discovering new life affairs while expecting his first baby.

I like that name... by @jawritter

Rugrats, Pool, and Grilling Techniques by @syrma-sensei - soldier boy is surprisingly an amazing family man.

Frequency by @previousloversandmuses

Hot Under The Helmet by @syrma-sensei - fucking his wife is the best way to ease his mind.

Different World, Different Words by @syrma-sensei - ben's trying to fit in this fucked-up, new world.

Bad Mouth by @syrma-sensei - ben wants to netflix and chill with you but on his way.

I'll Be Home For You After Christmas by @mishapocalypse - A phone call you never expected to receive leaves you broken. However, some things can be done better a second time.

Far From Innocent by @wayward-dreamer - Y/N's life is quite simple. She's engaged to be married in a few months, she has the easiest job at Vought American, and she stays out of the drama or away from rumors she's heard around the office. An encounter with Soldier Boy, Vought's most respected hero, quickly changes all of that and she soon realizes that there's more to life than what she's settled for. (Set in the 50s)

Feral Cry by @holylulusworld - He wants only you...

Feral Love by @holylulusworld - He wants only you…

@lilacliquors - how solider Boy falls in love with a reader and confesses his love to her

French Mistakes and the Like // I Notice All Too Well by @mishapocalypse - The relationship that you have with Frenchie isn’t perfect-everyone can tell. When Soldier Boy takes an interest in you-the others can definitely notice all too well.

Aftermath by @deanbrainrotwritings - she’s human and ben wants to push her limits, fuck anyone else who got in the way of his mission.

Jump On Into the Fire by @deanbrainrotwritings - ben liked her more than he thought he did, more than he’d ever admit to her or himself.

All I Wanna Do by @deanbrainrotwritings - aka. part 2 of jump on into the fire. in which she finally makes a decision about ben’s previous offer to start a family together.

G.B.A. by @impala-dreamer - Spend the 4th with America’s first and greatest superhero

After The Ticker Tape Parades by @wayward-dreamer - Soldier Boy returns home for war to several celebrations.

Enrapture by @wayward-dreamer - Y/N is a P.A on the Solid Gold music program, and is excited for Soldier Boy’s appearance. She hopes to catch his attention for a few seconds, but doesn’t expect him to take such an interest in her.

Two Ways To Love Him by @wayward-dreamer - There were certain things about the supe she didn’t want to accept, they were surprisingly two things love about him.

New Blood by @wayward-dreamer - The executives at Vought American are enamoured by the new supe at the annual shareholders party, hoping to make her a new addition to Payback. Soldier Boy isn’t pleased with the idea, as he’s the only one who gets to decide who joins his team. He tells her this fact, and braces himself for a fight, but gets something much better out of their encounter.

Father Material by @wayward-dreamer - Curiosity from the public and media has Ben expressing his dream to be a father. Y/N wants to make his dream a reality.

Pillow Talk by @wayward-dreamer - After a stressful meeting lead by Stan Edgar, Y/N looks forward to her other weekly meeting that is far more enjoyable.

Distractions by @that-sarcastic-writer - You're Soldier Boy's assistant and you're trying to prepare things for an upcoming premiere, but he has other plans. And he really wants your attention.

Oh Baby by @junobarnes - You let it slip that you want a baby and Soldier Boy just can't resist.

Not Exactly Babysitting by @magicalqueennightmare

Bad Dream by @eclecticqueennerd

New Years Eve by @fandom-chic - Corporate parties are usually the worst. However, when you meet Solider Boy, the night takes an exciting turn.

Happy Little Family by @fandom-chic - When Vought asks the unthinkable, you are forced to play house with certified psychopath Soldier Boy. Your life (and dignity) may be at stake, but something about him draws you in.

The Time We Lost by @fandom-chic - 40 years have passed since you saw Soldier Boy. Yet here he was at your door. With so many things having changed, will you two be able to withstand the modern world?

breeding kink by @lilacliquors

Sorry... Not Sorry by @deangirlsstuff67 - You work with the boys to fulfill Butchers mission. Your family, like MM's, were killed by Soldier Boy. The only difference, you aren't mad about it. Your family was terrible and you constantly suffered at their hands. When you all find Soldier Boy, you offer to be his babysitter, only your attraction for the older supe might be too strong to fight.

What's Your Pleasure? by @venus-haze - Joining Vought’s newly announced superhero team Payback could be the big break you’re looking for. When it comes down to you and Crimson Countess for the last spot on the team, you’re shocked to hear Soldier Boy will be conducting your final interview. You shouldn’t be shocked at what it involves.

One More Time by @barbedbetty - Soldier Boy sneaks out of the Legends house to see an old friend.

Dirty Boy by @deangirlsstuff67 - Y/N is trying hard not to let on that's she's in pain due to her period coming yesterday. Crippling cramps take over her body when she's left to baby sit Soldier boy and he notices.

i love you by @blurblurdeactivated

Love To Hate You by @deanwanddamons - Y/N and Soldier Boy hate each other, but can’t resist one another when they meet again after many years apart.

uniform sex by @lilacliquors

Fangirl Crush by @targaryenvampireslayer - 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫.

She's Out To Please, She Pouts Her Best by @venus-haze - Soldier Boy’s been pulled from the European Theater to sell war bonds to the American people, the goodwill tour dotted by big cities and small towns alike. In the meantime, he gets familiar with the variety of women in dazzling costumes that accompany his speeches with carefully choreographed dances. You’re, without a doubt, his favorite of them all.

Watch Honey Drip, Can't Keep Away by @venus-haze - America’s golden son can’t keep his eyes off of you, almost like he wants to devour you whole…or something like that.

The Triplets by @welldonebeca - Lizzie moves in with her favourite honorary Uncle, Beau, to find work in a big city, and starts sharing a house with him and his other two twins brothers. The triplets - Dean, Ben and Beau - couldn’t be more different and more similar at the same time. One thing they all share? Well, they all want to fuck her, of course.

Come Marching Home by @mishapocalyse - Soldier Boy gets a call from his best girl, you. However, instead of the happy, giggling sweetheart he’s used to loving. It is a side that you hate. He’s marching home, your–Soldier Boy.

Three in a Row and You Can Get The Girl by @mishapocalyse - You wanted that giant teddy bear and you were not going to leave the fairground until it was yours. It really helped when America’s masked crusader comes to your aid.

Imagine being scared of Soldier boy by @deanoheartspie

Imagine Talking shit with Soldier boy by @deanoheartspie

Sit by @negans-lucille-tblr - Y/N finds herself in trouble when she doesn’t listen to her boyfriend’s instructions.

All In The Family// I Will Never Stop With You by @mishapocalyse - Soldier Boy loves a good family, yet never had the time to start one. However, when he meets you–that all changes–for better or for worse.

Modern Lady by @deangirlsstuff67 - Soldier Boy learns just how much women have changed…

Soldier Boy x Dom!Reader by @lilacliquors

Soldier Boy Has A Daughter by @lilacliquors

Soldier Boy x Reader, 18+ by @lilacliquors

Alpha!Soldier Boy x Omega!Reader by @luci-in-trenchcoats

herogasm ~soldier boy;the boys by @storiesforallfandoms - in which she’s trying to leave the supe orgy, just to stumble into the room of the man who started it

Imagine Soldier Boy making sure you know there’s no way out for you by @mrsdarkandyandere7

Guess Who's On The Menu by @jawritter

Dirty Boy by @deangirlsstuff67 - Y/N is trying hard not to let on that's she's in pain due to her period coming yesterday. Crippling cramps take over her body when she's left to baby sit Soldier boy and he notices.

Gods & Monsters by @devilmademewriteit - delivering coffees to Vought’s crisis management team brings you face to face with Soldier Boy—who has a different job in mind for you.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by @minefield-of-a-ninja - In the books, Soldier Boy calls out the names of US states when he fights. What if live-action Soldier Boy made his sex partners list all 50 states and the federal district in alphabetical order before he lets them come, and if they slip up or pause for too long or say anything other than the name of a state in the correct order, he withholds and makes them start over?

Starlit Serenade by @myouiminn

Centerfold by @rizlowwritessortof - It’s 1973, and you are the assistant to the most famous photographer in the U.S., who just happens to be doing the photoshoot for Playgirl Magazine’s first-ever centerfold. Who better to start things off with a bang than America’s favorite superhero?

One More Time by @barbedbetty - Soldier Boy sneaks out of the Legends house to see an old friend.

Somewhere In Your Heart by @syrma-sensei - soldier boy lives through the ennui of his peak, but everything is about to change when he has a shift in his heart.

Possessive by @kaleldobrev - Ben is highly against when other men hit on you

Side Effects of Soldier Boy by @tom-whore-dleston - Soldier Boy tries to keep you quiet during sex.

Let’s Dance by @impala-dreamer - there's one thing she knows, it's that she fucking hates Soldier Boy. If there's one thing he knows, it's that he can change her mind.

The Bet by @quin-ns - butcher leaves you to keep an eye on soldier boy and things become interesting when a deck of cards gets involved

Open Wounds by @negans-lucille-tblr - Soldier Boy sets his eyes on a new project – one that takes an interesting turn.

No, no don’t look at me with those eyes by @deanoheartspie

Like Hell by @holylulusworld - You don’t like your mate. Not at all…

Flashbacks by @sams-red-flannel - where reader comforts soldier boy during fireworks

*I will add more as I go

dividers by @firefly-graphics

[syrma-sensei]

→ Rugrats, Pool, and Grilling Techniques.

pairing: soldier boy x wife!reader.

rating: smut, fluff.

warning: domestic soldier boy, dangerously smitten ben (oocish), established relationship, daddy ben, breeding kink, dirty talk, daddy kink, non-canon complied.

word count: 2k

summary: soldier boy is surprisingly an amazing family man.

tagging: @zepskies

→ masterlist | ao3

“Ready. Go!”

As soon as your husband's whistle blows into the air, a loud splash follows when Jamie and Maggie hopped into the pool. Inheriting their father's super stamina and endurance, the two swim swiftly and with the agility of dolphins, while your husband's voice encourages them both. However, out of your twins, Maggie is the faster swimmer, whereas Jamie is quicker on land.

Bathing in the sun beam, you lay on the sunlounger next to Ben's, watching the trio having fun together in the pool. You plan on joining them in a bit, but you let them play on their supe level before you hop in, because after all, you're just a human. For the time being, you're sufficed with your feet dipped in the water at the rim of the pool.

“Haha, that's my girl!” Ben's face beams with a wide smile when Maggie, as expected, beat her twin to the other side of the pool.

“Cheater!” Jamie yells at his sister whom sticks her tongue out at him.

“No, you're just slow, Jay,” She retorts haughtily, a trait she caught from her dad.

He rolls his eyes, “See you on land, sis, 'coz you'll be dragging your ass behind me there,”

Ben bursts out laughing but he stops when you throw him a berating glare with a chiding tilt of your head. Your husband clears his throat.

“Oh, woah, manners young man,” Ben scolds, “You better watch that mouth, you don't speak to ladies like that.”

“Like she's one!” Jamie grouses, propelling his hands into the water, “She took on three children at school the other day.”

“Because they're bullies, and they had it coming!” Maggie replies heatedly.

Once again, a proud grin stretches Ben's lips from ear to ear. You shake your head hopelessly at him.

Maggie swims towards her father, saying, “Bullies are bad, aren't they, Papa?”

“That's right,” Ben agrees, stroking a strand of Maggie's hair away from her face, “You go kick their asses, kiddo.”

“He said it!” Jamie gasps.

“For the love of God, Ben, watch your language in front of the kids!”

He ignores you, “Our daughter, my daughter here is going to be a badass chick.” A grin is plastered on his mouth before his kisses her cheek.

Maggie giggles at her father, “What does badass mean, Papa? Is my butt bad?”

Ben hurls his head back with a laugh, “No, cupcake, your butt ain't bad. It means you're cool as f—hell.” He glances at you momentarily, then he corrects again, “As heck, cool as heck.”

Jamie swims towards his sister, slyness contorts his face, in that moment, you're in stupor at the way it resembles Ben's visage.

“Cool or not, Dad's not gonna allow you to go out with boys,” Jamie says, “Are you, Dad?”

One would expect Maggie's eyes to widen, to look horrified, and her to look at her father urgently, silently begging him to deny what James just said. But the little one swims to her father and wraps her tiny arms around his neck. “I don't need boys, Jay.” She replies with sass, “I'm daddy's little princess, right, Papa?”

While you swoon at Maggie, you smile amusedly as Ben grows a bit perplexed at the sudden affectionate admission from Margret. So, you decide you rescue your husband by climbing down into pool.

“Of course, sweetheart,” You say, swimming towards the three, “Daddy's always gonna be here for you,”

Maggie tilts her head and kisses her father's temple. Ben's grin falters; you can read the uneasiness written on his face.

“Love you, Papa,” she whispers.

“Love you too, princess,”

Maggie's giggles warble around, and Jamie rolls his eyes again.

The four of you play together in the pool, swimming and tossing the ball, after you've divided into two teams; you and Jamie against Ben and Maggi.

During the game, you pick up on the lethargy of his moves. He's not being himself at the moment, for normally, his competitive spirit would more eager to win, even if it were a mere game. You frown a bit when you hurl the ball to the other side of the pool only for Maggie to catch it with dexterity. She throws it back with her supe strength to your side, but Jamie baulks it with his supe speed.

“Close enough, sis, but you're being sloppy,” He teases.

“You wish!”

Jamie flings the ball to the other side again, and Ben blocks it with one large hand.

“Uh oh.” You hear Jamie whisper when he sees his father's smirk. Ben draws his hand backwards then darts it in Jamie's direction. It dashes through a blurry, white flash before it bashes into the water by you, the bolt makes your hair sway.

“Nicely-done, dad!” Jamie cheers.

“Hey, what side are on, Jay?!” You frown, grousing.

Your son only shrugs, “But it was awesome!”

“Ah, cut the kid some slack, would ya?” Ben makes an amused sound, raising his hands in a gesture, “Not my fault I'm the favourite parent here.”

“We' shall see about that, Mr. Gilman, we shall see.” You squint, lips puckering up in a playful curl.

The game ends with a draw; James and Margret aren't so crazy about the result. And they start to squabble about it when you decide to call it a day in the pool and climb out of it.

After having a quick shower, and wearing fresh clothes, the four of you embark on preparing lunch. You and Maggie are to prepare the table, and Jamie is to help his father with the grilling labour.

While Ben teaches Jamie the grilling technics (which you originally taught Ben, because the man didn't know to cook shit when you first met) you chopped the vegetables that Maggie rinsed for you into the salad bowl. The meat odorous smell tickles your nostrils and makes your mouths water.

In the evening, you take another shower, but more thoroughly this time. You don't want the smell of barbecued meat and the reek of coal to stick to your body when you go to bed.

When the plates are laid out and the meal is ready, the four of you encircle the table, and enjoy what you made together with the spirit of your extraordinary family.

You step out the bathroom with a fluffy towel wrapped around your body after thirty minutes. You find Ben sitting at the foot of the bed, his brown hair is still drenched from his shower. He's wearing a grey shirt, and a matching grey sweatpants, with a towel on his head.

His gaze instantly softens when his green eyes land on your figure, a tender smile visiting his lips. You smile back at him, taking the spot next to him on the bed.

“Today was great,” You say, your hands on his strong arm, massaging his muscle, “Thank you, Ben.” Again, he freezes when you reach out to kiss his temple.

Ben nods, the he draws his head back to gaze at you, his large hand cupping your cheek. “No, thank you, baby, for giving me all of this.”

You tilt your head, chewing your lower lip, “Well, you're most welcome, Daddy.”

You see something wicked swirl in the green of his eyes, and the sly smirk on his lips makes your heart skip.

“I was thinking...” Ben scratches his beard with a drawl, eyes predating your body, “The twins are seven now.” He reaches out a hand to tip your chin up, his lips are dangerously close to yours, “What do you think of a third one? Fuck, third and fourth and fifth too.” He thumbs your lower lip gently, “I want to make children with you as many as possible. I want our place to be full of those rugrats.”

A fierce blush rises up to your neck as his breath fans your face, and the flesh between your legs twang in delight. You like it when he talks like that.

Your answer comes as a crushing kiss, and a moan from your throat. Ben's hands trail down to your sides and he lifts you up to his lap. One of his hands roams down your back and loosens the towel, and you're gorgeously naked for him.

“Atta girl,” He praises, “Ready to take what I want to give her.”

He kneads your breasts just right, pinching and caressing where you like, and his lips leaving open-mouthed kisses on your neck. You moan his name, and you feel his cock beneath you coming gradually to life.

You grind your bare cunt on his nourishing cock, and his hand grasps your hair to pull your head. “Behave,” he warns with a chuckle, “Fucking eager, aren't we?”

“Ben, please,” You roll your hips again, your arousal is already glistening on his crotch, “Give it to me, fuck me please, please, please, Daddy, make me carry your babies, please make me your breeding slut.”

You can hear his breath hitch before he sears your lips shut with his, hands resting on your buttocks, his blunt nails digging on the flesh of your crack while you cup his bearded cheek.

Ben hoists you up sharply and flips you, splaying your body wide on the bed beneath him. Quick as the supe he is, he takes off his clothes and graces you with his naked glory. He grabs one of your legs and pulls you down impatiently. You giggle playfully.

“Oh, baby, you have no idea,” He cups your mound with a possessive hand, his thumb flicking your clit “How much I want to fucking breed this slutty cunt full,”

You spread your legs further for more friction, “Please, Daddy, please, I want your cum, I need your seed.”

“Fuck, baby,” He grumbles, “Needy, little whore...” Your toes curl at the word, more arousal oozing out if your cunny.

His hands grip your thighs, while lining up to your pussy. You yelp and laugh sporadically at the vigour of his thrust. His hands reach out to yours on either side of your head. Your fingers entangle as he paces up his moves.

Your back arches, and words spilling incoherently out of your mouth as he fucks your brains dumb. You hear him swear and spit in the most vulgar language you've ever heard, and it makes you squeeze him more.

You like that dirty tongue of his, how it makes you feel a flagrant whore yet an unstoppable queen.

“Ben, Ben, I'm so close!” You cry, closing your eyes shut.

“Come to me, baby,” He says, bringing his thumb to your clit.

You hang your arms on his strong back as you feel it coming. Your nails graze his flesh when your orgasm sweep over your being. Your inner drawers clamps down on his cock in a tight hug.

Ben growls in your ear, animalistic and primitive, as he twitches sharply inside of you, painting your insides white.

You take your time to calm down. Breathing gradually placating to normal before he rolls on his back beside you. You snuggle up to his chest, and he holds you close with his arm. You feel his seed leaking into your thighs, and your cunt still throbbing through the throes of your orgasm.

You close your eyes and relish in the moment in silence.

“You're a good dad, Ben.” You say after several minutes, looking up at him.

He gazes down at you, hand playing with your hair, “I try not to be like my old man.”

You smile, “I know you do, and you're nothing like him. The kids adore you.”

His Adam's apple bobs up and down, sneering, “Well, that's good to hear. Not to be a fucking disappointment in someone's eye.”

You peck his lips, pride flourishing within your chest; it took you ages to convince Ben that opening up and expressing his feelings to someone he trusts doesn't equal being a sniveling pussy.

He might be the greatest supe, the hero of heroes, an asshole to some and a god to others. But to you, Ben is just Ben, a doting husband, and a perfect father. And you'd stand against the world for him.

Kissing his forehead you say, “You never were one to me, Ben.”

[hippielittlemetalhead]

Never Took The Time (To Forget) part 4.2: Robin's Boy

A.N: Life is kinda sucky right now with job hunting, surviving at my current job, the strains that come with being a caregiver to a family member while maintaining a long distance relationship and just dealing with mental and emotional self-care. So here's this, super late and not beta-read but at least I wrote it.

As always, feel free to yell at/with me in the comments, tags and/or ask box.

Part 1 (Hop fucks up), Part 2 (Pride and Prejudices: Joyce's Edition), Part 3 (One of Us), Part 4.1 (With a Capital 'P'), Part 5 (Man Of The Hour)

There's not much that surprises Robin Buckley these days. She gets queasy at the sight of ground beef, the big friendly dogs a few doors down at the O'Reilly place make her blood run cold, she can't watch the old Russian movies her dad loves without having nightmares after and she's sleeping with a nightlight for the first time since she was six. But it takes a lot to surprise her.

Seeing the declared dead Chief of Police step out of a sleek black, obviously-secret-government-bullshit car flanked by an agent she recognizes as one of Owens' lackeys from last July when they were making the rounds with Government funded medical care contingent on signing sketchy NDAs? Just par for the course at this point.

Steve's face when Eleven-Jane rushes into the not-dead Chief's arms and it turns into a whole 'Moment'? Said Chief's look of barely interested confusion followed by tired annoyance when Steve drags her in front of him, rambling about Starcourt and new additions to The Party and finally getting to meet 'My Hop'? Yeah, none of that surprises her either. She plays along for Steve, doesn't give Hopper any time to say anything that would take that happy smile off his face or get rid of the way he's practically glowing he's smiling bigger than she's ever seen directed at anyone other than the kids. Tries not to think about the way it makes something in her clench and crouch like a cat getting ready to pounce and bare fangs she didn't realize she had outside of a life and death situation. She introduces herself, maintains eye contact and drags Steve off as fast as she can to do something, anything, that will distract him from trying to catch up like the Byers clan is with the kids and assembled assorted monster fighters.

She's not surprised when she can't stop Steve from stepping up every time Hopper or Joyce or anyone with a badge says they need anything despite his own still healing wounds. She's not surprised when Hop takes it a step too far.

They're at the Hopper Cabin that is steadily becoming the Hopper-Byers Cottage when Hop tells his and Joyce's shared custody bald parasite that Steve is little more than an annoyance he puts up with for the free babysitting service and manual labor and cause he can go up against shit that would give anyone else nightmares while keeping the kids safe and mostly in-check. She's sitting with Eleven-Jane, sewing patches onto one of Hop's old army jackets, (the kid had seen Eddie's battle vest in Steve's car and it had reminded her of her sister Kali and she'd decided she wanted one of her own for the war ahead and then all of the other rugrats had decided they did too so she and Argyle had taken to giving sporadic sewing lessons whenever the kids had the materials to start their own battle attire) when Steve comes round the corner to the back of the property striding with purpose she rarely saw when he was around his kids.

She leaves her unfinished project on the stump she'd been using as a stool and chases after him. She shooes off curious and worried kids, promising to stick with him, keep the walkie close and on, make sure he was safe and didn't run afoul of any demo-beasts or trigger-happy government goons as he made his way to his car and then wherever else he was marching his happy ass.

She hates the fact that when they're both finally back at the little apartment that Owens' yes-men had acquired for Steve when Harrington Sr. decided to be an opportunist prick and kick Steve out for 'not taking care of the house' in the middle of the 'earthquake', that Steve hasn't shed a single tear. She hates that she's not surprised.

He doesn't say anything as he kicks off his Nikes and shuffles over to the 'second-hand' couch they'd gotten from Mrs. Henderson (Steve and Robin were both fully aware she'd just gotten it shortly before Spring break and was in no way in need of a new one so soon, but they both also knew better than to call her out on her kindness). He doesn't look up at her from his spot curled in amongst the throw pillows and blankets they'd been gifted by parents of various members of the party after Hopper and Owens' story that the two of them had saved the kids again from some freak incident like last year with Starcourt. She pulls out the thick quilt they had found in the latest donations bins when Hawkin's government supervised relief force started outsourcing for supplies and basic comforts. He stares at the wall where they'd hung an oversized corkboard dedicated to polaroids and photo booth strips and even some properly printed pictures of the little monster fighting family they'd put together.

She can't pull him out of this, no matter how much she may want to. There's some places his mind goes only Eleven-Jane would be able to reach and neither of them were going to put more on that girl's plate. So she puts on a Bruce Springsteen record she used to hate and curls up as close as she can to him through the quilt and pillows. Every now and then she gets up to get them both water, to grab some crackers to try and coax him into eating and to switch over to a new record or just flip the one on the player but she always comes back to her spot next to her Steve.

"Whatever he said to you, you know it's not true. Right? You're worth more than a dozen undead cops on a power trip." That gets an amused huff.

"Seriously Stevie, the kids adore you, I swear all the moms in Hawkins think you're the best thing since sliced bread and I don't know what I'd do without my personal chump. We're soulmates, remember? One of these days we're gonna mind meld like Spock and McCoy and we'll be unstoppable. I can't make it without my McCoy, Bones."

"I can't make it without you either, you hobgoblin. Thanks Bobby."

The next day is better. Steve is still a little quiet, a little droopy. But he's present and there's a simmering anger underneath his smile that Robin is proud to see him acknowledging but makes her worry about him as he ushers her into his car to drop her off on her rare lone shift at Family Video before he heads out to a quick 'consultation patrol' with some military special operatives to check out something weird by one of the new cracks.

No one had told any of the kids yet, about the cracks starting to spread out in smaller fissures like a slowly spreading infection. Hadn't thought it necessary with Steve and Nancy (both now legal adults and wasn't the government taking full advantage of that) there as a first line of communication while Joyce wrangled a restless Hop as he settles back in and heals and spars with Owens over payouts and government aide for the town and what the growing military presence was and wasn't allowed to do. With the parents occupied the kids had come together tighter than ever, focusing on their injured and recovering from the nightmare fuel that was their spring break. No one noticed.

She can't help the rant she falls into as they drive through checkpoints and past regular civilians being escorted through areas a little too close to a Gate for comfort. She goes on about how half of the soldiers act like Steve is just one of them and the other half treat him with the same cautious curiosity they do Eleven-Jane whenever she makes her way to the 'front lines' these days. She wants to get the weird boy-speak head nods too! Even Nancy gets them, especially when she's walking around with her sawed-off strapped to a jerry-rigged hip-holster. Robin has used Darlin' before, she's speed poured Molotov Cocktails to hand to soldier boys trying not to piss their pants as Steve and Nancy barked orders as they tried to down a demogorgon fresh from the Upside-Down. Where's her battlefield camaraderie?

It makes him laugh and shake his head fondly as he calls her crazy and weird with that soft smile on his face that makes her chest feel warm and fuzzy like her parents' hugs used to when she was 10 and crawled into their bed after having a nightmare. She doesn't tell him to be careful as they turn down onto Main street or to make sure he comes back in one piece as he rolls to a stop in front of the dark storefront. She starts on another tangent about him abandoning her to the drudgery of Capitalism as he gets to frolic in the woods with a bunch of burly men with their toys before he laughingly reaches over her to open her door to start pushing her out of the car. He smiles big and dopey as she practically spills onto the asphalt, still rambling away about neglectful soulmates and abuses of driving power with smatterings of claims that she'll take over his apartment if he dies and use his ashes as fertilizer for the plants he's taken to keeping on the fire-escape outside the living room window if he dares to leave her alone to babysit his hellions.

He shoots back a final, "Love you too Bobby!" before taking off towards where he's meeting the scientists and soldiers he's supposed to lead through Upside Down infected woods. As he leaves her standing on the sidewalk he doesn't make any sort of promise to be safe, to let the government goons just do their job, to make it back to her alive or in one piece. Not even to make it back to her. She plays with the locket she's taken to wearing that holds a curled up braid of hair shades darker than hers or anyone's in her family.

She doesn't watch his car to the end of the street like she might have before Spring Break, after their Starcourt 'adventure', instead she takes a deep breath and unlocks the dumb video store in this dumb town full of dumb people who don't know when to call it quits and just get the hell out of Dodge. She boots up the computer leaving it to warm up while she starts sorting through whatever mess the new shmucks Steve insisted they hire to cover what times the two of them couldn't because of the Arcade (which they had also gone and hired more staff for now that people weren't one tremor away from rioting in the streets) and Upside Down/ government related shenanigans they ended up getting dragged into.

The bell above the door jingles and she has to bite back a groan. "Welcome to Family Video, I literally just got here so you're gonna have to give me a minute before I can help you."

"Afraid we've only got movies round here, officer. You want any other medium of entertainment I'd suggest the arcade or the distribution yard." She won't turn to face him, not sure she can keep her cool if she does right now. Her hands move on muscle memory, shuffling papers into their proper piles and flipping open VHS cases to check if they need to be rewound. "Sorry, guess we'll have to catch up another time."

"I'm uh, I'm not here for a movie." She may have only heard his voice a couple of times and in passing but she didn't call her ears little geniuses for nothing. She forces her body to relax, lowering her shoulders the way Steve taught her to and keeping her voice light like Eddie walked her through, calling on his Theatre Kid skill set to teach the Party how to convincingly lie improvise when being questioned by people who really did not need to know just what was going on in good old Hawkins.

She can hear him sigh and can't help but picture his hand running over the fuzz on his head the way Steve runs his hands through his coif more and more nowadays in a way he never did before Nancy, before he got pulled into this bullshit and Hopper was rumored to be the one signing his paperwork and taking responsibility for him when his parents didn't show up after an almost week long stay at the hospital. "Look, I know you don't like me. And it has been brought to my attention just how much I fucking earned that. But I- I need your help here. To fix it."

There's not much that surprises Robin Buckley these days. She gets queasy at the sight of ground beef and meatloaf covered in ketchup, the big friendly dogs a few doors down at the O'Reilly place she used to pet and give snacks to on her way to and from school make her blood run cold, she can't watch the old Russian movies she and her dad used to stay up late watching together without having nightmares after and she's sleeping with a nightlight by her bed for the first time since she was six. But it takes a lot to surprise her. Jim Hopper might have just done it.

She doesn't stop moving, doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of throwing her off. She fiddles with the sharp little knife she has tucked up her shirt sleeve in the little sheath she and Steve put together between shuffling papers, taps at the button on her vest hiding the mic attached to the walkie talkie that never leaves her pocket these days. When she finally turns to look at him she's not surprised by the thinness of his frame or the way his eyes and cheeks still look a little sunken in. She sees the tired father worried for his kids and his people and his town, angry at the government for their involvment and their stupidity that she had come to expect. She is not expecting the remorse, the fear, she sees looking back at her. She wonders for a moment what he sees when he looks at her, at any of the teens and kids and young adults he's fought alongside trying to stop the end of the world.

"Fine. He'll be back from his patrol-" He looks mildly confused for a moment, meaning Joyce hadn't been passing along even the minimal information Nancy and Steve had been giving her to relay to Hop and the rest of the Party. That would have to be it's own discussion at some point probably. "-in about twenty minutes. You have fifteen. Now why should I help you?"

"You care about Harringt- Steve. You're close, the two of you have been basically Siamese Twins since Starcourt from what I hear. I- I realize that I made a mistake dumb enough shitting Mike Wheeler is making more sense than me, that I fucked up in a way I don't fucking know how to fix. And I am asking. Politely. For your help."

Honestly she's not sure she believes him. Honestly he's surprised her more times in the last five minutes than most anything or anyone else has in the last year. The man has a lot to unpack and the situation with Steve is just a drop in the man's pile of shit he's managed to bury himself under but maybe there's some hope yet.

She checks the watch on her wrist (an obscenely expensive piece Steve got from one of his parents' rich friends at a holiday party he was too young to remember on a leather band that he had outgrown and never got around to replacing) and looks back at Hop. Ten more minutes. "Why are you here?"

Hop groans in that growly sort of way that makes her think of her grandpa Dale, a great bear of a man who had given the best hugs with shoulders to put Jim Hopper to shame. The no-longer-chief runs his hand over his fuzz again, one hand propped on his hip as he shifts his weight to one side and she tamps down the flicker of biting anger at another example of the ways Steve had shaped himself after a man who never gave him the respect or care he deserved.

"I don't know how to fix what I fucked up. Steve's a good kid, I can admit that now. And he didn't deserve my bullshit just cause I couldn't get past old highschool biases. I wasn't there for him like I should have been- like I told him I would be when I signed those papers. But he's not the kid I thought he was, he's nothing like his folks or the other trust fund brats who think they run this shithole town. I don't know what I'm doing. I just know that kid deserves better than I've been doing."

She hums like she's mulling over his little speech to hide the way she's freaking out a little over what to say to all that. Even she doesn't know how she and Steve got to where they are beyond being tortured by Russians for information they didn't have then being drugged out of their minds while fighting inter-dimensional flesh monsters. But she doesn't think that would help Hop much in this situation.

But she thinks she believes him. At least for now.

"Alright, I'll help you with Steve." Hop sighs, his shoulders dropping as he seems to unclench slightly. Seriously, that much tension cannot be good for him after being in a Russian gulag for almost a year. "But not because I think you deserve it. You were right, Steve deserves better, but he wants you and Joyce and the kids to be in his life. Be a part of it. That is the only reason I will help you. He deserves a better dad than the one he's had and for some reason he thinks you're like super-dad."

"I- How the fuck did I not- What the hell?"

Robin shrugs, "The human brain is good at weeding out what it doesn't want to see. You didn't want to see Steve until you had to and that realization brought you to me. So. Ignorance is bliss and all that."

"So what do I do?"

She checks her watch again. "He'll be running late, especially if the fissure he's checking out is as bad as we think it is. So you have time to run back home, get Joyce to make extra of whatever monstrosity of a casserole she's trying to make this week and you get your rugrats to figure out a way to be the last drop off after Steve takes the brats to the arcade later instead of sleeping off whatever knocks he gets on patrol today. Then instead of letting him head home you make him come inside for dinner. Use the excuse of finding out he's been doing patrols if you have to. But you make him go inside and sit his ass down and eat something and you let him just- let him just be, Hop." She's running out of time but there is just so much she wants to get through to him. "Just make him feel like you see him."

"I- I'll try."

"Yeah, sure. Just-" She bites back the vitriol she wants to projectile vomit in his direction. "Just don't hurt him again. He's more than just a babysitter or front lines muscle. And I will make you wish you were back with the Russians if you make him forget that."

"I believe you."

"Good." The bell over the door jingles again and she looks past Hop to see a group of teenagers making their way to the comedies. "Now I have to get to work and you need to not be here by the time Steve comes to check on me. So talk to you later, Chief."

"Right. Thanks for your help, kid."

She shrugs him off as he turns to head out. The teens are watching him not-so-discreetly as they try to act like they're looking through the latest releases. She forgets that the man is as much a mystery as the heavy-duty military forces that have taken over their small town.

"Alright, folks. What are we looking for today?" She still technically has a job to do even if the kids keep their distance from her like they do the rest of the Party who at this point have all been seen either spending time with said heavy-duty military forces or chasing something into the dark of the forest wielding weapons smeared in monster blood, or both. It's going to be a long day.

Tag list (I think this is everyone?)(if your tag didn't work let me know cause they don't always work for me Idk why):

@thelittleclare @jackiemonroe5512 @0body0disphoria0 @strangersteddierthings @lingeringmirth @dead-cherry-bitch @irethsune @ink777 @the-daydreamer-in-the-corner @ledleaf @pansexuality-activated @paintsplatteredandimperfect @kinryuuki @yikes-a-bee @altocumulustranslucidus @ohimamarigold @samsoble @sensationalsunburst @xxbottlecapx @y4r3luv @swimmingbirdrunningrock @flustratedcas @rootbeerandmusic @vinteraltus @wonderland-girl143-blog @failedstarsandgoldenclouds @steddie-as-they-go @steveshairspray86 @youdrewstarsxaroundmyscars @i-amthepizzaman @wormapothacary @croatoan-like-its-hot @maya-custodios-dionach @ineffable-monster-romancer @asquareinverona @ellietheasexylibrarian @pukner @bookworm0690 @nightmareglitter @joekeerysmoles @salchica @lawrencebshoggoth @iheartjennaaa @child-of-cthulhu @anaibis @rocochen20 @katdeerly @samcoxramblings

[annisassintchaska]

THE BETRAYER: Toto Wolff x Horner!Reader

Y/n dating the rival of her brother pissed him off to no end, and her marrying him made it worse. Y/n and Toto have been married for the past 4 years, which made it the worse years of Christian's life as he had to continuously watch his sister be all domestic and passionate with the man, he despised the most. All the hugging and small kisses and pecks in the paddock made his stomach sick and let's not forget the family dinners and other get togethers that now became a torture to attend.

Now the news trending all over the internet was that Y/n and Toto were expecting. Toto was in the middle of an interview answering a question, when an obviously pregnant Y/n walked out onto the patio behind Toto with their dog Hades following closely behind as she walked towards the garden once again out of sight. Toto obviously knew that she was seen and so he decided to address it. "Yes, you are seeing right. My wife is 6 months pregnant" he announced, sending the world off into excitement as loads of congratulations were being sent their way.

Christian just hearing of the news on his arrival to the paddock, fainted on the spot, scaring the journalists as he was transported to the medical room. Y/n had heard of her brother's state upon arrival and was immediately led to his garage where he was seated outside. "Chris are you okay? I heard that you passed out?" Y/n asked worriedly searching his skin for any signs of sickness. "Yes, I did, what were you thinking when you went and did this. Are you sure this is something you want to do?" Christian asked not knowing how to feel. "Yes Christian, I want this. And it's not like I can turn back now, I've gone too far" she said trying to reassure her brother that everything was fine.

After a while of talking, Christian somewhat began to accept the situation as Toto came to pick up his wife. "There you are Liebe, hi Christian, you wouldn't mind if I take her away?" he asked closely to being polite. "Sure, you can take her if you promise not to have another one of those rugrats that you're currently creating" Christian replied making everyone laugh at the banter between the in laws. everyone was finally making progress at the relationship evolved positively.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

i'd love to see more from the poly reader x poolverine verse im obsessed w them

"I didn't realize your... roommates were home today," Your sister said helping the youngest into his coat.

"It's what happens when you don't call," you caution. "They live here. You want free babysitting, you accept the terms. Sometimes it's kazoos. Sometimes it's roommates." For now, you'd accept her calling them roommates. It was partly true. And it was less rude than what your mother had said. She called them your caretakers.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at you and you shrugged, "They're fed and in one piece. And Zach has part of his social studies paper done. You're welcome."

She watched for a second as her boys willingly accepted hugs and kisses as you ignored her, beseeching them to learn something at school and make good choices and she sighed, "Thanks."

"Call next time," you tell her giving her a meaningful look. You didn't live alone anymore. And if she didn't want her kids exposed to certain things then she needed to give you enough lead time to hide those things... Today she got lucky.

________________

"Shhh," Wade said, holding up a hand, "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Logan said opening a beer.

"Silence," Wade sighed, sinking on to the couch next to you, handing you a glass of wine. "Holy shit."

"And that's why I like being the cool Aunt," You tell him yawning. "I show up late. I bring presents. I leave before the crying starts. And then I enjoy my nice quiet house."

Logan snorted and reached over to rub your neck as he took your other side and picked up the remote, "Nice little racket, bub."

You take a sip from your glass and stretch, snuggling into Logan's side and putting your feet in Wade's lap, "Not too shabby, boys."

"For roommates," Wade teased, smacking the bottoms of your feet affectionately. "Didn't know roommates fuck like we fuck."

"Sorry-"

Logan grunted and wrapped his arm around you, "Pause was doin' some heavy lifting there."

"Mom... doesn't approve. What dad knows depends on the day. And I think my grandparents would just drop fucking dead. So. There's that." You lean over and lift a sleepy Mary into your lap and stroke her back before resting your head against Logn again. They are who they are and you are who you are. You don't fit in with the cookie cutter perfect family they have and you haven't from the second you took your first breath. But you fit here with a variant and a mercenary and their ugly little rat dog.

"We could ruin Christmas," Wade offered, "Just go make out in front of-"

"Or," you hum, "we can leave well enough alone so I can still hang out with the kids and let them have someone around that's somehow less fucked up even if I'm objectively a mess."

The boys traded a look and Logan kissed the top of your head. They'd work out the specifics later but for now, as long as your sister kept her comments to herself they'd behave- mostly. As long as it meant you got to see the kids. Because it was clear it made you happy, and because; truth be told, it hadn't been too bad today.

Wade cradled one of your feet in his hand and grinned, "I got a question."

"Might have and answer," you tell him, hissing when his thumb hit a tender spot on your instep.

"Why do all the rugrats call you, Shush?"

"My parent's housekeeper calls me Sugar," you answer. "Everyone sort of adopted it and Zach couldn't say it- so it devolved into Shush and stuck."

"Stop it, that's precious," Wade cooed, "I thought they called you that because they were always telling you to shut-"

"Not all of us went to school thinking our first name was Damn it," you snort.

Logan smirked and let go of you long enough to light his cigar. "What'd she call your sister?" he asked.

"Honey. Or Princess if she was being annoying... it's just that neither ever really stuck."

[apomaro-mellow]

Family Planning 4

Part 3

There's a severe lack of hijinks in this chapter but I'm hoping to fix that in the next part.

Steve was caught off guard when he heard a call pull up in the morning and it was Tommy, with Carol in tow. They never picked him up, preferring Steve’s car. His dad looked over his newspaper questioningly and Steve had no choice but to go outside. Now that he thought about it, he and Eddie hadn’t made plans to go to school together today. He had just assumed, but even then he wasn’t sure why.

“Hey, what’re you guys doing here?”, Steve asked as he walked out.

“You know why Harrington, get in”, Tommy said.

He did and Tommy didn’t even wait for the door to close before asking him about yesterday. Carol interjected with her own questions. They were his friends, so he didn’t mind answering but just like his parents they couldn’t wrap their heads around Steve going through with it on his own. Clearly it was all Eddie’s influence.

“I get that he’s an alpha, but you can’t let some knot-head like that lead you around”, Carol said.

“And you know that’s all he wants right? To get that knot in”, Tommy snickered. “And he gets to pretend he’s your alpha with a pup? I bet that freak humped his pillow last night, thinking of it.”

“Eugh, gross. I do NOT want to think about Munson’s junk”, Carol said.

“Can you guys cool it? I’m the one that’s actually gotta work with him for the project”, Steve said from the backseat. Not only was it offputting, but it didn’t seem fair to Eddie. Besides the odd fashion choices and weird club, he was a nice guy.

His friends did in fact cool it, at least until they got to school and Eddie was spotted waiting by the front entrance. Without a word to either Tommy or Carol, Steve went over to him. They had to get their new sack of flour. Ms. Engels gave them what could only be called a glare and Steve had the decency to feel a little bad, but not much.

“I’ll take the little rugrat for the first couple of periods”, Eddie offered. “If you want, we can meet up at lunch to do the paperwork.”

“Sounds great”, Steve said without even thinking.

He honestly did forget about it until lunch came. And by then, he already had his tray in his hands, Tommy on one side and Carol ahead of them, going to their usual table. Steve set his tray down just as Eddie came up to them.

“Hey, you ready?”

“What’s he doing here?”, Carol sneered.

“Shit, I forgot”, Steve said. “Yeah, we can just do it here.”

Eddie’s eyes slid to the two betas who looked like they wanted to toss him in the trash. His flight response was kicking up but he knew Carol wasn’t a scrapper and Hagan wouldn’t do anything so long as he stayed on Steve’s good side. So when Steve sat down, he scooted over and Eddie slid on next to him.

“Alright first thing’s first, baby’s name. How do you feel about Gertrude?”, Eddie grinned.

Steve’s nose scrunched. “She’s not someone’s grandma. And who said it’s a girl?”

“Do you have a preference for sex?”, Eddie asked.

“Gag me”, Carol muttered under her breath.

“Hey!”, Steve scolded. “Like it or not, he’s the sire of my pup and will be until the deadline of this project. You two need to get over yourselves.” If Eddie was going to be around more, Steve wasn’t going to let those comments continue to fly. 

Carol forked her food aggressively and Tommy just rolled his eyes. “Chill out man, didn’t know you were taking it seriously.”

Steve turned to Eddie. “What about Hannah?”

“I’m partial to Isabelle myself.”

It took them about halfway through lunch to settle on Kimberly Farrah Lisbeth Odette Ursa Rebecca Munson. It was a mouthful of a name, but it all fit on the line. And Steve allowed Eddie full freedom with her middle name since he got her first name. Her last name being Munson was the traditional route. Omegas usually gave up their name when they got married.

“Hey Eddie, are you gonna spend your whole lunch here?”

Steve looked up to see one of the members of that club. Hellfire. He wasn’t entirely sure what they got up to, played some kind of game. But they were looking at Steve and his friends warily. Steve looked to the table where the rest of them were and they shared the same expressions. 

“Ummm”, Eddie turned to Steve, like he was asking permission.

“We’ve got her name and all that stuff”, Steve said. “We can figure out trade off times later.” They just had to get the papers to Engels before the end of the day. He also offered to take the flour for the rest of the day since Eddie had it in the morning.

“Well then, I guess my business is done”, Eddie said, pushing away from the table. “Goodbye little Kimmy.” He actually kissed the top of the flour sack and then walked away.

“Dude, are you actually trying this year?”

“I plan on walking that stage come spring Gare-bear”, Eddie clapped his friend’s shoulder. And if he had to do so with a bag of food on his hip, so be it.

When the end of the day came, Eddie reconnected with Steve just as he was about to walk out the doors. The moment he did, they both noticed the principal eyeing them by the exit. Eddie frowned.

“You don’t need to hover. We’re actually not doing the helicopter parent thing.”

“We said we’d stay out of trouble”, Steve said.

“Forgive me if I don’t have total confidence in the both of you. Mr. Munson especially.”

Eddie put his arm around Steve’s shoulders. “We’re gonna be the model family. Just watch! We’re gonna do so good, Steve’ll be knocked up by spring!”

Steve’s face got red and it felt like the whole hallway stopped in its tracks. Steve let out a sigh, head hung in mortification as Eddie realized everyone in a two mile radius probably heard what he just said.

“Bad timing?”

“Is there good timing?”, Steve asked. Deciding to commit, he took the sack of flour out of his bookbag and put it on his hip like a real pup. “Well sir, if you’ll excuse us.” 

He started walking and Eddie had no choice but to follow his lead unless he wanted to separate. Eddie’s van was easy to locate and it was only when they got to it did they move apart.

“Thanks for not leaving me high and dry. Sooo, how are we gonna do the trade offs?”

“I think what we did today was fine”, Steve said. Handing the baby off between breaks, giving each of them a few hours free. “Which means you get our little bundle tonight since I had her all afternoon.”

“Cool. Do you uh, need a ride or?”

Steve thought about this morning, how he’d expected Eddie to come without really communicating so. “Uhhh-”

Eddie gasped. “Steve! It’s horrible!” He opened up the passenger door to his van. “I don’t have a carseat!”

“...Okay?”

“Which means you’ll have to hold dear Kimberly while I drive!”

Steve looked around as Eddie made a spectacle of himself. Principal Woolsley was still watching from the door. Didn’t he have a life? With a sigh, Steve got in and buckled up with their pretend pup. As they drove off, the principal was joined by a custodian who gave a chuckle.

“Ain’t that project meant to discourage procreation?”

Their routine worked pretty well. Right down to who drove them each day. Whoever had the baby for the evening would be picked up in the morning. It felt like an even balance of duties. Steve admitted to himself being a little apprehensive of coming to the trailer park for the first time, but when Eddie got in, Wayne smiled at them from the door and Eddie even bid good morning to the old lady who had glared at Steve when he drove up.

Steve’s parents never came out to wave to Eddie, even when he came right to the door and knocked. Eddie didn’t come to their lunch table again, the trade usually happening either before they got to the cafeteria or after lunch was over. Tommy and Carol stopped their snide remarks about Eddie but they didn’t start singing his praises either. Which was fine.

As for the report, Steve just left the sack on his bedroom desk while he was at home. If Eddie was doing any different, he didn’t let on. But while in school, he was a doting father, calling the sack pet names and kissing it, hamming it up whenever Engels or Woolsley were in sight. 

All in all it was going well and that February deadline got closer and closer. But as Steve was crossing today off his calendar, he noticed a problem. He was about to be short on time and Eddie wasn’t going to like the reason why when he told him tomorrow.

Basketball season started soon.

Part 5

Taglist

@marklee-blackmore @aol19 @im-really-annoying @ellietheasexylibrarian @queenie-ofthe-void

@redfreckledwolf

[well-what-did-you-expect]

fluff alphabet A, F, N, X for the tmnt 2012 turtles please? :D

TMNT2012 : A , F , N , X

included : leonardo “leo” hamato, raphael “raph” hamato, donatello “donnie” hamato, michelangelo “mikey” hamato

summary : a, f, n, x from the fluff alphabet with the turtles

warnings : none? i think

disclaimers : gn!reader, you/your & they/them pronouns

track [1 of 4] : she looks so perfect , 5sos

word count : 776

Leonardo "Leo" Hamato

A - Attraction (What they look for in a partner, their type)

Leo would love a partner who’s independent. Someone who can take care of themselves, but also someone who wouldn’t hesitate to ask him if they need help. Leo strikes me as a man who loves curves, no matter how you identify. Thick thighs, bit of a booty, bit of a tummy, he’s head over heels.

F - Family (If they want children and how many if so)

Leo strikes me as a guy who would love to have a family one day. Maybe a little rugrat or 2, a boy and a girl.

N - No (Dealbreakers, what can and will break the relationship apart)

Leo’s a leader, he’s already got enough on his plate watching out for his team/brothers. If you’re too dependent on him, it’s a dealbreaker.

X - X-Ray (How well they can read you)

Leo isn’t the best at reading you, he’s just above Donnie. If you don’t hint or tell him, he will almost never figure out how you’re feeling.

Raphael "Raph" Hamato

A - Attraction (What they look for in a partner, their type)

Raph is into those who are tough, not just physically, but mentally too. He likes when his partner can hold their own, and boy, oh boy, does he love when he can spar with his partner and not have to go too easy on them.

F - Family (If they want children and how many if so)

As we’ve seen, Raph is big on pets. He wouldn’t really want kids, 1, maybe 2, but mostly expect a pet or 2 or 3.

N - No (Dealbreakers, what can and will break the relationship apart)

Like Leo, being dependent on him is a dealbreaker. He needs his space at times and if you’re constantly coming to him for whatever reason that he doesn’t classify as a good reason, he’ll lose interest fast.

X - X-Ray (How well they can read you)

Raph isn’t the best at reading you but out of his brothers, he’s second best, just under Mikey. It may take him a bit to understand when you’re upset or something’s bothering you, but he will eventually understand and treat you accordingly.

Donatello "Donnie" Hamato

A - Attraction (What they look for in a partner, their type)

Like Leo, Donnie strikes me as a guy who’s into independence. Yes, he likes being needed, but he also likes that you can take care of yourself. He doesn’t really have a physical type, he’s more a personality guy than a looks guy, although he does appreciate the beauty in his partner.

F - Family (If they want children and how many if so)

Donnie doesn't strike me as a family man. I don't think he would want a big family, if he would want one at all. He’d be okay with a small pet, like a goldfish or maybe a bird, but not anything bigger or higher maintenance. If you manage to convince him to start a family, he would most likely want to stop after 1.

N - No (Dealbreakers, what can and will break the relationship apart)

If there is no support in the relationship. Donnie works for hours on end on projects and experiments, so if he's excited to show you his latest robot and you aren't in the slightest bit interested, then it's not gonna work for him.

X - X-Ray (How well they can read you)

Donnie isn't the best at reading you, he's usually unaware that you're upset until you make him aware by straight up telling him.

Michelangelo "Mikey" Hamato

A - Attraction (What they look for in a partner, their type)

Mikey isn't one to focus on the physical aspects of their partner. Mikey's ideal type would be someone who they can laugh and joke around with, someone they can have fun with (pranking people together, gaming together, skating together).

F - Family (If they want children and how many if so)

Mikey would love to have a family, and a big one at that. He would want a lot of kiddos and animals running around. I feel like he would want more daughters than sons. 3 daughters and 2 sons.

N - No (Dealbreakers, what can and will break the relationship apart)

If the relationship is too serious, there's barely any laughs or goofing off, is a dealbreaker for Dr. Prankenstein. Mikey's a big goofball and loves when they can joke around with their partner.

X - X-Ray (How well they can read you)

Mikey is the best at reading you. He can tell when you're upset because you don't laugh at his jokes or want to play games with him (both of which is an often occurrence in your relationship).

[bubblegumbarbie33]

I really want to write a Shameless AU where the day after 'Cascading Failures' Mandy wakes Mickey up and is like "Fuck this shit we're leaving" and she has a plan to move in with an Internet friend in Indiana but Mickey physically can't leave because Ian Ian Ian so Mandy takes him to the Gallagher house (where Fiona is freaking the fuck out about getting her kids back) and practically begs Fiona to take her brother in like she took Mandy in (not really because they were always fighting but also Fiona never kicked her out so.....)

Fiona's obviously like "Fuck this BS I've gotta get my kids back" and Mickey says that he'll help. Because he remembers what the system is like. Being alone. Fighting every second of every day. Being in a constant state of fight or flight. And he doesn't want that for Ian. Or any of the little Rugrats.

So he stays in the basement and keeps out of the house whenever social services stop by, and cleans and learns how to cook (pizza bagels and burnt eggs) and Fiona gets him a job (because he's not staying at her house with no money coming in, and Mickey doesn't want to work at the Kash and Grab with no Ian) and he works at the Alibi because his dad doesn't come around too often (he owes too many guys money or they owe him a boot to the face) but when Terry busts through the door Kev shoves Mickey under the bar like a little kid.

Mickey goes to the court hearing, because why wouldn't he? And Ian sees him walk in with Fiona and Mickey's looking at the ground and shuffling his feet because he knows that this is too much. That he's caring too much. But Ian doesn't say anything and just sits, glued to his side, until Fiona finally gets her kids back for good and everyone's jumping up and down and Mickey's just smiling but also a little sad because he's never known a family like this.

And then it's peaceful and domestic for a while, Mickey blends into the family. Makes friends with Kev and V. Becomes an dependable ego-check for Lip, a weird cousin/older brother for Carl and Debbie, a helping hand to Fiona, and a boyfriend to Ian. And it's some cheesy Brady Bunch shit but he lets himself love it because he's gone two decades without feeling safe.

Then, of course, Terry finds him. One of his cousins tips him off. He catches Mickey walking home from the Alibi one night, really lays into him. Mickey tries fighting back but finds himself paralyzed by that old, solid fear in the pit of his stomach. So he's just hit, again and again, in the street in front of the Gallagher house.

Until Fiona's on top of Terry with a bat, and Carl's got a blowtorch, and Lip's calling the cops because getting Terry sent to jail will make everyone's life easier, and Ian's kicking the shit out of him, and Debbie's holding a pillowcase full of bricks but she's more focused on making sure Mickey's cuts aren't deep enough to do lasting damage.

And that's enough to get Terry put away for a while. Tony makes sure of it, as due to some personal revelations he's definitely not a supporter of gay-bashing. And Mickey's lying on the couch, feeling like a sack of shit. A burden on the Gallaghers. He contemplates running down to Indiana, but Mandy has seemed happier based on her infrequent texts and social media posts, and he doesn't want to bother her. Because that's what he is. A bother.

But then Ian's sitting down next to him and turning on a movie. And slowly the rest of the family trickles in. And then it's just a normal night with leftovers and action flicks and Ian's arm wrapped around him. And Mickey falls asleep, knowing that when he wakes up the next day, it won't just be a dream.

[renthony]

Some recs for adult animation I enjoy:

People always seem to think I only watch kids' shows, so here's a list of animated television shows I adore, that were all made with adults in mind:

King of the Hill - Genuinely didn't think I'd like it, but I actually really love it? I expected something that was basically just The Simpsons or Family Guy, but got a surprising amount of emotional depth from the main cast. Bobby Hill is my son boy.

Futurama - I am legally obligated to list Futurama. I have watched the entire series so many fucking times. I'm going to watch the reboot and we all know it.

Disenchantment - It's more than just "Futurama medieval fantasy" but tonally, they are pretty similar. I enjoy it immensely. Bean is a #bicon, and that's fucking canon <3

Samurai Jack - The original show aired as a kids' show, but the revival apparently put it into the adult category. I haven't gotten that far yet, but holy shit, it's so good so far. Even the "kids' show" part is pretty mature, imho.

Bob's Burgers - I fucking love Bob's Burgers. I need to catch up on the more recent seasons. A sitcom that DOESN'T have parents who clearly hate each other? Whaaaat?

Harley Quinn - I'm not caught up, and there are aspects I have critiques of, but overall, it's been fun as fuck. I LOVE this interpretation of Ivy so fucking much.

Metalocalypse - My dad's a metal musician, so this was on in my house all the time when I was a teenager. I haven't watched it in *years* but I still reference the early seasons in conversation constantly. The Duncan Hills will wake you, motherfuckers.

Big Mouth/Human Resources - They are better than you think they are, and the "ugly style" reminds me of classic Klasky-Csupo. Compare it to Rugrats and tell me it doesn't have similar caricature styles. Story-wise, it nails the exact blend of panicked awkwardness I felt as a disaster tween, it has SO MANY queer characters. They dramatically improved on their more problematic aspects after getting called on it in seasons 1 and 2. And Human Resources made me sob like a little baby in the episode with Kieth from Grief.

BoJack Horseman - Starts off as a goofy gross-out humor sitcom but very quickly becomes a serious drama. Incredibly heavy and dark, but holy shit the catharsis. Delves into a lot of musings about morality, celebrity culture and Hollywood, generational trauma, and the perpetuation of cycles.

Tuca & Bertie - Goofy slice-of-life about characters navigating their 30s. Lots of musings about family, trauma, sexual abuse, queer dating in your 30s, friendship, and trying to survive it all. I relate so fucking much to the main cast.

Magical Girl Friendship Squad - It's a magical girl cartoon about milennials. Their magical girl weapons are birth control pills and a bong. It's fucking amazing. I'm really sad nobody else seems to have heard of it. :(

Little Demon - Sitcom about the Devil's daughter. Unsure if it's going to get a season 2, since it's about to get taken completely off of Hulu. Still worth watching if you can, because it's so fucking good. Centers on a teenage girl navigating Being A Teenage Girl while also dealing with her dad being the Devil and her mom being a traumatized mess who's figuring her own shit out.

Q-Force - The advertising did this show so fucking dirty. It was genuinely fucking funny, and it was clearly made with love. This isn't straight people making fun of us, this is queer people making queer comedy. Watch it.

Arcane - Arcane's politics are all over the place and I am in my "Silco Was Right" corner, which is right next to the "Magneto Was Right" clubhouse. But goddamn, the animation is gorgeous and the story is intense.

The Legend of Vox Machina - I haven't watched Critical Role, so I can say with confidence that this show is fucking amazing even if you have zero interest in the original gameplay streams. Fantasy animation for grownups, where they can show blood and titties, my beloved. <3

[ivymarquis]

WIP Wednesday

A bit of a character study/me skipping ahead/dynamic fun stuff etc?

This is so far down the line for the price x single!mom verse it's not even funny, but I wanted to write it out and see how I feel about it when we actually get to this point in the fic. John goes a wee bit off the fucking deep end :)

Y'all know the drill! No pressure, feel free to post a snippet of something you're working on.

“You won’t always be around, you know.” Michael has apparently decided he’s not partial to being above ground anymore.

The smoke from John’s cigar coils in him before he exhales slowly. Realistically he knows that Love is a sore spot for him and he’s willing to do anything for her, and yet he’s still caught off guard by the depth of the rage that washes over him in an all consuming fire.

“Would you like to clarify that for me?” Wouldn’t want to go flying off the handle after all if this is simply a misunderstanding.

“You talk a lot of shit for a guy who fucks off the second your phone rings. That clarify things for you? I don’t know what you or the blonde did to fuck with those results, but I know Sam is my fucking kid and I’ll be damned if you twats are going to get in my way.”

As Michael throws down his inane gauntlet, John exhales his now-final drag on the cigar, eyes flicking across his surroundings to gauge who is looking.

The man sure has a knack for picking the worst fucking spot to threaten the family of a man whose job is to work outside the constraints of red tape. They’re just secluded enough that Kate can see them if she looks but no one else can. And Kate certainly won’t give a fuck about what John’s about to do.

Without doubt, John knows that Michael expects to buffalo his way through this conversation and stalk off feeling he’s done something. Because the average citizen cannot do what John is about to- wouldn’t even consider it.

It’s the sheer confidence that John won’t put his hands on Michael that lets him snatch the other man up by his collar and shove him further out of sight from any prying eyes.

He opens his mouth to protest John’s grip on him, the perfect opportunity for him to shove the smoldering end of his cigar into the man’s mouth.

John has just enough impulse control to not extinguish the damn thing on the back of his throat, settling for the knowledge that the flurry of movement has knocked the ash loose into the other man’s throat.

“I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page before we have this little talk,” John snarls. “I can be on the other side of the world and it doesn’t fucking matter, am I clear? If I catch wind of you sniffing around when you think I’m distracted, you’re going to find out exactly what I am capable of for a guy who fucks off the second his phone rings.”

John pulls out the cigar and shoves the other man away from him. “If we have to have this conversation again, I’ll be shoving the barrel of my service weapon in your mouth next and painting the fucking walls, understood? There will be a point where I decide you’re more hassle alive than dead.”

He’s not mollified in the slightest by the way Michael’s legs shake and he suddenly can’t look John in the eye- all the bravado sucked out of him with the realization that John is not beholden to the same rules he is.

“You’re fucking insane,” he sputters, hunching over and trying to cough up the ash.

“If you’ve got any sense to you, you’ll stay off my shit list.” John advises before tossing the remains of the cigar in the bin.

“Now if you’ll excuse me- I’m taking the missus and the rugrat out for lunch.”

@direwombat @gaqalesqua @strangefable @glossysoap @kneelingshadowsalome @deadbranch @bunnyreaper @mortuarywriting @391780 @divine--serenity @la-grosse-patate @g0dspeeed @luminousbeings-crudematter @ceilidho

[deceptive-daydreams]

Rhiannon - E.M.

Girl Dad!Eddie x Step Mom!Reader Blurb

2K Words

Eddie being a girl dad and he names his daughter Rhiannon. She's five years old and is his entire world, she's got him wrapped around her little finger.

A/N - I will probably most definitely be posting more detailed parts of this cause this concept has a chokehold on me now. Also I picture Eddie in this to look like this. Obviously you don’t have to but that was the vibe when I was writing it, I can’t stop picturing him like that courtesy of @lesservillain so thanks 🫠

Masterlist

She's an absolute rugrat and plays in the dirt, looking for worms and making homes for them with sticks and leaves. Loves to get smothered in mud right after it rains, her clothes just barely peeking out from underneath the mess while she rolls around in it, making snow angels except with mud. Refuses to get a bath afterwards and makes Eddie chase her around the yard before he ultimately catches her, scooping her up and getting the mud all over himself now. She protests in his arms, claims she won't be done playing for hours even though the sun is starting to set and she had been outside from the moment she finished breakfast after Eddie sternly told her she had to eat first and then could play after. Eddie blows a raspberry into her dirt smudged cheek, unbothered.

"The worms will be there tomorrow, I promise." She continues squirming in his arms and he just puts on a huge pout, his dramatics coming out.

"What about daddy and Rhin movie time? You gonna stand me up for the worms?" His fingers go to tickle her sides, eliciting a scream of laughter.

"You are so mean to me, you know that? I should just use the hose to wash you off!" He jokes, tossing her in the air, she continues to howl with laughter.

"No!!" She screeches, eyes crinkled. Eddie catches her once again and holds her to his side, much like a football as he starts racing through the yard, the overgrown grass tickling his ankles.

"Rhin is a meanie! Rhin is a meanie!" He mocks, bouncing her on his hip.

"Am not!! You're the meanie!" She yells. A gasp leaves her dad's lungs as he brings a hand to his chest. He flips her upside down, giggles erupting from her as she dangles from his arms.

"Take it back." He says, swaying her back and forth, her mess of brown curls inherited from him hanging around her face. They were for sure knotted from being outside all day, no doubt having traces of dirt scattered within them.

Her screams are cheerful and echo throughout the yard, neighbors glancing over as they join together with their families for their own summer activities, though they have scowls embedded into their features. The Munsons were never popular among the people of Hawkins but Eddie didn't care, too busy giving his little girl the best life possible. And if she was too occupied with giggling and playfully arguing with her dad to notice the looks of hatred on their neighbor's faces, who was he to give a shit about them?

After several seconds of dangling her upside down, she shouts "Daddy, I took it back, I take back!" Immediately, he flips her right side up, his cheeks hurting from smiling, dirt smearing his once clean clothes and his arms.

Before he can launch into another round of banter with his daughter, a voice interrupts. "Daddy bullying you again?!" You're stood with your hands on your hips, shouting to them from the porch, the sticky summer evening lingering on your skin.

They answer simultaneously, her a "yes" and your husband a "no". They look at you wide eyed, matching molasses colored irises staring at you. The sight is captivating, your little family standing among the long grass, cotton candy skies painted behind them, the two of them covered in dirt.

Eddie pipes up, raising a brow at his daughter. "Well this one, didn't wanna get a bath. So the hose it is." He teases, throwing her over his shoulder as he marches to the coiled up hose on the ground. She's cackling with laughter again, a sound you could never get tired of.

"I think I can make you an offer, Rhin." You chime in. "I have a tray of fresh baked cookies with your name on it. They're all gooey how you like. Not hockey pucks like last time." You bargain. "All you gotta do is get your butt in the bathtub."

She huffs but you know you've got her as she hangs over her dad's shoulder. "Fine!" She whines. "Can I have six?" The random demand has you softly chuckling, Eddie repeating "six!" in disbelief. "We'll see how you feel after one." You tell her with a playful glare. She sighs while throwing her head back, curls wiggling with her movements. "I'll take that as a yes, I'm gonna get the water started." You say walking back into your small home.

"Mama runs a real tight ship around here, doesn't she?" Eddie mumbles to Rhin. She chirps out a "yep!". You can still hear their little conversation through the open windows of the kitchen as you make your way to the bathroom.

"But we love 'er. Right, stink?" The smack of a kiss, most likely against her cheek is heard before you retreat into the bathroom to start a bath. You can't fight the grin on your face.

—

A ruthless bubble bath later, Eddie's clothes splashed with water and the floor covered in puddles from their rubber ducky fight, you're pulling another tray of cookies out of the oven, the chocolatey aroma engulfing the house. As you baked, screams of joy came from the bathroom followed by the sound of sloshing water which you cursed at under your breath since you warned Eddie to keep it to a minimum. Anymore water damage to the already peeling floor and you would have an expensive renovation on your hands. You couldn't stay too mad though, it was only the result of him bonding with his daughter.

The last cookie was placed using a spatula on the plate you had set out. You used this opportunity to peek into the bathroom, finding Eddie sitting against the wall next to the bathtub, jeans soaked where his ass sat in a prominent puddle, a rubber duck held in his ring clad hand.

"I lost the great war." He mutters in disappointment as he looks up at you. Rhin is focusing on smearing bubbles on his tattooed arm that rests along the edge of the tub.

You frown at him as you lean against the doorway. "Always hate to see it, baby." You say apologetically. "But you knew what you were getting yourself into." A finger points at him with a raised brow.

"Yeah, and you keep letting me go off to war." His pout makes you want to melt like the chocolate chips in the fresh baked cookies you just baked. The most adorable sight you could ever imagine.

"Well, when will my husband return from war, then?" You banter.

"Real soon, I hope. You gotta talk to this one." His thumb gestures to Rhin. Her bath toys are scatted throughout the tub and bubbles are stuck to her chin. Her attention shifts from rubbing the bubbles on his arm and her little hands make their way to her dad's cheeks.

"Daddy, pay attention!" Her hands deliver small smacks and in return, Eddie blows a raspberry into her tiny arm.

"We don't hit, remember?" He scolds her gently, his hands gripping her little wrists delicately. She pouts at him but nods. "If we want something, we ask nicely. No hitting." She turns to putty at her dad's serious tone. "Okayyy." She softly draws out, then returning to what she was going to show him.

You beam at them, your little family. Eddie was always terrified to bring anyone around his little girl, the fear that they'd try to get close only to reject his lifestyle and cause confusion for Rhin when they would decide to leave. They'd get a glimpse of the not so glorious life of a parent and run the other way, leaving him heartbroken. But not you.

When he met you over a year ago, you were working at the local supermarket, stocking shelves when a rowdy little girl happened to crash into your legs while what appeared to be her dad chased her frantically. Telling her "Rhiannon, you better get over here. I'm not joking." He was hot, you weren't going to lie, his brunette curls were wild and he had tattoos littering his skin, wearing a band t shirt and some ripped up black jeans adorned with a chain. You wouldn't take him for a dad if you'd seen him without his little twin. You let out an "oof" before addressing the tiny girl at your feet. "Hello!" You greet her cheerfully. She offers a shy smile as she says "Hi." Her dad glances at you apologetically. "Sorry about that." He grabs her hand in his large one. You insist that its no problem, even going as far as to compliment her. "You're gorgeous! I love your shoes." You refer to her pale purple sneakers decorated with flowers. Eddie swears his heart swells in the moment then remembers you must must not be from around here at your kind treatment toward them.

From then on he's making unnecessary trips to the store just to see if you're working, not even having the courage to talk to you. One day Rhin is putting him through it when he genuinely just needs to pick up some milk. She's grabbing everything, hanging off of his leg as he attempts to walk toward the back of the store, knocking things over. She ends up getting too wound up and excited, bumping into a display of greeting cards, sending them flying around the aisle. You happen to be stocking a shelf at the end of the aisle when you see the mysterious guy you'd been crushing on with his adorable daughter, kneeling in front of her with a vein practically popping out of his neck as he tries to keep cool.

"Rhiannon, what did I tell you?" His voice is low and he sounds like he's doing his best to hide his frustration. Her lip wobbles, as her eyes brim with tears. He continues lecturing her as you approach carefully, his gaze moving from her to you. "I-I um—I'm sorry, we'll clean this up." He stutters as he begins collecting the cards from the ground. What he doesn't expect it for you to join him, kneeling on the ground doing the same. "That's okay, we all make mistakes." You assure them both. "No big deal, right?" You nod to her sad little face. He can't get over how kind you are, how much compassion you offer him as a stranger, he's so used to the rude comments and hateful stares. You end up introducing yourself to the little girl, you didn't get the chance the first time when she ran into you.

"And what's your name?" You ask, still gathering cards in your hands, Eddie doing the same as he watches the interaction. "Rhiannon." She says bashfully. "Rhiannon." You say gently, as if you're in awe, exaggerating your excitement for the little human in front of you. "Like the song. That's beautiful, I'm so jealous." This allows her to open up a little more. "Well, I like your name too." She says, sporting a missing tooth at the bottom of her smile. "M' wearing the shoes you like." She puts her foot in front of her, showing it off. "You are! Those are so in style, I've been meaning to get myself a pair."

Eddie is shocked at how well you go back and forth with his daughter, his eyes wide and his mouth hung open in wonder. And then you’re looking to him expectingly and he realizes you’ve asked for his name as well. Suddenly his day isn't going so bad.

—

After several run ins with you at the grocery store he gets the courage to ask you out. He knows its risky, he never wants to put his family in a compromising position but he can't help it when every time he goes to the store, you're there to talk his daughter down from sprinting down the aisles. Telling her "Y'know, your dad is pretty old, I don't think he should be running around after you or else his knees are gonna give out." Eddie would drop his jaw at this, a playful glint in his eyes. "Daddy, you're old?" She would question. He would go to protest until Rhin would say "I don’t wanna make you run anymore if you’re like Grampa Wayne." And while he hated it, he couldn't say anything since it got her to stop racing through the store. When he goes to continue his shopping he'd just mutter to you "If I'm old then that means you're old, assuming we're about the same age." He would smirk as if he gave you the best comeback. You'd roll your eyes. "Whatever, Grandpa, better finish your shopping. Don't forget denture glue." Mean. In the most endearing way. He would get you back one day.

Then he makes his move, a stuttering mess that has no game whatsoever. Saying “S-so, bowling?” You can’t help but burst out laughing, the statement in itself is just so odd in the context of the grocery store, halfway through your shift as his daughter skips around, her attention on the sprinkles of the baking aisle. He shakes his head in misery, knowing that his attempt at being the slightest bit flirty went down the drain the second his mouth opened. Of course you tease him for it but agree to go out with him because you’ve had a little crush on him ever since you first saw him.

Fast forward to your first date when he’s finally able to get Wayne to watch Rhin, his work schedule taking priority until he finally has a night off and even gives Eddie a pep talk, letting him know that it’s okay that he’s nervous and to take things slowly, let it flow. “She already knows you got Rhin, the hard parts over.” And he’s right, there’s no pressure. You already know about the biggest part of his life and that makes things feel a little less tense for him. He’s attempted to date before but it never felt right and he always got too overwhelmed to continue anything.

Later that night you both learn that you suck at bowling and barely have any points but it doesn’t matter because you are having the time of your life and Eddie can’t stop smiling. The music is loud and he finds himself doing little dances on his way back to to the seats after he finishes his turn. You giggle at him every time, he has no rhythm but his moves are still cute. Sometimes he chucks the ball into the lane and it bounces and it only makes you laugh harder, the whole time is spent laughing. Especially when you decide to do a shot or two together. There is no containing that stomach clenching, kicking your feet, face hurting laughter. People were probably looking at you like you’re maniacs but as far as you knew, you and Eddie were the only ones in the room.

There are moments where you pass each other while swapping turns, you going up to grab a bowling ball but first you’d both pause and do a little dance together. Everything just clicked like it never had before and there was no way you were going to let him go after that night. And he felt the same way.

—

That’s how you came to be tonight, your loving husband, just recently married, with one arm around Rhin and the other around you on the couch for a movie, picked out by Rhin of course. She’s long gone, fast asleep since her day of playing outside wore her out, her little head resting against Eddie’s side as he pulls a blanket over her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

He’d turn to you and give you the most dopey smile, so in love with both his girls. “I have never seen a little girl as nuts as her.” He tilts his head toward Rhin. “She’s got me doing full on work outs just to keep up with her before it even reaches 10AM.” You stare at him fondly, his eyes so full of passion for his daughter. “She is like the actual spawn of the Tasmanian devil.” You laugh at this, giving his bicep a squeeze as you’re curled up into him, movie forgotten about in the background. “You love her.” You say confidently, a kiss pressed to his arm. He sighs contently. “God, I do, I love her so much. I was so scared when she was a baby but now I can’t imagine my life going any other way.” He smoothes her hair down gently so he doesn’t stir her awake. “And when you came in, oh god. I was fucked.” Your hand that had rested on his stomach gave it a little smack as a warning for his language around her even though she was in a deep sleep, a grunt escaping Eddie. “Baby, it’s true.” He defends. “Don’t swear in front of her. You know that she’ll pick it up super quickly and we won’t be able to get her to stop.” We. Eddie loved when you used we. He finally had a we. A family. Something he longed for for so long in his younger years, something he feared he never deserved or would ever come close to, it all rested in the palm of his hand. And he would treasure it forever.

~end~

Masterlist

[princesssarisa]

Reading advice for writers on how and how not to write Jewish characters, and looking back on my '90s childhood, I think there were at least two shows that had pretty good representation.

First of all, Rugrats.

Yes, Tommy Pickles' family is interfaith, and they celebrate Christmas and Easter. But it never comes across as just an excuse to make Tommy "goyische in all but name." His Jewish grandparents are prominent, funny, likable supporting characters. The original show had a Passover special and a Hanukkah special, and more recently, the CGI reboot had a Purim special. Nor, if I remember correctly, does the family practice any Christianity apart from the holidays. Instead of being Christians with just a few token Jewish trappings, this interfaith family is basically Jewish except that they celebrate Christmas and Easter in secular ways. And apparently (though I've only read about it), the sequel series All Grown Up has the 11-year-old Tommy explicitly identify as Jewish, not half-Jewish... as he should, since his mother is the Jewish parent.

Also, coming from an interfaith family myself, I loved the fact that Tommy was "like me." And I love the mere fact that, even within an interfaith context, the show has the protagonist himself be Jewish rather than a supporting character. Especially because the supporting cast includes Chuckie Finster, a red-haired, glasses-wearing, nebbishy, neurotic boy – yet he's not Jewish, while protagonist Tommy, who has none of those traits, is.

Then there was The Puzzle Place, a PBS puppet show that revolved around six friends of different ethnicities, which included a Jewish girl, Jody. I think it did pretty well where she was concerned.

The show's holiday special pointedly averted the "Jewish character celebrates Christmas with their friends because it's fun" trope. Besides teaching her friends about Hanukkah, Jody also made it clear that she didn't celebrate Christmas and didn't want to, and she resisted her Norwegian-American friend Ben's attempts to "help her" join in the Christmas festivities. Another episode, revolving around different kinds of bread in different cultures, took place at Passover and had Jody unable to eat the fry bread that Apache boy Skye brought for everyone to try. A lesser show might have had her break down and have some in the end, but she didn't, she just agreed to try some the next time he brought it. She also explained Passover to the other kids, gave them all matzo to taste, and even sang the hamotzi before they ate it. In another episode, where the theme was "growing up," she told her friends about b'nai mitzvah, and in another, which was about dealing with death, her dad talked about sitting shiva. Yet her Jewishness didn't define her either; other episodes where she was the protagonist dealt with universal issues, like facing a bully or coming to terms with her parents' divorce.

These are things you don't see in every kids' show.

[scoobydoodean]

Do you have siblings, and what order are you in?

How do you view and feel about Sam running away multiple times, and then in 5.16 Sam running away are the only memories he's given? (and do you think angels did that purposefully?)

I am the younger of two and I understand how Sam can run away and how it would only be about getting away from their, but that Dean would feel the brunt of it all. But I can totally imagine my older sibling understanding Dean, but not necessarily Sam's pov.

I also don't think Sam's reasoning is ever fully explained, at least in 5.16, it makes him seem much more selfish and uncaring. I think he assumed Dean was better equipped to handle living with their dad alone simply because he behaved, it just happened to be that Dean and dad were linked - and I don't really know how much they talked about their relationship with their dad till they were older.

I wonder if Dean ever would've considered leaving John and living somewhere near Sam, or even running away with Sam.

I have three siblings. I'm in the middle. Two older siblings and the caboose is 7 years younger than me. So I remember what it's like to be the baby but I also know what it's like to play older sibling to a sibling several years younger than me. My younger brother and I are also very close.

If this was all prompted by my comment the other day that I wasn't looking forward to watching "Dark Side of the Moon", I don't dislike the episode because it shows Sam running off. I do have issues with the episode, but a large part of my distaste for it is that it is generally very depressing. It being depressing in of itself isn't a criticism of the episode—it's supposed to be depressing because it's about total loss of hope and belief for Dean (and then Cas as well losing hope at the end of the episode). It's doing what it's supposed to do in that sense. It's just hard to watch. Unfortunately, a lot of people take the bleakness of it and the idea that Dean is a burden and etc as truth and not manipulation meant to drive him to say "yes", and that also makes me rather sour about it.

I don't care that Sam wanted to go to college, or that he was happy at another family's thanksgiving at one point in his life. The Flagstaff memory bothers me a little because Sam's fond recollection of it, unmarred by any negative associations, clearly suggests he didn't face any consequences for running off once John found him. The fact that he never even into his adult life considered that Dean might have faced consequences does feel rather self-centered, and that's on purpose. I don't care that Sam went to school or that there were points as a kid where he wanted to run off.

I do disagree with the premise that Sam still desires some normal core Thanksgiving. I simply don't think that would be a favorite memory for Sam anymore. Just a few episodes prior to this, in "Swap Meat", Sam sat down with someone else's family for a normal, family dinner and he hated it. He found Gary's parents absolutely obnoxious. He told Gary afterward that he envied his life, only to turn to Dean and say he lied.

SAM I totally lied. That kid's life sucked ass. All that apple-pie, family crap? It's stressful. Trust me – we didn't miss a damn thing.

Or observe earlier in the episode:

DEAN You ever think that you'd want something like that? Wife, rugrats, the whole nine? SAM No, not really my thing anymore.

In fact, it's Dean who envies the normal life in "Swap Meat" and several other episodes (ex: 2.20, 4.19) whereas Sam indicates several times that a normal life is not something he wants (2.02, 2.10, 2.20, 4.08, 4.19, 5.12). In 4.08 and in 2.20, Sam in fact overtly states that he would not go back and choose a normal life now if he could go back. In 3.01, 4.19, and in 5.06, Sam also heavily emphasizes the importance of family within the hunting dynamic. I track a lot of this within the tag #sam the hunter.

I think there is a strong argument to be made that Zachariah ran them through heaven like rats in a maze in 5.16, directing them toward certain memories and not others in order to make Dean believe that Sam doesn't care for him (I have a separate post to make about this in more detail). However, I don't believe Zachariah forced in memories that aren't "greatest hits". I think he just drove them away from any happy memories Sam has with Dean and toward ones where Sam grasped independence from John, misappropriated to make Dean feel Sam doesn't care about Dean or appreciate/recognize his sacrifices (the former is not true, but the latter is in fact true in many cases).

Note though that when Joshua arrives and takes them to heaven's garden:

SAM: This is heaven’s Garden? DEAN: It’s-it’s nice… ish. I guess. JOSHUA: You see what you want to here. For some it’s God’s throne room; for others it’s Eden. You two, I believe it’s the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. You came here on a field trip.

So right there, we have a shared favorite memory, right after (presumably) any potential influence Zachariah had on what memories they were seeing was eliminated.

What primarily irritates me about this episode and many other Dabb/Loflin episodes is their perpetual need to insert the narrative that Sam wants a normal life he explicitly states he does not want over and over and over in everyone else's episodes, while they write Dean as someone who says things like "I mean, we’re supposed to be a team. It’s supposed to be you and me against the world, right?" It implies a sort of desperation vs apathy that, even when contradicted in subtler ways, I just don't find interesting... And yet they seem to harp on the same dramatic "misunderstanding" over and over and over for all eternity. And Dabb continues it after cutting ties with Loflin. In fact he continues to toy with these obnoxious dramatics to the very end of the series in a way I find unbelievably tired and obnoxious and I resent it. He's the same one-trick pony when it comes to his ideas on Dean and Cas conflicts in the later seasons.

As to your last bit there: Dean did consider running off. We see this in "Bad Boys", and in that episode, we also see that Dean doesn't end up abandoning their family because he felt Sam needed him. We hear a similar narrative in regards to John in 1.06 from the mouth of the shifter—that Dean had dreams of his own, but Dean felt that John needed him, so Dean stayed. John echoes this when he says that he was an emotional wreck and Dean took care of him (2.01). We see Dean also taking care of Mary in "Dark Side of the Moon" after she gets off the phone with John, upset. 5.16 casts Dean as someone perpetually sacrificing his own needs for his family, but unappreciated all the while. In fact, Sam doesn't recognize any of his sacrifices. Dean is nothing more than a blood offering on the altar of family. Zachariah intends this narrative and leans into it heavily in the scene where he explicitly manipulates what Sam and Dean are seeing.

MARY: Don’t you walk away from me. I never loved you. You were my burden. I was shackled to you. Look what it got me. The worst was the smell. The pain, well. What can you say about your skin bubbling off? But the smell was so… You know, for a second I thought I’d left a pot roast burning in the oven. But… it was my meat. And then, finally, I was dead. The one silver lining was that at least I was away from you.

Zachariah has Mary speak about Dean being a burden to his family and to her, but it's potentially more layered than "Dean has abandonment issues". What Mary says about being shackled to Dean—being burdened by her child—firmly recollects Dean's claim to Cas in 5.03 that he's chained to his family through responsibility, and that finally being away from Sam is a relief. This fake Mary says death was her escape from similar chains of responsibility to her loved ones. It was the only escape. Burned up and dead but finally free. There's an implication there that Dean can finally escape responsibility in a similar way, and in two episodes, Dean is going to try and escape by saying "Yes".