#Tree climbing toddlers

[tanuandthetriplets]

Triplets Wala RakshaBandhan | Unlimited Chaos | Triplets Vlog 31st August’23

[pillowspace]

Fascinated by how many people are picking the Daycare Attendant on that poll, I would have been soo scared of Sun

[nidaiime]

@shinobinvku sent:

📂 | for a random useless headcanon | always accepting

Tobirama is very good with children. One day, he wishes he would have some children of his own with the person he loves.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

I guess it makes sense that the Storyteller Mimic is a giant Aldi nightlight and not an actual Guy but like. That's so boring :(

[austerulous]

And Ber (213cm) next to Anri please <3

[wardaehn]

Grieving, First Night

How can anyone have so strong a will to live that doesn't suck life out of others? So much physical pain and internal failure but you wouldn't hear those problems by the cheerful meow of his insecure love, always treasuring his place in belongingness. Well, I hope I made it clear enough for you it's mutual, boy.

I opened my eyes surprised that I didn't dream about you,

But maybe that's how waking up in the absence of your warmth on my belly feels more empty,

Thank you for fighting for more time together, little boy,

If reincarnations were true we'd probably find each other somewhere stupid again...

[lifelearningluna]

Luna loves to climb. She will find and get in to as many trees as possible!

[theawkwardone6]

Is it bad that I hope my future child is a complete gremlin

[crimsonblackrose]

So I learned one of the clocks goes off every 15 minutes...which explains part of the cacophony of sound. Also we traded 2 fighting shrieking siblings for one little girl who as soon as I woke up talked to me nonstop until she was picked up. 😅

[drawsmaddy]

[ID: A digital drawing of Derrig and Orym from Critical Role. Orym is a toddler and Derrig is kneeling to lift him away from a low branch of a tree that Orym was trying to climb. Derrig looks fondly exasperated and says "Oh no you don't", Orym looks surprised.

A Derrig and Orym kofi doodle request for @sociallyawkwardfoxwriter!

[queenimmadolla]

its maisie again

girl you arent getting any sleep ever cos on me

younger penny and wayne being in an absolute mood with reader because they saw her cheating on daddy…with santa claus 🎅

𝐈 𝐒𝐚𝐰 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬

(dad!eddie x mom!reader)

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: angst and fluff, mentions of infidelity (no cheating), misunderstandings, implied sexual activity, hurt and a lot of comforting.

𝐚/𝐧: this started off as a little drabble and got way too long because, i dont know, i love them. nonetheless, i hope you all enjoy reading this. and as always, reblogs are appreciated and let me know how you all liked it (if you didn't, simply move on). merry christmas and happy holidays to you and your families! ♡ ♡ ♡

wc: 7.5k

“Penny…Penny…”

  Your little girl stirred in her bed, a small groan escaping her.

  “Penny, wake up!” Came another hurried whisper and finally the seven year old squinted her eyes open. She was scowling as she pushed herself up on her elbow, a fist rubbing her eye and pushing the curls out of her face.

  “What?” She snapped at her little brother, the toddler perched on her bed next to her. He didn’t look remotely apologetic or sheepish for venturing into her room and disturbing her from her slumber. No, he looked nervous, clenching his tiny hands to his pajama covered chest.

  He didn’t answer her right away, shifting uncomfortably in place with his big eyes on her akin to a puppy who had knocked over a vase and was now begging for sympathy.

  Penny knew her brother needed a little more prompting so she sighed and sat up, hands in her lap. 

  “What is it, Waynie?”

  He was quiet for a few more moments. Then, “....Sowwy.”

  She also knew he hadn’t woken her up for no reason, “It’s okay. Did you have a bad dream?”

  Wayne shook his head, short curls tossling. 

  “Nuh uh. I hadta go peepees so I gotted up and afta, I hud mommy in the kishen–”

  “She was probably washing dishes, Waynie.”

  Wayne shook his head again, this time with more urgency, “No, Penny! Mommy was talkin to Santa.”

  Penny sat up straighter, any lingering sleep withering away as she became instantly alert and concerned. “Santa?”

  Wayne nodded slowly in confirmation.

  “But–But it’s too early!” Christmas wasn’t until next week,  “What is he doing here? Does he make special visits? Are we in trouble?” 

  Penny let out a small gasp after the last question, horrified at the thought of Santa Claus coming to their home to tell their mommy and daddy how naughty they’d been.

  But–but they hadn’t been! Penny had been a good girl!!!! . . . Mostly. And Wayne, too! But from the way Wayne was looking at her, he also must have had his doubts.

  “What were they saying?” She demanded and he held up both of his hands and shrugged his shoulders up to his ears.

  “I dunno! I camta waked you up.”

  Well, Penny was going to get her answers. She flung her blanket off and hopped out of bed in her nightgown while Wayne climbed down after her, snug-footed covered feet landing on the carpet.

  “C’mon,” she encouraged as she quietly padded over to her door and slowly turned the knob, holding her breath as she pulled the door open. When it didn’t creak, Penny let out a sigh of relief and crept out of her bedroom, down the hall with her little brother toddling after her.

  Her eyes nearly flew right out of their sockets when she poked her head around the corner to see her mommy and Santa Clause standing in the middle of the living room, right by their christmas tree!

  She hid against the wall, turning her head to gape at her brother who had a look of I told you so on his face.

  They both peered around the corner once more to get another look at the scene, spy. Santa’s back was to them, but they could see their mommy’s face. She was smiling and had her fingers pressed to her mouth.

  “Are you sure it looks okay?” Santa asked you, and you nodded, eyes roving over him.

  “It looks great–much better than last years. I’m glad we tossed that one.”

  “Is it, though? Because I still feel stupid.”

  Then, to your children’s surprise, you wrapped your arms around Santa’s shoulders. And if that surprised them, then Santa placing his hands on your waist to pull you even closer should’ve sent them into shock. You only did that with their daddy!

  “Well, I don’t think you look stupid. In fact, I find the whole thing kind of…hot. Coming down the chimney, leaving presents that’ll have those kids smiling for weeks, doing this to make them happy–it’s all so very attractive.”

  “In that case, Santa’s not here just to make the kids happy.” 

  Penny and Wayne did not like the way Santa said that. Not one bit. It got worse.

  “I think you should save that talk for Mrs.Claus, Santa.” But you were looking up at him through your lashes, a coy smile on your lips. 

  “What Mrs.Claus doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.”

  Then Santa pulled you in, white gloved hand moving to cup the back of your head as you kissed him.

  If your kids were shocked when you and Santa displayed affection, Penny and Wayne were ready to faint as you kissed Santa Claus!

  Penny knew she had to get Wayne out of there, trying to quietly usher him back to his room but the toddler accidentally hit his elbow into the wall.

  “Did you hear that?”

  Penny and Wayne made a run for the nearest bedroom, Wayne’s. They scrambled under the blankets, settling and shutting their eyes just as the door opened, casting the yellow hue of hallway light into the room. They kept their breathing even as steps neared.

  “Why is Penny in here with him?”

  “He must have had a bad dream, he gets her sometimes. I’ve found them asleep in her bed a few times before.”

  “Oh, that’s cute as shit.”

  “I know–wait, get out of here. One of them might wake up and see you!” They heard their mommy hiss.

  “Oh, crap!” Then heavy footsteps retreating from Wayne’s room just before their mommy’s loving touch tucked them in. Penny felt her press a kiss to her forehead before she could tell her mommy was leaning over her fake sleeping body to kiss Waynie, too.

  Then your soft footsteps retreated and the door was quietly shut. 

  Wayne, the amateur, quickly turned to Penny and tried to talk but Penny shushed him and remained still for a few minutes. When she was sure her mommy wouldn’t be coming back, she spoke. 

  “Oh my goodness.”

  “Bad wuds.” Wayne whispered, thinking of the swear jar on the kitchen table. And he couldn’t even go get it and have Santa put a dollar inside. 

  “Santa’s potty mouth is the last thing we gotta worry about.” Penny whispered back, staring up at the glow in the dark star covered ceiling as she replayed the image of her mommy kissing Santa Claus.

  “Whudabout daddy?” Wayne asked, turning onto his side to face his big sister, little hand pressed between his pillow and his cheek.

  Penny came to a grim realization, “We gotta tell ‘im.”

  The next morning, when your kids came into the bedroom to wake you, they didn’t jump on the bed and lacked their normal enthusiasm.

  Penny simply shook Eddie’s arm until he stirred, which pulled you out of your own sleep as you were laying on his chest. 

  “Good morning,” he rasped out, squinting through one eye at them with a smile.

  Their reply were quiet mumblings of good morning. And when you leaned over Eddie, beaming at your babies, they didn’t smile back.

  “How’d you guys sleep?” You asked, conjuring up the image of your babies cuddled up in your toddler’s new big boy bed. You’d wanted to fall to your knees and coo over how cute they were.

  “Okay.” Then Penny just walked out of the room while Wayne lingered, watching her go before his eyes nervously returned to the two of you, who now looked confused.

  “Hungwy.” Was all he said before he hurried after his sister.

  When they were gone you pushed yourself off of Eddie and got out of the bed.

  “That was weird, right?”

  Eddie nodded mid-yawn, “She’s probably just tired still. You know how grumpy she gets when she doesn’t get enough sleep.”

  “Takes after you.” You teased, just barely dodging a pillow tossed your way as you walked towards the bathroom, “Hey!”

  After quickly washing up, and whacking Eddie awake with the pillow he’d thrown at you when you’d come out of the bathroom to find he’d fallen back asleep, you got started on breakfast.

  Normally, your kids would be in the kitchen eager to help you, but Penny and Wayne remained perched on the couch, watching Looney Tunes cartoons. 

  “Is it a funny episode?” You called from the kitchen as you pulled the eggs from the fridge.

  “They’re always funny.” Penny’s answer was blunt, she didn’t take her eyes off the TV.

  “I’m not too fond of the earlier re-runs, never really found them all that funny until Bugs Bunny stopped looking weird.” You stated, trying to keep the conversation going. Maybe once you got them going, they’d come to be your little helpers. 

  No such luck.

  They remained quiet until Eddie came striding out of the bedroom. The TV was all but abandoned as they jumped him with squeals of daddy.

  Eddie bent over so Penny could climb onto his back while Wayne tried to swing and hang from his arm.

  “I missed you, daddy.” Penny stated, arms wrapping around his neck from behind and she nuzzled her head against his. 

  “You missed me?” Eddie’s grin was clouded in confusion. He’d been a way for a solid week, three weeks ago. Corroded Coffin had opened up for some band they didn’t care for (and probably wouldn’t be associating with again, if the fight Gareth had with the guitarist was any indication).

  But he’d been back since then. 

  “Yeah, I missed you a lot. Even Waynie did–huh, Waynie?”

  Wayne didn’t reply, too focused on trying to hang onto his dad’s arm without falling. Eddie gently lowered him until his covered feet met the ground, and Penny was next.

  With his legs back on solid matter, Wayne’s attention shifted to you. He ran over laughing, last night’s events 

 forgotten, due to a short attention span, while he wrapped his arms around your legs, chin resting on your legs with his head angled up at you.

  That beaming little face warmed you right up. You abandoned the pancake mix to pick him up and he nestled against you, arms around your shoulders and legs wrapped along your rib cage.

  “There’s my little love bug.” You sighed out in content, giving him a gentle squeeze. Your son giggled and tried to squeeze you right back so you entertained him, pretending to choke at the strength he didn’t possess which only made him laugh harder before you shifted him onto your hip–a mission in itself with how heavy your baby was getting. 

  “You wanna help me make breakfast?”

  “Yeah!” He chirped enthusiastically. You turned your head to Penny who looked away a fraction of a second too late. With a harrumph, she stalked back towards the couch and didn’t spare either you or Eddie a second glance. 

  The two of you shared a confused look before Wayne was demanding your attention. He pointed at a wooden spoon on the counter and grunted. 

  “The spoon?” You asked, hand hovering over it as you waited for his confirmation. Wayne was getting better at words, but he still hadn’t mastered them very well. More often than not, he only spoke full sentences when he felt pressured to and sometimes that was too much for him, made him nervous. It was something you were working with him on and you’d noticed he spoke easier around certain people, namely Penny and his namesake, his grandpa Wayne (though to be fair, he and big Wayne didn’t talk much, just vibed in peaceful silence together, having to exchange very few words to understand each other).

  He didn’t respond right away, just brought his fingers up to his mouth and stared at the spoon so you jostled him softly to bring him out of his head and it worked. Wayne grinned at you and nodded his head so you picked the wooden spoon up and handed it to him only for him to grab it and hold it out to his dad, practically stretching right out of your arms to do so.

  Eddie gasped, closing the distance to take the spoon and his son right out of your arms.

  “Are you telling me to get to work?” He asked, eyes narrowing at the toddler. Wayne laughed around his fingers, head bobbing as he nodded and Eddie let out a playful growl, lowering his head until his temple was pressed against his son’s. 

  Wayne didn’t find his dad remotely scary, not even a little intimidating. He only laughed harder with it trailing into a joyful sigh. The toddler pressed his forehead firmly against his dad’s to call his bluff. 

  Eddie gave in immediately, head falling back as he sighed in defeat before perking up, “Fine. You win. Again.”

  Wayne was practically glowing with how hard he was smiling and it brought one to your own face as Eddie turned to you, cutie nestled against his chest with a tiny arm thrown over his dad’s shoulder.

  “Where do you want us, baby?”

  “Egg duty.” You flicked your chin in the direction of the carton of eggs, on the counter near the stove and empty pan.

  His mouth dropped open in mock disbelief, “Your lack of trust in my cooking abilities is hurtful. You never let me make pancakes anymore.”

  You scoffed, picking up the scraper you’d been using for the mix.

  “Last time you were trusted with that, you put way too many chocolate chips in. Three out of the four of us were laid up on the couch with tummy aches for the rest of the day.”

  Eddie pursed his lips as he fought a smile, eyes darting away to avoid your pointed look. The memory of him, Penny and Wayne groaning on the couch with bulging tummies and promises to never touch a pancake again was a fond one to look back on now that he wasn’t suffering.

  “That was one time. Four times–baby, we all make mistakes.” He tried to reason, a boyish grin on his face. Eddie knew he wouldn't be winning this one and he was fine with that, he just liked to argue with you, loved the banter you threw back at him. His witty wife.

  “You’re absolutely right, and you can mess up all the yolks you want. Except for Wayne’s.” He wouldn’t eat it if his yolk was broken in the cooking process, which was insane because you or Eddie cut his eggs up for him before serving him. It was almost like he had some sort of sixth sense when it came to them, knew when he’d been given an egg that’s yolk had been broken prior to being plated. After thoroughly testing his abilities, you both knew there was no way to fool him.

  Eddie held up the wooden spoon in the hand that wasn’t holding Wayne. 

  “The f–,” quick glances were spared at the toddler on his arm and the little girl seemingly ignoring them on the couch, “-ffffreak am I supposed to do with this then?”

  You placed your scraper down and picked up a nearby spatula, swapping the wooden spoon for it.

  “Go crazy.” You teased, leaning in to give your husband a quick peck and cheek pat before you returned to your task. 

  You could hear Eddie talking to Wayne–or rather, narrating everything he was doing for him–and subconsciously, you offered the wooden spoon to your empty side, blinking a couple of times once you realized what you were doing and why the wooden spoon was out in the first place.

  It was Penny’s favorite thing to use when helping you cook. She wasn’t at your side, at her usual place. 

  You craned your head to get a look at the couch, her curls barely visible from the top as she sunk into it. Maybe she was just outgrowing family cooking time.

  You felt your throat get thick with something, eyes glazing over but you didn’t want to cry over breakfast and guilt her into helping you if she didn’t want to. So, you swallowed your disappointment and went back to stirring the mixture on your own.

  As if she no longer felt your eyes on you, Penny got on her knees and craned her body around to peer over the couch, eyes filled with longing as she watched her family in the kitchen. She wanted nothing more than to join you but she couldn’t because she was mad at you. You all looked so perfect and happy but nothing really was. You kissed Santa.

  You were only supposed to kiss her daddy. And Santa wasn’t her daddy. 

  You betrayed her and her daddy. You did a bad thing so you had to be punished, Penny wasn’t going to play with you, hug you or give you kisses ever again. It was a difficult decision for her to make, but there was no other way!

  She turned back to the tv, its vibrant images ignored in favor of a head full of thoughts much too complicated for a child to understand. This was how it was going to be now, and something in her chest felt very heavy at the realization.

  Penny refused to partake in any activities, locking herself in her room whenever you brought out something to do, be it baking christmas cookies as practice for the ones she and Waynie were supposed to make Santa, or helping with last minute decorations. She sat away from you and Eddie during the Christmas movie marathon, silently stewing in her misery–refusing to even look at you.

  The day they were supposed to go see Santa at the mall, Penny made sure to stuff herself on her leftover Halloween stash of candy so she’d throw up, effectively keeping her family–namely you and her daddy–away from Santa.

  There’s always next year. You’d chirped, helping her change out of her ruined clothes as she pointedly stared through you.

  You’d obviously caught onto her change in demeanor, it was a major concern. Your spunky, outgoing little girl had become an overnight introvert, withdrawn. When you tried to talk to her, she brushed you off or claimed exhaustion, escaping to her room to avoid you. At first, you thought it might be something that happened at school. 

  A quick talk with her teacher after picking her up had confirmed her behavior at school had also taken a nosedive that week. She’d gone from playing with all the other kids during recess to sitting on the swingset alone. Her classroom attitude had dulled, she hadn’t raised her hand, talked to the kids at her table, nothing. The only other child her teacher noticed her interacting with was her friend Isabel. Miss Ripley said it appeared Isabel was comforting Penny. 

  The car ride home after that interaction was spent glancing at Penny through the rearview mirror and nibbling on your lower lip as you worried.

  Was she just sad? Was it something else? Was your baby depressed? It wasn’t a warming thought, still, it was a possibility. You remembered the Charlie Brown Christmas special you’d all watched as a family the night before. The same sullen demeanor Charlie Brown displayed mirrored Penny’s behavior as of late perfectly. She either seemed a million miles away or looked like she wanted to be a million miles away.

  One would think as Christmas neared, she’d be filled with excitement, sharing in the joy with her little brother but no. When Eddie talked to her, she’d perk up a little but anytime you tried to approach her, she shut down. Blunt answers and no excited chatter about the final week of school before Winter break. Nothing. She wouldn’t talk to you and it was really starting to worry you and Eddie.

  In the end, after a long conversation between the two of you, you’d decided if this persisted past Christmas, you’d take Penny to see a child therapist, at least once, to make sure your baby girl was okay.

  You had a feeling, mother’s intuition, that Penny was struggling with something big, even if just to her. You just had no idea how truly troubling the subject was for her.

  Penny had grown more upset with you as time went on, but mostly, she was sad. At first, she was sure she had to tell her daddy about what she saw–but what would happen after? 

  Grown ups were complicated, she knew that much. Her friend Izzie’s parents had gotten divorced and Izzie said that meant she had two Christmases and two houses and two bedrooms along with a new step daddy. Even though Izzie didn’t seem all that upset about it, and raved about her two houses, Penny didn’t want any of that. 

  Penny didn’t want two Christmases. Penny wanted one Christmas. Penny wanted one house, one room, one family and one mommy and daddy. She didn’t want things to change. If she told her daddy, she knew everything would. 

  So, she couldn’t tell him. No way. 

  But she had to fix this. She had to!

  And there was only one other person she could talk to, only one person who could fix it. Even if she was mad at that person, too, even if she had already tried her hardest to avoid having to be in the same room. She’d do anything to keep her family. Penny knew exactly what she had to do.

  That’s how she found herself tucked into her bed, her blankie clutched to her side and fighting sleep on Christmas Eve. 

  You and Eddie had put her to bed hours ago, but she couldn’t sleep risk falling asleep or she’d miss her only chance at keeping her family together.

  As the minutes ticked by, and the low glow of the Christmas lights lining the neighbor’s houses kept the pitch black from shrouding her bedroom, Penny’s eyes grew heavy. Snug like a little bug in her warm blankets, the sandman was calling.

  Eventually, Penny dozed, chest rising and falling with her breathing. She dreamt of bright and colorful lights, chocolate chip cookies, and the comforting embrace of your arms. 

  She was pulled from them when she heard a dull thud. Her big brown eyes flashed open and she shot up with a start. For a moment, she had no idea where she was, nor even a sense of self identity as she wiped the drool from her cheek and smacked her lips together.

  Her mouth opened wide as she yawned, hand reaching up to scratch at her head before falling onto her blanket covered lap. Just as fast as she startled awake, Penny fell back onto her pillows, nuzzling in as she prepared to go back to sleep.

  And then her brain finally kicked into gear, reminding her of her task and she let out a gasp as she threw her blanket off of her, grabbing her blankie and rushing for her bedroom door.

  It was yanked open in haste as her heart hammered in her chest, fearful she’d missed her chance to keep her family whole just because she’d fallen asleep.

  Penny hurried down the hall, her footsteps surprisingly quiet. Before she even breached the doorway, she heard rustling.

  And not just any rustling, it sounded like items were being placed under the tree in the living room. Presents. 

  This was it. This was her only shot.

  Tentatively, she stepped out of the doorway and into the living room, mouth parting as the man in red came into view. Santa Claus.

  For a moment, Penny was starstruck. The man she watched so many movies about, had heard so much about, who knew when she’d been bad or good, was right there. And he just so happened to be the man who kissed her mom. But he could fix it. 

  Without even thinking about it, she padded closer, until he was just a few feet away. Still, she couldn’t force herself to speak, couldn’t squeeze out so much as a peep as he placed another gift under the tree. 

  But she had to ask him.

  Gulping down her fear, she finally spoke.

  “Santa?”

  Penny watched as Santa fell over over with a yelp, a few presents he had stacked near him toppling over him as he quickly squirmed onto his back, pushing himself up on his elbows. 

  She held her blankie to her chest, squeezing it tightly as she grimaced on his behalf. That looked like it hurted but Santa did a bad thing so it was okay.

  They both stared at each other with wide eyes in silence and Penny noticed his beard had a stain on it. Icky.

  “Wha-” Santa held up a fist to his mouth, clearing his throat. When he spoke again, his voice was much more gruff, “Penny, what are you doing still awake?”

  Penny gasped, mouth falling open.

  “You know my name?”

  “Sure, I do. I know the names of all the children in the world. And…grown ups. Yes.”

  Penny’s brows furrowed in thought, “Oh, yeah.” 

  Did he know she throwed up so they could stay home instead of seeing him at the mall?

  Eddie carefully and slowly pushed himself up, adjusting the annoying padded belly belt thing he had to wear in a discreet manner so Penny wouldn’t notice his stomach was almost completely on his side.

  Two years of dressing up as jolly ol’ Kris Kringle to shove the accumulated gits under the tree after Penny had almost caught the two of you putting the gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, and Penny finally caught him in the act. He owed you twenty bucks. But what was she doing approaching him? 

  Eddie had entertained a scenario where she did catch Santa, but he’d been banking on her being sneaky about it, running back to bed to pretend she’d been asleep during Santa’s stop at their place. He’d expected to hear about it for the first time in the morning, while she was bragging about it. He never thought she’d just saunter right up to him–but Eddie was good at staying in character. 

  He didn’t suffer as a theater kid for the first two years of his high school sentence for nothing.

  Once he was sure his costume was secure, he was able to move onto one knee as he regarded her, “You know, it’s far past your bedtime…”

  He watched her eyes flicker to the floor before her big, beautiful eyes were on him again and filled with guilt. 

  “I know. I’m sorry, Santa. But I really needed to talkta you. I know you are a very busy man and you have to go to a kagillion houses, but I promise it’s important and I’m not ‘sposed to swear but I swear ‘cause that’s how important it is. Please?” The guilt in her eyes gave away to a sense of urgency that filled Eddie with alarm and he straightened as she leaned forward, eager to say whatever it is she needed to say. He had a feeling it would explain her behavior.

  “I can make all the time in the world for anything, Penny. It’s a little trick of mine. Go on, ba-dear.” Dear sounded like a term of endearment a guy old enough to become a legendary figure for consumerism and myth would use, right? Yeah.

  This was it. Penny got her chance and even though she was shaking in her fluffy socks, she persevered.

  “I know it’s about to be Christmas, but-but I was wondering Santa, uhm–I was wondering if it would be okay that I could get something else for Christmas this year. In-Instead of my presents. I don’t want any toys this year, you can give them to the other kids. I just only want one thing instead.”

  Eddie’s whole body stiffened, panicking at the idea of Penny freaking approaching Santa Claus to make a special request–and c’mon was he supposed to say no to her while dressed as Santa Claus–that she’d be disappointed to not see under the christmas tree because there was no way Eddie would be able to run out and get it, if he could even afford it.

  “What is it you want?” Eddie was so tense he was clenching his asshole.

  “I was wondering if….if my mommy and my daddy could stay together.”

  Eddie was absolutely bewildered, soul damn near leaving his body before crashing back down into place. “I–I beg your par–hmn?”

  Then, his little girl raised her chin, filling herself with bravado as she held his gaze, “I saw you kissing my mommy.”

  Shoot him. Get a shovel, beat him with it, because it was all starting to make sense. 

  His eyes slipped shut as he chided himself, the fear he’d had regarding the unknown disappeared, replaced with an intense relief as he mentally beat the crap out of himself. Penny was withdrawn because she’d witnessed him kissing you, while disguised as another man, and it was tearing her apart.

  Eddie couldn’t begin to imagine her emotional anguish all because you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself and he couldn’t keep his tongue in his mouth.

  He felt like shit. Eddie had to fix this.

  “Kissing me—? Oh, Penny. You’ve got it all wrong. The only person your mother kisses is your father.”

  The pinch between Penny’s brows returned, “But…It looked like you.”

  “What? This?” Eddie glanced down at the red suit, pulling at the red jacket. “You don’t think I go down all those chimneys without getting filthy, do you? No, I get plenty dirty and your dad–a great deal of dad’s around the world, actually–had a new suit waiting for me. It’s usually every block or so that I’m replacing my suit. Yes, your dad must have been trying it on, making sure it would be perfect for me. I appreciate when they do that, otherwise, certain things might be riding up with each chimney I have to go down.”

  Eddie watched as Penny’s features began to soften, her puzzled expression wavering before she giggled, imagining Santa getting a wedgie.  

  That didn’t explain…“How come he was wearing a wig like your hair?”

  The two stared at each other in a brief silence again.

  “Now, that, I can’t explain. I don’t know! He’s your dad, you should know why he’s so weird. You tell me.”

  “He is weird.” Penny agreed, shoulders sagging as the weight of what she’d seen was lifted from her, because she hadn’t seen her mommy kissing Santa Claus. Penny saw her mommy kissing her daddy while he was making sure Santa’s clothes would be good enough!

  “An odd creature, indeed.” Eddie agreed, happy to see his little girl was starting to come back to life, so to speak. “But he’s an odd, weird creature who loves you, your brother and your mother very, very much.”

  All Eddie wanted to do was reassure her of his love but the corner of Penny’s lips turned down and her gaze turned watery, brown eyes shiny with distress as her head bobbed in agreement.

  “Penny…” He mumbled, reaching to grasp her small dainty hand in his his gloved one as she whimpered and a hot tear ran down her cheek. Saying her name only seemed to make her more emotional, tears leaking from both her eyes as her lip trembled.

  “It–It–hurted my feelings ‘cause, cause my mommy loves my daddy so much. She always says so, so it hurted that I thought she kissed someone else because–because–because she looks at my-my daddy with hearts in her eyes like in the car–cartoons.” Penny stuttered out, breath hitching as she cried and Eddie’s heart clenched.

  He knew she was upset, obviously but he hadn't realized she was this upset about it. Working herself up in her head. His little girl was willing to give up presents, material things, to ask if he and you would stay together instead. That’s a huge fucking deal for a kid.

  Eddie had never had a big opinion on his parent’s relationship. He’d been a little younger than Penny when his mom died and the only thing he knew for sure now, was that she deserved better than his dad. With the few memories he had of her, and from what Wayne told him she was like, he wasn’t sure why she even stayed with that deadbeat. Eddie certainly didn’t have a moment where he was willing to barter off toys he wasn’t going to get in favor of his parents staying together. If anything, maybe little Eddie would have asked for his mom to grab their stuff, and him, and leave his dad behind.

  Penny had a better family life, you and Eddie made sure of that, and she was apparently willing to do anything to keep it when she thought she was about to lose it.

  Eddie had to blink back the wetness at his own waterline as Penny continued.

  “But–But it hurted my feelings to be mad and mean to my mommy more ‘cause I love her so much and she’s a good mommy! She cuddles me whenever I want and takes care of me when I’m sick and takes me a bath and makes me warm food and–and–and she plays with me and uses funny voices and kisses my–my owies and she says she loves me and she didn’t do nothing wrong!” Penny was full on sobbing now, dropping her blanket so she could free up her fist to rub at one of her wet eyes.

  Eddie didn’t hesitate, he tugged her forward and she went willingly, throwing both arms around him as she cried into the fluff lining his jacket. Eddie held her to him tightly, his own eyes squeezing shut. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. 

  So, this whole time Penny had been intentional with her behavior, purposely being cold to you because she thought you had kissed Santa Claus. But being upset with you, and treating you as she’d been, had also hurt her feelings because of how much she loved you. 

  Penny got mad at Eddie a lot, he liked to tease her a lot, and the emotion was never really directed at you. Even if you were punishing her with a deserved time out, she was more hurt than mad at you. And regardless of the punishment she’d run right back to you after stewing in her emotions, to make sure you still loved her even if she had been a little bad. You reassured her every time that there wasn’t a single thing she could do to get you to stop loving her. Eddie was sure Penny just liked to hear you say it. 

  What a mess. Next year, he’d force Uncle Wayne to be Santa. Just so he could be sure this wouldn’t happen again. 

  Eddie held Penny until her sobbing died down. When she started hiccuping, he pulled back and cupped her face in his hands, gloved thumbs catching the remaining tears and ridding her cheeks of them. Her big, sorrowful eyes were framed with long wet lashes. Reminded Eddie of a wounded puppy.

  “Penelope, your mom loves you. Just as much as you love her and probably more.” If your I love you times infinities during an ‘I love you’ exchange with the kids (and Eddie) were proof, “What you thought you saw hurt your feelings, but your mom wouldn’t hold anything against you, especially if you were upset. All she wants is for you to be happy and feel loved. That’s what she asks for every year for Christmas.”

  “Really?”

  Eddie hummed in confirmation, caressing her cheek one last time.

  “I miss her.” Penny admitted, wiping her eyes again as Eddie picked up her blankie and offered it to her.

  “It’s a good thing you’ll be seeing her in the morning, isn’t it?”

  Penny nodded and Eddie finally stood up, hands at the base of his back as he stretched and it popped.

  “Let’s get you back into bed.” He held a hand down to her and she was about to slip her hand into his when she remembered something. She hurried over to the couch, dropping onto all fours to retrieve something from under it.

  Eddie’s eyes widened when she pulled the fireplace poker out. Penny put it back into its holder by the fireplace they rarely used and returned to his side, immediately slipping her hand into his hold while he continued to stare at the poker, dumbstruck.

  “Penny…uhm, what–what was that?”

  “It’s a poky for logs, so daddy doesn’t burn his hands ‘cause he does whenever we use the fireplace.”

  Okay, well, that wasn’t his fault. He had more control when he used his hands, the poker (stoker, whatever) just pushed one log further in but didn’t prevent the others from being nudged out.

  “What, perchance, was it doing under the couch?”

  Penny looked guilty, the tip of her sock covered toes stroking along the floor as she avoided meeting his eyes. 

  “...I was gonna kill you if you said no.”

  “O-oh.”

  Eddie felt a mixture of emotions at that revelation. He was greatly amused that she’d simply decided if the man in red who she thought ruined her family wasn’t going to fix it, she’d just get rid of him. He was also a little scared for his own life, and shocked that he might have been subjected to her beating him with it, had he said no or refused to talk to her in the first place.

  “Okay...” Was all he could say before he led her down the hallway, still a little stunned. 

  Penny was exhausted.

  When she climbed into bed, Santa tucked the big blanket in around her exactly how she liked and made sure to flare the bottom out so her feet didn’t feel trapped. He really did know everything.

  “Goodnight, Penny.” He whispered, a hand stroking over the top of her head, mussing the curls there. For a moment, Penny thought he was gonna give her head a kiss ‘cause he leaned in then stopped. Penny was glad, that would be weird.

  “Goodnight, Santa.”

  And because Eddie couldn’t say it as himself, “And remember, your mom and dad love you.”

  She beamed at him as he began to close the door, and when it was shut, Penny snuggled into her blankets and pillows, eyes fluttering shut. 

  She’d done it. Penny had planned to save her family, only to find out her family never needed saving. She was never going to lose it. Her mommy loved her, Waynie and her daddy and not Santa.  

  Penny was really glad she didn’t kill him. 

  She let out one big yawn, and promptly fell asleep.

  —

  After all the presents were under the tree, and he’d gorged himself a little on the cookies you and Wayne had made, Eddie made a big stink out of ‘leaving’ the house up the chimney (used the fireplace poker Penny had planned to take him out with to make a little bit of a racket), then he took off the heavy boots and quietly tiptoed to the master bedroom. 

  He sagged against the door once he made it. Jesus Christ.

  What a night.

  Eddie made quick work of getting out of the suit, stashing the costume in the back of the closet. 

  He didn’t bother throwing anything on, in fact, he slipped out of his boxers, too.

  He watched you for a few moments, sleeping on your side, with your elbow propped on a pillow and your chin in your palm. You’d tried to wait for him.

  Eddie’s lips twitched into a smile as he climbed into your side of the bed, slipping in behind you. He wasted no time, body pressing up against yours as he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, lips trailing wet kisses from your pulse point, down to where your neck met your shoulder.

  You stirred, letting out little groans as you tilted your head to the side. Always so pliant for Eddie, even when you were trying to break free of sleep’s hold.

  “Eddie?” You slurred out. He hummed against your skin, tongue darting out for a taste.

  That particular spot had your toes curling, but as your mind escaped the sleepy haze, you recalled what his mission for the night was.

  “How’d it go?” You asked, shifting around until you were facing him. Once you were re-settled, he pulled you flush to him. If you weren’t awake before, the feeling of him semi-hard, pressed against the space between your pelvis and lower stomach certainly did the job. You hadn’t realized he wasn’t wearing anything on his lower half.

  Eddie momentarily debated on giving you the rundown of tonight’s emotional events but decided against it. If you knew, you’d just beat yourself up. You never gave yourself the grace you deserved. Besides, he was positive Penny would be back to her happy, mischievous self in the morning. And after hearing her talk about how much you loved him—well, Eddie just wanted you.

  “It was fine, same as it goes every year—but I’m thinking, with Santa being old and shit, maybe Wayne can fill in next year.”

  He didn’t give you time to respond, ducking down to kiss you. Eddie worked your mouth open, letting your tongues dance for a while before his kisses trailed down again. When his lips met the straps of your tank top, he tugged impatiently on it.

  “Baby, I don’t think you're catching on here. I’m naked, kissing you, all hot and bothered and for some reason, you still have your clothes on.”

  You smirked up at him, your stare sultry through your lashes. “Well, considering I’m someone’s present, I’m waiting to be unwrapped.”

  Eddie’s face scrunched up in confusion before you wiggled your eyebrows. When he pulled the thick strap of your tank top down your shoulder, it revealed a slim red satin strap beneath it. Lingerie.

  “Oh, you’re most definitely on the naughty list this year.” He growled and you squealed as his hands slipped beneath the top, smoothing over the satin as he lifted the cotton away.

  It was quickly discarded on the floor, along with the sweats you’d been wearing.

  ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, two creatures were stirring and one even yelped.

  ─

  Despite her late bedtime, Penny was awake the moment the sun was up. 

  Eager to see if everything was as Santa said it was, and to see you, Penny hopped out of bed and ran out of her room to wake Waynie up. Then after they brushed their teeth, they’d both jumped onto your bed to wake you (and the two of you were thankfully clothed, Eddie had to dress you himself after he was done with you in the hours of the early morning, you were too exhausted to even sit up on your own).

  You and Eddie moved too slow for their liking, so they’d already developed a Christmas routine. By the time the two of you were fully awake and joined them in the living room, they were digging around the tree. 

  Penny put the present she’d been assessing down the moment you seated yourself on the couch with Eddie to watch them open up a few gifts. 

  It surprised you when she ran over and threw herself at you, arms wrapping around your neck almost tight enough to choke you but you didn’t care. Your arms wrapped around her little frame, too, confused at the 180 degree change in her behavior again, and more than happy to return her affection.

  Penny’s eyes were blissfully shut as she tried to convey all the love for you she had in her little body, into the hug.

  “I love you, mommy. You’re the best mommy in the whole wide world and I’m glad you’re mine.”

  “I love you, too, baby. Always.” You promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead as a hand tried to smooth her wild mane down, though you knew your attempts were futile. Until she would let you do her hair, she’d just have to open her presents looking like she’d been electrocuted. Nothing but some water, a comb and hair products could tame it. 

  Satisfied, Penny released you from her iron hold to join her little brother on the floor.

  You turned to look at Eddie, already finding his eyes were on you and he had a big, pleased, shit eating grin on his face. 

  He quickly leaned in, pressed a kiss to the tip of your nose and pinched your cheek before addressing his spawn.

  “Alright, you two know the rules. Three presents now, the rest you gotta save to open when Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Maude come over.”

  “‘Kay.” Waynie mumbled, more fascinated with the wrapping paper of the big box in front of him than its contents. It had little Santa’s all over it, and he was trying to count them in his head even though he was still learning his numbers and started making them up past the number five.

  A lot of Santas.

  Wayne made the same scrunched up face his dad made whenever he was perplexed.

  “Santa….” He mumbled, before looking over at you and Eddie.

  “Mama kissid Santa?”

  All three of you gasped.

"Waynie!"

"WHAT?!"

"Here we go again..."

[dotster001]

i was gonna make this a comment but smthn told me this was gonna be long.

SORRY FOR THE LONG-NESS OF THIS ASK

BUT DOT- THINK ABOUT YAN DILF JADE.

who knows if his ex wife was murdered or not, oh well! 🤭 best not to dwell on it because it makes the twins sad :(

see? (🧍🏻🧍🏻)

…anyways

but here me out (this is me going coco bananas. full on psycho mode) maybe the first time he saw you was at a RANDOM party that a friend of yours hosted.

blah blah mutual friend of a friend and that long friend family tree stuff

but maybe you slithered away to the dog, or were tasked with helping a baby (more like someone threw the baby at you in order to dance)

or you’re with the other room for the children that the party provides (this is like a really rich friend. like mega mansion. crazy rich asians kinda thing)

but ugh he’s there with his dreadful beautiful wife and his wonderful children. and his wife is already leaving to grab a drink and he thinks their children shouldn’t get a glimpse at whatever tom-foolery parties like these will lead to.

so in they go! (maybe this was years ago when they’re toddlers)

but then he sees you swarmed with babies. the nanny took a break and left you in charge and you’re fighting back babies with one of those roll-pop lawn mowers-

ARGHHH ONE JUST SPAT ON THE END OF YOUR RENTAL DRESS DAMNIT.

jade is utterly beside himself with laughter, amusement, and everything of the sorts and creates flirty small talk. and oh?? what's this? his wonderful bundles of joy seem to have found a liking to you? how precious (they’re clawing and climbing you like a jungle gym) jade takes a note of that!

they don't even like their mother that much , simply tolerating her. but jade can tell that his kids got good taste!

he lowkey interviews reader (without them know oops!!) and while yes, their beauty was what drove his interest, second being their personality (you have to be attracted to someone to give them a chance!)

and the twins were the cherry on top!

and conveniently you say where you work (rookie mistake) while he tells you he’s a humble business man… don’t ask what for tho cause that’s a super family secret 🤭

but he's planning and scheming and charming his way into your life and he’s in it for the long run because eels are patient. it just sucks that jade is even more patient, like a saint if you would

^^accurate depiction of saint jade

^^and this is jade when he gets questioned for his wife’s uh oh 🤷🏻🤷🏻

maybe she drank too much at a party and fell over the side.

maybe there was a targeted hit meant for jade but they got the wrong one.

maybe a classic batman scenario but jade survived and is throughly traumatized (same with his kids, i mean look at them!!🧍🏻🧍🏻 they’re so torn up that it just breaks his heart😿)

but he’s making chance encounters rather… commonly. (he had reader stalked for a good few years as he was planning everything. just to make sure he likes them& they keep it interesting.)

just... some thoughts about dilf jade leech and his hell spawns hehe (when the trio visited your work they managed to leave your section alone... so it looks like you were in the eye of the hurricane)

im gonna read your other stuff about dilf jade now because AHHHH

Angry at my boss, so I decided to see if there was anything in my inbox to cheer me up. Woo hoo!

In reference to this

Cw: light Yan!, implied stalking, Jade's a freak but if you don't already know that then you aren't paying attention

I can only imagine that, after the party, since you interacted with so many kids and parents that night, they all kind of blurred together. And it's not until, after he visits your place of work, and you chat over text for a while, and you have a real date, then invites you back home for an after date drink, do you start to remember. And that's only because the twins are scamps and stayed up past their bedtimes, and they are staring at you with eyes you remember.

Obviously, you are gonna chalk it up to a coincidence. "Oh my god! You know so-and-so, right? I think I met you at a party a few years ago!" He laughs, and plays along, oh my god,.yeah what a really good coincidence.

Meanwhile, the twins share a look, because Dad has talked about you every day since Mom died, so they know he's lying. Hell, when you aren't here, they already call you mama/papa. But, they are their father's kids, so they are never going to say anything.

One date turns to two turns to three, turns to a year of dating. It's time to meet the family. You know Jade has a twin, but they've taken different paths in life.

So when Dilf Floyd Trudges up the driveway with his six adopted kids, four of whom are sprinting around the house and lawn and destroying Jade's home, two of whom are under Floyd's arms like suitcases, you're in for a culture shock.

When you first meet him, he seems incredibly grumpy. He's got salt and pepper stubble, the baggiest outfit, though you get the feeling it's designer, no matter how slouchy it is, his hair is slicked back, making the grey streaks look neat against his otherwise messy look.

He tosses the kids and yells at them to go play with their cousins, then he rudely shoves past you. Jade stops him with a hand on his shoulder that appears gentle, but if you had felt the full force of it, you'd have landed on your ass. He hissed at Floyd, through a smile, to greet his new fiance. There's a tense moment where they stare at each other, then Floyd storms over to you, and presses a ticklish kiss to your cheek, before muttering, "Welcome to the family," then storming to his room and locking himself in for the night.

The next day it's like he's a different person. He makes breakfast for you and excitedly asks you about yourself, wanting to know everything about his future sibling. Eventually he pours you a glass of what you know is Jade's most expensive wine, which he has been saving for a special occasion, and you finally get the courage to ask about the night before, and he laughs and says he was tired from the trip. Wrangling six kids on an airplane is exhausting, you know?

You decide to ask him about little Jade, and Floyd's stories of childhood charm you so much that you don't notice Jade's brooding presence.

Not that Floyd minds. Yeah, he got off to a rough start with you, but he gets why Jade likes you. And Jade only has two parentless kids, he has six. So his kids need you more than Jade's do, right?

Will the dad's eventually drag the kids into this fight? Absolutely. Those kids have Mafia parents, they have plenty of acting training. They will be pulling those heartstrings of yours 😊

[frudoo]

Random König Headcanons

Hey y'all! This is my first post on here so I hope it's alright <3

These are all pretty SFW (for now >:)), so I don't think there's really any content warnings??? Idk let me know if I'm wrong.

Likes going to Build-a-Bear. Will definitely make your bear and his bear kiss.

This man can COOK. Oh, you want takeout? Nah. He's already pulling out the ingredients for your favorite dish. Buys the two of you matching aprons.

Talks to animals like they're babies. I also feel like the man just... attracts wild animals like birds and squirrels. Undercover Disney princess??? Perhaps.

Speaking of babies... the man is so good with kids. Laughs all giddily when toddlers climb him like a tree. Wants you to have his babies so bad

Actually has a decent singing voice. Get him drunk enough and he's doing karaoke like a pro. Oh, and if you agree to sing a duet with him??? He's GONE. Goes all out.

Likes to hold pinkies when walking around in public. He likes holding hands, too, but when he's feeling a little more anxious he'll intertwine your pinkies. PDA isn't his strong suit but he HAS to be touching you at all times, and it's like a pinky promise that he'll always be there with you :,)

Draws patterns/words on your back with his fingertips when y'all are laying in bed. Mainly a bunch of pet names, "I love you"s, and hearts. And cartoon penises

This big burly BEAST of a man loves being the little spoon, no matter how impractical it is. Honestly loves any cuddling position though.

Pouts when you're not giving him enough attention. His lips get SO puffy when he's jealous. Talking to one of his friends? He's grumbling German insults to them under his breath. Eventually he'll just scoot closer to you on the couch and rest his legs on top of your lap. BAM, now he's got your attention, even if it's just you telling him that he's crushing you. Big ol' lap dog.

Likes to do your hair!! He'll take pictures of what he's done and show them to you like a hairdresser :,) It could be the worst hairstyle you've ever seen but you're wearing it PROUDLY.

On the rare occasion that you two go out to a restaurant, he REFUSES to tell the waiter if his meal is wrong. Oh, it's shrimp and he's allergic to shellfish? He's telling the waiter he loves it and will just stare at the untouched plate sadly. Also will not let you trade plates with him because what if the waiter sees??? Tries to sink under the table when you finally cave and tell the waiter that the order is wrong. Glares at you the entire time he eats his new correct meal but is secretly so thankful. <3

Is absolute trash at video games. One of the best combat soldiers on the planet, but put a controller in his hands??? He's lucky if he gets three shots in.

Bought an engagement ring two weeks after you two started dating. I mean, he literally fell in love with you immediately upon seeing you for the first time, so are you really surprised??

Is a really good gift wrapper. His hands always start cramping around the holidays because he does most of the wrapping. His love language is 100% physical touch/gift giving btw.

Adding onto the singing thing... I just think he would be a really good musician, specifically a drummer.

NOSE NUZZLES. Like the Brendan Fraser type of kiss where you just rub noses after. He just gives off those romantic vibes <3

Unconventional kisses. Eyelids, the tip of your ear, everywhere you have moles, your calves, ankles... the man is obsessed with you, and he's kissing you wherever he can reach.

ADORES taking baths with you. Candles, rose petals, bath bombs: he does it all. Washes your hair for you. Lots of forehead and temple kisses.

I am unwell. I need him so bad.

Please feel free to reblog if you'd like!! I hope y'all enjoyed my little (very self-indulgent) rambles. :)))

[inmyheaddd]

grayson hawthorne childhood bsf to lovers head cannons

my first posttt!! grayson hawthorne ily

if u have any advice pls lmk!! also will be taking requests if u have any

rereading this and i realized it’s more of a story than head cannons

word count: 1.9k

you both come from very prominent families in texas, so it’s no surprise that you spent countless events and parties within each others company 

you and grayson were in the same nursery

there are multitudes of pictures of you with the brothers as babies/ toddlers, some you forgot even existed 

as you and the hawthorne brothers were all similar ages, you often found yourself ditching the adults and the formalities of the event and hanging out separately -usually in the treehouse- 

you weren’t really chatty or outgoing per say, especially compared to xander and jameson. however, around them your shell would fade a little bit. 

grayson was still quiet around you. one time when you were 12 and he was 14, you were climbing up the tree house with a broken arm (you were too stubborn, and slightly embarrassed to ask for help) he himself was walking towards the tree house from a distance. he sees you struggle, and runs to help you without any hesitation.

you offer him a smile and small “thankyou” when you are both up

he’s halfway turned already, nods without making eye contact, and walks away. 

you and grayson didn’t hit the best friends level until around 14/15

you didn’t talk to him as much as you would with xander, which is what led to xander noticing how many things in common you and grayson had 

he would subtly (not subtle at all) tell grayson about recent things you were doing 

“yeah, she’s into photography… just like you! isn’t that crazy?“

“did you know that she plays cello? just like you!” “i don’t play cello, xander“ “violin, cello, same thing! you could take pictures of violins together! tell me how many other people on earth you could do that with.. none! because she fascinatedly enjoys the same weird things that you do, except she does it better. you could learn some things!”

grayson slowly started talking to you more and more in group settings, and you both became more comfortable in each others presence

one time, you needed help with an art project. you had to design your own fictional apartment and create paintings, posters, photos, and furniture unique to you. 

you were not the most creative person at 14, but heights country day had high expectations. 

after 3 days of no progress, you called grayson explaining and asking for help.

to your surprise, he agreed to do it and over the next few weeks you both worked on it.

you started to involve snacks and watching movies (ends up being background chatter whilst you talk) or just talking in the times you worked together, to make it feel less like an appointment and more like friends talking and helping each other out

one time you suggested you play music ask background noise, and to his surprise you two had extremely similar music tastes. another thing for you to talk about!

as one of the requirements for the project were your own photos, you and grayson would sneak pictures of each other without the other knowing, and one time went out together for the sole purpose of taking photos of surroundings. 

jameson liked to call that “the ultimate first date for nerds”

you and grayson both repeatedly insisted it was not a date (grayson would go all out and beyond if it was)

during these few weeks you became inseparably close, half the time you hung out to work on the project, it was long forgotten within the hour. 

you realized you started to develop a small crush on him

after you turned it in and got 100, you took a chance and asked him if you two could go out to celebrate. he was extremely happy for you and your mark, and agreed

you decided on going to the park and have a celebratory picnic, not so subtly accompanied by xander and jameson about 500ft away who just so happened to be coincidentally walking by! 

the awkwardness once present many years ago was long gone, and you two were laughing and talking like there was no tomorrow 

to anyone who didn’t know you two, they would’ve never even guessed you were as quiet as you were around other people. 

around eachother, you felt like there was no pressure to perform, put on a fake face, and any over thinking. 

xander and jameson were genuinely surprised, and thought you two were secretly together, and asked grayson about it a few days later 

“so! me and xander were casually strolling through the park as one does, and we just so happened to see you and y/n!” graysons infamous eyebrow arch appears with a monotone “and?” 

“you were more smiley than i’ve ever seen you in my whole entire life” xander deadpans. 

“do you have something to tell us?” “yeah, why would you not tell me and jameson you two were secretly dating!”

“we are not secretly dating, we were celebrating her 100 on the project we worked on.” 

“oh yeah, the ‘project’” xander says in air quotes, dragging the oh with an inquisitive look on his face

graysons face is expressionless as he stays silent for a second. “i’m done with this conversation” grayson says as he walks away.

“you know gray, it wouldn’t be so wrong if you liked her. you deserve someone good for you” jameson calls out. grayson pauses for a second, and continues to walk.

hes always liked you, he just didn’t want to ruin the one good thing he had going for him in his eyes. every time he lets someone in, which is rarely, they end up gone.

you were inseparable bsfs, always getting mistaken as together by older adults, or getting told that you should be together. 

you and grayson swap annotated books all the time

youd make fun of him for his over analysis of the lines and characters, whilst your annotations would often be “no fucking way” “I KNEW IT” “this psycho bitch” “WHAT” “aww”

he’d make fun of yours as well, but secretly, it was his favorite part of reading the books you’d give him, never failing to make him smile.

he went with you to homecoming, his suit and tie matched your dress and he gave you a matching corsage; all a total surprise to you

literally everybody thought you were together 

he held your shoes for you when your feet got tired 

after the party, you went to an icecream place and talked for hours still in your outfits. people looked at you strangely but you didn’t care because you were both too infatuated with eachother to pay any mind.

on movie nights you two would have together, you two would always look at eachother at seperate times, turning your head when his eyes are about to catch yours. 

when you’d fall asleep on the couch next to him, you’d somehow wake up in your bed 

when you watched the notebook together you noticed him shed a single tear whilst you were crying your eyes out

your crying immediately stopped when you saw it and relentlessly teased him for it as he says “he’d never cry to a romance movie”

when nash would come home he’d always ask grayson if you two were together yet.

you had liked grayson for around 3 years now, and you thought that if he liked you he would’ve said something by now (doesn’t make sense when you’ve liked him for 3 years but said nothing, but it’s ok) 

so when a cute guy in your math class asked you to prom, you agreed

he ended up being 3 hours late, and when he did show up, he was dancing with another girl the whole time.

you didn’t even like the guy, so why were you so sad? you didn’t know.

you exited through the back door and sat in the parking lot. xander noticed your absence and called grayson right away

sitting in the parking lot with your knees to your chest, mascara threatening to run down your eyes, you notice a car pull up

upon further inspection you realise it’s grayson’s car 

you stand up and walk away and he jogs towards you and calls out your name

you turn around “grayson? what are you doing here” you say with a light shake of your head

“what are you doing here.” 

“it’s my prom night?”

“no, i mean out here. why aren’t you inside with everyone else?”

“i was just getting a breather, drunk teenagers am i right?” followed by a slight chuckle “im going back inside now, you can go.” you start to walk away as he’s still standing there

“you always look down when you lie, you know that?” 

you stop dead in your tracks and turn around, “what?”

“whenever you lie, you look to the side, look back up, look down, and then look back up again.”

“what? you’re talking crazy grayson. just go home, i’m fine” 

“there you go again, side, back up, down, up again.”

“how’d you even notice that?” you say with a star struck, almost in awe expression on your face.

he walks closer to you “i notice everything about you.” 

you’re at a loss for words, just silently staring at him while he keeps talking

“i notice that you always smile at people, even if you don’t talk, you smile. i notice that even when someone has wronged you numerous times, you’ll show them kindness. i notice that whenever you’re struggling, you keep it to yourself. i notice that you also insist on doing things yourself unless you absolutely need assistance, so you don’t feel like a burden, and it drives me crazy. you drive me crazy”

you’re genuinely dumbfounded, not knowing what to say, too many thoughts jumping in of your mind you settle on “i don’t do that” real smooth

“do you remember that day in the treehouse?” he pauses, “you broke your arm, yet you still tried to climb it.” 

you lightly laugh “yeah i was like 12, i thought i could do anything”

“you were still you.”

your face stills, and you notice something unfamiliar in the way grayson looking at you, something you’ve never noticed in his eyes before 

“gray, what are you saying, what does all this mean?” 

“i would spend my entire life noticing all the things you don’t know about yourself, and remembering all the moments you forget. because that’s what my life is. it’s you.“ he’s breathing heavier now, and pauses again “and i’ll work every single day of it proving to you that you don’t have to be alone. you are the one that showed me that, and you’re the one who needs to hear that the most. i’ll work everyday so that one day so you can see yourself from a lens that isn’t tinted with doubt. i’ll work everyday proving to you that i love you.”

by the end of his confession/monologue, he’s standing right in front of you inches away from your face you’re in genuine shock for a few seconds 

“say something. anything” after a beat of silence, you reply

“you know, i kept all the photos i took of you, of us, from that one art project years ago. it’s in my special box” you say with a light laugh

a smile starts to appear on his face “your what?” 

“my box full of things that i love, and never want to lose” you say in a quieter voice, looking at him straight in the eyes. “i love you, grayson, and i never want to lose you.” 

he reaches for your face and kisses you like you were the air he breathed, kissed you like you were the only person in the whole world, and like his life depended on it. he kissed you, and suddenly your world felt a little bit lighter. 

from that point on, you were together. you never explicitly told anyone you were together, not secret, just private.

a few weeks later, you two were walking around the hawthorne house, holding hands when xander and jameson pass by 

“how do say they aren’t a couple when they do things like that!” xander exclaims pointing at your interlocked hands 

jameson rolls his eyes annoyedly with a smile on his face “they are practically married at this point”

grayson turns around and looks back at xander with the faintest smile on his face “oh, we are a couple” and continues walking 

“WHAT??!!” 

“i so called it”

this is my first ever tumblr post i hope you enjoyedddd 

if you have any advice/improvements give them!! 

i have a part 2 started of what it’s like actually dating and it’s more head cannons than storytelling - this was def story/background heavy - lmk if anyone’s interested!!

[bettyfrommars]

I'm on Fire

Chapter 1: Black No. 1

biker!Eddie Munson x fem!artist!Reader

Part 1

Series Masterlist

🚨18+ Only, older!Eddie, tow truck driver Eddie, biker!Eddie, alcohol consumption, sex with someone other than reader, cheating (not on reader), slightly fuckboy!eddie, adult themes. Y/N is used several times in the first few chapters, as well as plenty of typos and I apologize for that. This was my very first reader insert series ever, and it's insane how much the characters and story have grown. I really appreciate those who have been on this journey with me, and those who continue to want to read it!

Word count: 3.3k

There is an instant spark of chemistry between you and the guy who rescues you from the side of the freeway in his tow truck, courtesy of Munson's Garage. While you've never met him before, your roommate has, and you learn a few things about Eddie Munson while he indulges in one of his late-night extracurricular activities, which is just one facet of the dark secrets in his life.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. You weren’t supposed to have a crush on your tow truck driver.

One second, you’re cruising along the freeway, blasting Linger by The Cranberries, looking forward to the future, and the next---your tire blows and you’re on the side of the road questioning when you will ever catch a break. You were trying to remember how far back the last payphone was as traffic sped by, blowing your hair into your face, when a big, mean looking, black tow truck with Munson’s Garage written on the door slowed down and pulled in front of you.

The guy behind the wheel waited for a few cars to buzz by before he dropped down from the cab, boots hitting the pavement, and made his way over to you. He’s wearing his long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail, black jeans with a wallet chain hanging at his thigh, and a button down blue work shirt that says Eddie on it. He’s muscular in a manual labor way, and you spot a few tattoos at first glance, just as he closes the distance between you.

“Come here often?” He asked, the side of his mouth lifting up as he squinted against the sun.

You hesitated, because you weren’t prepared for jokes, and then you shrug. “Yeah, I live here. It’s cozy, shame it’s so close to the freeway.”

He takes a pair of gloves out of his back pocket and you notice his warm, brown sugar eyes take a quick sweep up and down your body. “In that case, I might have to visit more often.”

You also weren’t ready for the teasing, sexual banter, but you could give as well as you got. “Careful. I bite.”

Of course, you don’t have a spare tire, and so the next option is for him to tow you back to his garage. He tells you to get comfortable in the cab of the truck while he hooks your car on.

Inside, you notice that it’s an older cab, but it’s clean and well taken care off. There’s an Iron Maiden sticker on the glove compartment, and a vanilla tree-shaped air freshener hanging from the CB radio. You scoot over, curious as a kitten, to see what other little pieces of his life you can pick up from the area, when you see photo of a little kid, maybe 2 years old, taped to the top of his dash. The toddler had thick dark hair and big, dark eyes, and you realize he must be a dad—the kid looked just like him. You remembered looking at his strong hands before he put his gloves on, and you didn’t see any rings, but most people in his profession chose not to wear them when they worked, as a safety precaution.

He climbed up into the cab behind the steering wheel and took his gloves off, stuffing them in the console between you, apologizing for how long it took. In your mind, he’d only been out there five minutes, but—time flies when you’re being a snoop.

The radio blared loud the second he turned the engine on (Would? by Alice in Chains) and you jumped in your seat, a yelp escaping your throat.

He cringed and turned the volume down. “My bad,” he laughed a little, giving you a wink when you look over at him, your palm flat on your chest, adrenaline coursing through you.

His shop was almost a half hour away, and the conversation stayed light. He asked you what you did for work, and when you told him that you were on staff at a gallery, but you wished you could be a full time artist—he was one of the few people in your whole life who didn’t make fun of you for it.

“You have no idea how much I relate to that,” he said, almost under his breath, shifting the truck into another gear.

You asked him how long he’d been in the area and he replied, “too long.”

He got quiet for a few minutes, and you shifted your eyes covertly to catch his jaw muscles flexing, like he was deep in thought about something he didn’t want to be thinking about.

You adjusted yourself on the vinyl seat with a creak of the upholstery. “So, did you grow up here?”

He opened his mouth for a beat, and then closed it again, as if he didn’t like the answer he was about to give. “I grew up all over the place. But I went to high school here, and then I left, and then I came back.”

You pulled your bottom lip over your top lip, looking out the window at a sea of fat cows grazing in a big, grassy field.

“I’m sure there are worse places to be,” you said aloud, although you meant for it to be a silent thought.

He scoffed. “You must be new here. Give it time.”

He had his hand high on the wheel, and he looked sideways over his arm at you. You could tell he wanted to ask you more, and you wanted to ask the name of the cute kid in the photo on his dash—but it suddenly felt like it was all getting too personal.

There was sudden static on the CB radio and the voice of an older man came through the speaker. “Munson, what’s your 20?”

Eddie reached over to take the handheld receiver off the hook under the glove compartment, the back of his hand brushing your knee as he did so.

He pushed the button on the side as he held it to his mouth. “On I-90, just passed Little River, on my way back.”

He let go of the button so that the other man could speak.

“Charlene dropped the Jaguar off again. Not a damn thing wrong with it, but she asked for you, specifically.”

Eddie swallowed, his eyes shifting to you, as if he was embarrassed or self-conscious about the conversation.

“...I told her I’d bring it by on my way home after work.”

The other end was silent for a bit and then, the older man gave a heavy sigh. “Son, I hope you’re not doing what I think you’re--”

“Talk to you when I get there, Wayne. I’ve got a customer in the cab with me,” and then Eddie hung up the receiver and switched the radio off with a click.

Back at Munson’s Garage you called your best friend, Katie, who you were supposed to meet for lunch, to talk her down from the ledge she was on, panicking over where you were.

“At first, I wanted to murder you, and then--” As Katie is talking, you see Eddie give you a thumbs up from across the garage to let you know the tire was on and your car was ready, and you mirrored the gesture. “...and then I was like, wait, maybe she’s in a ditch somewhere….and you were!”

Like any self-respecting, horny friend would, she asked if the tow truck driver that picked you up was hot while on the phone with you.

You’re watching Eddie pick up two tires and fling them onto a pile like they weighed nothing, muscles flexing in his forearms and hands; he catches you staring and smiles almost accidentally at you over his shoulder, before turning away. “Not really, I mean, if you like that sort of thing, I guess.”

There was a teenage boy at the front desk who looked like he was in training, and with shaking hands, he tallied you up for the price of the tow and the tire.

“Just the tire,” Eddie came up behind him, wiping his fingers on a rag. “The tow is on the house,” he lifts his eyes to you, and then looks down to make sure the kid got it right.

You thanked him, and as you were leaving, you saw the long, sleek, white Jaguar convertible with leather seats parked at the far end of the garage. You wondered who Charlene was, and why she chose that particular garage over all of the other high end, specialty repair shops in the area.

---------

That night, you were snuggled in front of a Golden Girls episode, dissociating in your bathrobe on the couch with your orange, long haired tabby cat named Charlie, when Katie, who was also your roommate, got home after a meeting at the high school where she taught English and creative writing.

“I didn’t get into an accident,” you assured her, turning the sound down on the TV. “I just blew a tire. I’ll still be able to make it to work tomorrow, unfortunately.”

The next night was a huge artist opening at the gallery, and all of the mucky mucks usually attended to buy high priced art and drink free champagne.

“Hey,” you went to the kitchen to squirt some of your cheap, refrigerated box wine into some glasses and brought one over to Katie. “You’ve lived here longer than I have. Do you know a woman named Charlene who drives a super fancy white, Jaguar convertible?”

“Charlene Gregson? The ex-supermodel, the wife of millionaire CEO John Gregson, the ones who just happen to have a summer home near here on the lake?”

You put your wine glass to your lips. “Sure, I mean, I guess. Does she drive a white Jaguar?”

Katie curled up at the other end of the couch and wrapped a blanket over her. “They have a ten car garage at their mansion, so I’m sure she has one in every color.”

“Wait, how do you know this?” You put your elbow on the top of the couch to rest your hand on your fist, squinting at your roommate.

Katie took a big gulp of her wine. “My sister, the one who runs her own carpet cleaning business, she’s been out there. They have these antique rugs that need to be cleaned a certain way.”

“So, she’s married?” You asked, feeling like you’re asking the same question over and over without actually asking it.

Katie shrugs. “As far as I know they still are. I mean, what happened? Did you run into her or something?”

You didn’t feel like retelling the entire debacle, so you trimmed it down a bunch. “I saw that car at the garage when I got my tire fixed, and someone mentioned that it belonged to her.”

Katie gave you a curious look.

You turned and noticed the way she was staring at you. “What?” You laughed as you asked it, turning your gaze back to the TV.

“So,” Katie said, her eyebrow raised. “Forget about Charlene. Tell me more about this tow truck guy. Is he single? Is he tall? Does he have sexy hands?”

You rolled your head to rest it on the back of the sofa. “Do you know a guy named Eddie?”

Katie ran her tongue over her teeth, thinking.

“He drives a tow truck? Works at Munson’s Garage?”

An invisible light bulb seemed to blink on above Katie’s head. “Eddie...Eddie Munson?”

The way she asked it gave you pause; your eyes shifted, and then you shrugged, “I didn’t ask for his last name, but I guess so.”

Katie tilted her head back, eyes wide. “Holy shit, I haven’t seen him around in a minute. He used to sell weed back in the day. I bought some from him a few times when I first moved here after college. But he left town for a year or two, I didn’t know he was back.”

You squished air around in your mouth, puffing your cheeks out as you listened to her. “Well, he’s back. He put a new tire on my car and he didn’t even break a sweat.”

“I remember him being...really hot, in like, a metalhead way,” Katie sipped her wine again. “Does he still have the long hair?”

You nodded, staring at the TV vacantly, picturing him in your mind as clearly as if he were right in front of you. You asked Katie if Eddie had a kid, and she had no idea. “The last time we smoked at his trailer, he was single with no kids, but that was—oh shit---a good 6 years ago.”

The next revelation made Katie jump as she remembered it: “Oh! He was in a band, too. The name had something to do with rust or decay, I never saw him play though, Dan and the rest of his D&D nerd friends worshiped him.” Dan was Katie’s younger brother by two years, and he asked you on a date a while back, but you turned him down, respectfully, being that you didn’t want it to mess with your friendship with Katie.

“That’s his garage, he runs it with his uncle.” Katie corrected your earlier statement. “There’s a rumor that it’s also a clubhouse for the Coffin Kings motorcycle gang, but who knows. In a town like this, there are a lot of rumors.”

You thought about his visible tattoos, including the cluster of bats near his elbow, some kind of monsterous puppet thing on his inner forearm, and there was something spelled out across his fingers, but you couldn’t read what it said.

There is an interlude in your conversation with nothing but canned laughter from the sitcom on TV, and then Katie changes the subject, recalling a dramatic story having to do with one of her colleagues that happened earlier that day.

-------

Eddie waited until everyone was gone before he closed up the garage, noticing that the new kid forgot to sweep the lobby, so he did it himself, mumbling about how it was hard to find good help these days. He had the Jaguar already loaded on the truck, but he needed to wait until after 8 to drop it off at her place.

Charlene was pulling his shirt up and undoing his belt, her mouth on his throat, as soon as she locked the front door behind him. He grabbed onto her wrists and held her in place, forcing her to back up as he walked forward.

There were several Magnum wrappers on the floor by the time he left her there after their final fuck in the shower. He picked up the evidence of their affair and took the wrappers with him, thinking that he couldn’t remember the last time he was with someone he cared about and trusted enough to not use some kind of protection. That same dark voice in his head told him that he’d never get that close to anyone ever again. “Get used to it, buddy. You’ll be alone forever,” the voice snickered.

------

Mrs. John Waterberry, who lived in the house across from Charlene Gregson, grabbed her 78 yr old husband by the arm just as they were getting ready for bed. She could see the tow truck pull up into Charlene’s driveway from their bedroom window.

“That’s five times in two months, John,” Mrs. Waterberry scampered for the binoculars in the desk drawer, putting them to her eyes and pointing them at the house. “Who on earth needs to have their brand new car towed that often?”

John Waterberry fussed to put his glasses back on and watched the big, black truck lower the delicate, expensive Jaguar to the ground with care. “I don’t give a damn, Louisa, let’s go to bed.”

Behind her, John got into bed and turned the lamp by the bed off, but Mrs. Waterberry hid behind the curtain and watched as the strange tattooed boy with the long hair went over and knocked at the front door. When Charlene answered, she was in her a skimpy bathrobe!

“John!” Mrs. Waterberry called to her husband. “She invited him inside again! I told you! Her husband away on a golfing trip and now this.”

“It’s none of our business, Louisa,” John mumbled, turning over on his side, facing away from her.

Mrs. Waterford ended up falling asleep, but her eyes snapped open when she heard the low grumble of the tow truck starting up again. She looked at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand: it was almost 1:00 in the morning.

------

Eddie popped a cigarette into his mouth and rolled the window down, turning his music up in the cab of the tow truck as soon as he was out of the gated lake community. (Black No. 1 – Type O Negative)

"I went looking for trouble, and boy, I found her,

she's in love with herself

she likes the dark

and on her milk white neck

the Devil's mark..."

He should’ve been feeling good, but the frown on his face was giving him a headache, his body telling his mind there was something wrong. He happened to catch a flicker out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a shiny sliver of something on the floorboard of his truck. He made sure there were no cars around and bent down to stretch his hand out and swoop it up. It was an earring; a little silver hoop, and he realized, with sigh, that it must’ve belonged to the woman he had in his truck earlier that day. The one who worked at an art gallery and didn’t have a spare tire in her car. The one with cute, quirky mannerisms and the beautiful eyes.

He sped up and shifted into the next gear, cigarette between his lips, and slipped the earring into his front pocket.

Finally back at the garage, Eddie parked the truck and opened the side door to get his bike. After a wide straddle and a few kicks of his foot, the Harley started up with a growl, loud pipes spitting, his hand with the metal rings twisting on the high handlebar. He had a gig with his band the next evening, but not until after he escorted Charlene to her function and pretended to be her body guard. The whole town had to know they were fucking; he had a hard time believing they were all so morbidly clueless.

While he shot down the highway on his chopper with the wind in his face, he reached over to feel for the outline of your earring in his pocket, and realized with a tiny flutter in his gut, that he had a valid excuse to look you up and see you again.

Part 2

[brucewaynehater101]

Fake Uncle is brilliant! Love it!

Bruce: so the uncle was real?

Tim: yup

Bruce: but he's an evil uncle???

Tim: yup

Bruce: why did you never tell me??

Tim *blinks: it never came up. Duh.

Well, for the Drakes. I was thinking they'd be aliens as well. But even within their culture they were aloof. Like maybe as strategists but not someone with a family circle. They had no clue what to do with a child. But, their king handed them a baby with his final breath. Earth looked safe, so that's where they went.

I'm sure they were baffled by earth human customs. I imagine raising children is different on earth. They were, however, good at negotiations, so they worked their way up the social ladder, hoping to give Tim a better life (not quite princely, but close).

I really like the idea about them searching for artifacts to teach Tim about their home!!! Good idea!! I'll have to use that!

The Drakes tried, but I think they mostly threw money at Tim. New bike? Sure. Want to learn Mandarin? Why not? Want a new nanny cause the last one was rude? Of course, your highness! Immediately!

New nannies happened all the time because timbo was a brat and fired them for petty stuff as a little kid.

Kori would be a fun add-on! Maybe she offers Tim slightly wrong advice culturally.

K: -and do this! It's very important!

T: does it.

Staff: Noooooo! This is WRONG!

T and K: confused.

Tim was trained that he was a prince, but he also was taught that it was very, very unlikely that he would take the throne. (The Drakes died later)

EXACTLY! That's along the lines I was thinking, but I'm not super great at making up funny traditions yet. Lol.

You are CORRECT about Tim "not being able to change rules" and "unstable position". It makes sense for the AU.

Ridiculous subjects are in the plan!

Subject: I have brought you this gift Your Highness. *bows with jar of slime.

Tim*is concerned: it's moving?!

Subject *shocked: Of course, Highness! I would only bring you alive Grummk!

Tim: .....ok....thank you?

Damian would be fascinated and JEALOUS me thinks.

I am so vibing with the Drakes trying their best and being so clueless as well. I'd love to see a scene or two of Janet and Jack just arguing with each other as toddler Tim causes chaos in the background.

Janet: "Is he climbing the tree in the backyard?"

Jack: "Yeah. I saw an article about human kids and trees or something."

Janet: "Is he climbing the tree that the gardener sectioned off for safety?"

Jack: "Yes?"

Janet: ".... I'm sure it'll be fine."

Tim ended up with a broken arm.

I liked the court scene you had! Stuff like that would be hilarious to read ^^

Are there any differences between Tim/the Drakes and humans? It would be funny if it's something small, especially that all humans have (like the ability to taste cinnamon or something). Just traits that Tim is able to get away with by leaning into his "I was neglected by my 'parents' and thus have no clue how to do normal human things like the human I totally am." Any physical traits (like a blue birthmark) could be cool as well.

Tim, if you wanted, could also bond with Kara and Clark about being an alien raised on Earth.

I think Damian could become an advisor for Tim. That would be kind of cute to see. They could also bond about being heirs of empires that they thought they would never actually inherit.

Dick could charm/be a court performer if he wanted to do that. Alfred would definitely get his hands on the kitchen staff to ensure Tim is properly being fed. Barbara would beef up Tim's security.

Cass would probably play pranks on Tim's "army" while Steph gathered blackmail on the planet's high society (and pull pranks on the ones that pissed her off).

I don't know enough about Helena Bertinelli, but maybe she would treat it as a fun vacation to intimidate rich people?

Duke might be interested in learning more about Tim's home world and what it's like to space travel. He would also be the one to accidentally set half the castle on fire.

I don't know if you'd like your AU to have all the Bats, but there's some stuff they could do.