#You can't be “loyal” to Buddie because it is not real. It is a made up ship about two characters who are also not real

[thewulf]

Love Strikes || Dallas "Dally" Winston

Summary: Request - ok so wild idea but could u do dallas winstin x fem reader who is in the middle of finals and shes really stressed bc shes getting slammed by school work, is tired and her parents keep giving her like hella chores before and after school, so much so shes getting really behind from an straight a student to b's and c's and shes just been bottling up untill she punched a wall and broke her hand- also could her and dallas be in a pre existing relation ship?

A/N: Another one for the sweeeeeetest boy! Hope you guys enjoy

Pairing: Dallas "Dally" Winston x Female Reader (Buck Merril Cousin)

Word Count: 2.7k +

TW: talks of abuse (mental), punching, threats of violence, general Outsiders warnings

The day you started working at the local diner, you immediately caught the attention of the regulars. The group known around town as the greasers. But it was Dallas Winston who couldn't keep his eyes off you. His reputation as a tough, unflappable rebel made his obvious interest in you all the more intriguing. The other greasers noticed it too and they quickly adopted an unspoken rule: you were off-limits because you were Dally's girl, even before a single word had passed between the two of you.

Months passed with stolen glances and the occasional smoldering look from across the room, but Dallas never made a move, and you wondered if his reputation had made him hesitant. Then one quiet Tuesday afternoon when the diner was almost empty, and you were wiping down tables you decided to break the ice.

You approached him, heart pounding but armed with a casual smile. “You know, for someone who doesn’t talk much you sure do say a lot with those eyes of yours,” you teased trying to keep your tone light.

Dallas, usually so sure of himself, blushed a deep, unmistakable red that made him look unexpectedly vulnerable. He stumbled over his words. A stark contrast to the smooth, confident persona he projected. “I, uh... yeah, I guess I do. Sorry ‘bout that.”

It was so endearing. So contrary to everything you’d heard about him that you couldn’t help but laugh. “No need to apologize. I find it kinda sweet.”

Dallas looked up locking his eyes with yours. “Yeah?” he asked, a hopeful, almost shy tone in his voice.

“Yeah,” you affirmed with your own cheeks heating up.

From that day on Dallas made a point of talking to you whenever he came in. The other greasers teased him relentlessly seeing his awkward attempts at flirting, but Dallas didn’t care. His buddies ribbed him one evening as he left the counter with a grin after a particularly long chat with you. “Look at Dally, all love-struck and stumbling!” Johnny called out making the others laugh.

But Dallas just flipped them off casually. His eyes never leaving you as he walked back to his seat. “Shut it. She talked to me,” he said with pride in his voice undeniable.

Soda can't help but laugh. The sound echoing around the diner as he watches Dallas's rare display of affection. He shakes his head with wide grin plastered across his face and leans across the table to give Dallas a gentle shove. "Look at you. All tough and scary but you melt just like butter when she talks to you," Soda teases, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "You're one lucky guy, Dal," he adds more seriously as his tone softened. "Don’t screw it up, okay? Because honestly it's good to see you smiling for real."

Dallas just snorts trying to maintain his tough exterior. But the corners of his mouth betray him, curling up ever so slightly. Soda’s approval means the world to him and it's clear that your interaction has lifted his spirits in a way that the rest of the gang rarely sees.

That was the beginning. Despite the rough edges and the chaos that sometimes surrounded him Dallas showed you a side of himself that few ever saw. He was protective, surprisingly sweet, and more loyal than anyone you had ever known. As your relationship deepened those moments in the diner became your cherished memories. The foundation of a love story that defied expectations.

Now, months later, the dynamic of your relationship had comfortably settled into the quiet routine of your evening study sessions. The small lamp on your desk casts a warm glow over your textbooks and papers. The quiet of the evening interrupted only by the soft scratch of your pen against paper. Dallas lounges on your bed with a copy of a car magazine balanced on his knee, but his attention isn't really on the articles. Instead, he watches you sensing something was off. His gaze occasionally flicking to the window where the last streaks of sunset are disappearing.

You pause in your studying feeling his eyes on you. You look up with a sigh. “Dad’s been on my case non-stop,” you confess sensing his eyes on you. Dally missed nothing. The weight of the words heavier than the textbooks in front of you. “Ever since my brother started getting into trouble… it’s like he’s taking it all out on me. More chores, more rules. I can barely keep up.”

Dallas sets the magazine aside. His expression turning serious as he shifts to sit more upright. “That’s not fair to you,” he says, his voice low and steady. “You shouldn’t have to pick up slack for things you didn’t do.”

You nod at him while rubbing your temples. “I know, but I don’t know how to make him see that. It’s like, the more I try to explain it to him the less he listens.”

Dallas’s brow furrows. He swings his legs off the bed before coming to sit beside you. He takes one of your hands. His touch always so reassuring. “Maybe you don’t need to make him see anything right now,” he suggests. “Just focus on what you need to get done, for school and for yourself. I’m here, okay? I can help with whatever you need. Chores, dealing with your dad, anything.”

The simplicity and sincerity in his offer bring a small smile to your face. “Thanks, Dal. It means a lot, really.”

He squeezes your hand gently, then glances at your books. “Let’s tackle this together tonight. You study, and I’ll quiz you. And hey, I can even stick around to help with the chores your dad wants done. Might make him ease up a bit if he sees you’re not handling it alone.”

Grateful, you scoot over to make room for him at the desk. As Dallas picks up a set of flashcards you’ve prepared, his presence makes the pile of work seem a little less daunting. You dive into your studies together with the occasional question from Dallas punctuating the evening. His efforts to lighten your burden evident in every word he speaks.

As the night progresses the shared tasks and his unyielding support make you feel less alone in your struggles. Dallas was usually so rugged and distant with others. But he’s do different with you. He’s with you in this—completely, undeniably supportive. It’s in these quiet moments that you truly see the depth of his care for you.

As you try to focus on your calculus homework your bedroom door flies open with a force that makes you flinch. It’s your father. His face flushed with anger. “Why haven’t you cleaned up around the house yet? I asked you hours ago!” he demands, his voice sharp and piercing.

The words strike deep, exacerbating the stress already coiled tight within you. “Dad, I’ve been trying to keep up with finals,” you stammer. Your voice laced with desperation. “I need to study to maintain my grades. I have to get into the University of Oklahoma.”

But your father is relentless. Dismissing your worries with a wave of his hand. “There’s always some excuse with you, isn’t there? You need to learn some responsibility,” he snaps before slamming the door as he leaves.

The silence that follows feels heavy, suffocating. You stare blankly at your textbook. The numbers and equations blurring before your eyes. Dallas moves closer, concern etched across his face. “Hey,” he starts softly, trying to catch your eye. “Don’t listen to—”

But his words fade into the background as a torrent of frustrations and fears overwhelm you. Tears start to prick at the corners of your eyes. Your voice trembling. “I just can’t do this anymore!” you blurt out. The dam finally breaking. “The grades, the chores, everything! They expect too much! I’m trying so hard, and it’s never enough. I’m never good enough. I’ll never be good enough. What if I don’t get into college? What then, Dallas?”

Dallas leans closer trying to make eye contact. “Hey, listen to me,” he urges softly. “You are enough, more than enough. Don’t let them—”

But you can barely hear him over the roar of your own insecurities. Your words tumble out, one over the other, each thought darker and more desperate than the last. “I'm drowning, Dallas. It feels like no matter how much I try, it’s just never enough. They don’t see me struggling—they don’t even care. And every day, I feel like I’m losing a piece of myself just to meet their expectations.”

Desperate to reach you, Dallas grabs your shoulders gently, trying to ground you. “I see you, I’m here for you, and we’ll get through this together,” he says firmly just hoping his words break through the storm inside you.

But his words meant to comfort only seem to amplify the pressure. It feels like another expectation to meet, another standard you fear you're failing. "You don't understand," you murmur. The desperation in your voice breaking through. "It's never enough. I’m never enough."

Seeing your distress Dallas softens his hold on you. His concern deepening. "I'm trying to understand. Just talk to me," he urges gently.

But the space around you feels constricting. The walls of your room closing in as each second passes. Overwhelmed, you instinctively step back, shaking your head. "I need... I just need space," you gasp out. A plea for a moment to breathe. To let the tightness in your chest ease.

Turning away from him you face the wall. The cool plaster seemingly the only thing not demanding something from you. You shut your eyes trying to shut out the world, but the silence of the room echoes the loud chaos in your mind. With a surge of frustration that feels bigger than you. Your emotions spill over. Before you can stop yourself, your arm swings out, your fist connecting with the wall. The impact is jarring, pain exploding in your hand as it meets a wooden stud behind the plaster.

"Damn it!" you exclaim. The shock and pain momentarily overwhelming you. As the reality of what just happened sinks in a fresh wave of tears starts to fall. You cradle your injured hand close to your chest feeling utterly defeated. Each sob shakes you harder and between gasps you mutter despairingly, "Can I do anything right?"

Dallas is by your side in an instant. His face filled with concern. "Oh no, no, no, baby," he coos gently. His voice soft and soothing. He carefully wraps his arms around you making sure not to jostle your injured hand. "You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s alright, it’s going to be okay," he reassures you. His tone utterly tender.

As he helps you sit down making sure to keep you close, his presence a calming force. You nod but a new worry creases your brow. "Dallas, please... don't tell my dad," you whisper. Your voice shaky. "I'm terrified of how he'll react."

Dallas looks into your eyes, filled with a mix of concern and determination. "Of course, baby. I won't say a word. But we really need to get that looked at," he assures you as he carefully observes your swelling hand.

He gently guides you to stand and leads you toward the door. His arm protectively around your waist. As you lean into his strength, despite the pain and the overwhelming emotions, Dallas’s steady support offers a small comfort. His presence and protective assurance help you gather the courage to face the immediate challenge.

In the starkly lit hospital waiting room you and Dallas sit side by side. The hum of the fluorescent lights overhead only adding to the tension. You shift uncomfortably, cradling your bandaged hand close, the pain a constant reminder of the day's frustrations. Dallas watches you with a mixture of concern and determination. As you both wait for your name to be called, he leans in, his voice low and serious. "Look, when we get outta here, maybe I should have a talk with your old man," he suggests. His tone suggesting he's already settled on the idea.

You look at him completely surprised by the suggestion. "You think that would help?"

Dallas nods with his expression resolute. "Yeah, I think it could. Your dad and I get along alright, and maybe he'd listen if I explained how tough he’s been on you. It’s worth a try, ain’t it?" He pauses before gauging your reaction. "I can handle it, don’t worry sweetheart."

The idea of Dallas intervening on your behalf brings a mix of relief and anxiety. "Are you sure? I don't want to cause more trouble," you say. The worry evident in the cadence of your voice.

Dallas gives a short, reassuring chuckle. "Trouble’s my middle name, isn’t it? But this is the good kind. I’m not gonna let him keep pushin’ you around like this. You need your space. Especially now with everything you’ve got on your plate."

Feeling a bit relieved you nod slowly grateful for his offer. "Okay, if you think it'll help. Thanks, Dal," you say feeling a bit more hopeful.

"Always got your back," Dallas responds with a firm nod, a slight smile breaking through his usual tough demeanor. He opens his arms invitingly and you slide into his lap, seeking comfort in his embrace. Dallas wraps his arms around you securely. As the the nurse finally calls your name he gently kisses your forehead. "Let’s get you fixed up," he murmurs softly. With Dallas’s support you stand up together ready to face the treatment and whatever challenges lie ahead. His protective presence reassures you that no matter what, you truly were not alone.

After the hospital visit you and Dallas return to your house. The lights are dim, and the house is quiet. Your parents are already asleep, seemingly unaware of the turmoil you've endured today. The lack of concern from them stings but Dallas's presence offers a soothing counterbalance.

He helps you into the house. His hand gently touching your back, holding you with care. Once inside Dallas guides you to the sofa and helps you sit down. He disappears into the kitchen for a moment and returns with a warm cup of tea and a soft blanket which he drapes over your shoulders. "You should rest," Dallas says. His tone laced with a protective warmth. "I'll handle everything else around here for tonight."

You nod, grateful for his thoughtfulness. Watching him move around your living room, picking up a stray magazine or straightening a cushion, you feel a profound sense of gratitude. Despite his rough exterior Dallas shows an unparalleled tenderness and care that fills the gaps left by others' indifference. As he sits down next to you his proximity is comforting. He doesn't say much. But he doesn't need to—the steady rhythm of his breathing, the occasional touch of his hand against your back, speaks volumes.

"Dallas?" you whisper, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yeah?" he responds, turning to look at you.

"Thank you... for everything today. For being there when it felt like no one else was," you say, your voice thick with emotion.

Dallas gives a small, sad smile, a rare crack in his tough façade. "I wish they cared more. You know? But as long as I'm around you won't have to go through anything alone."

Your heart swells with a mix of emotions. Gratitude, relief, and something deeper that has been growing stronger each day. Moved by his words and his unwavering presence you find the courage to express how deeply you feel. "Dallas, I love you," you say softly. The words feeling both monumental and profoundly right.

He looks at you, his eyes softening and filled with affection. "I love you so much, my sweet girl," he replies tenderly. He leans over and kisses the top of your head before gently pulling you into his side. "Now close those pretty eyes," he murmurs. His voice soothing after your long night.

Leaning back against the sofa, nestled against Dallas, you feel the weight of the day's events begin to lift. It was replaced by a deep, comforting peace. The room is quiet, save for the soft ticking of the clock and the gentle presence of Dallas beside you.

As the night deepens, the chaos of the day finally settles down. With Dallas by your side the challenges ahead seem less daunting. In this quiet moment your bond with him strengthens. Grounded in a profound understanding and mutual care that promises to endure whatever comes next.

Permanent Taglist (Message me or comment below if you want to be added!) : @loving-and-dreaming @kmc1989 @memeorydotcom @matisse556 @buckylov3r @taygrls @ah-blossom @hardballoonlove @rosiahills22 @djs8891 @kenn-spencerswifey @guacam011y @illisea @il0vebeingdelulu @hiireadstuff @avada-kedavra-bitch-187

[tiredistic]

"BRAT"

Pairing: Regina George x Janis imi'ike

Words: 1622

Content warning: Smut, Absolutely no fluff. Angst, a hint of barking..? manipulation. kinda?? Black mail, Cheating, general mess. Hate sex.. Power dynamic,

Summary: Regina is sleeping with other girls, and Janis deals with her. They end up fucking because they're still madly in love.

A/n: Just this little fic bc writers block is hitting kinda hard.. Idk where this was going I just wanted them to fight then fuck ykwim?

Regina came back to the apartment, slugging in through the door, her mascara smudged and her hair damp from the rain. It was late, yet Janis sat there on the couch, her back to Regina. She knew she was fucked.

"Where did you go?" Janis asked, not bothering to look at the blonde. Janis knew the answer, she just had to ask. Something in her wanted to forget all about it, but how could she? 

"You know where." 

She turned to Regina, capturing her face, sympathy daring to invade her brain. Regina was so fucking hot, gosh Janis hated being mad at her. She had to I mean how can you not? You know your girlfriend is sleeping with other girls, how else would you react!?

"What the fuck were you thinking? You keep throwing our relationship out the window!"

"We never had a relationship! We weren't even a big thing! Gosh I don't know why you get so fucking dramatic." Regina snapped.

"So what are you doing here!? We live together for god's sake. Were we nothing when we fucked on at least every surface in here?"

"Okay we had sex move on! If I want to go to sleep with other people I don't know why it's your problem!" 

"Everything you do is my problem! When you come home drunk and high all the time, who takes care of you!? What about when your back starts acting up??" 

"Oh yes my saviour! Thank you for doing everything for me, shut the fuck up." 

"Why does everything have to be a struggle with you!? Why can't you understand that you're hurting me?" Janis pleaded, "I thought you loved me"

"I never said that I loved you."

"You did! What happened to us!?"

"Oh my gosh, Cady- shit i mean jess-"

"Oh my shit they were so right about you!" Janis complained, "You just screw every girl you see! Fuck you for making me feel like I was something to you"

"You are something to me."

"Act like it."

Regina then grabbed Janis's face, pulling her in for a heated make out session. Janis leaned into the kiss, her hands on Regina's wet shoulders. Regina was making out so intensely, Janis felt the hatred on Regina's tongue. Janis, being the bad bitch she is, doubled the passion, their tongues fighting for dominance.

Their bodies intertwined, then they found themselves in the bedroom. Regina started to strip, peeling the wet clothes off of her cold body. She started down at Janis, teasingly playing with herself, saying things like:

"Lets just fuck and forget all about this." 

and,

"They say make-up sex is the best."

Janis wanted to enjoy it. Janis wanted to feel something again. But right now, she felt like this was just a coy, something to win her back just for Regina's emotional abuse. Gosh was it working. Just looking at Regina doing her usual complaining made her shiver, it was no help that the blonde was dripping wet and naked. She felt herself already getting wet.

"I dunno. I thought the name Jess fell out of your mouth a minute ago... I don't think I can forgive you." Janis played. If this was a game just for Regina to have her fuck buddy back, then she was going to make the best of it.

"I swear baby, Jess was just a toy, your my real deal." She traced circles on the sheet, leaning into Janis, trying to seduce her.  

"Fine. If I'm the real deal.. You'll do as I say." Janis whispered into the blonde's ear, she grabbed her jaw harshly leaving slight red marks on her face, "Get on all fours and bark for me if you're loyal."

Regina paused, she couldn't believe this request. All stages of grief flashed across her face, before she kneeled down on the floor before Janis. She gave Janis the, "are you fucking serious.." look before letting out a pathetic bark,

"arf..?" She sighed, her eyebrows creasing. This was so weird. 

"Is that all you got? Is that how you treat me after fucking cheating on me with multiple girls? Is this your way back into our relationship? a pathetic bark?" Janis scoffed.

The power dynamic was so different then what she was used to, it really shocked her. It also made her so turned on she could feel her cunt dripping down her leg weather she liked it or not.

Janis grabbed Regina by the hair, pushing her head up perfectly to make eye contact. 

"I said bark, bitch."

"Ruff!!"

Janis mused, letting go of Regina's jaw, kissing her gently, almost like a reward.

"By the end of the night, I might just forgive you."

"Why don't you just forgive me now.. it wasn't that deep." 

"I dunno if I'm over you hooking up my close friends, or the whole female population."

"I'm not going to be able to touch you tonight am I?"

"Considering you were just at some hoe's house before coming here.. no."

Regina sighed, getting up from the floor and crawling on the bed, laying on her stomach away from Janis, thinking they were done for the night.

"They never could fuck me like you." the blonde said softly, "Please baby.. let's forget all about that, yeah?"

Janis slapped Regina's ass, leaving a sharp red mark. Regina yipped, turning back to Janis sharply, attempting to roll over.

"what the fuck was that for!?" She hissed, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, and her face flushed from arousal and pain.

"You think I'm done with you? You have hickeys all over your backside!"

"Those bitches.. I told them not to mark me.." She said quietly under her breath, but Janis heard. 

Janis was furious, but she was also glad. She had more things to hold Regina accountable for.

"You let everyone hit your pussy? I never knew Regina George was such a whore." Janis teased, sliding her fingers along the girl's cunt.

"I like to think- I'm very selective." She gasped, her head digging into the pillows as her hips we held down.

"I don't think Hayliee B. is being selective." She slipped a finger in, wiggling it ever so slightly.

"Janis- it wasn't that serious-" She squirmed.

"Maybe Paige G. has something to say about that, hm? Was that serious?" Janis said, slipping her second finger in. 

Regina gripped the cover harshly, letting out a lengthy moan. She tried to grind herself on Janis's fingers but with no avail.

"Jan- Janis that was so long ago.. She doesn't matter, only you do." 

"Awee, is that the sorry excuse you pull out of your ass every time a girl finds out your bullshit? Is that why you came home looking like an absolute mess?" Janis seethed, pumping the fingers into the blonde. 

"maybe its what you told that bitch before coming here!" Then she added a third finger. 

Janis noticed the slight blood on her fingers as she fucked her dumb. Regina was drooling, her eyes rolling back as she whined and cried into the pillows.

"Tell me i'm the best you ever had." 

Regina nodded,

"Say it!" Janis yelled, slapping Regina's ass again.

"Your the best- your the fucking best..I swear" the words spilled out from her mouth in a desperate plea.

Janis sped up, she loved hearing the girl's raspy voice as she helplessly trembled on her fingers.

"'m gonna come! gonna come!" Regina moaned, her eyes shutting and her body starting to tremble.

Then Janis pulled all three of her fingers out of the whining girl.

"What the fuck!?" Regina caught her breath, she turned around to find Janis smirking like a mad man.

"Please Janis, it wasn't even that bad, I don't deserve to be punished like this!" 

"Just how much times did you come for other girls?" Janis teased.

"Not much- they could neve get me off like you" Regina cried.

"Is that so? Get off on my leg then."

"Baby-" 

"Do it, slut"

Regina climbed on her leg, grumbling and complaining to herself on this 'bull' Janis was putting her though. She looked at Janis, who was leaning back, looking at her intently. 

The blonde started slowly grinding on her leg. 

"This better than earlier? This better than the bitch you fucked?" she tilted her head.

"So much better."

"Address me as mistress alright? or I will punish you."

"okay... mistress"

"Bark."

Regina listened, right away this time. She barked loudly and with no hesitation. Her eyes not meeting Janis's once.

The cycle went on for a while. Feverish humping to Janis's leg, while Regina was subjected to whatever the brunette wanted.

"Close?"

"So close-" Regina's breath spiked as her body started to tremble. "Please mistress-"

"You wanna come?"

"Yeah." 

"What are you to me?" 

"I'm just your bitch, fuck.. yours only.." She moaned, her head rolling back. She grabbed Janis's shoulders as an attempt to hold herself up.

"What am I to you?"

"You're my mistress. Janis, you're the only person for me." She puffed out, her hips getting tired from the rutting.

"Is that right? So you're done with all the other side chicks?" Janis questioned, she was having so much fun. 

"YES! Come on Janis- please just let me come! Please, please.. fuck" Regina cried desperate for release. Her hair stuck to her face as her mouth gaped open.

"Come."

Regina let out a long scream as she coated Janis's leg. Her head slumped onto the brunette's shoulder. Her body twitched momentarily as she just had a 28 yard stare in her eyes.

Janis caught the shaking girl, letting her ride out her high.

"Was that good?"

"So good mistress." she whispered, falling asleep on her girlfriend.

[motherofmabari]

If you could have either The Dog from dragon age or Jump from Protector of the Small as a pet/grooming client, which would you prefer.

Ok this is such a hard question though

It's literally tailor made to make me pace my living room yelling and gesticulating wildly while my partner laughs at me

The thing is I don't KNOW! They're both so good! Like damn, I DO love a well bred, well trained working dog, and Dog is like, the EPITOME of that. Smart, strong, goofy off the clock and a terror on the battlefield, what's not to love? Plus, can you imagine the cuddles? I bet he's the best snuggle buddy ever, minus the drool. That'd probably be the worst thing actually, you just know mabari in general are drooly AF. Dog needs a drool bib like newfies wear. I imagine his grooming needs would be pretty simple, frequent if he's actually out there being a war dog cause of the gore, but otherwise just a good bath and ear/nail maintenance. The kaddis are even a little like creative grooming, I've dyed several dogs and it's so much fun. I might even do a kaddis design on my own dog sometime now that I think of it!

Then you have Jump, the CHAMPION of underdogs everywhere, mischievous as a husky and driven as a terrier, loyal to the bone, and based on the cover art he's some kind of bull terrier mix. Those guys are batshit but SO much fun, skulls so thick they could probably headbutt through a brick wall. And he's smart too? Let's be real Jump could probably do my taxes for me. I bet he's incredible for nail trims and baths, can't you just imagine him falling asleep while you curry brush him? Literally just the best boy, making ugly the new adorable!

Ugh I can't pick this is too hard

If I absolutely HAVE to, I guess I'm gonna say Dog, because I know he's cool with being painted on and I love me a big ol mastiff, but lbr my answer is flip flopping wildly even as I write this sentence

[sevensoulmates]

This fandom is wonderful, I have never been in a fandom sharing that many theorys and takes about the ship they love.

I think when you're used to shipping we just do it because it's fun and and we don't have expectations, we enjoy the chemistry between said characters and that why we don't expect more because usually we never get what we were hoping for. But for buddie we have this hint, and then another, and another and it feels like it is heading somewhere like it's building up to something for sure.

This thing you said about feeling like they were yanking our chain back and forth feels so familiar because at times I would gaslight myself saying "you obviously didn't see that, it's not the way you're supposed to perseive this scene, you're obviously seeing things differently because we shippers see everything with heart eyes and we're biased" but it did feel at times like we were being played by them.

Anyways, thank you so much for such a marvelous and detailed response. Have a safe trip 👋

I think really that a lot of people react to this show and perceived "queerbaiting" as part of a trauma response from other shows in the past practicing REAL queerbaiting and/or giving the audience *partially* what they wanted and not committing fully. Or even just full-on driving their shows into the ground to spite audiences. I understand the fear. I understand where it's coming from.

Fact of the matter is that no matter the leaps and bounds we've made over the years, American Media, just like our country, is still pretty conservative. And so even people who WANT to make progressive stories (like the 911 writers) can get hindered by their networks and their bosses bosses, etc and so forth.

At the same time, it is also the truth that nothing we see on TV or in movies ends up there by accident. A trillion and one eyeballs see this stuff and have to approve it before it ever makes it onto our screen. Things like wardrobe and set design, etc can sometimes be explained away as coincidence, but dialogue, plot, setting, character, all of the aspects that make up the story itself are heavily planned with thought and intention (even if we can't always see the whole picture right away). And it's not unreasonable for audiences to pick up on said intention and believe that it will eventually be fulfilled. That's the unspoken contract audiences enter with long-form television. We give them our loyal viewership and in return, they promise us a satisfying show to the best of their ability.

I understand a lot of us are traumatized with our past relationships with queer ships and media, but that shouldn't stop us from putting faith and love into our current relationship with 911.

Trust the process. And if, when all is said and done, we don't get canon buddie, okay. Sometimes things don't work out. But life goes on, and we'll find another ship to love again, and we'll always remember how much we loved our journey with buddie in the here and now. So it's okay to let go of the worry of "what if" and the future, and just enjoy what we have gotten and what we're currently getting now.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

i had a crazy idea. you know how people make 'sonas for various fandsoms? like a lotr or star wars character? what if you had to make a napoleonic 'sona like a marshalsona or something

Oh man, I guess I don't operate in that corner of the fandoms I'm in so I've never come across that. I associate 'sonas with fursona and other sex-play related things, not fandom. I also personally don't do self-inserts, they're just not to my taste or my style.

If I had to create a self-insert (I think that's what this would qualify as?) for the Napoleonic world I'd 100% just be a long suffering, over-worked civil servant (...which is what I am in real life) OR I'd be a scheming diplomat. So, a Berthier or a Cambeceres or a Talleyrand. Something in that ballpark.

Hmm, probably scheming diplomat or spy. Since that sounds fun.

I'm not terribly into military things (perhaps a surprise?) so being a marshal or a soldier holds no appeal.

Since my character would operate rather high up in the Napoleonic governance structure, they'd have to be damn good at their job because Napoleon didn't suffer fools. I like to think they'd have a bit of Larrey or Lannes' guts in terms of telling Napoleon facts as they are and confronting him when he is making massive, fucking mistakes. Which as the empire continued on, he made more of and was less receptive to critique.

For sure my character would be buddies with Talleyrand and would have an ongoing letter-friendship(?) with Metternich. They'd hang out with Fouche just to get the gossip on everyone but since we all know Fouche is a snake, they wouldn't trust him an inch.

The more I think about it, the more I'm here for them being a spy or agent of some kind who isup to no good, but on behalf of the Empire. An Antonio Cincinello sort of figure (he was a ruthless diplomat/envoy/spy who worked on behalf of king Ferrante of Naples [yes, the one with the museum of mummies of his enemies]). Hopefully my character won't be hacked to death by an angry mob, unlike Cincinello.

So, a mash-up of Thomas Cromwell, Talleyrand, and Cincinello.

My character and Talleyrand would have wine-and-whine sessions where we bitch about people, mostly the Bonapartes and all the crap we put up with from them and on their behalf.

My character does know some of Talleyrand's less-than-loyal-to-Napoleon's schemes but doesn't tell but they're not some godless narc.

Talleyrand: you can't tell a soul.

My character: I'm offended that you think I'm a snitch, honestly.

Appearance I suppose would be unassuming. Nothing to write home about. Um, yeah, I don't know what I'd go for in terms of appearance. Since this is aself-insert do they have to look like me? Just make me a dude, then. Which means I'd look like my father lol. If I get to choose my appearance uhh brown or black hair? Long features, big eyes, ummmm I don' t know man. Average. lol.

I'm sorry if this isn't the right way to answer this! I've never done this before and haven't really seen this sort of thing, again, outside of sexual fantasy situations! Or fursonas, which runs the gamot from pedestrian to very sexual.

Thank you for the ask! <3 <3

[currently-haunted]

Kinda working on an au cuz i keep procrastinating on animatic and my life...

Tap for better quality, and some details of au are under the cut (just me rumbling my ideas)

Hunter is not a grimwalker here (still no magic)

He comes from family of wild witches, who were disposed of by belos's orders. But he as a kid got saved by the previous golden guard

Stuff happened, belos had another episode of cain's syndrome, no gg again

I haven't decided yet how hunter was taken in by emperor or even if hunter is his real name, but he still becomes gg later and there's no new grimwalker, for now... (let's say belos couldn't find some ingredients)

Darius here is on full dad mode already from time he knew his mentor rescued some kind against orders

However Hunter is so reckless and not so loyal, when he finally finds out bits of truth about his family, belos and gg (from darius... maybe lilith? I haven't really thought about her role) well, the boy is ready to oppose belos

Oh yea belos did make hunter do dirty job like getting rid of... rebelious witches. Yep, not only palismen suffer here by getting their souls eaten (but no belos doesn't eat witches... that would be too much...)

Good thing later (after several mental breakdowns) it comes in handy, like emperor himself points out great additions to the opposition you just need to fake some deaths

Also good news is that belos doesn't see hunter here as "a tryout for better version of his brother who inevitably will betray him or smth", right? Belos is still horrible to him tho. Difference is that Hunter isn't so isolated and has experience with normal human witch interactions, but no worries he is still traumatized cuz that was in no way a healthy environment for child or teen, or anybody really

Oh btw for this job hunter uses mask (grim) made by abomination magic (taught to him by coven head himself with the help of his stuff at first, later flapjack).

I want to give him a dog. Or at least something close to a dog. Wait how did you guess i'm a dog person? Anyway, he calls himself Grim, because y'know demon which appears as ghosty black hound and pordends death

It's 4 am for me when i'm writing this btw

Collector prob knows that hunter is against belos here but they think it's too entertaining so they don't tell him (i mean i love watching my friends trying to figure stuff out it's probably the same). Idk about this

No ships planned except canon ones, actually most events happen like in canon but hunter meets flapjack earlier, and resistance is pretty huge already but they're laying low, okay all episodes with hunter diverge, like hunting palismen, eclipse lake, any sport in the storm and hollow mind

Yep, sibling dynamic with luz, frienemies with amity (but less angst cuz eclipse lake went different) , friends with willow, gus, skara and viney, prank buddies with twins. Grim! Hunter actually trusts owl house residents except hooty, and knows them better, but he just can't leave the emperor's coven yet because plans

Of course he fucks up somewhere and now belos suspects him. Then hollow mind happens. And if there's nothing to lose it's a great opportunity to mess with emperor's mind from inside. Hunter almost dies in the process because of course he does. That's actually the main point of this au. How much you can hurt someone in their mindspace. (The second point is wordplay on grim/grimm/grimwalker)

I really like how characters use their stuff to just attack physically like guys you can cast a fireball but you punch them with a stick? So hunter's artifical stuff also can become sharp, he deserves a knife

Fyi i came up with this au while listening to all eyes on you by smash into pieces

Basically i wanted sassy hunter with support system going against belos while giving him smth new.

[tobeornottotc]

Omg thank you for being the first person to say Kinn doesn't only get annoyed when Porsche is buddy-buddy with Vegas out of jealousy, that there's more to it. I only ever see people go "Kinn so jealous" at those ep 4 scenes but I always got the vibe that the reason he got so annoyed was moreso over the fact that he feels protective (instead of possessive), not only over his own feelings (that have already been majorly hurt in the past) but also over Porsche's well-being. Kinn knows what a psycho Vegas is, he experienced it first-hand when (I assume) Vegas made his ex turn against him (or schemed with the ex from the start, idk, either way it was fucked up) so I think he knows Vegas would probably stop at nothing to destroy Kinn mentally, through Porsche this time. He most likely knows Vegas just wants to use Porsche (and then throw him aside) to get at Kinn, so I feel like Kinn wants to spare Porsche the pain as much as he wants to spare himself the pain. For example, that adamant "No" when Vegas started asking Porsche to be his bodyguard instead felt much more like an "I'm not letting you ruin this man" than an "I'm not letting him go because I'm jealous." It's also notable that he only ever gets like this when Vegas is involved. Porsche can be chummy and jokey and flirty with Pete, for example, and Kinn doesn't care, but as soon as he's like that with Vegas, he gets upset. So yeah, it's not just mere jealousy imo. There's SO much more to it than "lol Kinn jealous."

Hi!! Yes what you've said. Essentially we have been told that something went wrong with Kinn that turned him heartless and cruel and it wasn't on him as Pete mentioned, and Pete also seems to understand that Vegas (who also alludes to this with a smirk causing Kinn to glare furiously) is part of this mess and reason. Not only can we see how unhinged Vegas is, but by seeing how cruel Kinn had to be to Porsche in episode 2 to save Porsche from being literally getting rid of by the minor family shows how he thinks when it comes to Porsche and the minor family. Protection is key along with his feelings of fear and ptsd like feelings that stem from seeing someone he's being unravelled by (Porsche), who's becoming somehow important to him, who he wants as his, find themselves near Vegas, it's an unhinged automatic reaction to seeing Porsche smile and act chummy with Vegas that causes him to act, to lose his cool and to show up and assert his mask so he can try to prevent Vegas from

Using how important Porsche is to him (as that would make him even more determined to use him as Kinn's weakness and overtake him as we see is his aim for riling him up each time. Vegas wants to defeat and better than Kinn, it's his goal.)

Getting someone he who he thinks is loyal and he cares about leaving his side and betraying him. Just the idea of that terrifies him since it's his biggest hang up he didn't trust Porsche since the start when his father wanted Porsche as his body guard and he still can't let himself trust him despite seeing how loyal and real he is beneath the surface.

Breaking him even further, the reason he donned his cold and cruel mask was to stop himself from being weak and take what was his, the head of the mafia gang, to ensure his family is safe, and there probably was a time when he wasn't able to do so, he doesn't kiss people no longer to not let anyone get him vulnerable, he doesn't trust easily and he puts a distance no matter how kind he is beneath, this is a result of something that happened in the past. Vegas with Porsche unravels his mask because around Porsche he's uncontrollable, he's a spark just alight everywhere trying to burn out but never getting there, he's literally all over the place, doing things irrationally and acting out on his instincts despite the fact it's what he fears the most having no control and ability over his heart and self. By seeing Porsche with Vegas that spark is infused, he can't stop it, and he tries ala episode 4 lunch scene, he tries so much but it's there in his mannerisms how much he's close to breaking (if Thankhun who's also protective over him and knows what Vegas does to Kinn, showed up and took vegas out).

Exposing his failure to control his guards which puts him in even more danger as he is gunned down and hunted for being the one predicted to take after his father, people are looking for ways to hurt and take him down, to find excuses such as failing the goals of the auction and not promoting the family properly, not keeping his cool with their third parties etc, this is also one, his guards messing around and choosing the minor family suggests his inability to control them and treat them properly, make them fear and obey him and stay in control. It suggest disorder and Vegas can use that against him. Especially since Porsche is a bit unstable with his opinions and goals as a bodyguard he's not truly seen as loyal since he doesn't want to be there, and he and Kinn didn't 'get along' at first, his loyalty is fickle and he may be pulled into that world that Vegas offers and make others think Kinn isn't fit for his position.

Use Porsche and hurt him, again Vegas goals depend on what Kinn wants, which means he probably isn't committed after he takes what he gets from Kinn, he moves on to finding the next source, his family is stricter, they seem more violent and cruel and greedy, so even if he sugarcoats it, he won't be able to handle Porsche's misbehaving, and he will tire from Porsche once he wins him over, it would be Porsche who gets hurt, not just Kinn, we know Kinn is overly and fiercely protective of Porsche despite the fact he doesn't have control over it, he can't help but want to keep him safe and next to him as his. So it's his feral need to protect Porsche that is also kicked in with Vegas interactions, that fear of oh no, he could be manipulated and hurt, and he doesn't know how bad that family can get, he doesn't know how Vegas works. It's that need that drives him crazy each time he sees them together, as well as the possession and jealousy of losing what he has claimed as his.

Thank you anon :) I'll analyse more about this when we get the truth of what happened to Kinn to make him the way he is and how Vegas was part of it. It definitely is to do with betrayals, and heartbreak from the dialogues hinting at it, it's definitely to do with trust being eroded and Vegas having some upperhand in the situation. It'll be fun to explore what made him that way later. Thanks again for the comment :)

[outrunningthedark]

I get that LS is getting extra priority from Tim because they share slot with a notable competition, but when LS gets promotional stills 1-2 weeks after start of production and has 2 episode titles registered already, it just feels disheartening. Tim is probably banking on the fandom's loyal if not "intense" nature and/or Buddie's will-they-won't-they (regardless of whether anyone view this as queerbaiting or not, their dynamic is still one of the show's main draws in fandom spaces at the very least. Am I overestimating their popularity? Highly likely) and the frustration, in a way, is a sign that fandom still cares, but Tim should realize sooner that he can't hold on to that as OG's lifeline forever. Given how this season's lack of concrete things to show other than a few stills and demo reels makes the team working behind look even more incompetent than usual, the frustration may turn into apathy real quick.

Sometimes I wished FOX never made the decision to create the first spin-off (Sorry LS fans lurking here) even though they gave us GraceJudd, Marjan, Paul, Nancy, Carlos, and Mateo. It's better to just focus on one show rather than splitting attention between multiple shows with divided outcome, but business is business.

Sorry for the long and rant-ish ask, Tina.

Nothing wrong with a rant! I welcome them! I'm willing to bet that *some* of Tim's LS push rn has been influenced by s3's ratings. It started off strong and then had weeks that were...embarrassing, lbr. Had the show been able to hold its own re: a ~5 million average just like OG, he may not have felt like his full attention is still needed even though there is ALSO a co-showrunner over there. (Let that sink in for a minute. LS has a co-showrunner and Tim is showing us he has less faith in that staff. Eep.) Your message touches on something I said a little bit ago, which is that (IMO) Tim & co. (and even FOX!) are banking on the general public to continue tuning in since 9-1-1 is part of a genre that is still extremely popular (see: the FBIs, NCIS + spinoffs, One Chicago, L&O). Sure, 4-to-5 million isn't close to the final tallies the other programs get on the night they air, but it's been the only first responder drama to watch at that time, and the key demo (18-49) is higher than the others for whatever reason(s). As for Tim getting the green light on a spinoff...I think it's a case of he and the network hoping to "strike while the iron is hot". LS was ordered in May 2019, shortly after s2 of OG concluded. In s2, the key demo never went below 1.00 (s5, by contrast, never got there), and the average viewers were well over 5 million, sometimes over six million, for all but one episode - you can view the totals here. The assumption was (probably) that the OG fan base would latch onto a new series because it's the same concept, just a different setting. And different characters. (Like..."They'll watch it because it's about firefighters and the police. Everything else is extra.") It's only been three seasons, but the shine seems to have worn off rather quickly. We're gonna find out what Tim's plan is to garner interest again. A Tarlos wedding is a good start, I think. There can never be enough happy LGBTQ+ rep for the community!

[dystopiandramaqueen]

Spiral from the Book of Saw- Max Minghella as Will Schenk

Look I've been trying to put this feeling into words for over a week and it's hard because my brain can't accept what I feel.

I think that's the true twist of Spiral.

Max Minghella made me love a serial killer. In a fucking SAW movie.

If that isn't good acting, I don't know what the fuck is.

I shouldn't be surprised! Max took a background character in Margaret Atwood's iconic novel- who barely fucking talks- and made him into a CAPTIVATING, unforgettable character.

Will Schenk is a complex character. A haunted man with dark secrets and dubious motives. Max plays him with the same nuance and depth he gives Nick.

The difference?

Will Schenk is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

A bad guy masquerading as a good guy (a reverse Nick Blaine).

But at the end we find out- his motivations are good? Admirable even? *mind blown* Think of Boondock Saints and other vigilante movies. That's the vibe here, but even more so.

Why do I love this character?

Authenticity and Honesty

The movie follows Will's first day on the police force and he's awkward and unprepared, gagging at the crime scenes and excited to ride in a real cop car- just like any of us would be.

We identify with him and his reactions. He feels like one of us.

Every word Will says is true. All of his lines feel innocent, and all of his lines are dark foreshadowing. Everything he says works two ways.

I've wanted to do this since I was 12 years old.

Your dad's the reason for all of this.

Will Schenk is a Zeke Banks Fanboy

I think Max drew on real life here. He's idolized Chris Rock forever, and been obsessed with "buddy cop" movies from a young age. I think he just let his own star struck wide eyed energy shine through here.

I've been loyal to you from the day we met.

I wanna be partners.

Just like Max, and so many of us, Will Schenk was raised by heroes on TV. Sitting alone in his apartment, watching cops and superheroes beat up bad guys.

When a dirty cop shot his dad so he couldn't testify against other dirty cops- it broke his brain.

So we're left with a disillusioned, idealistic, lonely, vengeful child.

Who made himself into the hero he needed when he was younger.

Trauma stunted him at age 12. That's what trauma does. When you see the horror humanity is capable of, you're never the same.

He had 12 years to dream up perfect vengeance, like Inigo Montoya repeating his death poem over and over while hunting his father's killers.

You get the feeling he was itching to be found out, excited to reveal his alter-ego and show off his work for the first time. He prompts Zeke, pointing out clues. Watching his reactions as they listen to the killer's recorded voice. Smiling when they react exactly as he predicted. Watching with delight as the game unfolds.

A Childish Conception of Justice

Kids believe in absolute good and evil. You can see that idealism in Will's traps.

He presents each victim with evidence against them, then presents their options.

If you admit your guilt and accept your punishment, you can live.

If you fight it or even hesitate, you die.

Most of the victims tried to live. But they hesitated. And Will did not allow time for hesitation. Their hesitation was their final answer and made them fail their test.

Because his game isn't a trial. The killer has already declared them guilty.

The game is sentencing and they control if they live or die. And to live they must repent.

The traps are meta

One trap is simply the police. The police are as deadly a weapon as any of the other devices. That's a relatable fact in 2021.

He chose punishments that would render the victims incapable of doing harm in the future. Like a thief losing a hand, or a liar losing his tongue.

He made Chris Rock experience his trauma. He literally recreated the scenario that fucked him up, and made another person FEEL his pain.

He's testing Chris the whole time to see if he is consistently against crooked cops up to and including his own father.

Lets go see your dad. Time for your final test.

You watched my father die. I’m trying to save yours.

Who you gonna kill? The one who corrupted the force? Or the one trying to save it?

As he leads Zeke down this path, he leads him deeper into his own mind. The killer is leading him away from society's rules, toward freedom. Toward power.

He's grooming a partner. Empowering Zeke in ways the force couldn't.

I wanna be your partner.

You feed me dirty cops, I'll handle the rest.

The real twist is that he isn't punishing Zeke. He's liberating him. supporting him. Hurting the men who hurt him. Bc he's an emotionally stunted traumatized 12 year old fanboy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In conclusion:

Max is the new John Kramer.

Not a copycat. A disciple.

Only his goal is more noble. Instead of changing lives one by one, he wants to clean up the police.

By becoming a vigilante who punishes the wicked, striking fear into the hearts of corrupt cops. Doing the work that police departments won't.

Can't wait for the sequel.

[jojotichakorn]

Hello 💛

so christmas break is coming and i've been wanting to start *and binge on* a new bl (that is if I'm not still utterly controlled by bad buddy brainrot lol). anyways, what i had in mind was manner of death. i've tried watching it before when it first came out but the first ep made me cringe sksk. i think there was an accidental kiss or sth like that? i don't really remember but i want to give it another chance. my question here is, is it worth it? (Well obviously yes, i know you love it) but like can you give me a mini review (or an in-detail review, whatever you're comfortable with), sth to hype it up. i really trust your judgement when it comes to this stuff

Have a good day!💛

heyyy!! you're absolutely correct - i do, in fact, love it, it's my second favorite show, i think it's perfect. i'm going to give you a general gist of my feelings along with my dear friend and loyal companion @sporadicauthor's feelings, as i did ask them to help me out here as well (thank u so much ora <3). i kept it as not spoilery as i could, so you could enjoy the series to its fullest:

so, one of the most refreshing things about manner of death is that it's a story about queer people, but not necessarily a story about being queer. and there is nothing wrong with those stories, of course, but it's really cool to see two gay men just doing their thing, you know? it's a murder mystery that happens to have two male leads that are queer and in love with each other. that's fucking incredible.

in general, the series is amazing from start to finish to me - it hasn't disappointed me once: the pacing is perfect, there is no unnecessary drama or plot points, and an absolutely incredible ending. but speaking of the murder mystery specifically - it is good and it is the central point of the series. it's going to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time, trying to guess what's going on, who's in the right, and who's in the wrong. as a cherry on top - it's a murder mystery that does quite a good job of criticizing the system, especially the police, which is so rare and so amazing to see.

another rare thing to see is that we are actually dealing with adults here!! not high schoolers, not uni students, not even someone who's just out of uni - these are grown men meeting each other and falling in love!! i think this is so important to see, also because a lot of us queer alloromantic people miss those "milestones" early in life and get to really experience that side of life later than cishet people.

all characters in the series are very well-written - i can't say anything specific because figuring out the truth about every single person is a big part of the fun, but you will have plenty of people to love and hate, support and admire.

the relationship at the center is also amazing - despite the fucked up circumstances and some unorthodox things happening, they are ultimately equals who respect and support each other. they are in an established relationship throughout pretty much the entire series as well, which is also quite rare.

with that established relationship, you will see a lot of intimacy too - i say this with confidence, no other mlm series has this much intimacy between its leads. and i don't know if someone has told you this before, but in case you don't know - max and tul are some of the best actors we have ever had, and they are also very close, so the chemistry is off the charts.

i also love how the relationship is portrayed as something constant - a lot of the time, especially when the main focus of the series isn't just the relationship, in moments that aren't directly related to said relationship, the characters are often not really portrayed like they are in love, even though in real life you would always think of your partner regardless of what the situation is - manner of death understands this, and you will never feel as if the main characters suddenly don't care for each other the same way they do during the romantic moments because they are occupied with something else. that's what i mean by it being constant.

as a final small point, the series is also shot beautifully, in my opinion, and there is quite a bit of symbolism, which is always lovely.

so hopefully all of this convinces you to watch it, but if you have any follow-up questions - i will gladly answer them!!

[madamewriterofwrongs]

Soft Eddie thought: the first time he mentions Buck in passing as 'my husband' and then all of a sudden it hits him for the first time that, holy shit, he has a *husband*! And either tears up a little or can't stop smiling.

Hey Nonny, I hope you see this, I know it’s been awhile. 

Subconsciously Drawn Together

911/Buddie

Eddie would never call what he feels a crush – after all, he’s a grown adult who hasn’t had a crush on anyone since Jenny Rodriguez broke his heart in eighth grade by picking Eugene as her lab partner instead of him. (Coincidentally, they are both married to someone named Makayla and neither of them lived outside of Texas for more than a few months).

He always thought that would be him. Not, married to Jenny or Eugene (or either Makayla for that matter), but there was a part of him that knew he was destined to live a quiet life. Marriage, children, maybe a dog and a white picket fence if they wanted to be really cliched. And he was okay with that – he really was. For Eddie, there was no other life than the one laid out for him.

Going to war didn’t change that. A poor country boy joining the military to provide for his pregnant wife back home? Even pulp fiction novelists thought it was too obvious. But, again, he never minded living an uninteresting life. Not everyone was destined for adventure and drama. Most people were made to get through the day.

Even when the nightmares came and he struggled to keep his family together, it just seemed like the next chapter in his boring novelization of a life. Everyone had marital troubles after coming home, everyone had bad dreams and phantom pains. Everyone worried where the money would come from to support their family. Everyone snuck into their son’s room to watch him sleep because they were afraid to admit that they’d forgotten what he looked like while he was away. Everyone felt guilt and shame and fear and regret. It was a part of life.

And then his wife left and his parents offered to take Christopher and for one moment, the thought crossed his mind. Could he let his son go (be with people who could stay at home and give him the care he needed)? Could he forget about Shannon and move somewhere else? Could he start over (relive his 20s in the carefree manner he’d seen others struggling to find)? Could he run away again and make it stick this time?

By the end of the week, he and Christopher were packed into his truck and headed to Los Angeles.

It didn’t feel like running away when he was mumbling his way through the Frozen soundtrack or listening to his son talk about his old school’s pet turtle that he’ll miss (and wonder what kind of pets the kids in Los Angeles got to have). It didn’t feel like running away then. It felt like they were running towards something.

Running towards a new life, of sorts, as it turned out. Sure, he still dealt with his parents’ criticism, and Shannon came back into their lives and for a moment, it felt like she’d never left him. But in LA, he had a purpose, he had freedom. For the first time in a long time, Eddie looked forward to opening his door in the mornings; for the first time in a long time, he never knew exactly what to expect, and LA was full of surprises.

The biggest surprise of all was named Evan Buckley.

Buck was a lot of things: a friend, a skilled firefighter, endearingly enthusiastic, subtle as a brick, and the first person outside of his real family that he called ‘family’ and truly meant it. He loved the men and women he served with in Afghanistan, but the moment they departed at the airport, he lost that connection. Joining the 118 had been a way to get that back and it had worked out fantastically. He had sports fanatics to cheer with, parents of blended families to vent with, people who knew his past and loved him despite it all.

Eddie never told anyone (except his therapist who never commented on it, but made a face that said they’d circle back to it at a later date), but he felt as though he’d known Buck for years. Once the man opened up to him, the trust he felt was strong, and the way he took an instant affection to Christopher made it easy to let this man into his life.

Within less than a year of joining the LA Fire Department however, his world imploded.

Or exploded, actually. First Shannon died, then Buck was injured, then his son was nearly taken by a natural disaster and he didn’t even know it. He spent so much time after that trying to put the pieces back together. For all the things he’d assumed his life would be – a wife and kid and a white picket fence – the only thing he had left was a son now dealing with immense trauma for such a young child to handle. And he had Buck (who was so bright and eager to please that one might describe him as a puppy at times). Nothing of his life had turned out the way it was meant to.

Suddenly, a year had passed since Shannon’s death and his life was still an unrecognizable sort of decagon shape instead of the standard cookie cutter circle. But none of that mattered because he was staring into bright brown eyes and a luminescent smile that was telling him that he was doing a wonderful job of raising Christopher on his own.

Others had been trying to tell him that for years (never the ones whose opinion meant to world to him, but he was learning to let that go) but that beautiful face was so sincere that he forgot himself. He forgot that he was a widow with a grieving son. He forgot the fear and regret that went along with the phantom pains when the weather turned cold. He forgot that he had failed in his ambition to live an entirely ordinary life. For a moment he thought: ‘when she smiles at me, I feel happy’.

He wanted to feel that way again.

There were several reasons that things just wouldn’t work out with Ana. For one: she was Christopher’s teacher, and even if it wasn’t against the rules, it still felt wrong. Two: he’d seen the moment she thought differently about him after he yelled at her at school. She was too professional and kind to say anything but even if it was possible, she was definitely no longer interested. The third reason was that he was a firefighter who worked insane hours and when he wasn’t at work, he was home with his son. There wasn’t exactly a lot of time for dating. Fourth: she wasn’t Buck.

That thought had been the one that kept him up at night. It had come to him while he stood in the shower, recounting his day, wondering how long he had until it would be time to pick up Christopher from school. He wasn’t feeling overly ambitious so he figured spaghetti and meatballs would be perfect for supper. He wondered what it would be like to cook for someone who wasn’t ten years old. Someone he could cook beside without having to keep a constant eye. There were times (in the early days with Shannon) where the two of them would cook together, do laundry, clean, do all the domestic things side by side. She had been insistent that they both learn to care for the house that they shared and he was happy to stand beside her in all things.

Remember to throw Buck’s gym clothes in the laundry next time he comes over. He keeps forgetting to throw them in his basket.

A simple little thought, really. He’d thought it before. His friend would leave his gym bag by the door for work and forget to empty it out when he went to do laundry. It was unlikely that anyone other than Eddie noticed the state of Buck’s clothes, but he’d been paying closer attention to him lately. Like how after the train derailment, his smile seemed easier; his shoulders relaxed more often – especially when he was with the 118 or Christopher. Buck seemed happy now that he’d gotten his closure from Abby.

He deserves to be happy. He makes me feel happy.

Buck did make him feel happy. The way he interacted with Christopher, the way he entrusted his son to this man without a second thought. But even when Christopher wasn’t around, Eddie enjoyed Buck’s company. Going to baseball games (dragging him, more like), sitting together when the crew went out for drinks after work. With Buck, he felt…

Safe.

Which wasn’t surprising, really. Buck was a kind man. Sweet and thoughtful. He put other’s first – just like Eddie does, he could hear Frank’s voice in his mind – and cared deeply about the people in his life. Not to mention, he was physically a very strong figure. In some other life, he and Buck met on the wrestling circuit but never fought. Him: with his MMA, and Buck: with his Greco-Roman Wrestling. With those broad shoulders and firm arms, he wouldn’t mind being pulled into a stronghold once or twice.

He knew Buck was conventionally attractive from the day they met. There was no hiding the sharp blue eyes or curly blond hair and rounded jaw.

Nothing like Ana.

Another correct statement that still seemed ominous in context. Why was he comparing Buck to Ana – or Shannon, for that matter? It wasn’t fair to compare friends to lovers. Although, Buck did fit into several categories on both sides.

Buck was a loyal friend, caring and trustworthy. He made Eddie and Christopher feel safe and loved. He wanted to do Buck’s laundry. He thought he was attractive. Slowly, one side of the column began to build in size.

Perhaps Buck was a bigger part of Eddie’s life than he realized. He hadn’t thought seriously about dating anyone until Ana and that never felt right but Buck…

Buck always felt right. Like he belonged with them. Like he’d known them all his life.

Could it be that Eddie wanted something other than friendship? Had he been climbing the wrong ladder all this time only to find himself at the top with no way across? After all: Buck had never given any indication that he was romantically interested in Eddie.

Though, to be fair, Eddie had given no indication either.

But that was because he’d just figured it out. Surely Buck had some idea that best friends didn’t act the way they did. Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe he wasn’t interested, in any way, with Eddie. Could he forget it and go back to the way things were? Now that his fingers seemed to tingle with the new realization, could he take it back? Could he put those feelings in a box until someone else came along?

Would there be anyone else?

What did he want to happen with Buck?

Kissing him, for starters, might be interesting. Those plump, pink lips exploring his entire body. Having someone in his bed every night would be nice – and not just anyone, but someone who understood his work and the stressors of the day. If anyone was going to stand by his side while he freaked out about Christopher going on his first date, it should be Buck. Next to Eddie, that man was the most protective when it came to that little boy. He’d only seen it once or twice but Eddie knew that Buck looked good in a suit. Would he look even better in a tux? Years from now, when he retired from the LAFD, it would be nice to feel the weight of a ring on his finger, knowing he had someone he loved waiting at home.

Oh.

Oh damn.

Eddie’s shower ran a little bit longer than expected that day.

That simple thought had sent him on a spiral two weeks ago and every night that he struggled to fall asleep, he found himself rolling to the empty side of the bed, wondering what it would be like to wake up next to his best friend.

The conclusion he inevitably came to: it would be wonderful.

If the worlds aligned, of course. He hadn’t spoken to anyone about his sudden, escalating realization (not even Frank). There was no way to know if Buck reciprocated his feelings in any way. Though he knew with uncanny certainty that he would be safe to confess his feelings without fear of losing his relationship entirely, it still seemed safer to gather more information before making any sort of move.

I’m safe with Buck no matter what.

So, no. Eddie would not describe what he felt for Buck as a simple ‘crush’.

It was everything.

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

The accident scene was a mess. It always was. They so rarely rolled up on an event that was neatly organized – not that it would make him any less stressed or worried for the safety of his patients. It was his job to worry, to be surrounded by chaos. Perhaps that was his new normal now, and his idea of an ordinary life had shifted to one that involved heavier boots.

There was still a sense of satisfaction and ease, knowing that he got to go home to his son every night, that he was helping people, and there were people in his life who loved and supported him. Unlike his old army mates (as strong as those relationships were), he also knew that if he woke up and decided to be a baker instead of a firefighter, the 118 would still treat him as one of their own.

Perhaps ‘baker’ wasn’t the best example, baking had never been one of his favourite activities. A florist, or a construction worker, maybe. Firefighting meant a lot to him but it wasn’t his calling – the way it was for his… for Buck. How would the man react if one day, Eddie told him that they would no longer be partners in work? There was no doubt in his mind that Buck would still be over on Thursday nights with pizza and video games. And perhaps if Eddie was working more regular hours, he could go over to Buck’s on occasion and make dinner for the three of them. That would be a nice surprise. Buck would smile that impossibly bright smile and open his arms to Christopher, swinging the boy around gently because he was overly cautious about roughhousing with him – something that only made Eddie’s heart beat faster. Then, Buck would make his way over to Eddie and kiss him with a sort of reverence; like he can’t quite believe that Eddie’s real. He could rest assured that the feeling was mutual.

What a ridiculously outdated fantasy. He’d clearly grown up watching too much ‘I Love Lucy’.

The firefighter shook his head as he hopped out of the truck, turning his thoughts towards the work at hand.

That was something he’d always been good at: focus and calm under pressure. It was what had made becoming a firefighter so appealing. Sure, being a combat medic meant he was more than qualified for field rescues, but all that stoic strength he possessed was better used at work rather than at home. At home, he could be Christopher’s dad. At work, he was Firefighter Diaz.

There was no room for fantasies in Firefighter Diaz’s mind.

The chaos of the accident mostly consisted of cries of pain from passengers trapped in their vehicles as they tried in vain to free themselves before the qualified company could arrive. It wasn’t uncommon to come across a major pile up in the middle of the day, when Angelenos weren’t kept at a complete standstill, and impatient drivers were a staple of life in the LAFD.

Eddie took his orders from Bobby, clearing a path of bystanders for the heavy equipment, and assisting those who were stuck somewhere between freeing themselves and receiving a particularly crude hemicorporectomy. For all the noise, it was a relatively calm affair. Sure, some were screaming and crying – and one woman definitely threw a fit when told to climb out the passenger-side window of her shattered vehicle. But those in need of help received the assistance they required, and the worst injury they encountered was a broken rib and neck bruise from a young man who remained conscious throughout his entire extraction.

It was messy, it was chaotic, it was loud, but it was all right. There were still a few people with minor concussions and bloody wounds that could hopefully be tended to at the scene (most of them unwilling to take the ambulance ride if it wasn’t strictly necessary). He was admittedly a little hyper-focused today, his mind fighting the urge to wander away from its regular duties. Eddie chided himself for feeling so lovesick at work. He’d gone all this time loving Buck, he could handle a few more hours. It was that hyper focus which would be his undoing.

“All right, I think you’re going to be just fine. Head on over to my husband over there and he’ll get you some gauze for your arm.”

An innocent enough sentence – one that didn’t register in his mind through the haze of moving from one patient to the next – but one that only fed into that dangerous fantasy of his.

“What did you call Buck?”

And one that Chimney had apparently heard loud and clear.

Eddie blinked, as he kept his eyes trained on the man before him (some poor bystander who’d bumped his head when he’d stumbled backwards to avoid the oncoming collisions), determined to remain professional in the face of his own idiocy.

Clicking his penlight on with a little too much enthusiasm, he shook the device over his patient’s face. “Can you look up, sir?” Eddie felt his coworker’s eyes trained on him but he kept his focus on his work. As he continued his examination, Chimney crept closer, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and amusement but still, the ex-soldier remained stoic as ever. Some part of Eddie knew that ignoring his friend now would only lead to a confrontation later but right now, he had work to do. And dividing his attention between his duty and his teasing friends was not how he wanted to spend his afternoon. So, he stayed focused. After a few moments, he saw Chimney shake his head and move away, letting Eddie take a much-needed breath of relief.

He was safe from his own stupid brain. For now.

Eddie knew it was coming when Chimney let him be during the rest of their scene cleanup. It was inevitable; but knowing and experiencing were two entirely separate matters.

“So.” Chimney wore what could only be described as a ‘shit-eating grin’ as he began his sentence, pulling all eyes in the back of the truck to him. “Is there something that Buck and Eddie would like to tell us?”

Buck, innocent as ever, turned to Eddie for guidance. “No…?” Eddie could only stare out the window, sorely tempted to remove his headphones if only to prolong the inevitable conversation. Was he blushing or was his face simply burning from the inside out?

“Are you sure?” The man was unrelenting, his voice growing higher with his escalating amusement. As if giving them a chance to confess would be easier than Chimney spilling the truth.

Not that there was any truth to confess. There was just one, very, very, idiotic man who got one simple crush and couldn’t keep it in his pants.

“Chim, what’s going on?”

There were two options Eddie faced in this moment where his head filled with warning sirens (not dissimilar to the ones that normally filled the truck). He could come clean and confess his sins to the team, facing the consequences with what meager amount of dignity he had left. Or, he could lie and pretend Chimney had misheard him, and they could all go about their day. That seemed the safer option. Of course, he hated lying to his team – to his friends – but what was the alternative?

“I called Buck my husband at the scene.”

Apparently, the alternative was exclaiming his idiocy in front of his teammates and denying the flash of a smile on his partner’s face. It was a simple upturn twitch of his lip, hardly noticeable, but the only opinion that mattered to Eddie as he gave his confession was from the man sitting across from him – and he was decidedly attuned to Buck’s ever-changing expressions. On a normal day, he enjoyed the way their knees bumped as the truck bounced through the streets of Los Angeles; it was just another reminder of how connected they were. Now, it made the space between them feel too close – yet still not close enough.

Buck’s face, upon hearing the news that Eddie had tied them together in the mind of some random stranger, flickered once before falling to something neutral and curious (almost amused). As if he was studying something.

“Oh, I don’t mind.” His partner shrugged and Eddie’s heart stopped. “Were they hitting on you?”

Again, Eddie appeared at a crossroads. “No.” And chose the more embarrassingly honest answer.

“Were they hitting on me?”

“No.” So many forks in his path but he continued to veer in one direction, as Buck furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Then why did you”

“I don’t know.” Eddie tried to sound casual as he grumblingly cut him off before he could continue his innocent interrogation. Through the headset, he could hear Chimney snort in disbelief but his eyes remained solely locked on his partner.

He knew why Chimney might scoff at his dismissal – those type of slipups didn’t ‘just happen’, after all – but it was as close to the truth as he could muster. He didn’t know why he’d said what he said. His mind was still frazzled from long hours contemplating what he wanted and what he felt.

Apparently, his subconscious had taken over and now he had his answer.

An answer which was decidedly too large to attempt to unpack while he was still on duty.

He wanted Buck to be his husband. He was ready to get married again – and to his best friend, no less. All wonderful information to process at another time.

The rest of the trip back to the station was filled with noise: the roar of the engine, the shout of the horn when someone inevitably cut them off, the clank of metal against metal. Eddie’s head was silent. He stared out the window at the passing world, feeling the eyes of his partner drilling into his cheek for a time, and then return to his phone. No one spoke, but the absence of voice was deafening. Teasing or pestering would have been better than the juxtaposing silence that told him everyone knew what he’d meant.

Buck had given him every out for his little mistake and, instead, Eddie had barreled straight into his own demise. There was no other explanation as to why he’d said what he said: he’d meant it. Or wanted to mean it, rather. Sure, his dirty little secret had been outed, but Buck had yet to make a comment one way or the other.

I don’t mind.

One friend helping out another: that was what it meant to Buck. And he loved that. But there was no mistaking now what Eddie felt in his heart.

He wanted it to mean something else.

Climbing out of the truck at the end of their journey was harder than usual. The silent stares wouldn’t stop because they were back at the station, it would only be worsened by the fact that there was nothing else to focus on. Eddie never prayed for a call – and he still wouldn’t now – but if there was any mercy in the world, he could avoid all of his friends and co-workers for the rest of their shift.

Simple enough.

“Hey.” Eddie cursed at the familiar voice following him towards the cubbies. Naturally, they were alone, naturally, there was no real excuse to leave – and apparently, he’d decided to suppress his ability to tell white lies for the sake of his pride today – naturally, his heart pounded behind his eyelids as Buck stopped jogging in front of him.

“I just want to say…” and here came the inevitable turndown Eddie dreaded and secretly hoped would never come. “It’s okay, I get it.” Buck’s smile was small but sincere. That man couldn’t be anything less than sincere.

It’s one of the reasons why I lo-

“It was just a slip of the tongue,” Eddie cut off his own thoughts before they betrayed him the way his subconscious had. He needed at least some of his faculties to survive the day. “Don’t worry about it.”

He stepped to the side, intending to escape his own personal hell – was it always this hot in the station? Did they always stand so close to one another? How had he never realized his feelings before now? – but Buck blocked his path.

“No, really, it’s fine.” Was Buck blushing now? “I kind of think of you as my work-husband, too.”

Another perfect opportunity for an out. He could flounder excuses about being tired and meaning it in a work-related setting the way Buck implied.

“Right.” His words sounded weak to his own ears. Who knew what they sounded like to Buck, as the man finally let him pass. Freedom secured, Eddie quickened his pace so as to escape the curious eyes of his fellow crewmates as quickly as possible.

Or at least, that was the plan, until Buck called out: “But you know, I’m free tonight if you wanted to talk about it.”

It felt as though the world stopped spinning – but the distant sound of clanking cutlery from the loft reminded him that it had not. His stomach dropped into his shoes, and his skin burst into flames from the buzzing in his ears. Eddie pivoted on his heel slowly to face his partner, uncertain he’d even heard the words he’d said. But there was Buck, blushing as brightly as he felt, but smiling a much more lopsided grin.

“Talk about what?” He cautiously asked.

Buck moved first, filling the minimal space Eddie had put between them with his broad chest and bright, eager eyes. He smelled of smoke and pine (despite interacting with neither today) and a thin sheen of sweat made him appear more disheveled than perhaps he was. Had he always been so intoxicating? What were they talking about?

“About being husbands… outside of work.”

“What?” Now Eddie was certain that he’d misheard his friend.

Buck simply smirked in response to his question, eyes moving slowly over Eddie’s face. He was always examining, questioning, confident. He had been doomed from the start.

“Christopher’s in bed at eight, right?”

“We’re pushing it to eight-thirty.” His mouth moved on autopilot, too stunned to comprehend the sudden shift in subject.

Again, Buck’s blue eyes circled his face slowly, absorbing all Eddie’s focus as he felt himself physically affected from the mere sight of his partner with his knowing grin and wandering eye. So entranced was he, that he didn’t notice how closely the other man had leaned into his space until he felt his hot breath against his skin. Eddie swallowed the lump in his throat.

He was absolutely doomed.

When Buck spoke, his tongue danced along his teeth, an enticing show of some unfulfilled fantasy that had never occurred to Eddie in the first place.

“Then I’ll be there at eight-thirty-one.”

Buck’s flirtatious demeanor melted into a giddy smile that snapped through the tension he’d pulled between them. “I was a little- a lot worried you didn’t feel the same.” He confessed, still filling Eddie’s space with his infectious energy. One word from him, and Eddie melted.

“You…were…” No more words filled his mind beyond a string of victorious swears and the sound of panicked cheering, but Buck seemed to understand him nonetheless. Buck had always understood him.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with using the truck to keep his legs underneath him, he would have turned to see Buck walk away, pumping his fist in excitement. As it was, several crewmembers looked on from the balcony, shaking their heads at the pair of idiots acting like lovesick teenagers over a single date.

Chimney shooed them all away before taking the opportunity to shout: “Buck, tell your husband that lunch is ready.” Which earned him more than a few chuckles from the firefighters upstairs, and two overexaggerated groans from the men below.

They were definitely not going to be living this down for a while.

For once, Eddie didn’t mind – and if the grin plastered on Buck’s face for the rest of the shift was any indication, neither did he.

[kitsunefire7]

The final round of Obiyukimadness21 is here!

Here’s my “Rampage Rescue” vs “Only one bed”

Where Yuki swoops in and desperately gets Obi to safety before it’s too late! Also, it’s the return of Morning Glory my oc horse >:D yeehaw

✨And NO you may not trace, copy or steal my work✨

STORY TIME!!!

The talented writer @fade-touched-obsidian and art buddy of mine made a story to go with my art and 🥺😭❤️ just ty so much for this. Enjoy her story!!!

Obi had at least been smart enough to bring her along despite his reservations regarding safety.

"Your expertise will be needed, Miss," he'd said. The words that had surprised her only hours ago haunt her now, though Shirayuki seriously doubts that he intended for things to go this far south even way up here in the north. Their relationship with the royal family was never supposed to come to light.

For once, though, it seems Obi is the target for his closeness to Zen rather than hers. He's a known knight of Zen and it was for this reason Eisetsu approached them for help in his quest to seek out Touka supporters within his territory. It's Eisetsu's plan to ferret out traitors to the crown that Obi had been put in harm's way. And it was that closeness that had seen him brutally attacked this evening.

There's nothing to be done for it now, though. It was a task that couldn't be put off. The threat to the royal family is real and present and Obi had gone into the Knight's Ball with Eisetsu thinking all would probably be fine. But things rarely ever do go according to plan.

She and Tsuruba ended up storming the place when Obi collapsed after flashing them the signal out the back balcony. Whatever plans they'd had, had quickly devolved the moment Obi stepped foot inside closed doors that weren't meant for him to open. A foul plot is still afoot but investigator safety is important, though Obi would likely disagree with the abandonment of the mission… if he were still coherent.

Good thing he's not conscious or, if he is, it's because he's hanging on by a fine thread. Conscious or not, he isn't lucid.

It's also a good thing that his life preservation skills are miraculously always present, which raises serious questions about the childhood he evades discussing at all costs but that's neither here nor there right now. What matters is that his heart is still beating, his lungs are still breathing, and his arms are locked around her waist to prevent himself from falling off the back end of the horse.

Shirayuki loses herself to thought for heaven only knows how long. He has a head injury. That will need to be evaluated for internal issues. He's bleeding from several cuts to his left side, the most dangerous being the one on his left leg.

His dark dress pants were already saturated with a worrying amount of blood when Tsuruba and Eisetsu helped gather him up behind her… Tsuruba and Eisetsu- haven't heard their horses in a while. They have his jacket. He will want that back… irrelevant. She discards the thought of his jacket, annoyed with herself for having been sidetracked by the removal of his jacket even if they'd removed it to see the injury to his left arm. He has a cut there. He'll need stitches. Plenty of them. And in plenty of places… and that's if she can even get him home before he bleeds out.

All she has to hold herself together right now is her medical knowledge. He's hurt and he needs her at her absolute best. He might not make it otherwise. He might not make it at all if the injury to his leg continues to weep crimson, which it has, given the amount of blood now spreading into the folds of her skirts as they wrap around him in the wind. Perhaps it would have been wise to move his belt from his waist to his thigh. He can lose a limb and survive. He can’t lose much more blood and claim the same victory.

The blood isn't spurting from anywhere, nor is it gushing. An artery hadn't been hit but several wounds are deep and flowing… so I have time. Just…just not a lot of it. Less than I'd like. A lot less than I'd like. But I have time. He just has to stay with me.

She regrets, only momentarily, that they didn't take the time to resaddle Glory before they took off. Perhaps untacking wasn't the wisest of options but they had planned on being there for a while, not a quick in-and-out that took less than an hour.

It's uncomfortable and moderately dangerous to be riding tandem with an unconscious man without some sort of saddlery but she wasn't willing to waste precious time on something like lunging all the puffed up hot air out of Obi's prankster horse to ensure the saddle holds in place.

"Damn it, Obi. Stay with me," she pleads. But it's met with silence save for the galloping cadence of the horse's hooves at pounds a swift and steady three-count beat into the dirt below.

There’s a plausible chance that the gash on his lower thigh rivals the one that left the scar on his chest. Maybe not in length. But depth? Shock to his system? Certainly. She wasn’t there to help him when he was in danger during his youth but she can do something about this one. Hopefully. She’d hoped she’d never need to- she promised him safety, just as he promises her. Yet, here they are. It isn’t really possible to protect a knight whose job is to protect others with their body, mind, and soul. Sometimes it just happens that they need to uphold their position to the fullest extent. BUt did it really have to always be Obi?

She wrenches her head to the side, trusting Glory to know what to do, so she can look at him and his head rolls slightly on her shoulder. The sticky pull of blood-soaked cloth against her skin bringing her thoughts back to his head injury.

How could a simple investigation excursion turn so quickly into mayhem?

Touka.

Touka and his legion of loyal lackeys. Izana should have just cut the head off the snake and been done with the ordeal.

She doesn't usually agree with a death sentence, but it was an attempted assassination of a royal family member and, furthermore, an attempted coup. Izana would have been next. Leaving the serpent of destruction intact may prove a fatal error if she can't prevent Obi from bleeding out soon.

"Stay with me, Obi, please," she begs as his hands begin to slack around her.

Obi mumbles something incoherent, his lips and tongue made lethargic and uncoordinated by the life blood he's left dripping steadily in a trail behind them.

She just has to make it a little further. The lights of Eisetsu shine in the distance like a beacon guiding her toward Obi's own salvation. It isn't sterile for proper treatment but anything is better than nothing when a life is on the line. They can make it and hopefully that's all he needs.

"I have you, Obi. Stay with me." She's yelling now, trying to break through the hazy veil of his awareness. "Do you hear me?"

He groans, pained and weak.

Tears begin to fall down her cheeks but she doesn't raise a hand to wipe them away. She's a good enough rider to free a hand to do so, but she fears the motion being the force that breaks the dam. Her throat scratches to let out a cry and stifles it with a whisper.

"Stay with me."

[r1ntaros]

falling // jeong yunho

SYNOPSIS: After experiencing countless messy break ups, Yunho can't seem to find himself to love and to be loved once again. Not until he met y/n who’s as broken as him. Sharing their stories, Yunho found out that they’re almost the same but their difference is Yunho can help himself be whole again after being shattered into pieces. But y/n? Well, maybe God has plans as to why they met each other.

PAIRING: Yunho x fem!reader

GENRE: fluff, angst

WORD COUNT: 4.5k

SONG RECOMMENDATION: falling by harry styles

WARNINGS: mentions of drinking, cheating, cursing, verbal fighting, emotional breakdowns, toxic relationships, self doubts, unhealthy way of coping up with heartbreaks

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello! This is my first work for the tag, hehe. I also have another work drafted but it's quite long so I decided to post a /shorter/ one first to test the waters since I'm too shy sharing my works because I know I'm not that great of a writer ssjdjsjk. Some character names are also made by me and doesn't exist in real life. I'm so sorry for grammatical errors as well! English is not my first language >.< Feedbacks are welcome and accepted, enjoy!

Masterlist

Silently sitting at the couch of a friend’s party, Yunho chugged down his 3rd bottle of beer for the night. Just today, his fourth girlfriend decided to break up with him through text, saying their usual “it’s not you, it’s me” line that he is tired of hearing.

As much as it’s supposed to sound reassuring, he can’t help but think that maybe there really is something wrong with him as a boyfriend. Does he not spare them enough time and attention? Does he spend way too much time with his friends? Does he always stay up late all the damn time, playing his god forsaken video games and occasionally forgetting to text his past significant others back unintentionally?

He really can’t answer his own questions but he knows.. he fucking knows that he’s nothing but a good, loyal boyfriend to those who he used to date. But why do they always leave him?

He felt someone nudged on his knee, cutting him off of his thoughts. Looking at that person, he saw Mingi with eyes full of concern. “Dude, we’ve been looking for you for the past five minutes already then I see you sitting on the couch, glaring at everyone. What’s wrong?”

San was the first one to notice their arrival and smiled the brightest smile he can muster while clapping his hands. He looks like he’s not yet drunk.

San was the first one to notice their arrival and smiled the brightest smile he can muster while clapping his hands. He looks like he’s not yet drunk.

San was the first one to notice their arrival and smiled the brightest smile he can muster while clapping his hands. He looks like he’s not yet drunk.

“There’s our Yunho!” He exclaimed which gained the others attention, some even greeting him with enthusiasm as they went back to playing. He silently sat beside Wooyoung who looked at him full of curiosity. Usually when they party, he’s one of those causing chaos but due to how he’s acting now, Wooyoung must’ve sensed that there’s something wrong.

He put his arm over Yunho’s shoulder and shook him slightly, “What’s bothering you, bud?”

That single, simple sentence seems to break all the emotions and questions that Yunho’s been keeping to himself as he felt his eyes get teary and he asked, “Is there something wrong with me?” 

The chaos surrounding him suddenly became calm as the rest of his friends circled him. No one spoke and the silence was unbearable until Hongjoong decided to break it.

“Yunho, what happened?”

He took a deep shaky breath, “Eunhae broke up with me.”

A scoff was heard and everyone looked at Yeosang, “See what I told you? This is what you get for not listening, Yunho.” He said as Yunho stared at him with a hardened expression.

Hongjoong, who’s trying to do damage control, decided to peel Yeosang away from their circle but the younger broke free, “Yeosang, now’s not the time–”

“Now’s not the time to what, Hongjoong?” Yeosang spit out with so much hatred, making Hongjoong look away. The younger man proceeds to walk and stand in front of Yunho, gripping both of his arms tightly, “Jeong Yunho, what did I tell you? She’s not good for you, she’s–”

“Gonna break your heart and leave you broken like the rest of them did. I know, Yeosang. I know.” Yunho cut him off, voice full of regret, “I should’ve listened to you.” He said, this time, with a small voice.

Yeosang just rolled his eyes and pulled Yunho in a hug with his head on his chest, steadied by the smaller’s hand. The action caught him off guard and all of a sudden, the only thing he could feel and hear is his sobs breaking free from his mouth, tears falling down from his eyes as his body trembles in brokenness.

The whole pool house was silent and the only thing that’s audible is the ongoing party happening outside. His friends let him cry until he’s too tired and broken to let anything out. Wiping his eyes, he giggled tiredly,  “I’m a fucking fool. I don’t want to love anymore. I just want to be loved the way I deserve.”

No one spoke but his friends’ hearts broke at what he said. Yunho is loved by everyone but he’s just too engrossed in giving away his heart to someone that he didn’t notice it.

Wooyoung removed the hair from his eyes and whispered, “Let’s get you home, buddy, so you can rest. You consumed enough alcohol.”

“I’m not fucking drunk, I want to drink more!” He tries to argue, making Seonghwa speak up, “You may not be drunk but you’re tired and have alcohol in your system. That’s not healthy. You know that drinking is not the healthiest way to cope up with heartbreak, Yunho.”

“Let me be!” He shouted as he tried to pry off Wooyoung’s grasp on him as he tried to stand up to get more alcohol.

“No I won’t let you be!” Seonghwa argued back, pushing him down to where he’s seated, the tension coming back again, “You’re broken enough and if you drink more you’ll be nothing but an unrepairable mess and I don’t want that. We don’t want that to happen.”

Sinking the older’s words in, Yunho has no choice but to agree. Seonghwa’s right, damn, he is always right. He decided to silently follow Wooyoung to his car and the drive back home was silent. No one spoke until they arrived at his condominium.

“Take care of yourself, Yunho.” Wooyoung said, “We care for you. We love you, always remember that. I know it’s tiring but we’re always here to help you be whole again.” After saying those words, he decided to drive away and go back to Jongho’s house.

Entering his apartment, he didn’t bother to turn on the lights and decided to do his night routine and lay down in his bed as he looked at the view of the city on his window, thinking about Wooyoung’s words. It helped bring a slight smile on his face as he decided to let himself slip off to dreamland.

—

The next day, Yunho decided to visit his favorite coffee shop to grab his usual favorite treats for the morning to start it well instead of moping around because he got his heart broken.

Arriving at the cafe, he was greeted by the Mrs. Kim, the lady who owns and baked the treats in this coffee shop, “Good morning sweetheart! Do you want the usual?” 

“Good morning Mrs. Kim! I think I’ll grab a hot chocolate instead of cold, this time.” He replied with a kind smile as he watched Mrs. Kim fusses over the cashier (who’s her daughter) to punch his orders. Haru smiled at him when she gave him his receipt but leaned forward, gesturing Yunho to do the same.

“You see that girl over there?” She asked, pointing at the girl in the corner, “She entered earlier looking sad and all. You think you can cheer her up?”

Yunho rolled his eyes, “I’m not a clown, Haru. Also, I can’t even bring myself to cheer up when I just went through a break up myself.”

Haru was taken aback by his response then she rolled her eyes, “But you don’t look broken unlike her! You look completely fine.” She pouted and gestured to the girl again, “She looked like she’ll pass out due to sadness.”

Yunho just let out a sigh, “What do I get in return?”

“Two extra cinnamon rolls under my tab.” She said and winked at him. Yunho held his hand out and she took it to seal their deal. “Good luck, Yunho!” She singsongs and Yunho just rolled his eyes.

Approaching her table, Yunho decided to tap the girl on her shoulder and she thankfully looked up but didn’t speak. The curiosity in her eyes though, was enough to voice out her question of “who are you and what are you doing here?”

Scratching the back of his head, Yunho smiled shyly, “Hi, I’m uh, Yunho. I’m alone and have no company. Is there anyone seated there?” He asked, pointing at the empty seat in front of her.

“There used to be someone seated here but they left me.” She said in a quiet voice enough for Yunho to hear but didn’t comment on it then she proceeded to answer him while shaking her head, “No one’s seated there.”

“I hope you don’t mind if I.. sit here?” He asked cautiously, “But it’s okay if you don’t want me too! I’ll just look for an empty space.”

Y/n decided to look around and noticed that the coffee shop is a bit packed. Feeling guilt immediately eating her up just in case she rejects him, she answered, “You can sit here, it’s okay.”

Without saying any more words, Yunho sat down in front of her. They were silent for a while until Yunho spoke up, “You know, me and my friend noticed that you’re actually not well.”

“Your friend?” She asked, thinking if this guy was playing with her, that he’s with someone else even if he told her no, just like what he did with her. “You’re with someone yet you told me that–”

Her sentence was cut off by a giggle from Yunho, “The cashier is the friend I’m talking about.” He clarified and she can feel the heat of shame spreading through her cheeks.

And after that, silence was there again.

No one really spoke until Yunho’s order arrived. He was munching happily on his cinnamon roll and took a sip of his hot.. coffee? Chocolate? When he looked at her and said, “You know I heard you when you said that there’s someone seated here before. Where are they?”

Y/n looked at him with an unpredictable look and that’s when Yunho realized that it must be a sensitive topic. Immediately waving his hands that are holding the utensils, he added, “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it! I’m just a mere stranger, I know.”

The look of panic on his face made y/n smile a bit as he resembled a puppy that got caught doing something wrong. She picked on the loose thread of her sweater when she decided to speak up, “You know, it’s my dream to rant to a stranger because I’m certain that we won’t meet again and I think that time is now, though I’m not sure about the not meeting you again part. I’m y/n, by the way.”

A soft smile flashed through Yunho’s features as he understood what she meant, “You can speak whenever you’re ready.”

She let out a deep sigh and started, “You know the feeling when someone you gave your all just decided to fuck you up emotionally?” She asked and laughed humorlessly, “That’s what he did to me. I won’t be saying his name, I hope you don’t mind.” She added as she wiped her tired-looking eyes.

Yunho nodded silently and gestured to her to continue, “I’ve been living with my boyfriend, well, ex boyfriend for six months now. We’ve been together for a year and a half after I met him at my best friend’s party. We were happy, really. After dating each other for a year, he decided to move in at my apartment unit.”

“The first three months were full of legitimate happiness. There were times where we just laze around, play with each other and sometimes do some random things. I thought it’ll stay that way but I was wrong. Somewhere around April, he started to be distant towards me. I was trying to reach him out but he just kept on pushing me away.” She paused for a while and wiped the tear that fell from her eye.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she continued, “I thought he was just stressed with college and all but no. Somewhere mid-April, I was waiting for him to come home late at night then he went home drunk. Really really drunk. We had our fair share of parties but that’s the first time I saw him like that and he didn’t tell me that he’s going to a party as well. I mean, I wouldn’t stop him but asking for permission could’ve been nice.”

“We started screaming at each other that time and it was the first ever huge fight we had. He left my apartment that very same day and I don’t know where he went. He went home in the morning and apologized to me then of course I accepted it. Those things just continued until recently, he said something that I really won’t forget which is also the very same reason why I broke up with him.”

“He was drunk that time again when he shamelessly and proudly confessed to me that he’s been seeing my best friend and that she’s the better girlfriend than me. I mean, I’m okay with breaking up with a lying, cheating asshole but my problem is I gave up everything for him. He’s my first love and she’s my only friend who didn’t leave my side. Now I have no idea on how to bring back my life from before.” Tears were now falling down her face nonstop as she tried to wipe it off her face but the waterfall from her eyes showed no sign of stopping. Yunho frantically pulled his handkerchief on his pocket and offered it to her which she gladly accepted.

“We’re stopping here, okay? I don’t want you to faint due to crying.” Yunho said as he fidgeted with his fingers and she sobbed quietly. This girl is the same as him. Broken, left alone, not appreciated. But their difference is that he has everything she doesn’t have and can do anything she can’t. He has friends to help him fix himself and welcome him with open arms when he’s too overwhelmed with sadness and that made him realize of how fucking lucky he is.

Until now here he is, conversing with a very broken girl and thinking of a crazy thing that he never thought he’ll be doing.

Silently grabbing y/n’s trembling hands into his he smiled, “Let me help you.”

She was taken aback by what he said and before she can react, Yunho explained his intentions, “We’re both broken, my girlfriend just broke up with me yesterday but that doesn’t fucking matter. Between the two of us, I can completely keep myself going. I still have friends who can help me when I’m in my most vulnerable state but you.. your only friend betrayed you and I just realized that maybe this is the time someone needs me.”

Too stunned to speak, y/n just clasped Yunho’s hands tighter, “Yunho..”

“Y/n, you don't have to say anything but please reconsider my intention. I want to help you.” 

A set of fresh tears fell down from her eyes as she looked at him. This time, with a smile. The most beautiful smile that Yunho has ever seen because no smile can be compared to a smile of a broken one.

“Thank you, Yunho.” She said in a whisper but enough for the both of them to hear.

He softly patted her hand and answered in return, “Now’s not the time to say that. Thank me when you’re whole and fixed again. Deal?”

A laugh bubbled out of y/n as she agreed, “Deal.”

Six months later…

Laying down on his bed with his eyes closed, Yunho couldn’t help but think through the sudden turn of events in his life. His mind immediately flew through the memory of the day he first met y/n. 

Weeks after their encounter, it was quite hard to reach out to her despite knowing her side of the story. They agreed to meet everyday at the same spot in the same cafe and just talk about their own feelings. Y/n had a hard time letting her emotions out during those times as she really won’t be able to speak without crying and Yunho has to offer his handkerchief all the time since she always seems to forget to bring hers all the time.

Right after that, a month passed by quickly and she started to smile and laugh more. She also met the boys who welcomed her into their circle with open arms but at the same time, she has her guards up just in case things go wrong. The boys never failed to notice it but they chose not to comment on it. She immediately warmed up to San and Wooyoung and they’re labeled as the chaotic trio in their circle. Y/n felt herself getting happier.

In the second month, however, despite having enough friends, she still finds herself going back and forth to the past. There are times where she had her emotional episodes and she’s just thankful that Yunho’s been there for her always. She spent most of her time staying over Yunho’s place than she spent in her own place, telling each other stories that the other doesn’t know and just laughing her sadness away. 

And in the last week of the second month, y/n decided to move over the empty condominium space beside Yunho’s as she reasoned out that she can’t stand the memories made in that apartment so she decided to move out. As Yunho helped her unpack with a fair share of giggles and laughter, that’s when Yunho realized that he’s healed.

In the last month of the year, which marks the fifth month after they met, Y/n seemed to go back to her normal self and Yunho saw her as a very giggly and carefree person. Yes, there were times where she remembers her ex boyfriend but instead of wallowing in sadness like she used to do, she started making fun of that memory that left her very broken before. The first time they spent Christmas together was when Yunho realized, he’s in love.

He’s falling for her and he’s scared.

He’s scared that the same thing will happen to him all over again. That after making her happy, she’ll leave him like how they did with him. Cancelling all his plans the day after that, he decided to voice out his concerns to Yeosang.

“Sang, I’m scared.” The first thing he blurted out with panicked eyes by the time Yeosang opened his apartment door. 

His friend guided him to his couch and patted him in the back, “What happened, Yunho?”

“I..” he let out a deep sigh and he felt tears pooling in his eyes, “I’m falling for y/n, Sangie.”

A breath of relief rushed out of Yeosang’s mouth and he smiled warmly, “What’s so scary about that?”

“I.. I don’t know. Maybe she’s going to leave me like all of them did. Maybe I’ll get broken again but this time I won’t be able to pick myself up and–”

“Yunho, it’s not love if it doesn’t hurt.”

Yunho was dumbfounded by his friend’s words; he opened his mouth only to find himself closing it once again, making him look like a fish gasping for air.

Yeosang stared at him intently as he took a hold in Yunho’s hand, “Yunho, listen to me. Y/n, she’s thankful for you. Though I don’t know what really happened to her the day you met but I can tell that you helped her.”

“I assure you, y/n’s not the type to leave the only person she’s relying on. She’s too grateful to do that, used to be too broken to think of that. She’s not the type to put herself in the same situation that I’m assuming other people used to put her in. And I get it, you’re scared but Yunho, the happiness she gave you is not describable by words. It’s not just me who noticed it but the other boys as well. She’s different, one of a kind.”

“Give it a try and maybe she’s the right person for you.” Yeosang said as he put finality in his words, drowning Yunho in realization.

“Yeosang..”

“I know, you’re welcome. Now go home and fix yourself. I know you had fun staying up with her yesterday.” His friend pushed him out of his apartment door and before he completely left the place Yeosang called him out once again, “If things go wrong, we’ll always be here for you.”

And that made Yunho’s heart swell in happiness.

Except, when he saw her again, Yunho just chickened out and decided to avoid her like a plague and y/n is not dumb enough to not notice it. 

January is their sixth month together and it’s also been a few weeks now since Yunho started avoiding her. It made her sad to the point that she ranted to Wooyoung and San on their separate group chat on how Yunho’s not talking to her and how it frustrates her.

Y/n, unlike Yunho, is aware of the feelings that bubbled up in her heart. The way she felt the butterflies on her stomach two months ago when she heard Yunho sing for the first time and she blatantly told herself that yep, she’s in love with her golden retriever-looking friend. She immediately told San and Wooyoung about it as the two boys called her suddenly and started squealing like high school girls in the duration of their call.

She thought that everything was going fine and she kept her secret well not until Yunho started avoiding her after they all spent the New Year’s Eve together. She started to get worried, thinking if she did something wrong.

Deciding that instead of wallowing in her own overthinking tendencies, y/n went to Yunho’s apartment and didn’t bother knocking as she punched his too familiar code at the door. It’s in the middle of the afternoon and she figured that maybe he’s still at his bedroom after experiencing one of a hell week because college already started again.

Opening his bedroom door silently, y/n saw Yunho laying down on his bed with his head turned to the side of the window. Eyes obviously blank and void of emotions. She silently made her way to his bed and jumped on it and shouted, “Yunho!”

“Jesus, you scared me!” Yunho exclaimed as his arms wrapped around y/n’s torso with his eyes wide, “What are you doing here?”

She laid on her stomach and giggled as she removed the hair covering her eyes, “I came to visit you.” She replied with a pout and she spoke once again, “You’ve been ignoring me since the year started, I miss you.”

Yunho stared at her incredulously and he tucked her hair behind her ears, noticing the blush spreading through her cheeks, “I’m sorry, I just have a lot of things in mind.”

She let out a huff making Yunho raise and eyebrow at her and she smiled, “I’ll listen to you this time.”

“Y/n–”

“Come on, Yunho. You helped me a lot so now it’s my time to repay you. Maybe talking can help you get your mind out of the gutter.”

Yunho just laid there silently once again thinking through things that can possibly happen. If he tells her, their friendship might either end immediately or she reciprocates his feelings for her. But then, he can hear Yeosang speaking in his mind.

Give it a try.

He watches as she fidgets with his fingers that are laying in his stomach. He stared at her eyes and it reflected the night sky filled with stars even if it’s the middle of the day. He let out a sigh making y/n look at him and giggle, “That’s a deep–”

“I like you.”

Y/n was dumbfounded for a while as she stared at Yunho with her mouth open making the latter laugh and guide his hand under her chin to close it. She stared at him still and it’s been a minute that passed by when he confessed and Yunho couldn’t help but feel nervous so he added, “I-I understand if you don’t like me back it’s just that–”

“Idiot.” She suddenly blurted out, as she sat down beside him from her lying position, cutting his words. Yunho looked at her confused, “Huh?”

“You’ve been avoiding me because you like me? What are you trying to do? Damage control?”

“Well, yes–”

“That’s dumb, Yunho.” She said as a matter of factly and Yunho’s eyebrows were knitted, “Look if you’re just going to roast me–”

“I like you too, you fucking dumbo. Are you going to kick me out?” Her words sounded confident which made Yunho stare at her in wonder. They were silent for a while and it’s enough time for Yunho to help his mind process her words.

Giggling as he did so, y/n looked at him confused, “Why are you giggling?”

“Come here.” He said as he pulled her beside him, y/n’a face tucked in his neck, “I really like you.” He said once again then chose to proceed, “I was scared that you’ll leave me like they did if I told you.”

She hummed, “I really really really like you too. I know when we first met that I was broken but that didn’t make me afraid to love. I won’t leave you like they did.”

Yunho smiled through her hair and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head, “Let me take you out on a date?”

“We still have some time today. We can go to Mrs. Kim’s coffee shop. We can visit an arcade then eat dinner out? Maybe do a little bit of shopping?” She suggested as she looked up and their gazes met. He smiled softly at her and hummed, “Sounds like a plan.”

“For now cuddle me here in your bed.” She said in a cute demanding voice causing a laugh to bubble out of Yunho’s mouth.

“Whatever my princess wants then she gets.”

She let out a squeal and squeezed herself tighter into him as if they weren’t too close enough yet. She thought about the first time she met the light of her life and remembered a very important thing they agreed on.

“Yunho?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Thank you.” He looked down at her and booped their noses together as they cuddled in the warmth of Yunho’s bed. Yunho, smiling like an idiotic fool, immediately knows the true meaning behind her gratitude because he feels the same, he’s thankful he met her that day.

Maybe Yeosang is right as well, she may really be the right person for him, and for the first time in years, this is the only relationship Yunho had that made him feel so happy and content.

thank you for reading!

[tjmystic]

Top 10 Best Dynamics in The Magnus Archives (as rated by me)

Jon & Martin (because who doesn't enjoy an asshole becomes a softboi for the man who's had a crush on him for years and actually gets who he wants?)

Georgie & Melanie (because they are somehow completely devoid of the drama and, honestly, we need that)

Jon & Georgie (because they're precious amicable exes that share custody of one wrathful cat)

Tim & Sasha (because we didn't even know they were a will-they/won't-they until it was too late, and now I've made myself cry again)

Jon & Daisy (because a friendship between an Eldritch horror librarian and the crooked cop who kidnapped him with the intent of slitting his throat wasn't ever in the cards, but I love that we got it for those few episodes where it happened)

Daisy & Basira (because whether they were partners, Partners, or pArtNers, what they had was the most loyal, faithful, and honest relationship in the series)

Jon & Basira (because their tentative friendship that began under the guise of a booty call to keep people from knowing their real, much-less-legal activities is hilarious and painful in equal measure)

Basira & Melanie (because the fact that The Radically Logical One and The Angry One are beer and gossip buddies who innately trust each other in spite of deception is just beautiful)

Gertrude & Gerry (because it ends in tears and Gerry deserved better, but we stan one Winchester-y Goth boy and his apathetic, much-too-good-at-her-job surrogate granny)

Breekon & Hope (because they're evil and completely irredeemable, but you can't tell me they didn't make you tear up at least a little bit)

[madeofitzits]

In honor of the impending return of Brooklyn 99, here are 99 reasons that...

1. He was precocious enough to know, at 5 years old, that he wanted to change his name (x)

 2. He has a bunch of nicknames: Sandy Amberg, Young Sandwich, etc. but the most endearing one is 'Droidy', his family's name for him (x) 

3. He is still super close friends with people he's known since: Elementary School (Chelsea Peretti) (x)...

4. Junior High/High School (Kiv and Jorm) (x) 

5. … Summer Camp (Irene Neuwirth) (x)

7.  ...and Film School (Chester Tam) (x)

8. Before he met Joanna, he dated other famous ladies but - out of respect - he never discussed it/them (x) 

9. He loves turtles and tortoises. When he was a kid, he had a pet turtle that he named 'Squirt' because the first time he held it, it peed on him. His Mom, Margie, accidentally killed Squirt when Andy was at Summer camp... (x)

10. … Maybe this is why, when shooting 'Popstar', Andy fell hard for Maximus (Conner 4 Real's turtle). He says they "had a good thing going" and that he wanted to adopt him. In the end, he decided against it because there are a bunch of coyotes in his neighborhood and he was worried the little guy wouldn't be safe. (Popstar: DVD Commentary)

11. Speaking of his Mom, despite being a super private person, he appeared on 'Finding your Roots' so that he could help her track down her birth family (x)

12. When he succeeded he cried (although we never got to see it on camera) (x)

13. That's because, like all good boys, he loves his Mama which is why - as part of the same episode - he said "My mom is basically the kindest person I know… and many people would corroborate that" (x)

14. Andy's Sisters, Hannie (Johanna) and Darrow, used to make him wear diapers and put his hair in pigtails until he was 5 years old. He says he didn't mind because he just liked that they were paying attention to him (x)

15. That's why he sees his identity in comedy as being 'America's kid brother'. When he was young, he would annoy his sisters until they laughed and he claims to have been replicating that approach to entertainment ever since

16. Although a bunch of his characters have 'Daddy Issues', Andy definitely doesn't. He's super close with his Papa (Joe) and has said "he's a good man" and "the best Dad in the world" (x) 

17. Joe was Andy's youth soccer coach and in one scene in 'Hot Rod', Joe's favorite photograph can be seen in the background. It shows a very young Andy posing with a soccer ball, after "scoring the winning goal against Mersey" (x)

18. He's been a loyal Golden State Warriors fan since he was a little kid, living in Oakland (then Berkeley) and, in 2010, he correctly predicted that they would "win a Championship in my lifetime" (x) 

19. The proceeds from his Umami Burger ('The Samburger') went to a deafness early detection program in Berkeley. This cause is close to his heart because Margie uses hearing aids and used to work in the special needs program, teaching deaf kids (x)

20. He, Kiv, and Jorm have made multiple donations to their old school district, including $250 000 to its theater program (x)

21. On the subject of The Lonely Island; Andy always goes out of his way to make sure that everyone knows how much he owes to his buddies. For instance, he told Marc Maron, during his WTF appearance, that "I get a lot of credit for what Kiv and Jorm have done" (x)

22. He makes this face when he knows he’s said something naughty…

(Gif credit: @andrewsambags)

23. During his 'Wild Horses' appearance, he said that he can't watch scary movies because they freak him out too much. He told 'Complex' that he's still scared of 'The Shining' (x)...

24. … Similarly, when he was at UC Santa Cruz he worked at the Del Mar movie theater and he had a hard time coping with screenings of 'Species 2' (x)

25. He fell in love with Joanna, the moment he met her, when she greeted him by addressing him as 'Steve the C**t' (x)

 26. He listened to 'Ys', everyday for a year, before he and Joanna started dating (x)

27. He bought the original portrait that was used as the basis of the cover art for 'Ys' and gave it to Joanna as a Christmas present, so that she could hang it in her music room (x)

 28. He loves birds and goes hiking and birding with Joanna (x)

 29. Every new comment he makes about Joanna becomes an instant contender for 'most beautiful thing a person has ever said about their spouse' (x)

30. For example, he readily admits that Jake's iconic heart eyes are the result of him thinking about his amazing wife (x)

31. There are many stories about how incredibly romantic Andy and Joanna's wedding was and Jorm has said that it featured "the most magical vows I've ever heard" (x)

32. The Newsombergs now live in Charlie Chaplin's old house (x)

33. On the Emmys Red Carpet (2015), the year he hosted, they took a momentary break from posing for the world's press to whisper 'I love you' to each other (x)

34. At last year's Vanity Fair party, Andy carried Joanna's purse for her so she could grab a snack (x)

35. He was a semi-permanent fixture in the audience for her recent run of shows for the 'Strings/Keys Incident' tour, even officially confirming his status as the 'President of her Fan Club' (x)

36. He used his Golden Globes monologue to call out the government for framing and murdering the Black Panthers (x)

37. On the Carpet for the Guy's Choice Awards, he called the event "a ridiculous farce", adding that "men already have it so easy - it's insane that there's a show that celebrates them". That makes sense when you consider that he, Kiv and Jorm have made an entire career out of parodying toxic masculinity (x)

38. He once said that only "idiot-ass men" think that women aren't funny (x)

39. He’s been wearing glasses since 7th Grade and he has the most heartbreakingly cute habit of nudging them up his nose, (especially when he wears his Sol Moscot frames) (x)...

40. ... and of rubbing his eyes under them (x)

41. He barely ever wears glasses for roles but he also avoids contacts (because he doesn't like touching his eyeballs) which means he's almost always 'acting blind' (x)

42. He has worn his glasses in character a few times - as 'himself' ('Lady Dynamite'), as 'Paul' ('I Think You Should Leave') and during a very small number of SNL sketches (e.g. during his one appearance in a 'Gilly' with Kristen Wiig) (x) 

43. He can't tolerate glare and when that makes him squint it's a sight that's too cute for words (x)

44. He owns about six outfits and has been rotating them for well over a decade (x) 

45. He barely ever breaks during shooting/while performing, so when he does it's aggressively adorable. (x), (x)

46. He's a grown ass man who persuades people to come with him to the bathroom because if he goes by himself he'll get lonely (x)

47. He didn't announce he was leaving SNL, until after his last appearance, selflessly choosing not to detract from Kirsten Wiig's huge and emotional send-off (x) 

48. He undertook a quest to smell like Lorne Michaels (x) 

49. He's ageing like a fine wine (x)

50. To protect their daughter's privacy, Andy and Joanna never announced that they were expecting. They've never released their little girl's name or date of birth and most news outlets still report that they became parents in August 2017 (even though that's inaccurate) (x)

51. Although he's careful not to talk about his daughter often, sometimes he can't keep from gushing about her. For example, when asked about his first year of fatherhood he said: "It’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Just like a beautiful, incredible dream. It has surpassed every expectation I ever had. It’s definitely been very blissful" (x)

52. After their daughter was born, Andy and Joanna spent the first 40 days at home with her (in a practice known as 'confinement'). He's described it as being "a really special time". (x) 

53. Andy is famously mild-mannered but, when asked about what triggers his 'Dad claws', he admitted that if anyone attempted to touch his daughter, without permission, he'd "probably sock them hard in the face"…

54. ...Characteristically, he went on to add that he hopes that never happens, since he hasn't been in a fight since 6th Grade (x)

55. Cyndi Lauper was his first celebrity crush and he plays her record ('She's so unusual') for his daughter all the time. (x)

56. His is the very definition of a precious laugh (x)...

57. It's made even more wonderful by the way it makes his voice go high-pitched (x)

58.  … and the way it causes his eyebrow to rise involuntarily  

59. It's impossible not to smile at his impression of his Mom (x)

60. And laugh at his impression of John Mulaney (x)

61. He was so convinced he wouldn't win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, that he didn't prepare a speech. Instead, as he explained to David Letterman, he "just went… and started drinking". The resulting list of improvised 'thank yous' was perfect in every way (x)

62. As producers, Andy, Kiv and Jorm have given life to some amazing projects ('Alone Together', 'Brigsby Bear', 'I Think You Should Leave')...

63. … and gone out of their way to support women in comedy ('Party Over Here', 'PEN15') (x)

64. As well as being a comedy legend, he's a super-talented dramatic actor, who gave the performance of a lifetime in 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' but, after the movie wrapped, and it was time to do press for it, he was straight back to goofing around (x) 

65. His lip bite should be illegal (x)

66. Even though he wears the same vanishingly small number of outfits, over and over, he has a vast collection of the most excellent socks (x)

67. He always gives 'editing notes' during his own interviews (x)

68. He has a super sweet and sincere way of thanking interviewers when they compliment him (x)

69. He adjusts his hoodie constantly (x)

70. The two most perfect Jake laughs in b99 are actually real Andy laughs 'https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W38A_xuXaeg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sVm9nYrTWRQ

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71. Virtually everyone who has ever worked with Andy has talked about what a wonderful person he is. This explains why so many of them have been involved with more than one of his projects (x)

72. It's not only his colleagues who talk about what a delight he is (x), (x)

73. This lovestruck fool wore his own wife's merch when he went out to dinner (x)

74. No one else uses the word 'dinky' quite like Andy (x). The same goes for 'snacky' (see point 70)

75. He does this with his tongue (x)

76. He still likes to play soccer but his eyesight is so bad that he has to keep his glasses on for it

77. When he lets his gorgeous floofy hair grow a little it sits perfectly over the arms of his glasses (x)

78. He gifted the world with Jakey's little curl (x)

79. At the James Franco Roast, he couldn't bring himself to be mean to anyone except himself (and Jeff Ross, a little!) (x)

80. In fact, he's always been willing to laugh at himself (x) and he still is (x)

81. He changes b99 scripts to make them more feminist (x)

82. Despite their humble insistence that they just benefited from 'good timing', the reality is that Andy, Kiv and Jorm (along with Chris Parnell) revolutionized digital media, when 'Lazy Sunday' popularized YouTube, increasing its traffic by 85% overnight (x)

83. He once attended the Vanity Fair party because his Mom told him to (x)

84. He has an amazing way of subtly but firmly shutting down inappropriate questions, like when this interviewer suggested that Holt being gay was something that could have been played for laughs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=idQsYQfkR5o

85. He auditioned for SNL at the same time as Bill Hader. Hader thought he'd blown it because Andy had a bunch of props and Bill had none. In the meantime, Andy thought he'd blown it when he saw Hader and realized 'this guy doesn't need any props' (x) 

86. His bromance with Seth Meyers is one for the ages (x)

87. Every single second of this video is proof of why Andy, Kiv and Jorm deserve the world (x)

88. He once dragged Mulaney up on stage for SNL Goodnights, even though writers weren't allowed to join in (x)

89. He has a hilarious phobia of pooping anywhere except his own bathroom (x) 

90. His beautiful, beautiful, face: His smile (radiant), his eyes (caramel - hella disarming), his ears (adorably asymmetrical), his nose (perfect), His chin (the dimple… *swoon*), his jaw (could cut glass), The 'Sambeard' (another amazing layer of pretty) (x)

91. His body: His butt (x), his thighs, (x) his soft lil tummy (The ‘Sambelly’) (x), his hands. (x), his arms (x), his hips…

(Gif credit: @amystiago /@badpostandy on Twitter)

92. All signs point to the fact that, like Jake, Andy uses his glasses case as a wallet (x) 

93. Jake's "cool-cool-cool-cool-cool-cool" is an irl Andy-ism that the writers worked into b99 scripts. What's even better is that Joanna does it, too (x)

94. He has a really good arm and is low key competitive, which is super hot https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e32K_nBDy3Q

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95. He's one half of the cutest Red Carpet pose of all time (x)

96. He barely ever seems to get mad but if angry Jake is anything to go by, maybe he should... (x)

97. He's a huge nerd, who geeks out over GOT, LOTR, 'Star Wars', 'Alien(s)' and anything relating to time travel (x), (x)

98. He has a gorgeous speaking voice, especially when he’s tired or a little sick. (Bonus points for any time he uses the word ‘correct’. See point 30) (x) 

99. He’s still so committed to his b99 fans and fam, even after all this time and is as excited as the rest of us that...

[kenmasgameboy]

PIPSQUEAK

a kuroo x gangmember!reader

summary;

" you like to cause a bit of trouble, pipsqueak?"

" pipsqueak? seriously?"

Life for you got turned upside down after your first year at Nekoma high. Realizing it was too dangerous, your parents sent you back to live in Miyagi and attend Karasuno with your old friends. Kuroo Tetsuro, the Police Chiefs son, comes into contact with you in the most unexpected way possible, bringing trouble wherever you both go.

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Prologue.

      High school was never that interesting to you. Though, you'll admit that it was a good way to help the days pass. You always found different games to help.

At first, games to you meant sneaking out of the house, slashing tires, almost getting arrested, going to parties. You had a bad reputation. You had been mixed up with all the wrong people before at your old school. But now you were going to turn your life around. Even if that means that now games to you would mean studying. Kind of.

         The closest you'd probably get to your new life would be getting in trouble for minor things at school. For example, falling asleep in class was a specialty of yours. Truly, an art form. Waking up to that sweet slap of a ruler against your desk was better than any alarm clock you'd ever hear. The rush in your chest, the heat to your cheeks, the sweaty palms. Incredible. But that is it. You promised your mother that this year you would be making her proud at Karasuno. You wouldn't be hanging out with those "thugs" as she liked to call them. You would keep up, maybe pay attention, and maybe make some more real friends.

       The truth was that school never felt like a real challenge to you. Sure there were plenty of difficult subjects that made you feel stupid but you always kept out of the drama, minded your business, and kept your head down. It was fine. There really was a target on your back now that you were the new girl at school though, and you had adjusted week by week meeting new people and reuniting with some old ones, too. But ultimately you decided the social system just wasn't made for you. There wasn't really a good place for you to fit in, or maybe it just wasn't comparing to the kind of family you made before.

      Today was one of those days where your motivation was at its peak, you were taking good notes. Studied for a quiz, been overly diligent. Then that sweet beautiful sound of the lunch bell rang, you pulled out your food, grabbed your skateboard, and left the classroom in a bit of a hurry. As you were leaving you started to hear a conversation:

      Dude, don't worry, I have it completely handled. Watch...

      "(Y/N)!" Narita, your classmate called for you once you exited the room and into the hallway. He stood next to Ennoshita who looked like he would explode any second. You knew Narita, him and Ennoshita were in Class 4 with you and you really didn't have that many real friends at school but you wouldn't mind calling them that. They were some of the friends you were reunited with from middle school, they were a big comfort to you when you transferred in.

      "Hey, how's it going?" You slowly walked over, trying to find your excuse to leave and take a nap without seeming impolite.

      "Great, good. Thanks, yourself?" Narita answered for him and Ennoshita. He also seemed in a hurry for some reason but was much worse at covering it up.

      "Pretty tired, but uh, for the most part—" You started but your sentence didn't last long.

      "You should come to my party! Uh— Our party. We're having a party it would probably wake you up. It's in Tokyo! I mean—" Narita came in strong.

       "Nice, buddy. You really do got this handled." Was all Ennoshita followed it up with, "Gotta go, see you guys in class."

       "A party?" You laughed a little, just because these guys were anything but the partying type. You started walking and Narita was following you like a hawk, "Don't you guys have volleyball practice or something?"

        "Yeah, of course. But not this Friday night! I mean technically we do but we'll be done at 6:30. Party can start at 7:30." Narita followed up, "All the volleyball guys will be there, too. We have a summer training camp in Tokyo starting on Monday so this is kind of the only day we can get everyone together. We already had our friends from Nekoma invite pretty much everyone they knew."

       "N-Nekoma, huh?" Your smile wavered, "That sounds like it'll be really fun for you guys. Thanks for the invite, but I don't really know anyone on your team. Plus, I can't get to Tokyo by 7:30." You said, declining as well as you could without making your answer too suspicious.

       "Well, yeah about that. Um, by 'it's in Tokyo' what I meant to say was Tokyo guys will be there. They're volleyball players, too, actually." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck and adjusting his satchel, trying his best to act cool and lean against the vending machine you were using.

       "So, it's a Volleyball mixer with you guys and a bunch of guys from Tokyo but it's not in Tokyo? Where is it, then?" You asked for the elaboration, kind of liking this dancing way to get to the point.

        "Yes, well and other schools in Miyagi, too. It's a lot of schools, I mean I'm talking Nekoma, Fukorodani, Aoba Johsai, Johzenji, Date Tech, Shiratorizawa.. maybe.. Inarizaki.. and more.. again maybe. But it's at Kinoshita's house. Which is still kinda far, but it has a pool! His family is loaded and they'll all be gone this weekend." Narita finally got to the point.

        "Sounds like it'll be a good time for you guys. I'm happy for you, sounds like you've made a lot of friends from other schools." You cheers'd your milk to him and started walking again to find a place to eat.

        "No, no. Girls will be there, too. It's kinda the whole point."

        "You really have to work on your pitch." You said plainly.

        "Please, I need your help (Y/N). I was put in charge of getting girls to come to this party." Narita begged, you couldn't help but let out a laugh at his desperation. In all your years of knowing him and being in the same classes you had never seen him talk to a single girl who wasn't in a group project or something related to it.

        "Why you?"

        "It was either me or Tanaka."

        "Oh, then definitely you are the better choice." You agreed, having known just from the previous stories he's told you. "Interesting proposition. I'll think about it."

       "You'll think about it and say yes?" He tried, "Every time I talk to a pretty girl I feel like I'm going to throw up, I can't talk to groups of girls and invite them to a party. But you're likable, more well known now since you're the new girl."

       "First of all, rude that I don't make you want to throw up. I'm pretty, sometimes."

       "Fair."

        "How about, I'll say yes if you tell me who it is you have a crush on, which girl you most want at this party then I'll help out." You offered. Narita thought for a minute as you started eating your lunch.

       "Fine." He nodded, "This is my duty to my boys." Then he leaned into your ear and whispered the name of the prettiest and smartest girl in your class: Ichika Yua. Ichika was going to be a tough sell.

       "Alright. A deals a deal. You've given me a secret and I will do what I can do. How many girls do you need, anyway? Are we going for a 1:1 ratio or..?"

       "No, these guys need a much higher chance I think. Let's try a 4:1 ratio."

       "Yeah, actually you're gonna take what you can get."

       "Yes, ma'am."

        "Now give me the rundown on your team. I don't really know any of them and I need to know for my pitches I have to do this week. And don't think because I'm doing some work means that you can slack off okay. I really only know 2nd-year girls, if you want 3rd year or 1st you have to go to them. You need to try too. Also, will there be alcohol?" You listed off your demands and were straight forward. Narita made a slow nod,

        "Oh, I almost forgot. Do you know any girls from Nekoma who could come?" He asked you the dreaded question.

        Yup, you were originally supposed to spend your high school years at Nekoma High School. When you were entering high school your dad got a job offer in Tokyo, forcing you to move out there after middle school. Then after everything happened, your Mom knew it was too risky to let you live out in Tokyo still and she shipped you back here to go to Karasuno and live in a small apartment by yourself. You have family friends who come to check on you and your parents visit when they can. It's not horrible, at least now you get to come back to streets more familiar.

      "Um, I think the girls I knew from Nekoma aren't exactly the girls you want at a party. Besides, you should just ask your volleyball brethren to ask some girls and pull their weight. Or are they too pretty for you to talk to?" You teased Narita and knocked his head.

      "Hey, girls are girls." Narita held his head from where you knocked it.

      "Sure, if thats the case then the next time you see me I better be seeing some chunks."

     You and Narita continued to eat lunch together that day. Until you realized you only had a limited amount of time left and had to use the bathroom before class so you excused yourself. You skated away around the outside of the courtyard with a bun in your mouth and around some of your other classmates, waving.

        "Dude, uh. Who was that?" A guy with an aggressive appearance walked up to Narita, having walked past a few minutes before but stayed just to gawk.

        "Huh? (Y/N)?" Narita clarified, innocently.

        "(Y/N)... wow. What a beautiful name." Tanaka sighed in simp, "Is she our year?"

        "Yeah, man. She's in my class. You never noticed her before? I'm surprised she was the talk of Karasuno guys for like the whole first week of this year." He laughed. "She is technically new to Karasuno this year. But she's from Miyagi, I've known her since grade school."

        "My babe sensor has been reserved for Kiyoko only recently. Trying to be loyal." He humphed, "You guys a thing?"

       "What? No, no." Narita laughed, "No, we've just been friends for a while. She's helping me get girls to come to the party on Friday."

       Tanaka jumped up with optimism, "Yes! This is going to be the best party of our high school lives!"

       "I hope so." Narita rubbed his neck to try and tame his nerves again.

       "(Y/N).." Tanaka sighed again, "You know who's gonna go nuts when they get a look at her, right?"

       "I know."

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