#anyway stories for both doctors are welcome!

[nonelvis]

first I failed to add a Fourteenth Doctor category to Teaspoon after Ncuti Gatwa was cast because I figured it didn't have to be there the instant he was announced, and then I kept failing to add Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctor categories because my brain still refuses to acknowledge that Tennant, whom I love and who I loved as Ten, is coming back as Fourteen, because that is fucking ludicrous and not in a good way, BUT ANYWAY, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctor categories are now on whofic.com, and I'm just gonna keep glaring at RTD from about 3,100 miles away

[armageddon-generation]

Empire of Death was bad and cemented several fundemental flaws in this season.

I watched this in the theatre, and the contrast between everyone's excitement before Empire, and their universal disappointment leaving the theatre was super disheartening. I'm gonna try to articulate my problems with episode, and how they're linked to fundenental structural issues of this season.

SPOILERS BELOW:

Sutekh

The moment the UNIT characters died the story was robbed of any stakes. (Also? Kate and Ibrahim?? During Pride month?? Disgusting)

Sutekh was pointless, big CGI spectacle who was barely there. Saying he's been latched onto the TARDIS since Pyramids of Mars was such an asspull. Why couldn't he have latched on during Wild Blue Yonder? wouldn't that make much more sense??

You're telling me the guy who holds all life in contempt is invested enough in learning the identity of Ruby's mum he willingly reveals himself??

And then they defeat him by dragging him through the Vortex just like before, which it's been explicitly stated *didn't work* last time? He just *lets* Ruby leash him??

The 'death of death is life' bit, and the idea of the Doctor representing life as a Ying to Sutekh's Yang, is a cool concept just jammed in there with no real buildup or depth.

The issue is bringing Sutekh back takes so much effort- a literal, clunky clipshow of Pyramids of Mars, a whole episode spent building up to the reveal of a silly anagram entirely unrekated to Sutekh's previous appearance. And it just... amounts to nothing. What a silly way to cap off a season meant to be jumping-on point for brand-new viewers.

Mel was just takingup space. Pointless.

Ruby's Mother

I don't have a problem with the *concept* of Ruby's mum being normal. I really like the idea thematically. The execution was terrible.

First of all it leaves so many unanswered questions (why the snow? Why was time changing? Why was she shadowed? Literally just for the sake of the mystery-box?) and represents the worst thing about this new era- RTD using fantasy logic to handwave any logic at all, and just do whatever he wants without properly justifying it.

Second, I *hate* how easy and simple and neat the reunion is. Ruby seems incapable of getting angry with anyone. She has never once argued with 15, or Carla, or anyone besides that one moment in 73 Yards. She has never expressed any kind of negative feeling towards her mother for abandoning her. And it's fine for her to reach that conclusion! It's just bizzare we never see Ruby struggle with her feelings beyond the shallow goal of wanting to find her.

(Also Carla? Has nothing to say?? Just welcomes that woman in with basically no comment? Carla is a 2D cutout of a person, used as a plot device and otherwise relegated to the single character trait of I Love My Daughter. The children yearn for the ilk of Jackie Tyler, Sylvia Noble, even Francine Jones.)

15 & Ruby

The emotion behind 15 & Ruby's split felt entirely unearned because we've never seen their bond develop. They never argue, never disagree, Ruby hasn't learned anything about herself or grown or changed. The closest we got to that is 73 Yards, which was undone. She was already brave and kind and musical and sure she loved her adoptive family when we met her in Church on Ruby Road.

Similarly, 15 tells us Ruby encouraged him to talk about family in a way he never has, but that was in what, two moments across the season? And they seemed random, unrelated to Ruby being with him. New viewers will assume 15 is just that open anyway- he was discussing fatherhood with a dead man's hologram- and old viewers assumed trauma-dumping was just a new trait of 15's personality, not Ruby-specific.

The problem is we're told Ruby & 15 are best friends but it isn't earned. I liked 15 crying initially but both he and Ruby do it so much (15 cries about 5 times in this one episode) it loses its impact and I'm becoming numb to it. There is no contrast, no downtime.

Season Structural Issues

I think the biggest problem is Season 1's storytelling priorities. It's much more interested in selling *the show* (look at our big budget! And guest stars! And how flexible our format is! Musical episode! The Beatles as props! Bottle episode! Indie folk-horror! Black Mirror! Gay Bridgerton!) it forgot to put effort into developing and investing us in its characters. I liked a lot of the individual stories this year but in retrospect a lot of them feel like they're wasting space that needed to go to essential character and theme setup.

These skewed priorities, combined with the cut down episode count, really impact the pacing of the season. Ruby and 15 were barely together! Even in Rogue they were seperated for most of the story!! We only loop back to a flashback of 15 meeting Carla in Rogue!

This is made worse by the baffling insistence on a 45-minute runtime. We know key sequences were cut from almost every episode, with highlights including:

The Gobin King invading Ruby's flat and her banishing him with scratchcards in The Church on Ruby Road: Her missing 'companion saves the day' moment!

Refrence to the Toymaker in The Church on Ruby Road, which was itself referenced in The Devil's Chord. 'I told you about the Toymaker when we first met' sir, objectively you did not.

The TARDIS jukebox playing the Sugarbabes' Push The Button in the opening scene of Space Babies, hastily cut around in the final edit. This is the setup of a running joke still in the episode, and part of the story's climax. The first encounter with the Bogeyman was also longer, with 15 taking particular interest in its skin

Extended scenes in Abbey Road from The Devil's Chord, including an apparently significant speaking role for Cilla Black, according to her annoyed actress.

Cut dialogue from The Devil's Chord explaining the musoical number was caused by Maestro's power lingering, and that banishing them undid everything they'd done. Fans inferred thos based on the rules established in The Giggle, but again, new fans haven't seen The Giggle and were left clueless.

An opening sequence for The Legend of Ruby Sunday where 15 & Ruby meet Susan as a nanny in 1947 America, a blue-skinned waitress, and an astronaut meeting a colony of giant, sentient ants. At the end of this we actually see 15 decide to go to UNIT for help. In the broadcast version he just sorta shows up.

Really what Empire of Death exposed to me is how emotionally hollow the season was. I enjoy the exoperimentalism, but not at the cost of character. And then in the finale Russell reverts to almost a parody of his RTD1 finales, with the nonsense logic and lack of consequences. All the worst bits of Last of the Time Lords and The Giggle put in a blender.

[watermelonlovershigh]

The Next Morning {part. 8} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

Spontaneous Pleasures {part 7.} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

AN: this is the part most of you have been waiting for. it's here. sorry that this part took so long to get posted. i've been trying to post every sunday, monday, or tuesday. but with my aunt passing and other stresses, this one took me a bit longer. anyways, hope you enjoy and get ready for more to come. xoxo

This story contains: lots of kissing, sex (p in v), dirty talk, mentions of birth control, relationship status updating

{ housemate!harry - softrry - friend!harry - au!harry }

word count- 1,860

It's the morning after your spontaneous pleasures and you wake up naked in Harry's bed, leading to lots of kisses that turn into your first time having sex with one another.

As the morning sun illuminates his bedroom room, Harry begins to rouse from his slumber, the clock indicating its half past seven. Contemplating on whether or not to return to sleep, he recollects the events of the previous night, which stir his senses awake. The spontaneous pleasures he gave you with his fingers on the couch, the pleasurable act of oral sex you gave him, and the exploration of new boundaries from you leave him feeling all giddy inside.

Upon awakening, Harry's eyes slowly open, and the initial image that meets his gaze is you lying on your back. Your head is tilted to the side, and the subtle outline of your breasts can be seen, barely emerging from the covers, due to his request that you both sleep naked. Though Harry is already fairly close to you, he slides over just an inch more until his bare body touches yours. Then without thinking, his lips slowly meet your soft skin and he places gentle kisses from your collar bone to your neck.

When Harry's lips reach your warm neck, they linger, planting gentle kisses along its expanse. Gradually, he opens his mouth and lightly sucks on your skin, leaving a subtle hickey in the crease of your neck. Rather than being startled or pulling away, you find yourself melting into the comfort of the bedding, a soft moan escaping your lips as you welcome his affectionate display at this early hour.

Fully alert now, you tilt your head downwards, causing Harry's lips to separate from your skin. It takes approximately two seconds of gazing into each other's lust filled eyes before you bring your faces together and share a fervent kiss. In the intimate moment, all your typical worries such as morning breath, fade away as Harry slips his tongue between your lips and you accept by opening your mouth, allowing entrance.

The very passionate kissing continues until you pull away for a breath and say, "I need you, Harry."

"Need me how?" Harry pants out, wanting to make sure his suspicions are correct. He doesn't want to assume what you want and make you uncomfortable in anyway.

You reply urgently, "Inside me. I need it so bad. I've waited long enough and can't wait anymore. Just wanna feel close to you." How can Harry say no to that? He eagerly climbs on top of you, with his arms bent on each side of your head, and leans down to continue kissing you. Not so subtly, you raise your hips to try and get any ounce of friction you can on your throbbing clit.

"Condoms?" Harry questions between kisses, "I know m' clean. Haven't slept with anyone for several weeks. But um, you know, for pregnancy reasons we could if you want?"

You shake your head with disagreeance. "No, I'm on birth control now. Since my last bad period. Went to doctors and they gave me birth control to help with my period symptoms."

"Fantastic!" Harry declares before leaning in to initiate another passionate kiss. He always wore condoms when he had random hookups for safety reasons such as STI and pregnancy prevention, so he had plenty in his bed side table drawer. And he had no problem wearing one now in order to prevent a pregnancy, as pregnancy isn't wrote in your future plans anytime soon. Maybe one day, though you haven't discussed that part of your future yet. But hearing you confirm you're okay with going bare makes Harry excited.

His right hand skillfully maneuvers between your pressed bodies, first confirming your wetness, which is very present, and then firmly grasping his erect cock to position it at your entrance. Slowly, he eases his way in making both your breaths catch in the backs of your throats.

"Oh, fuck!" you moan aloud at the feeling of your pussy being stretched by his large cock. "No wonder I heard all your partners moan so loud in here. You're massive."

Harry giggles at your words, his face now smushed between your ear and shoulder. "You've had m' dick in your mouth on several occasions and you're just now realizin' it's big?"

Responding with a chuckle of your own, you answer, "Nah, I've always known you were packing, but this feeling is on another level." The fact that you can share a laugh during an intimate moment such as sex without any awkwardness, brings you immense joy. When you first entered into the more romantic aspects of your relationship with your housemate and friend, you were worried about things becoming too uncomfortable and strange at times. However, so far, everything has gone exceptionally well, with only a few instances of hesitation. You have to admit that you and Harry are incredibly compatible sexually.

Once he's fully inside, Harry pauses for a moment, allowing you to adjust to his impressive size without any discomfort. Sensing your shifting movements, he then begins to withdraw his hips and thrusts forward, resulting in a shared moan of pleasure. To enhance his stability, Harry firmly plants his knees beside your hips on the bed and supports himself up by resting his forearms around your head.

You lift your legs off the bed below and hike them over Harry's hips, locking your feet behind his back. Your hands are placed on his back, clawing at his smooth skin unintentionally. The sounds of skin slapping echos off the walls. Harry isn't fucking you hard and fast due to the time of morning but he isn't going too slow either. Just a comfortable pace for the both of you to enjoy.

After a couple of minutes, your moans get progressively louder, leading Harry to ask, "Are you close f' me, baby? Want you to come all over m' cock. Get it drippin' f' me."

With a hint of shyness, you reply, "Yes..... mhm, very close. Would you mind, you know, giving me a little rub?" It puzzles you as to why asking for such a favor feels embarrassing. Typically, during your past one-night stands, you would either use a vibrator or your own hands to satisfy your clit, beings you usually have trouble coming from penatration alone. However, in Harry's bedroom, you lack a vibrator and you feel comfortable enough with him to ask for his assistance.

Harry could answer with a quick, "Yes, of course.", but because he's a sucker for dirty talk and slight teasing, actually replies with, "Yeah, want me to rub your little clit, baby? Is it beggin' f' my attention?"

You nod your head vigorously against your pillow and your breath becomes more rapid, signaling your impending orgasm, yet yearning for that final touch to propel you forward. Sensing your impatience, Harry maintains his position above you, using his left arm for support, while his right hand ventures down your body.

Skillfully, his fingers slip between where you're bodies are connected and effortlessly finds your clitoris. He then begins to rub the small nerve in circular motions with his slippery fingers in hopes to push you over the edge. Because he knows he himself isn't going to last much longer and would really like for you to come first.

He completes approximately eight circular motions around your clit when your climax starts to engulf you. Your breathing hitches in your throat, your back arches off the bed, your toes curl from their place around Harry's waist, and your thoughts fade as bliss consumes your mind. Glancing down and seeing you release results in Harry experiencing his own orgasm.

"Mhm, fuck!" Harry mutters under his breath as he reaches his peak. He withdraws his hand from your overly sensitive clit and places it back beside your head to steady himself over you. His hips move forward in uncoordinated motions as he releases his semen deep inside you. As you're still catching your breath, you open your eyes and observe him in awe as he climaxes.

Harry's facial expressions scrunch up, resembling pain, although it's evident that he's in anything but pain. His trembling arms struggle to uphold his weight, while his stomach muscles contract with each orgasmic spasm that surges through his body. Gradually, his body becomes motionless as he slowly descends from the peak of his pleasure.

His weight collapses on top of you with a thud, and you hold him close. You notice Harry's cock slowly losing its hardness inside of you and can't help but find the feeling strange. Most men you've been with would withdraw immediately after climaxing, so this post-sex closeness is new to you. It feels incredibly intimate and you savor every moment of it. You enjoy the sensation of Harry's body pressing against yours, and the warm breath on your neck from him resting his head on your shoulder.

A minute passes before Harry slowly begins to sit up, still inside you, might I add. "Can I ask you somethin'? And you don't have to have an answer right away or anythin'. Just want to see where we stand."

You glance up, nodding, "Yeah, of course. What is it?" You honestly have no idea what Harry's going to ask you and it's got you a bit nervous.

Taking a deep breath, he questions nervously, "Um, would you maybe like to be m' girlfriend? And look, I know it may be too soon. I know we said we were gonna take our relationship slow but, I mean we did just have sex and I know for me at least I want to be exclusive and I just, yeah."

The biggest smile spreads across your face, and then you burst out laughing, which in turn makes you accidently clench around his softened cock that remains inside you.

Harry nearly doubles over in pain when you clench his very sensitive dick. "What's so funny, huh? And stop clenchin', baby, it hurts."

Panting for breath, you express, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that you asked me to be your girlfriend while you're still inside me. I find it kinda funny. It's like in the future when someone asks how you asked me out, I can't simply say, 'yeah, Harry asked me to be his girlfriend after sex while he was still deep inside me.' But anyways, to answer your question, yes, I would love to be your girlfriend."

Without uttering a word, Harry leans down to convey his appreciation for your answer by kissing you. The sheer intensity of the kiss takes your breath away, causing you to inhale deeply. Amidst the kiss, you manage to whisper, "Okay, you need to pull out or else you'll get me going again, and I'm too exhausted for another round right now."

"Alright, but just know now that I've had a taste, there's no stoppin' me. M' gonna fuck you in the shower, on the couch, in the kitchen, on the floor, in the car, on a plane......"

"Harry," *playful giggles*, "enough. I get it. But right now, I should use the bathroom and we should shower. Then maybe have a bite to eat for breakfast before getting back into bed for a nap. Like I said, I'm exhausted."

"Whatever you say, girlfriend."

(PLEASE REBLOG BECAUSE WRITING IS NOT EASY AND IT'S FREE SO JUST DO IT)

(no more tags are allowed because i've hit my number limit. sorry : ( )

tag list: @one-sweet-gubler // @harryscherrysugar // @hsfanficsrecss // @lollypopsx // @harrycanyonmoonn // @allthelovehes // @damnasstyles  // @mrsstylesharry // @softmullet  // @meetmyblondemuffins  // @thegirlnextdoorssister // @stanleystyles  // @haarrrys // @michellekstyles  // @skyangel57   // @the-gardener-31 // @lhharrylilpumpkin // @yousunshine-youtemptress // @clairestylessss  // @kissmyaxe140  // @goldenmelonsugar-hi // @kaitieskidmore97 // @florencepughily  // @alienorknight //@dancearoundthelivingroom  // @swiftmendeshoran

 // @luv-flor7777  // @alohastyles-x // @tenaciousperfectionunknown  // @sleutherclaw // @siredtohybrid // @whoscamila // @a-strange-familiar  // @golden-elodie // @mrspeacem1nusone //  @goldenkhae // @lntwithhrry  // @shadowygladiatorlight  // @manifestrry  //@mendesblurb // @sunshinemoonsposts  // @depersonalizationsucks // @academiaghost // @zendayassimp // @reveriehs // @vsnnstuff // @dancinsunflowerkiwi // @quinnsgrapejuice // @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite // @justlemmeholdyou // @hsonlyangelxo // @luvonstyles // @howdey

______________

My Masterlist Masterpost

In Sickness and in Health {part. 9}

[lgbtpopcult]

What cool WLW projects do we know are coming in 2024?

Drive-Away Dolls

Arguably the most important representation of the year comes from a movie directed by one of the Coen brothers. Ethan Coen directs this wacky comedy that is very much in style for him.

Synopsis:

This comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage

A game had to be added to this list and here it is, the best one. From the creators who gave us Life is strange. Lost Records: Bloom and Rage tells the story of four friends who experience a transformative summer in 1995. After 27 years of no contact, Nora, Swann, Autumn, and Kat are reunited by fate and forced to confront the long-buried secret that made them agree to never speak again all those years ago. From the teaser alone it is obvious at least two of them dated.

Pluto

A Thai gl from GMMTV, known for its successful Thai dramas. The story is the telenovela cliche we've always wanted. Two girls in love. One gets in an accident and her twin takes her place to find out who was behind her accident, the other girl is blind. The twin has to fake being the real one so has to be in a relationship with the blind girl and of course falls in love with her. Match made in fanfic heaven.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

It was announced so long ago people are getting frustrated. However, with both a writer and a director now attached to the project, and the strikes over, we have every reason to believe we will finally get to see the hit novel, that centers the love story between two closeted Hollywood actresses, come to life. Whether you loved the novel or were indifferent and didn't see what the fuss was about, it is a very successful wlw romance and we want to see it on screen!

The Paying Guests

The director that brought us Carol adapting a book by the author of Fingersmith? Yes please!

Speaking to Indiewire, Haynes revealed he’s developing an adaptation of Sarah Waters’ 2014 novel The Paying Guests. “It’s a three-part limited series that would need to be a British production, but it’s a really great novel.” Set in post-WWI London, the drama is part lesbian love story and part murder mystery following a down-and-out widow and her daughter, the latter taking up a relationship with one of their lodgers. Waters also wrote Fingersmith, which was adapted into The Handmaiden by Park Chan-wook.

NCIS Hawaii season 3

One of our favorite pairings of last year, Kate and Lucy are the main couple of their show and they carry it well. They look good together, have progress and evolution in their relationship and have fun working together.

The Secret of Us

Thai channel CH3 is expected to hit us strong with this Thai gl. CH3 is big in Thailand so this one is a big deal. The story is the typical exes meet again trope and it's magnificent. It centers Doctor Fahlada, nicknamed Doctor Angel. She is trying to hide the pain after being abandoned by the woman she loved. But then...by chance that woman comes back into her life.

Whisper Me a Love Song

Our resident anime entry has to be Whisper me a love song. Based on a manga it is the story of Himari Kino. On the first day of entering high school, Himari Kino "falls" for her senior, Yori Asanagi, whom she watched singing with a band at the welcome party for new students. When Himari confesses her admiration to Yori, Yori misinterprets Himari's feelings as romantic love. However, before Yori realizes, she comes to fall for Himari anyway, and promises to win her affections for real.

Bad Sisters season 2

Bad Sisters is one of the best reviewed and hilarious shows on this list. Coming back for a season 2 was inevitable. Bibi, the lesbian sister, will keep entertaining us in 2024.

Station 19 season 7

One of the most enduring shows and wlw couples on TV are coming back for a season 7! That is a lot of seasons but Maya and Carina do still have that spark.

About Galaxy The Series

Part of the gl renaissance that is expected to go full force next year, this series is already hugely popular among Asian romance fans.

Synopsis:

‘About Galaxy’ is based on author Zezeho’s yuri of the same name, with a Thai title of “มูลค่าดาวล้านดวง”. The story revolves around Hong Yok, a designer who has a big scar on her face which led her to hide away from the public due to her inferiority complex. But something changed in her life when she met Note, a woman she was measuring clothes, and realized she is the same person who gave her that huge scar! However, despite the incident, she doesn’t outright despise her, and instead… feels safe. What will happen to the two women?

My Ex-Friend's Wedding

Kay Cannon ("Blockers") will direct from a script co-written by Taylor Jenkins Reid? Staring a group of friends trying to stop their friend from getting married? And one of them is queer? We're all in!

Arcane (Season 2)

It seems like forever since we first watched Arcane but we're definitely looking forward to season 2. Needs no introduction.

Dream the Series

We already have enough Asian dramas in this list but we couldn't leave out one of the most anticipated gl, Dream. The story is that of a woman that sees a girl in her dreams every night only to meet her in real life. While in real life they are friends in her dreams they do much more. She thinks her friend doesn't know about that what she doesn't know is that she also remembers everything they do in their dreams.

Harley Quinn the Animated Series season 5

Another season of our favorite criminal duo Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy? Yes please and thank you. These two, and this particular iteration of them, might be the best representation American television has ever given us.

Chaser Game W

Chaser Game W is the first gl produced by TV Tokyo so it has a historic significance for the advancement of representation for queer women in Japan. First episode airs January 8. Based on manga series "Chaser Game" written by Hiroshi Matsuyama & illustrated by Yukitaro Matsuyama

The story:

synopsis: Itsuki has been working in the "Dynamic Dream" game company for five years and is now appointed as the lead for a big Japanese-Chinese collaboration project, which she is fully motivated to work on. However, it turns out the Chinese company team is led by her ex, Fuyu, whom she one-sidedly broke up with back in university! After breaking up with Fuyu, Itsuki never dated anyone else and chose to focus on her work, all while not coming out to her family and coworkers... But when her ex-girlfriend suddenly appeared in front of her, her feelings immediately started to sway. Meanwhile, Fuyu always resented Itsuki for breaking up with her without saying why. She takes charge of the project and pushes impossible tasks onto Itsuki. While Fuyu plots her revenge, Itsuki is rekindling her unrequited love. What will the outcome be for these two opposites?

Vigil season 2

The first couple of episodes of Vigil season 2 will technically be shown in December 2023 (in the UK only) but we'll basically be able to watch it beginning 2024 and we're looking forward to it!

Several upcoming TV shows and movies have cast actors that make it obvious they'll have lesbian and bi characters but until we know whether the representation will be enough to be worth watching we're holding off on making that other, more elaborate, list.

[scarletwinterxx]

fool for you - mark lee dad scenario

a bit late to this but OH MY GOD MARK LEE GIRL DAD😭🥺😭🥺 we already know he's going to be the best dad to his kids in the future🤍🤍

you already know my feels went through the roof after seeing that cli[ so here's another mark dad scenario and can you believe this is the 10th one OMGGGGGG anyways i hope you like it!

part1: day with dad mark lee

part2: another day with dad mark lee

part3: a day with the lee's

part4: (prologue) i don't know how to make eggs

part5: glitter pens and goodnight kisses with the Lee's

part6: first love and kisses

part7: naps and baby kicks

part8: then there was three

part9: just like you

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"in my next life, I think I'll become a fool for my daughter"

"Lovie, can you stay with Minjee? I'm just going to the mall with Minjung to get new shoes and a few other stuff for the baby" you tell your husband who is currently on the sofa resting.

It's around that time again when you're counting down the days until the new baby comes, this time the two of you choose to keep the gender a surprise. You won't find out until you give birth. There's an on going bet in your household whether it'll be a girl or a boy.

"Why don't I come with him? You sure you okay to go out?" he asks, watching you struggle putting on your shoes. He chuckles before walking toward you, kneeling down to put it on for you even double tying the shoelaces just to be sure.

"It's okay, besides the doctor said it's healthy to walk around. And we both know it'll be easier to look after Minjung then Jee" you laugh, your husband agreeing with you

"She's the main character, we're all just living in her world" he says

You smile at Mark, giving him a kiss before getting your purse and keys.

"Call me if you need anything" he tells you

"Minjung, let's go" you shout, your son appears from the staircase ready to go

"You already know, buddy. Take care of mom, okay? Call me if something happens" he gives his son a quick hug before watching the two of you drive away

The two of you finished the errands and is now getting a quick snack before heading home. You like having one on one time with your kids. It helps you keep a closer relationship with them. And even though you know the two siblings get along very well, you still make it a point to spend time with them one by one. And so does Mark.

"Is there anything else you need, buddy?" you ask your son

He shakes his head, taking a bite of his sandwich. You smile watching him, it feels just like yesterday you were sitting in the backseat with newborn Minjung in the baby car seat on your way home from the hospital and now he's 13.

"How do you feel about getting another sibling?"

He looks at you, it's like looking at Mark's eyes. They same round, adorable chocolate eyes you love so much.

"Excited. It'll be cool if it's a boy. I'll teach him to play basketball and bike. It's okay too if it's a girl" he shrugs

"You know mommy and daddy loves you very very much"

"I know, I love you too" he smiles back at you

When you get home, Minjee welcomes you excitedly asking if you got her a cakepop which Minjung hands over to his sister

"Wah thank you, oppa! Dad look oppa got me a pink cakepop!" she screams excitedly, running to wherever Mark is. You and Minjung follow her, Mark in the kitchen getting dinner ready

"Cool, but you can have that after dinner okay? Na uh don't give me that look, missy. I ordered chicken just like you asked" the father-daughter banter continues

The two siblings help set up the table while you stay in the kitchen with Mark, "How did it go?" Mark asks you

"Good, we had fun. You sound like you had fun too" you joked

"I swear she knows how to make me says yes" he mumbles, you walk towards him, giving him a side hug

"You love her" you tell him with a chuckle and a kiss on the jaw

"That I do. I'd do anything for our kids" he says, looking down at you. He kisses you on the nose, eliciting giggles from you before breaking away

"Okay, dinner time!"

After dinner and everyone finished with their night time routines, it's finally time to call it a night.

You lay on your side of the bed, getting the pregnancy pillow ready

"Can I keep that after?" Mark asks, you watch him step out of the shower. Towel hanging on his hips while he dries his hair with another

"No" you tell him with a tight smile, Mark laughs before walking towards the dresser to get clothes

"Oh come on, let me enjoy the view some more"

"Woman, you are already pregnant" he tells you, playfully throwing the towel he was drying his hair with towards you. He puts on his sleeping shorts, leaving the shirt behind. He goes out the room to check all doors before going to bed

He turns towards you, the two of you face to face.

"Just a few more days and it'll be five of us" he whispers. His hand resting on your belly

"I'm calling it, this one will look like you again" you tell him

"You love us"

"That I do, I love you and all versions of you. Especially the little humans we made" you smile at him. He scoots closer to kiss you. Kissing you on the lips then on your cheeks a few time until you were laughing.

"Okay, time to rest. Goodnight, baby. I love you" he tells you

"Love you"

Minjung woke up to something poking his back, groggily looking to see Minjee

"Jee? What?"

The girl hiccups, still crying. This woke Minjung up more, sitting up on his bed and turning the bedside light on,

"Why are you crying? Did you have a bad dream?" he asks

"Will mom and dad not let me live here when the baby comes?" she asks, her tiny voice breaking

"What? of course not" her brother immediately answers. He gets out from under the blanket to hug his sister, wiping a few tears running down her face

"When you were born, I was so excited. Dad took me to the hospital to meet you. You had this big bow on, you were crying a lot too" he tells her

"You were there?" she asks

Minjung smiles "Yea, dad even helped me to carry you. You were really tiny. When the new baby comes, we'll go together to meet them"

"Will you still play with me when they come?"

"Of course I will, we're bestfriends right? You gave me this" he says, showing the beaded bracelet Minjee made for him. Similar to what she's wearing.

"You promise? You'll still get me cakepops?"

"Of course, pinkypromise"

The two siblings lock pinky fingers, the younger one finally smiling.

"Wait here okay?" Minjung says before going out of his room and carefull walking towards his parents bedroom. Knocking lightly before going in.

He walks towards Mark's sleeping figure, tapping him awake

"Huh what wha huh?? Minjung? Are you okay? What's happening?" Mark asks, sitting up immediately

"What time is it?" he asks, looking for his phone to see it's 2am

"Minjee woke up crying, she's in my room now"

Mark stands up carefully, looking over at your sleeping figure before quickly putting on a shirt and walking out with Minjung

"She okay? bad dream?"

"No uh it's about the new baby"

His son didn't need to elaborate anymore, already getting a hint why his babygirl was crying.

When the two walks back to Minjung's room, Jee still sitting there.

"Hey, Jee. Come on, dad will come with you. Goodnight buddy, thank you for being a good brother" Mark tells his eldest, kissing him on the head before stepping out of the room with the younger one

"Do you want warm milk before going back to bed?" Mark asks the 6 year old girl, getting a no from her

When they get to Minjee's room, the two sat on the bed

"Are you sad right now?" Mark asks his daughter

"Will you still love Jee when the baby comes?" Jee asks and Mark crumbles

"Oh my girl, of course I will. I'll love you longer than forever and that's a long long long time. You'll always be my princess. Even after the new baby comes, mom and dad might need to spend more time with them but that doesn't mean we love you and your brother any less" he tucks her hair behind her ear, pinching her cute round cheeks she definitely got from you.

"Can dad have a hug?" he opens his arms, Minjee scooting in her father's embrace

"Always remember, dad loves you so so much. I'd give you the moon and all the stars if you want. If you ever feel sad you can come and talk to me okay?"

He feels the younger one nod. Tucking her in bed, giving her a kiss on the forehead before calling it a night (again)

When he gets back to your room, he slides under the sheets then he feels you search for him

"Min?" you mumble

"Here, baby. Go to sleep" he leans over to give your temple a kiss. He sees a sleepy smile on your lips before your heads goes down on the pillow again.

Just like that everyone was asleep again, but before he fades into dreamland he says a silently thank you to heaven for this life. Ready and excited to face tomorrow with his family.

[beyondthesefourwalls]

Welcome To My Masterlist!

My name is Alli and I write sometimes.

Masterlist under the cut

✨Top Gun: Maverick✨

Series:

✨Bradley Bradshaw:

Remember You Even When I Don't: A training accident, the doctor had told him. A nasty one that led him here, laying in a hospital bed with a splitting headache and an inability to remember the woman sitting beside him. What he did know, though, was that you were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and you felt important to him. That, as it turns out, would become an understatement. (completed)

The Forgotten Moments: A One Shot Collection: Before he had to remember you, Bradley got to experience the whirlwind that was meeting and falling in love with you (the first time).

All stories in the collection can be read independently, but will precede or coincide with Remember You Even When I Don't.

This Love Came Back to Me: You and Bradley hadn’t ended on bad terms; truly, you stopped before the two of you could even really begin. Still, in the last seven months, you had never completely left his mind. So when you suddenly appeared in front of him at the bar, asking for a favor and pulling him into a kiss, he thought maybe it was the perfect opportunity to see if this time, things could be different. But what neither of you realized was that there’s more going on than just rekindling a lost romance, and it might not be as easy as simply just wanting it. (completed)

One Shots:

✨ Bradley Bradshaw:

A Change to Everything: Marriage wasn’t an option for you. Bradley knew this and had promised you that what you had is and would always be enough for him. A few overpriced rings wouldn’t change that, so long as you promised to love him forever without one. But he buys you one anyway, and despite every promise you made to yourself, you wonder what it would be like if maybe, just maybe, you ever decided to put it on. 

What Goes Around (Comes Around): Bradley didn’t do relationships, and neither did you. The arrangement you had worked perfectly for ten years, getting together whenever your paths crossed. But after the two of you were stationed permanently on the same squad, suddenly what you have isn’t quite enough for him anymore. It’s not until a close call in the air that he finally gathers the courage to admit it. 

To Make a House a Home: House hunting in California was proving to be a challenge. Leave it to Bradley to manage to pull off the biggest surprise you’ve ever gotten. 

The Art of Subtlety: You were quiet, almost shy, but Bradley suspected there was more to you than meets the eye. When Jake claims that it’s impossible for a woman to successfully fake an orgasm, you prove him wrong (while proving Bradley absolutely right) right there in the middle of the Hard Deck. With his world tilted on its axis at your little display, he’s left wondering: why are you so good at faking it, and how would you really sound if he’s the one bringing you pleasure?

Dancing in the Dark: Bradley was never one for clubs. Flashing lights, dance remixes of the same four songs, and overpriced watered down drinks just weren’t his thing. But you had begged him so prettily to go with you that he couldn’t help but agree. It was exactly as bad as he thought it was going to be, but when he saw how irresistible you looked on the dance floor, he decided to get his revenge in a way that left both of you satisfied but wanting more. 

Clandestine Meetings: Bradley was coming home today. Six weeks on a no-contact deployment, stuck on a carrier in the middle of some non disclosed body of water, and he’s finally coming home. Normally, you’d be bursting at the seams with happy excitement. But the two of you had left things in an...interesting place. When he’s finally standing in front of you, you can tell by his cold and dark eyes that he remembers, too. But he’s had six weeks to think of exactly how you can earn his forgiveness, and you’re all too willing to do anything it takes. 

Keep It Undercover: You and Bradley had shared a few beautiful weeks together, years after first meeting. You had been content with leaving it as a beautiful, delicious memory; something that could have been, if the stars would have aligned. Only now he was stationed in Fightertown permanently, and while he didn’t know what exactly that meant for the two of you long term, he knew what he wanted. He didn’t care about your age or that you outranked him. After all, he had always liked his girls a little bit older. 

The Over/Under: Your friends insisted that the best way to get over someone was by getting under someone else. But you had been over your ex for a long time before you ever signed the papers, and you had no intention on hooking up with anyone. Then an attractive man with a mustache that really shouldn't look as good as it does catches your eye, and you suddenly forgot why you were hesitant in the first place.

✨Javy Machado:

I Don't Love You Like I Used To: After so many years with you, Javy Machado doesn't love you like he used to. He loves you so much more. For roosterforme's #love is in the air tgm Writing Challenge!

The Double Negative Effect: Javy knows deep down after he goes into G-LOC that he’s not going to be selected for the mission. He goes to a bar on his own to drink away some of his sorrows, and while he’s there, he meets someone who is having just as rough of a time as he is. Misery loves company, and together, they cancel out the bad day the other is having, replacing it with a night they’ll remember for all the right reasons. 

And I Want To Make Her Mine: Javy thought it was too good to be true when he saw you, the girl he had crushed on for almost a year, standing in the Hard Deck. But there you were, looking just as beautiful as you always had. He thought maybe he’d finally get his chance with you after all this time. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one whose attention you caught.

Merry Christmas Mishaps: Christmas looked a little different this year, and Javy knew you were having a hard time adjusting to it. You were used to the lights and the hustle and - God help him, the snow - that came with where you had called home for so long. You had given all that up to move to California to be with him, and he decided that if he couldn’t get you back on the east coast for the holiday, maybe he could improvise and start making new traditions here together, with a few surprises along the way. 

The Great Escape: All you wanted on your wedding day was some time alone with your new husband. Luckily for you, Javy was more than game to make an escape and has just the hiding place in mind.

An Aviation Special: You had always wanted to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but when it starts to go sideways thanks to your travel companions, you fear the whole trip, maybe even the whole city, has been ruined for you. But then a handsome stranger swoops in when some drunk idiot gets too handsy, and your night takes an unexpected turn for the better.

The Plus One: You couldn’t believe he was here. He had told you he would be, over and over again, but part of you had convinced yourself it was too good to be true. There was no way a man as perfect as Javy Machado would be so into you after you spent one night together, months ago, that he’d fly out to be your date to a wedding for people he’d never met before. Yet here he was, looking as good as a dream. By the end of the night you knew one thing for certain: a weekend with him would never be enough.

✨Javy Machado x Natasha Trace (Navy):

Repeated Offenses: Javy wasn’t sure what the mission was that called them back to Top Gun, but he knew if he was there, Phoenix would be too. He seeks her out that first night, knowing that it would be the same game between them as it always was. One of them was bound to get burned one of these days, but luckily for him, he’s never been afraid of playing with fire. 

✨Jake Seresin:

Flight Suit Aphrodisiac: There was something about seeing Jake in his flight suit that got to you every single time. It had always been attractive, sure, but nowadays it was like something of an aphrodisiac. It didn’t matter what you were doing or where you were; when you saw him in it, you had to have him.

Twin Fire Signs: When the majority of your squad intentionally leaves you drunk and alone at a bar, you resign yourself to finding your own way home and dealing with your wounded pride in peace. But then your phone rings, the name of the last person you expected to be calling you on a Friday night flashing on your screen. You know you shouldn’t answer, but too much tequila has never led to great decisions. 

Cowboy Resolutions: New Year’s Eve at the Hard Deck with all of your friends was a tradition, one that you loved and held close to your heart. When you and your husband decide to slip away from the crowd for a late night stroll on the beach right before midnight, you realize that neither of you had the purest of intentions when it came to wanting to get away. 

A Verbal Agreement: You hated Jake Seresin. Truly, you did. Or at least you strongly disliked him. But as it was, he did something for you that no other man could, and it kept you coming back for more. 

✨Jake Seresin x Natasha Trace (Hannix):

Hell Bent, Heaven Sent: Truthfully, Jake didn’t like anything that she made him feel. Annoyed. Inferior. Submissive. But she also made his heart speed up and his palms sweat and despite everything he felt better when she was with him. Natasha Trace made him question everything about himself.

Alli's TGM Mix & Match Blurb Party Masterlist

*I do not give permission to copy/steal, translate, or publish elsewhere*

[honeygrahambitch]

"One day you will have to tell me how your adversity towards lamb meat has commenced." Hannibal said as he watched Will washing the dishes. He grabbed a towel to dry them.

"We had this lamb." The response came unexpectedly. Hannibal believed Will would just make a snarky remark and change the subject, just like he always did when it came to things that were actually deeply rooted. "When I was a kid, I mean. I named him Popcorn."

Hannibal realized the story wouldn't have a happy ending. "Because of what he looked like or did he actually have a preference for popcorn?"

"Both." Will said and even though Hannibal could not see his expression, he could tell there was a bittersweet smile on his lips. "His mother died soon after he was born. And we became very attached to each other. My mom was very much alive but it's not like it made a difference."

Hannibal felt a note of resentment in Will's tone.

"So you and Popcorn were both lonely. You had that in common."

"Indeed. I learnt to sneak him into my bedroom. He even learnt to be quiet when we were inside. He was quite smart now that I think about it." Will took a break for a few seconds and Hannibal noticed the way his fingers tightened their grip on the dish he was holding, his knuckles turning white. "My dad would often get drunk. I learned that hiding into the barn through the sheep was my only escape."

Hannibal frowned at the image of a young Will have to run away from a drunk violent father. He put down the dish he was drying and opened one of the kitchen cabinets. He grabbed a whiskey bottle and two glasses.

"Your mother was distant and your dad was violent."

"My relationship with my dad improved after my mother left one day. He was more sober. Anyway, doctor, this is not about my relationship with my parents, as much as you would love to hear that." Will said and imagined the way Hannibal was smiling, guilty in charge behind him.

"I love to listen to everything you say, Will. I am not only hearing." Hannibal said. "And then?"

"And then what? Ah, right." Will said and cleared his throat. "Popcorn grew at some point so sneaking him indoors became impossible. His horns were showing and he learnt that he could try them on me. Got a lot of bruises cause I never saw him coming."

"Sounds like you ruined a lot of trousers."

"Oh, trust me, I did. I got into a lot of trouble because of that." Will replied and remembered how many times he had tried to make up excuses about why his pants were so messed up. They were poor, but for as kid it didn't make sense why his parents would get so angry.

"One day I came from school and I wanted to go see Popcorn, just like I usually did. It was raining so my dad insisted that I get inside and see Popcorn after dinner."

Hannibal listened in silence as he felt like the story was approaching its end. "We had dinner and then I sneaked out to go look for Popcorn. And I couldn't find him anywhere. So I asked my dad."

"No." Hannibal heard himself whisper.

Will let out a deep sigh.

"He wasn't sober. He laughed and told me that Popcorn was in my stomach by now."

"Oh, dearest."

"So to answer your question, that is why I don't eat lamb. And to answer your unasked question, yes, I would like a glass of whiskey."

When Hannibal said nothing, Will turned to face him. He hadn't moved an inch since Will had finished his story.

"Are you okay?"

"I imagined this would be the way it would end." Hannibal said. "I am sorry you had to go through all of that. Can I ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you decide to tell me now about it? You always brush it off."

"I just felt like sharing it. And I knew you wouldn't find it stupid."

"Darling, of course not." Hannibal said as he welcomed Will into his arms. "And it also answers my other curiosity."

"Which is that?" Will said as he buried himself into Hannibal's shoulder.

"I now understand why you don't eat popcorn either."

"Did you make a list of everything I don't eat?"

"Mentally, yes. I pay lots of attention to your preferences."

"I am not even surprised."

[forksianbeaute]

Bleed Me Dry | C. Cullen | Prologue

𝚈𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐.

Warnings: This entire story is intended to be read by those who are at least eighteen years old. This chapter itself doesn’t contain any mature content, but I will block all ageless and underage blogs who interact with this post.

It’s still early — too fucking early. The sun has not risen above the horizon just yet, though from what you have been told, you figure that it wouldn’t really make the scene look any different even if it had, since there’s a thick, dark curtain of clouds veiling the skies of Forks more often than not.

Glancing outside, you take a brief moment to appreciate the beauty of the picture that opens right behind that steamy, clearly never-washed window of the Forks Hospital’s break room. It’s something you’re not used to viewing as beautiful, but now — looking at the endless sea of dark green and gloom, and seeing how both of those elements tie the picture together whilst somehow only adding to one another’s beauty —, you’re beginning to think you’ve never seen anything as beautiful in your life.

“I would like for all of you to meet the newest addition to the team.”

It’s one of the board directors — one of those four people, who actually have a say in what goes on inside the walls of Forks Hospital these days —, who introduces you to the entire staff.

You’re not quite sure what kind of a welcome it was that you were expecting to be greeted with upon arriving, but it surely wasn’t anything like this.

A couple dozen pairs of tired, still half-closed eyes staring back at you. Unimpressed, perhaps even a little bored expressions carved onto the features of what seems that is literally every single person present. Coffee cups in the hands of most — the smoky aroma of that freshly brewed, nearly black liquid that is supposed to knock some life into the employees of this hospital now lingering in the air.

Forcing an awkward smile onto those cherry-red painted lips of yours, you say, “Hi.”

It’s not that you’re shy, or not-that-good with people, because really you’re not either of those things — you’re quite the opposite, actually —, but something about seeing those nonchalant, ‘Can we go now?’ looks on the faces of your new colleagues seems to shove every single thing you thought you could say to them down your throat — making sure that this situation is way more awkward than what it needs to be.

The board director, Samuel White, gives his throat a rather loud clear, making it evident to everyone present that he doesn’t approve of this being the kind of a welcome new employees are greeted with here, at Forks Hospital.

Noticing that his efforts don’t really make a difference — noticing that not a singular person straightens their spine, or even tries to fix the look on their face —, he sighs, the audible exhale loud enough to be heard over the steady humming of the air conditioning unit that you’re sure runs on full speed all day and all night, just to be able to keep the humidity of this rainy city outside the hospital’s walls.

“Anyway…,” he then says, bringing his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “She’ll be with us until the end of her residency. She’s a damn good doctor and surely a great addition to the team, so… Be nice.”

It almost feels as if you were eleven years old again. Standing in front of the classroom, with a backpack full of heavy books resting on your shoulder. An awkward smile tugging the corners of your mouth upwards, while waving at your new classmates — something that the teacher insisted you do.

Come to think of it, the situation which you’re in now isn’t that much different, actually. Only now you’re standing in front of a hospital’s break room instead of a classroom. Only now the room is brimming with highly educated adults instead of kids whose parents have spoiled them rotten — who they either don’t seem to give a flying fuck that you’re here.

Though it is something you don’t notice, at one of those flimsy-looking, white cafeteria tables that someone with poor taste has decided to decorate the break room with, sits Dr. Carlisle Cullen. There is no coffee cup in his hand like there is in the hands of many others, but instead a few patient files sitting in a nice and neat pile before him, patiently waiting for him to start his day by going through them.

With both of his elbows resting on top of that god-awful table, and with one hand’s fingers curled into a loose fist that is now positioned right before his nose and mouth, he sits still — not really having it in himself to do anything else because God, that’s how good you smell. And though every single person in this room kind of does smell good to him, this is different. You are different.

He has been around for a while. He has treated more patients with open wounds than he cares to count, and thus has become very familiar with the scent of fresh blood and the iron-like tang there is to it that tickles his nostrils each time he allows air to flow into his lungs at work.

Yet still, right here and now — with the air conditioning unit circling the air that to him now smells like a mixture of fresh coffee, you and the scent of that sweet, floral perfume of yours —, he feels the need to excuse himself.

God, it’s going to be a hell of a long next few years.

[gemini-sensei]

okay so i havent been active in the ck fandom for a while, but i remember your account so vividly and im so glad you're still writing for it omg okay anyway! ive seen SO many fics about teen pregnancy in this fandom, but ive never seen ANYONE write about pregnancy pre karate?? like itd be such a drastic change & im sooo interested in how eli's story would go if he'd happened to get a girlfriend & immediately (accidentally) knocked her up before any of the hawk stuff could happen? Like soft eli is so sweet and caring?? and then suddenly he's big & scary & really jealous and 😭 would it even still happen??

Would love to know your thoughts!! But ofc please ignore if you're not interested :)

First of all, welcome back (? (should I say that? lol)) Second, I LOVE this ask so very much so this might be a little long...

Reader and Eli have had little crushes on each other, but it's not like they're friends. They're lab partners and they don't talk a lot due to being shy and such. Their relationship doesn't start until she builds up the courage to ask him out to the Halloween dance. He agrees through some fumbling words and they're both so excited. It's so cute of them; they get to dress up and it's their first date in a way. It should be fun.

At the dance, they hang out the whole time and talk about comics and movies. Eli kind of accidentally leaves Miguel and Demetri in the dust even though they were with them at first but they backed off because it was obvious Reader and Eli were in their own little world. They dance a little bit but when Eli says something about needing some fresh air, Reader walks outside with him and it's a nice little moment. It's quiet and Reader thinks it's the moment and goes in for a kiss, gently pulling his surgical mask down to do it and he lets her because holy shit this is really happening! They have their first kiss and become a real couple that night.

After that night, they go on a few more dates, but it isn't long before they lose their virginities to each other. As they say, it only takes one time.

They only did it once and it was awkward and lovely. They laughed and got embarrassed a few times, but they took it slow and really cared for each other through it. It ended with cuddles and Reader falling asleep with her head on Eli's chest.

However, a month or so later, Reader is standing at Eli's front door teary eyed and he's fearing the worst. She wants to break up, is what he's thinking. Then she starts rambling about how she didn't want to cry but she has something important to say. He's sure the impact is coming, but then,

"I'm pregnant."

It's a different kind of impact. He feels like the wind has been knocked out of him. He stares at her, completely shocked, and somehow finds himself asking, "Are- are you sure?"

She nods and takes something out of her pocket, a folded up stack of papers. She unfolds them and hands them over to him, and he sees they're from a doctor's office and it's official. This isn't some at-home test and scare that they are going through, this is real.

She bursts into more tears. "I'm so sorry, Eli!"

He would look at her so baffled. "Why-why are you apologizing?"

She shrugs because she doesn't know how to put it into words and he hugs her, pulling her close. She hides her face in his chest and cries. It's the moment he realizes he has to be strong for her, he has to be more than he's been, because he's her anchor right now. Everything feels like it's falling apart and she's clinging to him like her life depends on it. He manages to keep himself together and not cry even though he's terrified of what's to come. He holds her tight and whispers, "We'll figure this out."

Her being pregnant becomes another reason why he joins karate. As time goes on, she can't hide her belly. She has a grace period where her already pudgy belly hides the pregnancy, but she starts to show and it is impossible to hide. People at school catch on to her pregnancy and a lot of people give her a hard time. Eli is always by her side, holding her hand, and having to witness the comments and jeers she has to endure.

One day is particularly bad when Kyler wants to say something to her and he laughs at "how fat" she is. Reader gets upset about it and Eli steps in to tell Kyler off, but he just gets pushed into a set of lockers. Reader, crying and upset, tells him to just fuck off because he's being a total dick. Kyler almost hit her but one of his friends stopped him, explaining to the idiot that he can't hit a pregnant person. Kyler swears he'll get Reader when she isn't pregnant and walks away. Eli doesn't like that at all, so when he witnesses Miguel beat up Kyler, he knows what he has to do.

The first few karate lessons Eli goes to will pan out like they do in the show, but he sticks through it a little tougher because he's thinking about Reader and their baby the whole time. But Johnny does push him over the edge with the lip comments and he leaves, thinking it isn't worth it. He goes home crying and trying to figure out what to do, only to realize that he has to do this and commits to flipping the script and becoming the strong guy he wants to be for Reader and the baby.

After he changes his attitude and hair and is dubbed Hawk, he goes to Reader's house to show her how confident he is now. She answers the door and is shocked to see him. "Eli... what did you do?"

"I flipped the script," he tells her, smirking. "And it's Hawk, now, babe."

He sees the way she's looking at him, a little confused and unsure, so he backtracks a little bit.

"Well, it's Hawk to everyone else... you can still call me Eli," he says and she smiles. That smile is everything to him as she stands there, holding her belly and looking at him as if he's the world. He touches his mohawk and asks, "Do you like it?"

"It's different, and it'll take some getting used to, but yeah. I especially like the color," she giggles and invites him inside. They cuddle and she touches his hair, but it quickly devolves into them making out.

When he competes in the tournament, she's there to cheer him on with her rounding belly and a sign with his name on it. She wrote Hawk on the sign because she thinks of it as more of his "karate name" and continues to call him Eli no matter what. He steals looks at her the whole tournament, thinking she's the cutest person ever as she sits in a dress with her belly. Sometimes when he's not the one fighting, he runs over and gives her a kiss and touches her belly. When he's super excited about winning and tears his gi off, he tosses it to her and she catches it with a laugh. He comes to retrieve it after a moment and sees she's laid the snake emblem on the back over her belly, showing her support to him. He could die happy at that sight.

When his anger really sparks and he dislocates Robby's arm at the tournament, she's shocked and worried. He explains that Robby made fun of him but Reader tells him that that's not a good enough reason to hurt someone. She's so soft and sweet and gentle, and he hears her. He agrees and apologizes, tells her that it won't happen again.

But it does over the summer when he goes after Demetri. She likely finds out from Demetri himself because they're friends, of course they became friends before the karate stuff started when she and Eli started dating. So, she confronts him, telling him, "You can't do that! You can't go around beating up people because they did something you don't like or agree with! I can't be with you if you're going to act like that! For crying out loud, Eli, we're having a baby!"

It gets her so upset and Hawk understands he screwed up. She starts crying and he feels awful because he knows he did that. He apologizes and hugs her, rubbing her back to soothe her. She shouldn't be crying because he did something stupid. He says he's sorry so many times, even when taking her home and cuddling her as they watch a movie. She eventually has to tell him to stop because he's getting a little annoying and he's forgiven, so long as this never ever happens again. She swears to him that if he does something like that again, they're over.

The thing about it is, it doesn't happen again. Kreese can't sink his manipulative fangs into Hawk because Hawk's love for Reader and their baby is stronger than Kreese. So, the rest of the summer goes smoothly.

Until the school fight.

That's when all Hell breaks loose. It's a mess, and pretty much pans out like the show except Reader is on the sidelines begging for someone to do something. She's as big as can be, holding her belly to achieve some sort of relief, as she's watching this shit show play out like a horror movie because she can't believe any of this is happening. She's just in total shock and awe at this mess, but when she sees the opportunity to stop it, she jumps in.

When Miguel has Robby on the ground and lets him go, she rushes over, waddling as fast as she can, to pull him out of the middle of everything. She's a mama to be and has become a bit of the mom of the group. She's pulls Miguel away by his arm and asks him what he was thinking and why this was the solution to anything. Robby still jumps up to attack, but stops when he sees Reader because duh. He'd never go that far, and seeing her makes his anger deflate.

"I mean, come on, this is- uh oh..." she stops midsentence when she feels something warm run down her leg. She looks at Miguel, scared as she remembers what all her mom said, that it'll feel like she peed herself.

Miguel is on high alert at this. "Uh oh? What's uh oh?"

"It feels like I-" she looks down and he does too, seeing the wetness running down her pant legs. "I think I'm having the baby."

Robby, witnessing all this, gets a little freaked out but he still rushes to Reader's other side even though he doesn't know her. However, he's still a good guy and is gonna help the pregnant girl in whatever way he can. The fight and rivalry are forgotten about as he and Miguel help Reader to the stairs and help her down them.

When they come through with her, everything stops and no one can even think about fighting anymore. By the time they're at the end of the stairs, Hawk is coming around the corner and fussing over her. That tough guy exterior is still there but it's a little softer. But if anyone dares to get in his way as he and these two idiots try getting her to his car, he'll bite their heads off.

Needless to say, Hawk is a mess trying to drive her to the hospital because this is sooner than they were expecting. The stress of the school fight caused her to go into early labor and they have nothing they need. The hospital bag should've been put in his car but he kind of forgot to do that, so they don't have it. All they have is some panic and a baby that's on the way no matter if they're ready or not.

At the hospital, after she's hooked up to the monitors and everything, Hawk is by her side the entire time. He pushes her hair out of her face as she lays on her side, just waiting for the time to push. He's apologizing to her about getting into the fight but he was just trying to protect his friends. She tells him she doesn't care about that anymore and just wants to have the baby already because the contractions are killing her. Then she has another contraction, and he lets her squeeze his hand to help her through it. When it's over, she tells him she doesn't want to talk about karate while she's in labor and they talk about other things, like the baby.

It isn't long after that, they have a wiggly little blue-eyed baby girl. She's a heavy little thing, chunky and cute as can be. She's laid on her mama's chest wailing and Reader holds her close, crying happy tears because she's finally here. She gets to hold her baby girl. Then she's taken away to get checked out and cleaned up, then Hawk gets to hold her. She's wrapped up in a warm blanket but she's out in the world and wiggling about, so the wrapping comes loose as he holds her.

He jokes, "She really wanted out."

Reader smiles as she watches, "Yeah, she did."

Hawk will be hard-pressed to let her go, opting to hold her even when she's asleep. He sits back in the reclining chair beside Reader's bed and lets their baby girl sleep on his chest. He watches her sleep, holding her securely to his chest, and silently promises her that he's gonna protect her no matter what. He looks so soft and sweet holding her like that but he has some bruises on his face from the fight. He's arguably scarier and more threatening because he has this cutie to think about and protect, so if you thought he was scary and tough before, people will have a rude awakening if they ever bother her or her mama.

I could do an alternative to this where he doesn't become Hawk if enough people want that. I'd love to do that.

[tiny-merkitty]

dad/caretaker matt murdock hcs ₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

(read as platonic & familial only! i do not write for romantic pairings.)

ⓘ i do not consent to k!nk interaction! any nsfw account that likes, reblogs, or in any way interacts with this post or my blog will be blocked and reported.

the sweetest most attentive father figure ever

he can hear your heartbeat, the vague ways your breaths change, feel how sleepy and lethargic you get, he'll do everything he can to be helpful and caring when you need it!!!

don't feel like talking? that's okay, he can tell if what he's doing is helping without needing words.

he has to deal with alot of loud everywhere else anyway, whether that's in a tiny, packed office space or the entirety of manhattan — he's always welcome to unwind at home in silence.

he'd try to deduct anything that's making you uncomfortable without having to ask, he knows that constant interrogation can just make things more overwhelming.

you keep whimpering? your stomach is full, you seem to be warm enough— is his beard too scratchy? here, he'll move your head down to his chest.

he'd use alot of different nicknames, as well as just your actual name, but the ones that roll off the tongue most tend to be 'baby', 'sweetheart' & 'angel'

being mean towards his loved ones isn't in his vocabulary, if you've done something wrong there won't be anything more extreme than a gentle conversation — at worst, he uses his lawyer voice™, which consists of very, very, long spiels about how he's not mad! just a little disappointed!

he'd never take things away from you as a form of punishment though, he knows what it's like to grow up with sparse things in environments that weren't emotionally nurturing.

if anything, he is the biggest advocate for spoiling his kid — even if he won't admit it.

never in a grand way, but if you looked at a stuffed animal for three seconds too long in an aisle, it's finding it's way into the cart by check-out.

you like a certain brand of toaster waffles? what a coincidence, the fridge has five boxes!

if you make him anything at all, he is using it until it disintegrates.

you made him a bracelet? he's wearing it everywhere. including in the daredevil suit.

you drew something? he's sure it looks wonderful, whatever it is, he's already framing it in his office.

(yes this has something to do with a certain somebody abandoning him over a friendship bracelet as a child)

he likes having you physically close to him, the louder your heartbeat is in his ears, the more secure he can feel about your safety.

your warmth reminds him that you're okay, so he likes having you nearby, whether you're heads on his stomach or you're sitting somewhere three rooms over.

he's not a helicopter parent, per-se, but he has a tendency to be protective and worried —

he tries to be around at nighttime, even with the whole vigilante gig getting in the way sometimes, having you play doctor on his wounds makes him feel both guilty and comforted.

his favorite form of tylenol has a tiny heartbeat and hands that wrap around his fingers, after all.

bedtime stories aren't his favorite thing in the world, for obvious reasons, but if he's trying to get you to sleep, sometimes he'll practice his latest defenses until you nod off.

he assumes the legal talk knocks you out better than goodnight moon, anyway.

depending on the day, he's bringing you along to the office or church with him — the firm isn't very full during certain seasons, so he figures you can take a nap on the couch in his office or color over Foggy's paperwork.

Foggy's not the biggest fan of the latter —

the underneath of Matt's desk also makes a great fort— he'll pretend he can't hear you sticking stickers to the bottom or playing with his shoelaces.

on weekends, he'll take you by St. Agnes to sleep through morning mass, Sister Maggie usually has a hot chocolate ready for you in a special mug afterwards.

he's not one to force things like sunday school on you, but the church is a place he grew up and visits often, plus letting you see his mother makes him smile.

the two of you get donuts on the way home — or, you get donuts and Matt gets something overpriced and artisanal while he tries not to cringe at the overbearing scent of dyed sugar.

he's definitely a silly dad, holding you upside down by your ankles or slinging you over his shoulder while he cleans the apartment.

he draws out questions and asks silly things just to hear you giggle — "what?! you're four years old? are you sure? are you actually... five? no?"

overall, you're his kid and he loves you more than anything.

[one-vivid-judgment]

Hello! I love your writing!

Could I request some headcanons of Ichiban, Zhao, Tomizawa, Seonhee, Yamai and Eiji with an S/O that tends to overwork, get way too stressed and burned out, and how they help them relax? Both SFW and NSFW?

Thank you! 🖤💜

Transitioning into a bit of a spicier mood after all the fluff lately, you guys are welcome 😌😌

Ichiban Kasuga

Ichiban really respects people as hardworking as you are! Thing is, you are not just hardworking—most times, you come home looking exhausted, and even though he always asks if you are feeling okay and you say yes, he knows that you’re not, deep down. He always says you can tell him whatever is bothering you, but considering how much of a busy-bee you are, you probably won’t do it anyway. So, he starts devising a little plan to help you relax.

An absolute ray of sunshine. He welcomes you home with his biggest smile and a bear hug, then tells you to sit down on the couch. You try to tell him you have some more work to finish, but he won’t listen: you are sitting down, he is bringing you some sweets and hot tea he’s just prepared. Only one thing: working tonight is strictly forbidden, doctor’s (Ichi’s) orders!

Once you are done with the tea and pastries (though yeah, Ichi did steal one or two; don’t blame him, they just looked too good!), he’s going to convince you, one way or another, to tell him about everything that’s been on your mind lately. Ichi has mastered the art of puppy dog eyes, and refusing those is hard. You can try, sure, but you both know you are eventually going to fold. Let it be known that Ichiban Kasuga usually doesn’t use the puppy look to get his way, but in this case... he’ll make an exception.

It doesn’t matter how long your story is, he will listen. Listen attentively. He can’t do anything to change that one deadline that’s been stressing you out, or that one co-worker’s behavior that’s been pissing you off more than usual lately, but he is one hell of a good listener and always willing to lend you an ear.

What he can do though, is help take the stress away. Tea and sweets and talking sure help, but you need to unwind some other ways sometimes too, don’t you? Don’t worry, Ichi gets that. Again, an absolute ray of sunshine, always willing to help—and if sex is the way then... Well, he’ll do it no questions asked.

He’ll do pretty much anything you ask in bed, because he knows you need it. His favorite thing to do though? Dropping to his knees and eating you out. Ichi is already super eager to please in the regular, but on times like these? He’ll stay between your legs and work his tongue on you for hours if you need him to. His beard kinda tickles, but that hair? He’s got perfect hair to pull, and he likes it when you do it.

Zhao Tianyou

He can pick up on your stress without you even saying a word. He’ll start doing little things to make your workload a little lighter—doing all the housework, cooking all the meals (though he already does that, pretty much), saving you some extra of your favorite dessert from the You Tian menu...

It’s Zhao, so of course the teasing won’t ever stop, but he will go a little easier on you. Even when he asks how you are feeling, it will be with a smirk on his face. Something along the lines of ‘So, when were you gonna tell me work’s been fucking you over harder than me, hm?’ He’s clearly trying to make you laugh with the utter absurdity, and he does. You haven’t been smiling as much lately, always fretting over one thing or another, and he really just wanted to make you smile again.

Oh, you’re getting one hell of a feast for dinner the day after you tell him in thorough detail what has been running through your mind lately. All of your favorite dishes? He makes them. Your favorite inciense smell? He bought it to burn just for the occasion. You want him to feed you strawberries with whipped cream afterwards? He’ll chuckle, then comply.

You need a good fuck to de-stress? He is your man. What, you thought he only dropped the ‘work’s fucking you over harder than me’ line to get a smile out of you? Of course not! What kind of man would he be if he didn’t deliver? So yeah, ask for sex whenever you need to let out some stress. Just maybe not in You Tian—his former Liumang boys still swing by every so often, and even if they know about your relationship (to be fair, it was pretty obvious), Zhao is not into exhibitionism like that.

You can try to take control all you want, but Zhao is gonna call the shots on this one. The best way to relax is to exhaust yourself, turn your brain to mush until you can’t overthink anymore. He won’t shove your head in the pillow though, unless you explicitly ask for it. He loves the ‘hard-yet-intimate’ type of fucking: just lying you on your side, throw one of your legs over his hip and thrust hard. Making out is way easier like this, too.

Eric Tomizawa

He’s been there himself, actually. Even when he was with Marie, when she left her job he started working extra hard, extra long shifts to get enough money to support them both plus their child who was on the way. He knows what burnout feels like, believe him. He knows it fucking sucks, and even if you don’t say anything, he can tell just by looking you in the eye that you are hanging on by a thread.

He’ll bring it up casually if you don’t—You’ll be spending your Friday night in, watching a movie, cuddling on the couch (and he insisted that you rest your head on his chest so he could play with your hair, though he didn’t say that last part out loud), and he’ll say “So, work sucked, huh?,” something along those lines.

Will try to give a super cool, motivational chat to help you feel a little better. ‘Try’ because he doesn’t really have anything prepared beforehand, so results may vary. He does a pretty decent job though—turns out he sounds way cooler when he doesn’t have a pre-fabricated answer. Figures.

He won’t give you any cliché bullshit of ‘don’t worry, it’s okay, everything will be alright’. It’s a very ‘Tomizawa’ pep talk. Yeah, burnout fucking sucks, doesn’t it? He has experienced it too, though he’s pretty sure your situations are very different in nature. We all have our own circumstances and different ways to help us unwind. So, whatever it is that helps you, tell him. So long as it’s something he can feasibly do, he will do everything in his power to help.

If sex is the way you want to unwind? Then oh boy, is he not complaining at all! He gets to help you out and he gets sex to boot? Listen, it’s not that he is happy you’re stressed and need his help, but he has this goofy grin on his face when you ask him to wait for you in the bedroom.

He is already a switch leaning to the subby side, but something about the way you just use him to get off and let out stress? Now that turns him on. He tries to keep up with you, but you are always ahead somehow. And honestly? He is not opposed to it. Hell, push him into the mattress, keep him down with both hands on his chest, ride him until he doesn’t remember his own name, he is into it.

Seonhee

She knows the face of stress. She knows because she is there on the regular, Queen of the Geomijul and all. And because she knows, she has a few tricks up her sleeve that help her relax when she feels like she might burst at the seams. Stress-cooking is her go-to though.

Will make you try out stress-cooking at least once to see if it works for you, too. As it turns out, it doesn’t work like she had expected. You just make stupid mistakes you normally wouldn’t make because your head is somewhere else (probably worrying), and the more mistakes you make, the more irritated you get and the worse the gyoza come out. Seonhee quickly learns that she shouldn’t allow you in the kitchen when you are like this. At least not unsupervised.

She has many mechanisms to cope with stress though, not just cooking, so she will jump to another one just as quick. And when cooking doesn’t work for her, what she does is take a walk down at Hamakita Park for fresh air, drop by Eomeoni’s Vow for some comfort food, then come back home for a warm bath, maybe do her nails if they look chipped. That’s what she will try on you next, and what would you know? It worked.

Korean food may not bring back memories for you like it does for her, but it is so freaking tasty. Seems like all you needed to turn your brain off for a while was a spicy dish of kimchi and rice or dakgalbi—but don’t pass out on her just now! You still have a nailcare session to get to when you arrive home, and Seonhee just bought brand new nail polish colors for you.

Honestly, she is probably the one who suggests sex to try and unwind. Seonhee is not one to mince words, she will just get straight to the point: well, you are stressed. Sex is supposed to help with that. So... wanna go to the bedroom?

She is a dom all the way through, so expect her to go hard on you as she fucks the stress out of you. She won’t stop at just one orgasm either: you are coming on her fingers, on her mouth and on her strap-on. If you can still talk after all that, then you can put that mouth to good use and eat her out. You can tell her to stop all you want, but unless she hears the safeword, she will keep going until you are too boneless to keep worrying.

Yutaka Yamai

Let’s be honest, his way to relieve stress before you came into the picture was probably going to hostess clubs and strip clubs. Not that you can’t do that, sure, but he would rather you didn’t since... you know, you are dating him and all.

He is more the type to enjoy nights out, but if what you need is a quiet night in with some comfort food, a movie and a blanket, that’s what you will do. He is giving you his jacket instead of a blanket though—and let it be known that for Yamai to give you his jacket is a big sign of trust and commitment. He’ll just have to turn up the heater a little.

He will listen to you rant about work as much as you need to, saying very little himself. Just the way he holds you and wraps his jacket around your shoulders is enough. Only times he will speak is if you started crying out of stress. His voice gets surprisingly soft, and even though his fingers feel cold on your scalp, they are cold in a comforting kind of way.

One thing about Yamai that only you know? He’s a cuddler. With how cold he is and how warm you are? It’s a no-brainer. He is a bit stiff the first few times, but he’s gotten a lot better. So you bet he is there for support when you need him, especially when you are feeling burnt out. Words may not be his forte, but he shows he cares through actions.

Let’s be honest again: his first suggestion was probably ‘so let’s fuck the stress away.’ He says it so matter-of-factly you would think he is being sarcastic, but he is not. He already very rarely says no to sex, but hey, if you are getting something out of it (aside from an orgasm, of course) too, then... Two birds, one stone as they say.

You are either going to be tied up or be forced to sit on his cock and not move. Pick your poison, you won’t be able to do anything anyway because he doesn’t want you to. He is taking the lead and not letting you worry about a thing. If you try to act all feisty, he is shoving you back down on the mattress. Behave and he will praise you though; ‘So you can stay still after all. That’s real good of you—stay put a little longer, will you? You’ll get a big reward if you do.’

Eiji Mitamura

Before his life went to hell? He was a bit... rough around the edges. He would just say ‘Damn, that must suck,’ but wouldn’t really do anything about it. You solve your problems on your own. After he hit rock bottom though? Things do a one-eighty. He is trying to be a better person with Kasuga’s help, and that includes being a better boyfriend for you.

He is still a newbie at this, but if he sees you are coming back from work looking all dejected, of course he will ask if you’re feeling okay. Poor guy sounds a little awkward, not used to asking those questions out loud. Not long ago, he only cared about three people: ‘me, myself and I’. Changing takes effort, and that’s exactly what he is putting in.

He will ask you to sit down in front of him and give you a massage as you talk about what’s on your mind. Unlike Yamai though, he will comment. He’s never been good at keeping his opinions to himself: if your co-worker was an asshole to you, Eiji will say it; if you could have acted better in a certain situation, he will let you know, too (albeit somehow more gently though).

He is not about to say no to having sex to de-stress, if that’s what you want. Truth be told, he considered asking if you wanted that, but he decided against it in the end—not about to act like back then, when he mostly just wanted sex out of you and that’s it. He is dedicated to changing, thank you very much. You’ll have to bring up the topic yourself if you need a good orgasm to blow your mind.

There are two ways things could go: he asks you to use him until you are totally relaxed, or you ask him to fuck you until you can’t remember your name. Man is a total switch, so it all depends on how he is feeling that day. He used to be way rougher back then, but he has mellowed down severely, and most days he is in a rather subby mood; ride and praise him and you will break him, he loves that shit. Even when he is the one fucking you stupid, one simple ‘yeah, like that, that’s my good boy,’ and his hips will stutter, his breath will hitch and you might even make him come embarrassingly fast. Don’t think he’ll be done with just that though; if there is still too much in your head, he is going down on you and making you come again.

[trashboatprince]

I'm still on a writing streak of just doing stuff with Fourteen, it seems.

Soooo... I wanted to write up something with their first night of being a retired Doctor, after Fifteen departed for his own adventures.

As always, I use they/them for Fourteen, but because they never correct anyone on this because they don't care, other characters will refer to them with 'he/him/his'. It's not rude, they just don't know.

On with the fic!

--

The Doctor stood there quietly, staring at the spot where the bi-generated TARDIS had been standing. Where had it flown off to? To another planet? Maybe to Barcelona? The planet, not the city.

Maybe it was in the past, lots of years and days the Doctor had never visited yet. Or into the future, lots there too.

Or maybe he's just in the vortex, having a fun time exploring his TARDIS as this Doctor had with their own.

"Ready to go?" Donna asked, a hand gently touching their shoulder.

The Doctor's eyes glanced at the spot where their TARDIS had stood. It was moved now, UNIT was going to take it to the location where the Noble-Temple family had been staying for a few days now. Apparently, it was a both a safe house and a temporary home until UNIT could fix their old one.

With a bit of work, the Doctor could repair the damage with the TARDIS. It was a bit troublesome to repair damaged buildings as such, but the Doctor could do it. None of the Time Lords were around to stop them.

They could be in the TARDIS now, flying to the location, but in their dazed state of just... taking all of this in, they had agreed with Donna about just letting someone drive them there in a car. Donna had said something about the Doctor needing some rest, and a tired Time Lord piloting sounded like a dreadful idea.

Probably was, actually way. The Doctor had once nearly flown the old girl into a white dwarf because they had been awake for two weeks straight without a single nap. Not one of their better moments, really.

"Yeah." The Doctor finally replied, gently bouncing on their feet. Oh, right, they had no shoes. He had gotten them in the bi-generation. What an odd thing, they wondered if he'd stop by to return them. And then shirt. And the tie. And maybe the undergarments. Oh, and the socks.

"He'll be alright." They heard Donna say, then felt her take their hand. "Just as you will be. Come on, I called Shaun, he said the family is safe and sound. Kate had given them the armband things. Gramps is with 'em."

"Good." The Doctor nodded. "Was worried about Wilf, but he's stubborn, he'd be fine anyway."

Donna smiled at them, walking them towards the elevators. They rode them down quietly, the Doctor's mind buzzing with thoughts while their body felt like it had ran five marathons in five hours.

Fifteen hours.

Is that really how long they'd been this Doctor? So much had happened from the moment they stood on that cliff, confused and excited. They had fought Daleks, a Sycorax queen, accidentally helped in the genesis of the Daleks, told a bedtime story, reunited with their best friend in order to stop an evil, adorable warlord, scarred themself for life by fighting a clone at the edge of the universe, and now just bi-generated while fighting one of their most terrifying enemies.

Had they stopped?

Even for a moment? Or was it only a slow moment in the chaos?

The New Doctor and Donna were right, they needed to stop and rest.

The next thing the Doctor noticed was that they were outside, being led to a discreet UNIT car, where a kind looking employee stood, smiling at him. "Thank you." She said as she opened the door for them and Donna.

"You're welcome." The Doctor smiled back, giving a nod, before slipping into the backseats.

Once they and Donna were in, the employee went to the driver's side and got in, and started to drive off. The Doctor leaned back into the seat, sighing softly. The rumbling of the car, the soft music from the radio (was that Moonlight Serenade they heard?), and Donna leaning against them had the Doctor feeling relaxed for the first time since they sat on top of the TARDIS, eating ice cream with one of the most important people they've ever met.

They didn't even register that they'd fallen asleep until someone gently shook them.

"Is he alright?" They heard the driver ask.

"Yeah, the dumbo's finally ran out of steam. He can rest when he's inside, but for now, up and at 'em!" Donna said, pushing the Doctor up from where they had been leaning against her.

They blinked a few times, glancing about. Outside the windows was a nice, average looking home. Two stories, a cute garden, totally normal. UNIT knows how to blend in when they have to.

They got out and stretched, wincing as their bare feet touched the pavement. Once they got back into the TARIDS, they'd get into some new shoes. Probably some new clothes.

The driver waited until Donna was out before driving off, and a moment later the front door of the home opened. Rose was standing there before she rushed out, hugging her mother tightly. "Mum! You're okay! Oh, you're okay!"

"Course I am!" Donna laughed, tears spilling from her eyes. "Oh, honey, are you? Everything alright?"

"Totally okay! Totally fine!" Rose smiled as she pulled back, then looked at the Doctor. "You're okay too!"

Suddenly, the Doctor found themself with their arms full of Rose Noble. They blinked, before returning the hug, smiling. "Right as rain! Just really, really tired."

"You look like you could use a nap." She laughed before glancing down. "Where's your shoes?"

"Long story." Donna sighed dramatically. "Really long story. Come on, I want inside! I'm starving and exhausted, and in need of a good sit down! You too, space man."

The Doctor followed quietly into the home, where they were greeted by a grateful Shaun, who thanked them for keeping Donna safe and for saving the world (had Donna mentioned that?). Sylvia and the Doctor exchanged looks, a silent thank you and you're welcome. Wilf was practically jumping for joy in his chair, and the Doctor rushed over, giving him a hug.

"I told you! I told you all that he'd save us! He always does!" Wilf cheered.

"Yeah, but our Donna helped too! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have figured out who was behind the Giggle." The Doctor stated.

"The Giggle?" Shaun frowned. "What's the Giggle?"

"We'll... tell you over dinner." Donna waved a hand about. "Speaking of, what's on the menu!"

--

In all of the time that the Doctor had known Donna, they had only attended a few dinners with her family, and they weren't exactly... great.

There was the haunted house thing, that turned out to be alien ghosts. They were supposed to have spaghetti hoops, but due to a spook, they had pizza instead.

Then there was the whole thing involving Wilf's old friend, and when the Doctor had stupidly gotten involved with an issue between Donna and Sylvia. That had ended terribly. The food was alright though.

Would the whole Beep the Meep thing count as one? Kinda, maybe, probably. It was dinner time. It had smelled pretty good.

The Doctor watched the family before them, catching up in the few days they and Donna had been gone. Neither of them had talked about what happened when the TARDIS had taken off after the coffee thing, Donna hadn't bothered to mention it.

The Doctor was thankful for that.

They quietly ate, finding that vegan chicken alfredo was actually pretty tasty. Apparently, Rose was vegan, or vegetarian, they weren't quite sure, so a lot of meals were planned with her preference in mind. The Doctor had eaten meals like this, their sixth incarnation had been a vegetarian himself, and made a smashing good nut loaf.

Well, the Doctor found that this body seemed to like this sort of thing too, and still liked bananas, considering they ate two while dinner was being made. Donna was strict, saying they needed the energy, and the Doctor didn't complain.

However, they discovered that tea was absolutely disgusting to this new-old mouth. Which was a shame, this old face loved tea, it helped them back on that Christmas day so many years ago. Well, regeneration was a gamble, you never knew what would change.

"Alright, alright," Rose spoke up, "you're stalling. What happened while you two were off in the stars? What happened when you came back?"

The Doctor swallowed their bite of food and set down their fork. "Oh, just... a few random stops throughout history. Accidentally met Sir Issac Newton. Who, let me tell you, was hot."

Rose snorted at this and Donna cackled. The Doctor side-eyed her. "You brought it up first!"

"Oh yeah, sure, Mr. 'He was so hot!'" Donna smirked and the Doctor promptly looked away.

"Anyway, we ended up... uh... we ended up on a space ship, several trillion miles away from here." They scratched the back of their neck. "The edge of the universe."

"There's an edge?" Wilf asked.

"Yeah." Donna added. "It was surreal, just... nothingness. For miles and miles, a voice of nothing but the dark."

It was quiet, and the air was heavy. "Why was there a ship there?" Sylvia asked.

The Doctor toyed with their fork. "Wormhole, my guess. Deposited it there. It was void of life."

"But what about-" Donna started, but the Doctor looked at her.

"They were Not-Things. They told us they were not alive."

The silence returned, and the Doctor took a drink of water from their glass before continuing. "I'm not... ready to talk about that stuff yet. We escaped, that's what matters. Then we ended up here, with Wilf. And UNIT took us to their headquarters, where Donna figured out what was making people act so angry."

And they told what happened, with Donna adding in. They told about the Giggle, and the toy shop, but not what horrors they saw in there, neither were ready for that. The Doctor talked about the Toymaker, and what he was like.

Donna mentioned the weird musical number. The Doctor spoke about the bi-generation.

"So... there's two Doctors now?" Rose questioned, looking excited at the idea. "That's never happened before!"

"It's a myth of the Time Lords. An impossible regeneration, but possible in the strangest of circumstances, like when being killed by a being from another dimension."

"Or having regenerative energy stored in your extra body part coming into contact with a human?" Donna asked and the Doctor tapped their nose.

"Exactly. Impossible, but possible under circumstance." They turned back to Rose. "He's out there, the Doctor, doing what we always do."

"But what about you?" Sylvia spoke up. "What will you do? You're not running off with my daughter again. If you try, I'll slap you into next week!"

"And I don't doubt it." The Doctor frowned, the slap had healed easily, thanks to still being within the first fifteen hours of regeneration, but it had HURT.

They sighed, slumping in their seat. "I'm honestly not sure what I'll do. I think I'm grounded for a while, which isn't bad. I think. I dunno, I've never done... domestics before. Well. I have. But not this me, the meta-crisis me has."

"How do you know that?" Donna tilted her head.

The Doctor gave her a lopsided grin. "Weird shenanigans! Met Rose, Rose Tyler, when I was all chins and bow ties, but also when I was curly haired and having memories issues. Long, long story! But she told me she's living a good life with her husband, the other me, and they have a daughter! Oh, I bet she's brilliant! My friends always have brilliant kids!"

They grinned at Rose now, who laughed, giving him a small swat on the arm.

They laughed a little before looking at the family before them. "The other me, the New Doctor, he wants me to relax, to take it easy. Donna wants that too. Guess it's what I'm set to do for a while. Not sure what that entails, but it might mean a job. Or a house. Oh! I've never owned a house before. I had a car once, I wonder if Bessie is still about..."

The conversation lightened after that, with the family chattering about their own homes, the fact that Sylvia needed a new car, which she said with a nasty glare at the Doctor, and how Donna got a job at UNIT. When did that happen? Oh, who cares, Donna would be perfect for UNIT, her bossy attitude and office skills would have that place running perfectly!

After dinner and dishes, Shaun gave Donna and the Doctor a tour of the house, where the bedroom of the bottom floor was for Wilf and Sylvia to share, since she wasn't great on the stairs either. Upstairs had a room for him and Donna, one that Rose occupied, and the last guest room was, well...

"You... want me to stay here with you guys?" The Doctor asked, dumbfounded. "Why?"

Donna scoffed. "Of course we do! You're now part of the family! And don't tell me you aren't, space man! You and I have been through so much together, and because of you, my family is safe and sound. Hell, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have my family. I wouldn't have Shaun and Rose."

She took his hand, giving it a good squeeze. "You're one of us now, as long as you're here with us. With me."

The Doctor stared at her quietly, blinking twice.

Sarah Jane Smith had once told this face ages ago that they had the biggest family in the world. And now it felt like it just got a little bit bigger.

They swallowed, their eyes felt wet, and they grinned. "I'll be the most annoying sibling."

"Never had a sibling before, but I don't doubt it." Donna laughed. "Didn't expect anything less."

--

The family was asleep, and the Doctor was in the TARDIS. It had been in the backyard before they arrived, but they only just not slipped out to check on her.

They took a trip into the wardrobe to grab some clothes and supplies for their room in the house. "You can believe it? A bedroom? In a house? Weird! But hey, it's got a bunk bed in it! You know I love a bunk bed! Bunk beds are cool."

THe TARDIS hummed in response as the Doctor dressed in their jimjams, the familiar pair they had worn over the years, a gift from Jackie Tyler. It was nice that they still fit. They tied their robe closed and looked up at the ceiling. "I'll check on you tomorrow, alright?"

She hummed again, lights changing to green, the faint scent of wet grass and pine entered their nose. She knew they'd keep that promise.

Then, faintly, they heard a knock, from far away. The lights changed to orange, and the scent of warmth, spices, and sunshine came to the Doctor.

Grabbing their overnight bag, they rushed out to the console room and heard a knock from the doors. They ran down the platform and threw open the doors, but saw no one.

"Hello?" They said, glancing around at the dark yard.

Glancing down, they noticed something at their feet. A pile of clean clothing, a pair of shoes, and a note written in a familiar language of circles and lines.

'You forgot something, kid. See you later.'

The Doctor laughed, shaking their head as they heard the distant sounds of a fading TARDIS.

Maybe resting would be okay. He was doing just fine, so why shouldn't they?

They had a family to help them along the way.

Putting their clothes into the bag, the Doctor closed the doors to the TARDIS and made their way back into the house, for their first night of temporary retirement.

--

I love getting to throw in references to audio stories, books, and comics into my fics.

Also, I do color association for characters and orange is very much Fifteen's color. So, if I do more of these little notes from him to Fourteen, they'll be in orange. Fourteen would be blue.

[klm-zoflorr]

Superheroes AU: Melanie King!!! My beloved. The bestest. My love. My gal.

Melanie's superhero name is either The Slaughterhouse. Or Red Avenger. I feel like both of these are cool af and honestly that's my main goal when trying to find hero names.

I feel like she's just. The most badass warrior. I'm giving her super healing because that's one of my favorite powers to give out. You're welcome, legend.

Also super hearing perhaps? My thought with this one was to make her a nice counter to the Manuela/Rayner team. These badass supervillains are downright terrified by this 5'2 gal who doesn't even have any fancy powers. It's hilarious.

See, the thing with super hearing is she can still somewhat perceive them even when blinded. But then she doesn't really have a way to attack them so perhaps no. Or maybe she could throw knives at them?

So then I started to think. Okay, super healing. Why can't I just give her Wolverine's power set? Like, the knife hands. I think that would be pretty fucking cool. Plus it gives me some story avenue to explore with the whole adamantium bones/being injected with it/amnesia/suffering/having lived for centuries. Like, do it again but King style. I like! I don't know who the doctor/mad scientist/William Stryker type or whoever that injected her with it would be. Mmh. It's not gonna be Jonah. I need to think on that thought.

Oh, what about John Amherst? With his whole link to like, Ivy Meadows and stuff. Since he hurt her so deeply in canon already. The themes!!! And then Melanie can team up with Julia Montauk and Trevor Herbert to beat him down. Or Adelard Dekker... But I don't know how he'd play into that since his canon storyline with John Amherst was kind of... Just, a lot simpler? I don't know? Maybe I'll just completely change it. Anyways, Adelard is a non-supe, he has zero powers. He's still a vigilante and a damn good one at that. You go my dude.

John needs a telepathic son then. Mmh.

Let's circle back to Melanie. Because I'm mildly insane about their dynamic I want her to be Watchman's (Elias) ex-teammate. There's something there with the fact they're both so damn old. Maybe he has memories of when they met and started working together, whereas she only remembers the end of it after her memory was wiped.

She's probably his actual ex too. Just saying. You know how superhero flings go! They do hate each other now. They really do. But they can't help but get along great because man, what can you do, they just got that chemistryyyyyy...

[instructionsnotincluded]

True North

Beautiful image by @lady-cheeky

Chapter XXVI

(18+ MDNI)

Bucky could feel his entire body shaking, his hands nearly vibrating as he threw back the shot handed to him, the familiar liquid burning his sinuses as it slid down. His throat was raw, but it was a welcome feeling, briefly numbing the adrenaline his body was currently running on, numbing the memories of what just happened up in the air. He sat through interrogation as best he could, sweat coating his head, neck, and back, his jacket heavy, and despite feeling all too warm for the hut, he kept it drawn over his shoulders, the adrenaline chills keeping him from shedding it.

His medical check up went by just as quickly, partly because he insisted he was fine, and partly because he didn’t have any identifying marks or blood to keep him for observation. He felt Buck’s hand on his shoulder while the doctor did a quick look over, squeezing it when he stood to leave, his best friend’s eyes filled with concern and relief as Bucky staggered into their quarters not long after. His hat landed on the neat bedspread first, his heavy jacket falling beside it a moment later before he unbuttoned his jacket and slid that off. One of his shirt sleeves was missing, the ripped and jagged edges along his bicep revealed his bare skin and Buck only watched quietly as he pulled on a fresh shirt, tossing the shredded one off to the side.

“Was my good shirt, too,” Bucky commented weakly after several long minutes of silence passed, the two still the only ones inside the hut. “My lucky shirt—the one I met Stella in.”

“There’s no such thing as luck, John.”

“Says the man who kisses his girl’s photo before every take off,” Bucky shot him a sideways look as he tucked his shirt into his pants, lifting his hands to run them through his damp curls when he was done. “Did you call her?”

“She’s flying,” Buck adjusted his jacket as he looked at his friend.

Bucky glanced down at his watch. “I’ll call her in a bit. She probably won’t be back for a while longer.”

“How’d you lose the sleeve anyway?”

“Long story,” Bucky grinned playfully, the pilot slowly starting to feel like himself again as the stress and adrenaline started to wear off just a bit more, “Shay’s oxygen was disconnected, I noticed him dangling. When I finally got him reconnected, the bastard turned on the turret as he came to and we were both just about ground beef.”

Buck snorted at that, shaking his head as he reached into the inside pocket of his uniformed jacket, fingers grasping the envelope before he pulled it out. “Only you, John. Only you. Mail came while you were up, by the way.”

Bucky could feel a different kind of anxiety bubble in his stomach as he stared at the letter, his hands sliding along his hips, as he inhaled deeply, shoulders rising and falling, “From Ma?”

Buck extended his arm, handing him the letter, and Bucky reached out to grab it, his heart warming at seeing his mother’s familiar writing along the front. He hesitated as he thumbed the back of it, his nail sliding under the glued edge. Part of him was concerned his mother would be worried. Him meeting someone was definitely something none of them probably expected him to do, hell, he didn’t even expect it himself, and then him writing about that someone was probably even more shocking. He could only imagine the scenarios his mother had managed to conjure up in the time since his letter arrived. He broke the rest of the seal, fingers turning the envelope over before he tugged out the trifold letter.

His mother’s writing filled the page, her looped style of writing comfortingly familiar while also striking a bit of homesickness in his stomach, all of the emotions from the day starting to get to him. Bucky brushed his thumb along the ink, feeling the texture of the paper before he focused on the writing:

June 28th, 1943

My Dearest Son,

I hope this letter finds you well. Every day, I pray for your safety and the swift end to this terrible war. Your letters, although few, bring me equal relief and worry, I treasure every word you write. We held a small celebration of life for your father last week. It was quiet, just close friends and family, both of your sisters attended and even Lowell managed to get a weekend of leave to come up from Arkansas—he sends his greetings back. We shared stories all evening about your father, there was much more laughter than tears this year, and for that I’m thankful. He would be so proud of you, John, and I know he’s watching over you. I wish you could have been there with all of us, but I know you’re doing everything you can to keep our world as safe as it can be.

What awful weather! You know how I dread the rain! The snow is bad enough here, weeks of it coating the ground and making everything so cold and dark for months at a time! You probably don’t know if it snows there yet, but all that talk of rain makes me shiver, and the mud! Please tell me you’re making sure to wipe your shoes well, I cannot have a son tracking in mud all the way across the Atlantic. Tell Gale I say hello, I think of him often and we include him in our weekly prayer circle. His name is printed on the back of the newsletter each month on a list of soldiers to pray for. He’s right above your name, so I find him easily. Is he doing alright? I know you mentioned he only has his lovely girl to write to, I’d be happy to have some of the older ladies write to him if you think he’d enjoy it. It would give them something to do and him something to read at the very least.

“Mom says hi,” Bucky turned the page over to continue reading, Buck humming in the background.

Speaking of lovely girls. You must tell me my future daughter in law’s name right this moment, Johnnie! How dare you write to me and tell me you’ve fallen in love but not give me any information about her. I’m over here trying to picture my son and this wonderful young lady, but all you’ve told me is that she’s from Texas! How is a mother supposed to dream and think of her only son’s wedding if you don’t give me any information? What is her name? Her family’s name? Have you proposed to her? How did you meet her? What’s she like? Is she religious?

John, the list of questions I have for you grows by the day. You cannot tell me you’ve fallen in love and then not say anything else. I’ve read your letter at least a dozen times, your sisters have read it, I even showed Marcy down the way and we’re all in agreement that you are terrible at giving information. Frances thinks you did it on purpose. For the sake of my old heart, promise me you fly better than you give details, John. I worry so much about you over there. Everyday we see stories in the paper about crashes and POWs, it hurts my heart thinking about their families. Tell me everything about her, Johnnie. I mean it. You cannot string your mother on like this. If she makes you laugh in the midst of all this chaos and fear, I must know everything about her. I imagine she worries about you too, as I’m sure you worry for her. I will keep both of you in my thoughts and daily prayers.

Frances left yesterday for England and now I have two children overseas. I’m not quite sure how to handle myself, especially with Eileen so far down south now, but I’m managing. I miss you so, Johnnie. I think of you often and I cannot wait until our family is reunited once more. Be safe. Be good.

All my love,

Mother

“All’s well?”

“Mhmm,” Bucky lifted his arm, dragging the sleeve across his cheek to rid himself of the rouge tear that escaped his eyes, inhaling deeply as he continued to process his mother’s words, “Frannie’s comin’ over here. Ma said she might be heading to the Pacific a few letters ago, but I guess something changed. I’ll have to keep an eye out for her.”

“I’m not sure this island can handle two Egans,” Buck said as he sat down on the edge of his cot, watching his best friend attempt to settle himself.

Bucky grinned, running a flat hand down his chest to straighten his uniform, “Wouldn’t it be somethin’ if she was stationed here?”

“Oh, that’d be somethin’ alright,” Buck chuckled as he plucked a fresh toothpick out of his case, “I’d give three dollars to watch that exchange when your girl comes flying in.”

Bucky seemed to hesitate, his eyes lifting upwards before he nodded slowly, shaking a finger in Buck’s direction as he thought over his previous statement, “When you’re right, you’re right. It’s better if she’s not assigned here. Can’t have…any of that gettin’ back to mom.”

Frank tilted her head back, eyes flickering across the English countryside as she made her way towards Ratcliffe, the familiar landscape and buildings coming into view as she expertly navigated her way back to base. She’d flown this path so many times, enough that she could probably do it with her eyes closed if she really wanted to. Frank flew the Hawker Hurricane, after ferrying a few RAF pilots from base to base throughout the day, she picked up a last minute maintenance ferry, the Hurricane due for its routine inspection before it would return to the skies over France and Germany. She enjoyed the Hurricanes, she didn’t fly them often and while the Spitfire would always have her heart, she loved working the slick controls, pretending that she was an actual fighter pilot instead of a glorified chauffeur.

Memories of her day making small talk with the RAF pilots made her head ache just a little. They always asked the same questions, always wondered about her life in the states and if she had anyone waiting for her at home. Some of the bolder ones would ask if she was interested in staying the night on a different base or if she had a husband. Sometimes she’d speak in a broken French accent that would horrify Dorothy, just so she didn’t have to answer the questions, claiming she only spoke a little English.

Taking her final arc around one of the larger farms just outside of Leicester, Frank came in for her final approach, lining herself up with the air strip as she worked to bring the fighter down to about a thousand feet, taking her time to check the gauges and adjust the flaps, slowly easing back on the throttle after confirming everything was behaving properly. The base came into view and Frank could make out the various trucks and hangers as she passed over the large farm house, and just as she was prepared to bring the plane down for a landing, something caught her eye.

It was quick, faster than she expected, the massive black bird skirting around the cockpit before it darted right into the propeller’s path. The impact was instant and Frank felt her stomach leap into her throat as she hurried to stabilize the aircraft, the Hurricane shuddering violently as the propeller spun irregularly, no longer balanced correctly. Frank fought to maintain control as the entire plane began to vibrate, gravity starting to take over with each warped turn of the propeller.

The Hurricane’s nose dipped and Frank swore loudly, hands scrambling to adjust the throttle and pitch, careful not to over-correct, the plane continuing to shimmy erratically, a terrible grinding sound filling the cockpit as the propeller hesitated. Frank gripped the yoke hard, forcing the plane to stay level as she flew closer to the air strip. She was close, but still far enough away that she couldn’t bring it down immediately, the plane dropping altitude just a little more dramatically than she would have liked. The Hurricane continued to dip and shake as she passed the outskirts of the base and Frank bit down hard on her tongue, her heart almost dropping to her feet when the propeller stuttered more, the plane falling about five feet.

She lined up with the airstrip as best she could, the plane starting to become uncontrollable, wanting to bank to the right as she came in, preparing herself for what was probably about to be a really rough landing, the cross wind she was warned about at take off making it even more difficult to hit the runway and stay out of the grass. The handful of seconds between her bringing the plane down and it making contact with the runway felt like an eternity, Frank trying to keep it as stable as possible.

She landed hard, the wheels skipping a few times, parts of the plane groaning and whining when it came in contact with the tarmac. Frank braced herself, doing everything she could to keep from being flung too far into the window from the amount of force she had to land the plane with, but even with her knees apart and her back pressed into her seat, her left shoulder ended up taking the brunt of her hit, smashing into the cockpit when she landed.

Frank wasn’t sure she experienced such a touch and go landing like this since training, her heart thundering against her ribcage as she continued to slow the plane down, taxiing it as best she could into its designated space, the plane really not wanting to do anything now that it’d been hit. When she finally stopped, Frank slid out of the cockpit and onto the waiting ground, breathing heavily, pushing as much oxygen through her nose as she could. The ground crew and engineers were already well on their way towards her and Frank stepped aside to let them do their job, fumbling with the strap under her chin to unclasp her helmet. She made it about halfway across the airfield, adrenaline running through her veins and causing her heart to continue racing when she spotted Rose standing near one of the hangers, dressed in her flight coveralls, the upper portion partially unbuttoned to reveal her uniform.

“That looked like a hard landing,” Rose called out as Frank made a detour towards her friend, bag and helmet dangling from one hand, “you alright?”

“Bashed my shoulder,” Frank winced as she motioned towards it, the part of her body slowly starting to throb, “I think I just need to stretch it out. I caught a cross wind when I was starting to come down and then a fucking bird flew right into the prop.”

Rose made a face before she bid goodbye to the engineer she was chatting with, moving to join Frank at the mouth of the hanger, “I’m glad you were this close to base when it happened. Did it stall?”

“No, thankfully,” Frank shook her head, “she slowed but never stopped.” The girls moved further down the runway and Frank nodded towards the hanger where the shiny P-51 Mustang sat, “Did you fly that Mustang in?”

“I did,” Rose wiggled her eyebrows and Frank chuckled softly, “jealous?”

“How’d she handle?”

“Like a dream,” Rose’s smile was wide and Frank was glad to see it, her friend’s sparkle back, “she’s brand new. I could’ve made the jump to Liverpool, but they didn’t want to take any chances with her being so fresh. So, I’ll be flying her to her new home tomorrow. As long as I don’t annoy Dorothy between now and then, of course.”

“You?” Frank gasped in mock surprise and Rose rolled her eyes, “Annoy Dorothy? Never.”

“You’re such a cow.” Rose swatted her friend and Frank grinned, “Just for that I’m going to tell her you’re injured.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Frank narrowed her eyes while Rose only shrugged playfully. “If you want in the fortress again, you’ll forget I said anything.”

“We’ll see,” Rose only sing-songed as the girls approached the tower, both ready to turn in their flight logs and finish their day.

They went through the familiar process easily, turning in their flight paths and notes, Frank making special mention of the bird incident before the girls left and made their way to the dorms. Frank sighed when her bed came into view, her bag landing haphazardly beside it as she slowly unbuttoned her coveralls, careful of putting too much stress on her shoulder.

“Are we going down to the pub after dinner?” Rose asked.

“I don’t think I’m going to,” Frank gently lifted her left arm, testing the waters to see how well she could move it, wincing when it pulled uncomfortably.

“Going to call your beau?”

“Yeah and then try to rest,” she lifted her good hand to run along her shoulder, massaging the area in what she hoped would be a beneficial way, “I’m exhausted. Dorothy’s had me on a full schedule and I should have seen that bird before it happened…”

“Birds are chaotic, Frank,” Rose frowned, “you know that. Accidents happen.”

“Not in a fighter, they don’t,” Frank groaned when she tried to raise her arm over her head, not at all liking how it ached, “there have been too many close calls this week. Dorothy’s been spending too many late nights doing paperwork. Her head is going to explode when she reads about this…”

Rose stepped around the cots until she was beside Frank, hand running along her shoulder to eye it worriedly, not at all liking the way Frank couldn’t bring it higher, “How hard did you hit it?”

“Pretty hard,” Frank grunted when Rose tried to turn it around, “ow—ok, that’s enough stretching, I think. I’d like to keep my arm.”

“You need to have that looked at,” Rose took a step back, flopping down onto Frank’s cot, “If you fly with that tomorrow, Dot’s really going to explode…”

“I just need to rest it,” Frank unbuttoned the top of her uniform, biting down onto her tongue to keep her face from twisting into pain, “maybe get some ice.

Rose only hummed, watching Frank attempt to look as if she wasn’t in pain, and it wasn’t until they were almost cleaned up that Dorothy came into the dormitories, a stack of paperwork tucked into a folder under one arm, “Evening, ladies.”

“Dot,” Rose watched Frank closely as Dorothy walked around them to her own bed, placing the folder onto her mattress, “busy day?”

“Yes, and I don’t think it’s over yet,” Dorothy shrugged off her jacket. “How were your flights?”

“The Mustang flies beautifully,” Rose leaned back on her hands, “sign me up for it anytime.”

“Noted,” Dorothy chuckled softly, “glad you enjoyed yourself. Frank? Not too many stops today?”

Frank shook her head no, holding her arm against her side in a way she hoped wasn’t suspicious, but based on the way Rose was eyeing her carefully, she knew it wasn’t as natural as she hoped. “No—it was a good day.”

Dorothy nodded, an awkward silence passing over them before she turned to look at the girls, eyebrows lifting as she looked at the way they both looked entirely too uncomfortable. “Everything ok?” Rose side-eyed Frank, and Dorothy turned her full attention to her best friend, “Everything going well in East Anglia?”

“I hope so.” Frank chewed on her lower lip, “Do you know something I don’t?”

“I don’t,” Dorothy’s eyes drifted across Frank’s body language, taking in the way Frank held onto her elbow. “What’s wrong with your arm?”

“Nothing—”

“Bird strike,” Rose pushed herself off the cot, ignoring the death glare Frank sent her way, “send her to medical—see you at dinner!”

“You had a bird strike?” Dorothy’s full attention was directly on Frank now as she exhaled in frustration, clearly she was wrong about being able to trust Rose to keep her mouth shut.

“I don’t know where it came from,” Frank took a seat on the edge of her bed, sighing, “I’m assuming it didn’t make it…”

“No, I’d assume not,” Dorothy stepped closer, hovering over Frank as she ran her hand along her arm, “are you alright?”

“Fine, I just need to rest it.”

“Raise your hand.”

Frank lifted her hand, bending her arm at the elbow and Dorothy gave her an unimpressed look, pointing towards the lights above, “Reach up to the ceiling if you’re fine.”

Frank tilted her head back, exhaling as she attempted it, hardly able to move it above her chest before she was pulling it back into her body, “I’ll be fine in the morning.”

“Uh-huh,” Dorothy patted Frank’s leg before motioning her to stand, all but dragging Frank out of the dorms and back outside, “you’re going to get checked out. Now.”

“Dot—”

“Were you even going to tell me if Rose hadn’t mentioned it?”

When Frank didn’t reply, Dorothy marched them quickly across the base, following behind her friend and commanding officer like a puppy who was just scolded for chewing up a shoe. They arrived at the infirmary quickly, the building not too far from the dorms. At this time of day, the Infirmary wasn’t terribly busy, but the strong smell of antiseptic filled their nostrils as the girls entered. One of the nurses quickly whisked them away to one of the empty beds, and if Frank concentrated hard enough, she could smell a faint, metallic scent of blood.

Frank reached over to rest her hand along her upper arm, cradling it against her body as she sat down on the edge of the cot, feet firmly on the floor as if she were ready to get up and run at any moment. “Let’s take a look at the arm, Captain.” Frank didn't recognize the nurse from the handful of times she visited the infirmary, but didn’t think too much of it. They had a revolving door of pilots at the ATA, there was a good chance it was like that everywhere.

They were at war, afterall.

“What happened?”

“I’m fine—honestly.”

“She had a rough landing,” Dorothy cut in, hands resting on her hips where she stood at the end of the bed, eyes trained on Frank, as if she knew Frank wasn’t going to be an easy patient. “Knocked her shoulder into the side of the cockpit.”

“That does sound painful,” The nurse spoke with an American accent, her blue uniform not that different from their own, her hand running along Frank’s arm, confirming there was no open wounds or uncontrollable bleeding. “Let me grab Doctor Miller, he shouldn’t be too far…”

Dorothy thanked her softly before stepping closer to Frank, her face hard and unimpressed, “I can’t believe you weren’t going to tell me. What were you thinking? You were just going to fly again tomorrow?”

“I was thinking that I would see how it felt in the morning,” Frank gritted out, wincing as she attempted to remove her outer layers, hoping to make it easier for the doctor to examine, “and if it still hurt, then I’d consider coming here.”

“You could hurt yourself further by flying injured.”

Frank tilted her head back, eyes closed as she focused on the sounds around her rather than Dorothy’s nagging, her shoulder really starting to ache from the overuse. “Captain Frank?”

Frank’s eyes opened immediately, taking in the middle-aged English doctor as he approached, “That’s me.”

“I’m Doctor Miller,” he nodded to Dorothy before moving his hands to tilt her head out of the way, examining her neck and collarbones first, “Nurse Frances tells me you’ve injured your arm?”

“Hard landing,” Frank allowed the Doctor to move her head and neck how he wanted, only minor waves of pain running to her shoulder, “I bashed it into the side. It’s just sore, I promise…”

“I let you fly the planes, Captain,” Doctor Miller released her face, giving her an easy smile, “let me examine the injured, hmm?” Frank sighed and Dorothy snorted as he motioned to her sleeve, “Let’s have a look, shall we?”

Frank pulled her shirt off, gritting her teeth hard to keep from showing too much pain, thanking the nurse softly when she helped ease the sleeve off her arm, leaving her in her uniform undershirt, arm bare. “It’s definitely swollen,” Doctor Miller ran his fingers along her upper arm and shoulder, carefully feeling around her shoulder blade, “how would you describe the pain? Dull? Or sharp?”

“Dull,” Frank forced her arm to go as limp as possible, letting the doctor check her range of motion, starting with her fingers and slowly working his way up her arm in bigger movements.

“Bare with me while I move your shoulder…”

Frank couldn’t keep the gasp back when the doctor raised her arm fully into the air, slowly maneuvering it in circles, testing to see where it hurt. “Ok—sharp. That’s pretty sharp.”

Doctor Miller was silent for just a little longer, lifting her arm to check the muscles in her torso and armpit, while still paying special attention to her neck and upper back. Eventually he placed her arm back to her side and Frank breathed a sigh of relief, “I don’t think it’s broken,” he said, pulling the stethoscope from around his neck, popping each of the ear pieces into his ear as he rested it along her chest, “Breathe for me, let’s make sure you didn’t puncture anything with a rib during your landing.” Frank breathed a few times and he nodded, winding it back around his shoulders, “Sounds good, clear. Again, I don’t think it’s broken, if anything you’ve sprained it. You’ll have a fairly large bruise once it’s come to the surface, but I’d still like to do an X-ray just in case. OK?”

“Does she need to be sent off for that?” Dorothy asked.

“No, Commander. We have a machine here, it shouldn’t take too long. I’ll check to see if there’s anyone in front of her.” Doctor Miller turned his attention to the nurse next, “Let’s go ahead and grab some morphine to take the edge off, and I’ll wrap it after her X-ray is complete.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Dorothy tried to coax Frank into leaning back against the pillows while they waited for the nurse to return with the medication, but Frank refused, swatting Dorothy’s hand away when she tried to help her pivot her body fully onto the cot. “Must you be so difficult all the time?”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t be cross,” Dorothy moved her hand to brush some of Frank’s hair over her shoulder, “it’s for the best. It’s better that we know you’re injured so we can plan accordingly, rather than having you stranded at a different base, or worse, in another accident.”

“An X-ray is unnecessary.”

“You heard what he said,” Dorothy shifted on her feet, “let him deal with the injured while you fly the planes.”

Frank watched the nurse return with the syringe, refusing to look at the long needle as she prepared Frank’s arm for the injection, her eyes trained firmly on Dorothy when the needle sank into her arm. “Are you this difficult for your Major?” Dorothy asked, “Perhaps I should have called him in to worry over you. If what Rose says is true, he’d be halfway here by now…”

Frank’s only response was a grunt and Dorothy chuckled, moving to rest her hand along the railing at the head of the bed, leaning against it comfortably as the Nurse finished plunging the rest of the morphine into Frank, “It’s probably better if he’s not here. I can only imagine how he'd be.”

The nurse laughed at that and Frank shot Dorothy another foul look, "Your husband…?”

“No,” Frank shook her head before Dorothy could say something to earn her a third dirty look in less than an hour.

“They’re courting,” Dorothy wiggled her eyebrows and Frank sighed, “and getting rather serious. He’s an American pilot.”

“Can you not use that word?” Frank made a face and both Dorothy and the nurse chuckled, “It makes it sound so…sterile. We’re just enjoying each other's company.”

“Frequently, I might add.” Dorothy folded her arms across her chest.

“Are you a pilot as well?” The nurse asked, her eyes shifting to look at Frank as she slowly and carefully pulled the needle from her skin.

“A ferry pilot,” Frank nodded, wincing when she shifted her arm, “I primarily fly the larger planes.”

“I don’t know how you get into those things,” the nurse shook her head, blue eyes sparkling with interest, “they terrify me. My brother’s a pilot as well and the entire time he was in training I just waited for the letter to arrive that he crashed. The look on our mother’s face when he told us he joined the USAAF during Easter dinner…”

“My parents feel the same way,” Dorothy ran a hand along her neck, her eyes lifting upwards as if she were remembering a previous conversation. “Have you ever been in the air?”

“No,” She shook her head, dark curls pinned tightly along the nape of her neck, “and I’m in no rush to at all. I just recently arrived from the US and I’ll take a boat any day.”

The girls laughed, “I get seasick,” Frank shook her head, recalling how green she felt on her trip from the United States, “so flying is my preferred method.”

“You just arrived?” Dorothy asked, “Welcome to Ratcliffe. You’ll probably see us around base from time to time if you’re stationed here…”

“I’ll rotate every six weeks,” the nurse nodded, “but I’m sure I’ll make my way back here before the war is over. Or at least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

“I’m Dorothy Skylar,” Dorothy nodded toward Frank, who still sat on the bed, and while Frank appeared to be fairly disgruntled, Dorothy could tell the medication was starting to work. “This is Stella Frank.”

“Lovely to meet you both,” the nurse smiled politely, “I’m Frances Egan, but everyone back home calls me Fran. It was lovely speaking with you, let me check to see if we’re ready for the X-ray…”

Dorothy didn’t catch it at first, but when she turned to look at Frank and saw how wide her friend’s eyes were she only lifted her eyebrows, “What?”

“Did she say her last name was Egan?”

“I believe so—oh.” Dorothy whipped her head around to look at the retreating nurse, “Oh—you think…”

“Is it a common name?” Frank couldn’t control the wideness of her eyes, “Oh my God…”

“It could be…” Dorothy bit her lower lip, “But she did say she has a brother in the USAAF…”

Frank pressed her hands to her face, staring at Dorothy in shock, “How…how does this even happen?”

“I don’t know,” Dorothy’s eyes twinkled, “but can I be there when you tell him?”

Frank didn’t get a chance to reply, another nurse escorting her from the bed to a curtained off area to do the X-ray, the Doctor apologizing each time he made her arm bend or move uncomfortably, and when she was done she followed the Doctor back to the bed. “As suspected, it’s not broken,” he glanced over his shoulder as Frances hurried over with a roll of bandages, “I’m going to tape it to give you some relief and keep it from moving around too long. I am going to ask that you stay out of the air for a few days…”

“Yes, of course,” Dorothy nodded before Frank could process the Doctor’s words, the morphine definitely affecting her now, “we’ll make sure she’s off the schedule for the remainder of the week.”

“You should start to feel better in a day or two,” Doctor Miller reached for the scissors to cut the tape before placing it along Frank’s shoulder and arm, the adhesive sticking to her skin, “and try to keep from showering today, just to keep the tape from coming off right away.”

“Do we need to continue any medication?”

“No, shouldn’t,” he shook his head, “but if it gets to hurting at this level again, please don’t hesitate to come in and we can reevaluate.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Dorothy shook his hand and he gently squeezed Frank’s good shoulder.

“Have a good night, ladies.”

“Fran,” Dorothy caught her attention when she moved to step away, “you mentioned a brother. Is he here, in England?”

“Yes, somewhere,” Frances nodded, “I can’t remember where, exactly. But he’s here on one of the American bases…why?”

Frank exchanged a look with Dorothy before the commanding officer continued, “Is his name John, by chance?”

“Yes,” Frances chuckled, “Another John here in England…”

“Does he go by Bucky?”

Frances’ eyes snapped down to look at Frank, her eyebrows falling ever so slightly as she stared back at the pilot on the cot, Dorothy watching with wide, interested eyes. “He does, in fact…” Frances only needed a few more seconds to connect the dots, “Oh my—you’re the girl from the letter?”

Dorothy’s head perked up, “Letter? What letter?”

“He didn’t mention any names,” Frances shook her head, moving to take a seat on the edge of the bed as she stared at Frank with eyes just as wide, “but he went on and on about a girl he met and how she’s a pilot… and you’re a pilot!” Frances hurried to take Frank’s hand, “How did you meet? Is he alright? Does he come here…?”

“I ferry planes to his base,” Frank shook her head. “He’s stationed at Thorpe Abbotts, it’s not too far from here. I met him there and as far as I know he’s doing well.”

“I cannot believe we are on the same base,” Frances continued to smile, squeezing Frank’s hand, “what are the chances that I’d meet the girl my brother wrote home about on my first night?”

“What did he say?” Dorothy asked, “He wrote about her?”

“Yes,” Frances chuckled softly, “yes. Our mother’s been going mad trying to figure you out. He gave us no description, no name, just that you were a pilot and that he’s smitten.”

“See,” Dorothy nudged Frank’s good arm, “I told you that he’s wrapped around your finger…”

“I’ve never seen him this way before,” Frances shook her head. “My brother never brings girls home to meet the family, he never talks about women, and he always gets so red when anyone asks him about marriage…and imagine our shock when we get a letter about a girl he’s basically in lo—”

“Nurse Frances!”

“Coming,” Frances scrambled off the cot, “I have to get back to work, but we’ll talk later?”

“Yes, of course,” Frank nodded, her heart beating just a little faster than normal at the end of Frances’ previous sentence. When she was far enough way, Frank turned to look at Dorothy, “Was she going to say that he’s…”

“Unless you’re ready to say it back,” Dorothy shook her head, “I would pretend you didn’t hear that. There’s no need to push something you’re not ready for. If he’s ready and he wants you, he’ll wait.”

“He will,” Frank nodded, fiddling with the ring along her finger, the one from her grandmother, “he’s already told me as much.”

Dorothy only shook her head, “I think I need to make a trip to Thorpe Abbotts soon…”

Frank snorted, reaching for her shirt before she slowly and carefully put it back on, ready to get out of the Infirmary and to her own bed, “I think you’d really get along with his best friend…”

By the time Frank made it back to the dorms, changed into something looser and casual, it was much later than she hoped. She missed dinner, but Dorothy managed to sneak her something to eat while she changed and after inhaling a bowl of soup as quickly as she could, Frank found herself waiting for the operators to connect her to Thorpe Abbotts.

He answered on the third ring, his voice thick and tired and Frank desperately wished she could reach out to him, “Frank?”

“The one and only,” Frank avoided leaning against the wall with her bad arm, yawning softly.

“I called earlier,” Bucky’s familiar voice made her stomach squeeze comfortingly, “but they said you were in the middle of something.”

“I was,” Frank only debated for a handful of seconds before she decided to just let him know, “I was in the Infirmary. I had a bit of a rough landing…”

“Are you alright?” Bucky sounded just a little panicked, and she envisioned him shifting, raking a hand through his hair. “Are you hurt?”

“I bashed my shoulder into the cockpit,” Frank said, “Dorothy forced me to get checked out, but I’m fine. Nothing is broken and they think it’s just sprained.”

“What happened?” Bucky shook his head, “Just a bad landing? Equipment malfunction…?”

“Bird strike.”

“Fuck,” Bucky drew out the word and Frank hummed. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I will be,” Frank sighed, her body wishing that she could just sink against him, give him some of her tired weight, “the doctor looked me over and wrapped my arm, and I met a lovely nurse from the states who gave me a shot.”

“I’m glad they have you taken care of.” Bucky’s voice dropped so their conversation would stay just between them, “You didn’t hit your head? Did the plane stall?”

“No, she kept spinning, thankfully.” Frank said, “I’m off for a few days to rest it, so I’ll be busy pushing paperwork.”

“Mmm.” Bucky leaned back against the wall, shifting the receiver from one hand to the other, “I can’t believe a bird…”

“Less than a thousand feet from the ground, too,” Frank shook her head, “it was a rough landing, but I’m glad I was so close to the airfield.”

“Me too, angel. Me too.”

Frank couldn’t help the way her stomach flipped at the name, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, “Did you play today?”

“Mhm,” Bucky nodded. “Early game, we won. I had a rough go, but made it home.”

“Are you alright?”

“Tore my uniform,” Bucky said, “took my whole sleeve off tryin’ to help out one of my infielders. But I’m alright, just a couple scratches and some bruises…”

“I’m glad you’re ok,” Frank shook her head, her heart clenching, “I hate that you lost your sleeve. I’m not even sure how that happens…”

“I’ll have to tell you in person,” Bucky wasn’t sure how to translate it into baseball terms, so he didn’t, “I think it’s a story they’ll put in the papers back home.”

“Speaking of home,” Frank said, “the nurse I mentioned earlier? She seemed so familiar.”

“Mmm?”

“Yeah, I didn’t realize until we were almost done why she looked so familiar,” Frank bit her lip to keep from laughing, “Frances says hello.”

The silence was brief but enough and Frank almost laughed when Bucky inhaled deeply, “Wait—my sister?”

“She’s here,” Frank nodded, Bucky chuckling lightly, “said she just arrived and she’ll be here for six weeks before moving to a different base. We were talking about flying and then before I knew it she was telling us her name…”

“Well, how ‘bout that,” Bucky shook his head in wonder, “what a small world. She didn’t give you too hard a time, did she?”

“No, no,” Frank said, “of course not. She’s sweet and lovely, and asked several questions about how we met. She misses you and is glad to hear you’re doing well.”

“How is she?”

“Also doing well,” Frank said, “she’s excited that you’re so close…”

Bucky chuckled, “I can’t believe she’s there with you. Watch out, she’ll try to influence you into believing all types of stories if she’s given the chance…”

Frank laughed, “I’m sure they’re adorable.”

“Yeah, keep thinking that,” Bucky said and Frank laughed, the former pleased that his girl was laughing and having a good time after such a stressful afternoon, “tell her I said hello back if you see her. I’ll try to figure out how to give her a call now that she’s there. Who knows, maybe I’ll cash in on some leave and come give my two girls a visit…”

“I’m sure she’d enjoy seeing you,” Frank felt her cheeks warm slightly, “she mentioned a letter you wrote to your mom…”

“Yeah?” Bucky sounded just a little nervous and Frank smiled slightly, “Did she open her big mouth and tell you all about it?”

“No,” Frank said, “I mean, she tried, but was called away. I just thought you should know it didn’t stay between you and your mother.”

“I didn’t imagine it would,” Bucky sighed, “I just told them about a great girl I met, who I think about all the time. Didn’t think it’d get back to you so soon, but I guess that’s what I get for thinking that.”

Frank was in a full blush by now, shaking her head as she looked down at her feet, “Just so you know, I think about you all the time too.”

A beat passed and Bucky smiled on the other end, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Bucky reached over to run his fingers along the phone cord, his voice lowering once more, “Look, I know you said you’ll be up to your neck in paperwork, but if you think you can get some leave, I may have an idea…”

“An idea, you say?”

“Mhmm,” Bucky shifted, “Do you happen to have another pretty dress, pretty girl?”

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

turns out im living in a horror film

pairing: ethan landry x gn!reader

WC: 2.4K

warnings: cursing, blood and stab mentions. should be it.

summary: im both the killer and the final girl

A/N: i think i like writing crazy reader🤔 anyway, once again inspired by a song, specifically the title line. dont think too hard about the killing, just enjoy the story.

any paragraphs written in bold and italic means thats what actually happened.

@alecmores​ my editor❤️

been in the drafts since may20

masterlist / ethan landry

🎧 always and forever and you first

the hospital was bustling with doctors and nurses, in groups talking or solo looking down at clipboards. families in the waiting room or cafeteria sitting at the small tables and eating the okay food. a few security guards posted at different entrances, your wary eyes watching them as you passed door after door until you came to the right one.

you couldn’t see anything due to the curtains wrapped around the bed. you did see a shadow moving about and then a nurse peeked out and her eyes widened just a bit when she spotted you. you froze, but forced a quick pull of your lips; even a weak wave which was just your hand going up and then down. her head disappeared behind the curtain and then she walked your way.

“are you here to see mr. landry?” sweet and simple. you nodded wordlessly, voice failing you. she stepped aside and cocked her head before walking away down the hall and a corner.

you clenched and unclenched your hands at your sides, palms slowly gaining moisture until you wiped them down your stained and ripped pants. feet moving on their own accord and you stopped at the foot of the hospital bed. a sigh of relief at the sight beholding you.

ethan laid on his back, dressed in the standard gown with his blanket pulled to his waist. an iv was poked into his hand with a gray device attached to his index finger, his hands resting over his stomach. his heart monitor was beating steady as you watched with every breath he took and how his chest rose and fell with ease. his eyes were closed, lashes fluttering over dark circles. his mouth slightly parted as he slept.

taking slow and quiet steps you rounded the frame and stood on his right side. fingers pressing lightly into the bed as you leaned closer to his resting face. his freckles that were spotted here or there stood a bit darker as his skin looked a bit paler. ethan’s head of unruly brown ringlets sat just a bit more deflated than the usual pillow of curls that you would run your fingers through. your eyes land on two bandages, one that sat high on his cheek and the other vertically on his bottom lip to his chin.

fingertips curled into the blue fabric as your blood got heated with rage. but your thoughts were cut short when you felt ethan shuffling and then heard the deep inhale telling you he was waking up. you took just a slight step back and softened your posture.

ethan rubbed a fist at his eye and when they opened again, his head moved against his pillow and faced you. a welcoming smile melted your insides as his honey-brown eyes pull you in. you gained that step back and reached for the hand close to you.

“hi.” that’s all you could say as your eyes watered. it seemed to please ethan. he flipped his hand and let his fingers curl with yours. “hi.” his voice cracked and you instantly searched for water. the hand with the iv took the offered cup and drained it with deep gulps.

you placed the cup on the nightstand and hesitantly moved your hand to touch ethan’s face. you saw how his eyes noticed and he led you the rest of the way until your palm was holding his uncut cheek and your thumb was rubbing his oily skin.

“how you feeling?” a stupid question, you know. but still, you had to ask.

ethan’s head tilted down and his lips turned into a frown, something you hate to see on his pretty face. “well, i’m still alive after being stabbed in the stomach. so… i would say physically okay, mentally terrified.” he closed his eyes and leaned further into your touch.

you licked your lips as your eyes kept a steady watch on ethan. “ethan…” he peeked an eye open at his name, “i have some… some bad news.” voice low and touch heavy.

ethan sat up and his head moved away causing you to drop it from the air and fall to his thigh. you needed a minute to formulate your words without sounding discombobulated or not making sense.

“what happened after the subway?” his heart monitor spiked. the green line shooting higher than it was a minute ago.

“well, me and mindy waited here until we got news on your stability. and then mindy got a text from chad about the plan. so she rushed out and said she was heading to help…”

“mindy, wait!”

you caught up to her quickly just outside the entrance. mindy stopped and turned around, her eyes narrowed as you got closer and then she put a hand up telling you to stop. you held your hands up in surrender and stopped just a few steps away.

“what are you doing?” her tone was accusing. “shouldn’t you be staying here? making sure ethan’s gonna live?”

“i… i can't just sit around while you and everyone else are at that theater waiting for ghostface.” you argued. “so i’m going so we have all hands on deck. six against, what, two ghostfaces? that’s easy.”

mindy regarded you for a moment and then she shrugged her shoulders, “okay, fine. let’s hurry.” and the two of you were rushing down the busy streets to the abandoned theater.

“we got to the theater and hurried up the elevator and that’s when we got a call from sam…”

you kept a steady pace with mindy seeing as both of you weren’t athletic. feet carried you down the hidden alleyway towards the front entrance. mindy was ahead of you and just as she was reaching for the handle-

“ah!” mindy screeched. her knees crumpled from underneath and she slammed into the door and slid down.

you yanked the knife from her back and plunged it into a different spot. out then in, out then in. you lost count of how many times the wet knife sunk into mindy's muscles. you only stopped once she stopped fighting and the yelling abruptly ended.

you wiped the signature blade clean on mindy’s jacket and walked through the door and into the elevator.

ethan’s heart rate was speeding up. “my love, calm down. please.” hands rushing to hold his face in your grasp, trying to provide a silver of comfort as you retell the horror you went through an hour ago. “why don’t i just wait until-“

“no. just- just get through it.” he insisted. you hesitate until he holds your wrist and nods his head.

you sigh, “when sam called us she told us to get out, that it was a trap. that kirby was ghostface.”

ethan’s brows furrowed, “why- why would she be- she got stabbed by her friend!” his eyes darted back and forth, trying to make sense of what you're telling him. trying to make the puzzle pieces fit.

“detective bailey said that kirby was fired over six months ago from the fbi. that she was showing major signs of ptsd and her anger would flare at times. she probably just…snapped.”

“y/n…this isn’t you! you’r- you’re not a killer!”

kirby struggled against your weight that kept her plastered to the floor. her gun kicked far away from sight as she kept your weapon-wielding hands away from her body. you didn’t want to stab her multiple times like mindy… maybe just once and then slice her throat.

“you don’t know anything about me, agent.” you hissed as you pushed down harder.

you pushed all your upper body strength into your arms and managed to inch the knife closer and closer to kirby’s waiting throat. you could almost see light bouncing off the silver…

“we stepped out of the elevator and kirby shot mindy in the head. and just before she could get to me, detective bailey appeared out of nowhere and shot her in the heart.”

ethan’s eyes watered instantaneously and his lips quivered. on instinct you crawled into the bed and pulled ethan’s head to your shoulder. he gripped your dirty shirt tight in his shaky hold as his salty tears dripped onto your skin.

“what- what- what about…the others?” he hiccuped.

you rolled your lips and looked to the ceiling. it was only going to get worse. you didn’t say anything as you dragged your fingers through his hair, which caused him to pull away. eyes starting to get red and puff, dried tear stains ruining his face.

“what… happened?” he restated sternly.

your hands fell to your lap and you looked down as you picked away at your skin and hangnails. flashes of blood on your hands cloud your vision but it’s gone in a blink. you cleared your throat.

“i… i think we were too late. i don’t know how, but… it was straight from a horror movie as me and bailey walked into the theater. i found chad… laying in a pool of his blood.”

it felt so exhilarating as you did the same tactic on chad as his twin. poetic or something shit, how they died the same way by the same knife and hand. his eyes screamed for mercy, but you didn’t care. the sound of blood and stabbing drowning your thoughts.

“then i heard a commotion somewhere so i went to make sure bailey was okay. I stumbled back into the main shrine area and saw sam wrestling with him…”

sam and bailey pushed and shoved each other into glass cases. bailey had more of the upper hand, but sam was holding her own. you hid in the shadows, crouching low and waiting for an opening to help your sudden accomplice.

“…sam managed to throw him to the ground and she had a knife ready to stab him. i didn’t think… i- i just ran at her and threw myself into her…”

both of you smacked into the bottom of a display, the breath knocked out of you for a minor two. sam pushed herself up and the look of disgust and disbelief that one of her friends-

“you’r- you’re helping him? you’re a ghostface?” she heaved as she stood up. you kept a close eye on her.

“not exactly… but that doesn’t matter. i’m only a ghostface in this case.”

with your guard down just a bit, she ran at you-

“- sam stabbed me in the thigh and then the shoulder.”

sam got a deep stab into your right thigh and swiftly pulled it out and sunk the blade into your shoulder near your collarbone. you screamed bloody murder from the pain and anger she flared up in you.

“i- i don’t know. it’s like she had a personality switch or something. maybe her dad’s genes kicked in and she and kirby planned this sick show. sam doing the first few and then when kirby came down they switched off. at least that’s the theory the police have come up with.”

ethan’s fingers ran over the wound on your thigh, that frown back on his face. once again you reached for his hand and waffled them together. you kissed the back of his hand then his knuckles and lastly each fingertip.

“is tara at least…” you heard the hesitancy as he asked about his friend. wondering if her sister would be sick enough to kill her off after showing such a protective front around others.

teeth sunk into your bottom lips as you shook your head. “her, uh, her throat was slashed. but no- no other wounds.”

“y/n, y/n. why- why are you doing this?”

tara was trying to plead with you or at least understand your reasoning for killing your friends. you took slow and menacing steps as you backed her further into a dark corner. twisting the knife handle like a toy as you just smirked at her.

“why does everyone think killers need a reason? well, in detective bailey’s case, he does have a reason. richie, his son, was killed at the hands of sam.”

tara’s face slackened further.

“now… i won’t reveal who was his main partner in crime. a promise i made so he would leave me and ethan be after-“

“you- you think ethan’s gonna wanna be with you? even when he finds out everything you did?”

your steps stopped as you kept a sharp eye on her, knife held high and steady. she didn’t understand the love the two of you share. and beside-

“ethan isn’t gonna know a thing. wanna know why?” your lips pulled into a sinister cheshire grin as your steps resumed. tara was pressed into the corner with no weapon to defend herself and no space to make a run for it. she was all yours.

you held the knife up under her chin, tip against her throat as she swallowed saliva. you leaned in closer, mouth near her ear, “ethan’s never gonna know about this, because you’ll all be dead.” you swiped the knife hard and fast against her throat.

“so… only you and bailey survived?” ethan’s voice was getting thick from emotion.

you hoped your story was convincing enough. maybe you’ll have bailey vouch for you if needed. maybe ethan’s mind won’t think too hard about everything with it clouded by grief and drugs pumping in his veins.

“i don’t think i would be if he didn’t show up. ethan-“ you held his cheeks once again, making sure his eyes looked deep within yours. “i was… so scared that i would never see you again.” tears came to the front without thought and you saw the way he melted.

ethan’s hands caressed your cheeks and wiped the fallen droplets away with ease. “i think you have a guardian angel watching you or something. whatever it was, i’m so relieved that you're back in my arms.”

and his lips met yours once again after hours of missing the feeling. it was like you claimed your first breath of clean air after only consuming pollution smog. and it felt like another reminder.

you pulled away, reluctantly, from ethan and leaned your forehead into his. fingers working to keep a smile and brightness to his face and eyes.

“you and me, ethan. always and forever. we’ll always be there for each other. and i’ll always protect you no matter what. you’re all that matters to me.”

you closed your eyes at the end of your declaration so you missed the slight crease in his eyes and how they took in every inch of skin. and how they spotted specks of dark red blood, but instead of causing his heart to spike he just closed his eyes as well and leaned in for another kiss.

always and forever

-

tags: @astrxq

[neversetyoufree]

Just recently found your blog and i love it!!! do have any theories for vanitas' original name? My guess is Abraham, for all it doesn't really fit him, after Abraham van hellsing, who is both a doctor and vampire expert, which I think matches mochijuns naming conventions. Doesn't hurt that it matches with Noe (noah) religiously.

Thank you!! Welcome to the party ;D

Traditionally, I've always said I don't have any strong theories on Vanitas's name—at least none that I actually expect to come true. I think(?) I've talked about this before, but that's not really the kind of theorizing I do? Since right now any name theory is wild guessing and speculation, not elaborating from the text.

That said, I do now have one pet theory that I'm partial to (one I didn't have the last time someone asked me this). I don't actually think this is going to be the case in canon, but for now, I really enjoy the concept of Vanitas's real name being Byron. This is mostly because I think it would be funny, but there are some actual connections too.

Long context short, Lord Byron wrote an unfinished draft of what would have been the first modern vampire story, and then his personal doctor (John William Polidori) took the same idea and fleshed it out into The Vampyre—the actual generally recognized first modern vampire story. But! Polidori's version of the vampire (the version that established a lot of our vampire tropes) was partly inspired by Byron himself. So Byron is sort of this almost-but-not-quite vampire author, writing but also inspiring the tropes of vampirism, which reflects interestingly on Vanitas's relationship to actual vampirism. He's not a vampire, but he's much closer to one than any other human, and in demeanor, he acts more stereotypically vampiric than Noé and many other vampire characters.

Also, Byron is the namesake of the Byronic hero, which Vanitas is a perfect example of. He's brooding, cynical, arrogant, and intelligent, but despite his gloom and self-destructiveness, he has a sort of lonely magnetism about him. Once again, the concept of the Byronic hero is inspired by/named after both Byron himself and the characters he wrote.

As I said, I don't think I'm going to be right about this, as there's a million other theories that could fit just as well, but in the meantime, the concept does tickle me. Polidori's Byron-based vampire even has an especially strong connection to the moon :D.

Anyway, I really like your theory as well. I've noted before that it's interesting that there's no Van Hellsing reference in VnC (or any direct Dracula references at all, save poor dead Mina). It's almost surprising given Dracula is the iconic vampire story. I never even considered that there could be a Dracula reference hidden right there in Vani and waiting to be discovered, but it does make sense. The doctor/vampire expert connection is really fun and fitting! Though I'm afraid I don't know enough about the biblical Abraham to say anything interesting about that aspect beyond what you pointed out there.