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slippinmickeys · 1 year

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Proof of Life 4/?

1. “Dana, I cannot tell you how glad I am to hear your voice,” Ethan says. The connection is not great, a truncated hiss on the line, but he sounds truly relieved. “Honey, I missed you so much.”

She is not sure how to respond. She is thrilled of course, to no longer be a hostage. To have unlimited food, water, and Jesus Christ, a hot shower. But even in the midst of the gunfire, of her producer dying in front of her, her thoughts didn’t once turn to Ethan. She thought of her mother, her nephews. If he’s waiting to hear that she’s missed him too, she’s not sure she can bring herself to say it.

“Dana? Are you there?”

“I’m here,” she says.

“I’m sure you’re tired and…” his words trail off. Traumatized, is probably what he’s thinking. And he’s not wrong.

“Yes,” she says. She is tired. But it’s an emotional exhaustion.

“Honey. I’ve talked with Bill. We’re still going to get you home. The network is going to help cover the cost.” She feels a small amount of guilt for putting a kink in Bill’s plans. The military will no longer be transporting her home, not after her insistence on being brought to the mainland and onto the closest US base. His superiors were not thrilled, and neither is he.

“Okay,” she says. There is something he’s not saying, she can hear it in his voice.

He hesitates a moment longer.

“Listen, the network… They want to do an interview. As soon as possible. Do you feel up to doing that?”

It sounds like the very last thing she’s interested in doing.

“Ethan, I don’t know,” she says, weary. What would she even say in an interview? Yes, I was kidnapped at gunpoint and my friend and producer was killed in front of me. I thought I was going to die. I thought I was going to be raped. I was held hostage without enough food and I passed the time by falling in love with my cellmate and having a lot of sex.

“I get it honey, you’ve been through a lot,” he says. He needs to stop calling her honey. “It’s just…”

“It’s just what, Ethan?” she says testily. No part of her wants to be having this conversation right now.

“The network. They… They paid a lot of money to the rebels for your release. They spent countless resources trying to find where you were being kept. There was a full week’s worth of news cycle on you when you were taken, and now that you’ve been rescued, it’s back in full swing. We’ve had requests for interviews from all the broadcast networks. But I feel like we owe it to CNN to appear there first.”

She is struck silent by his words. Ever the newsman, his priorities have remained the same since they met. And the word “we” bothers her.

“I’ll be right with you the whole time. I’ll pre-screen every question. You don’t have to do it alone.”

“That’s… very kind of you,” she says, with no emotion.

There is another hiss of static on the phone.

“Listen, it sounds like we have a bad connection,” he says. “I’m going to let you go. Bill should have your flight information by morning. I love you.”

She does not say it back.

2. They met, embarrassingly enough, at a pub.

She had actually agreed to go out with some friends from the hospital — something she never did — and they both ordered the same drink while standing next to each other at the bar, something fruity and pink. She was impressed at the confidence with which he placed his order and told him as much. He was impressed by her.

They began dating soon after, about a year after Ethan had started at CNN. She was working in pediatrics — something she both loved and hated — when Ethan brought up an idea one night while they were out to dinner.

“So one of my segments tomorrow,” he says. “The guest dropped out just as I was leaving for dinner.”

“Is that why you were late?” she asks.

He gives her a small smile, ignores her question and plows ahead. “It’s a story on the phenomenon of misinformation as it pertains to the AIDS epidemic.”

“Oh, Ethan,” she says, suddenly and genuinely interested in his work. She forgets to be annoyed at him. “That’s fantastic. There’s so much bad information out there.”

His smile gets wider.

“I was thinking,” he goes on. “That maybe you could step in.”

She’s confused. “What do you mean?”

“You could step in and be the guest. The medical expert. For the segment.”

“You mean on air?” She’s flummoxed by the idea. It’s ludicrous.

“Yes,” he says simply.

“Ethan, I’m not an epidemiologist. I’m not… There are far more qualified people that would do a much better job than I. Like… Spitzer. Or Harris. Or… who’s that guy from NYU, the one who wrote the paper? He could take the train down and be here in plenty of time.”

His grin has only gotten wider.

“I tried,” he says. “They’re all at a conference in Amsterdam. Listen, you’d do great. You know your stuff, you can think on your feet and, I mean… you’d look fantastic on camera.” He is playing on her vanity now.

“Kirby would have a heart attack,” she says, stabbing the olive in her drink with the straw. Kirby is an executive producer, and Ethan’s boss.

“Kirby already approved it.”

She was running low on arguments and he could sense the blood in the water.

“You’d be on air for five minutes, tops. And we can pay you.”

When she heard the amount, she blanched. She had med school loans to pay back and Ethan knew it.

In the end, she agreed to do it. And once she’d done it, she found that she liked it. Was good at it. Kirby was so thrilled with her performance that he asked her to come back, and eventually, to be an on-call medical expert. Not long after that, she was offered her own monthly segment that sent her out into the field. Ethan’s star began to climb. They moved in together. And one thing led to another which led to another, an odd snowballing effect which led her to a street corner in a war-torn city in West Africa, where she was kidnapped by a group of rebels and thrown into an upper floor hotel room with a man she had never met.

Where the course of her life once again took another hard right turn.

3. She has reached a level of numbness that she can’t fight her way out of.

She doesn’t actually want to fly back to the States. Well, she does, but she wants to find Mulder first. To talk to him, to explain. To have an honest conversation about what they went through and What Happens Next. What must he have thought when he saw Ethan on the base television? When he read the chyron under his name, when he heard him say ‘I want to put my arms around her and never let go?’

What must he be going through? Whatever it is, she feels like they should be going through it together. Nothing feels right anymore. For weeks and weeks all her experiences were filtered through a lens of the two of them together. Every decision she has to make now comes with the impulse of wanting to turn to him to see what he thinks about it.

Their relationship in the Hilton was something they were in the middle of. Everything inside her is screaming we weren’t done! It’s like they were mid-conversation when someone cut the phone line.

Ethan, her boyfriend, the man she has built a life with, feels like an annoyance, a pesky insect she wants to brush from her shoulder. Her life had narrowed to the four walls of a hotel room and the man that was harbored within them. The world outside of it is too much. She wants nothing to do with it. She wants Mulder and the narrow, fixed point of her life as it intersected with his. Nothing else feels right. It’s too much. She wants to be rid of it.

So she chooses to feel nothing. She chooses the hebetude of nihility. It’s not the healthiest choice, but at least it’s hers.

4. She tries on calling him Fox. Like slipping on a sweater she isn’t sure will suit her, she calls him by his first name.

“Fox,” she says, letting the X draw out a little, letting it hover in the air like a fine mist of smoke. She is wearing nothing but the natty sheet from the bed, which makes her feel libidinous and a little bit bratty. She’d like to reach out to touch him, but he’s on the other side of the room.

When he hears her say it, he winces. There’s a story there.

“You don’t like your name,” she observes.

He wanders back towards her a little, but gets caught in a shaft of sunlight streaming into the room.

Outside the window and up, up, the clouds look like cotton candy. They could be in Kansas, in Iowa, in one of those states in the middle with a lot of Walmarts and Republicans. Outside the window and down, there is the burnt-out husk of a Ford, there is a rounded shape of what once might have been a human turning to leather in the sun. A khaki colored dog trots by, like it has somewhere better to be.

“I—,” he starts, “I even made my parents call me Mulder.”

He gets to the bed where she’s waiting and lowers himself onto it, reaching out to touch her arm.

“Is that so?” she says.

He shrugs, opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. Scully senses pain behind his silence and touches her hand over his where it rests on her arm. He rolls his hand over so their palms are touching and laces his fingers through hers.

“‘Fox’ was the last thing my sister ever said to me,” he says, looking at the floor. “She was calling out to me, asking for help. She was calling my name.”

A hard shot of empathetic pain darts through her chest.

“What happened to her, Mulder?” she asks quietly. If he doesn’t want to answer, she won’t force the issue.

He squeezes her hand and then lowers himself onto the floor next to the bed, leaning against it, the back of his head resting on the mattress.

“I was twelve when it happened. She was eight…”

5. “Tell us about the picture, Dana,” Maureen, the interviewer asks her, empathy or sympathy or pity edging into her speech from all sides.

The woman hands her an 8x10 color reproduction of the proof of life picture the rebels had taken, ever so slightly out of focus, the cheap little flash making her hair look like the orange of a lava flow. Mulder is standing just beside and slightly behind her and so he’s a little bit darker, and his beard in the picture is really just a few days worth of stubble. They both look frightened, a little stunned.

“Did the picture give you hope?” Maureen asks.

“Did it give me hope?” she asks, confused. She had been shoved up against the wall with guns in her face; hope was so far off in the distance it wasn’t even on the horizon.

“When they took the picture. The Proof of Life. Did you know then that we were trying to get you home? Did it give you hope?”

There’s that word “we” again. Scully swallows, looks down, shakes her head.

“He gave me hope,” she says quietly, staring at the Mulder in the photograph.

She thinks of his narrow hips between hers, his hands spanning her ribs. She thinks of the pictures he took, the way he looked at her like she was the only woman in the world.

“Fox Mulder?” Maureen asks her. “The other hostage?”

Scully nods, then finally pulls her eyes from the photograph and looks for Ethan in the darkness just behind the camera. She doesn’t see him. It’s hard to see anything with the lights so bright in her eyes.

“Yes,” she says, coming back to herself, remembering to be professional. “The other hostage. We leaned on each other.”

Maureen leans forward eagerly. “Why don’t you tell me about that, Dana.”

#the x-files #fanfic #my fic #msr #au #war correspondent/photojournalist AU

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sofasoap · 2 years

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Happy ever after, please stay for a while

Pairing: Simon “Ghost ” Riley x f!Reader ( OC aka Mini MacTavish )

Summary : interlude to "Love, do not pass me by" . Mini and Emma moving into the new place. Johnny is the best big brother you can have.

Warning: Mature theme , pregnancy. London/UK landmarks described in this fic are just made up by me for plot purposes. English isn’t my first language so expect a lot of mistakes with tenses. Not beta'ed.

A/N : Kind of Continuation/parallel universe of @saltofmercury ’s ““The Favorite MacTavish” , where the reader/OC is Soap’s little sister. PLEASE GO READ HER STORY first to make sense of this story. Thank you for lending me your character! “masterlist” for more stories to this Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

" Congratulations.. Mrs...?"

"Just Miss. " " Congratulations Miss MacTavish. Now... Let see... Ah. I can see the baby moving around quite a bit here. " She paused. " Would you like to know the gender of the baby? " " Why not. "

" Let me move around a little bit there... hold still little bub.. Ah there we go, looks like you are having a boy!... OH." " What is it? is there something wrong? " " I can just see another leg around the other side... Miss MacTavish, I think you will need to buy extra set of baby gears. You are carrying twins".

After the..unpleasant announcement, you decided you will forget all about Simon, move on with your life, and bring the babies up yourself. You got support. Your family, your friend Emma, you have a career. In the short time Johnny was staying with you, together with Emma, the three of you started to pack up the flat. You need to find a new place to move into before the little treasures comes into the world. Your current place is just a little two bedroom flat with a small living room and kitchen area, which is just not enough space for extra two babies. You are pretty sure the neighbours wouldn't be appreciating sound of screaming babies day and night. Soap surprised you one day when he hurried both you and Emma into the car, drove you out towards the suburb, not too far away from your current flat. Pulling up in front of a detached house with " Sold " sign, you look at him with confusion. "What are we doing here Johnny?"

" To look at the house." " With a sold sign on it? I thought we are looking for rentals." He smiled, said nothing. Jingling a key, he help you out of the car and head towards the house. It's a beautiful cottage which been looked after. Nice front yard area with a garage/workshop on the side. Emma whistled in awe as she walk through the front door. "Well, this is certainly a nice place, how many bedrooms?"

" Five." " Bit excessive isn't it?? We only need maximum of three, plus how are we going to afford the rent payment? Must cost a bit with the size of it." Johnny dropped the key in your hand. " You and Emma going to move in here. I bought the house. There should be enough space for you two to stay." Two of you just stared at him with wide eyes. HE BOUGHT THIS HOUSE FOR YOU?

" Wait.. what... Did you just say you bought the house? I can't accept this Johnny, Wh.." " You got TWO babies coming soon Mini, I want my niece and nephew have a good environment to grow up in. Plus, It's time for me to set up a base here in London, SAS and SpecGru pays me well enough." You threw yourself onto Johnny and cried. Those damn hormones again. How lucky are you to have a big brother that look out for you, beyond what he needs to do.

He insisted the two of you don't need to pay any rent, just take care of the utility bills will be enough.

" Think of it as being caretakers of my house." he winked at Emma, and dropped into more serious tone. " Also as thank you for taking care of my sister. You been a loyal friend to her."

You look around the nursery. Most of the things are in place now, waiting for the second cot to be delivered. Johnny helped you to assemble most of the stuff before he left for another mission few weeks ago. All you and Emma need to do is slowly unpack rest of the smaller stuff that is still in the boxes. Your mother is also planning to come down a week before your due date. Everything is going smoothly. Standing up, you felt a bit of pain on your upper side of belly. Rubbing it slightly you murmur to the babies to tell them to behave. Taking a step forward, you felt the room starting to spin and vision going blurry.

Last thing you heard before you faint was Emma screaming your name.

Johnny is the best big bro you can ask for.

#simon riley x reader #simon riley imagine #simon ghost riley #simon riley x you #john soap mactavish #cod #simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x you

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bengiyo · 2 years

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Moonlight Chicken Ep 4 Stray Thoughts

Yesterday, we delved deeper into the demolition plotline and considered the global impacts of gentrification and how they can turn people against each other as Wen and Gaipa are connected to the process. We met Jim's landlord, and I joined Li Ming in expressing disdain for him. Wen came clean about his role with the company, but not his relationship with Alan. Li Ming is failing school and wants to work abroad, but he's also falling for Heart in an adorable way. Finally, Alan appeared for all of ten seconds, and I was thrilled to see First.

Ah, yes, starting with the most endearing boys. Something terrible is going to happen this episode if they're trying to suck me in.

Okay, Fourth and Gemini are just too adorable. I'm so curious about the training they've been through in the last three years.

Chapter 4: The Midnight of Lifetime

Lol, the next scene, Aof? He said, "Let me use the overwhelming cuteness of Li Ming and Heart as direct comparison for how cold things are between Alan and Wen."

There's so much in this breakfast scene. Alan and Wen still share an apartment, and so have to talk about domestic concerns. They aren't together anymore, but I feel like Alan is still invested in the social cachet of their appearance as a couple. Alan can quickly pay a bill online, and some of their household items look like goods we might use in the West.

Gong is so correct.

I know Jim is worried, but he should respect his nephew's privacy.

Earth and Fourth played that fight so well. These two characters are both aching and so tired.

Important Chin Tickle Update: Gemini did it to Fourth when Heart was trying to cheer up Li Ming.

Ah, yes. The gays wrestling over a hose. A staple trope.

I love that Gemini has gotten to play cheesy and romantic twice. Putting his crush in a cute shirt that says "Touch me if you can" is sending me.

Crying over this birthday cake scene, because it takes a village, you know? Sometimes families have troubles, and it's their friends and neighbors who need to nudge them just enough to help them see each other properly.

Wen ain't shit for doing a surprise birthday party and excluding Gaipa.

Important Chin Tickle Update: Jim did it to Wen.

"When you decide on something for him, you think he's too young. But when you expect him to do something, you think he's old enough." Where is Wen from, because it takes other people a long time to learn this?

I like a personal shirt for Jim as a gift. Anything to fancy might have offended him. And of course, we can use it to make him take off his shirt.

Beam really did a number on Jim. I like that he won't touch Wen now that feelings are involved.

If I had a man hitting on me that pushed me to watch my favorite romantic movie that I can't seem to enjoy anymore, I would fold, especially if I was asked to describe it because the disk failed.

I need to know what Alan did that made Wen sneer like that. Also, I want to see what First and Mix look like when they're not at odds with each other.

First is a special actor, his physicality as Yok, Akk, and Alan have all been distinct. Alan seems to default to the seme stance.

Poor Gaipa. He's sweet, but it's just not what Jim wants.

You could see envy radiating off Alan when he recognized Jim, and then you saw him calculating because Jim didn't recognize him at all.

Gaipa and his mom seem to be doing okay, based on the house and clothes.

Add Gaipa's mom to the list of good parents. Saying she doesn't regret him being gay, but would regret if he didn't love anyone, and then demanding he get a boyfriend for her sake. She also asserts that parents always know. Oh, gay boys and their moms.

I don't think there are a lot of Christians in Thailand, but the Jesuits are just so persistent.

The teens are on the loose! Begin the gay date montage!

It's very sweet of Li Ming to bring Heart somewhere he can connect to other people.

Suddenly Ford. You better sing, boy!

The final sequences with the narration were lovely. First does a good job playing up Alan's increasing anger. There's just so much to love in the last couple of minutes about the complexity of life.

Um, what is this preview? Heart better not be hurt!

#moonlight chicken #moonlight chicken meta #thai bl #thai drama #bl series #Ben watches

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mwcowan · 4 months

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A Whole New Chapter

In past blogs I’ve written every week or two. Here I am nearly 3 months into this current adventure and I finally sit down to write. I was really planning to give this up but I’ve endured a fair amount of grief from some of my readers, and with a hopefully blog-worthy event coming up (road trip!) Georgia has encouraged me to get back with the program.

Lots of catching up to do! But before I even get to the Philippines, I’ll take you back all the way to our previous trip. One day, as I was paying the bills necessary to maintain a home in the mountains of California, I thought about the monthly costs for electricity, propane, water, sewer, home & auto insurance, property taxes, etc. and wondered why we were paying so dearly for a home we only used half the time, and planned to use even less in the future. Georgia and I thought about it and talked and decided to downsize and relocate our base in the US, and spend most of our time over here – maybe 9-10 months a year.

And between May 2023 and our return here in March, that’s just what we did. We first found a small home on a ¾ acre lot, still under construction, in Fernley, Nevada. This promised much lower expenses than Graeagle, plus Nevada has no state income tax. As one example, our homeowner’s insurance is $328 per year, while we paid more than that every month for the house in Graeagle. Everything else has scaled accordingly, and though we’re not particularly in love with Fernley, it gives us what we need when we’re there, and we feel safe just locking up the house and leaving for 5-6 months at a time.

The new US Headquarters in Fernley

The house in Graeagle was put on the market in September, and in one day we had a buyer, with cash, and the deal was done! We stayed in the house until after Georgia’s son Matt was married (in Graeagle) then began the move to Fernley. By November 15 we were Nevada residents.

Max

Although Max was well taken care of while we were gone, by Georgia’s sister Dignah, we were the ones who suffered, missing him terribly. We decided to bring him with us, and leave him here during our short return trips to the US. Our caretakers love dogs so it should work out well.

I asked my nephew, who flies for a major airline, about the best way to fly a dog overseas. “Easy” he said, “he just needs to get registered as a medical service dog then he gets to fly in the cabin, for free.” Lucky for us, he’d done that for one of his own dogs and knew the ropes. Soon enough, Max was a “trained and certified” service dog, able to alert to Georgia’s condition. And no, ADA laws do not allow you to ask what that condition is.

Doesn't he look handsome on his ID card?

That was indeed the easy part, and only guaranteed Max a comfy seat on the plane. The path started with Max’s vet, who researched the health and vaccination requirements both for import to the Philippines and export from the US. Max got to know his vet well over the next few months but, as attested to by the lengthy USDA export form, he was perfectly healthy. A complete medical and vaccination history was provided to the Philippines Bureau of Animal Imports to receive an import clearance, and various US DOT forms had to be completed.

Thus armed with a large stack of paperwork, and a suitcase full of Wubbas and Chuckit balls, we set off for our flights from Reno to SFO, then SFO to Manila. The gate agent in Reno didn’t want to see any of the papers; she told us that it would be handled at SFO before the international flight. Nope, at SFO we just walked onto the plane and settled into our business class seats. Max had it pretty good for sure!

Surely we’ll have to provide paperwork to get Max through the airport in Manila, right? Well, again, no. Through Immigration, baggage claim, and Customs, Max just trotted along beside us. The whole trip and not once were we asked to provide any documentation. Welcome to the Philippines, Max!

The most amazing thing though, was Max’s bladder control. He used an animal relief area outside the Reno terminal before our first flight, wouldn’t go near the stinky in-terminal relief station in SFO, held it through both flights, then through the terminal in Manila, finally taking a potty break outside the terminal. Super-human!

Kawayan Cove

It was nice to get back to our home, after being back in the states for a very busy 10 months. Nice especially as the caretakers had done a good job maintaining both home and gardens. Ready to move in and relax!

After greeting everyone and making some instant friends, Max spotted the swimming pool. It was a hot day (and he soon found out that every day is hot here!) and in he went. A quick lesson on where the steps were so he can get in & out and now swimming is a daily activity. Usually when one of us is there to throw the Chuckit ball, but we’ve seen him go down by himself and sit on the bench with water up to his chest, just cooling off.

Mabini

Last trip, I wrote about our visit to nearby Mabini/Anilao, a famous dive spot in the Philippines. We noted that the second hotel we stayed in was dog-friendly so for Georgia’s birthday this year we decided to go back, taking Max this time. We all enjoyed relaxing, swimming (both pool and beach for Max), getting massages (sorry, not you, Max), and of course the bar and restaurant. We went diving one day and I got in a couple enjoyable dives, spotting lots of fish, octopus, nice corals and crinoids, turtles, and a number of colorful nudies (nudibranchs).

Where's Dad?

New Car

I had a plan for this trip to replace our Innova with a Toyota Fortuner SUV (a model not available in the US but similar to the Toyota Highlander). More luxurious, better ride and handling, but still retaining a lot of utility for hauling people and stuff around. Georgia had a better idea (as she's prone to have), to get a really small car mainly for use in and around town, something that will be easier to drive and park in the crowded markets.

We originally settled on a Toyota Wigo (again, no equivalent in the US), a very compact “city car” with a mighty 1.0L engine. Buying a new car here isn’t like in the US, where you practically have to shake salespeople off your legs. Even a test drive isn’t standard here; we actually had to go to 3 dealerships to get one. OK, one dealer did let us drive a Wigo, but only around the dealership parking lot! In the 3rd dealership though, we noticed a little bit larger mini-SUV called the Raize. About the same height and width as the Wigo, but somewhat longer and with lots more room inside. Comparison drives between the Wigo and Raize convinced us that the Raize’s even mightier 1.2L engine was worthwhile, plus it was more comfortable overall. A deal was struck and we’re now enjoying our new mini-SUV!

Georgia’s mom is also wanting a car for the Philippines, and it turns out that our Innova is exactly what she’s looking for. We’ve made a deal to sell it to her, so now we’re looking for its replacement. I may get my Fortuner after all!

Driver’s Licenses

Regarding the story above, I got to test drive the cars; Georgia didn’t. The salesperson noted that her license had expired the day before, which was her actual birthday. Mine didn't expire until July so I was good to go.

We’d been clued in to the existence of a Land Transportation Office (LTO) branch in a nearby shopping center that only handles driver’s license renewals, which was said to be very efficient compared to dealing with the full-service LTO. The requirements for renewal are basically passing a medical exam and a written test. We went to the medical office, conveniently next door to the LTO, for our exams. After filling out a short medical history, my exam consisted of getting weighed, height measured, and reading one line of inch-high letters on an eye chart. Every other result of the required “exam” was just filled in by the staff. And then, as I was waiting for my exam results to be registered, I was handed a certificate stating that I’d passed the written test with a score of 92%. VERY efficient indeed, considering that I’d never seen a test. I do wonder what questions I got wrong though…

In less than an hour overall, we both walked out with 10-year renewals on of driver’s licenses. I’ll be almost 80 when this one expires, hope I’m around to get it renewed!

And BTW, I’m mad because Georgia outscored me on the written test, getting a 96!

Billiards

Billiards is a popular activity in the Philippines, probably because it’s played indoors in air-conditioned rooms. I’ve played occasionally here with Herve, who has a table, but this year we’ve hooked up with Kawayan Cove neighbors Graham (of English garden fame) and Andy (a New Yorker who lives mostly in Singapore). Also in our group, from neighboring developments, are Jean (Belgian), and Robert (Canadian). We call our informal group the “Sandy Balls Billiards Club” and we play a “tournament” every weekend, each putting 100 Pesos (about $1.75) into a winner-take-all prize pool. I’ve won once, hoping to continue to improve my game.

L-R: Robert, Jean, Graham, me, Herve (Andy not pictured)

Road Trip!

We’ve been talking about a road trip to the far northern reaches of Luzon for some time; we finally decided to do it. And just like our road trip to Baguio and Sagada in 2018, we’re not driving or taking our car, rather hiring both. Reminds me of an old commercial…

Car rental = $40/day

Driver = $20/day

Food and Lodging for Driver = $10/day

Sitting in the back and enjoying the ride = Priceless!

Our itinerary will include La Union, Vigan, Pagudpud, Santa Teresita, Tuguegarao, and Baguio. Stay tuned!

Sunset(s)

We’re still enjoying our sunsets, nearly every evening. Since it’s been almost 3 months I’ll throw in some bonus photos!

From our home:

From Mabini:

All for now, take care everyone!

#photography #travel #philippines #kawayan cove

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evermorehqs · 1 year

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CATCHING MY BREATH, STARING OUT AN OPEN WINDOW

Bill Cipher is based on Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls. He is a 46 year old dream demon, physicist, and uses he/him pronouns. He has the power of mind invasion, shape-shifting, and astral projection. Bill is portrayed by Andrew Scott and he is taken.

CATCHING MY DEATH, AND I COULDN’T BE SURE

For trillions of years, Bill Cipher resided in the second dimension; a dimension in which he saw no potential for himself. He had immense power that he hardly understood, and through a desperate need for escape and an even stronger need to understand himself, Bill found a way to access a dimension outside his own through the dreams of its inhabitants - humans. He learned that he could contact them while they slept and communicate through their dreams. He tried for years to trick them into performing rituals that would allow him to cross from his dimension to theirs, however, none were willing to take the bait. After years of waiting, Bill was contacted by a man named Stanford Pines. Ford summoned the dream demon in hopes of finding answers about the town where he resided, which was filled with oddities and strange occurrences not even his brilliant mind could comprehend. Bill was able to shift dimensions and took on a physical form in the town of Gravity Falls, where he worked alongside Ford to build a portal that would give them both inter-dimensional power and a better understanding of their worlds. Through this research, Bill grew hungry for power - realizing the unlimited potential to have control over multiple dimensions. He began to shift the odds in his favor with what he believed to be a foolproof plan; trick Ford with friendship, convince him to build a portal bridging the two dimensions that he would control, all with the goal of full authority and ultimate power. Things went awry when Ford learned of Bill’s plan and attempted to shut down the portal but instead…entrapped them both in it. Stuck in a rift between dimensions, Bill tried once again to make contact with humans as he had long ago, finding his strongest access point to be the mind of Stanford’s nephew, Dipper Pines. For years he attempted to break through Ford’s nephew, desperate to appeal to him the way he had his uncle - but to no avail. He was fought against for well over a decade. No amount of nightmares or attempted possession would cut it. It wasn’t until Dipper crossed over into a supposed new dimension called Evermore, that Bill was able to break through and escape the rift without summoning. Realizing he was trapped after multiple attempts to escape once more, Bill decided to blend in, getting a job as a physicist. Honestly, it was pretty easy. In secret, disguised by his profession, he started to replicate the years of research he did alongside Ford. From a distance, he monitored the Pines twins, who he believed to have the answers to finishing the bridge he and Ford were working on. Bill was willing to go to any length in order to finish what he started, and not even the limitations of this new dimension of Evermore were going to stop his efforts.

I HAD A FEELING SO PECULIAR

❀ Ursula Barlow: Bill knows evil when he sees it, and whilst the bar owner puts on a ruse that she is nothing more than a “woman of her word”… Bill knows that every contract comes with fine print. He seeks allyship with her and senses her connections will benefit him more than they won’t. ❀ Jumba Jookiba: A brilliant, otherworldly scientist who Bill utilizes to bounce his ‘ideas’ off of. What greater input to have than of that with a mind such as his own? ❀ Lewis Fry: A micro-genius in the making who has proved himself promising. Bill just has to find a way to convince him to assist with his schemes… but he has never been one against manipulating a brilliant mind.

THIS PAIN WOULD BE FOR EVERMORE

#andrew scott fc #bill cipher #gravity falls #disney skeleton rp #disney rp #has powers #taken bio #taken male #male bio

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freeworldallahexecutivembaclass · 1 year

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I win this time around in my life against All those that went against and with a list of accomplishments like mines their is no competition in that arena , I'm the best world leader right now I can't say their somebody as good as me or good to the people as me and that is for generations before me and hopefully I help so many generations ahead of me to make life better for the people and no thank you to any attachments to me no critics enemies and haters on me ever , thank you for letting me help the people

My farewell speech until we see each other again

My mindset is Joel Osteen book blessed in the darkness you have to read the book I'm currently reading it now and I'm telling it now it will change your life it is about being in bad situations and still trusting God to see you through it and having unconditional trust with God you know me getting drafted by Jay Z while living in the New York City shelter system is very frustrating and to be a seasoned Quarterback it gets doubtful for the people around me but I'm optimistic I read Joel books 📚 that is why I don't want people to be like you heard the rumor that Jay Z the Roc Nation records owner and Executive of the tidal music streaming service is messing with a bum that he drafted a guy name Allen Henry his nephew Free World and until that comeback I'm just that a rumor it's true this the announcement of it I got so much work to do and a lot lot of learning to grow with you could see it in the Joe Montana and Bill Walsh relationship and Bill Walsh reason for selecting Joe Montana from Notre Dame in the Joe Cool documentary so I'm training for it I do light physical training aerobics to breathe and energize myself and then yes I did accomplish of all that my New York City list of accomplishments I'm a miracle story while living in the shelter some with former Governor Andrew Cuomo and former mayor Bill De Blasio to be a client and to actually help pay the counselors salary is amazing it is what do you do when you get a client like that in your custody I'm helping do you want to harm me and me and Bill De Blasio we passed the fair chance act to compete for a job of 2019 , Me and Governor Cuomo Legalize weed marijuana , boosted the base minimum wage salary level and many other things if you read my list of accomplishment that is part of the program Jay Z was talking about that made him select me in the draft the business incubator program which the hospital is name after me in Brooklyn it means I was suppose to revive business in New York and bring hope to them and their environment and get them more money longer employment and even more employment for people in surrounding environments and back to work programs basically I was hired to make life better for all New Yorkers from Rikers Island to We care programs and the economy I have won the Nobel peace prize once 🏆 and the Nobel memorial prize for economic sciences twice they share those honors with me but it is in my name thank you so much I'm honored they are mines and I cherish it basically I would get any job get my studio equipment but I'm in here stealing time I gave my self a new school schedule it was just little subjects I needed to know because truly ignorance is bad like I got the elect courses but I didn't get the fundamentals so I put myself through school again if you scroll you will see my schedule and class subjects I give myself to learn to be able to survive in New York City it takes a level of money to survive it is also take some education to make it in New York , High school education and definitely you gotta get college if you didn't go straight to the league then you gotta get your education and a job then work on your skills no it is never too late you can still be what you want to be so don't ever give up on your dreams and hopefully get you get your education while doing all of that but for me I kind of not educated all the way besides the deep stuff I learned in college or was reading on my own so I had to like relearn a lot of stuff just for skills that is used in the workplace and you know a general education school was fun but I missed it anybody that knows me I went to college without graduating high school or having my GED I just passed the entrance exam and got into college in Texas true story Baytown Texas 45 minutes from Houston Texas true that is cool I miss Texas 🤠 B probably hates this drama that is my fam and it is okay and Jay Z said yeah forever he will not change his mind to give me a tryout the role is mines see you soon shout out to my brother Vado from Harlem his music is hot that's it for me see you next season .

youtube

#Youtube

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the-firebird69 · 4 months

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We built a JET powered surf board

youtube

You're never going to believe with this stupid idea came from it's our friend again and he's saying a surfboard cuz it'll go faster but you can't stand up on you and nobody could it was terrible so I said what about these paddle boards and we went ahead and put a motor on and the bigger motor and adjusted it and lo and behold we got 65 miles per hour I really don't want to go that fast on a paddle board but you can have a few people on it it's very convenient you can't see it if you put it somewhere it takes them quite a while to cite it and it's not really that big but the rear end sits in the water and it's not hot so I went ahead and made a few I said wonder if anybody would want to use these and people saw us using them and they wanted to rent them and borrow them and a lot of people a lot of people they wanted to try it and so I got a license no I just started renting it and handing out cards and I'm making them and they're very fast one guy souped it up and he goes 75 and he said I probably shouldn't but I couldn't resist another guy souped it up and put a new problem and it went 85 and they're talking about making the whole design different now the hall and my friend says I don't know what that would do because right now you don't really have that much friction is the flat bottom but then again it must slap and stuff and that's why it slaps like a mother you think it's going to pop right off bang bang bang bang bang needs you should see what they came up with the front end goes way down like a deep v it's like a foot and a half or two foot that goes back kind of flat but it's not and it cuts through the waves and flies over them it's the most fun I've ever had that goes faster it goes like 90 and you can put like a little cockpit on it and make these little bullet boats that's why I think we're going to call them now he says that you have the v on the hall if you have the v it's time to make the electric and you can make it submersible it have to be pretty sturdy and you have to have air tanks so I got ready for that and I think we're going to make that both versions I'm trying to make this rescue ranger stuff work and then you can put a cockpit on it and really if you like the Little submarine but with the electric so we're designing now off of his design and they're going to fly these things are going to move you're not going to believe how fast they go they go a lot faster and they have automatic gears from the HVAC system it works awesome the water and if use it sealed and we still have to cool it and you run a line in and jacket it but it goes so damn fast you're not going to believe it and you're not going to believe how fast and it says I probably won't but the boat the donzi speed boat and get up to like 180 without effort and it says wow that's like almost three times when it goes or something he goes like 80 I think it goes like a hundred but that is very fast on the water that's competition speed for a cigarette so he says I should Shadow the guy you can do it like a couple miles away and I'm going to do that this is intense

Tommy f

We're going to start online of electric stuff too and a lot of it's based on their design and will and Bill and Ken and my grand nephew and a ton of it has come from these two guys and either side who did a lot of designs and also BG and it should be commended and they should have things to do but they've got their own agenda and it sounds weird I'm bad and that's what they're doing

Mac daddy

We're going to work on our stuff in a moment but we want to get that car going and it's that car that looks like the Porsche and it's electric and use our system and your idea is valid we found out that they want to do it they'd like to take the alkaline battery that has the same jacket as the lithium and they want to go ahead with you and we like it it's a good idea we can tell the difference but the alkaline won't be as powerful but still and with the design we have you won't need it to be and this car would really haul ass and be very light it's a perfect vehicle and the perfect design and we can make a fiberglass hull with a cage and a closure and people who commute all day and night and it won't burn any gas and the Earth will have oxygen this is been terrible we're moving out now and we're going to start prepping for this idea and others and we're going to start building things on Monday but there is a war coming and we're going to start announcing videos and movies and more that are involved and we'll be right back

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

#Youtube

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togrowoldinv · 2 years

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Written in the Stars

Chris Evans x Female Reader

A soft evening with Chris

Note: This is based on this request. It’s fluffy as can be lol. Also, it features the classic NASA hat haha. I hope you enjoy it!

Chris Evans Masterlist, Main Masterlist

You and Chris have been dating for a little over a year and you couldn’t be more in love with each other. It’s the soft kind of love that you both always dreamt of finding.

You have met each other’s families over the course of the year and today you are at one of his sister’s house for a birthday party.

“Y/n, come here sweetheart,” Chris gets your attention from the living room. You’ve been in the kitchen for a while chatting with his family.

He’s wearing a huge smile as you walk up to him and sit as closely as you can to him, one of your legs even drapes over his knee slightly.

“What’s up?” You ask him. He drops a kiss to your temple and pulls you closer.

“I just missed you,” he says and you let out a small laugh.

“I missed you too, babe,” you indulge him. The grin he gives you is well worth it.

Your moment in your own world is interrupted by Chris’ nephews running up to him.

“Uncle Chris come see our new trampoline!” One of them says.

“Oh sweet! Your mom finally got you one?” Chris asks them. You feel his hand softly on your back telling you he’s going to stand up and go with them.

“She did! She’s the best!” his other nephew answers and Chris looks at his sister with a beaming smile.

You and Chris follow the kids outside. They, including Chris, jump on the trampoline for hours. You watch them and laugh at how Chris always makes sure to get your attention before he does any cool flips.

Later on that night, you and Chris find yourself laying on the trampoline. He’s laying with his back flat on it while you lean up on your elbow and look in his eyes.

“Did you have a good day?” Chris asks you softly. That’s the kind of guy he is, always making sure you had a good time even if he was with you and knows that you did.

“I did. It was a great day, babe,” you reply. “How about you?”

“It was a perfect day,” he says. There’s a certain dreamy, breathlessness to his voice that makes you fall even harder for him.

You’re about to lean down and kiss his lips when he suddenly takes off his hat and puts it on your head. He laughs at the shock on your face and lifts the bill just enough to lean in and kiss you.

After he pulls away, you turn and lay next to him. His hand intertwines with yours at your side as you look up at the stars.

“Does this mean I get to keep this hat?” You ask him.

“Hmm I don’t know, baby. It’s one of my favorites,” Chris says.

“That’s true, but so am I.”

“Good point, y/n.”

This time it’s Chris who leans up and his hand moves naturally to your waist.

“And you do look so cute in it,” Chris compliments. He taps the bill playfully and you smile at him. “My NASA girl,” he jokes and you both laugh so hard that you could cry.

“I adore you, my NASA boy,” you tell him. The genuine smile on his face says he might actually like that nickname.

“I love you, y/n,” Chris says.

“I love you too, Chris,” you reply. He kisses your lips softly and you melt into him.

He lays back down next to you and pulls you closer to rest on his chest. You two look up at the stars and think about your love for each other. It’s a love that’s written in the stars, you have no doubt about that.

Tag List: @gracebutnotgraceful @i-wished-for-you-too @idkwhygregg @be-missed @mythosphere-x @hehehehannahthings @likefirenrain @mrswidowjohansson @natashasilverfox @rach2602 @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @raajali3 @sarahdonald87 @pandaxnienke @mrspeacem1nusone @wandas-slut-heart

#chris evans x reader #chris evans fluff #chris evans comfort #chris evans #Chris being an absolute sweetie pie

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detkalianovna · 3 years

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wouldn’t it be nice.

pairings: may parker x reader

word count: 895

warnings: none :)

summary: may stops by a local flower shop. the two of you are both nervous, bumbling idiots. (A/N: we are seriously lacking in aunt may fanfics, so here we go!!!)

Your knees were aching. The gardening pad that you were using had long worn out its comfort and you grimaced as you snipped dead leaves off pale yellow roses. The day had gone without customers and you had gone unbothered. You were still in recovery from Valentine’s Day weekend and you were thankful for the peace if only until the next big holiday.

The radio played french pop and you leapt to your feet, nose wrinkling in disapproval. Scurrying to change the song you settled onto one of your favorites, bopping your head to The Beach Boys “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”. The head bopping devolved into a funky two step and then into unabashed flailing and head swinging. You hadn’t noticed the bell over the door announcing another’s arrival, not until the song ended and changed over to a much more somber mood. You brushed the hair out of your eyes and immediately wished to cover your face with it again. Standing before you was one of the most beautiful women you had ever laid eyes on.

“How long have you been standing there?” You asked, scarlet creeping up to the apples of your cheeks.

The woman smiled a sweet smile. “It’s a good song.” She nodded her head. “I’d have danced with you if I came in just a bit earlier.”

You melted under her gaze, your whole body radiating heat. You swatted at the front of your shirt and righted your posture. “Can I help you with anything?” Deflection. Good.

The woman’s smile faltered a bit. “I need happy flowers.”

“Happy flowers? I should be able to assist with that.” You beckoned her to follow you as you led to the back. The recommendation for your favorite flowers came naturally. Lilies in all colors lined the right wall. “These make me pretty happy. Maybe they’ll work for you.”

The woman lightly stroked the underside of a blood orange petal. “They’re beautiful.” She turned to you. “Can I get all of them?”

The connection between your two eyes was way too much for you and stepped backwards in shock, stammering over your words. “Y-Yes. It’ll take a few- a few minutes.” You grabbed a bucket and began picking the flowers from their places on the wall, gathering enough variety for a bouquet. “What’s the, um, the occasion? If you don’t mind me asking.” You stuttered again, sweeping over to your work table. You pulled some greenery as filler and cut the bouquet’s wrapping.

The woman watched as you skillfully assembled the bouquet from the fresh picked flowers and wrapped it all in a bow. “My nephew is going through a few things recently, I thought he needed a pick-me-up.”

“So you came to see me.” You cut the ends of the ribbon, curling them slightly. You picked up the bouquet, holding it out for the woman to take. She reached for it, closing her hand over yours at the base of the bouquet. You pulled away quickly, terrified of what your reaction would be to even the teensiest bit of physical contact from the beautiful woman.

“I did.” She mused, smiling again. “Thank you. How much is it?”

Right. You have to charge her, idiot. The two of you made your way to the empty front room again as you banged a couple keys on the register. “$60.”

“Lovely.” She pulled stray bills from her purse and laid them out on the counter for you. You produced the change and the receipt. Your hands touching again.

“I’m, uh, It was nice.” You blurted. “To meet you. It was nice to meet you. I hope things get better.”

The woman chuckled. “You too. Thanks again.” She made her way out onto the street again, leaving you behind the counter, exhausted and embarrassed. Your shoulders slumped and your palm found your forehead. So stupid.

You weren’t done berating yourself when the bell for the door chimed. You looked up and the beautiful woman was strutting back over to you, waving her free hand rabidly. “May Parker. That’s, um well, my name. And there’s this event next week that I’m hosting for F.E.A.S.T. Not sure if you’ve heard of the organization but we help people. Anyways, this event is a sort of fundraiser. I was wondering if you’d like to come as my guest.”

You blinked at her.

“Oh my gosh, I’ve just made a fool out of myself haven’t I?” She rolled her eyes and tilted her head towards the sky, angling towards the door again.

Your hand gripped her wrist, holding her in place. “I would love that.” Any excuse to see this May Parker again was a good one in your book.

May stared at you, a tug at the corner of her lips. She found a card at the bottom of her bag and placed it on the counter before you. “I’m wearing blue, if you want to coordinate.” She visibly brightened as she headed for the door this time.

You waited for her to leave and waited a couple seconds after that to throw your hands up in the air in triumph. Shuffling over to the radio put on that song by The Beach Boys again, regaining your previous momentum. Stopping mid hair flip, your brows furrowed. Wait? Was this a date?!

#may parker #may parker x reader #aunt may #aunt may x reader #may parker imagine #aunt may imagine #marvel

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usercelestial · 3 years

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The night Mickey had gotten out of prison was eventful for more than one reason. But the one that stuck out in his head was not a what but a who. It was the first time he met the small red headed Gallagher; Debbie’s mini me; his niece.

After Paula released Ian from her grip, after the strangers fled from the house, after night had fallen and silently hung over the Gallagher house, Mickey walked sluggishly to the kitchen, his body weighed down by exhaustion.

He felt a tap on his lower leg and looked down to see big green eyes staring up at him.

“Who the fuck are you?” He said on instinct, thinking she looked like a carbon copy of Ian before realizing that she looked more like Debbie. He swears they could be twins.

“That’s my kid, Mickey,” Debbie walks into the room, dawning pajamas and a tired expression.

“Oh, that’s right. I remember Ian telling me you’re a mom now,” Mickey looks down at the kid again.

She’s still staring up at him with those same wide eyes.

“Uh, hi?” He says a bit awkwardly.

“Mama,” she said for the first time since appearing, “Who’s this?”

“That’s your Uncle Mickey,” Debbie says, sitting down at the table with a pile of bills.

Mickey’s not sure what happens next because he’s pretty sure he blacks out. He’s not sure how to respond or even if he should.

Uncle.

He stands there dumbly while the kid hops up and down, “Yay!” She hugs his thighs tightly, almost tipping him over in surprise.

He looks at Debbie who glances up for a moment and smiles, “Introduce yourself, sweetheart.”

“Hi, I’m Franny!” She pulls back and stares up at Mickey again, “I like your drawing,” she points to his forearm arm, “Mama won’t let me draw on myself. Does yours? When did you draw it on? What does it say?” Franny asked.

Oh, god, where’s Gallagher?

“Alright, Fran, isn’t it time for bed?” A masculine, familiar voice calls from the stairwell. As if reading Mickey’s mind, Ian descends down the stairs and saves him from the conversation.

“Oh, thank God,” Mickey says aloud, gently moving Franny out of his way while Ian bends to pick her up. Debbie nods to Ian, Mickey isn’t sure what it means but he goes along with it.

“If Uncle Mickey is my uncle, does that mean he’s your brother?” Franny asks naively, resting his face on Ian’s shoulder.

Ian laughs, “No, Fran, you know how Auntie Tami is Uncle Lip’s girlfriend?” He explains gently, while carrying her up the stairs. Mickey trails behind them silently, again unsure of himself and his place here.

“Well, Uncle Mickey is my partner in that same way.”

Mickey’s astounded at how soft Ian’s voice is, how patient and gentle he is with her as they walk to a room that Mickey assumes to be Franny’s. Ian places her down on the bed skillfully, Mickey also assumes Ian’s had experience in doing so based on how comfortable he is with it. How he picked her up easily and without hesitation. How Franny trusted him enough to let him.

“Oh,” Franny says simply, “Okay,” she yawns.

He watches as Ian tucks her in and wonders somewhere far away, from deep within his subconscious, whether Ian expects him to do the same if he couldn’t. Would Ian ask him to pack her lunch or take her to school. Surely not, right? Mickey doesn’t know the first thing about kids. And he knows he’s not responsible enough to babysit one either.

“Can you read me a bedtime story, Uncle Mickey?”

And just like that, Mickey stops in his tracks, his pulse jumping.

“Uh-I-Wouldn’t you prefer Ian-er-Uncle Ian do that?” Mickey stumbles through the words, looking to Ian for help but only finds his boyfriend snickering.

“But I want you to,” Franny whines quietly, rubbing her eyes and pouting. Something about the way she flashes big puppy dog eyes reminds him of someone.

He gives in of course, sighing and sitting down beside Ian on the queen-sized bed. Ian picks up a thin, hardcover book and hands it to Mickey.

“She’ll be out like a light in two seconds,” Ian whispers in his ear, placing his giant palm on Mickey’s shoulder, grounding him.

He shrugs, “Whatever.”

He begins reading, slowly, making sure he doesn’t skip over a word or talk too fast. To his own ears, his voice sounds rough, very Southside, and not very soothing but when he looks up from the book for the first time, he sees that Franny has fallen asleep, curled into a ball.

He also feels dead weight on his shoulder, at some point Ian had leaned against Mickey and now had his eyes closed, snoring peacefully.

He held back a laugh and carefully set the book, watching as his sleeping partner nuzzled deeper into his shoulder.

“Yo, sleepy face,” he whispers softly, watching the four year old stir slightly.

“Mhm,” Ian grumbles, “Whaa?”

“Let’s go to bed,” Mickey nudges him and gets up suddenly, watching Ian fall onto the sheets.

“Dick,” Ian stretches and follows Mickey to bed.

Once they’re settled, Ian tests the water in terms of conversation, prodding slightly at how his day was before jumping into how he felt about reading to Franny.

“Whaddya mean?” Mickey slurs, peering at Ian through the dark.

“I don’t know, I guess I just wanna make sure you’re comfortable with it.”

Mickey shrugs, hoping Ian can feel it, “It’s fucking weird, I guess,” Ian hums, so Mickey doesn’t expand on the idea.

Then Ian says, “You know, you’re an Uncle.”

Mickey’s not sure why he reacts the way he does, his heart thumping in his chest and his throat tightening, but he suddenly feels panicked.

Ian notices; Ian always notices, “It’ll be fine. Franny already loves you.”

Mickey hides his face in Ian’s neck, clinging onto his shirt, “I have a niece,” he says, solidifying the idea. Repeating the fact over and over in his head, trying to make sense of it. He has a niece, and people who consider him family. A sort of sister-in-law who lets him read stories to her kid. It’s foreign and strange and down right stressful but he takes a breath and lets himself feel Ian’s trailing up and down his back.

“You know, you also have a nephew.”

“Shit.”

#summary: mickey meets franny for the first time and realizes he's an actual uncle now #or literally just 1000 words of ian and mickey being domestic uncles #sort of abrupt but i wrote this cause i wanted a distraction #we just found out my father has covid so i really wanted some fluffy goods times thats all #shameless #ian gallagher #mickey milkovich #debbie gallagher #franny gallagher #ian x mickey #gallavich #gallavich fanfiction #gallavich drabbles #margo drabbles #and they were uncles <3

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nataliedanovelist · 3 years

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GF - Tough Enough

A fanfic commission for @presidentstalkeyes! Thank you for commissioning me and for being so patient! I hope y’all enjoy it!

Dipper has always struggled with not feeling strong enough, not feeling tough enough, not feeling good enough. And Weirdmageddon didn’t help.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dipper wasn’t sleeping soundly to begin with; not necessarily dreaming, but anxious and his subconscious was miserable. The terrible slumber was replaced with a just-as-melancholy reality, interrupted by a soft whimper.

He sat up in bed and in the light of the winter’s moon, Dipper could see his twin sister curled up in a ball, crying into her pillow with Waddles by her side. He sighed tiredly, too-used to this, and he ventured across the bedroom to be by Mabel’s side, sitting on the bed and rubbing her back, hoping it would help her fall back asleep peacefully.

The nightmares were less frequent and less violent than they once were, but they still occurred here and there, and sometimes the powerful emotions and traumatizing experiences were too much. Really, most of the time they were okay. But you can’t be okay all the time.

To give his brain something else to think about, Dipper checked his phone as he rubbed circles on Mabel’s back, her cries quieted down to deep, wet breaths and the occasional moan. Grunkle Ford had sent a picture of him and Grunkle Stan playing Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, Ford claiming Stan was secretly enjoying, and Dipper had to agree based on the complex, concentrated look on Stan’s face.

“Glad you two are having fun!” Dipper texted, even though the photo had been sent a few hours ago.

After a few minutes of scrolling through social media silently, Stan texted him. “Ah geez, you took a leaf outta Ford’s book and stayed up working on a project?”

Dipper smiled a little at that. “No, just now woke up.”

Almost immediately, Ford asked, “Are you okay?”

Dipper hesitated for a minute, hoping what he had to say would be convincing. “Yeah, just Waddles decided to switch beds and nearly crush my ribs in the process.”

“You know it’s not too late to make him into bacon.”

Ford sent an eye-rolling emoji while Dipper sent a laughing one, then sat the phone down, pleased to find Mabel sleeping soundly beneath his hand.

It was an unnecessary white-lie, but Dipper did not want to weigh his favorite old people down with the knowledge that he and Mabel were both struggling with the events of Weirdmageddon and Bill Cipher’s abusive actions. Dipper knew his uncles would instantly start blaming themselves, which the boy didn’t need, and they had been dealing with this longer than the kids have, especially Ford. If the Author of the Journals can survive physically and mentally through Bill’s tricks, thirty years out in the Multiverse, and a whole night full of torture to give an equation that would ultimately destroy the world, then Dipper can get through a few bad nights.

So Dipper laid back in his own bed, and he raised his skinny arm so he could see his old fork-scars in the moonlight. Stan once told him that he thought Dipper was his own man, but he really didn’t feel like one. The weight of the world was coming down on his chest. He didn’t feel strong enough, smart enough, good enough, for whatever might come their way someday.

But the stubborn urge to change that, the confidence he had that he could, with lots of hard work, was enough to ease the sinking weight, and he fell back asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The second the bus-doors opened, two teenagers launched themselves at the pair of old men standing at the tourist trap, grinning and happy to catch their niece and nephew in their strong arms.

“We’ve missed you guys SO MUCH!” Mabel squealed, happy tears leaking from her eyes.

“We’ve missed you, too, pumpkin.” Stan said,cupping her cheek and wiping a tear away with his thumb.

“It’s so good to see you two.” Ford commented peacefully, hugging the boy and smiling down proudly. “Holy Moses, you’ve gotten taller, Dipper.”

Dipper shrugged modestly. “You know, veggies and multiplying cells.”

Stan chuckled, ruffling his hat-covered hair, and then hoisted Mabel up on his shoulders. “C’mon, the sooner we get your stuff in the house, the sooner we can head into town for the First Day of Summer party!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Stan poured a mug of coffee for his brother, who was reading the newspaper, and they heard two pairs of feet come down the stairs. They smiled at the doorway, happy to have the kids join them for breakfast, but Dipper walked past the kitchen and out the door, leaving Mabel to walk into the kitchen alone.

“Morning!”

“Good morning, Mabel.” Ford greeted.

“Where’d Dipper go?”

“Oh, he’ll be right back, he just went for his jog before breakfast.”

Stan raised an eyebrow as he stirred the eggs in the pan, cheesy scrambled eggs in the making. “Since when does he jog?”

“Every morning. He listens to TED Talks and Science Podcasts and will jog a few blocks before school.” Mabel informed casually. “Says it helps him think.”

“Oh.” Ford flipped a page of his newspaper.

~~~~~~~~~~

Last summer, every time Stan told Dipper to do a chore, the boy responded with a groan, a question as to why, a growl in his throat, or a defeated sigh. Any form of rejection and only doing it because he had no other choice.

But this summer, any chance for manual labor, Dipper happily took it. In fact, Stan didn’t even have to tell him to do chores anymore; Dipper would ask if he could do anything, and Stan would suggest some chores, and Dipper would happily do all of them. Well, maybe not happily, but he would do them diligently and without complaint. Something was up.

Stan watched from the porch as Dipper punched a tall pine tree over and over again, using the boxing techniques Stan had taught him here and there. While the old man was proud to see Dipper perfectly throwing left and right hooks, he was concerned as to why the teenager was gritting his teeth and had a furious fire in his gut. Maybe Dipper found exercise to be an enjoyable outlet, but Stan found that very hard to believe. The only time a boy that young voluntarily worked-out was either to beat up a bully or to impress some girl.

Regardless, time for a little intervention.

Dipper was aware of his uncle’s presence when he was a few feet away, though he didn’t stop punching the tree. “Hey, Grunkle Stan. Need me to do anything?”

“Nah,” Stan said casually, and stood beside the large tree so he was in Dipper’s line of vision. “Y’know, trees don’t make great sparring partners.” He joked with a smile, and Dipper ceased boxing the tree, seeing Stan position himself properly for a lesson.

Dipper smiled, and he began to punch and dodge with his uncle.

“Wow, you’ve gotten really good.” Stan complimented. “Like, really good. You ever thought of joining the boxing team in high school?”

Dipper shrugged in between hooks. “Maybe. Mabel’s talked about it, but I think she just wants to watch the matches and meet some guys.”

“Oh ho, guess I’ll have to have a word with her.” Stan joked. “Okay, so is there a reason you’ve been practicing?”

Dipper looked sideways, careful to keep his uncle in view so he wouldn’t get punched in the face, but also unwilling to meet his eyes. “No reason. Just wanted to.”

Stan raised an eyebrow. “Y’know why you want to?”

“Can’t I just want to do something just cuz I want to?” Dipper asked coldly, testing the waters with his tone. He didn’t even give the old conman a chance to respond. “Can’t I just want to be stronger, faster, better? Is it so wrong to want to be better because I want to suck a little less?!”

Stan dropped his fists. “Whoa, hey…”

“It’s not like I watched the whole world fall apart all because I couldn’t keep the rift safe! It’s not like Bill won all because I hurt my only sister! It’s not like I nearly lost you all because I wasn’t tough enough to…” Dipper stopped, realizing the dam had been broken, and he growled and punched the tree so hard his knuckles popped and scraped against the harsh bark. Stan was right; trees are horrible sparring partners.

Holding his hand, Dipper muttered darkly, “What else am I supposed to do? What do you do when you don’t feel tough enough? When you don’t feel good enough?” And the boy sank to the grass, back against the tree, and he held his knees and buried his face in his folded arms.

Stan patently let Dipper’s waters fall, listening carefully to every word and taking notes, until he knew exactly what to say. Slowly (thanks to his aging body), he sat beside his nephew, knees up and arms resting there, his wrists lightly touching.

“Listen, Dipper,” Stan said, a perfect balance of seriousness and softness. “None of that was your fault, I need you to understand that if nothing else. None of it.

“Second off, you are the strongest kid I know, tied maybe with your sister.” He joked, making Dipper rest his chin on his arms and give the tiniest smile. “You defeated an evil brain-demon three times. That’s more times than I’ve broken out of prison without help from a gang or mafia. I know that’s only by one, but hear me out.”

Dipper snorted, meaning it was safe for Stan to pat Dipper’s back and rub some circles. “I don’t want you ever thinking you’re not tough enough to handle anything that comes your way, cuz you are. I’m all for you working out just cuz, I’ve been there and it’s a good distraction and sets up good goals or whatever, but don’t do it just cuz you think you need to be more of a man, cuz you don’t. You’re tougher and stronger and smarter than anyone I know. You’re my hero, duckling, and who I strive to be more like every day.”

Dipper doubted that last part, ignoring his blushing cheeks over a very old nickname. “What, don’t wanna be more like Ford?” He teased.

“Ew, that nerd? No thank you.” Stan laughed back, locking Dipper into a headlock to give a loving noogie.

The two men laughed for a moment, until Stan cleared his throat and said, “Now help me up. I’m too old for this.”

~~~~~~~~

Four years later, Ford and Stan were on the couch on the porch, chit-chatting casually as they sipped sodas. They had lived such adventurous lives that the sound of rustling trees, roars, and victorious laughter, didn’t faze them. Not even seeing their niece and nephew tumble out of the woods, fighting a huge green cyclops, startled them.

Mabel laughed with excitement as she rode its shoulders and put it in a headlock, meanwhile Dipper was on its back, riding it like a horse, as he tried to use rope to bind its arms.

“Looking good, gremlins!” Stan called from the porch.

“Thanks, Grunkle Stan!” Dipper yelled back, the cyclops breaking free of the rope, snapping it into pieces, and Dipper jumped off and stood in front of the roaring monster.

“Want to borrow my Freeze Ray?” Ford offered calmly.

“No thanks! I’ve got it!” Dipper answered, then dove for the monster’s gut, making all three tumble back into the forest, Mabel’s happy laughter echoing throughout Oregon.

#GF #gravity falls #fanfiction #dipper pines #grunkle stan #fanfic commissions

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anagentinwriting · 3 years

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Lifeline - Part 12

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: 8700+ (whoops!)

Warnings: Angst, language, fluff, jumper/suicidal, snakes

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

AN: Flashbacks in italics

You yawned at your reflection in the mirror, bringing tears to the corner of your eyes. Today was the softball tournament, and Steve was picking you up at 6:30 in the morning. Unlucky for you, when you agreed to go with him as his date, you didn’t think it started this early. Station 107 was playing in one of the first two games of the day. It wasn’t a huge bracket with only twelve teams competing from different fire stations, dispatch call centers, paramedic units, and police departments. Nat and Clint’s West LA Police Department won last year, and they were hoping for another win.

You sighed, splashing your face with cold water, hoping it would shock your body awake, but it only made your face cold. You grabbed a towel, dabbing your face as you stared at your reflection. Your eyes shined back at you, and you couldn’t help the small approving smile spread across your lips. You shake your head, reverting your eyes back to the counter. Only an insane person smiles at themselves in the mirror, but you couldn’t help but look at yourself. Really look at yourself. You looked different, but it was a good different; no dark shadows under your eyes, a calm, relaxed expression, and a smile that came so much easier.

You were happy. It was a weird feeling, waking up refreshed without fear coursing through your veins. You were never going to be the person you were before you met him or even the person you were when you were with him; a weak, abused, and frightened woman. No, this was a whole new you. A stronger you that was finally letting old wounds heal and allowing yourself to move on and start over. You let out a deep breath as your phone vibrated on the bathroom counter.

Steve: Good morning. I’m outside ;)

YN: Be out in a second

You sighed, slipping on the baseball cap Thor gave you to wear with LAFD (Los Angeles Fire Department) stitched on the front with their station number on the back. You let out a breath and smiled at yourself. It was a new exciting feeling, a feeling of improvement, and a fresh start.

________

You sat on the bleachers watching the game between Station 107 and Station 93. The whole team wore the same dark blue station shirt, grey sweatpants, and the same cap you had on. Your eyes scanned the field, finding Steve covering first base. The car ride over didn’t do any justice to his uniform. His shirt was stretched tight across his chest with his biceps bulging out from his tight sleeves, and his joggers hugged tight to his quads. He caught you staring, giving you a little wave before hitting his hand into his glove.

The game was slow to watch, with the lead changing almost every inning. Every time the batter hit the ball, your breath caught in your throat, waiting to see how it would play out. You were caught up in the game when out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a familiar redhead.

“Hey, YN. Guess what? We won!” She nudged you on the arm. “How are Val and the boys doing?”

“Winning, but not by much. Carol needs to get her ass here. I think they’re feeling lost without their Captain,” you smiled, and she nodded in agreement. “Her shift ended about 10 minutes ago, so she should be on her way, and then she’ll set them straight.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. Like, why is Thor catcher?” she pointed at him. “And Bucky at second base? I mean, he can run, put him in the outfield.”

“I was wondering the same thing, but then I realized he already got to second base with you, so...”

“Oh shut up,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “He hit a home run, but I could say the same about you and Steve.”

“And you’d be wrong; we haven’t even got to first base yet.”

“Wait, what!” She slapped your arm. “But, I thought you two have been hanging out for like two weeks. I figured you two would be doing a little somethin-somethin,” she teased, nudging you in the side.

You chuckled, shaking your head. “I get why you’d think that, but we’re in no rush,” you insisted with a half shrug, earning a nod from her.

You heard a car door slam and glanced over your shoulder to see Carol charging over to the dugout with her cap and aviators on.

“The boss lady has arrived,” Nat announced loud enough for Carol to shoot you two a smirk.

Everyone huddled around her in the dugout. She used all kinds of hand gestures, some a little inappropriate, but her team stood together, nodding their heads and hanging onto every word like they do when they are on call. With it being a single-elimination tournament, they couldn’t afford to lose. It might have been a charity event, but some teams still came wanting to have bragging rights until next year. When she stood up, they broke apart, and it seemed like everyone's energy changed from defeated to conquering. It was like they finally suited up and wanted to win with two innings left.

Carol was a competitive person and always felt like she needed to take an extra step to prove herself. Growing up, she never got along with her parents; they always insisted she couldn’t do something because she was a girl. No matter how many times she got knocked down, she would always get back up and try again. When she got the job as Captain of the 107th, many men under her didn’t want to follow her orders or be controlled by a woman. Many of those ignorant men left her station, even though she proved herself time and time again. She earned the respect of a few firefighters who stuck around, and to those, she felt earned her respect as well. With everything she has gone through to get this far, you couldn’t help but admire her.

A slight chill ran up your spine, sending a tingling sensation coursing through your body. It forced the hair on your arms to stand up straight and make your hands shake. You rubbed them together, glancing over your shoulder, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. You gulped, sitting up straighter, getting the feeling of someone’s eyes on you. You bite your lip, scanning the faces one by one until they landed on Nat.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you replied, seeing Clint take off running to a van. “But it looks like your cheering section has arrived.”

“On that note, I will be back--” she patted your leg “--I have to go hug my favorite niece and nephews.”

She stepped down the bleachers with a huge grin on her face and ran towards the van. Clint’s daughter met her halfway and pulled her into a hug. She hopped on Nat’s back, and Nat gave her a piggyback ride back over to her parents. You smiled at their interaction. It was such a simple gesture, but it meant so much to both of them.

Family has always been important to you; even when you didn’t think they would be there for you, they still showed up. You always thought you were the glue that held Thor and Loki together, but now, you were almost positive they were the ones holding you together.

Your eyes focused back on the game to see Station 107 heading back out to the field. They were up 3 points, heading into the top of the 7th inning. You couldn’t help but notice that Carol changed their field positions; Bucky and Thor moved to the outfield, but Steve stayed put at first. It’s surprising how moving a few players around made it look like a brand new team, and the game quickly ended with three straight outs, advancing them to the next round. They shook hands with the other team before huddling together in the dugout.

Thor was the first to leave the huddle, making his way over to you with a closed mouth smile plastered on his face. He hit the bill of your hat and continued to walk past you.

“Hey! What was that for,” you shouted at him over your shoulder.

“Felt like it,” he grinned with a shrug, walking backwards.

“Jerk,” you said under your breath, readjusting your hat as Steve approached you.

“Hope you weren’t too bored.”

“No, it was entertaining, watching you all fall over your feet until Danvers showed up and helped you pull off a win.”

“It wasn’t that bad. We kept a good pace with them all the way to the end. Just needed an extra push from Danvers,” he chuckled, putting his hands on his hips. “Did you want to get breakfast?” He offered, pointing to the line of food trucks behind you.

“What....no Wade’s Chimichangas?”

“I don’t think I have the stomach for that this early in the morning.” He rubbed his stomach before offering his hand to you. You took it with a chuckle, walking over to one of the most famous breakfast trucks in LA, Stan Lee Scrambles.

Thor had mentioned to you once before how Stan and his old firefighter crew decided to open up a food truck after they gained popularity. It started out small but soon became very successful, and they had to get a second truck. Everyone loved them, the food, and how they gave back to their community. They didn’t have a huge array of options, but it revolved heavily around breakfast items, including their award-winning breakfast sandwich, The Egg-celsior, a sausage bacon egg english muffin sandwich.

“What can I get you, Big Guy,” the old man, wearing tinted glasses and an old fire station hat, asked Thor.

“Well, Stan...I will take two Egg-celsiors with a side of hash browns and a parfait,” Thor replied, squinting his eyes at the menu. “I think that will do for now, my good man.”

“Coming up, Big Guy.” You smirked at Stan’s nickname for your brother and moved up in line with Steve. “Hiya, Steve. How’s your dog...Cosmo, right?” Stan asked, putting his elbows on the truck's small counter ledge.

“Yeah, he’s doing much better. He’s gotten a lot more friendly and isn’t as skittish. I’ve been teaching him a few commands and lovin’ up on him.”

“That’s terrific to hear. Remember, every relationship starts off a little shaky, but before you know it, the two of you will be inseparable.” Steve nodded with a smirk, as did you, reading into the double meaning. “Now, let’s get you two something to eat; what will it be?”

You and Steve placed your order, and before you could beat him to it, Steve had his wallet out, paying. You shook your head, taking a few steps back to wait for your order to be called. You didn’t miss the subtle wink Stan shot Steve, making your eyes drift to the ground, hoping your hat would hide the bashful smile appearing on your face.

Steve’s feet came into view, and you looked up at him. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“No problem,” he smiled.

“So, what are the chances of you winning the next game? Any big competitors you're worried about?”

“I don’t know.” He lifted up his hat, scratching his head as he leaned in close to you, and whispered. “We’re not that good. We might make it to the next round, but I think the final four is as far as we’ll get.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Observation.” You narrowed your eyes at him as he tilted his head to the fields. “For one, one of the games behind us is already up 5 to 0, and they're still in the first inning. Second, Nat and Clint’s department dominated because Clint hits a home run every time he is up to bat. And three, I think we just want to start drinking.”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “You seem so sure of yourself.”

“I know a thing or two about baseball, and the odds are stacked against us.” Steve shrugged.

“Maybe, I should’ve joined your team. I’m pretty good with a bat,” you smirked, earning a breathy chuckle out of him.

“Maybe next year, you and Bruce can put together a group of individuals…”

“Let me stop you right there. No and no. I’d rather eat, drink, and watch,” you giggled, making Steve nod in understanding.

Your order was called, and you both went to the counter to pick it up. Steve followed behind you, taking a seat at one of the picnic tables with Bucky, Sam, and Thor. You took the spot beside Sam, and Steve sat across from you next to Thor.

“You did not do that, Sam. I don’t believe you. I bet you made that up,” Thor said, waving his hand around with his Egg-celsior in it.

“I’m not, it’s 100% true.”

“Lies. All lies this guy.” Thor shook his head, sliding over to give Steve a little more room on the end.

“What is he lying about?” Steve asked, unwrapping his breakfast sandwich.

“Thor doesn’t believe I ran five miles in thirty minutes.”

“It’s true; we ran it together once,” Steve confirmed, nodding his head.��

Thor rolled his eyes, doing a double-take at someone behind you. “WHAT? Bruce is here! I didn’t know he was coming. YN, did you know he was coming?” Thor pointed at him, talking with Happy by the silent auction tables.

“He told me he was going to try and make it.” You shrugged, glancing over your shoulder.

“BRUCE, BRUCE,” Thor called, standing up in a half-sitting half-standing position at the picnic table. “BANNER, BRUCE BANNER.” Bruce noticed him and waved at him, not wanting any attention. “BANNER, IT’S ME, THOR. YOU POPPED MY CHERRY.”

All eyes in the surrounding area stopped what they were doing and looked between Bruce and Thor. You swore you saw Bruce roll his eyes from more than a few hundred feet away and let out an annoyed sigh before he headed over with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slouched. “Hey, Thor. Fellas, YN, Carol, Val. How was your first game?”

“We won,” Carol answered from the table next to theirs, where she was sitting with Val. “It was a tight game before I showed up.”

“We just didn’t want to win without you, Ace,” Bucky smiled at her, forcing her to shake her head.

“Steve, did I ever tell you how I lost my dispatcher cherry to Bruce?” Thor asked as everyone stood up from your table and the table next to yours, besides you and Steve. “Wait, where is everyone going?”

“To watch the next game starting, but tell Steve the story, we have heard it one too many times,” Val stated, stepping out of the picnic table.

“Yeah, he hasn’t heard it yet; he deserves to hear it at least once,” Sam replied with wide eyes before walking to the bleachers with Bucky, Carol, and Val.

Thor did love telling the story. Maybe a little too much because each time he told it, you swore he added something new to it or remembered something he forgot the other 15 times he mentioned it. It was a story that only needed to be told once, but Thor liked talking about his first time.

You shake your head, sneaking a peek at Steve through your eyelashes as a small smirk tugged at your lips. He caught you staring, widening eyes as if he was asking if they should've made a quick getaway, but it was too late for them.

“That’s right, I did tell those guys,” Thor nodded with an amused smile. “Anyways, Bruce, take a seat. We will tell it together.”

“No, that’s okay,” Bruce assured, holding his hands up “I got to go and...”

“Nonsense. Take a seat, Banner.” Thor tapped on the spot next to him.

“Okay,” Bruce mumbled with a shrug. “Since when do I ever get what I want.” Bruce sits beside him, knowing the faster he got this over with, the faster he could leave. He shot a quick glance in your direction, almost asking for help to make a quick getaway.

“That’s right.” Thor patted Bruce on the shoulder. “Now, it all started when I was working at my first station in LA. I was a young greenhorn, learning the ropes many years ago...

“Thor and Sif,” Captain Heimdall spoke into the walkie on their jacket. “There is an EMT emergency at the Los Angeles Zoo. We are the closest unit, and I need you two to head there now. The team and I will finish putting this blaze out.”

Thor and Sif got into the ambulance as instructed, blasting the sirens, and drove to the access point the dispatcher routed them to. A few zookeepers were waiting as they lead them through the zoo, stopping directly in front of the reptile building. Sif ran to the back of the ambulance and threw a paramedic bag at Thor as she grabbed another bag before running into the building behind the other zookeeper.

“Now, at this point, I never had to deal with the whole paramedic, injured people side of things, so it was an intense situation. Luckily, I was able to stay calm and collected through this whole situation, and I had Sif to thank for that. She remained so focused in these emergencies, I always thought she took Xanax, but it was just her personality.” Thor shrugged, taking a sip out of his water bottle in front of him. “Back to the call...

“Did the dispatcher mention what is happening to either of you?” Zookeeper Carina asked while weaving them through the halls of the building.

“Not much,” Sif answered. “The victim called in mentioning a snake. A few guests must have seen it happen through the viewing windows and called it in, too. I’m hoping you cleared the viewing area for now.”

“Yes, of course, we did,” Carina nodded as they continued down the hall.

“Wait, this involves a snake. I love snakes. My parents got me one when I was younger, thinking it would give me more responsibility, but then my brother let him out of his cage, and he was never found again. I like to think he found a mate, and they are living happily ever after.”

“Great story, Thor, but let’s get to the matters at hand right now,” Sif commanded, earning a serious understanding nod from him. “What’s the current situation?”

“Miek, our 16 foot long 237-pound Burmese python snake from the Asian exhibit, latched onto my fellow zookeeper, Taneleer Tivan, leg, and she started coiling her body around Taneleer’s leg, cutting off his circulation. Taneleer collects snakes, so I don’t know if he read the situation wrong or did something to provoke her.” She shook her head. “It’s protocol to have two zookeepers present during feeding to avoid these types of situations, but his co-worker was running late, so he started the feedings by himself.”

Carina stopped at a door. “He is behind this door.” She opened it, and they both stepped in to see Taneleer holding a phone to his ear, mumbling and grunting. His eyes and head traveled to the door with a faint smile on his lips before he went unconscious.

“OH MY GOD, that snake is huge?” Thor shouted in surprise, seeing the snake wrapped around Taneleer’s leg.

“Taneleer, you still there? Taneleer?” The caller on the speakerphone asked.

Sif went over to pick up the phone and tossed it to Thor. “I’m Fireman Thor Odinson. Who am I speaking with?” Thor questioned, keeping a watchful eye on Sif.

She slowly moved into position to check his vitals while keeping an eye on the snake. Her eyes traveled over his body, further assessing the situation. She noticed multiple bite marks across his stomach that were bleeding profusely, and Miek’s jaw was still latched on tight to his stomach. Sif tried her best to put pressure on the wounds, trying not to disturb the snake while Mieks body seemed to coil tighter around Taneleers leg.

“Dispatcher Bruce Banner here, how is Taneleer doing?”

“He’s unconscious.”

“Okay, how are his vitals?” Bruce asked, but Thor ignored him.

“Carina, do you have any protocol when this happens? Like what is the best way to get the snake off them without harming them?” Sif asked, trying to keep pressure on the wounds.

Her eyes went wide, and she shrugged. “This isn’t usually my area, I fill in where I’m needed, and…and…” her voice drifted off, staring down at Taneleer.

Sif nodded, looking at Thor. “Thor, can you try uncoiling the snake off of his leg.”

Thor nodded, starting at the tail end, but as much strength Thor had, he couldn’t unwrap the snake. “I think Miek is getting pissed. She is making herself tighter and heavier,” Thor grunted through clenched teeth.

“STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING, THOR?” Bruce shouted from the breast pocket on Thor’s shirt.

Thor slowly set down the snake’s body and pulled the phone from his pocket. “Then, what do you suggest we do, Banner?“

“Find some alcohol and put it in their mouth, but make sure the head is pointed downward and make sure it goes into his mouth. The alcohol won’t work if you put it on their face or body.” Carina disappeared as if she remembered something and returned with a small bottle of vodka and a syringe.

“It needs to be the mouth, okay. I got it, but we don’t want to get this snake drunk, Bruce.”

“It will work, trust me. The snake will become disoriented and unlatch herself from Taneleer. Then you will need to slowly unwrap her from his leg. Go slow because you don’t want to make the snake uncomfortable.”

“Got it. You sure she likes vodka,” Thor winked at a blushing Carina, filling the small amount of vodka in the syringe.

“Thor,” Sif shouted at him. “Focus.”

“If she bites me, this is on you Sif, and this Bruce Banner guy.” Thor pointed his fingers at her and then to the phone.

Thor held the syringe just enough to place a few drops into the python's mouth. In an instant, the snake disengaged its teeth and retracted them away from the bite zone. Sif stepped into action and put pressure on the wound while Thor grabbed a hold of his jaw and head, gaining full control of the snake. With his other hand, he pointed to Carina to start unwrapping the snake slowly at the tail end.

“And just like that, another person saved.” Thor smacked the table with a big grin on his face. “If I remember right, you Banner had quite the temper in that situation.”

“Well, when a person needs help, you have to think of the best way to help.”

“How did you know the alcohol trick would work?” Steve asked, looking at Bruce.

Bruce opened his mouth when Thor spoke up for him. “This guy, right here--” he grabbed both Bruce's shoulder and shook him “--took some fancy snake class and learned how to disarm them.”

“It wasn’t for that reason per se, but it was a class at the local herpetology society to better understand situations involving reptiles and amphibians.”

“Exactly, fancy snake class,” Thor smirked, patting him on the back while Bruce nodded his head, rubbing his lips together. You couldn’t help but shake your head at them. These two had nothing in common but that one call they experienced together. “I want you to remember, Bruce, you will always be my first.”

“Okay,” Bruce nodded with a fake tight-lipped smile.

“It was good to see you, Bruce, but I am going to go see if Stan has any more Egg-celsiors left.” He patted him on the shoulder, crawling out of the table and walking back to the truck.

“Good to see you, too.”

“And here I thought my first time was good.” Steve winked at you, forcing you to roll your eyes.

“I will say one thing,” Bruce mentioned, peeking over you to make sure Thor was out of earshot. “He wasn’t that calm. If you ever want to hear the real version, we have it in the archives, it's in my favorites.”

“And here I thought my brother loved snakes,” you added, making both men chuckle.

________

Steve went to warm up for his next game while you made your way over to the bleachers to watch the rest of Nat and Clint’s game.

“YN, come sit with us,” a woman with brown hair called, waving at you with a huge grin on her face. A little boy sat next to her, focused on the game in front of him. You recognized her as the woman Nat hugged earlier. “I don’t think we have been properly introduced, but I’m Laura, Clint’s wife, and this is my youngest, Nathaniel. The little lady in the purple shirt by the fence watching the game is Lila, and the young man next to her is my other son, Cooper.”

You nodded as she pointed at them. “I’m YN, but you seem to already know that,” you smiled, shaking her hand.

“I did, I’ve heard so much about you, and it’s nice to finally put a face to the name. Here join us on the blanket.”

“Thanks.” You plopped down on the blanket, getting comfortable. “Nat’s told me so much about her niece and nephews, too, and they do seem pretty adorable.”

“Do they? Because if I’m being honest, they can be little terrors sometimes, and the sibling rivalry, well don’t get me started,” she huffed, shaking her head.

“Oh, don’t I know it. I’ve experienced plenty of it growing up with two brothers.”

“I can imagine, but I didn’t know you had another brother.”

“Yeah, Loki. He’s adopted.” You shrugged, watching Nathaniel look through one of the books in front of him.

“Was it like sporting event after sporting event growing up? Because let me tell you something, once you have kids and they want to play sports, then that's all you're going to be focusing on until the season's finished. Bye-bye social life.”

“I’ll take that into consideration,” you let out a soft chuckle, “but for me, it wasn’t like that growing up. Loki and Thor are two very different people. Loki was more into drama theater, but Thor did play a lot of sports. And their personalities, well, they couldn’t be more opposite. Loki is great to talk to when you need someone to tell you how it is or how something is going to be, but Thor always takes your feelings into account by telling you what you want to hear before telling you what you should hear. Each brother has good and bad traits, but I still loved them and would do anything for them.”

“Do you miss Loki?” She reached over and patted your hand. “I’m assuming he doesn’t live around here because Nat mentioned you’re from New York, right?”

“Ahh, yeah. I miss talking to him and seeing him. We were close growing up and up until I moved at the last minute, but it’s just tough, right now.” You shrugged, biting your lip as your eyes drifted to the field.

You hated not being able to talk to Loki. He helped you through so much, and you hoped he knew that. As dramatic and theatrical as he could be, you missed him. He was often hard to read, but once you cracked his hard shell, he showed a different side of himself, some never get the chance to see. You wished you could tell him what you have been doing lately, but you didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to another cell phone besides your brothers in California, in case Billy was keeping an eye on them.

“I’m sorry--” she gave your hand a reassuring squeeze, and your head snapped to hers “--I didn’t mean to pry or anything. I’m just a stay-at-home mom that hasn’t had any adult communication since last week.”

“No, you’re good, Laura,” you smiled at her. “Don’t you have Clint to talk to?”

“He’s like my fourth child. He is the oldest but acts like the youngest,” she whispered the last part, making you let out a loud laugh. “So, tell me...” She nudged your side, tilting her head at something behind you. You turned to see who she was referring to only to spot Steve. “What’s going on with you and Steve?”

“Depends on what has Nat told you?”

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be! Wow!” She pushed you, and you laughed, falling onto your side.

“MOM, Dad's up to bat,” Cooper shouted, sprinting over to inform her before going back to the fence.

“Is he? Oh yes, look at that,” she smirked, seeing Clint square up in the batter’s box with the bases loaded.

With the first pitch, Clint swung the bat, sending the ball flying over the fence on the opposite side of the field. He hit a grand slam, earning cheers from his teammates as he jogged around the bases with a fist up in the air.

"Showoff," Laura snorted, shaking her head. “I’ll cue you in on a little unknown fact about Clint. He only hits those over the fence because he doesn’t want to run around the bases.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s the worst, but I love him,” she smiled with a half shrug.

You may have just met Laura, but you already adored her. She was so easy to get along with, and seemed like the type of friend you could share all your secrets with and she wouldn’t tell a soul.

"How long have you and Clint been together?"

“It’s been seventeen long years, but he’s been worth it,” Laura smiled, running her hand through Nathaniel’s mop of hair. “How about you and Steve?”

“Okay, back to me, then.” You shake your head, finding it hard not to smile. You glanced over at Steve to see him talking with Sam, flipping his baseball glove around in his hands. “We’ve been hanging out, but I wouldn’t call it serious.”

“Steve’s a great guy from what I’ve come to understand. I’m pretty perceptive, and let me tell you, not many people can finagle themselves into their little group, but he fit right in. And from what my perceptive powers are telling me, he likes you,” she grinned, tilting her head at him.

You took a deep breath and looked over your shoulder to catch Steve and Sam staring at you. Steve bit his bottom lip, a smirk forming on his lips. You stuck out your tongue at them, making them both laugh as they leaned down to grab their gear for the next game. Steve headed towards the dugout, but you didn’t miss the ever so subtle double-take Steve shot your way. You shot him a cheesy grin, and you could’ve sworn his ears couldn’t get any redder. You chuckled, your eyes drifting back to the game in front of you.

“And that Nathaniel, my little man, is called the double-take. It means Steve is into YN.”

You scoffed. “May I ask what you’re teaching him?” You bit your lip, looking at the smiling boy.

“My perceptive powers, of course,” she said, reaching over and tickling him.

“No, mommy,” he screeched in a burst of high-pitched laughter.

“He’s got the trait. Cooper and Lila are screwed.” She confessed, and you mouthed ‘wow’ with a half-smile on your lips. “Regardless, you two are cute together.”

“Thanks,” you mumbled under your breath, feeling a rush of heat to your cheeks.

_________

The West LA Police Department took the win and were moving onto the final four. Nat and Clint were walking over together, and Lila took off running towards them. Clint leaned down with open arms, but she ran right to Nat and wrapped her arms around her waist. You didn’t miss Clint let out a sigh of defeat as he stood back up and smirked at them.

“Did you watch us kick the other teams butt?” Nat asked, smiling down at her, patting her back.

“Yeah, you were so awesome, Nat. I want to grow up and be just like you,” Lila grinned, looking up at her.

Clint shook his head at them, giving Lila a knowing look. “Yeah, no, that’s not gonna happen. You wanna give your old man a heart attack or something because I’m not ready for that," Clint sighed, walking over and laying down next to Nathaniel and Laura. He rested his head on his wife’s thigh with a huff. “I’m getting too old for this sh...stuff,” he groaned, closing his eyes and was out like a light.

“Man, I wish I could fall asleep that fast,” Nat admitted, staring down at sleeping Clint.

“Don’t we all,” Laura chuckled. “At least I know where Nathaniel gets it.”

“How’s your team doing?” Nat asked, standing with her hands on her hips.

“I haven’t checked up on them. Been too busy talking with Laura.”

“Happens to most of us. She’s so easy to talk to.”

“She is,” you nodded at Laura, and she shot you a soft smile.

Station 107 won their game, moving them onto the final four, which started after lunch. To your surprise, Happy’s Hydrant was catering the event, and all the food looked delicious. All you had to do was pay for the plate, and all the money collected would be donated to the winning team's charity. Everyone from the team agreed, this last game wasn’t important and that it was time to finally start partying.

_________

It was the bottom of the 7th inning of their final four game with Station 107 down by one point with one out. Val was up to bat, and the current count was one strike and two balls. She stepped back, taking a few quick practice swings before returning to the plate. The pitcher threw the ball straight across the plate, and Val swung with a miss. She stepped back out, shaking her head as her teammates cheered her on from the dugout.

Steve gulped, seeing her set herself back up in the batter's box, doing one more quick practice swing. Steve never really had a one on one conversation with her, but he had a ton of respect for her. He was always impressed with how determined and focused she could be in a high-pressure situation. Those calls were a walk in the park for her, and he knew with the current situation at hand, she would knock that ball out of the park.

The pitcher tossed the ball, and in an instant, it landed in the catcher's glove slightly out of the strike zone.

“Strike 3, you’re out,” the umpire called, making a fist with his hand. Val stood there with a questioning glare at the ump before she turned around and walked away.

“What the fuck?” Steve commented under his breath, pushing his way out of the dugout and passed Val. “What kind of fucking call was that, ump?”

“If you don’t like the call, you can get out of here.” The ump stood tall in front of him, but it didn’t do much since he was shorter than Steve.

“The ball was nowhere near the damn strike zone, and she didn’t even swing at it. She’s not out.”

The umpire tore off his mask. “Listen here, buddy, I’m in charge here--” He stepped closer to Steve and poked him on the chest with his mask “--from my view, she swung the bat but didn’t commit to it. Get over it or get out.”

“You know what I think…” Steve started, but Bucky showed up, forcing himself between them. Sam stepped in and grabbed a hold of Steve’s arm, pulling him back to the dugout.

“All good, Rumlow, all good. It’s just a friendly annual charity grill-out game. Can’t we all just get along,” Bucky added with a slight smirk, walking backwards to the dugout.

“Keep your new recruit under control, and we won’t have a problem.” Rumlow shook his head and pulled his mask back on with Thor up to bat next.

“Who is that guy?” Steve asked Sam, taking a seat on the bench in the dugout.

“Brock Rumlow. You kind of took his job.”

“What do you mean, I took his job?”

“We were going to hire him, but then, Bucky told you to apply, and you got it.” Sam patted his back. “He is not very fond of our station anymore, but you were the more qualified candidate.” Sam squirted his water bottle into his mouth. “It’s probably why Val didn’t say anything to him about the call because she saw who it was and knew it wasn’t worth the fight.”

“I see,” Steve nodded, taking a drink from his water bottle. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing you watching him. Nat was saying something to you, but your attention was on him. He held up his hand with a slight smirk to show you he was fine, and you nodded at him.

“Why am I always cleaning up your messes,” Bucky inquired, plopping down in the seat next to him.

“Bad timing,” Steve smiled, forcing Sam and Bucky to shake their heads.

You and Nat stepped down from the bleachers when the game ended, with Station 107 losing by 2 points. Nat nodded at you, leaving to prepare for the championship game. Once you realized the umpire was Rumlow, you and Nat knew it was inevitable that they were going to lose. Rumlow knew how to hold a grudge, and he was still holding onto it. You shot Steve a side smirk as he walked over to you.

“And here, I thought you guys didn’t care about the game, and who knew you were so competitive?”

“What can I say, I got into it a little bit. We all did.” He shrugged with a tight smile.

“You did,” you chuckled, patting him on the bicep. “The ump was making some terrible calls anyways, and it doesn’t help he’s an asshole.”

________

You sat down in the same spot at the picnic table from earlier, and Bucky and Steve joined you, still talking about their loss.

Bucky took a bite of his BBQ ribs and grabbed his napkin, wiping the sauce from his lips. “It’s a good thing you’re not in charge of the grill, Steve? You remember what happened that one time.”

“What are you talking about? I’m great on the grill.”

“Yeah, but there was that one time, Peggy threw you that Fourth of July Birthday bash at your new house. You were on the grill and had the gas turned on too high and when you lit the match, a fire blaze shot up in the air. Hell, I thought you were going to lose your eyebrows, but Peggy was more worried about the house,” he chuckled with a crinkled-eyed smile, shaking his head.

“In my defense, it was a new grill,” Steve snickered. “I didn’t know what it was capable of yet.”

“Who’s Peggy?” You asked, glancing between Steve and Bucky, who seemed to be in their own little world. They fell silent as Steve bit his lip, shooting Bucky a hard glare. Bucky looked away from him, shoving more mashed potatoes in his mouth.

“Story for another time.” Steve peeked over at you, letting out a breath. He moved his potatoes around on his plate as a few different expressions crossed his face.

“I understand,” you nodded, taking a sip of your drink.

You knew better than anyone that there was a time and place for certain things to be shared, and this was not one of those times; it was too public. You took a bite of your sandwich, trying to remember if Steve mentioned Peggy before, but you don’t think he ever did. You peeked up at him across the table to see him laughing with Bucky, but it seemed forced. It wasn’t the hand clutching to the chest kind of laugh or the adorable chuckle that made the butterflies erupt in your stomach. It was almost like it didn’t have a sound, but the emotion hiding behind it was there, like a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He was physically here, but his mind was somewhere else. Whoever this Peggy was, she was special to him.

“Clint and Nat’s team is fucking dominating; 12 to 2 in the bottom of the 4th. They should just call it at this point. It’s tough to watch,” Sam stated, sitting down next to you.

Everyone’s head at the table nodded in agreement. Your eyes started to wander around the park, noticing the whole Barton clan invested in this game. The line to Happy’s Hydrant was still long but moving swiftly. Thor, Val, and Carol were talking with a group of people by the beer wagon, paying no attention to the game. Your focus returned to the table, hearing Bucky comment on Nat’s uniform, forcing Sam to roll his eyes and bring his sandwich to his mouth.

“I’m gonna head back for seconds; do you want anything else? I can grab it for you,” Steve asked, catching your wandering eyes.

“I’m fine, thanks, though.” You smiled up at him, and he nodded, stepping out of the picnic table.

Steve stood back in Happy’s line, which was much longer than it was the first time he went through. Drunk munchies, he assumed. He glanced over at you and couldn’t help but smile. Sam must have made a comment about you and him because you smacked Sam on the arm as your gaze landed on his. You waved at him with a playful smile while giving Sam a stern look.

He couldn’t help but smirk at your interactions with the guys. They were a rowdy bunch, but you could always hold your own against them and put them in their place, even him. Every joke you made, every laugh that escaped you, and every smile you shot his way made his heart leap in his chest. It was a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time, a feeling he hasn’t felt since Peggy.

"Is this the line for Happy's?" A guy behind him asked, interrupting his daydream.

“It is, yes,” he nodded, turning around to look at the guy, wearing a Northeast LA police department t-shirt and cap.

“Was your department playing today?” Steve questioned, pointing at his shirt.

“Oh no,” the bearded man chuckled. “We prefer being spectators and drinking.” He pointed behind him to a group sitting by the game with lawn chairs and coolers.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Steve smirked, shaking his head.

“What’s it like being a firefighter at the 107th?” He gestured to Steve’s shirt. “Doesn’t Thor work at that station, too?”

“Yeah, he does. Good guy.” The brunet nodded in agreement. “I like it. It’s both a physically and mentally demanding job, but I enjoy it.” Steve shrugged, grabbing a few extra napkins from the table.

“Same with me, but we aren’t fighting fires or rescuing kittens from trees.”

“If only it was that easy,” Steve nodded, narrowing his brows. “How do you know, Thor?”

“He helped me with a call a few months ago….it was a jumper,” he gulped, putting some vegetables on his plate as they made their way down the line. “I was the first officer on the scene. I was working on talking him down, and then this big intimidating guy from the 107th showed up, had a heart to heart with the guy, and he got down off the ledge. It was amazing to watch.”

“Did Thor tell the guy his wife left him and that he found himself in a similar situation?”

“Yeah.”

“Thor made that up on the spot.” The guy furrowed his brows at him, not really understanding. “You see, sometimes to calm people down in these stressful situations, we try to find some common ground. In this case, Thor made up the story about his wife leaving him, and it ended up saving the guy’s life.”

“Wait, so Thor was never married.”

“Nope,” Steve smirked, taking a couple more BBQ ribs for his plate. “We do what we have to do to save lives, even if it means making up an emotional story for the victim to know they are not alone, and people still care.”

You glanced over at the food buffet to see Steve talking to someone in a dark blue cap that you didn’t recognize. Steve always seemed to be able to start up a conversation with anyone, even though he seemed like a quiet guy. Bucky snapped his fingers in front of your face, pulling you away from them.

“Eyes on me, darling, eyes on me.” He pointed his middle and forefinger at his eyes than to yours. “Stop giving Steve all the attention. He’s the real troublemaker.” Bucky shook his head. “Has he told you about all the stupid things he did when he was younger and how I had to rescue his ass?”

“A little,” you snickered, pinching your thumb and forefinger together. “And here, I always thought you were the troublemaker.”

“Nope, all Steve. You’d be surprised how often I got into trouble for shit he did. He’s such a punk.” You couldn’t help but grin at Steve’s back, shuffling down the buffet line.

Steve hesitated before scooping one more serving of potatoes on his plate. He deserved a few more carbs after playing softball all day and consuming copious amounts of water. “Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name?”

“Oh, my friends call me Jig.”

“Jig?” Steve mumbled, cocking his head to the side. “I bet there is a story behind that one, but I’m Steve.”He held out his hand, and Jig shook it. “I better get back to my squad, but it was nice talking to you.”

“You too. I’ll see you around, Steve.”

________

“Do you think Cosmo is staring at the door waiting for you to come home? I miss that pretty boy,” You suggested, standing next to Steve watching the final game between West LA Police Department and Fire Station 113.

“Maybe,” he smirked. “I know he misses you. Won’t stop talking about it.” He shook his head, making you bite back a smile. “He wanted me to ask if you wanted to come over after this?” He shrugged, acting all innocent. “I told him I would ask, but I wasn’t promising him anything.”

“What...like a play date?”

He chuckled under his breath, eyeing you with his blue orbs. “I guess you could say that.”

You turned your head to the ground, biting your lip. “Yeah, I'd love to, but only if it's okay with his Dad. I know he has a strict bedtime.”

“I think he will let this one slide this time,” Steve murmured next to your ear, wrapping his arm around your back and putting his hand on your hip. You leaned closer to him and wrapped your hand across his waist, pulling him closer to you.

“Where is Cosmo anyway?”

“My neighbor is watching him, and let me tell you, he is not a fan of her. I think if he sees you, he will be much happier, and then he’ll forgive me for leaving him with her.

“I’m sure he will. If not, I’ll talk to him and put in a good word for you.” You squeezed his side and shot him a promising smile, forcing him to shake his head at you.

“Thank you.”

To no surprise, the West LA Police Department won with the scoreboard shining 18 to 7. They decided to forfeit after the 6th inning, knowing they weren’t going to be able to catch them. It was a boring game to watch, but you were in good company.

________

The car ride to Steve’s house sent a chill up your spine and a warm rush to your face. It was a sensation you couldn’t explain. The butterflies in your stomach erupted, and every nerve in your body made your skin tingle with anticipation. You hung out at his apartment a few times before, but tonight something felt different. You sighed, leaning back in the passenger seat, staring out the windows and watching the sky change colors. It was a beautiful sight. You glanced over at Steve, watching him bob his head along to Marvin Gaye. He tapped his hand on the steering wheel as his gaze caught yours and cracked a coy smile, causing your heart to race.

You walked up the steps behind Steve to his apartment on the second floor. He opened the door to let you in, so he could retrieve Cosmo from his neighbor. You stood next to the island by the front door with your hands on the counter, listening to the quick chit-chat Steve was having with his neighbor. You heard paws charging down the hallway followed by footsteps not much later. Under the door, you could see the shadows dancing and hear Steve giving Cosmo a little pep talk.

“Okay, Cosmo. Someone decided to come visit you, but you have to promise me you won’t embarrass me.” Cosmo whined, and you couldn’t help but think how cute it was. “You’re gonna embarrass me, aren’t you?” Cosmo barked in response, and Steve let out a loud sigh.

The front door creaked open, and Cosmo charged in, his head looking around the room until his eyes landed on you. He ran over to you with his front paws landing on you.

“Hello to you too, Cosmo,” you grinned, scratching the top of his head. “I heard you missed me.” His tail continued to wag, and it hit the kitchen cabinet, but he didn’t seem to have a care in the world.

“See, I wasn’t kidding when I told you he missed you.”

“I see that now. Did you miss me, Cosmo?” You crouched down, rubbing his ears, and he licked your face. “Yuck, Cosmo, no kissing.” You shake your head and wipe the drool off your face.

“Did you want anything to drink?” Steve offered, opening a cabinet with glasses. “I was thinking about opening a bottle of wine?”

“Yeah, I’ll have a glass.” You nodded, standing up straight at the end of the bar with Cosmo sitting right beside you, waiting for another scratch.

Steve grabbed two glasses, setting them on the counter. “See, all he wants is your attention; he could care less that I am here.”

“I’m sure he still loves his Dad.”

“He kind of has to; I feed him,” he breathed a small smirk, shrugging his shoulder. He grabbed a wine bottle at random from the small rack on the counter. He opened the bottle, pouring it into the glasses, and handed you one. “What’s the movie going to be tonight?”

“Have to check the list.”

You turned to follow Steve to the living room when you tripped over Cosmo, and the wine glass fell from your grasp. It crashed on the hardwood floor, shattering into tiny little pieces. Your hand covered your mouth, feeling a chill run up your spine. As you stared down at the floor, your heart sped up, causing tears to peek at the corner of your eyes. A lump formed in your throat, making it harder to breathe, and your hands started to tremble. You felt him reach out and touch your shoulder, forcing you to jump back and stare at him with wide eyes. In a glimpse, you saw Billy standing where Steve used to be. A sob escaped your mouth as you squeezed your eyes shut, shaking your head. When you opened your eyes, Steve was holding his hands up, his mouth was moving, but his words weren’t reaching your ears.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” you whimpered, backing away from him.

“It’s okay, YN, we’ll clean it up. It was an accident. These things happen.”

“No, no, I should go. I forgot I had...um...I’m sorry. I should go.” You grabbed your jacket and took off out the door with tears streaming down your face.

The door closed with a loud bang, causing Cosmo to whine at the door. Steve let out a deep sigh, looking at the door and then at his dog. “What am I going to do, Cosmo?” He ran a hand down his face, walking over to grab his broom.

______

AN: Thanks for reading Part 12! Soooo much happened in this part, so where do I start. I originally thought about breaking this part into two, but got lazy, and was like nahhh! Haha! But what a way to end it, am I right?! Everything was going so well until it wasn't. 😬 What is Steve gonna do now? Do you think Cosmo feels bad about it? Poor pup! Did you like the Stan Lee cameo? Whenever I write a story, I try to add him in since he is the one who started it all! And what did you think about the story of Thor losing his dispatcher cherry? I don’t know anything about snakes, I just googled and this is what came up, so it could be inaccurate, but regardless, I hope you at least got a little laugh out of it! Anyways, thanks for reading, comments are always welcome!

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