#kid five & dad diego

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

so five and lila being a thing is going right next to allison literally sexually assaulting luther in the box of things we are absolutely under no circumstances accepting as part of canon right

[fiveapocalypse]

Sweet dreams

Thing I wrote because I was bored. (Sort of inspired by you @in-a-slanted-outhouse )

“Shut up, stop talking, you’re being ridiculous.”

Lila doesn’t know how she got into this predicament, even though she knew why she was in it in the first place, and groaned as she rubbed a hand over her face. “You’re cranky,” she says, ready to grab the pillow and suffocate the boy to sleep, “go and take a n—”

“I don’t need a fucking nap!” Five hisses, “I’m not a baby, I’m not some child that can’t function without sleeping every few hours. Lila, shut up.”

She so badly wants to retort that grown men don’t throw temper tantrums and get frustrated over the smallest things because they haven’t napped in god knows how long but Five would just throw another pillow at her, or his pencil, or pen, or notebook, or shoe, and really—she did not need to have the room a mess because Five thought he was well above taking a few hours to rest. “You’re delusional,” Five keeps talking, pacing up and down, curling his hands into fists and growling like he was a fucking dog but actually, Lila thinks he was more like a puppy, tiny and territorial and much too sweet to even the cruelest of masters. “I don’t need a nap, I don’t need to ‘rest my eyes’, I don’t need milk or a fucking lullaby or, god forbid, a bedtime story.”

Lila wonders if part of Five’s trauma was that he just never got to have those things as a kid. Diego said Grace was a mom to them, and she certainly acted and felt like one, but he also said that Five was separated from the others, and that if he spent one day with Grace, his brother spent even more time with Reginald. “Okay,” she says, holding her hands up in surrender when Five whirls around and bares his teeth at her, “sure, whatever you say, I don’t really care. Just, keep it down.” His brows raise, head slightly tilted, as if he assumed Lila was going to keep fighting him over this.

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

It takes a while, a few minutes at least, for Five to go back to his weird math shit. Lila takes that chance to head to the kitchen, fix up a cup of milk with honey and cinnamon and let it warm on the stove. Peeking into the living room reveals that Five is still doing his math shit, albeit more angrily and ready to tear the paper out and start screaming all over again. His hair is a mess, and his eyes have bags under them that sink so low, it looks like he doesn’t have eyes at all. Even his body is suffering, gaunt and small, twig-like, as thin as a small branch. Lila ducks back in, and grabs a thermos, dumping the milk inside.

She tiptoes back, watching Five out of the corner of her eye. He’s so exhausted, he doesn’t even notice when she hands him the thermos, or when he takes a sip, and doesn’t immediately taste bitter, black coffee.

In fact, dare Lila say it, he’s abandoned his math in favor of drinking the milk, likely because he didn’t want to waste it, but Lila couldn’t care much about that, not when Five was fluttering his eyes open and closed. “Hey…” she whispers, taking a step forward, and pausing when his head snaps up towards her. Okay, no sudden movements. He was like a toddler, make any noise and he’s awake for another three hours.

“How about….” Lila reaches for his pencils and pens, and notebooks. “We put these away…” She tucks them into little neat piles. Five just stares at her doing it, now rocking himself back and forth on the carpet. At least he’s not trying to stab her again. “And then… we can get on the couch…” She is talking to a baby, a baby who doesn’t look like a baby but is, in her eyes, a baby. He looks at the couch, looks at her, looks at the couch, looks at her, and then he climbs up on it, and Lila nods just to show her approval. “You.. uh, you keep drinking that,” Lila whispers, pointing to the thermos, “I’ll… be right back.”

It does not take long to find a blanket. Specifically the fluffy one that Five keeps fucking stealing from her. He likes it a lot, for some reason, so she wraps him up in it and he looks so tiny, it makes her want to punch her now deceased mother in the face. Five’s green eyes watch her every move, slightly glazed over, and Lila clicks her tongue as she crouches next to him, and pulls at the strands of his hair. “You said you didn’t want a lullaby, huh?” She snorts, rolling her eyes, “but I think you’ll like this story about a prince who was much stronger than people gave him credit for.” Five grumbles, yawning, and Lila lets out a laugh.

“That is, if you can stay awake long enough to hear it.”

(Five does not stay awake; immediately heading to sleep when Lila gets into ‘once upon a time…’ but she doesn’t mind, cleaning up his atrocious workspace, taking the thermos away from him, and, when Diego comes home from work, enlists his help in taking a photo that does nothing but make Five turn away in his sleep and mumble.)

[all-my-love-for-harry]

Call Sign: Daddy

pairing; jake seresin x wife!reader

summary; Everyone thought Hangman’s biggest secret was his ego—turns out, it’s a wife, two kids, and a killer marshmallow recipe.

word count; 6.6k

warnings; nothing. fluff, fun, the daggers being chaotic and dramatic

a/n; you ask i deliver! here's girl dad!jake! this was SO much fun to write, i love these kinds of pieces. i am SO down to keep writing for this little family or just dad!jake in general (i am incapable of writing anything short i'm sorry)

masterlist

The new house still smelled like paint and sunlight.

Boxes towered in the living room like a cityscape, half-labeled and already a little rumpled from the drive. The front door stood open to let in the sea breeze, and the soft whir of ceiling fans stirred the scent of fresh wood floors and cardboard.

“Daddy! This one!” Cami’s voice rang through the hallway like a firecracker. Her curls bounced as she darted from room to room, barefoot and beaming. “This is definitely the best one.”

Jake, still in a gray t-shirt and jeans dusty from the move, peeked around the corner with a smirk. “Didn’t you say that about the last two?”

She planted her little fists on her hips. “Yeah, but this one’s got the biggest window. And look—” she ran over to it and flung her arms wide, “I can see everything!”

From the kitchen, you laughed softly, adjusting the baby sling on your chest. Lex was snuggled close, soft and warm against your body, her tiny fist curled against your collarbone. She made a sleepy noise but didn’t wake, lulled by the rhythm of your movements and the muffled excitement around her.

“She’s going to change her mind five more times,” you called over your shoulder. “Minimum.”

Jake walked in and leaned against the doorframe, watching you unpack a box labeled Kitchen - Fragile in your handwriting. “That’s generous. I was guessing eight.”

He crossed the room to you, brushing a hand along your spine in that absent, instinctive way he always had—gentle, grounding. “You good?”

“I’m good,” you said, smiling up at him. “Lex is asleep, I haven’t dropped a mug yet, and Cami hasn’t tried to climb on the counters. I’m calling it a win.”

Jake glanced down at Lex, and his whole face softened. He reached out to cradle her head briefly with one palm, then kissed your cheek. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Flattery doesn’t get you out of assembling the crib again.”

“Worth a shot.”

From down the hall came the unmistakable crash of a box being tipped over, followed by Cami’s delighted giggle. “I’m helping!”

Jake’s eyes closed with a sigh, but he was smiling. “That’s my cue.”

He turned and jogged off in the direction of the chaos, and you watched him go, heart aching a little in that sweet, full way. Seeing him like this—barefoot, hair a little messy, completely wrapped around his daughters—it was everything you’d always wanted for him. For all of you.

“Looks like you’re stuck with us, San Diego,” you whispered to Lex, who sighed in reply.

You went back to unpacking, and in the next room, Jake’s voice rose in a playful protest: “No, honey, that’s not a hammer. That’s a whisk. Where did you even get that?”

Cami shrieked with laughter, and you swore your heart couldn't grow bigger.

The sun had started to dip low in the sky, casting soft gold across the living room floor where half-built furniture lay in various states of disarray. Instruction manuals fluttered open beside tiny screws, wooden pegs, and the mysterious metal contraptions that always seemed necessary but never quite explained themselves.

Jake sat cross-legged in the middle of it all, brow furrowed and tongue caught in the corner of his mouth as he studied the baby dresser. He had gotten the frame halfway done. Maybe. Depending on how generous you were feeling.

Cami, perched on her knees next to him, had a tiny screwdriver clutched in her small hand like it was a magic wand. She wore a tutu over her leggings and one of your old t-shirts, which hung off her shoulders like a dress. Her curls were a riot around her face, and her fingers were smudged with something suspiciously marker-colored.

You leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed loosely, Lex still tucked snug to your chest. She was asleep again, her little cheek pressed to your sternum, one leg dangling out of the wrap like she owned the place.

“Okay, Daddy,” Cami said with authority, poking the air like a tiny forewoman. “This piece goes on top of the other piece. Like a sandwich.”

Jake blinked at the board she was pointing to. “That’s the bottom panel, baby.”

“But it looks like the top.”

“That’s ‘cause it’s upside down.”

Cami frowned, then flipped the piece over with both hands. It clunked to the floor, just missing his foot.

“See?” Jake said, trying not to laugh. “Now it’s a bottom that looks like a bottom.”

You bit your lip to hide your smile.

From his spot on the floor, Jake glanced up and caught you watching. He grinned, wide and slow and just a little sheepish. “Hey, darlin’. How’s the supervisor?”

You adjusted Lex’s head gently and whispered, “She’s napping on the job.”

“Slacker,” he murmured with a wink, before turning back to the pieces in front of him.

Cami leaned in close beside him, pressing her head to his arm as she whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was made Jake laugh under his breath, then glance back at you with mock-seriousness.

“She says we should throw away the instructions and just use our feelings.”

“Oh God,” you said, laughing. “That explains so much about you.”

Jake chuckled and ruffled Cami’s curls. “You hear that? Mama’s roasting me again. Typical.”

Cami grinned like she’d won something, then leaned against her father’s shoulder, tucking her tiny feet under her.

For a moment, everything was still.

Golden light spread across the wood floors. The air smelled faintly of new furniture, baby lotion, and the faint salt of the ocean drifting in through the open window. The soft rustle of palm trees outside, the distant echo of a car door down the street, and the occasional creak of the settling house were the only sounds besides Jake humming tunelessly as he tightened a bolt.

Jake leaned back, resting his weight on one palm and looking up at you.

“I know we’re not done unpacking,” he said, voice low and a little rough with feeling, “but it already feels like home.”

You smiled, walking toward him slowly. “That’s because you brought your girls home.”

He reached up and touched your wrist, brushing a finger over the baby’s foot.

“We’re lucky you came with us,” you said.

Jake looked up at you, eyes soft. “No,” he murmured. “I’m lucky you waited for me.”

Cami blinked between the two of you, then laid her cheek against his shoulder again with a sigh. “Okay, but are we building this dresser or what?”

Jake snorted, grabbing a screwdriver. “Yes, boss.”

And with his firstborn on one side, and the rest of his world standing just steps away, Jake Seresin went back to building his life—one drawer at a time.

The California sun beat down on the tarmac, sharp and dry, but not even the heat could keep the familiar buzz of energy from crackling through the air.

Top Gun had changed. Sleeker buildings. A brand-new hangar. The same stretch of runway, but with fresh paint and a higher security presence. What hadn’t changed, though, was the group clustered just outside the ready room, voices overlapping as they swapped stories, insults, and half-serious bets on who’d forget their callsign first.

“—told you, man,” Fanboy was saying as Jake approached, sunglasses perched on his head and a wide grin on his face. “He puked in the rental van. Twice. And then tried to blame it on the dog.”

Coyote laughed, arms crossed. “Please tell me that was your neighbor and not your cousin again.”

“Nope. Cousin.” Mickey smacked a hand to his chest like he was proud. “And I had to deep-clean the whole backseat before I drove out here with Bowie.”

“Wait,” Phoenix cut in, squinting at him. “You brought your dog across the country?”

“Hell yeah, I did.” He pulled out his phone and showed a picture of a scruffy, golden mutt hanging its head out the passenger window, tongue flapping. “Look at that face. He’s the real MVP.”

Rooster whistled low. “You’re braver than me. I left my plants behind.”

“They were fake,” Bob said dryly, getting a chorus of laughs.

Jake slid into the circle with a nod, arms folded, boots scuffing a mark into the concrete. “What, no one’s moved with a houseplant, a dog, and a messy break-up? Come on, you’re telling me I’m the only one who had a peaceful move?”

That earned a few snorts.

Rooster elbowed him lightly. “You’re telling me you didn’t bring anything?”

Jake gave an easy shrug. “Couple duffel bags. My truck. That’s about it.”

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. “No roommates? No girlfriend clinging to your bumper? No tragic love story in your rearview mirror?”

Jake let out a short laugh. “Nope.”

He didn’t look at Javy. Not directly.

The lie wasn’t heavy—not yet—but it was sharp. Quick. A reflex. The same one he’d used a hundred times over the years. It felt different now, though. Dirtier. Because this time, he wasn’t hiding a fling or dodging a label. He was leaving his family out of the picture.

Not forever. Just… not yet.

Coyote gave a low whistle beside him, too casual to be anything but a cover. “Guess some people travel light,” he said, and if the words held a second meaning, no one noticed but Jake.

“Hangman, a minimalist,” Phoenix said with a scoff. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

Jake gave her a grin that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “New year, new me.”

Rooster snorted. “You said that last year.”

“And look how great I turned out.”

They all groaned, but the mood held, rolling easy like a wave that hadn’t quite crested yet.

“Alright,” Maverick’s voice cut across the courtyard from the ready room doors. “Let’s see if you all remember how to fly.”

The squad moved in a pack, still joking as they filtered inside.

Jake walked a beat behind the rest, sunglasses shielding his eyes, the weight of the secret pressing a little more firmly against his ribs. It was only a matter of time before they found out.

But for now?

For now, it was just him, his girls, and the silence between.

[..]

It had been a week since Rooster arrived in San Diego and he was already sick of takeout. His fridge held nothing but mustard, half a lime, and a six-pack of beer. It was time to act like an adult — or at least pretend to.

He pushed his cart through the grocery store with a lazy rhythm, sunglasses tucked into his collar, and a list on his phone that he was half-ignoring. Eggs, coffee, something green… cereal.

He turned into the cereal aisle, already reaching for the same red box he always bought, when a familiar figure ahead caught his eye.

Blond. Tall. Broad shoulders. Back turned.

Rooster paused mid-step.

Seresin?

It looked like Jake — same relaxed posture, same stupidly perfect haircut. But the guy was wearing jeans and a faded t-shirt, not his usual base uniform or something annoyingly designer. Casual. Normal.

Rooster took a step forward, ready to call out a sarcastic, "Didn’t peg you for a Cheerios guy," when the man turned slightly to the side.

And that’s when he saw her.

A baby.

Strapped to his chest in one of those soft, wraparound slings. A tiny baby — maybe six or seven months old, by the size of her — nestled against his chest, dozing peacefully with a pacifier bobbing in her mouth. One of her socks was missing, her little toes peeking out like she’d kicked it off mid-nap.

Rooster froze.

And then—

“Daddy, look! They have the cinnamon ones!”

A second voice. High-pitched, sweet, and excited.

A little girl — maybe five — stood up in the shopping cart seat and waved dramatically at the shelf of cereal boxes like she’d discovered treasure. Her curls bounced as she wiggled, and she wore a pink t-shirt with sparkles on it and denim overalls with a sticker stuck to one leg.

Jake turned to look at her fully, the side of his face now visible, and Rooster’s heart tripped over itself.

No way.

“Alright, alright, Cin-a-mon Swirls it is,” Jake said, stretching to grab the box while carefully balancing the sleeping baby on his chest. “But only if you promise not to sneak handfuls before breakfast again.”

The little girl giggled. “I don’t sneak. I sample.”

Jake laughed under his breath — that soft, genuine laugh Rooster had never heard from him on base — and dropped the box in the cart.

Rooster ducked quickly behind the display of oatmeal, heart hammering.

What the hell did I just walk into?

Those weren’t nieces. That baby was practically grafted to Jake’s chest, and the little girl had his eyes. The same green-gold color. The same crooked grin. The same exact nose.

Rooster peeked around the endcap.

Jake had one hand resting protectively on the baby’s back and the other guiding the cart while she chattered away, telling some elaborate story about a dragon and a breakfast castle. And Jake? He was listening. Actually listening, nodding at the right moments, smiling to himself like this was the best part of his day.

What the—

Rooster stepped back, the shock settling into something sharper. Confusion. Disbelief.

Hangman has kids?

Real kids. Not nieces. Not a girlfriend’s kids. His. There was no mistaking it. That little girl might as well have been a clone.

And he’d said nothing.

Rooster stood frozen, cart forgotten, eyes still locked on the aisle corner where Jake had just turned out of sight, baby and child in tow.

He didn’t approach. Didn’t say a word. He just stood there in the cereal aisle, trying to process the impossible.

Jake Seresin — Hangman — had a secret family.

And now, Rooster wasn’t sure who the hell he’d been working with all this time.

Rooster didn’t remember checking out.

He was pretty sure he paid — probably — because the cashier smiled and told him to have a good day. But everything from the cereal aisle to the parking lot felt like a blur. His brain was short-circuiting, looping through the same impossible images like a broken projector.

Jake. Baby. Little girl. Daddy.

He sat in his Bronco, staring blankly at the wheel. The cinnamon cereal he'd ended up grabbing by accident sat in the passenger seat like evidence.

“This is insane,” he muttered. “This is literally insane.”

He could not be the only one to know this. He didn’t want to be the only one. Someone had to validate this reality — and someone had to help him process what the hell was going on.

Which is how he ended up at the base gym, tossing his keys into a locker with a little too much force, pacing past the row of squat racks, and scanning the room like a man on a mission.

Phoenix.

There she was, finishing up reps on the bench press like a total machine, earbuds in, hair tied back, towel around her neck.

“Hey,” he called, voice slightly too loud.

She didn’t hear.

“Hey!”

Phoenix startled, pulling one earbud out with a scowl. “Jesus, Bradshaw. I almost dropped that on my face.”

“Yeah, okay, sorry,” he said, stepping closer. “I need to talk to you. Right now. Privately.”

She raised one eyebrow and sat up slowly. “What, did someone die?”

“No, but—close. I mean—no. It’s not a death death, it’s just—” He ran a hand through his hair. “Just—can we?”

Phoenix stood, towel in one hand, already skeptical. “Okay, drama queen. Come on.”

They ducked into the hallway outside the locker rooms, still sweaty and smelling faintly like antiseptic and rubber flooring. Phoenix crossed her arms.

“Alright. Spill.”

Rooster opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Shook his head.

“Rooster.”

“I saw Hangman with a baby,” he blurted, eyes wild. “And a kid. Like a five-year-old. And he was grocery shopping with them like it was normal. The baby was strapped to his chest like one of those little marsupial carriers and the kid called him Daddy.”

Phoenix stared.

He waited.

She didn’t blink.

Finally, she said, “What?”

“In the cereal aisle! I thought it was him, and I was about to say hi, but then I saw the baby, and the little girl looked just like him and then she said ‘Daddy’ and I—I panicked, okay? I hid behind the oatmeal.”

“You hid behind the oatmeal?”

“I was caught off guard!”

Phoenix let out a snort-laugh. “Oh my God.”

“I’m serious, Nat. They looked exactly like him. The girl had his eyes. His smile. And he was being all—dad-like. It was weirdly gentle. I didn’t know he had a tone like that.”

Phoenix was quiet for a long second, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “No mention of kids. No ring. No pictures. No weird schedule conflicts. If he has a family, he’s gone to serious lengths to hide it.”

Rooster nodded like a bobblehead. “That’s what I’m saying!”

“Are you sure they weren’t his sister’s kids or something?”

“The baby was drooling all over his shirt and the other one was bossing him around like she owned him. And he was listening. Patiently. Hangman doesn't listen patiently to anyone.”

Phoenix stared into the middle distance.

“...Holy shit,” she said under her breath.

Rooster folded his arms. “So what do we do?”

Phoenix blinked at him. “We?”

“You’re involved now!”

“I didn’t see anything.”

“But you know.”

Phoenix gave him a look. “So what—you want to confront him?”

“No,” Rooster said quickly. “God, no. What if it’s, like, a secret family on purpose? What if it’s some Witness Protection-level thing? Or he’s on the run from the PTA?”

Phoenix barked a laugh. “Okay, calm down, you're not in a TV show.”

“I just—I feel like I stepped into the Twilight Zone,” Rooster muttered.

“And I can’t un-see it. Like, every time he opens his mouth now, I’m going to hear that little girl’s voice saying ‘Daddy.’”

Phoenix scrubbed a hand down her face. “Alright. We sit on it. For now. He’ll crack eventually.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

She gave him a slow, sly smile. “Then we accidentally run into him again. Maybe outside work. Maybe at the grocery store.”

Rooster looked appalled. “You want to stake him out?”

Phoenix shrugged. “What? You already started the recon mission. Might as well finish it.”

Rooster groaned. “This is going to drive me crazy.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Bradshaw,” she said, patting his shoulder. “It already has.”

Jake had been minding his own business. Genuinely. For once.

He’d gotten through the morning flight briefing, his simulation review, and even a cup of coffee without roasting anyone. It was a personal record. But then—suddenly, for no reason at all—Bradley and Natasha started acting weird.

“Hey, Hangman,” Rooster said casually, sliding into the locker bench beside him, half-dressed in his flight gear. “What’d you do this weekend?”

Jake squinted at him, one boot half-laced. “What?”

“Just curious,” Rooster said, far too quickly. “Normal question. People ask each other that.”

Jake stared. “I did laundry. Took the truck in for an oil change. Nothing exciting.”

“Cool, cool,” Phoenix chimed in from across the aisle, leaning against the lockers like a detective interrogating a suspect. “Did you, I don’t know, go to the store?”

“The store?” Jake echoed slowly.

“You know,” Rooster added. “For… groceries.”

Jake blinked. “Yeah. Got some eggs. Why?”

“No reason,” they said in unison.

Jake looked between them, brow furrowing. “Did I miss a memo about getting really into meal prep?”

Phoenix gave a tight smile. “We’re just... interested in nutrition lately.”

Rooster nodded solemnly. “Very into breakfast.”

Jake opened his mouth, paused, then slowly tied his boot. “You guys are so weird today.”

Phoenix pushed off the locker. “So you live around here, then?”

Jake’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “Obviously.”

Rooster jumped in. “Yeah, yeah, but like... where?”

Jake pulled his boot tighter. “You wanna come over for dinner, Bradshaw? Is that what this is? You finally caving to my charm?”

“No! I mean—unless you’re offering.” Rooster looked at Phoenix. “He could be offering.”

Jake stood, rolling his eyes. “What is wrong with you two?”

Phoenix played it cool. “Nothing. We’re just making conversation.”

“You’re never just making conversation.”

Rooster crossed his arms. “Maybe we’re trying to be your friends.”

Jake paused mid-zip on his jacket, one eyebrow climbing like it was headed for the stratosphere.

“My friends?” he repeated. “You think this is the first week of kindergarten and we’re picking lunch buddies?”

Phoenix shrugged, entirely unfazed. “Stranger things have happened.”

Jake gave her a long look. “Are you both dying?”

“No.”

“On drugs?”

Rooster smirked. “Only caffeine and a burning need for the truth.”

Jake stared for a beat longer, then shook his head and walked out of the locker room with a muttered, “Y’all are exhausting.”

Phoenix turned to Rooster once he was gone. “Okay, new plan. We’re terrible at this.”

Rooster groaned. “I thought the grocery question was subtle.”

“It wasn’t.”

“He’s too smug. He has secrets and he knows we want to know them.”

Phoenix sighed. “And he’s enjoying the hell out of this.”

Rooster tilted his head thoughtfully. “He might be just confused. That would track.”

They both stood in silence for a moment before Phoenix said, “We need to try again. Cooler. Smarter.”

Rooster gave her a long look. “You gonna say ‘do you have kids’ in Morse code or something?”

Phoenix’s eyes lit up. “...Maybe.”

Jake pushed open the front door with his shoulder, juggling his keys, a bottle of wine, and the pink glittery water bottle Cami had insisted on bringing to preschool. The house smelled faintly of laundry and lemon cleaner, and somewhere in the background, Taylor Swift’s voice floated out from the kitchen speaker.

You were at the counter, barefoot in leggings and one of his old Academy hoodies, hair piled on top of your head like a soft crown of chaos. Lex was in her bouncer on the floor nearby, babbling softly to her toes like they were telling her secrets.

Cami was on the couch with a coloring book and a stack of markers that had no hope of staying uncapped for long.

Jake dropped his keys in the bowl and stepped into the kitchen, leaning down to kiss your cheek. “I survived another day of being interrogated by two weirdos.”

You smiled without looking up from the dishwasher you were loading.

“Phoenix and Rooster.” He opened the fridge and tucked the wine onto the bottom shelf. “They’re acting weird. Like, weirder than usual.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Define ‘weird.’”

Jake pulled out a leftover container and leaned against the counter. “Asking where I live, what I did this weekend, if I’ve been to the grocery store. They were so subtle it was almost adorable.”

You bit back a smile. “Huh.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“Maybe they already know.”

Jake froze, Tupperware in hand. “Know what?”

You turned and gently nudged the fridge closed with your hip. “About us. About me. About the girls.”

Jake blinked. “How?”

“I don’t know,” you said, scooping up a bib from the table. “Maybe they saw us out. Maybe someone mentioned something. Cami does talk to strangers like they’re long-lost cousins.”

Jake groaned. “Oh God. Did she tell the cashier I’m a Top Gun pilot again?”

“She told the woman at the post office that your call sign is Hangman because you ‘always hang upside down on the monkey bars.’”

He dropped his head to the counter with a muffled laugh. “She’s gonna get me court-martialed.”

You smiled as you stepped closer and gently carded your fingers through his hair. “You said you liked them. The squad.”

“I do,” he mumbled, voice slightly muffled. “Most days.”

“Maybe it’s time they knew the truth.”

Jake lifted his head, watching you carefully. “You think so?”

You tilted your head, soft and teasing. “What’s the worst that could happen? They start calling you Daddy-man?”

Jake winced. “I just threw up in my mouth a little.”

You laughed, warm and easy, and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Seriously. You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. You have a great life. You have a family who loves you. And a baby with thighs so chunky they deserve their own zip code.”

Jake looked down at Lex, who had stopped babbling long enough to blow a spit bubble.

He sighed. “You’re right.”

You bumped your shoulder against his. “I know.”

Cami’s voice floated in from the living room. “Mom! Daddy! Where’s the sparkly purple marker? It’s an emergency!”

Jake shouted back, “Check under the couch! Or in your hair!”

You wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your head against his chest. “Well… when you’re ready, we’re ready too.”

He kissed the top of your head, arms sliding around you with a quiet, grateful squeeze.

The squad had claimed their usual table on the outdoor patio of the base commissary — sun shining, aviators on, trays full of fries and whatever passed for lunch that day. It was the kind of afternoon that made everything feel like summer break, even if they were technically on duty.

“Well, I hope you’re all happy,” Bob was saying dryly as he unwrapped a sandwich. “I checked my mailbox today and it was filled with glitter.”

Fanboy leaned back in his chair, beaming. “You’re welcome. That’s the kind of magic only Bowie and I can bring to a neighborhood.”

“You named the dog after David Bowie?” Phoenix asked, chewing on a carrot stick.

Mickey grinned. “Ziggy Stardog.”

Groans went around the table.

“Unreal,” Coyote muttered. “That’s terrible and I’m impressed.”

“I live to serve.”

Jake was halfway through a burger, content to let the chaos unfold, when Maverick appeared like a ghost with sunglasses, stepping out of nowhere and holding a coffee in one hand like it was sacred.

“Don’t mean to interrupt,” he said, voice easy, “but Penny wanted me to let you all know we’re doing a bonfire tonight. Out by the beach. Her place. Says it’s a welcome-back thing, so don’t bring beer, don’t bring drama, and for the love of God, don’t bring your motorcycles onto the sand again.”

Everyone snickered. Rooster threw his hands up defensively. “That was one time.”

“And it’ll stay that way,” Mav said with a pointed look.

Jake straightened slightly, setting down the last bite of his burger. He glanced around the table, pulse oddly steady. The decision had settled itself sometime that morning between spooning oatmeal into Lex’s mouth and Cami asking—again—when she could meet Daddy’s new friends.

“Mav,” he said, casual but clear. “Is it cool if I bring some people with me?”

The table went quiet.

Maverick blinked, then nodded slowly. “Yeah, sure. That’s fine.”

Jake gave a little smile and nodded. “Appreciate it.”

Everyone stared.

Fanboy was the first to break the silence. “Uh… what people?” He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t even like people.”

Payback looked mildly alarmed. “Are we being replaced?”

Jake just shrugged, reaching for his drink like this was the most normal conversation in the world.

But Phoenix was watching him like a hawk.

And Rooster was actively vibrating with contained energy, a fry halfway to his mouth, completely forgotten.

“You’re being weird again,” Jake said, pointing his straw at Rooster.

“You’re bringing people,” Rooster shot back, eyebrows in the stratosphere.

Phoenix leaned forward slightly, elbows on the table, a slow smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “We talking plural as in roommates? Or plural as in… little people who call you Daddy?”

Jake’s eyes flicked to hers, the tiniest tilt of amusement in them. “I’m just saying,” he said evenly, “if I show up with the most beautiful girl at the party, don’t be surprised.”

Rooster choked on his fry.

Phoenix kicked him under the table.

Fanboy looked around, utterly lost. “What is happening?”

Bob squinted suspiciously. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Jake only smirked and stood, brushing the crumbs off his shirt.

“See y’all tonight,” he said, casual as anything. “Save me a seat by the fire.”

And with that, he walked off — calm, unbothered, and just smug enough to make Rooster groan into his hands.

Phoenix leaned back, arms crossed, a gleam in her eyes. “It’s happening.”

Rooster looked haunted. “I knew that baby wasn’t a hallucination.”

Payback stared between them. “What baby?!”

The house smelled like sunscreen, baby lotion, and a little bit of anxiety.

Cami was bouncing from room to room like a ping-pong ball, wearing a sparkly denim jacket over a pink sundress and clutching her favorite plush unicorn in a tiny fist. She kept popping into the bathroom to check her hair in the mirror, then running back to Jake.

“Do I look okay, Daddy?”

Jake crouched to her level, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. “You look perfect, honey.”

She beamed for a second, then hesitated. “What if your friends don’t like me?”

Jake blinked. “What?”

Cami twisted the unicorn’s mane around her finger. “What if they think I talk too much? Or that I’m weird?”

Jake’s heart ached in that split-second way it always did when she got serious. He smoothed her curls gently and gave her that look — the one he reserved for bedtime promises and skinned knees.

“They’re gonna love you, bug,” he said softly. “Because you’re smart, and funny, and you make the best marshmallows on the planet.”

Her brow furrowed. “But we haven’t even made them yet—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jake whispered, grinning. “You still win.”

That got a giggle out of her, and she hugged his neck, throwing her little arms around him with enough force to knock him off balance onto the hallway rug.

“I love you, Daddy,” she said into his shoulder.

Jake’s voice caught. “I love you more.”

You stepped out of the nursery then, Lex already strapped to your chest in a soft carrier, cheeks pink and drool bib firmly in place. She was wide awake and blinking like the golden light in the living room was the most interesting thing in the world.

Cami ran to grab her tiny heart-shaped sunglasses from the coffee table. Jake stood and watched you for a second longer than necessary, just taking it all in.

“How’s Lex?” he asked, crossing the room to meet you.

“She’s been cooing at the ceiling fan for fifteen minutes straight,” you said. “I think it’s her soulmate.”

He smiled and reached out to gently fix the strap across your shoulder, his thumb brushing your collarbone.

“You okay?” you asked quietly, looking up at him.

Jake hesitated. “Yeah. I mean... yeah.”

You gave him that look — soft and knowing and full of the kind of patience he still didn’t fully understand how he’d earned.

“It’s not a bad kind of nervous,” he said after a second. “Just… new. I’ve never brought my family to anything like this. Not with coworkers. Javy doesn’t count.”

“He absolutely doesn’t count,” you agreed.

Jake chuckled under his breath, then exhaled, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck. “I just… this is the part where it’s not just mine anymore, you know? Where they get to know you. The girls. The best parts of me.”

You stepped in closer, pressing your hand to his chest. “We’ve always been yours, Jake.”

He looked down at you, green eyes a little glassy now. “Yeah,” he said. “But tonight... I guess it starts being real to everyone else, too.”

You smiled. “And that’s a good thing. Because it means more people get to see what I see. That you’re a good man. A good husband. A good dad. And the people who matter? They’ll never forget that.”

Jake swallowed hard and leaned in, pressing a kiss to your forehead. Then one to Lex’s. Then one to your mouth — soft, slow, like a thank-you.

“Alright,” he said, voice lighter. “Let’s go make an entrance.”

“Let’s go blow their minds,” you replied, already grabbing the baby bag.

Cami burst back into the room, sunglasses on upside down. “Do I look like a cool kid?”

Jake scooped her up with a dramatic gasp. “Coolest kid in the whole world.”

Cami giggled into his shoulder.

And just like that, the Seresins stepped out into the soft evening light, hand in hand, baby bouncing, hearts a little nervous, but completely full.

The sun was just beginning to dip behind the horizon when the Seresin family arrived.

The beach behind the Hard Deck glowed in warm amber and rose, the bonfire crackling at the center of it all, with the Daggers scattered around in folding chairs, drinks in hand, laughter rolling easy on the breeze. A cooler full of seltzers sat half-buried in the sand, and someone had already started a playlist that leaned heavy on Fleetwood Mac and bad decisions.

Jake stepped onto the sand first, Lex balanced easily on his hip in a floral romper and a soft pink headband that did absolutely nothing to keep her hair down. She let out a content little sigh and sucked on two fingers like she’d been born for the beach life.

You followed beside him, Cami’s small hand clasped tightly in yours. Her sparkly jacket caught the firelight as she walked, pink sunglasses pushed up into her curls, gripping her unicorn under one arm like backup.

To anyone watching, it was immediate.

They looked like Jake.

Same eyes. Same golden skin. Same confidence — even Cami, who clung to your side but stood tall, taking it all in.

The Daggers didn’t notice them at first.

Not until they got close enough that Bob glanced up and nearly choked on his drink.

Then Rooster turned — already half-expecting it — and froze with his cup halfway to his mouth.

Phoenix elbowed him like don’t say anything stupid but her own jaw had gone slack.

Fanboy actually gasped.

“Holy shit,” he whispered.

Coyote just sat there grinning like he’d known all along — because, of course, he had.

Jake stopped just in front of the fire, let the conversations fizzle into stunned silence, and gave them that damn cocky smile — the one they all knew so well — only this time, it was softer. Warmer. The kind of smile that said this is everything to me.

“Evening,” he drawled. “Hope we’re not late.”

Nobody said a word.

Cami peeked around you, her voice small but clear. “Are these the pilot friends?”

Jake looked down at her and nodded. “Sure are, baby.”

You smiled gently at the group, then bent to whisper something in Cami’s ear. She stepped forward a little, still clutching the unicorn, but brave in that way only five-year-olds could be.

“I’m Camila Seresin,” she said proudly. “But you can call me Cami.”

Jake gave a slight nod, then shifted Lex on his hip. “And this little one is Alexandra. Lex, if she likes you.”

Lex burbled in response, blinking sleepily at the circle of stunned adults. Jake’s arm slipped around your waist, pulling you close.

“And this is my wife,” he said, voice soft but certain. “The love of my life. The reason I’m not a complete disaster.”

You gave a small, amused wave. “Hi.”

Phoenix finally blinked. “You’re married?”

“To her?” Payback added, looking between you and Jake like he was trying to process a physics equation with no numbers.

Fanboy leaned forward. “You’re married married. Like… full on?”

“With kids?” Bob choked.

Jake smirked. “Is it that hard to believe?”

“Yes!” they all said in unison.

Coyote just raised his beer and clinked it against Jake’s bottle. “About time, hermano.”

Phoenix gave you a look of genuine bafflement. “I mean, no offense, but you’re… like… stunning. And you married Hangman?”

“I know,” you said with a dramatic sigh. “We all make mistakes.”

Jake pressed a hand to his chest. “Wounded.”

Payback was still staring at Cami, then Lex, then Jake. “They look exactly like you.”

“They should,” Jake said. “Made ‘em myself.”

Phoenix groaned. “Okay, we’re leaving.”

Jake just laughed and tucked Lex’s head against his shoulder. “Cami, wanna roast some marshmallows?”

“Yes please!” she squeaked, already dragging you toward the snack table.

Jake looked around at the still-shocked faces of his squad — his friends now, he supposed — and gave them a rare, genuine smile.

“Welcome to my real life,” he said.

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, and the flames of the bonfire cast soft flickers across everyone’s faces. Music drifted low from someone’s speaker, mingling with the sound of the waves and the occasional snap of firewood.

It should’ve been a normal night.

But nothing felt normal now that Jake “Hangman” Seresin was casually sitting cross-legged on the sand, marshmallow stick in his hands, helping his five-year-old daughter make the perfect s’more.

“I said not too toasted,” Cami whispered urgently. “Just golden. Like the picture.”

Jake nodded seriously. “Golden. Got it. This is high-stakes work, sweetheart.”

Phoenix nudged Rooster with her foot. “Who is this man?”

Rooster, still visibly reeling, shook his head like it might clear the image in front of him. “I thought he ate protein powder straight out of the tub and slept on a bed of ego.”

“He’s using baby talk, Bradshaw.”

Rooster narrowed his eyes. “And I think the baby just giggled at him.”

“Not the baby,” Fanboy said from behind them. “Me. I’m giggling. This is surreal.”

Across the fire, Jake caught the tail end of the conversation and gave them a smug little look, tossing a marshmallow at Mickey that he expertly dodged.

You were nestled beside Jake on a blanket, Lex sleeping soundly against your chest now that she’d exhausted herself chewing on everyone’s fingers (with permission, of course). You leaned into Jake’s shoulder with a soft smile, watching Cami flit between the snack table and her latest obsession: Bradley Bradshaw.

“Hey, Mr. Rooster?” she called, holding her unicorn in one hand and a half-eaten graham cracker in the other.

Bradley blinked. “Uh, yeah?”

“Can I touch your mustache?”

Jake nearly dropped his beer.

Phoenix howled.

Rooster sat very still. “Um. Sure?”

Cami wandered over and patted it with her little marshmallow-sticky fingers, studying it like a curious scientist.

“It’s soft,” she declared. “Like a cat. You should name it.”

Jake groaned. “Cami.”

“What?” she asked innocently. “It’s just a suggestion.”

Jake shot Rooster a look over her head. “Don’t get any ideas.”

Rooster raised both hands. “Hey. I’m just standing here. With a face.”

You leaned over to whisper, “You’re really going to lose sleep over your daughter flirting with a mustache, aren’t you?”

“She has bad taste,” Jake said grimly.

Before anyone could tease him further, Coyote appeared at Cami’s side with a juice pouch and a twinkle in his eye. “Hey, kiddo. Want to help me find more sticks for the marshmallows?”

“Uncle Javy!” Cami cheered, grabbing the juice and launching herself at him like a tiny cannonball.

Phoenix blinked. “Uncle?”

Jake shrugged. “He’s the only one who knew. Got promoted early.”

“You told Javy?” Rooster cried, scandalized. “You told Javy and not me?”

Coyote slung Cami onto his shoulders with practiced ease. “I’m the trustworthy one.”

Jake smirked. “He didn’t try to follow me home or interrogate me about my grocery list.”

Rooster folded his arms. “That was one time.”

Phoenix grinned. “Still your worst stakeout.”

As the night deepened and the stars came out, the squad began to shift from disbelief into something sweeter: genuine admiration. Watching Jake tuck a blanket around Cami’s legs, kiss the top of her head. Seeing the way Lex instinctively settled in his arms, one tiny hand curled into his shirt. Hearing the way he said darlin’ to you like it meant something old and permanent.

This wasn’t a side of Jake Seresin anyone had expected to see.

But it fit him.

Perfectly.

[glitchxs]

So, now that it's over, and I've given everybody enough time to watch all the seasons:

I'm breaking my silence on the numbering system.

If you haven't memorized them,

Number One: Luther Hargreeves

Number Two: Diego Hargreeves

Number Three: Allison Hargreeves

Number Four: Klaus Hargreeves

Number Five

Number Six: Ben Hargreeves

Number Seven: Viktor Hargreeves

Now, since we figured out these numbers, the fandom has been all,

"Oh it's in order of powers! Luther has (or had, as a kid) the best powers! And Viktor is seven because he 'had none'."

"Oh but that doesn't make sense! Ben's power is so much cooler and more lethal than Luther's!"

Bullshit. I'm breaking my silence.

Yes, fandom, you were on the right track.. ish.

These numbers were assigned based on how easy to manipulate each sibling was. These numbers were based on how terrifying, or hilarious, Reginald Hargreeves found each sibling.

Luther was stupid, he was easily toyed with and he would listen to everything his dad said. He was number one because Reginald could do whatever he wanted with him and wasn't at risk of getting attacked or even questioned. Reginald could poke, pry, test, train, whatever he wanted with Luther easily. That's what made him number one.

Viktor, on the other hand, was disobedient. He didn't listen, he wasn't easily manipulated, he killed all the nanny's, he terrified Reginald. Hence, the last thing he could possibly think to do-- because he is a maniac control freak-- was to put a stop to it. He couldn't lose! He has to make Viktor think he's nothing.

You can figure the rest out.

☂️

(Edit: Allison being told to betray her sister and DOING SO!! Five jumping despite Reginald's permission!! Ben not wanting to go on missions!! Come on.)

[5five5five5five5five5five]

god fuck it. high lila and diego thoughts post. credit to this post for sparking this thought waterfall. sorry if these are weird.

they have the HEALTHIEST relationship once they settle down. fuck it. they would be so happy together fuck s4.

there date nights would be like the coolest shit! i feel like they would fucking roleplay as batman and catwomen and go full villain vigilante all over the city. Lila steals from the 7-11, diego is on the chase witch ends with him and her up against an ally wall and its the most romantic shit ever. she might even stab him.

i refuse to believe they dont have the craziest kids on the planet. like they care for them and love them but they say shit like "mommy said i shouldn't talk to cops because they are squealing twaks." or "dad said i cant go to your birthday party. yeah, we have axe throwing lessons that day."

that van would be filled with blankets and pillows and shit that would be dangerous in a car. Lilla would make that van a mini home.

Five is the best brother in law who would NEVER sleep with Lila ever. tbh i feel like they would develop a sibling in law funny cartoonish side kick to a depressed noir detective gimmick. frenemies till the end with NOTHING ELSE. like they both collective went "lets try to HOTWIRE THIS BRIEFCASE" they fight over the brain cell. i love their dynamic tbh and the fact that s4fucked it up UPSETS ME.

Diego becomes a little league couch and gets REALLY into it.

Lila is the mom who cheers WAY TOO LOUDLY AND SWEARS.

might even get into a fist flight.

their kids love them dearly but are also rather embarrassed to be their kids.

five gets really into scrapbooking and making greeting cards. the kids really love them and they enjoy getting them for every holiday.

five and viktor baby sit all the time and are the best babysitters. five is stone-faced and awkward at first but overtime is a very affectionate uncle.

[capinejghafa]

the problem with time jumps are they leave room for so many inconsistencies if done incorrectly. like why is luther a stripper? how did he figure out that sloane didn't make it, since he was hellbent on finding her? why didn't sloane make it but sparrow ben did? what about the ben in seoul? do they have birth certificates? social security cards? how did they find out that lila's parents were alive in this timeline? when they immigrate to america with the whole family? when did they find out? you're telling me that diego couldn't find another job? why? why didn't lila find a job if her parents were clearly taking care of the kids? how much was diego making if they were living in the suburbs? are lila's family working? also why would the writers says lila doesn't like bracelets? what happened to one diego gave her back in s3? why did they have a whole arc showing us diego could be a good dad and do nothing with it? why didn't allison pursue another career? where did ray go? did he really abandon claire too? if he's the father in this timeline. what about klaus! i actually don't have much questions because they kept his story relatively simple. ben was into crypto? why? viktor also got off easier than his siblings... tbh i don't know what to do with five being in the cia so im walking away from that.

[loki-hargreeves]

I agree that the Umbrella Academy should've ended with them killing Reggie.

In addition, they should've gone to the academy together and there should've been a montage of them destroying the furniture and stuff they don't like while having fun and dancing for all that I care. Then it should've faded into a scene of the newly renovated academy, a family dinner where everyone's around the table together. Happily. All the siblings, and their loved ones. Everyone.

Five would finally get a decent cup of coffee. Klaus and Dave would be together. Diego and Lila would be happy and their kids would be there, as should Ray and Claire be with Allison. Luther should be with Sloane. Ben would accept both the Sparrow and Umbrella Academy (maybe he saw the original Ben's memories somehow), and Viktor would be happy and be the cool uncle he deserves to be... they should all be happy.

Hell they could've brought original Ben back as a ghost because Klaus would finally control his powers (I could accept ghost Ben visiting them from time to time despite what happened to him in season 2)

✨Bonus points✨ if the song that plays when they kill their dad and destroy the house is Welcome to the Black Parade.

Can you imagine the irony of them killing Reggie while this plays in the background?

"Son, when you grow up Would you be the savior of the broken The beaten and the damned?" He said, "Will you defeat them? Your demons, and all the non-believers The plans that they have made?"

and actually, this is so fitting too for a scene of them kicking Reggie's abusive ass

"Do or die, you'll never make me Because the world will never take my heart Go and try, you'll never break me We want it all, we wanna play this part

...

Just a man, I'm not a hero Just a boy, who had to sing this song"

because the answer to saving everything is for them to kill Reggie together and heal, not to die and disappear from existence forever.

[aglionbyacademia]

(some of) the trojans doing the hear me out cake challenge and who/what I think they’d put on there

Jeremy: Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians), Santa (Rise of the Guardians), the Easter bunny (Rise of the Guardians)(Jeremy just really likes this movie okay), the moon, cherry flavor vape, djungelskog, Mothman, Diego (Ice Age), Lightning McQueen (Cars), Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls), a crisp canned Diet Pepsi, Scar (the Lion King), salted butter popcorn, Appa (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Abracadabra by Lady Gaga, a yo-yo, Kevin Day

Cat: Sally (A Nightmare before Christmas), some high quality Espresso machine, Royal Enfield Classic 350, barkbark (she only puts him on to mess with Jeremy), Sudoku, McFlurry, Satisfyer Pro+ G-Spot (enthusiastic nodding from all the girls present), sour patch kids (Jeremy says “jeez those are children, cat”), Aloe Vera plant, Kevin Day (yes she’s a lesbian yes she would make an exception for him)

Laila: boba, the Billy bookshelf from IKEA, Philomena Cunk, a yankee candle, the tooth fairy (Rise of the Guardians), Sally (Cars), the dragon (Shrek), fuzzy socks, sour apple flavored lollipops, human skeleton prop, a clear quartz crystal, Wanda (Fairly Oddparents), Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan, the moon, Kevin Day (same as Cat, they’d do him together)

Cody: the dude on the pringles can, Gerard Way, Timmy Turner’s dad (Fairly Oddparents), a $100 bill, blåhaj, Pennywise, Bigfoot, any Banshee or ghoul, the number 3 (Jean gives him a side eye), Helena Bonham Carter as Red Queen specifically, Trixie Mattel, Vanessa Doofenschmirtz (Phineas & Ferb), Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender), any Curry dish, 1973 Chevrolet Camaro, this:

and Kevin Day

Ananya: Mr Crocker (Fairly Oddparents), Cosmo (Fairly Oddparents), Scar (The Lion King), Espresso Martini, Pumpkin Spice scented candles, Fenty Gloss Bomb in the shade Fenty Glow, Monstera plant, Cody Winter (Pat high-fives her, Cody blushes), Tendō Satori (Haikyuu), Phineas and Ferb’s mom, Coach Wymack, Katya Zamolodchikova, the stardust period tracker app, Ghostface, succulents, Kevin Day

Patrick: Matty Healy, Sevika (Arcane)(yelling ensues because she’s just hot and doesn’t qualify as a hear me out), Heimerdinger (Arcane), Cody Winter (now Cody asks why he qualifies as a hear me out, Pat and Anyana just giggle), Matt Boyd, Spirit the horse, Gill (Finding Nemo), an Octopus, tea with milk,Thea Muldani, Colonel Sanders, sunscreen, coffee flavored chocolate, strawberry milk, Ghostface, Kevin Day

Xavier: one of those frog hats, Instax mini polaroid camera, iced hazelnut latte with oat milk from Dunkin’ Donuts, a fidget spinner, birch trees, Spirit the horse, Jafar (Aladdin), Ursula (The little Mermaid), Allison Reynolds, the first fall of snow, Berry B. Benson (Bee Movie), Squidward, Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Nicholas Cage, Kevin Day

Jean: a salted caramel flavored Protein Bar, Jeremy Knox, a Stanley cup, the sun, Neil Josten, Cappuccino, heart shaped sunglasses, Bambi by Clairo (I just feel like Jean would love Clairo ok), pastel colors, ivy plants, oat milk, watermelons, brownies made out of sweet potato, the smell of freshly mowed grass, Renee Walker, the feeling of direct sunlight on his skin, oversized sweaters, this emoji 🙂‍↕️, Kayleigh Day, a green smoothie, Kevin Day

(I want to add that I think the Trojans would have had to explain this game to Jean multiple times and that Jean was struggling big time to find things, especially things he’d share with the group. I feel like he doesn’t know many pop culture references or childhood shows and movies that the others mentioned so he went a more abstract way. He had lots of help from Cat while compiling his list)

[pepperf]

I'm a little puzzled by a few takes I've seen along the lines of, Lila was such a great wife and mother and Diego took her for granted! Because I don't think the show gave us that at all, and I think it relied heavily and lazily on societal norms to get the audience to make that leap. It also ignored previous characterisation, which is why I plan to disregard the season as a whole - because if the characters had been like this from the start, I wouldn't have fallen in love with them.

So, what I mean is: the whole time we see her as a parent, Lila is basically phoning it in. She seems to view her kids as one monolithic, sticky entity sent purely to ruin her day (distinct shades of the Handler there). They're just a list of chores - diapers, dentist, ballet, cake, piñata... And I'm not underestimating how much parenting really is a list of chores to be done - but that's all we see, no love, no fun. She's eager to get away from them, and she's only - finally - desperate to be with them when it's convenient for the plot, at which point we're supposed to buy the idea that her kids are her sole focus (not the relationship that they spent the past two seasons building up). And even then, the focus is not on the reunion with the kids, it's on all the awkwardness of the surprise love triangle. Hell, one of the kids doesn't even get a name.

Their intent might have been to have Lila be the better parent, but like much of this season, it's all tell and no show. We're working off a couple of brief conversations from the points of view of two frustrated, tired, biased individuals who are already at odds with one another, plus the evidence of what they actually do. They show that they’re not communicating well, but they don’t show how that happened, how long this has been growing, if one of them really is more at fault. All we know is that he complains a lot, and she’s sneaking out at night to play secret agent. They tell us that she loves her children (eventually, after seven years apart), but they show her being annoyed and/or bored in every normal, non-apocalyptic interaction. They have her (and Five) tell us that Diego is a bad husband, but they show Lila sniping at his weight, his way of running a birthday party, rolling her eyes at his efforts to impress her and regain her attention - and they show him dadding at everyone (he will turn this van around, so help him), the comfortable love and affection between him and his kids, the Punjabi he learned to speak fluently to his in-laws, him looking for ways to fix his marriage...

Take the bracelet thing, for example. "You hate bracelets," says Diego. "I gave you one for Valentines and you traded it for a Dyson vacuum." I think what we're supposed to take from that is a) Lila stopped wearing the wooden bracelet (uh oh, signs the honeymoon period has worn off!), b) Diego gives thoughtless, stereotypical gifts, and c) he doesn't understand what she really wants.

But an alternative reading is this: a) Lila stopped wearing the wooden bracelet (could not be a clearer or more loaded 'fuck you' to Diego), b) Diego tried to find another way to win her affection (on his pay as a delivery driver, with a wife and three kids to support, he managed to buy a bracelet that was expensive enough to trade for a Dyson?), and c) she rejected that gift as well, without any deeper explanation than 'I hate bracelets'. She's shut down all communication between them and is not telling him what's wrong. She has shut him out so comprehensively that she's got a whole undercover life - for which she apparently has the time and energy! - and yet we're supposed to think that oh it's all on Diego. Why? Lila is not a shy and retiring flower, and she and Diego have been shown before to have some very sincere heart-to-hearts about their relationship. Something changed, okay, fine - but why would we assume it was Diego that caused that?

I think our expectations about What Women Are Like are doing a LOT of the heavy lifting in how the show wants Lila to be perceived. She's a woman, and therefore she's automatically a good wife and mother - that she's emotionally intelligent, the organiser, she'll love her children and would do anything for them, she'll tried the hardest to make her marriage work, just...because boobies, I guess. This is not how you write good parents, or good female characters, TUA! A truly astonishing amount of people actually ARE women, and they know that it doesn't automatically confer any kind of maternal or wifely abilities! These things have to be worked on!

(In real life, women are often socialised to be better at these things, this is sadly true. But an awful lot of us do not have an innate talent for it, and there's no shame in that. And, more relevantly to this post, this is not real life, and Lila is not your average person. She's not normal, and I love that about her. She was raised to be a weapon. Do we really think the Handler installed the 'homemaker' module? Lila herself said that she was scared that she wouldn't know how to be a mother, because she had no good example to base it on.)

I also think the show assumes that, when you get married and have kids, you're automatically granted a house in the suburbs, a bunch of in-laws, and enough money from just the husband's job to get by. And I think that is an incredibly privileged and blinkered assumption. Frankly, unless her parents are financing them, they should be struggling a lot more. None of that is explained, and for me it was a real gap, because these are the arguments that Lila and Diego should be having. Lila caring for the kids versus getting a job. Living with family versus striking out on their own. Diego sticking at a job that makes him miserable and difficult to live with, or taking the huge financial risk of trying to find something better. These are the real life issues they should be facing.

Listen, I think the characterisation of Lila as a parent and spouse in this season is horseshit. I think she would be so much better than they showed - of course she's going to have some low times, she's going to struggle with her own upbringing, but I think she would try her damndest to get it right, and I don't think she'd be defeated so easily. But if we're dealing with what canon actually shows us, she's, uh, kind of mediocre as a mother, and really not that great as a partner.

And yes, I'm sure Diego is no angel, either, he's obviously wrapped up in his problems, and he's probably not much fun to be around when he's fixating on, uh, *checks notes* wanting a more fulfilling job (the fiend). But honestly, he's not that far removed from the Diego we've seen all along, the one she fell in love with. It takes one conversation for him to realise how incredibly fortunate he is, and to convince him to try to work harder on his relationship and stop focusing on the unobtainable. The idea that he's the only one who is failing at this whole gig - the chief culprit in the failure of their marriage, the only one who needs to make an effort to fix things - is bizarre. And it's pretty obvious why they've done it: to justify her thing with Five later and make it all seem more palatable. But there's no real substance behind it.

tl;dr: this season was badly-written, takes some incredibly antiquated attitudes towards the role of women that are inconsistent with the characters they themselves established, and some incredibly classist attitudes towards manual labour, and just hopes that you'll either take it at face value or read the fuck into it, to better sell you a shitty romance that added nothing to the plot.

[fiveapocalypse]

Adventures of baby five and his birthday balloon.

See, Diego bought a balloon for his birthday.

And now Five won’t let it go. He brings it everywhere. The only good side to this is that it’s very easy to find your wandering toddler because he’s attached to a big bright red balloon

[nickeverdeen]

hello! I really enjoy reading ur work, so I’m wondering if I could request a TUA (the umbrella academy) preference where the reader confesses their feelings during an argument (they aren’t dating yet) no pressure ofc <3 thank u sm for being a good writer!!

Thanks for requesting!!! And thanks for those words, I might be slower at writing considering I have school tests everyday, well I mean I’m in law school so what was I expecting-

Anyway, thanks a lot for everything 🫶

————————————————————

Confessing your feelings to Umbrella Academy members during an argument

————————————————————

TW: Cussing, mention of injury, drugs, sometimes cliché

————————————————————

You = white text

Luther = blue text

Diego = red text

Allison = pink text

Klaus = orange text

Five = green text

Ben = also green text, but cursive (‘cause I’m running out of colors)

Viktor = purple text

————————————————————

Luther Hargreeves

This takes place in season 1

The argument was pretty simple

You just wanted him to shut up for like 5 seconds about the moon and stop defending Reginald and digging into his death

You two were currently standing in the “meeting room” in the Umbrella Academy along with others discussing how Reginald died. Sure you weren’t part of this family, but you were invited anyway. Why you had no idea, maybe ‘cause you were a family friend?

“Jesus Christ Luther, stop digging into it so much. It was a heartattack, calm down” you rolled your eyes sighing as you agreed along with others that Reginald died of a heart attack.

“Oh so you’re on their side now? Even my best friend, great” he chuckled at the irony rolling his eyes. “Well I wonder why” Diego sneered. Soon the whole room started arguing about it, you’ve had enough of this. They were adults so they should act like it

Standing up from your seat you shook your head whistling which only caught Viktor’s and Allison’s attention… not what you wanted.

“Shut the fuck up!” You finally yelled and they all grew silent except for Diego who insulted his brother and you before storming off. “We’re all adults yet you all act like kids. Get your shit together” you sighed frustrated.

With that Luther got up and took few steps towards you “You don’t have a say in this. Dad was murdured, and last time I checked I was on the Moon to-“ Luther started but got cut off by you

“Luther, for the love of god, as much as I love you, shut up about the Moon and stop defending him” You rolled your eyes making Viktor raise his eyebrows suprised

Luther stood there kidna offended at first before realizing what you said “Wait what?” You just cussed under your breath. This is gonna be a long day.

At first Allison was kidna jealous for sure, but slowly joined Klaus with sometimes teasing you. You had a lot of explaining to do.

Diego Hargreeves

This takes place in season 2

Along woth others you had enough of Diego thinking about J. F. Keneddy 24/7

It was another night at Elliot’s and here you were, sitting in a corner across the room from Diego with Five between the two of you. You all were watching a tape Hazel gave Five before dying, a man on a grassfield was standing there when the president is getting shot.

To be honest you rightfully along with Lila who was sitting near you had no idea who this is unlike the two boys who seemed shocked at it

“Uh guys? Wanna also tell us who that is?” You asked awkwardly with Lila nodding slightly only to hear a whisper “dad” escape their mouths at the same time.

“Do you see this? That’s dad and he is the one who killed the president” Diego turned to you with a serious expression “Oh here we go” You rolled your eyes crossing your arms. “How can you know for sure that it was him? It doesn’t look like he’s holding a gun” you just shrugged leaving Diego frowning

“Do you even listen to me? That’s a proof that he is the killer!” Diego stood up pacing around the room

“And you know that how? He-“ you get cut off as he looks at you sharply, if you didn’t know him you’d think he’s crazy

“Take it easy, Diego” Five said calmly trying to ease the situation, but of course it didn’t help. “He is the killer! Don’t you hear me?! The evidence is right here!” Diego yells at you pointing at the tape

“Oh for fuck’s sake, you don’t wanna tell me that I fell for a madman” You scoffed crossing your arms taking a step towards him and he took a small step back as he processed what you said

“Well that’s an awkward silence” Lila said chuckling slightly, but none of you spoke until Five told you both that there’s no time for these things right now and you both followed him out to wherever you guys are going

“We’re not done with this conversation” Diego said, but not so agressively, more calmly yet of course not softly as it ain’t in his nature.

Allison Hargreeves

This takes place in season 3

You were starting to get really annoyed with her, but when you caught her trying to rumor herself in the mirror to be happy you couldn’t be angry or upset with her at that moment

You and other Hargreeves siblings were just miding your own businesses, but you did notice that Allison was missing. At first you didn’t make a big deal out of it, she was being really annoying, but still that didn’t mean that you didn’t care about her. You were on this crazy Hargreeves rollecoster since the very beggining and they were all very dear to you.

So here you were looking through the whole hotel for her, you were starting to give up before you heard a glass break in the bathroom.

Slowly you stepped in and that’s when you witnessed it. “I heard a rumor that you were happy” Allison said trying to rumor herself through the mirror you weren’t sure if it’d work, but you sure as hell were concerned by now, you were aware that she had a hard time, but this was really bad.

“Allison?” You stepped in properly after seeing that it doesn’t work

Allison slightly jumped at the sudden voice, she didn’t need to turn around to know that it’s you “What do you want?”

Her words were sharp, but you tried to ignore the feeling and took few steps closer, your eyes inspecting her bloody hand from the distance. “Are you okay…?” You asked slowly unsure if she wants to open up

She just scoffed rolling her eyes as she faced you “Since when do you care?” You didn’t like this defensive side of her, but you knew that loving her means loving her even at her worst

“I always cared, Al-“ getting cut off Allison stood up properly frowning “No you didn’t. You don’t care that Claire’s dead, you don’t care that both my husbands are dead! You don’t care at all!”

She shouted obviously getting irritated by your words even though they were honest. “Allison that’s not true!” You tried to argue back “I care about you and mainly your wellbeing! You need help-“ “I don’t need help! Now get out!” She cut you off once again taking few steps towards you, but you didn’t really take any steps back and stood your ground

“Yes you do! You’re even rumoring yourself to be happy! You’re not alright at all!” You took a deep breath taking few steps towards her as well “Just let me help you!” You looked up at her, but she wasn’t calming down any time soon and you knew that. “And why would you want that?! To impress others with your comforting skills?! Make me feel even worse?!”

She shouted, she knew damn well that she doesn’t mean it and knew that she’s being a bitch right now, but she couldn’t stop. She was hiding her pain and anger deep down inside of her for too long and even though she didn’t want to, she just had to let it out on you. Not ‘cause she wanted to, but ‘cause you were closest and she knew you’d forgive her overtime, plus you understood her and she just had to let everything out despite knowing it’s not heathly for neither of you.

“No! Of course not! Allison I love you and don’t want you to suffer! Please…”

You were more calm at the end, but got confused when she shut up and just stared at you in shock before it hit you that you just confessed

“What?” She asked blinking in confusion, but also a neutral voice “Allison… I love you” you repeated making sure she knows you don’t mean just as friends

“Please don’t… I’ll just lose you too. Stop” she mumbled shaking her head, she couldn’t take another loss

“You won’t lose me” you stood up on your tip-toes and kissed her just shortly and slightly of course, you didn’t wanna scare her. “Now let me help you with your hand” you took her bloody hand and started tending it knowing that Allison isn’t ready for a relationship just yet so you didn’t expect her to say it back right now, but you knew that she did love you.

Klaus Hargreeves

This takes place in season 1

You catch Klaus stealing in the Academy from his father on the funeral day

“Klaus? Wha- what are you doing?” You laughed seeing him under his father’s table where Reginald kept all his work

“Oh Y/N! How nice it is to see youuuuu” He sounded high and he probably was, but then again he had every reason to get high, but that doesn’t mean you approved of it

Klaus quickly reached for a hug which you with a sigh accepted “Klaus you’re high again” you crossed your arms rolling your eyes. “We talked about this”

“But those bitches are everywhere and it’s just so much better” he smiled amd you had to chuckle at his silliness “Give me the drugs” you held out your hand raising eyebrows “Oh you want it too????”

He asked and gave it to you and you just threw it out of the window “What’re you doing?!” He exclaimed with wide eyes “Helping you. Now go wash your face.”

You said clearly pissed off by his behaivor “Y/n! I need those!!!” He whined making you roll your eyes “No, you don’t. You need therapy, along with this whole family of yours” you stated clearly

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N…” He whined “You don’t understand what I’m going through when I’m clean!” He suddenly yelled at you making you raise your eyebrows

“No Klaus, you don’t understand what I’m going through when I see the man I love somewhere begging for drugs instead of trying to get a real help!”

You argued back, but he stopped “What?”

Five Hargreeves

This takes place in season 3

You both didn’t pick the same side when Reginald asked you all who’s for saving the world and who’s against it - you voted for saving the world while he didn’t

“Are you serious?” You looked at Five frowning confused as he stood on the other side. “Five, after all this time of trying to save the world you’re just gonna give up on the only chance we have ‘cause your older you told you so?”

You scoffed shaking your head and he frowned stepping closer to you “Y/N I am doing the right thing. Right, we’ve been trying to save the world this whole time and did we manage to change something? Nein! It’s over and over the same” Five frowned stepping closer to you

Unaware of the small distance between you two you stepped closer too and looked down at him “I’m not just gonna sit here and wait for the world to end with a boy I fell for and see him die. Five just come on and try this! One more time”

You sighed and tried to plea him, but to no vail as he didn’t budge “”Boy I love”? Please don’t bring that cocky shit-” “Maybe we should all calm down, alright?” Viktor tried to diescelate the situation, but failed as you and Five ignored him and kept arguing.

“You think you’re always right, hm? You are a child, you-” However you cut him off with a sneer “A child? That’s rich coming from you” Five took a deep breath and looked up at you his height making it impossible for him to look you straight in the eyes without looking up. “Y/N I love you, but you’re starting to seriously piss me off-“ He shut up as you all realized that another wave of Kugablitz is coming and had to run. Sure you two were gonna have to sort things out

Ben Hargreeves

This takes place in season 2

He got angry ‘cause you keep diapproving of him possesing Klaus’ body

(Btw Y/N can see Ben here)

“Am I talking to Ben or Klaus?” You asked annoyed not seeing Ben anywhere so you just assumed that he posessed Klaus’ body which was sitting on the floor

“Hey Y/N! It’s Ben! God I’m so glad you came I couldn’t find you at the courtyard” he got up and hugged you tightly, but you could still feel that it’s Klaus’ body which wasn’t ideal at all. You didn’t like it and you were over this conversation many times

“Ben… you do realize that I can see you just like Klaus can, right?” You sighed shaking your head in disapproval “But it’s not the same! In a body-“ he starts but you just cut him off

“In any body I can’t see you, but the person whose body it is, Ben” you sighed shaking your head “But Y/N, you don’t understand… being ghost.. it’s as if I’m nothing” He took few steps closer to you, but you just backed up

“Y/N, please just listen… you don’t know what it’s like!” Suddenly he snaps. That’s very out of character of him. “God, Ben. You don’t get it do you?! I don’t love the body you are in, I love you when you’re yourself, Ben!”

You shook your head frowning and andead silence falls in the room and you soon hear him parting from Klaus’ body

“Aw man, I feel like I’ll throw up” Klaus moans and backs up. You ignore him whimpering and just focus on Ben who’s too stunned to speak.

It’s gonna be a long day…

Viktor Hargreeves

This takes place in season 2

Y/N is helping Five look for others so they’d get them all to the suitcase in time, but Viktor insists to go back for Sissy and Harlan

You kept driving around couple of blocks looking for your best friend - Viktor - literally everywhere

Driving on a road leading away from Sissy’s farm you were slowly losing all hope, but for Viktor’s sake and your mental stability’s sake you kept going, you had to find him.

Driving away you saw another car passing by you and Viktor in it. Immediately you stopped in a way that your car - well a stolen car that you claim to be yours - died. Viktor on the other hand stopped slowly

“Viktor? Thank God, where were you?!” You were quick to hug him before he even had a chance to get out of the car properly

“Jesus! Y/N what are you doing here?” Obviously strandled a bit Viktor pulled away and rubbed your shoulder a bit “What’s going on?”

“Five found a way to get back home! No apocalypse or anything like that, we can go back!” You quickly explained and started walking towards your car, but stopped when you realized he wasn’t following “Viktor?” He shifted in his place thinking “I hate to tell you this, but we only have fifteen minutes-“ you started, but he cut you off

“I’m taking Sissy and Harlan” Viktor practically stated “What? Viktor you can’t do that, their disappearance could have major concequences” you shook your head looking back at your watch. 13 minutes.

“What consequences would it create if we’d just take a farm boy and woman with us?” Viktor obviously had enough and he headed back to his car “We don’t have time for that Viktor!” You pulled him by his arm back and he only snatched it away “Viktor don’t” you warned him shaking your head, true you don’t have powers, but he doesn’t have to know that

“What’s so wrong about this? I love Sissy and am not leaving her!” You knew he did. He loves Sissy, but you kidna were in denial. “What?” He looked at you still angry, but more confused now that you’re silent. 2 minutes.

“Sissy isn’t the only one who loves you, you idiot” you said and got into your car, but Viktor stopped you by your hand

“What?”

[crowdedimagines]

Tailspin V (Finale) - Bradley Bradshaw

summary: Bradley is a single dad and his new neighbor catches his eye. The only thing is, she might have more baggage than what's in the moving truck... 6.5 K 🐚 series list warnings: domestic violence, kidnapping, and death

With all things considered he bitterly smiles at everything she’s done in the house. She packed bags for the kids, prepped snacks for the road, and her daisies are still sitting on the counter next to her phone. There's over a dozen officers sweeping the house right now, but Bradley is glued to the stool, gaze locked on the yellow daisies. The second postcard still clutched in his hand.

Too late.

Bradley was frozen when he found the second postcard and called the sheriff directly. It took about ten minutes for half the town to be in his yard trying to help. His second call was Jake, who he told to leave the station in the hands of the next in command and pick up his kids. Jake didn’t even hesitate or ask a question.

“Bradshaw.” Sheriff Anderson calls, pulling his focus, “You know we’re gonna need to take that.”

He gestures down to the postcard, curling slightly with Bradley’s grip. He lets go of his tight hold, and holds it out for someone to take and bag. Uniforms are spilling out to every room of the house still. They notice scuff marks in the gravel outside. Like someone was dragged. Maybe she tried to dig her heels in.

“We’ve got everyone else sweeping the area. Mayor Clarke is getting a search party together.” The sheriff clears his throat, “What time exactly did you come home?”

“Five twenty-six.”

“When was the last time you spoke with her?”

“She called me a little after four when she dropped Sadie off at her dance class. She came home to the house alone. She wanted to do some last minute packing and clean up so we could hit the road right away.”

Bradley’s hands begin to shake.

“Hey, I need you here with me. I need you to focus.”

Bradley runs his hands back through his hair, standing from the stool. He paces the length of the counter and Sheriff Anderson patiently waits.

“We were gonna go to San Diego. She had the impulsive idea for a weekend getaway. She wanted to feel normal.”

“Who did you tell?”

“I told Jake this morning at the station, and I called Natasha who lives in San Diego to tell her we were coming down.”

“It would seem that the cameras were turned off remotely. Someone logged in and turned them off for both houses.”

“Son of a bitch.” Bradley sighs, ducking his face behind his hands for a few moments.

The sheriff writes some things down, more people dart in and around scoping out every crevice of his house. Bradley zones out, focusing on the box sitting on the counter full of memories. He’s had the wooden box since before he and Anna started dating, and it held polaroids, and then that turned into sonograms, and now it holds all of that and even more that he’s held onto over the years. Y/n is now in the box as well, the yellow paint sample strip from Hank’s store, and a family picture when the four of them went fishing on the pier just a few days ago. He wants to keep filling the box, how did he get here?

“He’s toying with me now. That’s something new from his previous abuse. He’s enjoying taunting me.” Bradley analyzes, “That second postcard, he wanted me to find it when I came home. He wanted me to know that he was in my house. With her.”

“You’re part of his fantasy now too.” Anderson agrees, “We’re gonna find her, Bradley.”

Anderson glances at a few of the deputies, quiet nods exchanged. Bradley continues to pace, anxiously waiting for everyone to be back under this roof. Anderson clears his throat and everyone clears out of the room.

“Bradley.” He places a hand on his shoulder, “You have saved people from burning buildings, plane wrecks, war zones, you name it. We’ll bring her back. I just need you to stay with us.”

Bradley turns his face away from the sheriff for a beat so he can gather his strength. He straightens, jaw tight.

“Start with traffic cameras. Neighbors can help identify unfamiliar vehicles in the area. He had to get her out of here somehow.”

“Copy that.”

✿

It’s dark, and the ground beneath her is cold. Cement. It takes a couple blinks for her eyes to focus. Her right one only halfway. Matt. He did that.

She moves to touch her eye and assess the damage, but her arms are restricted behind her zip tied to the metal pole behind her. There’s a faint drip somewhere of water leaking.

“And she’s up!” his chilling voice calls.

She looks up to see the proud evil smile that had been familiar to her for years. Only now, there’s not even a hint of warmth. He’s hollow. Empty.

He stands from the folding chair opposite her. He takes a few steps closer and crouches down, water bottle in hand. He takes off the cap and leans it against her lips, she takes a big gulp and he pulls the water away. She spits the remaining water directly in his face.

“You’re fucking crazy.” She sighs, catching her breath.

“I’m fucking crazy?” He grabs her jaw roughly, “You started all of this. You turned my own parents against me.”

“You did that all on your own, Matt.”

He’s rewriting history. He’s forgetting she would’ve had nothing to tell if it weren’t for his abuse. All the trips to the emergency room. Waking up with a black eye and a dozen red roses to make up for it. Years.

“We’re here right now because of you.”

“I had a family before you did this to me. Now it would seem someone else has a family. Isn’t it precious? Family gives you strength, that’s what made you so malleable before.”

He lets go of her jaw and stands up to distance himself. Her anger was plain on her face, a mixture of that and disgust.

“You know, you’ve still got that fire.” He laughs, he almost looks proud of her fighting back now, “That’s what made you so different from anyone else. You don’t give up, you can’t quit me. You can try to build your fantasy life with that firefighter and be their replacement mom, but that’s not real. None of it is real.”

He throws the water bottle at the wall, sending it spraying. His mood flipping in a second. She remains silent, not giving him the reaction he’s so desperately craving. She needs him to be bored. She can’t express her distaste for how casually he’s throwing her family around. Her family.

“What WE had was real, Y/n. C’mon, I thought you knew better. Coming after my trust fund was brilliant, I have to admit. You knew my parents would do just about anything to keep our name out of the news.”

“That’s not why I went to them.” She admits.

“Of course it is.”

“I went to them to get you help. I told them you needed to be sent to inpatient care, you need help.”

“No!” He begins to pace, Y/n pulls her legs in close to her chest and tries to pull against the ties, “I am perfectly fine. I was even better before I met you.”

“The trust fund was their idea. I tried, but I barely survived you Matt. I couldn’t save us both. They were my escape hatch from you. They’re the ones that threw you away because you disgust them. A person who is perfectly fine isn’t capable of something like this.”

“You’re lying!” He screams.

He turns wildly and walks out, slamming the door behind him in the process. Darkness again. She leans forward again, pulling against the ties. She lets it bite against her wrist so she can stretch it out. She relaxes, now there’s a slight give. She can do this.

✿

Red and blue lights continue to flash into the living room. The house feels familiar in a different way to Bradley now than it did this morning. It feels like a war zone. Being picked apart by the scattered officers that come and go with the crackle of their radio. Bagging things and taking them out to be identified and swabbed. It’s also tainted with Matt being here. How many times did he break into the house? Was he brave enough to do it when they were home? Will they ever know?

Sheriff Anderson’s laptop sits open in front of them on the island. A faint pixelated image of a black town car with New York plates. He’s sloppy. He’s accomplished this much, and he’s lazy enough to have taken his own car here. It makes Bradley’s stomach turn a little more. This isn’t well thought out.

The photos. The timeline. The map. The postcard.

“You’re not going to believe this.” A deputy walks in with a small black listening device in hand, holding it up proud for them all to see, “He bugged the house.”

He drops it onto the counter, the short wire attached to it cut.

“He bugged the damn house?” Bradley’s brows meet in frustration.

“We found two more in the bedroom.” A voice calls from upstairs.

“Son of a-”

“Listen, this isn’t the worst news.” Sheriff Anderson crosses his arms over his chest.

“How can there be any good to this?”

“If he’s transmitting this live, we can trace it.” The sheriff turns to the deputy who had found the original device, “Get a tech on the line. Pull signal analysis, I want to know where this feed was going.”

Bradley supposes there actually could be worse news. This is at least a glimmer of hope, better than the vague direction of the vehicle heading northbound. He feels more sick being in the house, he opts for the front porch instead. He was listening to them. Probably, from the time between the first postcard and when he took her. The talks of their getaway pushed him to act. The house behind him is still busy, but he’s hung up on the absolute invasion of privacy and safety. Matt was listening to him reassure her. Telling her he would protect her. He listened to her laugh. He listened to them make love. He listened to her sleep.

Jake's truck pulls into Y/ns driveway and parks. The Bradshaw driveway is taken over by the CSI team that came in. Sheriff Anderson wasn’t kidding when he said he’d haul in everyone who owed him a favor. These are more than the resources of his small town. The two kids fly out of the backseat and take off for the sidewalk to run down to their house. Bradley sees the large giraffe Sadie clutches and the small goldfish tank Nick carefully holds and knows Jake took them to the arcade just off the pier before coming home. He had already gotten the reassurance that they were okay, and he’s sure Jake was giving him more time. Time to know more. Time to figure out how to say exactly what’s going on to them. He’s still not sure. Jake has to lift the caution tape on the front porch for them to duck under and greet their dad.

“Daddy!” Sadie cheers running into her dads arms. He scoops her up with ease, and pulls Nick in tight against his chest.

“Hey, you two. I missed you guys.” Bradley sighs honestly.

Nick looks up at him with serious eyes.

“I know tonight has probably been really weird and probably a little scary. So I wanted to talk with you guys and see you before anything else.” Bradley moves to the front porch swing with them. Jake takes a few steps back to sit on the front steps, just within earshot.

“Where’s Y/n?” Sadie asks, her voice sounding sleepy.

Bradley swallows and gives himself a second or two of silence to respond.

“We don’t know right now, that’s what we're doing right now. We’re all working together to look for her.”

“Did she get lost?”

“Not exactly. Do you remember us talking about that bad guy? He made a really bad choice and took her somewhere without asking. But we know about it, and we’re gonna bring her home.”

Tears well in everyone’s eyes and all they can do is look at each other for a second. Bradley with his arms wrapped around both of them. Too many times have they cried.

“Why would he take her?” Nick’s anger evident in his voice, “She didn’t do anything. Y/n is a good person.”

“Some people don’t care about right and wrong. They want control, and we know Y/n is very strong, stronger than he could ever be, and that’s why he’s scared of her. That’s why we’ll get her back.”

It’s mostly silent, save for a few sniffles passed around. Most coming from Jake who is facing forward, not daring to look back.

“Do you think she’s scared?” Sadie hiccups.

“Maybe a little, but we know she’s tough. And we know she’s gonna fight to get back here to you guys.”

Nick nods slowly, processing. Sadie curls further into Bradley’s chest. He pulls back from the two so he can turn his head in Jake’s direction.

“Can you take them to the station for the night?” He asks, “It's the safest for them to be in the bunkroom with everyone until we know this place is clean.”

“Safest place in town.” He nods and sends him a salute with a wink. “We’ve got the night crew on shift already, we can have a sleepover Uncle Jake style.”

“Thank you.” He nods quietly, he can’t thank him enough for everything he does for his family, “Can you call Nat and let her know what’s going on? She was expecting us in San Diego hours ago.”

“I’m on it.”

Bradley turns back down to the children snuggled up with him. The summer heat is forgotten on a day like this.

“You’re gonna have a sleepover at Daddy’s work tonight. We’re gonna get you some pajamas and everything else you need for a sleepover. You remember the bunk beds?”

“Yeah!” She smiles, “Can we bring our prizes?”

Bradley nods and takes her giraffe and tosses it to Jake.

“-and do you remember your Dad’s candy drawer? I think you’ve earned a couple pieces.” Jake interrupts and grabs Sadie off of Bradley’s lap. He carries her inside to help her get her stuff. Nick stays glued in the spot next to his dad.

“You’re gonna go after her, right?” Nicky asks, looking up at his dad with wide eyes.

“First thing we get news.”

“Will you tell her something for me?” Nick asks, he fidgets with his hands for a few moments before looking back up to his dad.

“Anything, bud.”

“Will you tell her I think she makes us a good family?” His voice soft, yet so sure.

Bradley pulls Nick into another hug, beyond proud and grateful for his son. He can’t imagine the change this summer would bring for all of them. He’s older now. His maturity is something he can recognize being familiar with losing a parent young. He was the same with his Dad and just how much his heart hurt watching his mom do it all alone. Like he has been for the past five years.

“I’ll tell her, and I’ll bring her home.”

✿

The light overhead buzzes, flickering on and bouncing to life. The only time she isn’t met with darkness, she’s stuck with him. The cold from the cement seeps into her bones, her wrists raw from straining against the zip ties. She knows this light is a warning of his arrival. Footsteps.

Matt steps inside, calmer than the last time she saw him. She can still see the tension riddled throughout his body. His hair is messy, eyes bloodshot. A man spiraling inside his own mind. He pulls the chair closer and drags it to the center of the room, directly in front of her. Her eyes blink rapidly, still trying to adjust to the light.

“Rise and shine.”

“Is it morning?” She asks.

“Wow, is it really that quick to lose perception of time?” He scoffs, shaking his head.

“Well, typically when you’re unconscious you lose perception of time.” She rolls her eyes, he swallows visibly. His eyes lasering in with focus on her.

“So, you went behind my back to my parents and told them lies, and took their money.” His tone calm, he doesn’t move up from the chair.

“Matt, they offered it. I never asked. I went to them to get you the help you needed.”

He laughs. Short and bitterly.

“You told them I was crazy and I needed to be locked up.”

“I wanted to get you the care you needed before you did something like this to someone. I escaped New York when I realized it was only inevitable. I just wanted to get as far away from you as possible to avoid being in the fallout. I knew you would be the end of me the way it was going.”

“By care you mean pills and padded rooms. You’re just my ex-girlfriend with a savior complex who can’t handle the things she starts. Just like you can’t handle a whole family. You can’t just abandon them and move across the country. You wouldn’t know that, you don’t have your own family. First you take mine, now his.”

She doesn’t let it get to her. He always wants to drag everyone around him down to his level.

“Your parents are just as scared of you as I am.” Her voice measured, a mix of concern and strength. ‘Why do you think they didn’t confront you with me? They told me I should run. Get as far away from you as possible.”

He gets up suddenly, sending the chair skidding behind him loudly. He kneels directly in front of her. He’s too close. His eyes are sharp with something feral.

“You’re lying! They wouldn’t do that, you had to have lied to them! You were supposed to fix me. Not throw me away like garbage.”

She stays tall, not letting herself cower back away from him. Her wrists burn from where the ties are straining.

“You can’t fix someone that doesn’t want to be helped.”

Crack.

A hard slap flies across her face suddenly. She can taste blood on her lip, but she immediately returns his gaze. She doesn’t cry, she glares.

“They won’t return my calls, Y/n.”

Crack.

“I can’t come home. And they sent you money?”

Crack.

“How much?”

She spits blood onto the floor near them plainly. Taking her time to respond and look back up at him.

“Enough to leave. Enough to get away from you. Enough to buy a house next to the love of my life.”

He lunges at her again, grabbing the collar of her shirt to pull her up against the pipe. She can feel the zip ties sliding with her, digging in a little more at her wrists again.

“You think he’s coming to save you? You think he’s going to risk his life and his family over a piece of ass? He’s a guilty father and he can’t undo what we were.”

“I don’t need him to undo anything, I just need him to finish it. No more games, and no more hiding Matt.”

“I’m gonna take it all back. The money. The house. Your family.”

He suddenly drops her where she stands. It knocks the air out of her lungs, she flinches when he cuts her ties loose. She turns in surprise, but meets his sinister grin.

“We’re going back on the road.”

“Matt-”

He raises his fit to her face and she’s met with darkness before she can finish her thought, let alone her sentence.

✿

“We’ve isolated the signal.”

Bradley’s head snaps up to the team sitting at his dining table all around laptops. He rises from the old recliner in the living room.

“Alright, we’re heading out. Everyone pack everything up, we’ve got a location. All units proceed.” They all clear out of the house. Everyone immediately scrambles into vehicles, Bradley riding with Sheriff Anderson. They fly down the road faster than he’s gone since having kids. The patrol SUV is blacked out and there’s a line of police cars behind them.

“Broadcast signal is originating from a tower a quarter mile southeast. Looks to be coming from a single structure building. It’s an old mill. Evidence of recent car tracks.” The radio rings clear on the dash of the car. Bradley fights the urge to squirm in his seat. They’re headed for the edge of Southport at this point.

His jaw tightens.

“Get me in there.”

They turn onto the dirt road, the line of cars peeling in behind them. They work to surround the mill before exiting vehicles to breach the building. They work as a team, like ghosts moving closer. Bradley’s hand hovers over his sidearm. No car, but the tracks in the dirt are fresh.

A deputy gives a signal and they break down the door. All of them filter in, Bradley being somewhere in the middle of the group. He knows how fortunate he is to even be along for this. They could’ve made him wait to hear from the house all alone. He would be pulling his hair out at this point.

Inside they find dusty creaky wood, all covered in a fine tan dust. Footprints scattered everywhere all over the floor. Pacing. They do a sweep of the building, nothing obviously out of place other than activity.

“There’s a basement.” Someone calls from a far corner. Bradley’s stomach drops, knowingly. His gut makes him lurch forward and race down the old stone steps.

He finds a light on the wall and flips the switch only for nothing to happen. They use their flashlights down the hall to find a door. There’s a lock on it that an officer clips open, letting Bradley do the honors of opening the door himself. He has one hand on his gun, the other on the doorknob.

He swings it open and they file inside only to be met with a musty concrete room. One lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, the room filled with old furniture and in the far corner is his sweatshirt that he’s sure she slept in last night is balled up against the wall. Zip ties on the floor broken. Small amounts of blood splattered against the wall. No one is here. A lone metal folding chair facing the wall.

“They're gone.” The deputy states, “It looks like they were just here. The lightbulb was already warm.”

“We just missed them. Do you think he was tipped off?” Bradley asks.

The sheriff sighs loudly and takes off his hat to look closer at the scene in front of him and scratch the top of his head.

“It’s possible he heard us at the house, maybe we’re missing another device. He could have heard our plan to get out here.”

Bradley fights the urge to pick up the sweatshirt and hold it close. He knows it’s evidence now, even if it smells like her from how frequently she had been wearing it.

“Now what?” Bradley questions.

“Now, we look for more clues and evidence for where he’s taken her now. I know it doesn’t seem like good news, but these are small amounts of blood. She’s still alive.”

Bradley doesn’t like that this is the new standard for good news. He understands that it is a good sign, but it does nothing to settle his nerves.

“-attention all units to 2341 Bay Avenue, fire reported at residence. Flames visible, multiple calls.” The Sheriff's radio blares loudly from his chest.

“2341?” Bradley pales, “That’s my house. Confirm that address.”

Bradley’s blood goes cold.

“That is a confirmed address.”

✿

Her body jerks awake while begging for oxygen. She opens her eyes and can feel heat all around her. She’s home. Bradley’s house at least, but smoke is clouding her vision and it’s impossible to see. She can smell gasoline, her eyes stinging and throat burning.

She lifts her head, and it feels heavy to do so. She’s on the floor of the dining room, she can see flames licking at the curtains in the living room and spreading across the rug. She tries to crawl towards the door, head still pounding.

“This house was never yours.” His voice calls, “It was built on lies. Built on him. I’m taking it away from both of you.”

She continues to cough, she looks up but can’t see him through all the smoke. Just haunting footsteps that echo nearby. The kitchen. The kitchen has a back door.

It takes all of her energy to stand, but she opts to crouch. She knows she needs to stay low to the ground so she’s still getting as much oxygen as she can.

“Y/n.” He calls into the darkness, she fights to hold a cough to not expose her location as she creeps farther from the flames and the living room.

“Darling, you always said you wanted a clean slate.” Suddenly he grabs the back of her head pulling her up by her hair, “Let’s take it together.”

She can see he still has the gas can and pushes as hard as she can to break free.

“You don’t get to write my ending.” She throws her head back as hard as possible into the front of his face. His grip immediately loosening to clutch his nose. Without hesitation she steps forward to the stove and grabs the tea kettle and swings it back towards him with her body weight behind it. He stumbles back from the blow towards the living room, the gas can clattering to the floor at his feet. Flames immediately pick up at his feet and his cries follow. Y/n manages to pull herself back up, the flames roaring louder now and it's undeniably hotter in here as it continues to spread. She manages to escape small flames when grabbing the wooden box that sits on the counter in the same spot since the first time she came over.

Finally in the darkness of the smoke, her hand meets the back door.

✿

Bradley jumps out of the car before the tires can fully stop spinning. The house is lit up with flames, he can see a figure in the driveway standing alone, watching his team of firefighters working to save the house. He’s seen a lot of fires in his day, and he knows as hard as his men are fighting right now, it’s too late. The house is beyond finished, even if the basic frame remains.

“Y/n!” His voice calls, causing her to turn. She turns immediately and he races toward her. He immediately pulls her in tight against his chest, her entire body shaking. “You’re okay?”

He pulls back, hands gently on the sides of her face so he can really look at her. Her lip is split and she has a terrible blue bruise across one eye. Her wrists are red with bruises and cuts. She nods to answer him and leans into his touch. Glass from the windows pop behind them, sirens wail as more people arrive on the scene. None of it matters, he’s just focused on her.

“I didn’t know if I was gonna make it.” She admits, “But I couldn’t die in that house. I couldn’t let him win.”

He brushes his thumb across her forehead. She can’t tell if it’s because of a cut or soot.

“I thought I lost you. We were just at the mill where he was holding you. I couldn’t believe it when they reported a fire being here. I knew it had to be him, this was his big finale.”

“I know. I’m so sorry about the house, Bradley.” The tears in her eyes finally drop as she turns back to look at the house that is beyond recovery at this point. Even with everyone now here to try and take care of it.

“I could care less about the house.”

“No, I loved that house. That’s why I wasn’t leaving without this.” She pulls herself free from his grasp to bend down and pick up the wooden box that she knows he holds so dearly. They’ve never even talked about it, but he knows she’s seen him add things to it. She knew it was important to him and the kids.

“Couldn’t leave it behind.” Bradley takes it from her hands with amazement. If he could’ve taken one thing from the house, this probably would’ve been it. He pulls her into his chest again, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Thank you.”

“Please don’t thank me. If it weren’t for me-”

“Don’t you dare try to take any blame for this. Houses can be rebuilt, families and people cannot.”

She doesn’t argue with that because she couldn’t agree more. She just stands there wrapped up in his arms while they watch the walls collapse in.

“Miss, we really need to check you out.”

✿

Bradley stands with arms crossed, his gaze locked in completely on his girl who’s sitting at the end of the ambulance that’s less than fifteen feet away. Two of his paramedics are working on patching her up. He’s answering more and more questions for the police about Matt. Now that the flames have mostly died off and there’s little to no house left. They found evidence of a deceased male in the home indicating Matt really is gone for good now.

He can’t even take relief in it yet, he’s too focused on watching her breath and making sure she’s safe. She’s wrapped in a blanket with butterfly bandages across her eyebrow where it took the brunt of a hit. Somehow she’s smiling. Somehow after everything she’s had to endure, she’s smiling at something Cooper has to say.

“-Bradshaw, we're almost done and then I promise I’ll never separate you again.” The Sheriff looks up from his notepad. He simply nods and turns back to Anderson to finish things up.

He also has to get her statement when the paramedics are done, Bradley at her side the entire time. It’s hard to hear from the start to finish. Including the ambush in the house when she returned from dropping Sadie off. The sheriff thanks them before heading out and they stay like that until the darkness of early morning is gone and a faint blue begins to take over. That’s how long it takes for the flames to completely stop and be left with the haunting outline of where his house used to be. Bradley doesn’t say anything at first, he simply looks down to where Y/n rests her head against his shoulder.

“He died trying to destroy something that he could never have.” Bradley presses a kiss to her hairline.

“He thought a house made a family.” Her voice soft. She leans back so she can really look at him. She presses a kiss to his lips, wincing slightly at her split lip. He pulls back and his thumb lightly traces over it.

“He never understood. The house never mattered.”

✿

Bradley tried his best to get her to go to the hospital, with the promise of making Jake bring the kids over, but it wasn’t good enough. She wanted to go straight to the firehouse and see them, plus she’s already been checked over. Bradley just wants to monitor her breathing with all of the smoke inhalation she endured.

Sunlight pours in through the cheap blinds on the windows. It’s early morning, they’ve been up all night, so they slowly creep into the bunk room. Nick and Sadie are in the far corner, curled up on one bed. Jake is awake sitting on the bed next to them with a cup of coffee.

Bradley leads the way with Y/n following and Jake stands when he sees them enter. Bradley had called him to update him on everything, but he smiles at seeing them both in the flesh. He gives them both a quick hug. They make their way over, kneeling next to the side of the bed before either kid could bat an eye. Y/n reaches out to push a curl off of Sadie’s forehead.

“Good morning.” Bradley’s voice warmly calls.

Sadie is the first to peek her eyes open and when she does, they grow wider.

“Y/n!” She’s breathless as she launches off the bed and barrels down onto Y/n’s chest. The woman wraps her up tightly in both arms.

“Hi, I missed you guys so much.” She rubs her hand back and forth over her back. She can feel the muffled cries against her shoulder. Nick is slower to rise, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. A look of disbelief on his face as he sees everyone right here in front of him. His eyes immediately turning red as they well up.

“I thought he hurt you.”

She opens her free arm and he falls into it without hesitation.

“He tried.” Tears stream down Y/n’s face and all Bradley can do is watch and silently listen to them all talk. He hears the door close softly behind him and he knows Jake has just given the privacy of the room. “But I had something to hold on for. Both of you. And your father.”

Bradley just continues to watch, quietly wiping tears from his eyes.

“You two saved me. I kept thinking to myself, "What’s gonna be my next pick for movie night.”

Nick picks up his head, smiling through tears.

“You can take my pick this week.”

They all laugh, still shaken and clinging to each other, but they do it together.

“There’s something else we need to talk about too.” Bradley reminds, wiping his eyes for what he hopes yet doubts is the last time. “When the bad man realized he couldn’t actually hurt Y/n, he wanted to hurt us all. He burned down the house. Our house. Everyone worked really hard to save it, but it’s gone, you guys.”

Nick swallows hard and Sadie simply looks confused.

“It’s gone?” Her voice going quiet.

“Yeah, it is. But that’s not what matters. We can find a new house, it’ll be okay.” Bradley reaches a hand to each kid's head.

“I think you guys should just move in with me.” Y/n blurts, all three heads snapping to look at hers.

“Y/n, that’s a big deal. You have a freedom now that you didn’t have a few months ago.” Bradley tries to give her an out. He should know better at this point to think that’s worth a damn.

“I don’t wanna go anywhere else.” She shakes her head, “This is my home here in Southport, but only with you guys in it.”

She releases her grip on everyone so she can lean back and look at everyone, they all remain curled up dramatically on the floor. She wipes tears from her eyes, but finally they are happy tears.

“I’ve been working on it all summer.” She reminds, “In fact, I’ve had help all summer. It’s basically as much your house as it is mine at this point. We all worked on it.”

“Daddy, can we move there?” Sadie asks, eyes lighting up.

Nick turns to look at their dad too, excitement in his eyes. He doesn't have to think about it, not really. He would never put the pressure on to move his family into his girlfriend's house, but he also can’t imagine a scenario where he lets her out of his sight. A night they don’t spend together? As if.

“You’re sure you're ready for all this chaos all the time?” Bradley asks, ruffling Nick’s hair, “We go through a lot of chalk in this household.”

“I think I can handle it.” She smirks, “What do you guys say? I think it has to be unanimous.”

“I’m in.” Nick throws his hand in the circle between them first. Y/n turns her head to cut a quick look to Bradley, surprised with how suddenly he’s the one on board.

“So I won’t have to ask to come over anymore?” Sadie asks, the adults shake their heads and she throws her hand on top of her brothers immediately.

“I’m in, too.” Y/n agrees, adding her hand to the pile and raising a brow to challenge him, “Your move, Bradshaw.”

He looks between the three faces focused on him. It’s the happiest they’ve look in the longest time. Even with everything they lost, the kids look hopeful.

“I’m in.”

They leave together and head back home. Their new home. It was definitely an unpleasant sight to be met with smoke literally still in the air but instead the kids take off up a new set of stairs. Bradley and Y/n hanging back, slowly making their way inside.

“I thought I was fixing this house up for myself all summer, but who would’ve guessed I was getting it ready for all of us.”

He wraps an arm around her as they intentionally slowly climb up to the front door.

“We’ll keep both lots. Finish this place, make it ours.”

“Ours, I like that.” She smiles, he reaches out a hand to each side of her face. He presses a kiss to her lips, making their smiles widen. The screen of the front porch pushes open, causing them to pull back and look down.

“Daddy! The swingset is still there!” Sadie cheers. Both kids seem to have raced from the backyard to here.

The swingset they put together at the very start of summer. The very day that let Sadie to grow bored and fill an entire driveway’s worth of chalk and spill out onto the sidewalk. Thank god for that.

“Somehow that survived.”

“Dad, can we build a treehouse in Y/n’s backyard since she’s got the really good tree for it?” Nick asks.

“We were just talking about swing sets, and you want to build a treehouse?” Bradley asks.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Y/n nods, “We can keep both lots. Why not make the most of things?”

Bradley playfully rolls his eyes, but he’s happy to know this is his life now. He gets to make these decisions with someone. He has help to move through life, and it’s with someone he loves so much.

The kids tear off inside after Y/n tells them to pick a room upstairs and promises on Monday they’ll head to Hank’s to pick out paint colors for their new rooms. They stay glued in their little bubble on the front porch.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Better now.” She nods, “This is helping. I think we're gonna be okay.”

“More than okay, we’re home.”

AHHHHHHH, my baby 🥹 i seriously appreciate the support this series has given me from you guys. i loved it so much, and i’m definitely not done with this family! epilogue and extras will be coming soon. please hit me up with any requests for extras of their little family. love you guys!!

[mozzzz05]

I hate to bitch but… I’m going to:

There was just? So much wrong this season and not even because I wasn’t a fan of the ending - in fact, I quite liked that they were 8 little marigolds together - but the rest of it!?

There’s at least three plot lines that added fuck all to the story - and I’m all for fluffing out the stories/characters, love me a filler episode - but not only did we not have time for a filler episode with 4 less episodes than usual those plot lines added nothing to the characters or the story or anything really.

Klaus getting kidnapped (again), no one noticing (again) - getting possessed & having sex, getting buried alive (again, if ykyk) apart from Alison going to save him - what did it add? - I love Klaus he’s literally my favourite character, I always want more Klaus but it kind of feels like they didn’t know what to do with him? - “let’s make him relapse and do some crazy stuff, for shits and giggles!”

Diego & Luther going to the CIA - this is the one I see the most sense in of course, but apart from making Diego realise that he shouldn’t take Lila and his kids for granted and announcing that the CIA guy was part of the whole Jean & Gene cult thing (and getting to see David Castañeda’s abs (despite supposedly having a Dad Bod now?)) it kind of went on too long? It felt like it was slightly misplaced? Idk

And of course, how could it go unmentioned - the Five/Lila romance? whAT THE FUCK!??? Like it’s creepy both ways bcos Ritu Arya is 15 years older than Aidan Gallagher - freshly legal - and because Five is nearly 70 at that point? And that’s without even mentioning the fact that, oh yeah - Lila’s married to his BROTHER? But if you took it out - what would change? Genuinely? That Lila will always choose her family? Choose Diego? Tbh she could easily come to that conclusion without any romance, she clearly longed to go back more than Five did (who btw, abandoned his family after spending his entire life trying to save them - WHAT?)

The only one making any progress was Viktor

And so many things left unexplained- why did Ray leave Alison? What happened to Dave? (Guessing he’s long dead now but we still don’t know if Klaus’ s2 plan had any effect & the only hint of him we got this season was the dog tags (more than last season at least)) Why is Reggie a fucking alien? How did he get to earth??

I just feel so unpleasantly underwhelmed for a show that has meant so much to me the past few years, for an ending that was mildly disappointing but not as much as the 4 episodes that came before it.

[missmarveledsblog]

It's fate ( Bradley bradshaw x reader) part three

summary : The moment that bradley is waiting for as he take the girl he is convinced(knows) is his future wife on that first day and pulling out all the stops so that there will be more

warning : its tooth rooting fluffy fluff stuff

previous part

He was nervous , he was excited and he was totally and utterly completely caught in the spell .  His mom was right all those years he thought the woman lost the plot he wish she could of told her she was right . Maybe he was jumping the gun but then again the woman he was currently going on a first date with could ask him to jump and he would ask how high . 

“ you’ll know , when you meet them you’ll know” those words his mother trying to teach him growing up suddenly crystal clear.  

“ so where ya taking me bradley brooster radley” god even her voice was perfect he could stay mute rest of his life and listen to that voice . 

“Well i  made reservations at  this new fusion fever  place it does a little everything so well i wouldn’t get the food wrong , then i have a little surprise after on the beach”. 

“ you aint planning on killing me right?” she teased . 

“ you never … your brother occasionally have thought about it” he chuckled . 

“ he’s a softy really  he gives you problems just tell him marley and me , that man got in such a fit of despair my mama almost few to san diego til we let him talk to our dog back home “ she giggled . 

“ damn that’s kinda cute and makes him human plus i may of cried with him and went to  dog shelter “ he laughed awkwardly.  

“ did  you get dog … oh can i meet him “ she almost jumped up excited. 

“ i can so get one no i will get one and you can meet it “ he smiled  noting to himself to go back to that shelter  wondering if their was a 24 hour one  that was a thing right ?  .

“ slow your roll brooster lets eat first before your committing here , i could eat like a slob “ she pointed out . 

“ and i’ll eat like a pig “ he shot back . 

“ you are adorable” she giggled that was definitely his favorite sound he was wondering what other sounds he would like from her . 

“ calm down brooster jesus ” he thought scolding himself . 

The moment the pulled up he was on his best game jumping out of the car so fast he stumble , slightly praying it was dark enough she didn’t notice as he went to the other side opening the door  holding his hand out  and escort her like the queen she was to the door .  even pulling her chair out once they were shown to the table he may of nearly pushed the matradee out of the way to do so but he’d tip the man on way out or not  .. maybe .  She had head turning moment she walked in and honestly as much as he hated it he didn’t blame them she was stunningly beautiful from the casual sweaters and jean shorts he’d seen her or the other outfits he’d seen her back when they were strangers  but now the white sundress had every part loving it .  her bright eyes and smile  he could see as his personal beacon calling him home every night ,  or  that voice of hers leading him like a siren  at sea .  he listened intently cementing everything she told him about herself in turn sharing  things about himself  from his favorite color  to his parents which was never something he shared on a first day but yet he told her stories of his mom and ones he could remember of his dad . she told him stories of what it was like having jake as a big brother and  one thing he could never argue with was that hangman did love his family . she was the youngest of the five sisters and well seven kids in total which in turn he joke if her parents needed a tv but honestly if she wanted twenty kids he would give them to her. 

“ hey they kept going til they got perfection” she smirked that sarcastic side he could only imagine how much it irritated jake giving he  was the same. 

 “ i don’t doubt that at all “ he winked . 

“ honestly i’m surprised there isn’t little seresin out there with that hound dog i call a brother” she snorted . “ sure they’re are in texas but none are jakes “ she smiled . 

“ do you miss it , texas “ he asked . 

“ sometimes but i like it here , plus it not too far away i mean a day or less car trip if i’m really feeling homesick  plus jakes here so it  makes it less lonely and makes my mama sleep better and my papa not driving up check on me all time “ . 

“ well you have me here too i mean you know what i mean “ he blushed . 

“ good to know i’ll keep it on mind that bradley brooster radley is there to kept little ole me less lonely” she winked. 

“ what made you become a kindergarten teacher ?” 

“ wow you really do wanna know it all huh? Well i love kids i always did even growing up   i was always the one to well cause the trouble and wild child but even then i wanted to be teacher and well having all those nieces and nephews i was always good with the younger years mama said i had the touch  and my sister emily well she said i’d make a good kindergarten teacher “  . 

“ well from the way you talk about your kids , your class honestly is already telling that your a great teacher definitely one that going to make impact “ he gushed . 

 “ well thank you ,  i hope so” she smiled shyly . “ it’s not as exciting as what you do though hell i’d be scared shitless getting in one of those hornets y’all flyboys got balls ” . 

“  hey don’t knock it til you try it  , maybe you just need the right flyboy sweetheart” he winked. 

“ is that so?”. 

“ oh baby you’ll love it in mine … my jet i mean “ he gulped. 

“ guess we’ll add it to future dates if this one stays as great as it is so far” she patted his cheek as she stood . “ i need to use the little girls room i’ll be back “ and honestly he tried really but he almost fell out of the chair when he look watching how her hips swayed as she walk .  “ shit behave” he scolded himself. 

Once desert was finish and he left a big tip and paying before she could even see the bill hit the table he once again escorted her to the bronco opening the door and even putting the belt on for her jesus even the sent of her perfume had him so intoxicated in her .  with check that the beach plan was a go before he got in the driver side  . what he didn’t expect was the moment he sat down ready to turn was her lips to peck his cheek. One simple action and he was short circuiting  needed a moment before he even started the car. The whole car ride they talked more possibly more than she ever did on a first day . bradley brooster radley had her talking of anything and everything and  he was actually listening . the whole time he was a perfect gentlemen she almost thought she was dreaming . never had she ever been treated in such a way. She had hard time not swooning and keeping her cool most of the  time . he was nothing she ever met before . honestly she noticed him back everytime she would pass him it was likes something out of a movie and many time she was thinking of saying something but he was gone by time she could and honestly night she tired in the hard deck but jake pushed her out the door before she could get more out of her mouth and then her chance she took it that first time in the cafe honestly she was bucket of nerves and then well now here she was having the best date of her life and hope there would be more . 

Pulling to the hard deck her head tilted in confusion she could of sworn he said the beach as he got out opening her door and unbuckling her belt . this time when he took her hand she intertwined their fingers it was cute even in the night she could see the red on his cheeks or how wide his smile was . they walked near the entrance of the hard deck only to turn as then she seen it just at the back and indeed on the beach the  light that led them down to were a blanket sat on the sand  along with a  basket and what looked like a speaker sat waiting and flowers more specifically her favorite . 

“ your brother may have help but didn’t think i’d have a first date and not get the most beautiful girl i’ve ever seen flowers “ he smile picking them up and handing them to her . 

“ shit are you even real “ she gasped still in awe taking it all in .

“Well i remember  you told me your favorite thing was to watch the stars  so what’s better then watching them on a beach with the sounds of the waves  but i was hoping you would dance with me first he tapped his phone as her mouth fell open . “ ok jake might of helped with that too “ he smiled shyly as sound of la vie an rose played .  “ so would you care to dance” he held his hand out . 

“ how could i say no this is wow” she was lost for words in the best way possible as she took his hands putting them on her waste as she wrapped her arm around his neck as the two swayed around eyes locked both slowly closer til there forehead where touching .

“ yup this was definitely fate” he finally said. 

“ bradley radley brooster shut up and kiss me” she smiled.

“ yes  ma’am “ he leaned down his lips touch her and if he wasn’t a goner before (which he was )  , he was definitely  a goner now for the future mrs bradshaw .  

@bets-bookshelf hope you enjoy 💙❤️💙❤️

A/n : if anyone wants more from these two just ask and will deliver oneshots <3

[sideblogandabiscuit]

Diego: How long's it been since you've seen the old man?

Five: Forty-five years.

D: That's a trip.

F: No kidding. You know, when I was stuck out there in the apocalypse, there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't hear his voice in my head.

D: What was he saying? [picking the door lock] Ah, shit.

F: "I told you so."

D: Well, if Dad's here, he's never met you before, so he can't say , "I told you so."

F: I'm sure he'll find a way.

These two understood the weight of their father's burden. Not to say that the other's didn't but...for Five to be open and Diego to get it and find a work around - even if Five shut it down.

Yeah. Great moment.

[air--so--sweet]

I found out from the production designer's website and an interview he did that the basement kitchen is actually the 'kid's lounge', a space the siblings created for themselves.

And I've been obsessed with it ever since because I feel it gives us more of an idea about what the umbrellas childhoods were like.

Because, okay there's the slightly extravagant things like the pool table and foozball table, but most of it is very simple. A hifi system and a collection of cassettes and CDs (I bet Luther was only allowed have a record collection as part of his special treatment as Number One), what looks like board games and some toys in what used to be the butcher shops fridges and there's another toy next to the hifi system that looks similar to some of the ones we see in Five's room.

And in the scene where Allison and Diego fight Cha Cha we see art supplies as well.

These are just basic things most kids would grow up with but the umbrellas had to create a secret place, away from their father, to have them. It's just desperately sad.

But I also find it kind of beautiful that they worked together to make a place for themselves and I like to imagine the process of it coming together. Them scavenging furniture from the unused academy rooms. One of them finds the table in storage room, or the attic maybe, and then over the next few weeks they manage to take chairs from different rooms until they can all sit at the table together. Coming home from Griddy's one night (sneaking out became a lot easier once they had a separate entrance that their dad didn't know about) they spot an armchair and a sofa left out on the sidewalk and they don't look in too bad a condition so Five jumps back with the armchair while the others carry the sofa home (Five was still getting the hang of jumping with objects, the sofa was still a bit too big for him to manage). Grace catches them stealing food to take downstairs one day and she mentions it to Pogo (who knows about the room since it's right next to his own room, but he chooses to turn a blind eye) and suddenly there's a fridge in the room and Grace makes sure it and the cupboards are always fully stocked, even after the kids are gone (we see Five make a sandwich here when he comes back from the apocalypse). Hargreeves never interacts with Grace much and doesn't pay much attention to the food orders she makes as long as she stays in budget so some extra loaves of bread or jars of peanut butter won't catch his attention.

And Hargreeves never found out about the room because There's no reason for him to go to the basement, the only things in the basement are Pogo's room (so telling that there are 42 bedrooms in the academy but Pogo is relegated to the basement) and a utilitiy room. Viktor's cell is also in the basement but it's accessed by a separate elevator so Hargreeves wouldn't pass the kid's lounge to get to it.

You can tell how important the space was to the siblings as well because of how they use it in adulthood.

It's where they all go when Five returns and where they hangout when in the academy (we see them in the living room too but mostly for family meetings).

When Viktor comes to invite the others to his concert he comes through the butcher shop entrance.

It's where Klaus gathers his brothers when he tells them that he spoke to Reginald the night before.

And, even when he was the only one left living in the academy, Luther ate breakfast there.

It's the only part of the academy they feel is truly theirs and theirs alone. It's their safe place.