#my little brother was adopted when he was 2 months old

[doctorbeth]

Two Dogs' Squirrel

Usually, when a person writes to me with a story about a dog, the dog has torn up a cherished animal of the human. This makes sense to the dog... the animal smells like the human, so it is something that must be important, and for many dogs, playing means tossing and tugging and they don't know the stuffed animal can't handle it. Other dogs sleep on the animal, or hide it safely away, but those don't end up in the hospital. The dog and the stuffed animal playing though, it's kind of like my dog and cat who really do want to play together, but can't seem to figure out how to safely play chase (although they do sleep together, and clean each other).

Anyway, this is a different type of story. Squirrel is an heirloom stuffed animal that has gone through two generations. Not that unusual. Many of my patients have gone from mother or grandfather to child, or big sister to little brother. But Squirrel went from one dog generation to another!

Squirrel's family wrote:

Squirrel is 15" long and is no longer very stuffed. Squirrel belonged to our dog Faith, who died 2/25/2022. At that time, our 6 month old puppy Matilda adopted him. Squirrel was already about 9 years old then, and fairly flat. I don't know if he can be repaired at this point. I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement. Do you think you can help?

Here were the photos they sent for diagnosis:

What you can't see very well in the photos, is that in addition to stuffing compression, and many facial wounds both old and new, Squirrel had quite a bit of balding.

We agreed to supplemental stuffing, and wound repair, and when Squirrel arrived at the hospital, it was clear he needed transplants too so he would be sturdy enough to play with Matilda for many more years. I don't clean animals that belong to dogs, because smell is such an important part of how dogs identify their world, so I try not to change the scent.

Here is Squirrel, all better:

As you can see, his transplants are slightly paler in color, but they're very good texture matches... for dogs texture is more important than color. He's sturdy, and plump again, but still squishy enough to easily hold in a dog's mouth.

Well, Squirrel flew home and since his true being is a canine, I can show you a photo of him back home with his warm blooded being! No privacy issues for dogs. :-)

Here they are happy together again:

[mariclerc]

Predestined (pt.2) | cl16

Summary: Where you have had mixed feelings for years with your brother's best friend... And finally those feelings see the light.

Warning: some swearing, aggressive mother, mentions of physical assault towards y/n (not Charles), fluff as usual and Charles being a sweetheart like always.

a/n: here we have part 2!! Let me know if you like it and if you want another part of this!!

Part 1

ynusername

liked by lilymhe, yourbff, landonorris and others.

ynusername pookie and i against the world 4eva and eva!!🧸🎀✨ and yupp, i like to put cute pink bows on his clothes it makes him look so adorable 🥺🎀

tagged charles_leclerc

see 53.765 comments

user1 hm... THE SECOND PIC 👀🫣 girl can you explain??!?

georgerussell63 I never thought I would see Charles' pen*s with a pink bow on Instagram, but here we are

ynusername In fact 😀☝🏻 It's not his pen*s, it's his pants with a cute pink bow 😋 I think carmenmmundt should try that on you tbh, just saying 👀👀

carmenmmundt omw 🫡

yourbff a cat mug i see there

ynusername i love cats and i'm now a cat mama, you know the drill

yourbff I'm sorry... A cat mom you said!?!?!?!? 👀

ynusername surprise‼️‼️✨✨✨

lucayln stop being so horny with my best friend, thank you

ynusername nope 😋 we're here to stay horny 24/7 sir

charles_leclerc only if we could stay horny 24/7 hours a day 😩 that would be a blast

user2 CHARLES????? 🫣👀👀👀

user3 Charles has bde?

ynusername maybe 😋🥰

charles_leclerc i love you pookie 🥰💗 that pink bow looked good the whole day in my pants 🎀

ynusername i love you too much much kisses for my boy😘 💋💋 you looked so coquette and cute babyyy 🥺🎀💗

ynusername I TOLD YOU‼️‼️ georgerussell63

charles_leclerc

liked by lorenzotl, olliebearman, alex_albon and others.

charles_leclerc my little girl always wants hugs on my lap 'cause she says it feels warm there🤍 by the way, let's welcome minnie leclerc to the family 🐈🫶🏻

tagged ynusername

see 864.243 comments

landonorris congrats bro 🫂

charles_leclerc thanks bro 🤝🏻 I appreciate it

user4 omg they're so cute and adorable 🥺🥺

user5 they scream old money/cuteness couple and I'm here for it🥺😭

lucayln excuse me? That second pic it's not appropriate‼️‼️

ynusername it's just my back dumbass 🙄😒 how annoying you are

charles_leclerc why not? She so looks cute reading 🥰🥰

lucayln and why "minnie leclerc", you guys are not married.

ynusername shh 🤫😉

user1 he's so lovey dovey with yn 🥺🥺 we love to see a happy Charles 🫶🏻

user6 oh good minnie leclerc 🥺🥺 that's so sweet and adorable

arthur_leclerc I thought you were more of a dog person... 🤔

charles_leclerc yeah... people change bro

ynusername i'm the changee 😋😋😋

maxverstappen1 so Jimmy and Sassy now have a little playmate

ynusername yup sir

ynusername so... you say i'm your little girl? 🥺🥺🎀

charles_leclerc yes baby, you are my little girl... such a princess, so pretty 🥹🥹 it's the two of us against everyone, kay? 💗💗

“A cat? Did you seriously adopted a cat?” Your mother asked when she saw you with little minnie in your arms.

You nodded and smiled. “Yep! Well, Charles and I thought about moving together to his place and taking care of...” You didn't even finish talking because your mother slammed the table, making you flinch.

“It's incredible that you are so childish... Moving in together? Please, you are just studying in uni and he is traveling around the world, that shit only happens in fairy tales and movies y/n.” your mother said in a sarcastic voice.

Things with Charles are going very well, quite well, you have been together for almost four months and everything has been wonderful, the distance has not been an impediment for you... Although your mother, who at first were very happy for the two of you, lately she don't agree with the idea of you moving in with Charles, the trust between the two of you is already there for years and it's silly that she don't like their relationship now just because he constantly travels to the races.

“But mom... I love him very much and he loves me! I don't understand what the problem is with us moving in together.” You whispered while petting minnie and that apparently made her even angrier.

“You are very innocent and stupid! Do you really think he's not going to get someone better than you? Please, if you don't even have experience in couples or dating stuff.” she said and you felt your heart break little by little. “You're not even pretty enough to be with someone like him, please, there are more prettier girls out there than you.”

Your mother has always had a facade in front of everyone, that facade of "I have the perfect family", but not everything is like that. Luca is applauded and glorified for having decided to be a driver, while she humiliate you because you didn't want to study economics, that never really caught your attention, so you decided to study literature and appreciate life from a more poetic point of view if you could say that. For your mother you were always the black sheep of the family, the disappointment and the dreamy girl, always imagining impossible things.

“I'm not... I'm not stupid.” you whispered timidly. “I... I don't understand... I just...” You whispered again, feeling like you were losing your voice in the process.

“And there you are again, babbling, like a baby” She said approaching you as if you were a prey. “And what will you do? Call your prince charming to save you? You know that's a bullshit.”

And sooner than expected, a punch hit your face, and then another and another, minnie began to meow and climb your leg while you did your best to stay upright. You had never seen your mother be so aggressive with you, never, she only hit you a few times but when you were younger and you didn't want to do chores, but this? It was already another level, it was like she was letting out all the frustration she feels with you. And the worst thing about it? It's just that not even your father or Luca were at home to defend you from her.

You tried to talk while you whimper. “Please... stop hurting me.” you begged, but she didn't stop, so with the little strength and endurance you had left you let go. “Stop fucking hurting me, I'm not your damned personal punch bag!” You screamed at her with the guts you never thought you had inside of you and then you ran with minnie in your arms to your bedroom and locked the door.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, with blurred vision you collected some essential things in a bag, the decision was made, you were going to move in with Charles whether she likes it or not. With trembling hands you took your cell phone and you dialed Charles's number.

“Babe? Is everything okay?” he spoke on the other line and a sob left your lips. “Honey, why are you crying?”

“Bubba, could you... Could you... Could you look for me and minnie at home, please? I do not want to be here.” you said in a small whisper.

“It's okay honey, did something happen with your mom?” he said in a calm voice. “I'll put you on speakerphone, I'm with Luca, okay?”

You sigh. “Mom... she almost... hit.” you said with a broken voice and that was enough for them to understand.

“Don't worry bubbles, we're on our way. I'll deal with her.” You heard Luca say as he took Charles' cell phone.

You hung up and sighed, you didn't want to look in the mirror, you probably had something broken in your face, or a broken bone in your nose, a bleeding nose or something like that. You also collected minnie's things and some of your plushies, you were still a young woman with a little girl's soul.

***

The ride to Charles's —now your, apartment was a bit difficult, after the encounter between your mother and Luca, he yelled at her while she pretended to be innocent, she had never been like that to you. While Luca confronted your mother, Charles helped you collect more of your things and put them in suitcases, there were also some things left but they were not so necessary.

When you went up the elevator to the apartment you felt a sensation of perhaps peace and calm... You don't know how to decipher it exactly, but it's like a kind of release and maybe a new beginning.

“Welcome home princess.” Charles said with his soft voice opening the door to the apartment, it was a fairly spacious and minimalist place, you didn't remember it like that since a year ago you and Luca spent a lot of time here in the afternoons doing anything silly the three of you, like the old times.

It had windows that illuminated the space, a lot of F1 memorabilia, trophies and family photos and of the three of you as children. It felt cozy, maybe it was the sunlight coming through the window, the presence of minnie nestled in your arms, or the presence of Charles himself, but it felt like a cozy and comfy space where you will not be judged. You left Minnie on the floor and she began to walk around the place with big eyes.

“Charles... I do not know how...” you said between babbling and he just smiled softly.

“You don't have to thank me or anything chérie. It is the least I can do for you.” he kissed the tip of your nose softly. “What do you think we go to heal that ugly bump, you can change into comfy clothes and then we take care of unpacking, okay?” He asked and you nodded, he guided you through the apartment until you both reached the room, which will be your room.

He started looking for some things to heal the wounds left by your mother's punches, you sat on the bed and he began to heal your wounds with some alcohol and ointments, he healed your wounds with such care and delicacy.

“Ouch... By chance do I have a broken nose or something like that?” you asked.

He denied several times. “Nope darling, just a couple of hits that now turn a little bit purple... But it will heal soon love, don't worry.” He whispered and looked for a band-aid to put on the bumps. “For now we will put this nice and cute pink band-aid on and that is enough!” He whispered again and gave you a kiss on the nose.

“Thank you Charlie” you whispered shyly and he smiled softly.

“It's nothing honey, now why don't you get comfortable and take a shower?” He said softly as he gave you a hug and caressed your back.

“Okay babe.” you say softly and separate yourself from his embrace to go to the bathroom and take a shower... which is necessary after all that emotional and physical exhaustion on the part of your mother.

When you entered the bathroom you let everything flow; the emotions, the frustration and also the peace that not being there again gives you... Now being with Charles in his apartment was a change that was going to happen sooner or later for whatever reasons, what happened with your mother today was the time bomb that was needed to explode to finally make that decision.

***

“Hey, there you are, sweet candy!” Charles said with a soft voice and a smile on his face when he saw you enter the living room in sweatpants and one of his big t-shirts, apparently he had already arranged Minnie's things in the living room... To be honest it looked like a small playground with all the cat toys and cat trees scattered around, but you didn't care at all, it gave the place some personality. “I made you some tea! Maybe it will help you calm down, It's a red fruit tea, it's delicious!” He said and you couldn't help but let out a shy giggle as you blushed a little, he had these little gestures towards you that made your heart bigger little by little.

You smiled a little. “Have you already tried it charlie bear?” you asked while giggling.

“Well... Yes, I made some for myself too! It's very good, and I don't know, it reminded me of you.” he giggled. “Remember that time we went to the cat cafe and you found out they had tea?”

You nodded with a smile. “Yeah... That's where we tried this tea and we discovered that we wanted a cat.” You took a small sip trying not to burn yourself and you felt the heat of the liquid expand inside your body. “The difference is that the one in that cafe was not that hot.” you said looking at him with a serious face and he muttered a "sorry ma chérie" while smiling (my darling). “And the other thing is that... That tea might have had a little cat hair, but we'll ignore that.” You said and he laughed, you also laughed along with him as Minnie approached you to climb onto your lap.

Both of you continued sipping your teas while talking about anything, with Charles you could talk about any topic at all and you were never going to get bored, there was always something interesting to talk about. Suddenly he cleared his throat, assuming that here comes the important question of the day.

“Honey bear... What happened with your mother today?” he asked in a sweet voice.

You sighed heavily. “Well... She just asked me if we had actually adopted Minnie and then I told her that we wanted to move in together and well... She exploded, I guess, maybe she had a lot of anger built up towards me and well, it was her time to explode.” you said ironically. “But hey, I guess that's life after all, right?” You whispered and shrugged.

He remained silent listening to you until he then spoke. “Oh honey... She shouldn't have reacted that way and, if you look at it, it was a harmless thing, you were just making a comment.” He whispered as he brushed a strand of hair out of your face and brought you closer to his body.

“I know but... She just got angry and well, she had never hit me before.” You whispered against his chest. “And she also said things about... About us.”

He frowned worriedly. “What kind of things did she say amore?” he asked.

“Well, she said... She said I'm not pretty enough to be with you.” You paused briefly. “And that you wouldn't hesitate to get someone else and... She made me feel really bad about myself, you know?” you whispered and he held you even closer.

He snapped his tongue. “You do know she's wrong, right?” He asked and you nodded. “Perfect then... Because I want you to know that you are the most beautiful girl, okay? It doesn't matter if I repeat it to you every day or how many times, I just want you to know it.” He said and gave you a kiss on the cheek, then one on the tip of your nose, then another on your jaw and so on.

You gave a small giggle. “Charlie stop” you giggled again. “your stubble gives me tickles!” You say, breathless from laughing so much. “Okay no problem. I don't mind you telling me I'm pretty all the time, I actually appreciate it.”

He smiled when he heard your words and gave you several kisses on your lips, you felt your heart flutter at his sweet and cute action towards you, you let out a few giggles. You two smiled in the middle of the kiss, it was something so genuine and precious that it was practically impossible to describe. Minnie meowed into your lap and you moved a little away from Charles with a smile on your face.

“Apparently someone wants some attention.” you said smiling and he giggled. “I think we should share our love, don't you think?” you said giggling and he nodded.

“But of course, the little one in the house requires a lot of attention.” He said teasing you a little bit.

You acted offended. “I thought I was the little one in the house!” You put a hand on your chest. “I'm just kidding love, obviously Minnie is the little one here.”

He nodded as he stroked Minnie's fur. “You both are, you are my princesses.” He said and placed a kiss on your cheek, making you blush.

Maybe not everything is perfect or rosy all the time, maybe the problems with your mother will not be solved overnight, but with him and minnie, in some way, it's enough for you and it's going to be okay in the long run.

ynusername posted a story

caption 1: I think they found the perfect place to lay their head 🤷🏻‍♀️

caption 2: my safe and comfy place is with them around ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

tagged charles_leclerc

lucayln I finally have signs of life from you!!

ynusername Dumbass, I wrote you a message yesterday and you left me on read‼️‼️

lucayln i'm just joking bubbles! I'm glad you're okay and safe

yourbff When can I meet my niece? 🥺

ynusername come whenever you want to visit us <3 our apartment is always open 🫶🏻🫶🏻

yourbff wdym "our"⁉️⁉️⁉️

ynusername hehe 😋😋☝🏻

charles_leclerc i love you babes, you make me so so happy and fluffy inside 🥺🥺💗

ynusername oh my babyyyyyy 🥺🥺🥺, you make me happy too, thank you so much for giving me your unconditionally love 💗💗 and minnie says she loves you too (she said "meow" but you get it)

charles_leclerc i get it baby, don't worry 😋 you're the cutest girl ever 💗💗🥺

[yukipri]

I wanted to formally introduce two new members of my family: Cody and Rex!

Cody (mostly called Ko-chan, sometimes Coco-nuts or Cocoa) is a siamese kitten, probably roughly 7 months(?) old. He is very hyper and bold to the point of reckless. His hobbies include screaming for food, trying to steal human food, successfully stealing his brother's food, and in general doing everything he's not supposed to do. He is very clever but chooses to show it in the stupidest ways possible. He has also earned the nicknames Hungry Beastie, Black Hole, the Screaming Baby, Fluff Ball, Little Demon, and Tiny Thug (I probably should have named him Fives).

Rex (mostly called Recchan, or O-Rere) is a snowshoe kitten, and probably around the same age as Cody, though we adopted them from separate shelters. He's very sweet and shy, but bold when he gains confidence. He isn't very food motivated, but loves toys and other cats. He is often drowsy for a while after waking up, and loves cuddling most then. He has a shockingly deep voice for a kitten. He also does not like wearing a collar. He has earned the nicknames Sweet Angel, Sleepy Baby, and Naaaaw (what his voice sounds like) (I probably should have named him Echo).

I adopted them roughly 2 months ago (roughly a week after Lu passed), so they've been with us a while now, but I didn't feel ready to start posting about them yet.

We're still in the process of getting Ace and Sabo to fully accept them (meaning: getting the older boys to not look at them like they're the stinkiest lil gremlins in the galaxy), but they've come a long way, and we'll continue to work on it.

But yeah! I wanted to introduce them, so please expect photos of them to start popping up on this blog too!

While they aren't technically "ASL Kittens," I want to keep all my cat photos in the same tag, so I'll continue using the #YukiPriASLKittens tag for them!

Cats tag: #YukiPriASLKittens

(at 4 cats, am I nearing Crazy Cat Lady (non-gendered) status yet?)

[xagave]

Absolutely, get ready for BABIES. The oldest foster we have right now is Lazarus who we got when he was 3 months old from a hoarding case. He had an extremely bad case of herpes that almost killed him and it turns out he has a really bad immune system so he's always getting sick. He's about 8 months old now and he's sort of a long term foster because he currently has FIP and treatment requires one shot every day for 80 days minimum. The meds are a bit expensive so shameless plug but if anyone wants to help us pay for the meds my wife's ko-fi is here

Here he is the day we brought Lazarus home ^

And here he is now! His FIP treatment is going very well so far ^ Our second oldest are Penny and Kazoo. We got Penny when she was 5 weeks old from a guy whose dog brought her home in his mouth (she was fine the dog was gentle.) We got Kazoo when he was 10 days old from some dudes in the next town over who didn't have time to bottlefeed a newborn. Kazoo is 2 weeks older than Penny and they became best friends!!

10 day old Kazoo and 5 week old Penny ^

Kazoo and Penny now ^

Kazoo and Penny at an adoption event ^ We're having a hard time finding them a home because we refuse to split up bonded pairs

Penny playing in the tub lol ^ Next are a batch of kittens we got from an irresponsible breeder who was fine with letting kittens get sick and starve to death. We originally only got 2 of them when they were 3 days old (breeder let mom cat get sick and die because she didn't want to pay for vet care and tried to pawn the babies off on the other nursing moms and it didn't work out) and they were born premature so they had a lot of health problems. They had rhinovirus and coccidia and the little brown kitten had an umbilical hernia that then became septic and THEN she started getting big pockets of infection in random places like under her chin and in her toes? But we managed to get them healthy and fat and thriving. My wife was able to convince the breeder to give us the remaining kittens 3 days ago and they're half the size of our first two because they've been sick and slowly starving this entire time (they're now 5 weeks old). They're still really sick and have Poop Liquid Until You Die disease so it's not fun on our end but we're working hard on getting them fat and healthy. They don't really have official names but we've been calling them Zoosmell Pooplord, Insufferable Prick, Flighty Broad, Farmstink Butlass, and Huss lol

The first two nuggets ^

They were sooooooo small ^

Finally fat and healthy at 3 weeks old! ^

The full litter now at 5 and a half weeks old ^

Comparison pic ^. Right kitten is the nugget we've had since he was 3 days old and left kitten is his brother who the breeder just now let us take. It's hard to tell with the fluff but he's borderline skeletal :( Next is a 3 month old kitten that a foster brought to an adoption event who was very clearly sick. Skinny and lethargic with a bad coccidia infection so we took him home that day 1.5 weeks ago and also sent the foster person home with some medicine to fix the coccidia in their other kittens. We've been calling him Christmas Tree Boy cause he's always got a poofy tail or Poop Boy because he hates sharing litter boxes and keeps pooping in random corners 😒 Didn't take long to get him healthy so this weekend he's getting yeeted into another adoption event and whoever adopts him needs to give special attention to his Litter Box Needs

^ He's very cute and loves playing with our other fosters but for the love of god we are TIRED of his Poop Surprises Someone who adopted a bonded trio from us a few months ago is returning them to us tomorrow because their fiance is allergic, so as of tomorrow we will have 12 fosters in our house. Sounds like a lot but we've had 30+ foster kittens crammed in here at the same time so it's a breath of fresh air in comparison💀

Edit: Not a foster kitten but honorable mention to my new betta who I named Gemini because You Know Why

He has a 5 gallon tank all to himself but I don't have a pic of him in it cause he's shy and he hides lol but it's the one behind the cup. Aiming to give him live plants soon

[babydollmarauders]

MEDIA MANAGEMENT — JACK HUGHES (PART TWELVE)

notes: i’m finally caught up on this series! just in time for the last regular season game!

previous: eleven

next: thirteen

y/ndevils00

liked by jackhughes, lhughes_06, and 72,810 others

y/ndevils00 if you’re allergic to sappiness, you may wanna keep scrolling tonight!

first of all, i’m so proud of ALL my boys tonight! all 5 of our goal scorers, the assisters, and the ones who just played their asses off tonight!

now is where it gets sappy!

my jacky: you broke a 22 year old franchise points record tonight. YOU did that. i always knew you would do it, and i’m so grateful that i was there to see it happen. you’re my (real) best friend, my love, my heart, the father to my cat, and the best hockey player i’ve ever seen (sorry boys). the talent that you possess is constantly leaving me awestruck, and i can’t wait to see what you achieve in the future. i can’t imagine the past 3 years without you, and i hope i never have to live a future without you either. i am so unbelievably proud of you. congratulations, my sweet boy. lil satan and i love you to pluto! <3

my lukey: my little (not so little) brother for the past 3 years. for some context, i met luke when he came to a devils game literally the same month i started working for the team. jack introduced me to him and lukey and i hit it off. i ended up sitting with him at the game, we exchanged numbers, and i adopted him as my own little brother very quickly. when luke was chosen in the 2021 draft, i cried tears of joy; but those tears were nothing compared to the ones i shed tonight. my baby brother made his nhl debut tonight and i couldn’t be happier for him. i look forward to seeing you absolutely kick ass and show everyone in this league how incredibly talented you are. congratulations on your debut, smush! i love you! <3

p.s. rasmus dahlin, i am in your walls. stay away from my boyfriend.

tagged jackhughes and lhughes_06

user did she just call luke “smush”?! that’s so cute, i need the reason asap

y/ndevils00 no real story behind it! we just smush/squish each others cheeks a lot! also, we watched finding nemo for our first facetime movie night and he took up calling me “squishy” like dory called the jellyfish.

john.marino97 they really do do it often. i’ve counted 12 times in the past 2 days

jackhughes i love you to pluto, sweet girl. thank you for being by my side to celebrate this achievement. i’m so thankful that i get to spend life with you ❤️

y/ndevils00 you’re so obsessed with me

jackhughes PARTS of you, for sure

y/ndevils00 you perv! there are innocent eyes present! @/lhughes_06

jackhughes i meant your heart!

lhughes_06 we have thin walls, i know you’re lying.

lhughes_06 @/y/ndevils00 also, why would you tag me?!

lhughes_06 thank you squishy! this was really sweet but can you stop crying now?

y/ndevils00 you didn’t say you love me, so no

lhughes_06 i love you!

y/ndevils00 well now it just seems forced. i hope you can sleep through my wails and tears

john.marino97 congrats hughesy! so happy for you! and congrats little hughesy! you did great!

jackhughes thanks bro!

lhughes_06 thanks man!

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes @/lhughes_06 yeah, you guys are so siblings

john.marino97 @/y/ndevils00 did you think they weren’t?

y/ndevils00 idk i was just kinda hoping that maybe ellen actually switched jack at birth and he’s not actually their son but i’m their daughter

jackhughes @/y/ndevils00 that’s the oddest way to say you love my family. you’re such a little nutcase, i love you

lhughes_06 @/y/ndevils00 you weren’t even born in florida like jack…

y/ndevils00 @/lhughes_06 you’re a brat

dawson1417 LFG BRO! SO PROUD OF YOU HUGHESY!

jackhughes THANK YOU BRO! APPRECIATE IT!

dawson1417 congrats luke!! smashed it tonight, dude!

lhughes_06 thanks dude! looking forward to playing more games with you!

trevorzegras HOLY SHIT CONGRATS BRO’S! KILLING IT! can’t wait to play against you @/lhughes_06

y/ndevils00 no.

jackhughes thanks bro! hope your game goes well!

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes no.

lhughes_06 thanks z! excited to kick your ass next season 🔥

y/ndevils00 @/lhughes_06 yes.

y/ndevils00 @/trevorzegras is officially banned from my comments until he apologizes to me. any more comments about or from him will be deleted.

trevorzegras what did i do now?

y/ndevils00 @/trevorzegras it’s more what you WON’T do.

trevorzegras is this seriously because i won’t dress up as ken to see the barbie movie with you?

y/ndevils00 @/trevorzegras blocking you. deleting your number. lasering off our matching tattoo.

user63 they have matching tattoos?!

y/ndevils00 @/user63 not anymore.

lhughes_06 @/user63 yeah it’s the moon and saturn

user84 am i the only one who thought she and trevor just genuinely didn’t get along?

y/ndevils00 @/user84 i feel like a lot of people think that, so i’m only gonna say this once so he can’t use it against me: trevor is actually one of my closest friends! i love him very much and i THOUGHT he loved me. if you scroll back to the summer on my account you’ll actually find loads of posts with him! we just have a funny way of showing our love but i’m actually very grateful to have a friend like him 🖤

trevorzegras 📸

y/ndevils00 @/trevorzegras i take it all back. i hate you, troll doll.

trevorzegras did you just insult my hair?! TAKE IT BACK!

_quinnhughes @/trevorzegras she literally called you a “brainless bimbo” and “the human equivalent of cat zoomies” the other day on the group call and your HAIR is where you cross the line?

_quinnhughes so proud of the both of you 💙 congrats guys

lhughes_06 thank you quinner ❤️ love ya bro

jackhughes thanks quinny! love ya ❤️

y/ndevils00 my baby boys <3

jamie.drysdale i wanna know what was running through your mind when jack looked straight at you when you took the arrival picture

jackhughes she yelled “shit! fuck! abort mission!” and dove behind the equipment boxes

lhughes_06 she scared the actual photographer and almost made them break their camera

user37 why does luke look like he has no emotions in the third slide?

y/ndevils00 it’s the hughes dead eye stare! they can all do it VERY well because they’re all emotionally dead inside <3

nicohischier proud of you guys! excited to play with you more @/lhughes_06 and can’t wait to see if you’ll break your own record next season @/jackhughes

jackhughes thanks cap!

lhughes_06 thank you cap!

y/ndevils00 he will!

[ghost-bxrd]

Hello. In the final end notes of ‘What You’re Longing For (you claim to abhor)’ you mention the goons picking up the wrong clues from the Entire Mess of the final chapter. Is there any chance you’d be willing to expand more on that?

Additionally, I find myself curious: in the time after the fic, would Talia ever kidnap Jason for a bit of family bonding time(probably murdering dudes in the middle of nowhere or something, but still.)

Thank you for your time,

Desire

Hi! I’m not sure if this is a follow up request you’d like to feature in Ghost Stories so I’ll just list some of my thoughts here 💚

So Dave, Jones and McKenzie are a very very tight knit little group that established itself after being hired by the Red Hood. Despite working as goons, they each have their own moral compass that perfectly aligns with Hood’s rules. Consequently, they ended up being Jason’s most loyal and trusted underlings.

Jason didn’t intend to get attached to the three but he did and as a result let slip some personal info form time to time. Jones, Dave and McKenzie all made a game out of collecting clues to Hood’s real identity and background to the point where they’d sit down after work and pool their information. They’ve got a pinboard and everything lol.

Sadly Jason’s life was depressing af for the most part so the things he accidentally mentioned didn’t paint a very pretty picture. And when he used typical teenage slang one too many times Dave correctly inferred that their boss is much younger than any of them originally thought.

So in the end they had hundreds of little clues that all added up to the following (in their mind):

1. Red Hood is actually anywhere from 20-28 years old (+/- a couple years) and not a fourty-something rogue with plans of grandeur

2. Hood was abused as a kid

3. Hood hates Batman

4. Hood hates Robin and Nightwing but not as much as Batman

5. Hood hates Robin but still mother hens him like crazy and seems reluctant to let him go back to the Bat every time

6. Hood is a young guy with better training and tactical thinking than a trained navy seals soldier

7. Hood is intimately aware of how the Bats operate,l fight, and think

Conclusion: Batman used to train Hood and was also the one who abused him—> he’s concerned the same thing is now happening to Robin.

So yeah, that’s pretty much the train of thought they’re having right now. So while Dave, Jones and McKenzie definitely won’t shoot Robin (or Nightwing), they’ll definitely try to gun down Batman.

At least until Jason remembers to retract the order lol. (After which they reluctantly stop shooting at Batman but still not-so-subtly drop hints that they’d absolutely have Hood’s back if he ever needs help with the asshole. Jason doesn’t know what all the fuss is about all of a sudden.)

As for the “would Talia ever kidnap Jason for family time” question:

Yes. Absolutely. And if Talia was busy Ra’s would show up and do it instead.

The al Ghuls adopted Jason into the family. No takebacksies. And while they think Bruce’s overprotectiveness of Jason is amusing (and totally warranted given Jason’s penchant for getting himself into trouble) they draw the line at being barred from seeing their precious sons/grandsons.

So yeah, Bruce and Dick have to deal with Damian and Jason disappearing for a couple days every two months at least.

The first time it happened Bruce, Dick and Tim all lost their minds with panic and when Jason and Dami returned it was to a frantic batfam and the entire JLA in Gotham, on the hunt for Hood and his assassin baby brother ksksks

[bonefall]

I have a question: I haven't read DOTCs but I have read the guides, and the guides Grey Wing is my fave and I've been warned he gets absolutely destroyed in the DOTCs books..so, what are the differences in Guide Grey Wing and SOTC Grey Wing?

BOTC!Graywing only has about a paragraph or so of information on him, and it points towards him being an ancient warlord type. I really like and miss this version, because it reminds me of something straight out of the Seven Military Classics.

We know that he was specifically an ancient leader of WindClan, back before leaders took -star as part of their names. Using some simple deduction from the history we know from SOTC, this means he was a leader before there were official Clans, and before Windstar. Just warring groups without borders.

Onestar refers to him as a tactician, and explains that he invented the practice of strategic placement using stones and drawings in his den like a little kitty war room.

These tactics mostly have to do with battling in open fields, so we can assume;

There were a lot of battles taking place in the moor

Graywing the Wise was involved in a lot of battles, so he could develop and test these ideas.

It's not much, but it's interesting. Paints this idea of a Moorland Warlord... Moorlord, if you will.

DOTC!Gray Wing has a couple of scenes where he's talking strategy or vaguely referencing a tactic, but he spends 3/4ths of his VERY short life having meltdowns at the idea of combat because Hurting My Sweet Brother Makes Us Just As Bad :(

(Camera pans and Sweet Brother Clear Sky is tying a woman to train tracks and cackling maniacally)

MOST of his life is this. He's like 2 years old when he dies of asthma and he only started having opponents to plan battle against in the last few months.

Most of the fights he's involved in before that are spontaneous-- and even less are commanding armies as was implied in BOTC.

He also half leads "WindClan". He's a joint leader with Shadowstar for a while. Anyway, DOTC also tosses him a pity mate because his first two love interests got fridged. His adopted kids like their abusive biodads more; one of them even vows to avenge Tom the Wifebeater, a man she met once who got her mom killed.

Aaaand that's the difference. I think it's obvious I like the BOTC take more.

[playertwotails]

Okay so I have this idea that when Sonic and Tails first met Sonic was immediately attached 2 seconds in. But Tails for the longest time thought Sonic was just tolerating him being around and helping. (he didn't think anyone could actually enjoy his presence)

Essentially Tails is pretty much:

"oh man I'm so glad he's letting me tag along and help. Hopefully he doesn't chase me off too soon he's nice :)"

And Tails is in that mindset for a few months after they first meet. Until he lets it slip that's what he thinks and Sonic fixes that.

Meanwhile Sonic met Tails for the first time and was pretty much:

"Dibs....I call dibs he is mine now" and "Is no one gonna adopt this kid as their little brother??" then didn't wait for an answer.

Basically I just like the idea of Sonic taking no time to be like "yep this is my little brother and best friend now" no questions asked.

I also just think that at this time in their lives Sonic's main point of reference for a family is Mighty and Ray. And that Sonic has no idea how most people actually gain a little brother because of this (aka Sonic is 10-11 years old and has no idea where babies come from) .

So when Sonic meets Tails and finds out Tails doesn't have a family he's just like:

"oh okay it's my turn to get a little brother now" cause all he knows is that's how Mighty and Ray worked.

Bonus:

For the longest time too Sonic just assumes that all little brothers are yellow/orange in color and can fly to some capacity due to once again only having Mighty and Ray as a main point of reference.

[rowretro]

𝕆𝕙 𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕪 𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕪

WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF DISMEMBERRING

✧taglist✧:  @nikisdubblchococake @enhypensccstarlight @strawbsj @nikipedia07 

✧CHAPTER 5✧

About a week past, the two enemies had full fledged fights downstairs, but didn’t scream or shout so much due to there being a baby in the house. No one suspected a thing as the 2 came to school as per usual, knowing that the baby is safe with the maid. However, Yunjin did find out about their baby secret, and decided to support y/n’s choice, seeing how genuine the girl was. 

Y/n smiled as she rocked the little baby, Yunjin helping her put some shopping in the car’s boot. “Y/n? Yunjin- I- aww who’s this little cutie~” Jake sang as he poked the baby’s cheek, Riki stood right behind Jake, rolling his eyes when he saw y/n “Uh me and Yunjin had a baby together-” y/n said as Yunjin frowned, turning to face her .

“Gurl. I’m way too old to date you- let alone have a baby with you” Yunjin pointed out. “Ha… haha! You believed it for a sec- nah I’m just watching over this little one for a relative” y/n said as Jake understandingly nodded. “Hyung. I don’t want to be here.” Riki said as Jake rolled his eyes “Kay ima drag him away before another fight starts” Jake said walking away with the taller male.

Sighing, y/n gently placed the 5 month old in her carrycot, making sure it was securely strapped to the car seat. Yunjin started driving as y/n sat in the back with the baby. “Y/n… what would you do if the baby’s an orphan?...” Yunjin asked as the girl frowned. “I’ll adopt it.” she simply said as Yunjin glanced up at the mirror, “Huh- why not leave her at an orphanage with other kids?” she asked as the girl played with the baby’s hands.

“I don’t want to… She deserves to have at least someone in her life who she can run to and count on knowing that the person whom she trusts doesn't get paid to be a Guardian… plus the luckiest kids there do end up getting adopted. Didn’t I?” y/n asked as she looked in the mirror, Yunjin’s view now on the road ahead. “Well you didn’t exactly get the best parents… If anything you’re lucky Sunoo’s your brother.” She pointed out as the girl smiled. 

“But this baby girl won’t have to worry about landing in a bad family… she has me… I’ll remind her she’s always beautiful, and I won’t let a single soul hurt her” y/n said with a smile as she stared down at the baby. “I’d be more like a best friend than a mother” she added as the baby cooed, gripping onto her finger, softly. Yunjin didn’t bother trying to reason with the girl, she heaved a sigh and continued driving them home.

“So Sunoo’s paying you to babysit y/n? Why not Jay?” Jake asked as Riki groaned “Stop asking so many questions… I just need to stay out of my house and out of dad’s sight for a while, okay?” Riki said, hearing this, Jake didn’t bother asking any follow up questions. “Damn she has a fancy ass greenhouse? How’d she afford that?” Jake asked, as he stared outside, into the garden. “Assuming Sunoo bought it- there’s a shit ton of butterflies inside-” Riki said as he went to the fridge and grabbed himself a beer can. 

“Time away from your dad and free alcohol, no wonder you wanted to stick around in this place.” Jake said as Riki snickered, throwing the male a can. “The best stuff is in her bedroom-” Riki said with a smirk as Jake gave him a rather horrified look “Not that you dirty minded shit. She has weed-” Riki said as Jake rolled his eyes “Anyways, the girls are on their way back, you best get going. I’ll see you at the race track tonight, yeah?” Riki said as Jake got up to leave. “I still don’t think you should be racing…” Jake trailed off, concern somewhat evident in his voice.

Not too long later, y/n arrived with the baby, the tiny little girl, safely in her arms, as she walked around the room, rocking her gently. Riki’s eyes fixed on the 2 girls. “I got a call from the police regarding the baby… they found her mom” Riki said as y/n turned to him “They did? Where is she? Is she-” “They found her body… someone murdered her.” Riki explained, cutting of y/n’s questions. “Oh… did they find her father?” she asked, hugging the baby closer to herself “He’s their suspect… they found his DNA on the butchers knife used to chop up her limbs… and he fled the country…” Riki added as the girl stared in horror.

“Yeah… you might have to take her to the orphanage after all” Riki simply said as he got up, stretching. “No. I’m keeping her…” y/n said as Riki frowned “You’re seventeen y/n. Be for real.” Riki said as the girl shrugged “I mean I took good care of her all this time didn’t I?” she asked as Riki scoffed “No- you had me to help you out, when I leave, you will end up hurting the poor thing.” Riki simply said as the girl ignored him. “Since when have I ever listened to you Nishimura?...” she simply asked, the baby now asleep on her chest. 

“Fuck you’re so annoying Kim y/n… can’t believe I have to be stuck under the same roof as you.” Riki mumbled, as he glared at the girl. Heck he wondered why he even bothered to help her all this time, he hates her, he hates her with pure passion. He really does… does he?....

✧𝕆𝕙 𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕪 𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕪✧

[karin-gespenst]

my thoughts immediately after watching the 2023 Christmas Special

Can we please keep Geoffrey? He's delightful and thoughtful and the first sibling of any of the Nonnatuns to appear since Sister Evangelina's brother!

I chuckled when they lampshaded the fact that Colette could have moved into Nonnatus house years ago. Chummy got to live there with her child as well, but that was so long ago, back in the old Nonnatus house before they had to knock it down.

I was going to make a comment about unsurprisingly predictable surprise triplets, just before they turned out to be quadruplets, which did surprise me, a little.

But I am surprised that the research-loving show-off doctor did not x-ray Brenda in month 5 or 6. Or maybe listen for more than half a minute with the pinard? can you not notice the difference between 2 heartbeats and 4? Did not everyone and their mom get to palpate poor Brenda's belly? They even let Tim have a go just because he was there.

Sister Monica Joan's depression rang very familiar. When my grandmother neared 90, she complained about having to grow so old. That remark from Sister Monica Joan back when Nancy was new could have been a quote from my gran: "Child, I have seen everything."

If Judy Parfitt is contemplating leaving her role, I'm sure we'd all applaud her for sticking around for so long and inspiring a ton of request for a prequel series about the beginnings of the order in Poplar.

Does Heidi have a plan where she wants to go with the story of May and her mother? the parcel gave an idea about the difficulties with fostering and adoption in a constellation like theirs. Shelagh making an effort to make the gift from Esther suitable for May is symbolic for the care she gives her, taking what is there and adapting it to what May needs. It is also fine with me to show that even a privileged and educated family like the Turners can only do so much in a system that made Esther have to leave May at an orphanage in the first place. The message I'm taking away is that the real need is to try make sure children can stay in their families and communities whenever possible and that communities and families have the means to raise their children.

Did anyone ever take a closer look at the differences between the kind of pastoral care Cyril gives in comparison to Tom ? I'd be interested in reading it, but my knowledge of the goings on in church at that time is nonexistent. Of course, comparing a curate who is pastoraling full time with someone who has a different day job will be mismatched, but there are more distinctions to be found.

Phyllis did not come home refreshed from the refresher course. And the enema discussion is a treat!

The idea with the illuminated baby Jesus will absolutely be stolen should anyone ever make me put together a nativity display.

More thoughts are sure to come, now I'm curious about yours!

[psychedelic-ink]

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧

series summary: Two years had passed since your break up with Jack, a fellow Statesmen agent. But everything re-ignites again when Champ asks you to go San Francisco to investigate the disappearance of multiple women across the country and, sadly enough, agent Malibu. While doing anything with Jack is chaos enough, you also run in to another ex, a man that actually showed you kindness and someone you thought you could spend the rest of your days with that is until he started asking too many questions about your job, Frankie Morales.

pairing(s): jack daniels x fem!reader, past frankie morales x fem!reader, eventual (+endgame pairing) jack daniels x fem!reader x frankie morales

chapter summary: The story of how you and Frankie met. In present day Jack brings his car to the garage Frankie works at.

word count: 7.1k

chapter warnings: use of weed, alcohol consumption, getting high with frankie morales, high sex, piv sex, reader talking about her break up with jack, self-destructive tendencies (reader), mild exhibitionism, dirty talking, creampie, mention of reader being on the pill, statesmen agent!reader, brief mention of frankie's cocain addiction, reader heavily relying on weed and alcohol for comfort frankie trying to help

a/n: and here we are once again! thank you to all those who were patient with me and supported this series despite it being months, I love you all and enjoy! xx

Masterlist  | Series Masterlist | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

It was a hot day when he met you. 

After his license was taken away, and after the… unfortunate events Santi had dragged him into, Frankie had decided to dedicate himself to volunteer work—volunteer work that specifically included animals. He knew someone, someone way back, named Maria and Maria worked at the local animal shelter. Frankie gave her a call and the next day he was learning the ropes of what they did. 

Initially, Frankie thought he would be visiting once a week—but there was a lot that needed to be done and he wasn’t above getting his hands dirty for the sake of the poor animals who were abandoned. Every morning he had a habit of greeting all the dogs. It was a bittersweet experience. He loved seeing how excited they got, but he also became heartbroken when he saw the dogs that had lost all hope. They would just sit in their cages, head bowed down, only their eyes moving when Frankie came in to clean their living spaces. He felt a special bond between him and them. 

He fixed all the cages the first week, he asked for pillows, for new water bowls. Frankie became a loud protestor of mistreated animals. In the end it made him feel selfish. He wasn’t doing much, but even that little bit of effort made his heart feel lighter after all the shit he’d done. It made him feel good. 

Frankie practically begged Will and Benny to adopt a dog, a black old terrier that deserved a happy home. Frankie would be the first to admit that the small dog wasn’t really Will and Benny’s style, but he asked them anyway. Much to his gratitude, the brothers said yes. 

He thought of Pope, but he was still traveling way too frequently, meaning that he wasn’t the best person to adopt an animal. 

That’s how his days went. Most of his time was spent at the shelter, the rest of his time was dedicated to getting his license back. And of course, he had to work, which he did at the neighborhood car repair shop. The pay wasn’t much but it was decent. Enough for him to buy food. 

He was filling the water bowls when you came in. His shirt stuck to his skin, his back damp and dark in color with sweat. You looked around nervously. 

“Hello there, you looking to adopt?” 

You looked away, biting your bottom lip. Frankie noticed your swollen eyes, your running nose. Raising an eyebrow, he cocked his head to the side—you were crying. 

“Hi,” you chirped, albeit anxiously. “Sorry, I don’t really know what I’m doing here. My friend told me to get out and I didn’t really wanna see anyone so I ended up coming here.” 

“That’s okay,” he answered with a sudden sense to comfort you. His fingers twitched, the need to place a hand over your shoulder overwhelming. He pushed those thoughts aside. “We can look around. I have time, and the dogs always get excited to see new people,” 

“That makes me sad since I can’t take any of them home,” you mutter, finally lifting your gaze and looking at him for the first time. “Can I help with anything? You have volunteers right?” 

“We sure do,” he nodded, smiling. “And we never say no to some extra spare hands. I don’t really have anything specific in mind so let me show you around first. Does that sound good?” 

“Sure. Sounds great.” 

Frankie led the way, walking slowly to give you a chance to take in everything around you. You seemed to be trying your best to stay calm by wrapping your arms around your frame. Again, his need to offer comfort overwhelmed him. He’s not one to place his nose into things that didn’t concern him, but in a way, he could relate to your need to both go out and heal—but also wanting to stay away from people. He understood that. 

"Here are the dog kennels," Frankie said, pointing to a row of cages that housed dogs of all sizes and breeds. "We try to make them as comfortable as possible, but they're still waiting for their forever homes."

“Do people often adopt?” 

“It’s more common now, thankfully,” he grumbles, anger twisting in his stomach. “But  people still want “pure breeds” which is a load of shit if you ask me. There are also the people who adopt but can’t handle the responsibility and bring them back which is—” bitter laughter dropped from his lips. “I wouldn’t really describe myself as a temperamental person but some people I swear to god,” 

“Must be frustrating.” 

“It is.” 

His answer had come from a place of slight shock. Frankie was used to people being more…emphatic. He was used to the “awwws” and the sad “ohhhs” coming from the people who visited. But instead of that, or remarking on how cruel humanity was (which was another answer he frequently got), you just stated a fact. You just pointed out the obvious. Which was slightly unnerving since that obvious thing was what he was feeling. 

The dogs barked and jumped up at the sound of voices, wagging their tails. Frankie stopped to pat a few of them on the head, and he watched you smile as you got closer to the cages, patting a mix between a greyhound and a husky. 

“So loving,” you murmured, fascinated. “One of his eyes is blue.” 

“He’s a husky mix, his name is Thor—well, I call him Thor.” 

“Marvel fan?” 

“Nah, it just felt fitting.” 

Moving on, Frankie continued to talk about the shelter and its operations. He told you about how they rely on donations and volunteers to keep running, and how they work to rehabilitate animals who have been abused or neglected. He hoped to keep his voice gentle and soothing, and he was pleased that you slowly started to open up.

"Are you here full time?” you asked suddenly, taking him by surprise. 

“I wish but no.”

“Work?”

He nodded, “Work.” 

It was odd talking to you. It almost felt like you couldn’t speak in full sentences. It was clear to him that you were in some kind of emotional turmoil—something he noticed not because of his killer observation skills but due to the fact the whites of your eyes were red. He wondered what kind of person you were without whatever it was that was weighing you down. 

He wondered what your smile might look like. 

Frankie didn't ask what you did in your spare time, which would be a natural way to continue the conversation, instead, he showed you the rest of the shelter. He showed you the cats lounging in their cages, the birds chirping in their aviary, and even some rabbits hopping around in a pen. You lean forward, observing the tiny bodies of cuteness through the dirty glass. Frankie almost sees the twitch of your lip, but before it transforms into an expression you straighten up and roll your shoulders. 

“What can I help with?” 

Frankie asked you out on a date two weeks later. He liked to think it was due to the peer pressure coming from Pope and Benny rather than his undeniable infatuation with you. 

You were hardworking, emotional, and quick to point out stupidity. After learning more about the shelter and its issues, which was impressively quick, you started to constantly butt heads with Frankie. He knew your intentions were good, which is why he didn’t mind your passion coming out as impatience. You wanted to help. You wanted to see results. He understood quickly that according to you, the other volunteers were weak-handed, and didn’t want to get their hands dirty—but Frankie found that you were a little too eager to get your hands dirty. 

But he never said anything. He kept his observations to himself and asked you out for dinner at his place, he didn’t really have the budget to take you out, and his cooking was way better compared to Burger King or any other fast food chain. 

You showed up half an hour late with an apologetic smile and a bottle of red wine. 

“Sorry,” you said before hello. “Traffic was insane,” 

“Don’t worry about it,” he answers with a soft smile. “Come on in.” 

He took the bottle from you and waited until you’d completely passed the threshold, he noticed that you had a slight limp to your step. He closed the door and followed you inside. 

“Are you okay? You’re limping,” 

You were visibly surprised by the question, shoulders raising. Frankie understood then that you were attempting to hide it, and he flustered at the thought, he hadn’t meant to call you out or anything. 

“An asshole kid kicked me,” you sighed, clearly exasperated. “I was just waiting for the light to turn green and this little demon spawn kicked me while holding his mother’s hand. It hurt as hell, but surprise surprise mama satan said nothing!” 

Frankie placed the wine on the table and wiped his palms on his jeans, he was sweating. “Parents tend to be worse than the children they’re rising,” he cleared his throat. “Is it sprained? I can wrap it up for you if you want.” 

He held his breath when you walked up to him, placing a flat hand over his chest. 

“Eager to lick my wounds already,” you hummed, a faint glimmer in your eyes. “How chivalrous.” 

“Force of habit,” he grinned, which was followed up by a loud swallow. “I have a lot of friends that tend to get into trouble.” 

“Are these the soldier buddies I heard so much about?” you pull back your hand. 

He watched as you head for the couch, shrugging your jacket off before taking a seat. With practiced ease, he grabbed two crystal wine glasses and a sleek wine opener from the kitchen. He uncorked a bottle of red wine, letting the rich aroma fill the room, and poured it carefully into the glasses.

Frankie had made a somewhat decent charcuterie board. He raided his local grocery store the day before and picked up some basic items: a block of cheddar cheese, a package of sliced salami, a jar of olives, and a sleeve of crackers. He also added some grapes and cherry tomatoes for color.

He arranged everything on a wooden cutting board and placed it on the coffee table prior to your arrival. He was pleased to see that you’d already made yourself comfortable by crossing your legs, nibbling on a cracker topped with cheese and salami. 

“Thank you,” you said with a mouthful when Frankie placed the glass in front of you. Swallowing, you took the glass by the stem and brought it to your lips, swallowing the ruby liquid. “This is great. I really needed this,” 

“You do know that this isn’t the main course right?” he chuckled, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. “My budget isn’t that tight. We have pasta.” 

“Ohh pasta,” you sighed, licking your lips. Frankie’s eyes followed the bath of your tongue. “And that’s not what I meant. I’m just…I was trying to express gratitude I guess. It’s been a while since I felt good and I’m pretty sure it’s all thanks to you.” 

“Well, I’m sure that’s not true,” he couldn’t help but draw slow patterns across the back of your bare neck. He felt like a man possessed with the need to touch you, no matter how minimal. “You’re quite competent. I don’t think you need to give credit to me for your own healing.” 

“I can’t exactly discredit you either,” you smiled, shaking your head. “I’m sorry for being—” you swallowed, words seemingly failing you. “—for being not myself.” 

“Would it be okay if I ask what happened?” his, voice a beat above a whisper. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, you don’t seem like the type to talk about your feelings a lot.” 

“You’re too observant for comfort,” the fact that you smiled when saying it relieved him. “But I don’t mind talking about it. I feel like you deserve some kind of explanation—” 

“You don’t owe me anything.” 

“Even so…I would…like to talk about it,” you took another sip of your wine before turning to him completely, fingers nervously moving up and down the glass stem. “This is going to be cliche.” 

“I have no issues with cliches,” he smiled, the pads of his fingers pressing firmer into your skin. “Cliches are cliche for a reason.” 

“That’s a nice thought.” 

A moment of silence. You took another sip, lips shimmering with the residue left from the wine. 

“I was somewhat recently broken up with. I want to say it was a nasty breakup but it actually wasn’t—which shouldn’t bother me but it does.” 

Frankie remained quiet, waiting for you to continue. He didn’t dare to move or even breathe, in the passing silent seconds. Your chest raised as you took a deep breath, remembering made you wince. 

“We’re coworkers so I see him quite often. He’s also not the easiest person to get along with—and that’s not just me saying that. He kept a lot of things to himself, and it made me think ‘why be in a relationship if we’re not going to comfort and be honest with each other’ he took it well, actually. A week later I heard him being with someone else. I—I took it pretty bad.” 

“That’s okay,” Frankie said without waiting a beat. “He sounds like an asshole. And no one should expect you to take it with a smile.” 

“I guess not.” you sighed and leaned over to place the glass on the table. “I’m not being a very good date am I?” 

It wasn’t difficult to see that you were deflecting. However, being a man of his word, Frankie didn’t press for more details. He would learn more about the man that broke your heart with time, and even if he didn’t, that was alright, as long as he was able to make you smile, it didn’t matter to him what happened in your past. 

Considering his own mistakes and misfortunes, he hoped that you would spare him the same consideration. 

“You’re being a lovely date,” he answered, leaning closer. He noticed the way your eyes dropped to his lips, a soft exhale escaping them.

“That’s an awfully generous statement.” 

It was the way your lashes fluttered when he fully cradled your nape, squeezing softly, he allowed his lips to brush yours. Your eyes closed in a sort of surrender. Maybe he should’ve thought about it more before allowing himself to be a distraction. That was he was; a distraction—a balm to soothe your heart. He didn’t mind being the cure. Maybe that was fucked up of him. 

In that moment he liked to think that some part of him was using you too, for his own comfort. You treated him like he was a pure man, excluded from all sin. It’s far from the truth but it was nice for someone to look at him with admiration instead of ‘you fucked up’. 

He kissed you. Wine stained lips molding together, tongues intertwining, leaving no room to breathe. He inhaled your scent, smoke, and something sweet he couldn’t quite place his finger on. His tongue swiped over your bottom lip, teeth gently digging into the soft flesh. Your hands skimmed his waist, goosebumps pebbling under the fabric of his shirt as he felt your fingers moving up and down. 

Frankie was the one to part away, but again, he kept you close, his forehead against yours. Your eyes remained closed, lips looking tender and swollen under the dim lights. 

“Frankie, can I ask you something?” 

“Anything.” 

“I don't mean to be presumptuous or anything, but I didn't just bring wine with me. I actually brought some weed, if that's something you'd be interested in smoking," you opened your eyes, staring directly into Frankie’s. “I know it's not for everyone, but it might be a nice way to unwind a bit."

In hindsight, Frankie probably should say no. He didn’t have any issues with you smoking it, but he just wasn’t sure if he should. It had been a while. He remembered using it a lot when he wanted to forget, or before inhaling a shit ton of coke, which he hasn’t done—at least not to that amount—since his license got taken away. 

His cock twitched when you dragged your lips down the column of his neck, pressing a kiss into his shoulder. He exhaled slowly, something that could be easily confused with a sigh. Your grip on his waist tightened. He didn’t want you to feel like he didn’t understand, or that he was against it. He wasn’t. 

While you laid another kiss above his collarbone, he placed one on your temple. 

“Sounds great.” 

They were on the floor. Smoke lingered deep in their lungs, a cloud of cannabis entrailing and curling around them both. Frankie had no idea how they ended up there; backs pressed against the couch cushions, coffee table pushed ahead, empty charcuterie board on your side. Their limbs were tangled with each other, your legs propped over Frankie’s thighs. 

His fingers curled around the meat of your thigh, stroking and squeezing the muscle affectionately. 

“What does it mean to be a bad person?” you asked suddenly. 

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. He slid his hand forward, following the peak of your knee and moving to your calf, there he drummed his thumb against the bone. “What do you think it means?” 

“I don’t know that’s why I’m asking,” you chuckled, you shimmied closer until the curve of your bottom touched the outside of his thigh. “Everything is so gray. I want to be a good person, always have. But then why am I suffering? Why am I having these thoughts that convince me I’m a waste? I thought being good meant sacrificing parts of yourself, to do good no matter what—being good means not thinking about yourself, that is what I was told. And I think I do that. With my job—” 

Your sentence came to an abrupt halt, you shook your head and Frankie could feel the tremors of the movement mirroring in his lap. He dragged his nails up and down your leg, imagining that a shudder would settle over your spine from it. 

“If being good means making sacrifices for it, why is it that the people who don’t are happier than me?” 

“You don’t know if they’re happy or not.” 

“That might be true but I do know that they’re not struggling like I am. They’re not lonely. They’re not afraid of it. Me on the other hand, I cry myself to sleep almost every night,” you shook your head, legs slowly starting to recoil. “Sorry, I—I can’t think, that was such a childish thing to complain about. You’re right. I don’t know what people think, maybe they’re just as tortured as I am.” 

Frankie kept your legs over his lap, forcefully so. “I don’t think it’s childish,” he exhaled one breath and inhaled two. His fingers slid down to your ankle, and there he felt your beating pulse. Your breath hitched. “I just think you’re hurt. We’re all afraid of something. You’re not alone in that.” 

“What are you afraid of?” 

“Losing myself.” 

The air around them stilled. Frankie’s mind threatened to spiral, he took heavy breaths, trying to focus on something, anything. He felt his heart beating in his throat and he swallowed—again and again. Your veins throbbed under the pads of his fingers, he focused on that, he thought that he could hear the blood rushing in your veins. 

“I think you’re too stubborn to lose yourself,” you whispered, hooking a finger under his chin and lifting his gaze back to you. “But I’ll tell you something, if you do, I’ll pull you out of it.” 

He smiled, his heartbeat finally slowing, “And I’ll always be there for you. You won’t have to worry about being alone. No matter what, I’ll be there. Deal?” 

“Deal.” 

He blinked and when he opened his eyes again you were straddling his lap. Frankie’s hands moved on instinct, large palms securing you by resting on your back. His lips found yours, he licked himself into your mouth, teeth digging into your bottom lip maybe a bit too hard. You moaned into his mouth and he swallowed every noise, he sucked the air from your lungs, urging the sway of your hips. Before he knew it, your shirt was off, and so was his. Naked bodies came together, the softness of your breasts against his chest. You kissed him like it was your last day on earth—like you needed it to survive. 

He cradled your breasts with both hands, pushing them towards his mouth. He flattened his tongue over the pebbled nipples, sucking them between his lips as much as he could. His cock strained against the zipper of his jeans, painfully so. But he didn’t care about that. How could he when you were grinding down on him, head thrown back and mewling as his teeth nipped the sensitive flesh?

More, you kept on begging, more. 

Frankie was eager to give you what you wanted. A fog settled over his mind, his common sense heavily guided by his need to fuck. Within the haze, the ungrounded whispered promises, they both managed to strip themselves. He couldn’t help himself. He squeezed, pinched, and bit. You returned it in kind. Nails raked over his back, teeth marks formed dents in his skin. 

His cock ached to be buried in you. It dripped heavily, precum smeared the inside of your thighs and stomach. Your chest heaving, placing both hands on his shoulders you lifted yourself up. His head fell back, his hands kneading your ass indulgingly as you sank into him. 

Frankie’s eyes rolled back. You were so fucking wet—wet and incredibly warm. He cursed into your skin, buried his face between your breasts, and kissed wherever his lips touched. You shuddered around him, walls clenched tightly around his cock. A stuttered breath left you both, his nails bit into your skin, the skin above his stomach taut as your arm slowly coiled around his neck. 

“Need you to move, querida,” he groaned, teeth grazing the swell of your breast. 

You relied on him to be able to move, it felt more poetic than it actually was. His muscles strained as you moved, your planted feet doing little work to lift your weight. Instead, you used him like an overhead bar, trusting him enough that he wouldn’t let you fall. It was beautiful, in a way. You trusted him even when he didn’t trust himself. 

“You feel so good,” he whispered, nipping your chin. “This pretty pussy feels like it was made for me to fuck.” 

He felt you shudder through his cock, his balls tight when your movements began to falter, legs shaking. “It was,” you gasped, clamping around him. “Frankie—I’m close. P-Please just—” your words cut off with a moan, head falling over his. He heard you sniffling. 

Frankie’s hands drew soothing patters over your back, feeling every dip and curve of your body. 

“Do you want me to make you come?” he asked. 

“Please.” 

With his feet firmly planted on the floor, he pushed up into you, burying himself as deep as he could. Your arms curled around his head like spiderwebs, the scent of sex and cannabis clung to your skin, breasts heavy as they swayed with his thrusts. 

He couldn’t help himself. You felt tight, warm—just aching for him to fill up. His entire body clenched as he shoved you down, his cock fully engulfed by your heat. He spilled into you, it’s so overwhelming that it’s borderline painful. He could fuck you until the end of time. 

A sudden worry consumed him. Frankie was quick to smooth your back with open palms, looking up at you with soft and pleading eyes. 

“S-Shit, I’m sorry—” 

But on the contrary, you seemed glad. You seemed satisfied and happy. 

“Don’t worry,” you let out a shaky breath. “I’m on the pill.” 

He found you half unconscious sprawled upon the couch. It wasn’t the first time Frankie found you like this, like a picture of his past, showcasing his worst moments and forcing him to re-live them. You groaned as he lifted you up, pushing you into a sitting position. He parted your fingers and shoved a glass of cool water into your hand. You smileed in a daze. 

“Thanks,” you muttered, your voice scratchy and dry. “How was your day?” 

Frankie didn’t answer. He scoffed and continued to clean up, when that was done he guided you to the bathroom. He placed you into the warm water, scrubbing the sweat off your skin. You started crying then. Shaking and muttering apologies, that he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t really think that way. Was it sad to see you like this, yes, no doubt about it. But he didn’t blame you. He didn’t think you were being evil or malevolent. You needed help. 

He needed help once too. And you weren’t anything that he couldn’t handle. Just a shit ton of weed and alcohol. He just needed to be here and it would be okay. He wanted to keep his promise.

Frankie told you as such. Not that you believed him. But he said it anyway. Reminding you that he was here, that it was okay. He would talk about himself, what he’d gone through without going into much detail. He didn’t think you were ready to hear that part of him yet. 

He smoothly guided the loofa over your skin, suds moving up and down. He noticed the bruises on your arms, your ribs. 

“What are these?” he asked. 

You looked down, shaking your head. “From work,” you quickly said. “I fell. Nothing important.” 

Frankie nodded and didn’t press any further. 

But the bruises didn’t stop. 

Every night when you came back from work, you had bruises, cuts, it almost looked like you were fighting but with who he had no idea. It became a problem. Him asking. It agitated you, made you lash out. And you lashing out made him lash out. He never wanted to break up, the opposite, he wanted to be with you. 

The words just slipped. 

“You need to tell me what’s going on so I can help. Do you want me to leave, is that it?” 

“Maybe you should.” Frankie made a face and you sighed. “Maybe it’s better for the both of us if we spend some time apart. Honestly, it’s probably better for you. I’m not…I’m not well, Frankie. You deserve someone better.” 

“What does that even mean?” Should he be angry? Should he put weight on these words that you were saying? 

“It means that my…my feelings aren’t enough to make this work.” 

“I think they’re plenty.” 

“They’re not, Frankie. You know that. This isn’t fair to you. You deserve someone who’s whole, someone who isn’t broken.” 

“Stop calling yourself that,” he snapped. “you’re not broken. I never thought that you were.” 

You walked up to him, a single tear trickling down your cheek as you placed a hand to his rough, stubbled cheek. "Goodbye, Frankie. Thank you," you whispered, before leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips.

Frankie's eyes widened in surprise, his body tensing for a moment before he relaxed into the kiss. It was brief, but it spoke volumes - of regret, of love, of loss.

When he left Frankie heard the sound of glass shattering against a hard surface.

Frankie regretted everything. He regretted Benny talking him into flying to San Francisco and he regretted saying yes to coming to this shitshow of a club just because Benny went on and on about how it was the hottest new thing. 

And typical of Benny, he was nowhere to be found. 

The air around him was suffocating. It smelled of alcohol and sweet perfume that was strong enough that he felt his nose might fall off at any given moment. People around him danced and laughed. He never felt more out of place in his life. He lifted his ballcap and ran his fingers through his hair. He should definitely go back to his hotel room. He’s sure Benny would understand. Besides what was the alternative? Find a random person to fuck? He wasn’t really in the mood to make pleasantries and act like he was fine when in reality he wasn't. 

Needless to say, the breakup had affected him more than he cared to admit. 

A group of girls shoved him around and his eyes went over the many drunk people in the club. He was desperately hoping Benny would miraculously appear in the midst of the people. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

His eyes caught glimpse of a couple sitting in one of the booths. It was hard to see due to the red light but still, he could never truly forget what you looked like, no matter how dimly lit it was. The man you were sitting with somewhat resembled him, he was clean-shaven, his mustache trimmed and neat. His eyes traced the curve of his nose, the dip of his eyebrows, the flat line of his lips. Frankie found the cowboy hat to be comical but he couldn’t really judge anyone when he wore a baseball cap 24/7. 

The cowboy leaned into your ear and murmured something but you were heavily distracted, your gaze glued to Frankie. It truly must’ve been a shock seeing him here. Not wanting to be rude, Frankie smiled, it was forced, it was broad but it was the best he could do as he headed in your direction. It just happened. He hadn’t really thought about it. 

“Hey.” he said. 

You looked up, a forced smile slowly spreading across your face. Frankie was somewhat pleased he wasn’t the only one feeling awkward. But despite it all, it was good to see you. 

“Hey,” you answered, a slight tremble in your voice. “How are you, Frankie?” 

“I’m good, you?” 

“Doing better,” this time, he noticed, your smile was a sincere one. “What are you doing here? This place doesn’t exactly scream ‘this is a hangout place for Frankie Morales’.” 

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. For a second, he’d forgotten there was someone else with you. His heart sank when he heard the deep voice cut through the greetings from the past. 

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, buttercup?” 

Both you and Frankie turned to Jack, Frankie’s eyes scanned the other man with a hint of curiosity. He followed the way the other’s arm was tightly wrapped around your waist. Jealousy rolled in his stomach, he was glad that you were happy, of course. Still, he couldn’t deny the loud blood rush in his ears. 

“Frankie this is Ja– Bruce. This is Bruce,” you said, Frankie raised an eyebrow at the mixup. He wasn’t stupid. “He’s my–” 

Bruce (Frankie didn’t believe that was the man’s name but he’d play along for now) cut in, his voice dripping with amusement. 

“Boyfriend,” he leaned forward with an extended hand. With a kind, yet emotionless smile, Frankie squeezed the aforementioned limb. “Nice to meet you, Frankie.” 

“Nice to meet you too.” 

It wasn’t. 

The air was thick with tension. You moved uncomfortably in your seat, as Frankie held “Bruce”’s gaze. He’s not sure what it was but the other man managed to rail him up by simply just sitting. It was an odd feeling, usually, Frankie was known to be level-headed in these kinds of situations. After everything he’s seen, he just assumed stuff like this wouldn’t bother him anymore. He pinched his brows together. It was uncomfortable to think that he was just faking not being bothered. Acting above it all.  

His jaw tensed, his skin incredibly warm. Suddenly the music and the loud chatter faded into the background, all he could focus on was the other man—even you had become a blurred image to a degree. The man smiled, his hand on your waist gradually sliding up your body while answering Frankie’s gaze. The latter swallowed. 

You gasped when the same hand cupped your breast and began to knead it. 

“What are you doing?” 

Frankie’s mouth went dry. 

“Don’t fret, I’m just giving our friend a little show,” 

Frankie vaguely noticed you staring at him, he was frozen still. His gaze was glued to the hand lazily squeezing your breast. Bruce nuzzled the dip of your jawline, lips gently grazing the line of your neck, and he breathed you in. Frankie licked his lips, his fingers twitching against the denim of his pants. Something primal stirred in him when your breath hitched. The red light gave the two of them a vibrant, erotic hue. The front of his jeans suddenly felt tight, uncomfortable. 

The cowboy’s other hand traveled down to the wetness that Frankie’s sure had grown substantially between your legs. He noted the way your eyes rolled back, his finger underneath your dress, he imagined the other tracing your clothed folds.

“Do you enjoy being watched, dear?” he purred into your skin, his voice low and mocking. Then he looked up to Frankie who was frozen still. “Look at you, staring at her like a deer in headlights. Don’t you wanna come over here and feel how wet she is?” 

Frankie had to stop himself from leaning forward, he was more than ready to take that extra step. His skin tingled. His eyes flit from the other man to you. He saw the way you stared at him, blinking heavily, a silent plea for him to come closer. He furrowed his brows, if you wanted to he’d happily take a seat next to you. He stepped closer, his heart skipped a beat. Bruce seemed to be delighted. 

“Are you sure?” Frankie asked you. 

You’re about to nod– No, not about to, you’re in the midst of nodding, but the movement was cut short when you saw something Frankie couldn’t. You were staring through him, your eyes went wide. 

“Shit.” 

Frankie watched dumbfounded as you grabbed Bruce by the arm and tugged him along as you scurried up from the booth. He took a step back, trying to make sense of what was happening. Bruce glared at you and yanked his arm away.

“What the hell–” 

“It’s him– Albert Dunn, the waitress tipped him off. Come on Jack we need to go,” 

Frankie raised an eyebrow. “Jack?” 

He fucking knew his name wasn’t Bruce. He didn’t look like a Bruce. 

Jack rushed to the door, leaving you alone. Frankie was worried, but he also felt anger simmering in his gut. So you went back to your ex, the ex that made you feel like shit and pushed you to seek comfort in other substances. Oh yeah, he was definitely angry. 

He took a hold of your wrist and pulled you close so his voice could reach you. 

“That was Jack? I thought–” he sighed and shook his head, it was hard to swallow his frustrations down but somehow he managed to do it. “You’re not in any kind of trouble, right? You’re safe?” 

You nodded as you attempted to peel yourself away from his grasp, but he didn’t let you. He squeezed your wrists hard enough to be understood as a warning.  

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” 

“I can’t, I’m sorry.”

He felt defeated at that moment, his stomach sinking and his pulse slowing. His grip around your wrists loosened, and despite the crowd, it felt like it was only the two of you present. The bass of the music made his heart thud accordingly, his gaze dropped to the floor. 

“I’ll call you,” you said suddenly. 

Before Frankie could answer, you ran and disappeared into the crowd. He just stood there, hands lifeless against his body. Some part of him wanted to chase after you, but another part knew that he shouldn’t. 

He didn’t know when but he jerked when a hand smacked his shoulder. Frankie turned only to see Benny, his smile faded as he saw Frankie’s expression. 

“Are you alright, Fish?” 

He wasn’t.

Frankie was working on a car for what felt like hours. 

Sweat drips down his forehead and neck, leaving streaks of dirt on his skin. He wipes his oily hands on the rag that hangs from his back pocket, his eyes squinting against the hot sun. The air around him is thick with the smell of gasoline and motor oil, but he barely notices it anymore.

He sighs as he stands up, his knees aching from being hunched over for so long. The car is almost done, but he needs a break. He reaches for his water bottle, taking a long drink before leaning against the hood of the car.

That's when he hears it - the roar of an engine. He turns his head to see a vintage Ford Bronco driving towards him. He raises an eyebrow, surprised. It's not every day that a classic car like that pulls into his garage.

As the car comes to a stop, he walks towards it, wiping his hands on his jeans. He squints into the driver's seat, but he can't make out the driver's face. He shrugs, assuming it's just another customer, and goes back to his work.

But as the driver gets out of the car, Frankie's heart skips a beat—which he doesn’t appreciate. It's Jack. He feels a rush of emotion that he can't quite place. The man hops out of the car and greets him by tipping his hat. Frankie doesn’t return Jack’s enthusiasm. He just stares at him, confused. 

“Need your car fixed?” he asks, hoping this is just a coincidence. 

“Not quite,” Jack drawls. “I actually wanted to apologize for my behavior a week back—in the bar.” he adds when Frankie gave him a quizzical look. “I would like to buy you a drink.” 

Frankie waves him off in dismissal, “No need. It’s nice for you to apologize but we don’t need to be friends. It’s weird.” 

“I suppose it is,” he grins. “Just one drink.” 

“Why?” 

“I just want to talk,” he answers, teeth poking above his lip. “I don’t bite, promise.” 

Frankie seems to have a lot of regrets nowadays. This is just one of many.

They walk into a dimly lit bar, the cool air conditioning a welcome relief from the hot day. Jack leads the way to a booth in the corner, and they both slide in, facing each other. Every muscle Frankie feels uncomfortably tight over his bones. 

He really shouldn’t be here.

Jack orders them both a whiskey on the rocks, and he unpromptedly clinks his glass against Frankie’s. The first sip burns down Frankie's throat, but he relishes the sensation. 

“So… you’re a mechanic?” Jack asks. 

“She didn’t tell you much about me did she?” Frankie smiles, the corners of his lips twitch. “No, I guess she wouldn’t. Why would she tell her boyfriend about her ex.” 

“We aren’t actually—” Jack swallows. “We aren’t actually a couple. We ain’t even friends to be truthful, just acquaintances.” 

“From work?” Frankie asks despite knowing the answer, the other nods. 

Frankie takes another sip of his whiskey and studies Jack’s face. There’s something different about him now. Maybe it’s the way he carries himself or the set of his jaw, but Frankie can’t quite put his finger on it. Frankie leans back against the booth, his eyes fixed on Jack’s face. He can feel his body tensing up again, despite the coolness of the air conditioning. He takes another sip of his whiskey, hoping it will calm his nerves.

“Listen, Jack,” Frankie says, his voice low. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“I don’t want anythin’,” Jack says, his eyes meeting Frankie’s. 

“Then why are we here?” 

“I was just curious about what kind of man you are,” he swipes over his bottom lip. “She might’ve not spoken about you much but when she did, she did speak highly of you.” 

Jack leans in closer, his arm brushing against Frankie's. 

“It seems like you’re a much better man than I could ever be.” 

“I wouldn’t really go that far. I don’t know you and I don’t know what she said but nothing is ever that simple.” 

Frankie observes as Jack’s eyebrows slowly raise, eyes only slightly wider. The other seems taken aback by the words and Frankie’s not really sure why. Maybe Jack still wasn’t aware that good and bad didn’t exist, that they were just terms. No one is really truly bad or truly good, you understand that after being at war, after shooting others that had families and loved one’s before they shot you. 

He shakes his head, trying to rid his thoughts of unpleasant memories. Those thoughts were only reserved for the late hours till morning—

Frankie feels the heat rising in his cheeks as Jack's hand brushes against his knee. He tries to ignore it, but he can't help but feel a stirring in his chest.

They start to get closer, their arms touching as they lean in to talk. Frankie can feel the heat of Jack's body next to his. Jack’s gaze lingers on him. He takes a sip of his drink, trying to steady his nerves. Frankie’s leg bobs up and down, he should leave. 

“I should go,” Frankie chokes out, he shifts in his seat, getting ready to get up.

“Stay.” 

Frankie can feel Jack’s breath on his cheek and his heart starts to race. It’s just a voice. Jack’s not even touching him, he not holding his wrists, doesn’t have a gun to his head but despite it, Frankie stills. 

“I appreciate the drink,” he says, trying to keep his voice steady. “But I’m fine.”

“Are you sure about that?” Jack asks.

“I’m sure,” he says, his eyes locked with Jack’s.

Jack leans in even closer, his lips just inches away from Frankie’s ear. “Alright then,” he whispers, his breath sending shivers down Frankie’s spine. “See you later, Francisco.” 

Frankie can’t throw himself out of the bar fast enough. 

The world around him spins, the cars louder, brighter the before. He heaves a breath. What the hell was that? He thinks over and over. The warmth of Jack’s breath still lingers and Frankie crosses the street, adamant about putting as much distance as he can. 

When he’s on the other side, his phone buzzes in his pocket. He doesn’t recognize the caller ID but takes any kind of distraction with open arms and answers. 

“Hello?” 

“Frankie it’s me,” you say and an odd sense of relief washes over him. “Can we meet up?” 

He stops, takes deep breaths of the city air. His throat is dry and he lifts his head to the sky. 

“Sure,” he answers. “How does tomorrow sound?” 

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 3, Match 15: Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu vs. Jack Starbright

Submitted kids:

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu: Zhang Chengling, Gu Xiang, Liang Jiuxiao, arguably also Cao Weining and Gao Xiaolian

Jack Starbright: Alex Rider, Tom Harris, and as of season 3, Kyra Vaschenko-Chao

Propaganda under the cut!

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu:

1, Wen Kexing: “Look this man shouldn't be adopting kids because he's kinda evil and also the leader of an army of criminals and outcasts, a position where he killed his way to the top at a young age, BUT when he was still just a kid he found Gu Xiang and knew that if he didn't take care of her that she would die and became her father/brother/master (it's complicated). And then many years later when he's off doing his revenge quest he basically ends up adopting Chengling who is freshly an orphan which was kind of Kexing’s fault (it's complicated), but Chengling doesn't mind that his new dads are a little evil (his other dad is Zhou Zishu who basically created the CIA in fantasy ancient China). And then Gu Xiang falls in love with Cao Weining which puts Kexing into protective father mode and he goes all overbearing father-in-law on Weining, but he comes around when he's sure that Weining will treat her right. And then when Weining's family/sect turns on him, Kexing becomes one of the few people left he could call family (also with the rest of the group).”

2, Zhou Zishu: “former assassin who literally just wanted to drink himself to death in peace but then in the span of like 2 day he suddenly obtained 2 kids and a husband(stalker)???? poor man Did Not want this and proceeds to spend the next few weeks/months in denial about it before finally coming to terms with the fact that he cares about all of them (not that he's gonna tell them that) and then he gets a son-in-law too??? the universe really refused to let him die alone and miserable and decided to drop and entire family on him out of nowhere”

Link to the rest here!

Jack Starbright:

“was about to quit her job of looking after alex but then alex's guardian died and she went "guess he's my kid now" and didn't look back. and alex's best friend is always around so fuck might as well adopt him too while we're here. (to be clear, she does become alex's legal guardian at the end of season two, tom is not legally her kid he's just always at her house even when alex isn't home.) i'm almost certain she's trying to adopt kyra as well. jack is a twenty something year old woman who went from "i just look after this one kid when his uncle is away on business trips" to two "i have two teenage sons" pretty much the minute her boss died and she never looked back. she never asked for these kids, but she loves them more than anything and sacrifices so much to keep them safe.”

[littlemisslipbalm]

You're My Best Friend

Jake Kiszka x Fem!Reader

Summary: When your best friend Jake asks you to watch his cats and apartment for him, memories of your time spent together in his home come to mind. When he comes home, things are the same yet also completely different.

Enjoy!!! Also pls let me know what you think...through reblogs or messages to me. I love to talk about my little stories, it means so much to me. Also I'm already thinking about a part 2 w smut so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in lmk.

Word Count: 8.2k Warnings: swearing, cats, a little angst over money, slow burn, besties to lovers, Jake being just a regular dude (my favorite)

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Being best friends with Jake Kiszka was a lot of fun. Good music, good alcohol and good times were all things Y/N enjoyed with him. It wasn’t like she didn’t have a life when Jake wasn’t around, she had other friends and plenty of interests that didn’t involve him. But the thing was that for the past two and a half years, Jake had been around. 

The pandemic had kept him in Nashville by her side rather than touring the world. Because of the pandemic, it also meant everyone was limited from seeing people. Not being able to see anyone besides his brothers led Jake to seek comfort in something else. And as much as he loved hanging out with Y/N, he could only see her every so often. Much to his brothers and her confusion, he decided to adopt some furry friends. 

Jake had called her up and said, “Which do you think cats prefer, fish treats or shrimp treats?” 

“Shrimp are better,” She replied easily. “But why?” 

“Ok, shrimp. Oh…I have become a father.” He said easily. 

“Jake, what the fuck are you talking about?” 

“You’ll see, come over later, shrimp.” He finished and then hung up. From that moment forward, Jake had found a new nickname for his best friend.

When Y/N showed up at his apartment later, she saw what he had been talking about. Two cats. One was an older blonde mancoon mix. The other was a younger, maybe just a year old, black long haired cat. Pretentiously named ‘Falcor’ and ‘Onyx’ but actually called ‘Cheese’ and ‘Hot Dog’. Jake spoiled them with treats and learned all of their idiosyncrasies over the next six months. As much as she liked cats, Y/N honestly didn’t spend all that much time with them. Before long the world was back in a place where the band could tour and naturally music was Jake’s first love and the cats couldn’t exactly jetset with him. 

This was the first time Jake had asked his best friend to do more than just water a few of his plants while he was gone. And even that she felt like she was a little out of practice with. Still, watching cats was a lot more than going over to his place every day for half an hour to water the plants. This required her to stay at Jake’s place. 

Jake walked her through the cats’ entire spiel, but still the first day left Y/N confused and worried about how she would perform as their caregiver. She tried her best to make them happy, feeding them the shrimp treats and turning on the shower faucet so that Cheese could drink water the way Jake said he liked. 

Jake asked her to send as many pictures as she thought was best, so she sent multiple videos and pictures a day, hoping they’d give him some joy while stuck inside planes and buses. Still, a lot of her day was relatively empty. It left her to explore Jake’s apartment. She’d been there hundreds if not thousands of times. It was, by all accounts, extremely Jake. 

The walls were a nice off white and delicately and tastefully decorated with art that was dark and interesting along with a few band posters that were signed and framed. House plants littered a bookshelf that received plenty of sunlight from the large windows at the front of his second story place. A blue rug spanned across the living room. 

There was a room with a door Jake kept shut from the cats. His music room. One Les Paul hung left behind on the wall next to his first ever acoustic that his dad had given him. Various awards were placed lovingly across a vanity and a futon was in there if Jake ever had a guest. 

Despite the futon, Jake had insisted that she sleep in his bed while he was away. 

“You can use my bed,” He said off-handedly as he gestured to his bedroom. 

“Not the futon?” 

“Why would you sleep on the futon when the bed is open and perfectly and completely comfortable, shrimp?” 

She wasn’t really against it, but it felt weird to be sleeping in Jake’s bed for over a couple months. “It’s your bed.” 

“And? You’ve slept in it before, shrimp, now it’s just gonna be without me. The boys like sleeping in it when someone’s in there, too.” 

She smiled tightly, finding no way to refuse, not really knowing why she would refuse anyway. “’Kay. Me and the boys’ll keep it warm for ya’.” 

Jake had grinned at her with his sparkling brown eyes and thrown his arms around her in a squeezing hug. “Miss you already,” He mumbled into her ear before making kissy noises to the two furballs lurking in the hallway before walking out the door. 

On some occasions she’d wander into the music room to take the acoustic down from the wall. She’d take a seat on the futon and check the tuning of it. When Jake learned that his best friend knew how to play guitar – barely, as she always said – but didn’t tune by ear, he scoffed and insisted that he teach her. 

He also thought capos were the devil, but she refused to acquiesce to his music snobbery and brought one of her own. She placed it against the third fret and began to strum at the strings. They weren’t new, but they also weren’t terribly old, she could feel them against her fingers. Jake must have restrung them within the past three months. 

Thinking about Jake, playing his beloved guitar in his music room made her fingers twitch into a familiar pattern. The first song Jake had also insisted that she learn, four years ago. She told him she mostly just played old country songs her grandfather used to play for her as a child. While Jake had genuinely smiled and silently admired her playing, he had also ribbed her for being a country bumpkin and insisted she learn something not so boring. She had rolled her eyes and reminded him that he was from a smaller town than she was. 

“You gotta learn something more upbeat. Get the blood pumping.” He elbowed her playfully and carefully shoved his guitar into her lap. 

“What song?” 

Jake shook his head, instead instructing her on which chords to play. “Strum an F major 7, C, good. G. Just repeat that five times.” 

He nodded his head as she strummed and listened to his words. Every so often she looked between the neck where her fingers played a little clumsily and Jake’s face. His lips quirked in an encouraging smile as he raised his brows at her, wanting her to continue. 

“Okay now A minor. Then back to C, and G.” He pauses when she fumbles the chords. “Repeat through A minor and then a Dsus 2.” 

She went through the chords, slowing as it becomes more complicated and then pausing completely when she gets to the Dsus chord. She felt embarrassed, her face flushing. At the time, Jake was already a good friend, but it was still relatively early in their friendship. They’d only known each other for a year. She still got overwhelmed by his famous musician energy, as well as his sheer undeniable talent. It was hard to ignore in a situation like this. 

“I don’t, um,” She took a breath, eyes fluttering down at the guitar where her fingers hovered, confused. “I don’t know that one. I just know the basics, I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry,” Jake smiled quickly, immediately remembering when he was an initial learner and dialing back his instruction. Less demanding and more explanation. “Here,” He offered, scooting closer on his futon, bumping their knees together when he reached his left hand to cover hers. 

His body had angled to almost envelop hers so that he could comfortably have his hand over hers on the neck. He moved her fingers into the correct pattern to create the chord. It wasn’t all that complicated in truth, but something new was always daunting simply because it was previously unknown. 

She glanced at his face for confirmation that she had gotten it correct after experimentally strumming the chord. His hand still encassed hers as he smiled back at her. He had taken a breath through his nose and she remembered it hitting her cheek, warming her further. The strands of his hair had been falling in front of his face, almost tickling her as well. He had been so warm and soft against her before returning to his more respectfully distanced seat a few inches away. 

He murmured a few more repeat chords and she followed his guidance before he made her start over. As she strummed more assuredly, Jake began to sing softly and the song became clear to her. A grin spread across her lips as she looked over at her friend singing one of his favorite songs as she strummed it, only fumbling a few of the chords. She laughed when it happened, no longer taking the playing too seriously. Jake giggled along with her while singing the words, causing them to grin at one another.  

“I should’ve known it was Jumper,” She said after they finished. “You’re such a Third Eye Blind junkie, so predictable, Jacob.” 

Jake shook his head in slight embarrassment, “What can I say? They just speak to my emo soul.” 

Now she was alone on the futon, working through the chords. Smiling down at the frets, she sang the words softly, wishing it was Jake’s pretty voice instead of hers. 

A lot of the days she lounged in Jake’s bed, luxuriating in the fluffy expensive comforter Jake had bought to cover his bed. He had an uncharacteristic amount of pillows. Six for one man, she thought it was absurd until she slept there for two weeks and found it unbelievably comfortable. He was a genius, she thought and let him know over text with a picture of the two cats curled against her neck and her stomach while she laid in his bed. 

Jake responded almost immediately with a request to facetime. I miss my boys, he texted. Need some boy time. She giggled to herself, looking down unattractively at her screen, before pressing the facetime call, adjusting the camera angle and immediately fussing with her hair a little bit in the camera. 

It connects and before she knows it, Jake’s face is appearing on her screen. He looks to be seated on a couch with a window behind him, the scenes moving quickly behind him. He was on the tour bus, hair messily braided and eyes looking tired but delighted at his own screen. His face looked tanner than the last time she’d seen him in person, a mustache and a little goatee trying to take residence on his face. The little hoops Jake had gotten when she had gone to the piercing and tattoo parlor with him a few days before he left were on display and made her smile at the memory. 

“Hey rockstar, your boys miss you,” She pans the camera to show Cheese who was still against her sternum. The blonde cat nuzzled his head at her attention and writhed onto his back, somehow knowing to make a show of it for Jake. 

Jake laughs happily and greets Cheese before Y/N brings it back to her face, making sure to keep Hot Dog in frame. She brings the camera closer to the black cat who was sleepily cuddled against her shoulder. He chirps at Jake in the screen, causing Jake to coo childishly. His best friend laughs and shakes her head at him, returning once more to the original framing of the video. 

“There’s your boys, your children,” She smiles. “How are the other boys, your brothers?” 

Jake flicks a falling strand of hair out of his face and looks to his right, before looking back at the screen. “You know, never a dull moment on the road.” He rolls his eyes and she gives him a knowing look. Two weeks and already they were getting on each other’s nerves. It wasn’t unusual, but she always felt bad when Jake seemed clearly agitated. She made a note to send extra videos and pictures for the rest of the week and check in a little more often. 

She smiles back sympathetically and scratches at Hot Dog’s ears for Jake. 

“I see you made yourself comfortable, shrimp” He notes, changing the subject. 

“You said I could sleep in your bed,” She shrugs with her free shoulder, “And if I remember correctly, you actually insisted that I do.” 

Jake smirks before arching an eyebrow at her. “I was talking about my shirt that seems to have found its way onto your body.” 

She flushes and readjusts to a more seated position, changing the angle of the phone, attempting to distract Jake from her embarrassment. “Oh,” She laughed. “I ran out of sleep shirts and I’ve been too lazy to drive across town or do my own laundry. I didn’t think you’d mind…I’ll make sure to wash everything and put it back before you get home.” 

Jake laughs good-naturedly, biting his lip and pausing in thought for a moment. “Don’t worry about it. Looks better on you anyway,” He winks. 

“Save it for the paying customers, Jacob.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at his charms. 

He laughs it off and she lets him talk to his cats a little more before he mentions that he has to go. 

Later that day, as she’s making her lunch, she finds herself messing with the shirt. It was grey and a little distressed from constant wear. The neck was a little loose from Jake’s constant pulling and her fingers furthered it. She found herself holding it up to her nose for a moment as she stared into his quickly emptying fridge. Jake had also told her she could eat or drink anything he wanted and she was slowly but surely going through his stash. 

As she contemplated what to drink, she realized how weird it was that she was indulging in trying to smell Jake even when he was hundreds of miles away. She dropped the shirt quickly, as if anyone other than the two cats might see her, and grabbed a spindrift from the shelf. 

She poked around different crevices of Jake’s home that she normally didn’t get the chance to explore as she made herself more comfortable. One day while she’s waiting for Cheese to get his fill of faucet water, she’s mindlessly scavenging through the different toiletry shelves Jake had things bestowed upon. In his shower, there was a hanging plant, along with large bottles of shampoo, conditioner and a few various body soaps and scrubs. Jake was almost cat-like in how he groomed himself so intensely yet remained looking untouched.

The shower curtain was childish with cartoon sharks and other fish in pirate outfits pictured beside ships and treasure chests, all deep blues and gold accents. She had giggled which turned into hysterical laughter the first time Jake had her over and she’d gone to use the restroom. Now she found it endearing and sweet that he hadn’t changed it for the past three years. A bathroom should be fun, he stated when she questioned his choice. 

On a wooden tower beside the shower lived more toiletries. Her hands drifted over them tactilely as she inspected each of them, having grown bored of the television show she had been binging on Jake’s huge tv. It wasn’t like she’d never seen It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia before either, it was just a good comfort show that she could half watch with the cats. 

Nothing caught her eye until an amber liquid filled glass bottle came into view on the bottom shelf. It was full and its delicate bottle had a vine etched on its front. She uncapped it and sniffed the bottle that was nondescript until the scent hit her nose. It was Jake’s everyday cologne. She was familiar with it and as it filled her senses, she realized it must be his extra. His other undoubtedly on the tour bus with him right now. 

She sniffed it again, eyes slipping shut as she pictured Jake applying the cologne in this very bathroom. Uncapping the bottle before spritzing it once against his extended neck, the sensitive skin that stretched over his adam’s apple, his head tilted back as he stared at himself in the mirror, and then once to his left wrist, placing the bottle down to rub it against his right. 

She remembered when she had walked in on him once when they were getting ready to go to a pregame of some party the band was invited to. His hair was already perfectly disheveled. She knew that secretly Jake spent almost as much time on his hair as his twin in hopes that it looked like he’d never touched it at all and it just fell the way he wanted it to. 

When she walked into the bathroom with her mascara wand already out and needing the better lighting in this mirror, she half expected Jake to be messing with his hair. She had been wrong. He was in the middle of spritzing himself and the room smelled overwhelmingly of Jake, warm amber, woodsy tobacco and smoked whiskey. Usually there was some eucalyptus mixed in from his shampoo or body wash, she wasn’t sure, but the fresh cologne overpowered it and she was taken aback. The smell and the sight of his tilted head, almost like how he held it in posed pictures, but a little further. 

Jake’s eyes flitted from their intent place on his reflection to his best friend in the doorway, her eyes traveling from his neck down his chest where stray droplets fell and disappeared into his golden soft skin. 

“Yes?” He questioned with a raise of his eyebrow, finishing spritzing his left wrist and rubbing them together casually . 

Her lips pursed as she met his eye before holding up the mascara, “I need better working conditions, Jacob. How am I supposed to be the dutiful side piece if I look like shit?” 

“You could never look like shit,” He side stepped to allow her some room in front of the mirror while recapping the cologne and placing it in its spot on the shelf. It was all very calm and natural, like they shared the space often. In reality, this had been one of her first times back at his place since he had gotten the cats. The first time it seemed okay to go out. “Plus, everyone is always looking at me, anyways,” He smirked. 

She laughed and swatted his covered bicep. “Then why do you drag me along?” She asked, looking in the mirror at her eyes, attempting to apply the lash slick mascara evenly. She even ignored the swish of a tail around her legs, despite the pull to pet whichever cat had just said hello to her. 

“Because you love it, free booze and food…Plus even the eye candy needs someone to look at.” He straightened his collar in the mirror before messing with it so that it wasn’t straight. 

“And you’re the eye candy?”

He chuckled and tilted his head down, causing some of his hair to fall in front of his face as he looked at her. “Duh.” 

She cackled, pulling out her dark lipstick now, still glancing at Jake through the mirror every other moment as she started to apply it. “It’s good you’re so confident.”

Jake tilted his head to the side, a half smile threatening on his lips, “What does that mean?” 

She finished applying the lipstick and retreated out of the bathroom. Jake repeated himself, “What does that mean?” 

The memory fades as she almost fumbles the cologne bottle after deciding it would be weird to even consider wearing Jake’s signature cologne. She puts on her big girl pants that day and does all of the laundry she had been putting off and runs out to the grocery store to restock the cupboards and fridge. 

She makes some trips home, hanging out in her own apartment every so often to keep it relatively maintained or stopping by to grab different clothes. It wasn’t that important, though, since she lived with a roommate. Other days she wanders around Jake’s neighborhood of Nashville. It had a few coffee shops, a record store, a music store, some artisan and boutique style shops and an amazing taco place they always went to together. 

The first time she and Jake went together was the day after his birthday. Hangover tacos were his last birthday wish and what kind of best friend would deny a battered, freshly turned 23 year old from greasy amazing tacos and the best horchata in all of Nashville. He’d ordered six tacos and managed to scarf down half of them before starting to not feel well again. She had brushed the hair out of his face and swept it into a low ponytail and pressed her horchata cup against his forehead. 

“You’re a real trooper, Jake. You’re the only person I’ve ever seen even attempt to get out of the house after how much you drank last night.” She rubbed soothing circles across his shoulders and then down his back before returning to the top and starting again. 

He looked a little sickly, but his eyes hadn’t lost their beautiful sparkle even after all the tiring festivities of the day before. “You’re my best friend,” He said her name, looking at her seriously. It was the first time he had called her his best friend. 

“And you’re mine, dude.” She smiled and gave him a side hug, his right arm had limply wrapped around her front as he leaned his head into her neck. That night they returned to Jake’s place, where he showered and then climbed into his bed beside his best friend, the pair curled up and exhausted before falling asleep in each other’s arms. 

While kicking it alone in Jake’s apartment, she feels close to him through not only the myriad of his possessions but also his responses to the videos and pictures she sends of the cats. Hot Dog had a cardboard scratching box setup that Jake had deemed his car because Hot Dog liked to ‘drive’ it. In reality, the black cat just sat in it and scratched but Jake found it hilarious. She sent him many videos and pictures of Hot Dog either hard at work in the car or simply asleep at the wheel. She woke up one day to it broken and Hot Dog laying in it, still looking pleased. The picture she sends Jake is accompanied with the text: “Like father like son. Hot Dog totaled the car.” Jake sent multiple texts of laughter and his memoji, with his big black hat included, crying. 

Hot Dog also strangely plays fetch so she sent a few videos of that phenomenon every so often. Jake hearts every single message. Cheese kept more to himself, but she would take pictures of him staring out the windows that held images of green leafed trees, creating a beautiful backdrop for the majestic golden mancoon. Those often had jokes including “When will my father return from war?” or “Why does father leave us to be with other pussies?” 

Jake laughed at each joke but shook his head at his best friend. “Why are my boys asking about other pussies? How do they even know about that, they’re much too young for all that?” 

She shrugs while trying to contain her own amusement, scratching between Hot Dog’s ears as they spoke over facetime. “I don’t know. Ask your sons. Honestly though, I get a bit of a gay vibe from Hot Dog. Or ace. I don’t think he’s interested in other pussies.” She tries to sound serious but Jake is grinning at the camera and so is she, until another voice chimes in. 

“What’s this about pussy?” 

She groans at the sound of the other Kiszka twin. She loved Josh, but he liked to comandeer any conversation he was privy to. 

“Go away, Josh,” Jake says. “I’m having my court mandated alone time with my boys.”

“Oh, is Y/N on the line? Hey mama! Finally telling the Cat Daddy about how your kitty–” An ‘oof’ is heard as the phone clatters to face the ceiling and then a squeak of a distant ‘sorry!’ 

The camera moves again and then Jake’s face is back in frame, staring at the screen intently, a light pink staining his cheeks now – out of exertion from kicking Josh’s ass or his own mild embarrassment, she didn’t know. “Sorry about Josh being Josh. As always.” His voice is lower now, speaking softer, making it more gravelly. 

She smiles sympathetically. “Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who brought up pussy, I should’ve known Josh is like a bloodhound with that kind of stuff.” 

Jake laughs genuinely at that and they stare at their screens for a little while longer, shooting the shit, making plans for when Jake gets back to Nashville. 

On the Saturday before Jake is set to come home, she gets tacos from their taco place and digs around Jake’s record collection before deciding on a classic that both of them loved. Deja vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. She curls up on the couch with one cat, Hot Dog, laid out on her right and Cheese beneath it. It was his favorite spot besides sitting in the window. 

“Your dad’s comin’ home tomorrow, my dudes,” She talks to the cats as she eats. “Isn’t that great? I’m not gonna lie though, I kind of wish I could stay. I love you guys and this apartment, it’s bigger than mine. Plus way better roommates.” 

She rambles the night away. When she wakes, she tidies each of the rooms, putting away dishes she had left out, refolding the blanket on the back of the couch, remaking the bed. She showers, puts on real clothes today, rather than the usual sweats, and spends a little extra time to look presentable. Her reasoning is that she’s seeing a human she knows rather than just two cats. It has nothing to do with it specifically being Jake. 

He gets in in the late afternoon. She hears the key in the lock and her heart starts to beat a little faster. The cats can tell something is up when they notice her fidgeting, more on edge than any of the previous days spent by her side. She didn’t quite understand why she was so anxious to see Jake after two and a half months. Seeing each other over facetime wasn’t the same even if she told herself it was enough. 

She tries to play off the nerves by talking to the cats again, “Look who it is, Hot Dog, Cheese. Your long lost father!” 

The cats are elated when Jake gets through the door, weaving through their legs as she tries to be cool and just say a normal hello to him. The grin on Jake's face stops her in her tracks as he moves quickly down the hall after dropping his leather duffel by the door. His hat almost falls off his head as he wraps his arms around her in an intense hug. 

“Missed you guys so much,” He murmurs into the skin of her neck. “Missed you so much, shrimp.”  

She laughs, breathless and unable to form any coherent thought with Jake surrounding her, invading her senses. Any thought beside how wrong she had been. Jake’s cologne didn’t smell like Jake. Neither did his soaps and shampoos. Something was so uniquely Jake that changed his cologne when it was on him, same for the other products. He embodied them, making them more than they were, making them his. Kind of how he was making her his as he held her, changing her entire being with his presence.  

That was too much to say to a best friend she had just cat sat for. “How was it?” Would suffice. 

Jake holds on for a little longer, her arms having taken up residence around his shoulders and neck with his around her waist but clutched at the tops of her own shoulders. He takes a deep breath before pulling back. While looking down at her, he removed his hat and threw it through the doorway of his bedroom, landing it on his bed smoothly. 

She was silently impressed, but Jake’s smirk let her know he could see through her facade. She rolled her eyes at him and pushed away from his chest making him smile more sweetly. 

“Incredible as always,” He follows her into his living room to sit on the couch while they catch up, his tone giddy. The cats followed. “We even finished a bit of new music. But like always, I’m happy to have a break from it all. Ready to just soak in this life for a good while.” 

“Ready to be Jake Kiszka, cat dad, Criminal Minds aficionado and shrimp’s best friend, not Jake Kiszka, guitarist of Greta Van Fleet, rock god and panty dropper.” 

“Exactly,” Jake giggles, pulling at the hairtie keeping his hair pulled back, letting the brown locks loose. “Still panty dropper, though. I can’t just turn that off.” 

She nudges one of her feet that is on the couch against Jake’s thigh in chastisement. He moves his leg to press back at her and they stay connected as they regard each other. Hot Dog had followed them and was jumping up into Jake’s lap while Cheese was sauntering across the back of the couch, inspecting his freed hair. 

Jake feels his blonde cat’s presence and tilts his head back, allowing the large cat to sniff the top of his human’s scalp. Jake’s eyes slip shut at the sensation, the side of his lip quirking up. Hot Dog chirps while he pets him absently but carefully, between his ears, just like he liked it. She admires her friend basking in his pets’ love and attention. The reunion was quite cute and she wished it could be like this all the time. The four of them, happy and content. 

“Speaking of Criminal Minds,” Jake raises his head back up after a reasonable amount of comfortable silence, besides the black cat’s purring. “All I’m in the mood for is vegging out on this couch. Will you stay? We can order Thai?”  

“Eh, I’ve kind of had my fill of cats,” She says and watches as Jake’s eyes widen momentarily before he neutralizes his features and smiles, albeit a little sadly. She doesn’t even let him get a word in, placing a hand on his shoulder after brushing back a piece of his hair. “Kidding. Consider it your payment for the cat/plant/apartment-sitting.” 

Jake laughs, relieved before furrowing his brow and saying her name seriously. He rarely did that, over the last year she hadn’t heard him say it more than a handful of times. “I’m gonna pay you for the cat sitting.” 

She laughs awkwardly and removes her hand from him. “That’s not necessary.” 

“You stayed for two and a half months, caring for them every single day. Plus you did my laundry, watered the plants and who knows what else.” He pauses to glance around the room, waving his hand to the corner. “Reorganized my records and bookshelves since I’m lazy and don’t always put them back in alphabetical order.” 

“I lived in a nice apartment for two and a half months, ate the food there, enjoyed all the amenities and got to hang out with two cute furry friends whenever they wanted. The food and your company is payment enough.” She hated when Jake offered her money, even in this case where he really was paying her for a service. It still felt weird to take money from her best friend like this. 

“I insist,” He pushes. “You deserve it.” 

“Jake, seriously,” She huffs, standing to walk away from the couch. He follows quickly behind, the pair of them making their way into the kitchen. “I don’t want your money. It’s weird, this was just a favor for my best friend.” 

Her real life job was something that she didn’t feel particularly strong about anymore and since Covid she’d been able to do all her work remotely. All communication was online and she never had to go into an office again if she didn’t want to, so she’d been making her own money while at Jake’s place without him giving her his. 

He puts his hands to his hips as he watches her open his fridge and ignore him staring at her. He rolls his eyes when she still won’t look at him and instead pulls out a kombucha she had bought a few days ago and takes a long sip. Finally she meets his eyes after shutting the fridge and leans against the counter beside it, placing them on opposite corners of the room. 

“Fine, I won’t pay you for your service. I will simply pay you in Thai food and other take out until I deem fit. How’s that sound?” 

She smiles at his persistence. “And drinks for life,” She speaks over the lid of her drink, eyelashes fluttering as she looks up at him from her reclined position. 

Jake chuckles, elation spreading across his face, his tired eyes still bright despite everything. “That’s why you denied physical money. You’re an incredible con artist, shrimp. Guaranteeing libations for life. I respect it.” 

She laughs and walks out of the kitchen, Jake following behind like one of his cats following himself. “I imagine I’ll take care of your cats again in the near future and then you’ll try to pay me again. I’m trying to mitigate having this conversation over and over.” 

Jake ahh’s in understanding as the pair take their spots on the couch once more. She grabs the blanket while Jake grabs the remote, easily falling into routine. 

“There’s intricate levels to it all.” She muses, laying it flat against their bodies. Jake scoots closer so that the blanket can cover more of both of their pairs of legs. 

“You’re much smarter than me.” 

“Now that’s a compliment from sir Jacob Thomas Kiszka.” 

She leans into his side as he moves his arm out of the way and onto the back of the couch, allowing her to further lean against his warm chest. He chuckles offhandedly at the name she had used. 

“Call for Thai after the opening credis, yeah?” Jake asks as he mindlessly flicks through the streaming service to their favorite shared show. 

She nods against him, tickling him slightly, and hums her assent to his question. 

Jake calls for the takeout and she takes the time to change into sweats. In Jake’s room, the room that had been hers for a few months, but now was refilled with his presence, she looked at the hat on the bed. She left the door cracked, not on purpose but she also didn’t mind as she pulled the crop top from her body. She looked at her bag that was already zipped up, remembering she had neatly put everything away in preparation of leaving after Jake returned home. Her eyes cast around the room and landed on the pile of neatly folded shirts and sweatshirts of Jake’s she had worn during her stay and subsequently washed. Her hands plucked the grey shirt off of the top of the pile without thinking too hard about it as she slipped it over her head before realizing she also wanted to change her pants. Jake didn’t leave any sweatpants behind for her to mooch from, so unzipping her bag became necessary. She felt a little silly wearing Jake’s shirt now, but it wasn’t that weird so it was only a passing thought.  

For a brief moment, she is just in her red cotton panties and Jake’s stretched out t-shirt standing in Jake’s bedroom. The shirt was slightly cropped due to her breasts, leaving the lower part of her stomach, just below her belly button exposed. The hem in the back brushed at the red lace that ran around the band of the panties. The fabric of the sweatpants slipped up her legs just as Jake was walking up to the door to inform her of when the food would arrive. His eyes caught the flash of red lace disappearing beneath the brown cotton and it stopped him in his tracks. 

An audible gasp must be heard because she’s turned her head over her shoulder to look at him through the crack in the door as her hands are busy tying the tie on her sweatpants, cinching them to her waist. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a girl’s panties before, Jacob.” She pushes the door open further and tilts her head to look up at him quizzically. 

His pinkened cheeks are delightfully youthful on his mature face, the mustache he’d been trying to grow a bit of a shadow on his face now. She smiles, pitying her best friend’s boyish response. 

“I’d be a liar if I said I hadn’t,” He tries to laugh it off, looking down at the floor for a moment, unsure why he felt so bashful about seeing her dressing. It wasn’t even like he’d seen her ass, just the top band of the panties as they were covered. “Just the red…didn’t know you wore red lace –” He cuts himself off, rubbing the back of his neck for a quick moment as she laughs at him. 

“God, you’re such a tween boy sometimes,” She pushes at his shoulder when she passes by him, leaving him leaning against his doorway, the information about the food forgotten on his lips momentarily.  

Jake gets the door when it rings with their food a reasonable 20 minutes later. He resumes his seat beside his best friend as she throws the blanket off of her, sitting up to look at the array of food Jake was setting out from the brown paper bag. The night is filled with laughter, tasty food and murder mysteries the pair could likely quote at this point, they’d seen all the episodes so many times together. 

“His favorite album is the White Album! That’s insane, I forgot. Jake, Hotch and I are literally soulmates.” She muses, staring at the screen with wide eyes and then looking at Jake. 

He laughs as a noodle falls from his chopstick just as it was about to enter his mouth and she grimaces at how adorably messy of an eater he was. There was a smudge of Pad Thai sauce on the corner of his lip and she didn’t have the heart to tell him, especially considering that it would reappear in the next five minutes. She just had to wait until they finished eating to assess the damage. 

“That’s why the fictional FBI man is your soulmate?” His tone was incredulous and amused. 

“Mhmm,” She nods in confirmation, taking a bite of her fresh roll and then humming in satisfaction at the taste. “Fuck that’s good.” 

Jake raises his left brow at her and watches her for a moment longer, in her own little world as she continues to chew on the roll of vegetables. Even eating in his frumpy tattered shirt and her sweatpants, with her feet tucked beneath her on the couch, he was unable to not be taken with her beauty. He was struck silent even more as he marveled at her like this than at the glance of her underwear. 

He knew his friend was beautiful, he’d seen people come and go in her life, attempting to hold her attention long enough to call it a relationship but they never lasted. He was pretty sure he knew why they didn’t last, they didn’t understand that while she was beautiful to look at, there was so much more beauty hidden inside of her head, inside of her heart. She was kind when she wanted to be, hilarious without even trying and wiser beyond her years. 

So it didn’t matter if she was stretching her arms above her head in a lacy panty and bra set or hunched over herself in old sweats, he found her transcendently breathtaking. As a friend. Friends knew each other’s worth, noticed the beauty in them, enjoyed their company. 

They binge-watched television until the cats began to chirp at Jake, imploring him to settle into bed so that they could then take up residence around him. 

“Got one last night in you?” Jake questions as they clean up the food and turn off the television. 

“Don’t you want your bed to yourself and the boys?” 

“Nah,” Jake shakes his head emphatically. “I’m tired of sleeping alone. Sleep better next to someone, I think. Stupid twin thing.” 

She cackles at his words, already beginning to prepare to sleep over. “You think your sleeping companions are a stand in for your insane identical twin brother? That is so freaky.” 

She hears Jake’s laughter from a room away, loud and clear. The joy is evident in the volume and she imagines his grin is taking up his entire face. She wished she could see it, even with her it was rare. 

She slips her bra from beneath Jake’s shirt and debates switching to her sleep shorts she thankfully had brought for lounging or sleeping in the sweats. Thinking about the space heater of a human that was going to be beside her, plus his two mini heaters of fur, she went to her zipped bag once more. Her hands rooted around the insides contents, cursing herself silently for not realizing she’d be staying over as she fucked up her nicely packed belongings. 

As if on cue, Jake finishes putting away the leftovers, dealing with utensils and shutting up his apartment just as she’s taking down her sweatpants. She takes them and throws them over her bag, before picking up her sleep shorts to do a quick change between her cheeky panties and the navy blue shorts with little bees on them. 

Jake’s already walking through the door not realizing her state of undress. She holds the shorts in front of herself slightly awkwardly and he stops when he realizes her legs are bare. 

“Sorry,” He says, a chuckle under his breath as he ducks his head and turns around. 

She rolls her eyes to herself and finishes changing. “I’m beginning to think you want to see me in my underwear with your timing.” 

Jake knows she’s done when she taps his shoulder. He turns and finds her seated at the edge of his bed, still in his shirt and the tiny blue shorts she had been holding to cover the lace red panties that Jake wasn’t mad about seeing again. 

She noticed the way his adam’s apple bobbed for a second as he swallowed and she tilted her head up at him in confusion. 

“You’d know if I wanted to see you in your underwear, shrimp.” His voice is almost hoarse as he speaks, lowering it to keep the rasp at bay. It sounds melancholy and she thinks it’s just because he’s tired and sad his touring is over but he’s also happy to be home. She thinks because of that she should probably ignore it and try to lighten the mood, keep the bit going.

She blinks up at him, voice a touch dreamy. “Would I?” 

Jake’s lips curl up in silent response and then he unbuttons the last two buttons on his shirt and pulls it casually from his body, all while staying in front of her. Then his hands go up to his hair, retying it into a messy ponytail. She frowns at how he had done it and sighs, laying on her back as he removes his pants, leaving him in his boxers, light blue and surprisingly crisp looking. 

“C’mon shrimp, brush your teeth or you’ll hate yourself in the morning.” 

She groans in response and sticks her right hand into the air, silently requesting for Jake to pull her up. He obliges quickly and carefully, pulling her to a complete stand directly in front of him. His strength was surprising and she steadied herself with her free hand against the lightly tanned skin of his chest. 

“You’re welcome, by the way.” He raises his eyebrows at her. Her eyes are wide as she regards his face right in front of hers. 

Jake feels her fingertips against his chest and the warmth is so welcome he doesn’t let go over her hand that he’s holding. They’re just stuck staring at each other, one step apart from being chest to chest. Her fingers flex into his skin, curling over his collarbone. 

A swish of a soft tail weaving between their legs sends them apart and allows for laughter to fill the room. She walks out of the room first and Jake mutters a quick ‘thanks Hot Dog’ at the cat who was hopping onto the bed and curling up at the foot of it. 

Jake finds his best friend sitting on the closed toilet seat, toothbrush between her teeth and his toothpaste left open on the sink. They brush their teeth in silence and he lets her wash her face before him, their nighttime routines coexisting in a perfect dance. 

Before she leaves the bathroom, she rests her head against his back for a moment, her temple against his spine. He pauses, his hands hovering in front of his face with suddsy water. 

“I’m happy you’re home. This place is meant to have you in it.” 

He tilts his head back, placing it atop hers in recognition of what she’s said. This was home. Not the apartment, persay, but with her by his side. 

She walks back to the bedroom because she knows that Jake’s nonverbal responses were sometimes the only response he gave. The cats were both thankfully at the foot of the bed so that she and Jake wouldn’t have to fight for space to sleep. She gets in on the left, where she had slept for the past two and a half months, knowing Jake preferred the right. 

Her knees are tucked up to her chest as she sits against the headboard when Jake walks into the room, flicking the main light off. It leaves them in complete darkness for a moment while Jake crosses to his nightstand and turns on the lamp. This causes him to disappear and then reappear right beside her which she finds only mildly disturbing, residual Criminal Minds thoughts swimming around her brain. 

Jake sits beside her, making no move to go to sleep. The room is quiet besides the occasional cat purring and it brings a contented smile to Jake’s face. 

“Shrimp,” he speaks up, turning his neck to look at her before sighing and saying her real name. “I don’t know if this is too much, but we’ve known each other for so long, I feel really awkward bringing it up.” 

“You can tell me anything, Jake. You’re my best friend,” She chuckles when she thinks something. “You know I’d help you bury a body wherever. No questions asked.” 

Jake mirrors her laughter, albeit a little more stilted. His hair is loose again and he runs a hand through it. He could never make up his mind about it. But he knew what he had decided about this. 

“It’s not a dead body…yet.” He takes a deep breath and takes her hand closest to him. Her breath catches at the move, so familiar yet different, the calluses of his fingers simultaneously smooth and rough. “I just thought a lot about it while I was on tour. You’re my best friend, too, if that wasn’t clear.” 

“You’re rambling, Jake.” She informs him gently, rubbing her fingers over the back of his hand that remained inhers. 

He flushes and she notices it on his chest before returning her gaze to his face.

“Sorry,” He replies but she smiles at him, communicating that it wasn’t something to be sorry for. “I’m just nervous. I really want to kiss you right now.” 

Her eyebrows raise in surprise but the expression is immediately replaced with joy. “Then kiss me.” 

“Really?” Jake’s eyebrows mirror hers from seconds before. She nods and then they’re meeting in the middle. 

Their intertwined hands don’t drop one another as they press against each other’s lips in a much overdue embrace. It’s soft and sweet, loving. Jake is tender and insistent upon her lips, nothing like she had ever imagined he would be with other partners. But this was Jake with her, his best friend. He was determined to take his time loving her. With every kiss, he was going to show her how beautiful he thought she was. He wanted to show her the beauty he saw in her.

She sighs against his mouth after a few minutes of the sweet yet passionate kisses. “Is this why you insisted I brush my teeth?” 

He giggles, uncharacteristically sweet, against her lips and presses another kiss in response. “Maybe.” 

[salternateunreality2]

Imagine Lucrecia had 2 sons. First with Vincent that she later gave away for adoption and second with Hojo.

She knew she f up with the second one, but maybe the first one can live a calm and uneventful life in Banora?

The Jones family adopted Baby Lucent. He was a smart, pale little kid that constantly stuck his nose into things he had no business snooping on. He found out about how the Rhapsodoses let their nanny hit their son, and how Genesis and Angeal were science experiments gone wrong. He saw the boys form a bond, playing together and sneaking over to see each other in the dead of night.

Lucent always wanted to join them, but was rarely able to see them during the day, when it would have been acceptable to talk to them. He was too quiet when he watched at night, and it would have been creepy to introduce himself then.

Lucent was his parents' only child, and grew up knowing he was adopted. They loved him and did their best, even when he'd materialize out of nowhere around the house like a ninja, starting from before he could crawl. Or when he'd just happen to know things that no one told him. He knew the mayor was sleeping with the butcher. He knew who his bio mom was and that she was a Shinra scientist. He knew the people who spied on him every few months were Turks. He guessed that either he was a Turk child or a lab experiment or both.

His mom and dad had longed for him so much, and they really did their homework in raising him. They paid careful attention to his emotional well-being, and encouraged and disciplined him to the very best of their ability. He loved them immensely, and they him.

So when he kept getting top marks at school, they didn't hesitate to put him in online and university classes, or to scrape together funds to support him when he went to Midgar to study. He was advanced enough that he got admitted early and went around the same time as Genesis and Angeal enlisted.

He worked hard, and by the time the Crisis Core era rolled around, he had a medical degree and employment with Shinra. More importantly, he had access to records now, was fast friends with Kunsel, and was constantly being courted by the Turks, who he turned down every time.

It did take up until this point to confirm his suspicions about the slope of Sephiroth's nose and the funny way his bangs grew, but now he knew, and now, at 11:30 am on a Tuesday, it was time to meet his half brother.

Lucent coughed once, then finally knocked on Sephiroth's office door.

"Come in," said Sephiroth. "Oh. What does the old man want now? Blood?"

Lucent blinked in confusion.

"I'm not sure who you mean; I'm here to deliver the report for the 3rd class health statistics," Lucent said.

"Very well, you may leave it on my desk," said Sephiroth, returning to his computer.

"I also wished to discuss something else with you."

Sephiroth sighed and fished around for a pen.

"Did you want an autograph?"

"No, I want to know if you remember our mother."

Time seemed to freeze, and the temperature of the room dropped.

"Excuse me?" Sephiroth asked, cold as ice.

"Lucrecia Crescent, listed as a primary scientist in the Jenova project. Long brown hair, same face as you, probably died when you were a baby...? I just want to know more about her, if you have more information."

"Get out."

Lucent felt animal fear jolt through his veins, but he powered through. He wasn't known for letting curiosity go easily.

"I understand this is a shock. I will leave, but please contact me if you change your mind," Lucent said, placing his card and the forgotten report on Sephiroth's desk. He kept his composure as he exited, closing the door firmly behind him, walking calmly down to his office, and shutting his own door.

Then he slumped against it, shaking and breathing hard. He'd be a stupid man not to be absolutely terrified from the energy in Sephiroth's office. He didn't know how long he sat there on the corporate carpet, trying to calm his nerves and telling himself he did the right thing, but he was interrupted by his PHS ringing.

"Dr. Lucent Jones," he answered automatically.

"Commander Rhapsodos. Look, Jones, I don't know who you are or where you've come from, but on behalf of Sephiroth, I will give you exactly one opportunity to speak with me. If I don't like what I hear, I will kill you. Meet me at the coffee shop on Loveless and 6th in one hour." Genesis paused. "Just to make it perfectly clear, I will kill you. This is a company line and I know Reno or someone is listening in. I will kill any Turks if they follow you, and if you're working with them or any other group to take advantage, I will kill everyone involved. If you don't show up, I will blackball you from practicing medicine in Midgar, but it will be better than death."

*click*

Lucent let out a strained laugh. Genesis Rhapsodos might be dramatic in everyday life, but that was not an idle threat.

---------

Lazard watched as a man in a lab coat left Sephiroth's office. That couldn't be good. As soon as the man left, Lazard tapped on Sephiroth's door, knowing he would have heard him coming. After a few seconds with no response, he swiftly entered, shutting the door behind him.

Sephiroth was sitting at his desk, completely motionless, pupils blown wide, gaze fixed on a stack of papers topped by a business card.

This wasn't going to be a good day.

---------

Eventually, Lucent is vetted by at least 3 layers of Sephiroth Protection Squad members, supported by Kunsel, and breaks into the inner circle. With him on their side, he's able to help with Genesis and Angeal's degradation using his Turk inclinations and medical knowledge.

He brings Sephiroth to meet his parents, and they love him and adopt him immediately, laughing over his ability to appear out of nowhere and cooing over his handsome funky bangs. They cherish his awkwardness covered by learned manners, fondly remembering Lucent's teenage years.

Lucent keeps digging, becoming more and more horrified between what he uncovers and what he hears from Sephiroth. He is right that this can't continue, and he is right that something must be done about Jenova.

He, Sephiroth, and Genesis go to Nibelheim with a spunky little trooper and Angeal's puppy. Shit goes down, but they ultimately find themselves with an emo vampire.

Sephiroth smirks weakly from where Genesis is practically holding him up.

"Guess it's my turn to spring some shocking parentage news on you, big brother," he says, nodding his head at Lucent and Vincent's matching red eyes and pale skin. Everyone laughs, relieved that Sephiroth is going to be ok, Jenova is dead, and the little trooper pulled through after being yeeted into a wall.

When they return to Midgar, Vincent kills Hojo and the president, and after the dust settles, Sephiroth retires to Banora. He has dinner with the Jones family most nights, and when Genesis or Angeal is in town, they eat apples together.

Lucent keeps his job at Shinra, helping the trooper through his mako sensitivity and his transition to SOLDIER. He's always wanted to help people, and Midgar is rife with interesting and difficult cases.

Of course, he visits home regularly to see his family, often tagging along when Lazard visits Sephiroth.

[bigboysteveharrington]

Nancy may shared trauma her way into romantic relationships and I know she’s known for it, but Steve is the real king of bonding over shared trauma. He just does it platonically

Season 2 Steve was like yeah okay I’m gonna go help this kid I’ve literally talked to once because who else is going to and then shared trauma himself into being besties with him and giving away his embarrassing secrets just to cheer him up within a matter of hours

Then with the other kids who he’s only talked to once at the hospital after the season 1 stuff (with the exception of Mike who is just his ex’s little brother that can’t stand him) get involved plus Max who he’s literally never seen before in his life and Steve’s like well time to risk my life for all these children while also being worried about Henderson’s feelings even though I barely know him

And then there’s the whole going to go face Billy and potentially get the shit kicked out of him to protect the kids he barely knows that escalated into nearly getting killed to try to stop Billy from killing Lucas that ended with Steve heavily injured and knocked unconscious only for him to get right back up when he’s awake and go put himself in front of all the kids he barely knew and protect them

And then after that point he was like anyway I guess I’m friends with a bunch of 13 year olds, even though it’s a personality trait of mine that I worry about who people at school see me talking to. And he adopted them all and risked getting fired to give them all free ice cream and sneak them into movies and was bonded enough with from all the shared trauma enough not to care that Robin was making fun of him for all the kids he was friends with, but he especially adopted Henderson in the whole I’m your dad and emotional support system and I’m getting you ready and driving you to your dance and hyping you up before you go in kind of way

And then season 3 we all know how he ended up inseparable from Robin and not caring who knew how much he liked her and how much time he spent with her after that. But he also had a new youngest person he’s formed a bond out of shared trauma with friend out of Erica

And we all know if Eddie had survived, he would have gone from ew I’m not wasting my time hanging out with Eddie the Freak Munson when Dustin tried to get him to be Lucas’s sub to hanging out with Eddie and not caring who knew and getting pissed at people who talked about Eddie the way he used to because Steve literally doesn’t have a single character he’s close to that isn’t someone he originally bonded with because of shared trauma and who he’s now protective over

Steve Harrington dropped his toxic friends and immediately after went to go apologize to Nancy and Jonathan and got thrown into the shared trauma that bonded them together but also bonded Steve to both of them and now bonding from mutual trauma is literally the only way he knows how to form real friendships

Nancy at least formed friendships with other people working on the school newspaper. The party became friends with Max and with Eddie and Gareth and Jeff and that guy with no name before they shared trauma with him. Robin is pretty codependent with Steve but she still is in marching band with Vickie and she presumably has other people she talks to and sits with at school and in band. Erica has a whole friend group of her own we saw at the mall plus the Hellfire Club. Lucas befriended Max and the Hellfire Club and some of the basketball team without having to share trauma first. Jonathan befriended Argyle long before he got dragged into anything. El and Will aren’t great at building relationships outside of the people they’ve gone through shit with (with the exception of Will having befriended the party pre-shit hitting the fan) either, but Steve went from the guy everyone wanted to be friends with or be with to the guy that can’t pull off a relationship or make friends in an ordinary setting (and who for months was only friends with kids 5 years younger than him)

His relationships with other characters may not be unhealthy, but somebody get this man help in the sense that he literally doesn’t know how to form an authentic or lasting connection with anyone without almost dying by their side first

[tiredkiwilol]

Adopted Brothers:

(in my modern lu au) i’m basing this sort of how well off each of their games are (flooded hyrule, post calamity, and downfall timeline)

wind was the first to be adopted. once his grandma was too old to take care of him and his sister they were both sent to the foster care system (they visit her pretty often) and aryll, being younger, was fostered (maybe adopted?) pretty quickly. wind wasn’t in the system long and only went through 2-3 homes before he was fostered by the other links and eventually adopted. i’m gonna say he was adopted at around 4? years old? (trying to make this fit with their ages and the timeline i’ve set up in my head so this makes sense)

wild was the next to be adopted. he was raised with legend and hyrule by their each of their moms and then uncle. (the twins mom was killed in a car crash when they were really young, then taken in by their uncle, loosing contact with hyrule and his mom) when his uncle died, (he was a retired police officer?) the twins fell into the foster system (around 5ish years old) and were separated about a year into the process. when he was 7 wild was fostered and adopted by the other links. wild wasn’t in the best homes, but they also weren’t horrible. he never stopped looking for legend (and told the other link’s that they needed to find him and adopt him too because they’re a package deal) but he didn’t find him until they were 10, nearly 11.

legend was next to be adopted. after being separated from wild for a few months he was fostered again and he reunited with hyrule in that home. (hyrule’s mom either left or died somehow, not sure yet) there he met a girl named marin who was his age and they became close friends but she ended up leaving and getting adopted, legend doesn’t know where she is now. legend also made a lot of friends in the different homes he was in, but they always had to leave after some time. legend and hyrule were bounced around from a few homes (none too pleasant or happy) before they were separated again when legend was 9 and hyrule 10. legend was in the system for nearly 2 more years before being found by wild and the other links. he was a lot more closed off now, but eventually started to open up again after being reunited with his twin. he was adopted on the twin’s 11th birthday.

hyrule was the last to be adopted at 12 years old. after his mom was out of the picture he was homeless for a little while before eventually being found by authorities and taken to the foster system when he was around 8 years old. (about 1-2 years on his own) he ended up in a few homes and was bounced around a lot before, about a year later, reunited with legend. they were able to stay in the same few homes for another 2 years before they were separated again. hyrule continued to bounce around from different homes before he was found nearly a year later by the other links and adopted. (this guy has severe trust issues)

and that’s an overview of the adopted brother’s backstories!! if there’s any inaccuracies please tell me!! i don’t know a whole lot about the foster care system (i also decided that four is going to be a biological brother)