#the rookie x daughter!reader fandom

[callsign-dexter]

Baby Bradford Meets The Rookies

Summary: Tim's babysitter can't pick Y/N up after school. So, Tim does and brings her back to the station where The Rookies are in for a surprise.

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: fluff

Masterlist

Baby Bradford: A Little Fighter

Banner done by @callsigns-haze

Neither Tim nor his daughter, Y/N, were a morning person. This is why when his alarm goes off in the mornings he lets her sleep in as long as he can because dealing with a grumpy 7-year-old.

Tim loves his daughter, he has ever since she was born. Her mother, Isabel, left when she was 6 years old but even then she wasn't really a mother to their little girl always in and out of undercover. She cared more about the job than she did her husband, now ex-husband, or child. When she went undercover and didn't come back, Tim went to court and got full custody of their daughter. Isabel wasn't happy about it but signed the papers and was out of her life for good. Y/N favored Tim the most out of both of her parents. While Tim was gone for work he would drop her off at school in the morning and then her babysitter, a sweet 26-year-old woman named Marina Bailey, Y/N absolutely loved her.

Tim's alarm went off at 6:30 AM and it slowly roused him awake and he was turning over and turning it off. He sat up and threw the covers off and sat on the edge of the bed. He ran his hand down his face waking him up and getting the sleep out of his eyes. He stood up and stretched and walked out of the bedroom towards the kitchen but first, he stopped by his daughter's room to check on her. Tim opened the door and smiled seeing her curled up facing the wall sound to sleep he shut the door quietly and walked into the kitchen. Y/N didn't have to be up until 7:00 AM.

Tim got the coffee grounds out and scooped out what he needed and started the coffee maker. While it was brewing he made her lunch and then he went back into his bedroom and started to get ready for work. He also packed a bag with extra clothing and miscellaneous stuff and walked it into the kitchen. He then went back took a quick shower and brushed his teeth and put on his clothes for the day, he would change into his uniform at the station, and watch. He looked at his watch and it was 7:00 AM, time to wake his daughter up.

Tim walked to his daughter's room and opened the door quietly. She had moved positions and now was sprawled out in the middle of her bed with her covers thrown off and he smiled and chucked. He walked into her room and to her bed and knelt down. She moved to another position to where she was facing him. He started to speak to her slowly and softly "Y/N/N, it's time to get up." He said and she groaned and scrunched her nose up.

"No." She said and buried her head into her pillow and he smiled and here starts the wake up process.

"Yes, it's time to get up and get ready for school." He said running a hand gently through her hair.

"There isn't any school today." She said opening her eyes not happy to be awake.

"If there wasn't I wouldn't be waking you up. I also would've known." Tim said and she groaned knowing she had lost the fight.

"Fine." She said and started to get up and he stood up and watched her for a minute.

"If you need me. Yell for me." He said and she nodded and he left the room. He walked back into the kitchen where the now-finished coffee was done brewing and grabbed a cup poured some in and began drinking it. He made himself busy around the house. He looked down at his watch and it was only 7:15 AM. He was about to start something else when Y/N yelled out for him.

"Daddy?" She asked loud enough for him to hear from the kitchen, he put his coffee cup down and headed to the bathroom where she was at the sink in her clothing for the day and teeth brushed.

"Yes, Baby Girl?" He asked

"Can you do my hair?" She asked looking at him through the mirror with puppy dog eyes. Tim always hated doing hair but since Isabel wasn't around he had to learn and he got pretty damn good at it. Damn good that almost all the moms were jealous.

"Of course, Baby Girl. How do you want it done?" He asked and the brightest smile appeared on her face.

"French Braid." She said confidentiality.

"You got it!" He said and got to work. It was only 7:20 AM and they had to leave by 7:30 AM to get to her school that was 20 minutes away. Tim got done in no time and stood back looking at his work and smiled the same smile that appeared on his daughter's face. "How did I do?" He asked and she nodded turning to him.

"It's perfect." She said and he kissed her forehead and they headed to the kitchen so she could eat breakfast and then they would be on their way.

When she was done she put her dishes in the sink while he filled a thermos of coffee for him and grabbed her lunch while she grabbed her backpack and picked up his duffle bag. She started to walk out while he walked behind her toward the truck. "Remember Marina is picking you up after school." He said as she hopped up in the truck and she put her stuff beside her and he helped her strap in.

"You got it, Daddy." She said and he smiled and shut the door and got in the driver's side throwing his duffle bag in the front seat. He started the engine and backed out of the driveway and onto her school. They arrived at the school at 7:50 AM a teacher opened the door and greeted them.

"Good morning!" Mrs. Woods said and they both smiled at her.

"Good morning!" Y/N said and she un-buckled herself "I love you, Daddy." She said.

"I love you too." He said and she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek and he did the same. Mrs. Woods helped her out as she grabbed her stuff and headed into the school. Tim drove off once they were in the school and onto work.

Tim arrived at the station and parked his truck, he killed the engine and grabbed his duffle bag and headed inside. He greeted everyone and then walked into the locker room and changed into his uniform. Not many people were in there besides Jackson West and John Nolan. "Good morning, Officer Bradford." Nolan said trying to get on his good side.

"Good morning, Rookies." Tim says as he finishes putting his uniform on and then starts his trip to the briefing room. When he gets there he sits by Angela Lopez and Talia Bishop.

"How's Y/N?" Angela asks him and he turns to look at her.

"Doing good. Asked me to braid her hair this morning and I did. She also tried to tell me there wasn't any school today." He said and the two females chuckled.

"How convincing was she?" Talia asked after the chuckling died down.

"Not very." He said and just then Lucy Chen, Nolan, and Jackson walked in and then Wade Grey walked in to start the day. The briefing was over quickly and then they were heading out on patrol.

Nothing exciting happened on patrol although everyone made a few arrests and some had to break up fights. It was nearing lunch time and everyone decided to stop at their regular place. As everyone was sitting and eating and talking Tim's phone began to ring. At first, he didn't pay attention to it "Aren't you going to answer that?" Angela asked him and he pulled out his phone to see that it was Marina.

"It's Marina. I need to take this." He said and got up and walked away from the group as he answered it.

"Hello." He said

"Hey, Tim. It's Marina." Marina said and he smiled she always greeted him like this.

"What's wrong?" He asked her wondering why she was calling in the middle of the day.

"I'm not going to be able to pick up Y/N from school. A family emergency came up." She said and he nodded understanding.

"That's perfectly fine. I'll pick her up. Everything ok?" He asked and she sighed.

"My mom is in the hospital and they don't know what for I was the only one available to be with her." She said

"If you need anything don't hesitate to call. You take as much time as you need. I hope everything turns out ok." He said

"Thank you. I'm sorry again." She said

"No need to apologize. I get it. Family comes first." He said

"Again thank you so much. Have a good day." She said

"You too." He replied and they both hung up the phone and he walked over to Angela and Talia.

"Everything ok?" Angela asked.

"Marina had a family emergency come up so she can't pick up Y/N." Tim said as he sat down and took a bite of food.

"Who is gonna pick her up?" Talia asked

"Lucy and I will." Tim said and everyone nodded.

"They haven't met her yet. It's going to be interesting." Angela said and they all laughed.

"I need to call Grey and let him know." Tim said and they nodded as he pulled his phone once again and hit Grey's number to call him. It rang twice before he answered.

"Officer Bradford, how can I help you?" He asked

"Marina can't pick up Y/N after school so had a family emergency. I need to pick her up." Tim said

"That's perfectly fine. She can hang out here until your shift ends." Grey said and Tim nodded.

"Thank you, sir." He said

"Anything for you and that little girl. You know Luna would love to help out and watch her when she needs to." Grey said and Tim smiled.

"I'll definitely keep that in mind." He said and then they said bye to each other and hung up.

As he was hanging up a call came in and he responded to it letting dispatch know that he and Lucy were on the way.

**********************************************

"Oh, what call do you think Tim just took?" Jackson asked as they watched him sit back down at the table.

"Who knows. Any guesses?" Nolan asked and they just shrugged.

"Not that I can think of." Lucy said now wanting to get to the bottom of what her TO was hiding.

"I think he has a kid." Nolan said and they looked at him.

"Why do you think that?" Jackson asked

"Just a gut feeling. He just seems like a dad." Nolan said and they still looked at him weirdly.

"Tim, hard ass, doesn't take any shit, and makes no mistakes Tim?" Lucy asked and Nolan nodded as he took a bit of his food. The rest of lunch was spent eating in silence while the rookies thought it over until Lucy and Tim had a call and they were off to it.

**********************************************

The call was just a disturbance call and it was quickly dealt with. Tim looked at his watch and saw that it read 2:20 PM and this caught Lucy's eye. "Do we have somewhere to be?" She asked looking at him and Tim looked at her as they stopped at a stoplight.

"Matter in fact, Boot. We do." He said

"Are you going to tell me?" She asked and he didn't say a word just turned on his right turning signal and headed towards the elementary school. Lucy took notice of this. "Why are we going to the elementary school? We didn't get a call." She said and again he didn't say anything. Tim pulled into the parking lot and pulled up to the front of the school.

"You stay here. I'll be back." He said as he parked the shop and headed towards the entrance of the school. Lucy watched in full curiosity, her window was down so she could hear everything going on. Nothing happened and so she took her phone out when she heard a shriek and she looked up making sure nothing was wrong and the sight that she saw warmed her heart.

"Daddy!" A little girl yelled and Tim bent down for her to rush into his arms.

"Baby Girl!" He yelled back and kissed her and she giggled and picked her up and started to carry her towards the shop.

"I thought Marina was supposed to pick me up." She said

"She had a family emergency. So you're going to come back to the station with me and hang out until it's time to go home." He said and she shrieked.

"Yay!" She yelled out. He opened the back door and sat her in and buckled her in and got into the front. Lucy was shocked, he did have a heart and could smile she turned to the little girl that was looking at her and Tim noticed.

"Y/N this is Lucy Chen. Lucy this is Y/N Bradford my daughter." Tim said and a smile appeared on both of girls faces.

"Hi." She said quietly.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Lucy said and Y/N blushed and looked down. The car ride was filled with questions and talking.

**********************************************

It didn't take long for them to make it back to the station and pull into the garage. Tim parked and shut the engine off and opened the door where he helped her get out and grabbed her stuff. The three of them walked further into the station while Y/N chatted with her father about school and playing with the collar of his uniform.

Nolan and Jackson were there and they were surprised to see Tim with a child. They were stunned in silence until Jackson spoke up "Officer Bradford did you find a missing child?" He asked the question that everyone was wondering but Lucy.

"No, Boot. This is Y/N Bradford, my daughter." Tim said as Y/N buried further into her father's neck being shy. "Y/N say hi." He said and she looked at them.

"Hi." She said giving them a wave.

"I knew it. Hi Y/N I'm Nolan." Nolan said already attached to the little girl.

"I'm Jackson." Jackson said

"Hi." She said and gave a wave just then Angela and Talia walked in and she lit up like a Christmas tree. "AUNT ANGIE, AUNT TALIA!" She screeched out and wiggled to be put down and he did so taking her bag off of her back and watching as she ran to them. They bent down and hugged her.

"Hey, sweet girl. How was school?" Angela asked and she started to tell them about her day as she picked her up and walked over to the rest of the group.

"It was good! We didn't learn anything interesting." She said and they all chuckled and Tim rolled his eyes the same answer he always got. Angela looked at Jackson.

"We need to go." She said and he nodded as Tim took Y/N back.

"Bye Aunt Angie and Jackson!" She yelled pit over Tim's shoulder and waved at them and they waved back and then they were gone.

"Ok, Y/N/N. I need to take you to Officer Grey. Say bye to everyone." He said and she turned around and did as she was told and he walked off with her.

"I knew he was a father." Nolan said watching him interact with his daughter in Grey's office.

"He's a good one. He's been pretty much raising her all by himself for 7 years." Talia said

"Really?" Lucy asked and she nodded.

"Yea. Isabel cared more about being undercover than raising her child." Talia said as Tim came back to the group.

"Alright. Let's get back to work." He said and everyone nodded.

**********************************************

It was the end of the shift for them and they all headed back to the station. Cars were parked and everyone went and changed. Tim was the first one to change and head to his little girl. She was fast asleep on the couch in Grey's office. He knocked and Grey looked up and waved him on in. "Wasn't too much trouble was she?" He asked and he shook his head.

"Not at all. She's too much like you. Luna came by with supper and we ate together. I told her the situation and she 100% is on board to help." He said and they both chuckled. Tim picked her up without waking her and grabbed her stuff looking at him.

"I might just take you up on that offer." He said and Grey nodded.

"Just let us know." He said and Tim nodded and headed on his way. As they were walking everyone came out of the locker room and started walking with them.

"She's just so adorable." Nolan said and everyone nodded in agreement as Tim pushed her up further onto him.

"Thank you." Tim said they followed them to Tim's truck which was right beside Nolan’s and Jackson's and Lucy's not too far away. Talia and Angela had to do something before leaving. Tim put Y/N in the truck and in her carsest.

"Hey if you need any help or someone to watch her, I'll happily do it." Nolan said

"I second that." Jackson said

"Count me in." Luchy said and Tim nodded and smiled.

"Thank you guys, that means so much." Tim said really grateful that he introduced her to The Rookies. They all parted ways.

When Tim and Y/N got home it was late and he picked her up and took her. He would grab their stuff later. He unlocked the door and into the house and straight to her room. He got her changed and tucked in. He kissed her head "I love you." He said and then walked out cracking the door. He was definitely glad he introduced her to them. He knew that they would protect her like she was their own and no harm was going to come to her.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

[five-bi-five-mind]

request where you’re rossi’s daughter and work for the BAU and you and emily start dating but keep it a secret until you get hurt on the job and she won’t leave your side and saying that she loves you and when you wake up she kisses you in front of the team and everyone is like, “yes!!” and rossi is just confused

Overprotective

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Pairing: Emily Prentiss x fem!Reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt & Comfort

Words: 7k+

Summary: Ever since you and Emily entered a relationship, she got a little too protective of you. It didn't help that she was also your boss, but still you didn't love that she was holding you back from doing your job. It also didn't help that your father figure worked with you, that was two people holding you back from your job. So when you finally put your foot down with Emily and got out in the field once more, none of you expected what would happen next...

Warnings: Blood mention; hospital scenes; mentions of car accidents; mentions of head trauma.

A/N: I'm so bad at descriptions... Anyways, this is my own take on the request. And also proud of myself for kinda posting three fics back to back. This one is a lil late but still one a day so far. Yayyyy 1k celebration continues lol

Emily was an overworrier. She always had been, but when it came to you.. well, she took things to a whole new level.

To say she was protective of you was an understatement and honestly it caused some tension in your relationship. She had been in the BAU far longer than you, but you were an agent too and had been for a few years now. Either way, even if Emily was your girlfriend, in the workplace she treated you like a rookie. 

Most of the team just thought she was hard on you. No one really knew that you two were a little more than colleagues. It hasn’t even been long since you two realized you had feelings for each other, but as soon as you did everything just clicked. You both fell fast and hard to say the least. 

And in that time Emily got more and more protective. There were some curious eyes, people had their suspicions. One person in particular changed the way he looked at your interactions and any time he was near, it made your palms sweat and your stomach twist. Rossi was always one to keep a close eye on you. He was protective too, just like Emily, if not even more so. It wasn’t like you could blame either of them though. 

Rossi was the closest thing to a father you ever knew; he watched you grow up and make your way to your position at the BAU. He never pulled strings, he never asked for favors. Rossi made it clear that you earned this position and everyone who worked with you saw just how true that was. So of course, he was a proud and protective man when it came to you. Just as Emily was a proud and protective girlfriend.

But as you and Emily got closer you could tell it piqued his interest. He would linger in a room if you two were left behind by the rest of the team. He'd stop and peek around a corner if he saw Emily get a little too close when she needed to discuss a case. You weren’t blind either, you were trained to notice things and you definitely noticed the way his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what was going on.

He even asked you about it once, approaching you with innocent curiosity to which you tried your best to shrug off.

His question was simple, he had you trapped in a car as he was driving you home so his timing was perfect. You literally couldn’t avoid him without jumping out. So when he said “do you want to tell me what’s going on between you and Emily?”  All you could think to answer was “it’s complicated” and, yeah, that was true. 

Luckily for you he just gave you a skeptical “alright, kid.” Before turning his attention back to the road. The amount of relief you felt when he didn’t pry any further was immense. 

You told Emily that night over the phone that he questioned you and she tried her best to keep her distance from you in public ever since. The overprotectiveness was still there, but so was this awkward silence that happened whenever another member of the team was alone with the two of you.

Not only was Emily’s overprotective nature a problem, but now so was all this secretiveness. Something which you point blank told Emily needed to change. She was hesitant, worried about how it may look for both of you, but especially you. The man who raised you was on your team and now you were dating the boss. Yeah, some people might point to nepotism, but your work spoke for itself. Plus, the team knows and respects you enough to understand that wasn’t the case. 

Emily still refused and insisted you both wait a bit longer, to which you begrudgingly agreed. You didn’t love being a secret but you also weren’t about to leave the woman you were head over heels for just because of a tricky situation. 

So when you agreed to wait you still let Emily know you both couldn’t hide forever. Her overprotective nature would get her busted, or Rossi would see something he shouldn’t, or hell maybe another member of the BAU would put the pieces together. Both of you were, after all, surrounded by profilers. It was everyone’s job to be perceptive. 

Emily still exuded confidence when she said she was sure it would happen on both of your terms. Of course, not everything is that simple. Especially not after today. 

—————————————————————-

This case was brutal. Many people had gotten injured in their past pursuit of the unsub and each time the unsub slipped away. The team had been on this case longer than most and was following as best they could. 

You were deep in this case too, following every development and giving your insight as best you could. Emily was not happy. She insisted you stay back at the police station you were helping rather than be out in the field. Even more, she had tried to convince you to stay all the way back at Quantico, but of course that wasn't going to fly. You won that fight by convincing Emily if you stayed back her exaggerated concern for your safety would be evident and people would get suspicious. She was frustrated, but she agreed. 

But even then as you two made your way to the precinct for this case, you both argued back and forth. Emily begged you to stay still and work behind the scenes, but you weren’t going to do that when the rest of the team was putting themselves in direct danger. That included both Emily and Rossi. 

“It’s not like you wouldn’t be helping! We need a member there, to keep an eye on what comes in.” Emily was so stubbornly insistent. 

“Okay, but that’s what the general police force is for.” You tried your best to stand your ground. “I’m going out in the field with the rest of you, Emily. I’m tired of being sidelined, because you don’t think I’m capable.” 

“It’s not that!” Emily’s voice was raised as she tried to defend her position. Lucky for the both of you, this fight escalated in the privacy of your own hotel room. One that you very sneakily and strategically booked right next to Emily and no one else. “Even Rossi would say this is a bad idea.”

“Don’t bring Rossi into this! Of course, he’d say that he’s almost as bad as you are.” Saying Rossi would back anything up for Emily was just another sign that your girlfriend and your father figure were way too protective of you. It was starting to get very old very fast. “You know, Emily, this whole protective girlfriend thing is really not working out if it’s also interfering with my work here as part of the team.” 

“What are you saying?” Emily looked at you with skepticism in her eyes. You knew you were taking this argument one step further, but you couldn’t help it. 

“I’m saying that if we’re to have a relationship this has to be an equal partnership.” Emily was full on glaring at you now, but you weren’t finished. “We can’t have that if you shield me from everything like a child!” 

“I am not shielding you!” Emily threw back with clear frustration written all over your face. 

“Yes, Emily, you are.” 

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” Emily’s frustration dropped immediately at that and you almost felt sorry for the way you were putting your foot down. She looked vulnerable at that moment and genuinely concerned. You knew she was; you knew the thought of anything happening to you killed her because it did the same for you when you thought about her being in direct danger. Still, you were part of the team and you needed to pull your weight. You were not going to be sidelined just because you were the boss’ girlfriend. 

“I know that,” you sighed. “But you have to trust that I’m capable of taking care of myself while we work. It’s part of the job. I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t.” 

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“Then what is it? Really, Emily, what is it?” You felt that frustration bubble up in you again. “If it’s about worrying if I’d get hurt, don’t you think I have that same worry about you? But I don’t try to convince you to stay back. If you really trust my abilities as part of this team you wouldn’t be so up in arms about the idea of me actively working on this case. So do you? Do you really trust me as a member of this team?” 

“I do, but…” Emily trailed off. That “but” said it all for you and you just nodded. It told you she didn’t think you were as capable as the rest of the team, as skilled. You worked your ass off to get here and even your own girlfriend didn’t think you were ready for this position. That stung. 

“I think you should go,” you nodded towards the door to your hotel room. “I need time alone.”

Emily went to speak but stopped herself when you gave her a pleading look to at least respect your need for space. She looked almost like a sad puppy with her head hung low as she walked out the door. 

It wasn’t a great way to end the night, and the tension between you two was certainly palpable throughout the rest of the day. That is, until the accident happened. 

—————————————————————

No one saw it coming. How could they? The MO of the unsub was calculation, even when backed into a corner. So when the team got so close they found the unsubs home and you got the call to come quick, no one expected him to take off full speed in a hijacked car. And what was worse was the lack of eyes on where he went as he sped through a suburb to escape. 

You were riding shotgun while Alvez swerved the car around and whipped through the streets upon being informed that the unsub was on the run. What you were looking for was a man on foot, not even aware of his hot wiring abilities. So when a car rammed straight into the passenger side of Alvez’s SUV at top speed, shock flooded both your systems right before everything went dark.  

When you regained consciousness, if you could even really say that you did, all you heard were sirens and yelling. Hands were yanking at you and with each moment they jostled you, sharp pain shot through your entire body. There were sounds of gurgled coughs that hit your ears closer than the yelling that surrounded you and eventually, as you felt warm liquid drip from your lips, you realized those sounds were coming from you. The taste of iron in your mouth mixed with the horrible pounding of your head was making you nauseous.

Your eyes cracked open, but everything around you was a blur. You managed to turn your head, wincing in pain at that simple movement, and saw who was tugging at you. Even if your vision was severely hindered, you knew who it was.

When the accident happened, most of the team wasn’t far behind, leaving everyone chasing the unsub watch helplessly as he smashed into the car Alvez drove. When that happened, Emily made a mad dash out of her own SUV straight to where you were. Now, Emily was trying her best to tug the seat belt strapped to your body, her hands trying to check your whole torso. Your eyes moved to her hands, your head lulling further down with your gaze than you meant to move it as you tried to look. The blurred form of her fingertips were covered in a crimson red and it just confirmed your suspicion that you were losing blood. 

“Hold on, just– Just hold on, okay?” Emily’s voice felt like an echo in a tunnel, so far away from you. Still, though it only faintly hit your ears, you could hear her worry. Your heart squeezed, knowing that you were somehow the cause. You tried to will your hands to cover hers, not sure if they were actually moving for you like you wished. 

Emily stopped her frantic check of your body. “Help is coming soon, okay?” Her hands pressed to your face, your own blood smeared to your cheeks as she held your head up for you. “Stay with me, you have to stay with me. Keep your eyes open, okay?”

The words felt like they were getting further and further away, even if you were aware of the fingertips pressed to your cheeks. Your eyes squinted, as if you thought that would clear the fog that clouded your vision. It didn’t, but still you tried to hear Emily and to will yourself to listen. 

At this point, Emily’s hands were the only thing that was keeping your head from falling back. The strength to keep your eyes open and your head up was way too much for you. Your limbs were feeling heavier too, and your body was feeling cold, as if your veins turned to ice. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Emily’s voice was pleading. “Keep those eyes on me, okay love? Keep them on me.” They were slipping; you were slipping. You could feel the heaviness of your eyelids as you gave all your remaining strength to keep them open. 

In the distance, you thought maybe you could hear the sound of heavy footsteps rushing up towards the both of you. Hands were on you again, this time rougher, as the ones on your cheeks were pried away.

“Ma’am, step back,” a voice ordered. You didn’t hear a reply, the horrible jostling of your body had another anguished groan rip from your lips. A sob followed, but you thought it couldn’t possibly be you. Your body didn’t feel like it was capable of doing anything else other than succumb to the pain. Before you could feel your body be fully removed from the mangled car, your eyes slipped shut. The last thought you had was of Emily’s request and your guilt for not being able to fulfill it. Consciousness quickly slipped from your body the minute your eyes fell shut, your head finally falling back. 

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was a mess. The way you looked, so broken and bleeding in that car had been forever burned into her brain. The last conversation she had with you was replaying through her mind as her foot anxiously tapped on the hospital’s dull white floors. 

Half the team sat next to her. Each one of them looked the exact same as her, just as worried. Rossi was going through many different stages of emotions. Anger at what had happened, denial that you could even possibly be teetering on the edge of death, and then worry that he might never see your bright smile again. 

The car had been totaled, your side crunched in with many different injures scattering your body. When the paramedics came they dragged you away so fast without giving Emily the chance to come with you. Luckily, Alvez wasn’t too badly injured, a mild concussion and some cuts from the broken glass. Minimal stitches needed, so Emily didn’t have to worry about it. It was you that she was spiraling over. She had never hopped in her car and sped faster than she did today. The worst thoughts were going through her head all the while. 

What would happen if you died before she got to the hospital? What would happen if you died on the table? The worry that ensnared her made her hands tremble as she sat and kept rubbing anxiously at her knuckles. 

Your blood still stained her clothes too, but she had long washed it off her fingertips. Tara had recommended she get a change of clothes from the hotel, but she had adamantly refused. To most of the team, they thought she was just feeling guilty for giving in to your insistence on being in the field. Although, how anyone, even Reid, could see this incident coming, would’ve been impossible. 

Another good thing, if Emily could even call it good, was that the accident incapacitated the unsub. This easily allowed Reid and JJ to apprehend him and make the arrest. Meanwhile, Emily was busy running to you and desperately trying to find some possible way to help you from dying right there in front of her. There was a lot of blood, a lot of glass that shattered and slashed through your skin on almost all of your body. From small cuts, to large ones, from the few moments she had with you, it looked pretty brutal. Not to mention, now that someone had talked to her once she arrived at the hospital, that there was internal bleeding and you had quite the head injury. 

They had rushed you into surgery the minute the EMTs made it in with your broken body. Emily was informed of everything first, then Alvez since he was already at the hospital getting checked out. Maybe about twenty minutes had gone by since Emily was informed about everything before Rossi came bursting in. 

Rossi was definitely on a warpath when he arrived too, his worry for you turning into anger. At first he blamed Alvez for not being a better vigilant driver, then Emily convinced him to turn his anger towards her. After all, she was the one who let you go out in the field, but then when Tara came in during his tirade towards Emily, she was the key to keeping the peace. She was surprisingly calming for everyone that waited at the hospital for you. With Rossi, she redirected his anger towards the unsub until he settled down into his quiet worry that he was currently exhibiting now. Then, with Emily, Tara just urged her to sit down before sitting right next to her.

When Tara saw the way Emily was angrily rubbing at the skin of her knuckles, she placed a gentle hand over Emily’s. “I know,” Tara spoke softly. “But she’s a fighter, you know that.”

Emily looked up at Tara as she spoke, her eyes searching the other woman’s. Tara looked back at her with a knowing look, but one that also showed conviction for her own words. 

All Emily could muster at that was a nod, but her words did help. Emily knew you were strong, even if she was doing a shitty job of showing you that she thought that. Truth is, she knew deep down that no one could have guessed that this would happen. She knew you were right, she couldn’t keep shielding you from everything if you were part of her team. It wasn’t like she could’ve ever tried to shield you from this. It could’ve happened to anyone, not just a member of her team. The worst part was that, of course, it had to happen to you. 

Even if she knew she couldn’t shield you from what happened, even if she understood that it could’ve been anyone’s car that the unsub rammed head first into, there was still a harrowing part of her that told her this was her fault. If she had listened to you and put you in the field maybe you would’ve been fine. It surely would guarantee you were in a different place than that damned car. You’d be with Reid and JJ, two other capable members of the team, and not in a car completely oblivious to the dangers that hit you head on before you even arrived. Emily knew she couldn’t think like that, but she couldn’t help that she did. Usually she was rational, collected, she had to be in her position. Except, she never thought she would fall for a co-worker and she certainly didn’t predict her overbearing need to protect you that came with all of it.

But now, as Emily sat and helplessly waited for any updates on you, she began to bargain with herself. If you pulled out of this Emily would never stop you from going out in the field again. It was clear that her actions to keep you safe by keeping you behind were futile, so if you were in the field at least you would be with other members of the team. Capable members who had your back the same way you wanted to have theirs. To agree with you and let you go out, if anything, would stop you from ever looking at her with such hurt and disappointment ever again. That look, when you kicked her out of your hotel room the night before, haunted her.

Emily refused to believe that could possibly be the last conversation you had with her, the last look she got from you. Usually, you looked at her with such love and joy, but this was different. Emily had spent that whole night, barely sleeping, her thoughts wrapped up in the way you looked so utterly betrayed. If that was her last conversation with you, how would you ever know that she did trust you, that she did know you were strong and capable? It was just that you were the most meaningful thing she’s ever had in her life and she was still learning how to handle that. But she would do better if you pulled through. You had to pull through so she could get the chance to do better.

Luckily for Emily, she was pulled out of her thoughts by a doctor approaching the group. Emily shot up immediately when she realized she was about to be approached with news on your condition. Her body stood rigid, her hands still trembling and balled into fists at her side. Tara put a reassuring hand on Emily’s shoulder and Emily took a deep, grounding breath, able to calm herself a bit with Tara’s supportive presence.

“How is she?” Emily’s voice sounded raw as she spoke. Tears hadn’t been shed since she was ripped from your crumpled body, as she had stopped herself before she entered the hospital. Yet she was still a wreck with how many emotions were flowing through her and with how hard she was being on herself. 

“She’s stable,” the doctor reassured. “We found the cause of the bleeding and now she’s in recovery.”

“Oh, thank god,” Emily breathed out. It felt like her whole body deflated, all the fear she was holding finally washing away. There was still guilt and worry there, but now she had more reassurance that you would be okay. 

“Can we see her?” Tara spoke up, her eyes flicking to Emily for a brief second before they turned back to the doctor. Emily looked back at Tara, knowing that Tara was asking the question for Emily rather than herself or the rest of the team. So, it seemed your worries were right, at least one member of the team noticed the two of you. Although, Emily didn’t really care at this moment. They could all know after this, Emily wasn’t ready to hide her care for you, not when she almost lost you. Screw anyone who was watching, Emily just needed to see you and somehow, Tara understood that. 

“Soon,” the doctor replied. “She’s being set up with a room. She’ll need to stay and be monitored for at least a few days.” 

Tara nodded at this. “Thank you, doctor,” she responded before turning back to Emily. “I’m going to go get you a change of clothes and something to eat for all of us, okay?”

“You don’t have to-” Emily was cut off by Tara’s gentle hand placed to her forearm. 

“I don’t think you want to leave right now.” Tara gave Emily a knowing smile. “Go tell Rossi and Alvez the news, I think I saw Rossi switch to pacing down that hall,” she pointed to where Rossi had waltzed off to. “And then text me with her room number. I’ll be back.”

“Thank you,” Emily whispered. Tara just nodded and turned, leaving Emily alone to grab the two others. When the news was broken to Rossi, his whole demeanor changed. Just like Emily, all the fear fled his body, and he was left to sit next to Emily and wait. 

It was silent between them all as they waited for an update on when they could see you. Emily was trying her best to sit as still as possible, what with Rossi glancing over at her every once in a while. His gaze was scrutinizing now, rather than angry, but Emily still wondered if he blamed her for the position you were in. 

When they were finally told they could go see you, Emily didn’t hide her anxious scurrying. It wasn’t a race, but if anyone who didn’t know them saw the way both Emily and Rossi hurried down the hospital halls, Alvez in tow, they’d think they were competing for first place. Rossi got their first, Emily backing off since she figured she already did enough to anger him for one day. After all, he was practically your father, he should be the one to confirm you were okay first. 

As he got into the room, Emily heard him take a deep breath before exhaling in relief. Emily, however, did not feel any relief when her eyes settled on your unconscious form. There were angry bruises across your skin on any part of your body that was visible to her. Bandages wrapped around random parts of your arms, some small ones stuck to your face. The way you looked almost lifeless had Emily swallowing hard. It was only the steady rhythm of your heart monitor that reassured her, you were still alive. 

Rossi seemed to be in way better spirits as he pulled up a hospital chair to your bed and placed his hand on yours. “That’s my girl,” he said to your sleeping form. “Knew you were a fighter.” 

Emily’s heart clenched at the love he was showing for you. More guilt flooded her mind as she watched him look at you with all the love a father would have for his daughter. Emily swallowed hard again, her nerves spiking for some reason as she took a few steps closer to your sleeping form. 

Alvez was kind enough to pull a chair closer to your hospital bed for both himself and Emily. They both sat at the opposite side of Rossi and Emily couldn’t help but keep her eyes glued to him for a minute. Part of her wondered, as she watched him gently stroke the top of your hand, if he’d ever accept her as your partner now. There was a suspicion he held for her since you started at the BAU and got closer to Emily that made her nervous to go public. She trusted Rossi with her life and she knew he felt the same, but did he trust her with you? Would he ever after this? 

Her eyes fell back down to your face, noticing a lock of your hair fallen on your cheek. With a shaking hand, Emily brushed the hair from your face, her fingertips brushing your skin as she did. Your face twitched for a moment and Emily retreated her hand, her body perking up. This was the first time you’ve moved. Another reminder that you were pulling through, Emily cherished that tiny twitch of your cheek like it held all the meaning in the world. No one else seemed to notice, but this small movement made Emily think touch might be the key to having you open your eyes. And, while Emily understood you needed time to wake up from the whole ordeal, she also so desperately needed to see you open her eyes. 

Unfortunately for her, you didn’t wake up any time soon. The remainder of the evening, you stayed asleep, something that the doctors reassured all of you was absolutely to be expected. For hours, Emily held one hand while Rossi held the other. Eventually, Tara came back with a change of clothes, to which Emily begrudgingly agreed to rip herself away from you and change. They were also all given food, to which Rossi and Alvez gladly took, but Emily refused. Tara opted to just leave it by her, in hopes she would feel up to eating soon. 

When it was becoming quite late, Tara, Alvez, and even Rossi planned to return to the hotel. However, Emily insisted on staying right there, in that chair, for the rest of the night. There was no way in hell you were going to wake up alone in that hospital room, she decided. Tara urged Emily to reconsider, saying she needed rest, but Emily insisted she would be fine sleeping right there on that hospital chair. Rossi remained quiet the whole time, eyeing the two of them discussing Emily’s decision, before Tara finally gave in and left with the others.

Emily didn’t really sleep, her eyes were glued to you the whole time. Her hand left yours, only to stroke your cheek as you slept. She whispered different things to you, talking about how much she loved you and how badly she felt. It was heartbreaking for her to sit here with you, even if you were going to be okay, there was still part of Emily that wouldn’t trust that until she could look into your eyes and hear your voice. 

When the sun rose and you still hadn’t opened your eyes, Emily’s anxiety was through the roof. A doctor eventually came in to check on you and as he did, Emily couldn’t stop the flood of questions she forced onto him about your condition. She was reassured over and over again this was to be expected, you’d wake up when you were ready, and that you were just fine as far as they knew. What she didn’t like hearing was the last comment, “we’ll know more when she’s awake.” As if there was some hidden threat to your health and wellbeing that none of the doctors knew yet. She dwelled on that thought for far too long. So long, in fact, that when afternoon came and the team all filed in to see you, she was still chewing on that piece of information.

Rossi, upon arrival, sat right back where he was the night before. This time a little more relaxed, his hands cradling a cup of coffee rather than your own like he did the night before. He seemed more confident, less shaken. Emily wished she could say the same about herself. 

When Tara came in to see you, she stopped next to Emily, her hand placed gently on yours with a pitying smile on her face as she looked down at your unconscious form. “You need to wake up soon,” she whispered to you. “Emily’s worried sick and I know you wouldn’t want her to worry.” Emily watched, knowing that you probably didn’t hear any of those words, but hearing Tara say them gave her an odd sense of reassurance that it was okay to be more open about her feelings for you. Maybe if Tara knew, the others did too. And if they didn’t, well at least it seemed like Tara was in Emily’s corner. 

“As for you,” Tara turned towards Emily. “Have you left this room?”

Emily looked up at Tara sheepishly. She was busted. Of course she hadn’t left. What if she missed it when you finally opened your eyes? Or worse. What if she missed it if your condition unexpectedly took a turn? 

“I’m sure you haven’t slept either,” Tara continued. “You need to at least eat something and maybe also walk around a little. It will be good for you.”

“I don’t want to leave her,” Emily insisted. “Not yet.”

“She’ll be right here when you get back.” This time it was Rossi who spoke. Emily was shocked at this, he hadn’t really said much to her since he blew up when you were in critical condition. Emily didn’t blame him for that, but she did think it would take awhile before he felt okay about her again. “She’s okay now, Emily. I wouldn’t have left if she wasn’t.” 

Rossi’s words hit Emily hard. It seemed like he knew more too, but Emily didn’t question it right now either. He would know eventually, especially after her behavior surrounding this ordeal. “Okay,” Emily’s voice broke as she spoke. “Okay, I could use some coffee.” 

Rossi nodded his approval and Emily stood on shaky legs. Her whole being screamed at her not to leave, but she knew she would be no help to anyone if she passed out from exhaustion. Plus, it did feel good to finally stretch her body after being hunched over you in that uncomfortable chair overnight. 

“But if anything happens,” Emily turned to speak again, “you call me immediately.” 

“Of course,” Tara reassured and Emily willed her legs again to move as she exited your room. 

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emily hated to admit they were all right. It felt good to stretch her legs and as she made her way back from the hospital cafeteria, the taste of warm coffee was comforting. She was already exhausted, practically running on empty before any of the team had returned to your hospital room. Hopefully, the coffee would give her a much needed boost. Or, at the very least, keep her awake long enough to see you open your eyes again. She really hoped it would happen soon. At this point, with each passing minute, it was getting more painful to see your unconscious body lying barely patched together in that hospital room. 

What Emily didn’t expect was that she didn’t have to wait much longer. As she rounded the corner to your hospital room, she heard louder, more animated talking than when the team first arrived to see you. She thought it was curious and her steps hastened as she made her way to the room. When she got to the doorway, she stopped in her tracks, her coffee slipping from her hands. 

The coffee hit the floor with a splatter, causing everyone to pause and look over to her, but she didn’t care at all. Right in front of her, she finally saw you, barely sitting up, but still in a different position than she had left you. More importantly, as she took in your form, her eyes moving from where your body had shifted all the way up to your face, she saw them. Curious, open eyes peering back at her. The eyes of the woman she loved so much, finally open and looking straight at her.

“Oh, thank god,” Emily whispered, taking long strides towards you. She practically pushed Reid out of the way to get to you, and then Alvez too, who was standing right at your side. “You’re awake,” Emily exhaled as she stopped right next to your bed. Her body was moving without her even thinking. Trembling fingers pressed themselves to either side of your face, much like they had when she found you trapped and bleeding in that car. This time, with gentle care, despite all her haste, she turned your face to hers and pressed her lips against yours for a long, but gentle kiss. 

“You’re awake,” she mumbled against your lips. “You’re awake, you’re awake.” Her lips pressed to yours again and you weakly kissed back. As much as you wanted to kiss her with as much emotion as she was giving you, you were still a bit dazed from everything. Still, relief flooded your body when her lips pressed to yours. The first thought when you woke, and were told of what happened, was how angry Emily might be. After all, she had insisted you stayed back to keep from getting hurt. And here you were, in a hospital room, recovering from a major surgery as a direct result of getting hurt on the job. 

Emily left another lingering kiss on your lips. “I love you,” she whispered between soft kisses. “I’m so sorry, I love you.”

A throat was cleared in the room and Emily snapped out of her stupor. She pulled back, guilty eyes looking over to Rossi, but hands never leaving you, just dropping to rest on your shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Emily repeated, this time to the whole room. “It’s just-”

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” you interrupted Emily before she could spiral. Your voice was hoarse as you spoke, trying your best to clear it, you knew you had some apologies to make. “I should’ve listened and stayed behind. I am so sorry, Emily.”

At this point, you honestly weren’t going to hide anymore of your emotions from the group. The cat was already out of the bag, what with Emily striding in, kissing you, and declaring her love for you in front of everyone. Plus, you were stuck hooked up to an IV and other odd wires, so you couldn’t move. It was rude to kick everyone out of the hospital room so you two could talk, but this couldn’t wait. She had to know how sorry you were.

“I know I worried you,” you continued. 

Emily was shaking her head furiously. “No, it’s not your fault and you’re right. I’m too overprotective.”

“That’s an understatement,” you heard Alvez snort from the back of the room. 

Emily turned back to glare, the tension in the room leaving when a few others chimed in with a chuckle. Now that you were awake, it was like everyone was able to breathe out. You seemed fine, the doctor that Tara grabbed when she noticed your eyes flutter open, promised you were fine. Emily was probably going to need a lot of convincing before she could truly trust that you were fine. Especially since she was out getting coffee when the doctor came, but it seemed some of her tension was even finally leaving. 

The whole group talked for a little bit, with Emily seated by your side again. Her hand gently and carefully trailed over your arm as all of you spoke. When requesting water, both Emily and Rossi jumped at the chance to get it for you. It was honestly a little endearing to see them act like this, but you couldn’t stop the roll of your eyes when Rossi beat her to get up and fetch a nurse for your request. 

When water was brought to you, Emily helped you sit up, a strong hand on your back as you winced while trying to move. The flash of pain in your face didn’t go unnoticed by Emily and a large frown was written on her face as she brought the cup of water to your lips. Rossi stayed silent, his eyes glued to the two of you, switching back and forth from watching your face and Emily’s.

“I figured it out yesterday,” he finally broke his own silence. “So, you and Emily are together then?”

You nodded hesitantly, Emily’s hand withdrawing from you for a moment in hesitation. 

“I knew there was something. How long have you two…” Rossi trailed off, letting either of you put a label to what you two were, not wanting to be too presumptuous himself.

“Oh!” Reid chimed in. “We have bets on- oof!” He was cut off by a strong elbow to the rib from Alvez, effectively shutting himself up. 

“Maybe about a month since I started at the BAU,” you said sheepishly, looking back at Rossi like you were a child who just got busted for cutting class. In the back of the room, you heard some whispering between some of the team, a couple of disappointed voices in who was wrong and who was right. It didn’t matter what they were saying though, both you and Emily had your eyes glued to Rossi, waiting for any sort of reaction.

His brow furrowed for a minute, a small frown playing on his lips. It was embarrassing that the heart monitor was giving away the increase in your heart rate, but no one seemed to comment.

“I wish you would’ve told me sooner,” Rossi finally sighed. “But if anyone were to date you,” he looked up at the two of you, “I’m glad it’s you, Emily. You’ll take good care of her.”

Emily nodded, her hand squeezing your arm where it rested. She looked down at you and you met her eyes, seeing all of the love she had for you fill them the instant they met. It seemed that everyone had approved of the two of you. Emily honestly felt a little silly and even more guilty about trying to keep the relationship a secret, but she also had never felt more relief in her life.

You were okay. The team and, more importantly, your father figure, knew about the two of you. Rossi was right, she would take care of you. She would make sure she didn’t hold you back, and she knew she still had some making up to do from that last fight in your hotel room, but she would do better. She had the second chance and you didn’t seem upset about it all. Instead, you both were just relieved to have each other. When you were healed and ready to get back to work, you both would talk, but Emily promised herself she would find a way to trust your capability a little more. You, meanwhile, promised yourself you would find more patience and understanding for her worry over you. 

This whole situation was terrifying for everyone involved, but you and Emily had to admit that you grew from it. As you regained your strength, your body wasn’t the only thing healing and strengthening. Your relationship was healing from the fight too and your love for each other, now that it was out in the open, was stronger than ever.

Taglist: @geekyandgay98 @desperate-gay @finleyfray @natashamaximoff69 @high--power @demonicbaby666 @storiesofsvu

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[ellieslittleburrow]

Masterlist

Hello there, peeps! 🥀🥀❣❣ Welcome. Ellie or Rusty here! I write for multiple fandoms, mostly Supernatural

Materlist on Rusty's

4am confort Masterlist

Supernatural :

Siblings (Dean/Sam Winchester x sister!reader)

Christmas time (Dean winchester x sister!reader)

Top Gun Maverick :

Balls of fire (Rooster Bradshaw x sister!reader)

Hannibal

Protective family(AU Sherlock Holmes/Hannibal Lecter x daughter/sister!reader)

S.W.A.T :

Drunk rookie (Team x Platonic!reader)

The witcher :

Geralt headcanons (Geralt x daughter!reader)

Enola Holmes :

The detectives (Sherlock/Enola holmes x sister!reader)

The Last Of Us :

A father like no other (Joel Miller x daughter!reader)

[mir-osik]

Magic is Here for You and Me - 1

Fandom: Triple Frontier Pairing: Frankie Morales x Fem!Reader Summary: While on vacation with his friends and daughter, a series of unexpected encounters makes Frankie wonder if 'happily ever after' isn't just for fairytales. Wordcount: 12.9k (Don’t look at me LOL) Rating: 18+ Minors DNI (Mostly soft given the nature of the fic, but there will be some spice at some point so just want to set my boundaries now :)) Warnings: children (Charlotte and her relationships with Frankie and the other guys feature heavily in this story so just in case kids aren’t your thing), widower!Frankie, brief mention of death post-pregnancy, mentions of grief, shorter-than-Frankie reader, eventual smut. The TF boys deserve their own warning.  Read this if you like: meet-cutes, repeated chance encounters, found family dynamics, three four men and a baby, match-making friends, tooth-rotting fluff, Disney World, vacation romances, and hot men being soft men.

Author’s Note: Takes place some years after the events of TF, there’s a minor discrepancy in when Charlotte was born, but it never comes up in the plot so we’re just going to suspend canon for it :) This is a wholly self-indulgent series and I know it won’t be for everyone. I spent a week at Disney World and saw so many hilarious interactions with children and their dads and ended up being super inspired to create an entire ‘The TF boys take Frankie’s kid to Disney World every year for her birthday’ fic and here we are! So this one’s for my Disney bishes who wish they could meet a Frankie Morales at Disney World :) Thank you in advance if you check this out, it’s my first reader fic and Pedro character fic, and I hope you enjoy it!   The title is part of a lyric from the song that plays during the current fireworks show at Magic Kingdom. P.S. Huge shoutout to Ren over at the-ginger-hedge-witch for letting me bother her with all my questions about posting reader fic, warnings, platforms and the like! She’s a gem!

Benny’s Disney World Itinerary: Chapter 1: Disney Springs Chapter 2: Epcot (7/29) Chapter 3: Animal Kingdom  Chapter 4: Rest & Recovery Part 1  Chapter 5: Hollywood Studios  Chapter 6: Magic Kingdom  Chapter 7: Rest & Recovery Part 2  Chapter 8: Epilogue

Disney Springs 

Benny has vacation planning for Charlotte Morales’ Disney World Birthday Extravaganza™ pretty much down to a science now, and thank god for it considering how disastrous the first year had been. He’d made the rookie mistake of cramming too much into too short a trip, and had grossly underestimated how much sleeping an infant actually did. 

And how cranky four grown men could get, even at the happiest place on earth. 

He’s picked up a trick or two over the last few years, like knowing how to cushion for a growing child’s unpredictable moods and naptime schedule, and accounting for the guys’ limits for theme parks and crowds. The end result has evolved into a rather solid itinerary. 

The first day in Orlando is easy, it’s always Frankie, Charlotte, and her honorary uncles checking into their resort by late afternoon. After settling in, they head over to Disney Springs — Disney World’s special retail, dining, and entertainment venue — for dinner and a little shopping. The days following are meant for the parks, with a rest day in the middle and one at the end of the trip before the flight home.

If you ask Frankie, the week is a good length of time to get the most out of not just the parks, but the vacation itself. Benny’s figured out the perfect balance of doing stuff and actually relaxing, and there’s no better remedy for all of the stress and responsibility of work and being a single dad, than having the opportunity to do absolutely nothing. 

They’re staying at Port Orleans Riverside this time, a first for them, and even he has to admit that Benny did well choosing a resort this year. The lobby is massive, the very picture of extravagance with its opulent period rugs and cherry wood furniture. Walking inside is like being transported directly back in time; he keeps expecting sharply dressed men with top hats and pocket watches tucked into their vests to round the corners, or to see women wearing hoop skirt gowns strolling across the floor, parasols clutched in hand. 

It’s silly, because they’re on vacation, but he almost feels underdressed in the faded jeans, gray t-shirt and flip flops he’d worn for the flight. Will lets out a low whistle beside him and Frankie knows without looking that he is sharing the same sentiment as he takes everything in.

Benny comes up behind them, slinging his arms around their shoulders and leaning against them with his sunglasses pushed down to the tip of his nose. The posture of a man entirely pleased with himself. 

“Go on, you can say it.”

“Say what?” Frankie asks, feigning ignorance and fighting back the little twitch of the corners of his mouth.

“That I’m amazing.”  

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Will replies, eyes dancing with mirth.

Benny is quick, tightening his arm around Will’s neck and snagging him in a playful chokehold. “Are you kidding me? For this? At the rate we got? I’ll remember that next year when I get rooms at the Grand Floridian and your wallet weeps, William.” 

Will ducks, twisting out of his brother’s grip and shoving at his shoulder lightly. He chuckles, readjusting the duffle bag on his shoulder and holding his hand up to catch the fist Benny swings in jest in his direction. 

Frankie has to give credit where credit is due, though, and he taps the bill of Benny’s hat. “You did good, Ben.” 

“Finally, someone who appreciates my efforts. Thank you, Fish.”

“I can’t work under these conditions!” Santiago calls, interrupting them. He’s several feet ahead, trying to wheel his two large suitcases and wrangle Charlotte at the same time. “Let’s go, you slowpokes!”

“Slowpokes! Slowpokes!” she giggles.

She looks like she’s doing her best to either pull Santi towards the General Store or escape the hold he’s got on her hand, Frankie can’t tell which. With Charlotte, it could be either or both.

“Why does he need two suitcases?” Will wonders, staring after them. “We’re only here for a week.”

“I’m actually concerned he only has two,” Benny mutters out the side of his mouth.

Frankie nudges him with his elbow. “What you really need to be concerned about is how long it’s going to take him to unpack.”

Will barks out a laugh at that while Benny throws his head back on an aggravated groan. 

“Fucking shit,” he grumbles.

“Come on you, knuckleheads!” 

“Yeah, knuckleheads!”

“Hey, watch that mouth, kid,” Frankie warns Charlotte. He gives Benny a sympathetic pat on the cheek before heading towards the check-in line to join her and Santiago. 

He notes that the lobby’s ceiling is high and only challenged in grandeur by a large, gleaming chandelier that hangs in the center of it. Despite the hour and the current illuminated state of the lobby, it glows warmly with light. His gaze moves to the white pillars lining the inner part of the floor, eyes tracing the ornate gold accents at the top and the thin lines of gold running down around the columns. Above the pillars, on the architrave, are the names of various Louisiana cities done up in elegant, capitalized letters that he can’t help but read while they wait.

Perhaps the most notable design feature, though, resides even further up, where decorative arch panels hide Mickey-shaped heads in plain sight. He makes sure to point them out to Charlotte, hoisting her up onto his hip when she reaches for him so she can get a better look. The way her face breaks into a grin when she recognizes the iconic silhouette serves as a sweet reminder of why they keep doing these trips.

Adjacent to the lobby entrance, a set of doors leads out onto a pier and a little marina with one dock. They were told that a manmade river runs through the entire resort, connecting it to the Port Orleans French Quarter next door. When they get out there, he sees that its waters are murky and dark, the sunlight catching on the rippling surface and making it glimmer a mysterious blue-black hue. 

Automatically, his eyes do a quick scan for gators. It’s unlikely they’ll see any; he knows the resorts have gotten really good about keeping their properties free of them, but he figures it couldn’t hurt just to be safe. He’s been out of active duty for years now, but the instinct to assess potential threats has never really gone away, especially with a small child around. If anything, having Charlotte has only continued to enhance that particular skill set.

The rest of the views are like a scene out of one of Charlotte’s picture books — cloudless blue skies, grassy riverbanks, trees everywhere. Pretty in all its greenness, magical in its tranquility. Impressive, Frankie thinks, and picture perfect. 

As if to prove his point, a very large family stops off on one of the bridges above the river, cellphones at the ready. The chaos of attempting to get everyone into frame makes him glad their own group is so small in comparison.

A cool breeze ruffles his hair, drawing his attention to the way it brushes at his cheeks and offsets the heat of the sun. With it, a sugary sweetness permeates the air and has him lifting his nose up for a deeper inhale. The smell is familiar to him — warm, buttery, comforting. 

Benny grins at him.

“Beignets,” he sighs, as if the scent alone were enough to satisfy his sweet tooth. He points in the general direction of Riverside’s sister resort. “They’ve got Mickey-shaped ones at French Quarter. We can pop in on Wednesday sometime.” 

He tosses a look at Charlotte. “What do you think, Charlie? You want some Mickey beignets?”

“Yeah!” she agrees, nodding enthusiastically.

Frankie’s fairly certain Charlotte has no clue what a beignet is, but he knows that she’s figured out that if her tío Ben is asking, it likely will involve something to her benefit — usually something sweet for them to share. 

As they keep making their way down the pier, he glances over to a quaint, brick-red water wheel attached to the end of the main building. He’s never been to the Old South, which is what the resort is meant to mimic, but he’s once again struck by how charmed he is by all the architecture, vegetation and general ambiance of the property. 

All the thoughtful little details shouldn’t surprise him. If there’s one thing Disney knows how to do, it’s create an experience.

“Daddy, look!” 

Charlie’s little gasp makes his head turn and he catches sight of a cream and blue ferry boat chugging slowly into port. It reminds him that the river serves an additional purpose: providing a water taxi service to Disney Springs. Their resort is the only one with that specific perk, a fact the front desk clerk had made it a point to boast about.

A fact that’s proven to be of extreme interest to Charlotte. She’s already begging for them to take it when they go later, her “Please, please, please, please” combined with her big puppy-dog eyes leaving Frankie and the boys little room to argue or deny her request. 

Frankie sighs exaggeratedly, matching her smile and poking at the dimple in her cheek. The twin to his. 

“If we must,” he says. 

“Yes, Daddy, we must,” she echoes, her serious tone negated by the way she jumps up and down excitedly. “Right, Tío Will?” He’s the closest in proximity to her, so his validation is naturally required.

“That’s right, French Fry, you’re the birthday girl,” Will nods indulgently. 

Charlotte catches one of Will’s hands, pleased by his answer. She keeps chattering absentmindedly at him while they walk — pointing out trees and the birds she spots in them, asking if alligators live in the river, when they can go to the pool, and if she can have a Mickey waffle for dinner.

Will is unbothered by her chattiness, he’s got patience for her in spades and is always attentive like she has the most important things to say. Even when it takes her a hundred years to get a sentence out or she repeats the same thing ten times. Frankie shakes his head in amusement, listening in on their conversation while he wheels his and Charlie’s suitcases after them.

The wood beneath their feet soon turns to pavement and rustic-looking buildings with tin roofs begin to come into view. Many of them are tucked off the main walkway, along more winding paths. They’re staying on the bayou side of the resort, so the swamp vibes are accentuated by bald cypress trees hanging over decorative ponds between the buildings. 

It wouldn’t be a Disney World trip if they didn’t get lost on at least one wrong turn on the way to the rooms. Especially with Santiago and Benny insisting they each are reading the resort maps more correctly than the other. 

“Ben, I’m looking at the map right here, I’m telling you, we have to go that way.”

“Listen old man, I’m looking at the map too and I’m telling you, it’s this way!”

“Can we go over here?” Charlotte asks innocently, smiling up at their scowls and making Will reach around to cover her mouth with his hand, effectively silencing her before she can get herself into any more trouble.

Settling in is a relatively easy endeavor once they finally get to where they need to be, the only one who ever gives them any trouble is Santi. He has a habit of unpacking his suitcase in its entirety in preparation for the week, and it tends to take an hour longer than Benny has the attention span for. With two suitcases this year, Frankie imagines it’ll be twice that.

Once Benny shoves his luggage into the corner of his own room — never to be opened until he’s rushing to get ready the next day — he meanders over to Santi’s to lay face down, spread-eagle on the bed. He lets his displeasure loose, whining into the mattress while the other man organizes his things.

“I’m hungry,” Benny complains, drawing out the vowels on the second word. 

“Ben, you’re a grown-up with a wallet, go to the General Store or the food court and grab a snack.” 

“It’s not the same!” he huffs, turning his head to watch Santi neatly stack socks, undergarments, and sleep attire inside the drawers.

“If you help me, this would go faster.”

“I would rather be eaten by the crocodile from Peter Pan.”

“Tick-Tock, Tío Benny!” Charlie chimes in.

She likes to be in there during this process too, giggling as she lays across Benny’s back and listening to Santi explain the benefits of putting things in their proper places while on a trip. It’s the same spiel he’s given since the first one they all did four years ago, but Charlotte doesn’t mind. 

Even if she doesn’t always grasp the things he tells her, she likes to listen to him talk. She always has, since she was a baby. Frankie can’t even count the number of times he had called his friend in the middle of the night with a screaming infant in the background. His apology wouldn’t even be halfway out of his mouth before Santi would just simply brush it off.

“Put the baby on the phone, Fish, before she makes herself sick.” 

He would tell Charlie stories, drowsily building fantastical worlds about whatever came to mind. Princesses. Puppies. Wizards. Anything and everything. Sometimes he’d recount shenanigans the team used to get up to, stupid shit that had Frankie chuckling quietly with nostalgia. Other times he would sing softly to her, Spanish lullabies his mamá sang to him when he was a kid himself, or Frank Sinatra or Etta James — the kid had an ear for the classics. 

There were even nights where Santi would just come over, shuffling in wearing his slippers, pjs and bathrobe. He’d look so haggard, eyes bleary and curls sticking up every which way. Wordlessly, he would take Charlotte from Frankie and sit with her in the rocking chair in the nursery, murmuring to her until she calmed down and they both fell asleep exactly where they were.

So when she still seeks him out, eager for the comfort of his voice even after all this time, Frankie knows he’s more than happy to oblige. Santi smiles at her affectionately, and then resumes his unpacking. 

Shirts, light sweaters and weather-appropriate jackets are hung up next, coordinated by color on the wall racks. He brings his own pants hangers, of course, and Benny can’t contain his eye roll when Santi pulls them out of his suitcase. Toiletries follow suit, set on the counter in the bathroom before chargers (yes, multiple) are plugged into the outlet near his nightstand. He places an umbrella on the table in the corner just in case, for unexpected rainy days. 

Meanwhile, Frankie and Will usually set aside their suitcases for later so they can catch a cab or an Uber to the closest grocery store. They like to stock up on water instead of paying for the inflated prices in the parks, plus Will always insists on grabbing some healthier snack options for Charlie to munch on, rather than giving her park food all day. 

By the time they make it back, drop off their haul, and change for dinner, Benny’s dragging Santi out of the room by headlock. The ruckus is only worsened by Charlie latching herself onto Santi’s leg koala-style. 

“Mutiny!” Benny yells.

“Mutiny!” Charlie repeats, laughing like a hyena. “Hi, Daddy! Hi, Tío Will! Tío Santi’s our prisoner and we’re pirates of the Carry-bean!”

“Good job, French Fry,” Will grins, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels as he surveys the scene and her handiwork. “Don’t be afraid to use your teeth either, just like I taught you.”

Santi scowls at Will. “Carlota Xiomara Morales, do not bite me! And it’s Caribbean!”

Frankie rolls his eyes at them. There isn’t any heat behind the gesture, but he knows he needs to put an end to this chaos now, otherwise Santi will take Benny to the ground and they’ll wrestle right past their dinner reservation. He makes a show of grabbing Charlie around the waist and throwing her over his shoulder. 

“Alright, ye scallywags, it’s time to set sail.”

She giggles some more, kicking her feet while she hangs upside down. It’s an old routine, one she very much delights in, but it gets the point across and the guys all fall in line behind them, their easy banter and laughter following him and Charlotte all the way to the docks. 

When they arrive at the venue, it becomes apparent very fast that they’ve picked a busy night to head out there. Even from the docks, he can tell that the music normally playing over the speakers is muffled by the chatter of the crowd. There’s so many people, it almost feels like a park in and of itself.

If he had known it was going to be this lively, he might have suggested staying in for the evening and just ordering a pizza, but he knows the first night dinner is the only opportunity he’ll have to acclimate to the crowds and energy unique to Disney World. The frazzled parents and rowdy children, the bright-eyed first-timers and the seasoned annual pass holders, the obscenely long waits for everything — it can be a lot at times, and he always prefers to ease his way into the trip rather than diving in headfirst.   

After they disembark, Frankie takes a second to bundle Charlie into a Haunted Mansion sweater, a thoughtful early birthday gift from Will’s best friend, Jasmine. It’s bright purple with the hitchhiking ghosts screen printed on the front in black and Charlotte absolutely loves it. He already has his doubts that he’ll be able to get her to wear anything else the rest of the week. 

She holds her arms up when he’s finished, silently asking to be picked up, and it makes his heart ache sweetly in his chest. He knows these moments will fade away soon enough, so he always makes it a point to treasure them at every opportunity. 

He scoops her into his arms and settles her against his hip, pressing his lips absentmindedly to her cheek. She reaches up to rub at the spot where he kissed her, where his scruff likely tickled, and he smiles at the way her nose scrunches up at him.

“Can I have a cookie now?” she asks, giving him that doe-eyed look she knows he can’t resist. 

“If you finish your dinner.” 

They’re working on compromising. 

“Okay,” she sighs, and her pout looks so much like his, he wants to laugh.

“Okay,” he agrees, then, whispering conspiratorially, “But I bet you could get your tío Santi to get you that Little Mermaid bubble wand over there.”

He tilts his head towards the shop they’re coming up on and Charlie’s eyes light up like the Grinch before he steals Christmas. She wiggles to get down and Frankie chuckles softly as he watches her skip over to Santiago. Santi’s head tips towards her when she approaches, and from the smile on his face, Frankie knows he’s already wrapped around Charlotte’s finger before her hand even slips into his.

They're still early for their reservation at the restaurant that Will’s picked, so once they’ve secured Charlie’s bubble wand, they continue taking their time heading over there. The shops haven’t changed too much over the years, but there’s several they still frequent every visit.  It doesn’t take long for Frankie’s mood to shift. It’s easy to be affected by that buzz in the air, the kind that only Disney magic can create, and he can’t deny that he’s already starting to unwind and enjoy himself. 

Benny’s had a lot of idiotic ideas in his life, but scheduling that surprise first trip none of them had wanted to go on, forcing them to do it anyway, and turning it into an annual thing is definitely one of his better ones. 

By the time dinner finally rolls around, Frankie is famished. Their group ends up in the outdoor seating area of an Irish restaurant and pub called, ‘Ragland Road.’ The table is a little cozy for five, making it difficult to get all the plates situated; he keeps knocking elbows with Will and confusing his and Santi’s drinks, but all of that is easy to ignore when the atmosphere is so homey and comfortable.

There’s a live band in the middle of a set playing a song he doesn’t know. The beat is cheerful in a folkish, knee-slapping way, and his lack of familiarity doesn’t stop him from tapping his foot along while he eats. When he catches Charlie wiggle-dancing in her seat as she takes a bite of potato cake Santi offers to her, he smiles at the sight.

The food is delicious and judging by the nearly finished state of the other plates around the table, the others would agree. Even Charlotte eats most of her meal, a huge feat to say the least, and he deems it another win for the Miller brothers. Between the resort and the restaurant, the trip is off to a great start. 

Early into the evening, one of the staff had turned on the heat lamps strategically placed between tables, helping to ward off the nighttime chill. Frankie shed his jacket a while ago, having been warmed further by his meal and the beer he had as an accompaniment. He’s pushed his chair back a little, too, sliding down his seat so he can lean back and stretch his legs, take the pressure off his stomach. 

He can tell the day’s catching up to him. Travel fatigue, in combination with being full and content, begins to weigh on his shoulders and make his mind feel a little sluggish, like he’s watching everything from behind a fog. 

A bed sounds nice, and so does sleep for that matter, but the guys are chatty tonight and many years of experience has taught him that they’ve got at least another hour in them before calling it a day. He doesn’t mind too much; he’s happy just to sit and listen to them trade stories and laughs over another round of drinks.

They reminisce about the old days and catch up on life, not an unusual occurrence for them as they do this already at least once a week. The result of a camaraderie forged in military service and a brotherhood kept long after retirement. 

There are dinners and weekend BBQs, random visits throughout the week. Hell, even game nights if Benny can get them drunk enough. Sometimes evenings at the local dive bar, so long as Frankie can find a sitter. Still, despite the regular meetups, it’s nice to be in a different setting and away from the ‘everyday’ of their lives for once.

“Daddy, I want to go on the balloon ride!” 

Charlotte’s voice cuts through his thoughts, reminding him of the hot air balloon they’d seen earlier on their way to the restaurant. It’s been a number of years that they’ve been coming out here, but they have yet to actually ride it.

“Sorry, kid,” Santi tells her, tugging playfully on one of her curls. “The balloon ride is already closed. How about we finish coloring-”

“I don’t want to color anymore!”

Her pitch is one octave away from tantrum levels and Frankie frowns.

“Charlotte.” 

She pauses for a second, contemplates the warning tone in his voice and knows she’s toeing quite closely to a reprimand. She ends up huffing anyway, “Well, I don’t!” 

It surprises him, the way she snaps back, and it takes him a second to regroup.

“Alright,” he replies slowly, calmly. “That’s fine. You don’t have to color anymore if you don’t want to. But we can say that without yelling at people, okay?”

“That right, French Fry,” Will chimes in. “Sometimes if you yell at people, it can hurt their feelings, and you don’t want to hurt Santi’s feelings, do you?” 

She eyes the both of them stubbornly, bottom lip poking out in a pout. He can see the way her mind is weighing out the repercussions of whatever she decides to say next and it simultaneously terrifies him and fills him with so much pride witnessing how clever and astute she is even at her young age. Eventually she shakes her head and Frankie runs his hand soothingly down her hair. 

“I bet Santi would feel better if you said ‘sorry’ to him. What do you think?” 

Charlotte turns her head towards Santiago, who is doing a terrible job of trying to conceal his smile. He breaks as soon as she lifts her arms and wraps them around his neck, leaning down to draw her tighter against him. 

“Sorry,” she mumbles.

“For?” Frankie prompts.

“For yelling.”

Santi presses a kiss to her temple and pats her comfortingly on the back. “You’re alright, pescadito. Thank you for apologizing, that’s very good manners.” 

She’s tired, he mouths to Frankie, resting his cheek on her head when she keeps close.

He gets it, travel days are difficult enough as it is for regular adults and he imagines they’re even worse for tiny humans. Plus, there’s only so much coloring a kid can do on their placemat before they start getting antsy. But now that she’s gotten a little older and her attention span has gotten shorter, he’s started to notice that his sweet little girl is becoming a bit of a pint-sized demon. 

When Charlie peeks out from her hiding spot in Santi’s neck, Benny beckons her over to him with a few crooks of his finger. 

“Carlota, mi tesoro,” he sing-songs.

Frankie smiles at that. Benny’s accent is terrible beyond belief, but Frankie appreciates the effort he and Will have been putting in to learn Spanish in their free time. 

Charlotte’s sad little pout transforms almost immediately as her tío Ben takes her hand. He gets up to twirl her beside the stage with the band’s latest tune playing in the background. Out of all of them, Benny’s always been the best at being able to redirect an impending meltdown and getting some of that energy out. Probably because he has it in equal measure. 

The knot loosens in his chest with the situation effectively diffused. Her tantrums don’t happen all the time, thankfully, but when they do, they’re definitely not fun for either of them. While he’s doing his best to parent her through this new stage in her development, he’s finding it more challenging than he anticipated.

He’s never been more grateful that he’s got extra sets of hands to help him with Charlotte than during moments like these with the guys having his back. Teaching her, guiding her, loving her as deeply as he does. Loving her as if she were their own. It truly takes a village.

Frankie grins watching Benny and Charlotte together. Her dark hair fans out around her as she spins under his arm again, and the dimple in her cheek deepening with her smile is only further sweetened by her joy. He can feel his heart light up with her bright peals of laughter and he hopes that she always feels like this: carefree, happy, cherished. That’s all he could ever want for her.

As the night winds down, and Charlotte’s energy finally begins to wane, she climbs into Frankie’s lap to snuggle into his chest. Her little cheek presses right over his heart and the easy way she makes herself comfortable against him makes him sigh happily. He’s only half-listening to Santi chat about a woman he met at a bar recently. It’s decidedly inappropriate conversation for a five year-old anyway, so he’s glad Charlie picked that moment to fall asleep. 

Her breathing evens out despite Benny’s antics and boisterous teasing over Santi’s taste in women. Or rather, the kind of women often attracted to him. 

Frankie rests his hand reflexively over the back of his daughter’s head when Benny laughs again. The gesture soothes him as much as it’s meant to soothe her and keep her with her dreams.

When he glances up, he catches Will watching them, the other man’s smile soft around his eyes. Will leans forward slightly, lifting his hand to rub his thumb over a smear of chocolate on Charlie’s cheek. 

Frankie brushes a kiss across her brow, taking in the sight of the guys around the table. They’ve been just this way hundreds of times before, hundreds more since Charlotte had come into their lives. It’s an image that is comforting in its familiarity, safe in its constancy, and he feels incredibly blessed to be celebrating another year of his daughter’s life in her favorite place, with all her favorite people. Mainly because they’re his too.

“One hundred dollars she tells you she misses you before the week is up,” Benny tells Santi, pointing a finger at him.

“She’s not like that,” Santi argues, throwing one of the leftover fries from Charlotte’s plate at his head. 

Benny ducks out of the way at the last second but Santi is anticipating him and reaches over to flick his finger against Benny’s forehead when his lean puts him within striking distance. Benny swears under his breath, swatting Santi’s hand away playfully.

“She’s sweet,” Santi continues. “But she’s got her own things going on, you know? And thank god for that.”

“I don’t know, man, you’ve got a history.”

“What do you mean, ‘a history?’ A history of what, Ben?” Santi doesn’t snap, but his eyebrows pinch together with the question.

Benny looks to Will and Frankie for back-up, a habit ingrained from their days in the field, and gestures at Santi.  

Frankie merely shakes his head and laughs quietly. “Ohh, no, no, no, no. Nope. I’m staying out of this one.”

Will shrugs beside him, and Frankie’s brow lifts in surprise as their eyes meet. It’s obvious that Will’s feeling loose-tongued tonight, and unafraid of the consequences; his smirk is all mirth as he raises his beer to his mouth for another sip. 

“What Ben’s trying to say is that you’ve got a history, Pope…” Will claps Benny on the back as if to reiterate the point. “Of dating stage five clingers.”

Santi is unfazed by that assessment, however, and he doesn’t miss a beat as he leans back and rests his hands on the back of his head. “Well, when the dick is just that good-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Frankie’s response is immediate and protesting as he covers Charlie’s ear with one of his hands. 

Will chokes on his beer, moving forward to let the fizzy liquid drip down onto the floor instead of all over him while he laughs through a coughing fit. Frankie, ever in dad mode, holds out a napkin to him with his free hand, glaring at Santi all the while. Benny just groans, dunking his fingers in his water glass before shaking the droplets at the older man. 

“Hey, man,” Frankie chastises. “This is a family establishment!”

“Family establishment!” Santi says, his eyes positively gleaming. He shifts and holds his hand out towards Charlie. “She’s asleep! She’s not gonna know!”

“Yeah, but the kids at the next table have ears, pendejo, and so do their parents!” 

Frankie has a couple more choice words for him in Spanish that make Santi snort with laughter but he holds his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright, alright. For the sake of little ears, we’ll keep it clean.”

It takes them another minute to all settle down again, the last bits of jesting and laughter filling the air. Once they do, Santi suddenly turns serious, and his gaze falls to him and Charlie. He nods at Frankie when Frankie’s eyebrow arches up questioningly. 

“Hey, what about you, Fish, huh?” 

He stills, eyeing his friend carefully. “What about me?”

Santi’s shrug is casual but Frankie knows him better than that. 

“You think you’re ever gonna get back out there again?” 

“Out where?” He keeps his tone nonchalant, his posture relaxed despite feeling his hands beginning to grow damp.

“We know you’re not that dense, in the dating pool,” Benny speaks up, reaching across Santi to pilfer one of the uneaten pickles off Charlie’s plate and grinning like a pirate. 

Frankie wrinkles his nose at that, inhaling deeply while he thinks on his answer. Truthfully, with Charlotte getting older, the thought may have crossed his mind a few times. Albeit very fleetingly and far between. 

He reaches up, rubbing at his bottom lip with his thumb and attempting to mask his anxiety behind the casual gesture. “Honestly, I don’t know, man. I’ve been so focused on Charlotte, it hasn’t been a priority.”

Benny whistles lowly in response and Frankie’s eyes drop to the table, his composure threatening to fissure under the combined weight of their attention. His emotional wounds begin to ache at the seams, dull yet insistent despite the many years he’s had to heal, and he wonders if he even ever really did. After his wife’s unexpected and tragic passing, his whole world has been nothing but his little girl and he’s just…never needed more than that. Never allowed himself to look beyond that. 

“I mean, it’s fine. We’re doing okay just the two of us, I think.” 

“Yeah, but how long has it been? Don’t you have…needs?” Benny wonders, eyebrows arching suggestively.

“Jesus Christ, Ben,” Frankie grimaces, feeling his face warm at the sudden scrutiny of his personal life. “Look, I’m not celibate if that’s what you’re asking!”

Will chucks his crumpled up napkin at Benny’s head. “Why you so interested in Fish’s sex life, huh?”

“Yeah, is your own a little lacking there, Ben?” Santi retorts with a snicker.

Benny, predictably, rises to the occasion, defensive and boasting about his own recent conquests. Frankie’s grateful for the redirection of the conversation, but with the truth laid bare and now at the forefront of his mind, he finds himself distracted from the rest of their heckling.

Sure, there’s been the occasional fling here and there, some one night stands just to scratch the itch, but nothing ever serious, and certainly not serious enough to disrupt Charlie’s life with.

Besides, Frankie’s grown quite comfortably into this version of his life without romantic love. He’d had to pivot in a way he’d never imagined, from husband and new father in one breath, to widower and single dad in the next. His entire world had plunged into a tailspin, and he’d nearly lost himself in the turbulent spiral of his shock and incomprehensible grief. 

There had been many days where he just didn’t know how he was going to make it, where trying to balance the loss of her with raising their newborn child was too much to bear. She was his match, the love of his life, his partner in every way, and the abrupt absence of her had been debilitating, his heartbreak suffocating. He could never seem to catch his breath, choking on the air trapped in his lungs until they started to burn, until they felt near exploding, and even then, simply enduring.

Anything could set him off: seeing her toothbrush in the holder next to his, realizing he poured two cups of coffee in the morning instead of one, her favorite song on the radio. Even Charlotte smiling for the first time. That was perhaps the most difficult, all the little things and all the big things she’d missed and would continue to miss where their daughter was concerned. 

But even in that darkness, even with all that despair, the light had always been Charlotte. She could steady him with a look, ground him with the grasp of her tiny hand around his finger, soothe him by simply needing him in the ways that infants need someone to care for them. To be fed, changed, held, loved. 

And so he did. 

And bit by bit she’d forced him to piece the broken shards of himself together. It hadn’t been easy and some of the pieces never really fit back properly, the remaining shapes made too small by his unending pain or too big by his lingering rage, but what had remained of himself he’d simply given wholly to her. He’d endeavored to be the kind of father she deserved, the kind of man her mother would have been proud of.

Some days it almost felt wrong to keep living the way that they had, to keep having those little slivers of happiness — her first steps, her first birthday, her first word (“dada”) — when half of Frankie’s heart was missing. He knows that’s what she would have wanted, but it never made it any easier. 

There’s a bittersweet ache in his chest now, soothed only mildly by their daughter’s weight against him. He rarely speaks her name aloud anymore, but he still thinks of her everyday. 

Time has stolen so much from him, though. It’s just…the shape of her in his memory now. An image no longer as crisp or clear as it once had been, the tangibility of her — her smell, her touch, her voice — all things he can barely remember anymore. But she still exists in other ways. 

Snapshot moments in his mind, seconds of the life they once shared. Her smile the first time he tried to flirt with her. Her eyes welling with tears when he slipped her wedding band onto her finger. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed too hard. How pretty she looked in his t-shirts with her lips kiss-swollen and hair all mussed from his fingers. 

She hated folding clothes even though she didn’t mind washing them. 

She liked paperbacks over hardcovers, but disliked creased spines. 

She played Sudoku like a champ. 

She used to order onion rings as the side with her burger despite preferring fries because he liked onion rings more. His own were never enough, and he didn’t figure that out until after she was gone.

He thinks back to Santi’s question again, turning it over and over in his mind. The answer remains elusive, and perhaps it always would be. But that’s probably for the best. 

He’s already experienced a big, big love once, and maybe once is all he gets. Maybe once will just have to be enough. 

It would save him some disappointment, at least. Preemptively stave off any potential heartbreak — not just his, but Charlie’s as well. He couldn’t put them through something like that again. Not after everything they’ve been through.

He glances around at the table again, rubbing a hand over Charlie’s back. He’s not even sure what the guys are talking about anymore, but their laughter feels like a salve for his reopened wounds. So does Charlotte’s quiet snores. 

And if this is all he gets for the rest of his life, this brotherhood, this camaraderie and family, and the generous love of his kid…he could be okay with that, he thinks. 

Later, as they’re headed back to the resort for the night, Santi elbows him lightly in the ribs to get his attention and he turns his head towards his friend.

“Hey, about earlier,” Santi says quietly, just between the two of them. “Sorry if we overstepped.”

Frankie shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it, Pope, it’s fine.”

“For what it’s worth, Fish, you and that kid deserve the world, and whatever that means for you, whatever that looks like, we’re always gonna have your back.”

“But?” 

“What do you mean ‘but,’ there’s no ‘but.’”

“With you, Pope, there is always a ‘but,’” he smiles.

Santi rolls his eyes at him. “Alright, but…” 

He trails off, inhaling deeply. Instinctively Frankie braces for the blow.

“You deserve a second chance at love. Juliana would want that for you.” 

Santi shrugs then, clapping him lightly on the back. The gesture is meant to be casual, but Frankie feels the pressure of it all the same, just as he feels the heaviness of hearing Juliana’s name spoken out loud. A punch to the gut that has his hold tightening around Charlotte’s small frame. 

“You’re a good dad and a good man, and some women find you easy on the eyes, though I can’t imagine why-” 

Frankie reaches out with his fist, knocking Santiago lightly against his jaw and making him laugh as he maneuvers out of reach.

“I’m just saying, you’ve got a lot of stuff going for you still. It couldn’t hurt to see what’s out there! You might be surprised.”

Frankie hums noncommittally at the advice, adjusting his daughter in his arms as they approach the buses meant to shuttle them back to the resort.

“Yeah, maybe someday,” he mumbles, more for Santi’s benefit than his. 

But he couldn’t have known that maybe that day was closer than he realized.

You love Disney World, truly, you do. But it’s almost criminal that there’s this many people at Disney Springs on a Monday night. Particularly during what should have been one of the least busiest weeks to go. It’s well after the holiday rush of Christmas and New Year’s but it doesn’t appear like everyone’s gotten the memo. 

Bus after bus comes to take people back to their resorts and your little group of four frustratingly continues to end up on none of them. The line is moving, though. You can tell simply because eventually you’ll realize you’re in a different place in it than you were ten minutes ago. 

Closer to the front, but somehow still not close enough to get on an actual shuttle. It imitates a park ride wait so perfectly, like an adult version of ‘Are we there yet?’ except you are both the impatient child and the irritated parent.

Disney magic at its finest. 

“Is there a single rider option for this?” Your best friend, Taylor, mutters under her breath from her place behind you. 

The question makes your mouth twitch at the corners, but as another bus pulls away from the curb, and another round of disappointed sighs and quiet grumbling goes up through the crowd, you can’t help but agree with the sentiment. At this point, you wouldn’t mind standing so long as you actually get back to the resort soon. Tomorrow is your first day in the parks and you and your friends are all eager to shower the day off before going to bed and resting up. 

There’s little else to do while you wait for the next ride so you reach into your bag for your phone to check the time. You have to plan for tomorrow, calculate exactly how many hours you have until you have to get up. The number determines your sleep schedule and whether you do the long or shortened version of your nighttime routine, especially because you still have to decide on an outfit and allot time for getting ready in the morning. Oh, and making a coffee and breakfast run.

Your fingers dig around inside the purse, brushing against crumpled receipts, a tube of lip balm, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer before you frown. 

Huh. That’s weird.

You grasp the bag, pulling it further in front of you so you can actually see while you’re rifling through it. Every item you know to be in there is mentally checked off as you touch each one: wallet, passport, some loose change from when you paid cash for a water bottle at the airport convenience store, dinner and shopping receipts, lip balm, sanitizer. 

Everything is all accounted for; everything, that is, except your phone. 

“Shit,” you mutter. 

The panic hits you quick and sharp. You try to tamper the feeling down but it’s too late, you’re already on edge and the way your stomach clenches tells you that you’re spiraling fast. This is the very last thing you need on the first day of your trip, your mind racing with thoughts of fraudulent charges, emptied bank accounts, and scam emails being sent to your entire address book. 

And what the hell are you going to do if you need to have all your cards canceled while you’re out here?

One of your other friends, Sasha, gives you a quizzical look as you start patting yourself down. Your movements are frantic, hands flitting between your jacket pockets, jean pockets and back on a second pass just to be sure.

“You okay?” she wonders, her voice concerned. 

Your eyes flit downwards in a frenzied scan across the pavement as you search between people’s feet on the off-chance you may have simply dropped it. But then in your periphery you catch sight of a young boy just as he drops a piece of chocolate. It lands by his shoe and he’s quick to lean down for it, but his mother’s reflexes are quicker. She grabs onto his arm before he can take it back and attempt to put it in his mouth. 

Shit. The Ganachery.

You can see it so clearly in your mind, how you’d been taking photos of the chocolate in the displays before setting your phone down on the counter when one of the employees came by and offered a sample. Absentminded and careless and entirely your mistake. 

“I left my phone at The Ganachery,” you sigh, the sound frustrated and grouchy as your fingers press into your temple where you can feel a headache starting to brew.

“What?” Taylor leans over your shoulder, her ears ever sharp. Automatically, her gaze drops to the ground as well. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I don’t have it.”

“You checked your pockets? What about your jacket? Your bag?”

She means well, logically you know this, but there’s nothing more irritating when you’re on the verge of a minor crisis than someone trying to tell you to do the things you’ve already done. Another agitated sigh escapes between your lips. 

“I have to go back,” you announce, wasting no time unclipping one of the ropes helping to designate the boarding line for the buses so you can slip out of line.

Reese, the fourth in your friend group, pokes her head out from behind Sasha’s. Her phone already tucked to her ear, no doubt attempting to call yours. 

“I’ll go with you, so you don’t have to be alone on the way back.”

You wave her off. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll be quick. I’ll meet y’all back in the room!” 

But Reese is insistent, saying your name in protest.

“Seriously, it’s okay! Just save me some hot water!” you tease, hoping your easy tone placates her.

She cups her hands around her mouth so her voice carries and you don’t miss the instruction. “Fine, but text when you find it and are on your way back!” 

You give her a thumbs up before you turn, speed walking out of sight and back into Disney Springs. In all the years that you’ve been coming out here, you’ve never lost anything once, let alone something as important as your phone. It’s hard not to beat yourself up over it, your anxiety a heavy weight in your stomach as you make your way against the flow of traffic. 

There’s a startled ‘Oof!’ that reaches your ears when you inadvertently bump into someone, but it does little to slow you down. All you can manage is a hurried ‘Sorry!’ while you breeze by. You miss the way they turn after you when you go, only left with the vague sense that you’d run into some guy in a hat holding a kid. Oh well, fingers crossed he’d at least heard your apology.  

Your frayed nerves only begin to calm once the shop’s sign finally comes into view, and it pushes you to jog the last few steps, bursting through the double door entrance in dramatic fashion. The irresistible scent of sweetened cocoa slams into you, but it’s the looks from the employees and other customers that stop you in your tracks.  

“Hi,” you greet the person behind the register, the word breezy and rushed as it trips out of your mouth. You recognize them, but aren’t sure if they recognize you. “Sorry, I was just in here about fifteen minutes ago with my friends. Did you happen to find a-”

“Phone?” The device is held up in their hand with a cheerful smile.

“Yes. Thank you so much!” Your shoulders sag with immediate relief. “You’re a lifesaver!”

“No problem, I was hoping you’d notice before you went back to your resort. Your friend called to let us know you were on your way to grab it.” 

You cringe with mild embarrassment while you approach the register and your phone gets passed to you. Of course Reese did, she is notorious for being the ‘Mom friend’ of the group.

“Have a good night!” they say cheerfully, waving goodbye at you. 

With your phone safely clutched to your chest, you back into one of the doors and push it open with your hip to leave. Now that you’ve caught your breath and the adrenaline is slowly working its way out of your system, your walk back to the shuttles is at a much more leisurely pace. 

You notice the crowd has thinned out some since you had come through just minutes before, and that only the last stragglers looking to close out Disney Springs remain. You figure they’re staying to either make the night last just a little longer or wait for a less cramped ride back to their resorts. If you weren’t looking to catch some extra sleep, you might have entertained the latter yourself. 

To your surprise, the boarding area for the Port Orleans resorts is much less crowded than when you had left earlier too. After you’ve shuffled your way back into line, you predict that the likelihood of you actually getting to sit for the ride back is looking pretty good, and though that comfort is merely just a little thing, sometimes the little things make all the difference.

You pick a seat near the front as you enter, planning ahead for easy access to an exit when it’s time to get off later, and busy yourself with your phone while you wait for other passengers to board and settle in. 

The group chat is popping, 67 messages waiting for you as indicated by the red bubble on the top corner of your app. It’s mostly the other girls sharing photos from the day, with the occasional snarky text about Sasha’s horrible photography skills and Taylor’s obsession with food aesthetic photos. 

You skim the rest of the messages, making a mental note to add your own photos later and to look at and save all the others at some point. At the bottom, Reese’s ‘Are you on your way back?’ is waiting for you and you let them know that you’re on the bus now and will be at the resort soon. A series of messages come in rapid-fire succession.

Sasha Vasiliev  Be safe!

Reese Fraser Don’t talk to strangers!

Taylor Crawford Absolutely talk to strangers if they’re cute! 

You shake your head at their antics, but the way your mouth curves up betrays your amusement. You’re just about to respond when a deep voice cuts through your thoughts.

“Guess it’s standing room only.” 

It’s honey-sweet and slow as molasses, and when it hits your ears, you glance up without thinking. 

Piercing blue eyes the color of seaglass meet your gaze, and then the owner of them smiles. You blink in surprise as you take in the rest of him, as you are caught off guard by his blatant attractiveness.  ‘Hollywood Handsome,’ Taylor would say, with his dimpled smile and perfectly disheveled sandy-blonde hair that’s just edging towards brown. 

His eyes light up at your expression and you don’t miss the way he gives you a flirtatious once-over. 

“Hi,” he greets — all of the charm he can muster in that singular word — and slows his gait as he moves past you.

Oh, here we go.

Your own smile is small, polite, but you don’t say anything back, not wanting to encourage him. 

The man behind him claps him on the back, drawing your attention and making you start. He’s older — if the silver woven through his dark hair and beard is any indication — and about half a foot shorter but no less striking.

Although ‘striking’ doesn’t seem to be a big enough word. Not for the classical angles of his face or dimples in his cheeks that have turned to creases with age. Not for his sharp eyes, rich like dark mahogany wood, or the crinkles at the corners of them.

He gives his companion a light push towards the middle of the bus where there’s space to stand. 

“Leave the pretty girl alone, Ben,” he says, winking at you. 

“What? I was just saying ‘hi,’' Ben replies. 

He sounds innocent enough, but you’re not entirely convinced. Apparently, neither is his friend.

“Mmhmm, sure you were.”

After Ben moves as far in as he’s able, he turns and leans against one of the bars flanking the steps to the elevated seats in the back. One of his hands is full of shopping bags, the other slides into one of the pockets of his jeans, and his feet cross at the ankles while he waits for the bus to finish loading. It speaks to his confidence, how comfortable he is in his skin. The kind of man who takes up space not because he can — or should, or wants to — but because he just does. 

He never drops his head, his posture, or his gaze for that matter, and as if on cue, it sweeps briefly over to you again. He beams when he catches you watching him and he gives you a little nod in acknowledgement, a little wiggle of his eyebrows with that relaxed smile. 

You look away, electing to ignore his easy affection. Connecting with a random guy during vacation isn’t at the top of your priority list, regardless of if it’s just a little harmless flirting. There’s only three f-words you’re here for: food, fun, and friends.

Speaking of friends, a quick scroll through social media shows that the girls have already started posting some of the photos from the group chat. You distract yourself with them, examining each post and liking them as you go.

You’re just about to comment on one when past the side of your phone, you see a man’s boot-clad feet step into the space in front of you. You groan inwardly, preparing to tough out the bus ride with a stranger’s crotch in your face. He doesn’t move, though, keeps his hip to you and you’re grateful that he at least has the manners and decency not to angle himself in your direction. You keep your eyes averted anyway.

“Daddy?” a little girl asks sleepily. 

The sound comes from directly above you.

“Yeah, baby?” he murmurs. 

“I wanna sit.” 

It’s not a whine, but it may as well be. 

“Sorry, mijita, we gotta stand for now. Just for a bit, okay?”

“No,” she answers. “I wanna sit.”

Oh, you know that tone. You’ve been around Disney World kids long enough to recognize when a tantrum is impending, and realizing there will be no opportunity for escape due to proximity, you brace yourself for the full force of her inevitable outburst.

“You want me to take her?” you hear another man offer. He’s standing beside him, just to the right of you. 

It takes everything in you not to look up and watch the scene unfold. Apart from it being impolite, you can already sense the stress and embarrassment from the dad. The last thing the poor guy needs is another pair of eyes on him.

“No, it’s alright, I’ve got her,” he answers. 

He whispers to her in Spanish, too low for you to really hear, but instinctively you know it’s meant to calm her down just by the soothing timbre of his voice.

“Papá!” she grumbles, a few octaves higher now.

“Carlota,” he tsks. 

And oh, you know that tone, too. 

“There’s no place to sit. I’m sorry but we have to stand. It’s just for fifteen minutes-”

“I’m tired.” 

You can make out the exhaustion in her voice as well as the frustration over not getting her way, and you feel for the kid. Big feelings for a little person; though you know not everyone will be as understanding. Or as patient. 

That’s the only thing you hate about Disney World’s transportation service. It’s complimentary, yes, and hugely convenient for getting around their massive property, but making people stand and cramming the bus to breathing room only, is a bit excessive and torturous for people to have to endure. Little ones especially.

“I know, Charlotte,” he sighs. “You hang on to me and go back to sleep-”

“I wanna sit now!”

The words explode out of her, sudden and shrill, making the bus go abruptly quiet as all of the air is sucked out of the small space. 

And then the waterworks start — deep, howling wails that pierce your ears and go straight to your head. You wince inwardly and take a peek up at her dad. 

Your first thought, humiliatingly, is: holy hell because you certainly weren’t expecting the little zing of attraction that jolts down your spine just from the sight of his profile.

Your second thought, more appropriately, is: how can I diffuse this situation? 

On a whim, you tap him lightly on the arm while he continues to try to pacify his child. His head jerks at the contact, turning towards your direction with an expression that can only be described as equal parts shame and dread. It looks out of place on his handsome face. 

He stills when he sees you, regarding you with his deep, deep brown eyes. There’s a flicker of something in them, too quick for you to really discern. Then his whole demeanor softens apologetically, apprehensively, as if he is expecting a confrontation and dreading it. The fact that this would be his first reaction makes your insides warm with empathy. 

“Hi,” you start, beginning to rise from your seat. 

He shuffles away to give you a little more space to move, rocking his child all the while. She hasn’t stopped crying so you make sure to raise your voice a little in order to be heard over her. 

“Forgive me for eavesdropping but…you’re welcome to have my seat.”

He blinks at you, mouth falling slightly open. “What?”

“It’s not a big deal, I’m happy to stand.” 

You give him your most friendly smile and hope your voice sounds cheerful despite its volume. But his head shakes resolutely. 

“No, Miss, please, I can’t let you do that-”

“Really, I insist! I mean, we’re about to head out so…” you trail off, gesturing at the bus driver sliding into his own chair. 

You smile again — disarming, encouraging. He continues to look horrified at your suggestion, but between his screaming kid, the irritated looks of the other passengers, and the time he doesn’t have to argue properly, there’s really no other option than to do as you’ve offered. 

Maneuvering around you is a little bit of an awkward shuffle, bodies bumping and brushing despite the attempts at propriety in such close quarters. You try not to think about how there seems to be so much of him, just…tall, broad, man tangled up in your space. Eventually he gets to where he needs to, and eases down onto the bench. 

It’s a tight squeeze for the width of his shoulders between the other two passengers who had been on either side of you, but he manages to make it work. You have the fleeting thought that Taylor would rate him a ‘15/10 Hot Dad’ on that feature alone. Shamelessly, you might be inclined to agree. 

At least in the privacy of your mind.

Almost immediately, his daughter’s crying abates. Her sniffles and occasional hiccups are the only remaining evidence of her outburst. She snuggles deeper into his chest, cheek laying over his shoulder, one of her hands clutching the front of his shirt.

She’s a cutie — cherub-cheeked, with curling chestnut-colored hair and a sweet little button-nose. Her eyes match his, and they’re already starting to droop, heavy with sleepiness.

“Thank you,” he says, and you can tell he’s sincere in his gratitude by the intent way he stares up at you and oh boy. 

You don’t know how it’s possible to feel a look, but you feel that one. All the way down to your fingers and toes you feel it. 

“You’re welcome,” you answer softly, swallowing the lump that’s suddenly formed in your throat. 

Without a fussy child between you, distracting you, your attention turns to other things. Like the scruff along the sharp line of his jaw, and the neatly trimmed mustache sitting under a prominent nose. The facial hair’s a good look on him, you think; it saves him from appearing too baby-faced. He’s got a baseball cap on his head that is doing a horrible job of containing all of his wavy brown hair, but that’s a good look on him too.

It’s the eyes that really get you, though — kind and soulful, warm like smoky quartz. 

You glance away when your skin starts to tingle, in need of respite from the full-force of his attention. It’s just your luck that his attention is replaced by his companion’s, the one who asked if he needed a hand with his kid earlier. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, rugged.  

He has a full beard, hair almost down to his shoulder with half of it pulled back into a messy knot. He’s got a way about him that’s unnervingly intimidating; it contrasts with the gentle smile on his face, the cute braid that starts at his temple and is tucked back into the tie, and you can’t help but stare in bewilderment at him. 

It would appear you are four for four on meeting gorgeous men tonight. Must be something in the water.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” you reply back, suddenly shy. He makes you feel like you need to fill the space with something other than his considering look but nothing will come to mind. 

“Next stop, Port Orleans!” the driver abruptly calls out, pulling your thoughts away and saving you from continuing your awkward exchange with him. 

There’s about a half second lag before the doors all close with a loud hiss and the driver hits the gas, making the bus jerk aggressively away from the curb. You grasp onto the strap dangling above your head as a reflex, but horrifyingly, you have no time to brace yourself. 

The sharp movement disrupts your balance and you pitch forward with a sharp gasp — straight into Hot Dad — and the only thing stopping you from smashing your boobs into his face is the grip you manage to get on his shoulder, and his own steadying hand on your hip. 

His very large, very strong hand.

You hover over him, so close you can’t help but catch the scent of his cologne — fresh and clean with a little hint of musky sweetness. It makes your head spin, traps the air in your lungs as your heart starts kicking against your ribcage, the harsh thump, thump, thump a resounding echo in your ears. 

The edge of the brim of his hat lightly brushes over your cheek when his face tilts up to look at you, and your whole body heats up when your gazes meet again. It’s…strangely intimate, curiously familiar all at once, and that same spark of attraction from earlier unfurls in your stomach, like a flower blooming under the sun’s glowing rays. 

It is a reaction your body most certainly has no business having. 

“Sorry,” you tell him, the word rushing out of you breathlessly. 

Then the lights inside the vehicle go out, abruptly turned off and plunging you into darkness. The blessed safety of it where you’re able to avoid the intensity of his eyes. Still, you know little relief, your heightened sense of touch proving to be the next dilemma to contend with, specifically because you’re still holding onto him. 

And he’s still holding onto you. 

The singular sensation of the pads of his fingers pressing into your skin through your clothes, knocks you off kilter more than the driver’s heavy foot. You make it a point to pull away.

“You alright?” he asks when you do, voice gruff in a way that makes your cheeks heat and your palms clammy.

Your laugh is airy as it passes between your lips, full of nerves you hope he doesn’t pick up on. “Yeah, I’m good.”

But you notice he doesn’t remove his hand until you’re stable on your feet. 

“Sorry,” you repeat, trying to give him some room despite really having none to spare. You angle your body away from him, towards the front of the bus, and grip the strap like a lifeline. Your heartbeat is still thrumming in your head. “And sorry if I step on you or something. I swear these things are a death trap.”

He chuckles at that. “It’s okay, that’s why I’ve got steel-toed boots.” 

The joke is lame, but you find yourself smiling at it anyway. 

Trying to maintain your equilibrium is the most challenging part of the ride, nothing short of a herculean endeavor, especially with the way the driver takes the turns. You spend the next fifteen minutes obsessively conscious of the way your leg keeps accidentally knocking his knee on every break and acceleration of the bus. Apologies seem a little redundant at this point, though, so you keep them to yourself. But they still weigh heavy on your tongue. 

It’s probably the most peculiar experience you’ve ever had on a Disney World shuttle, and you can’t say that you aren’t relieved when the Port Orleans French Quarter signage appears through the window. French Quarter is the first stop on the route which means your own stop is coming up quite soon.   There are several drop-off locations on the Riverside route, but the lights at the main unloading area at the front of the resort are the brightest and most sobering. You blink against the sting of them while the bus pulls in, wincing when the interior lights flicker back to life again too and amplify the brightness. It takes your vision a few moments to adjust to normal and you drop your hold on the strap in the interim. 

Oww. 

The ache in your shoulder is instant, the muscles tense all the way down your arm. Hell, even your fingers feel stiff. You tilt your head from side to side, stretching out your neck and resisting the urge to reach across yourself and rub at the sore spot on your shoulder. With your luck, you’ll elbow Hot Dad in the face in the process. 

Feet and bodies begin to shuffle about, the rustle of shopping bags and backpacks and other items filling the air as passengers eagerly prepare to disembark. Out of habit, you reach for your phone. You mean to look at the time but the screen blinks with a text message notification instead. It’s from Reese, undoubtedly checking on you. 

And grounding you in a really needed way.

Food, fun, friends, you remind yourself. 

When it’s time to go, you don’t bother to say goodbye to Hot Dad or spare him a second glance. Whatever spell this whole situation had previously cast on you is effectively broken. Whatever you’d felt in those moments, gone. With the reality of being back at the resort, he becomes just another face, another stranger in a huge crowd of them visiting the parks and being on vacation. You bet you won’t even see him again anyway. 

You step off the bus, thanking the driver on your way despite his horrible driving and smiling when he wishes you a good evening. The temperature’s dropped even more since you left Disney Springs, and it makes you shiver as you begin the trek to your room. It feels good, even if your fingers are cold. You inhale the crisp air deeply, allowing it to fill your lungs before you exhale just as thoroughly.

If you’ve timed it correctly, the girls should just about be finished with their showers, which means you can get to yours as soon as you get to the room. Maybe even cram in a face mask after. If you hustle, you might just be able to fall asleep before Taylor too — she snores but will never admit it, and sometimes it’s difficult to fall asleep once she gets going.

You make it inside the lobby, past the doors that lead back outside to the little marina, and almost halfway across the bridge before you hear the distinct sound of jogging feet on the wood. 

“Hey, wait up!” someone calls, and you turn out of reflex, before you can think better of it.

Your brows lift in surprise, particularly since you’d already convinced yourself the bus was all you were going to get.

“Hey,” Hot Dad greets when he catches up to you. His smile is sweet, if a little sheepish.

Attraction flutters insistently in the back of your mind, beating its little wings rebelliously against the rational voice trying to stress that you are on vacation — at Disney World — and don’t have time for any more of the indulgent thoughts swirling around in your head.

Especially about a stranger and a father no less. He could be married or otherwise attached. He could be a murderer, the nice guy act simply just a ruse. Hell, he could be a married murderer even. Okay, the last two might be a tad dramatic, but you’ve watched too many true crime documentaries and you know that sometimes you just never know. 

“Hey,” you say back, noting that he is sans kid. 

A flicker of movement behind him captures your attention and you lean out past his shoulder to get a better look. You instantly recognize Ben from the bus, along with his dark-haired friend. They’re just outside the doors of the dinning hall, next to the lobby entrance, standing together like they’re waiting around for something. Then you see that Ben is holding Hot Dad’s daughter, swaying tenderly and rocking her in his arms, and oh, they’re waiting for him. 

Ben has the cheekiness to give you a little wink this time when he realizes you’re looking, and you’re 99% convinced he gets just about anything he wants with all that charm. Blondie joins them a second later, walking out the door with a bag from the general store clutched in his hand. He doesn’t wave but his curious gaze remains trained on you.

The dark-haired one does wave despite being semi-distracted with his phone, pacing around slightly with it pressed to his ear. His hand falls to his waist and you cant your head curiously. There’s an intriguing air about that one, like he’s fully in control of every situation at any given moment. Someone used to giving orders but not necessarily taking them. Suave, confident, a touch sophisticated. Like he would exude that same kind of power in a t-shirt as he would in a suit. 

Seeing them all together is something of a sight and a bit of an enigma. Four men, all with differing dispositions, all gorgeous in their own ways. You haven’t figured out the connection yet, how the four of them are linked and bound together. But you just get the sense that they are.

“I knew Huey was with you,” you tell him. “But I didn’t realize Dewey and Louie were too.” 

Confusion flashes across his face until he turns to follow where your line of sight had been. It takes him a second, and then he’s tilting his head back, a bright laugh rumbling out of him at your reference to Donald Duck’s triplet nephews. The sound is pretty in the night air, and the unexpected pleasure of being able to draw it out of him lights like a sparkler in your chest.

“Yeah, unfortunately,” he grins, turning back to you. 

The corners of his eyes crinkle and a deep dimple winks to life in his cheek. It makes his face even sweeter. 

He stands there watching you for a time after, and that look from the bus crosses his face again, like he’s working out an answer to a question only he knows. You start to shift your weight from foot to foot, self-conscious, unsure of what to do as the silence stretches on and the air pulses between you — all shimmering heat and endless possibilities. You tug your bottom lip into your mouth, chewing on it nervously, and it’s not lost on you that his eyes are drawn briefly to the action. 

You swallow thickly.

“Did you, um…need help with something?” you finally ask, trying to ignore the pull to him you can’t seem to shake.

That seems to break him out of his trance and he reaches up to rub at the back of his neck, suddenly shy. 

“So hey, listen…I just wanted to thank you again for what you did back there.” He gestures behind him with his free hand, in the general direction of the shuttle drop-off. “It was really nice and you- you didn’t have to. I appreciate it and I’m sure the other passengers did too.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. I was happy to help. I get grumpy when I’m tired, too, so I understand.” 

You shrug and give him a playful scrunch of your nose that eases the tension in his shoulders and makes that cute little dimple appear again. 

“Well, I’ve uh…gotta get back to my room,” you say softly when your cheeks start to warm from his unwavering gaze. “Early day tomorrow and all.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course.” He rubs at his jaw, fingers grazing over the scruff as he thinks on something. “I’d offer to walk you but, I know we just met and you probably don’t want a stranger to know where your room is…but, if you did want someone to walk you, it’s the least I could do.”

His rambling is terribly endearing but he’s right on all counts. “Thanks, that’s really nice of you to offer, but I’ll be alright. I’m pretty close anyway- oh! And I hope your daughter gets some rest.” 

His lips curve at that. “Thanks, me too. Thank you for everything else. Again.” 

You raise your hand in a parting wave. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” he murmurs back.  

And it suddenly dawns on you that this could very well be the last time you ever see him. There’s a disappointed twinge in your gut that shouldn’t be there but is and it’s silly, but still very difficult to ignore as your feet start to carry you backwards. Your body is reluctant to turn away, your eyes unable to resist taking their fill of him — just one last, long, harmless look before you go. 

“Wait!” 

He says it just as you start to turn away and it makes you pause. You glance over your shoulder with one of your eyebrows raised expectantly at him. 

“Yeah?”

“I’m Frankie, by the way.”

You know what he’s inviting by giving you his name — the choice to give yours back. What’s the harm, right? It wouldn’t change anything. You could tell him your name and it wouldn’t mean anything. 

Instead, you give him another smile, the corners of your lips tugging up. 

“Have a good vacation, Frankie.”

He shakes his head at you, amusement clear on his stupidly adorable face as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocks back onto his heels. 

“You too.” 

This time, you force yourself to go, to keep your eyes ahead and your feet moving. 

If you hadn’t, you might have seen the way he’d taken an unconscious step after you before catching himself, or the way his gaze had lingered on your form until you disappeared across the bridge.

The walk back to your room isn’t much further, just beyond the second bridge and right on the main path. Lucky for you since your mind is far too distracted for anything more than running on autopilot. You’re caught in a memory loop, incessantly replaying the night’s events over and over in your head.

You’ve read too many romance books, listened to too many love songs, seen too many romance movies. Have grown too fond of fairy tales and happily-ever-afters with their neat little ribbons and dainty bows on top.

You are on vacation, you remind yourself one more time, and you cannot romanticize a meaningless moment between yourself and a random stranger. One you are never going to see again. But even as you retreat from the bubble of that chanced encounter on the bus, and the subsequent exchange at the bridge, somehow, that man with his quiet demeanor and his sweet smile sticks with you.

End Notes: Re: Charlotte’s nicknames A ‘fry’ is a baby fish pescadito also translates to ‘baby/small fish’ mi tesoro means ‘my treasure’

Thank you so, so much for reading and joining the TF boys for vacation ;)

[neocrush]

— the girl groups enhypen’s gfs are in !

genre: fluff (angst on jungwon’s part) + established relationship (eventually lol)

pairings: idol!enhypen x fem!idol!reader

note: idk how to title this pls i thought of it while showering

tagging: @jeminiepabo @strwberrydinosaur

you just finished performing and your members were in need of water bottles

you just finished performing and your members were in need of water bottles

you just finished performing and your members were in need of water bottles

but fucking mnet didn’t provide any inside of your dressing room??

but fucking mnet didn’t provide any inside of your dressing room??

but fucking mnet didn’t provide any inside of your dressing room??

so yves told you to ask for some from the artist in the dressing room next to yours

you knocked on the door without looking at the sign that showed who was in there

you asked for some water bottles and heeseung went “i’ll go get it!” and ran off to go get get them

jungwon just chuckled and went “hyung’s a really huge fan of your group, he kept on singing star on the way here”

you nodded at the younger one, impressed at the fact that you were popular among idols

the tall boy came back with a whole box full of water bottles

“there’s 12 of you here right now so i figured why not get a whole box” he chuckled nervously

you giggled and smiled at the nervous boy

“thank you heeseung-ssi, i’ll take this to my members” you took the box in your hands but was taken aback on how heavy it was

“don’t worry i’ll carry it for you”

long after that you started hanging out and boom you became his gf

you couldn’t resist the charms of lee heeseung

once it was revealed that you were a couple, orbits and engenes went INSANE (in a good way ofc)

“wait so y/n DOESNT hate men????”

★ jay - aespa

OMG OMG LEMME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS BBY

you both met at school after you both debuted

everyone was gossiping around about how you were in the same class with the enhas

so like... monster rookies class

usually idols aren’t seated together but the teacher seated you and jay next to each other

causing a bunch of “oooohhhs” from your classmates

there were times were you and the enhas would leave school early due to practice or schedules

and on the way to the school gate, jay would always spark up a conversation with you

you assumed he was just very friendly

long story short he had a massive crush on you

so a few months into your friendship (which the both of you were very open about with your fans), he confesses

you were like “WAIT SO IT WASNT ONE SIDED THE WHOLE TIME”

y’all were just really blind lol pls read between the lines

anyways on to ur lovely bf !!

he’s so bold and brave around you but so shy around your members and seniors

we all know how he really respects nct (along with other sm artists) bc he covered the 7th sense with sunghoon on iland

so one day you were like “oh btw i showed taeyong sunbae you and hoon’s t7s cover”

he was like 😟 to 😧 to 😯

got all shy and was like “oh what did he say..”

you don’t know why he was acting as if he didn’t body that whole performance ????

anyway you told him that taeyong said that he and hoon did really well and that he liked how jay did his part

hid his face on the crook of your neck

“baby we should come say hi to them next time you go to sm”

“NO i will make a fool out of myself”

speaks english and japanese with giselle a lot when he isn’t occupied with you

sometimes you’d even have to ask nct’s shotaro to translate

your seniors (especially exo’s kai) adore him so so much pls protect the boy at all costs

★ jake - everglow

he was an active viewer of produce 48 and (like me) was really attached to the yuehua trainees

especially you

so when you got eliminated just before the last episode, he was devastated to say the least

he awaited your debut and when the time came he supported everglow !!!!

LOVED BON BON CHOCOLAT SO MUCH

does the killing part choreo in his room when no one’s watching lol

dies everytime you do the little “everglow” in songs

right so when he debuted in enha, he looked forward to meeting you as an idol and not a fan

when you shared a dressing room at kcontact, he couldn’t help but introduce himself to you

he mentioned he was a big fan and your heart warmed

cute boy is a fan of you? omg heart go brr brr

your members tease you and you just shake it off

that day when you got back to the dorms, you watched a bunch of enhypen videos bc you were interested in jake

you weren’t aware of how popular you were among people - let alone idols so you were surprised

you fell in love with his personality and started saying hi to him whenever you meet backstage at music shows

not long after, you develop feelings for him

you thought it was just a puppy crush but as you saw him even more, it got serious

you never actually confessed but aisha accidentally spilled the beans when he was passing by

“cmon y/n just tell him you like him because he clearly feels the same !!”

“you like me?”

“AISHA”

“that’s my queue to leave”

so she leaves you two to pour your hearts out to each other

you two become a couple and forevergenes (such a cute name omg) LOVE you two

you’re both the puppies of your group so that makes your relationship 103892x cuter

you met his parents and they adore you and even asked for your autograph

“jake used to talk about how great you are after every produce 48 episode”

“okayyyy i think that’s enough embarassing me mom”

his parents love you like their own daughter but does layla love you?

you were so nervous to meet her and was actually scared she might not like you - knowing how important layla is to jake

at first layla ignored you and jake was like “she’ll come around”

you were convinced she just doesn’t like you, until this one time you were cuddling with jake on the couch and layla comes in

you expected her to snuggle up with jake but she came to you :D

now layla is super fond of you and mrs sim would even send you pictures and videos of layla getting excited whenever you were on tv 🥺

★ sunghoon - itzy

you and the girls were at isac

the six of you were just waving at your fans and making heart signs with your hearts

on your left you saw yeji making hearts with ryujin so you wanted to do that with another member too

you felt a presence next to you and assumed it was someone from your group

spoiler alert: it wasn’t

sunghoon and sunoo were waving at engenes who just happened to be seated next to midzys

so you turned to who you thought was an itzy member, making half a heart with your hand

until you realized it wasn’t 💀

you bowed and apologized when you both looked at each other, you were scared you crossed a boundary

you bowed and apologized to the engenes who were there too

sunghoon and sunoo reassured you it was all good

after that, sunghoon couldn’t help but keep his eyes on you the entire event

when the day was coming to an end, he pulled some strings and ended up having some alone time with you ...in stray kids’ dressing room

don’t ask

ofc skz already left so it was just you two there

fast forward, you both hit it off and he became your bf <3

midzys and engenes love you both sm and love bragging about you two to other fandoms

you two were even named the king and queen of 4th gen kpop

oh also

you already know where this is going

“SUNGHOON HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW NOT SHY’S PROPER TITLE IT’S YOUR GIRLFRIEND’S SONG” - jay

brags about how he can do the shoulder dance in wannabe

ofc it’s bc you personally taught him

sends you pics of jyp as reaction pics

so you send pics of bang pdnim to him

every once in a while he reminds you of that video of jay why pee trying to hit a high note

“lmao that’s your boss”

PLS you always get super embarrassed so ofc you bring up that vid of hitman bang

“rAp dAncE-“

★ sunoo - stayc

you were his seatmate at school predebut

you came from the same town, same school, same neighborhood, etc

the two of you were extremely close and both shared the same dream

when highup entertainment accepted you, the both of you were over the moon

he was so happy for you

but sad too bc that meant you had to move to seoul :(

you promised him to do your best and that you hoped to see him again but as an idol

and hopefully when he’s an idol too

well what you hoped for came true !!

although you couldn’t see him much as a trainee - which made you quite sad - you got to follow his journey on i-land

you even asked your fellow trainees to vote for him

anyways now that you both debuted, you became close again and became really open with your fans on how close you were

you recommended his songs to swiths and he did the same to engenes

he even memorized the choreo to so bad and asap and lemme tell you this

he BEGGED you to teach him those choreos

“sunoo you can watch the practice on youtube”

“but i want to learn it from you”

he never really realized his feelings until he saw you getting shipped with his other members

you were both on weekly idol and the hosts really seemed to like how you and jake looked next to each other and they just teased you both the whole episode

that made sunoo feel uneasy and he thought it was only bc he was an overprotective best friend

turns out he had feelings for you (wow shocker)

so one day he asks you to come to hybe

after slightly getting lost, you meet up with him in a practice room

he confesses bc he felt like not telling you about his feelings would put a wall between you two

you appreciate his honesty and tell him you’ve felt the same way every since you were classmates

he scolds himself for not seeing it all those years but you just laugh it off bc you were pretty good at hiding your crush

you both agree to secretly date, until you both announce it on your five month anniversary

fans were really shocked at first... but they support you !!!!

engenes will not hesitate to come at anyone who talks bad about you and swiths feels the same way about jungwon

he gushes about you every single time you’re brought up

and you can’t help but love your adorable boyfriend

★ jungwon - iz*one

okay so

he was just an average high schooler when you were introduced on produce 48

his deskmate was watching your audition video and it was the part where you were doing this freestyle

he was SO amazed and he secretly followed your journey on produce 48

always made sure to vote on time and watch the episodes live

once the debut evaluation came around, he asked everyone he knew to vote for you and even bought tickets to see the show live

almost cried when he saw that you were center

ACTUALLY CRIED when you got into the top 13 😭

fast forward to him debuting in enha

he wasn’t able to catch up on you since he was busy with trainee life, then i-land, then debut preparations

but somehow in the middle of promotions he ran into you and BOOM love at first sight

fast forward to you finally dating, he couldn’t believe he was dating the y/n of iz*one

wizones make those “ladies and gentlemen, y/n’s man” edits and engenes make those “ladies and gentlemen, jungwon’s woman” edits

both fandoms love you two so dearly that the only hate you two got were from the delusional ones (who clearly aren’t actual fans)

when your last concert came around, he couldn’t bare seeing you cry when you said “this has been iz*one’s y/n, thank you everyone!”

he got flashbacks from when you cried during the final episode of produce 48 and he’s just.. sobbing bc he couldn’t be there to hold you

so the next day he rushed to your dorms with snacks and emotional support bc you were emotionally exhausted from accepting the fact that your journey with iz*one is finally ending

you felt extremely lucky to be in his arms and he felt extremely lucky too that he’s able to make you feel a little better

★ riki - weeekly

you were both on weekly weeekly idol together

and both you and riki being main dancers, you were asked to do random dance together

a few popular songs played and the both of you did the choreos

until after school started playing and the boy did the chorus’ choreo and you were like “woah???”

bc he was so INTO ITTTT

the song was basically made for him to cover it

and the mcs saw your reaction so they asked him to do it once again but this time with the whole group

after filming, he came up to you and was like “i’m a huge fan of yours” and you’re just like ):&/£]>\**_£]

“woah really???? i rooted for you on i-land”

and his face just lights up bc his huge crush on you developed even more

you became besties since then but he didn’t ask you out until your birthday

he took you out to a puppy café, knowing you were obsessed with dogs

you’d ask him to show you pictures and videos of bisco

“i better meet bisco once we go to japan together”

melted at the thought of traveling to his hometown with you

anyways

once you left the café, he kissed you in front of your dorms

and somehow he became your boyfriend <3

riki as a bf isn’t really a very public person

he’s the “this is our relationship, not the public’s” type of person

he doesn’t wanna risk companies wanting to exploit your relationship

although he doesn’t talk about you two much, he loves to brag about you when given the chance

whenever variety show hosts would fawn over you he’d just look them in the eyes dead and go “she’s mine”

[garbinge]

Garbinge Masterlist

All works are 18+, minors do not engage.

Fandoms below the cut: Mayans MC, SOA, MCU, The Punisher, Bridgerton, Outer Banks, Narcos, Stranger Things, The Last of Us, The Bear, and The Mandalorian, The Rookie, and 9-1-1. 

Requests are open! 

📖 - Multi-chap/ Multi-part

Mayans MC:

📖 Contaminated - Dad!Bishop Losa & OC Lara Losa / Angel Reyes x OC Lara

Seen - Dad!Bishop Losa & OC Lara Losa / Angel Reyes x OC Lara

Family Night - Ez Reyes & Angel Reyes & Sister!OC Manny Reyes

Break in - Bishop Losa x OC Manny Reyes 

Cold - Nestor Oceteva x Galindo!Sister Reader

📖 Minimum Wage - Nestor Oceteva x Galindo!Sister Reader (Pt 1)

📖 Commission Job - Nestor Oceteva x Galindo!Sister Reader (Pt 2)

Stranded - Angel Reyes x EZ Reyes x Platonic!Reader

📖 New Years Resolutions Pt 1 - Nestor Oceteva x F!Reader

📖 New Years Resolutions Pt 2 - Nestor Oceteva x F!Reader

The Odds of a Jawbreaker -  EZ Reyes x OC Julia ‘Jules’ Silva

Pottery - Angel Reyes & EZ Reyes & Sister OC Cynalena ‘Cyn’ Reyes

Prank Wars - Angel Reyes x F!Reader

Moving Day - Angel Reyes & EZ Reyes & Platonic!OC Andrea Baros Motion Sick - Angel Reyes x F!Reader Mistakes - Angel Reyes & EZ Reyes & OC Rosario Reyes Tribute - Angel Reyes & EZ Reyes & OC Manny Reyes

Country Shit - Gilly Lopez x F!Reader Nice but Bad - Angel Reyes & Emily Thomas

Wanderlust - Angel Reyes (Mentions of OC Isabeth ‘Izzy’ Flores) Believe it or not - EZ Reyes x Nestor Oceteva

SOA:

Best Friend - Opie Winston x Teller!Sister Reader

Home - Jax Teller x F!Reader (Pt 1)

Riding with Angels - Jax Teller x F!Reader (Pt 2)

📖 Charming Life - Opie Winston x Teller!Sister OC Joanne ‘Jo’ Teller / Jax Teller x Gemma Teller x Teller!Sister OC Joanne Teller

Ivy Coated Castle - Opie Winston x Teller!Sister OC Joanne ‘Jo’ Teller

Fairytale - Jax Teller & OC Joanne ‘Jo’ Teller / Tara Knowles & OC Joanne Teller / Opie Winston x OC Joanne Teller

Graduation Day - Jax Teller & OC Joanne ‘Jo’ Teller / Opie Winston x OC Joanne Teller (Also in fic: Bobby Munson, Clay Morrow, Gemma Teller, and Tig Trager)

A Very Ugly Tie - Jax Teller & Teller!Sister OC Joanne Teller 

Flower Crowns - Happy Lowman & Daughter OC Scarlett Lowman

Chalk Drawings - Happy Lowman & Juice Ortiz & Platonic!Reader Jax Teller & Teller!Sister Reader Opie Winston x Teller!Sister Reader

Picnics - Juice Ortiz x F!Reader 📖 Maybe One Day (Pt 1) - Chibs x TellerSister!Reader 📖 But Not Today (Pt 2) - Chibs x TellerSister!Reader Never Okay - Opie Winston x OC Joanne Teller Bad Haircut - Opie Winston & OC Joanne Teller & Jax Teller

Marvel Cinematic Universe:

📖 My Best Girl - Dad!Tony Stark & OC Maxine Stark / Steve Rogers x OC Maxine 

Festival - (40s) Bucky Barnes x OC Adelaide Redi / (40s) Steve Rogers & Platonic OC Adelaide Redi

The Punisher: 

You Owe Me - Frank Castle x Platonic OC Ana Tyler

Synchronized Watches - Frank Castle x Platonic!OC Ana Tyler

Unfair - Frank Castle x OC Georgia Madden

Broken - Franke Castle x F!Reader

Bridgerton:

Already Said Yes - Benedict Bridgerton x OC Samantha Crown

Outer Banks:

When Summer Ends - Topper Thornton x Maybank!Sister OC

Narcos:

In The Midst of Chaos - Javier Peña x F!Reader

Something Borrowed - Javier Peña x F!Reader

What Friends Are For - Steve Murphy x Platonic!Reader

📖 Superhero - Javier Peña x F!Reader

History in a bar - Javier Peña & F!Reader Circles - Steve Murphy x Sister!Reader | Javier Peña x Murphy!F!Reader A Hole In A Shoe -  Steve Murphy x Sister!Reader | Javier Peña x Murphy!F!Reader Something Out of the Ordinary - Steve Murphy x F!Reader Stuck Record - Steve Murphy x F!Reader

For Old Time’s Sake - Horacio Carrillo x F!Reader

Foldin’ Clothes - Steve Murphy x F!Reader

Watching Time - Chepe Santacruz x Pacho Herrera

Things I Should Have Said - Javier Peña x F!Reader

Country Store Cherry Chocolate - Steve Murphy & Murphy!Sister!Reader For Old Times Sake - Horacio Carrillo x F!Reader

Stranger Things:

D&D Night - Eddie Munson x F!Reader Running Eyeliner - Eddie Munson x F!Reader

The Last of Us:

Midnight Movie - Tommy Miller x F!Reader

Let Me Come Home - Joel Miller x F!Reader

The Bear: 

📖 My Best Friend’s Cousin - Richie Jerimovich x F!Reader / Carmy Berzatto x Platonic!F!Reader (was originally a bunch of individual fics but I’ve combined them into their own multi-chap post).  You, Me & Italy - Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader Flower Shop - Richie Jerimovich x F!Reader

The Mandalorian:

The Long Game - Din Djarin x Pregnant!F!Reader

The Rookie:

Clean Cut - Tim Bradford x F!Nurse!Reader

Earthquakes and Promotions - Tim Bradford x F!Nurse!Reader

9-1-1:

Backfired- Eddie Diaz & Sister!Reader

Gilmore Girls:

Jane Austen and a New York Bench - Jess Mariano x F!Reader

Crossovers:

And You? - Jax Teller & Steve Murphy  

[panic-in-the-multiverse]

･*:.｡.─_*✧.｡.:*･# ﾟ𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎 ﾐ

This is a list of fandoms and characters that I write for, I might add more later or take away some, but for the moment I write for all of these

I will always write for Marvel, Superntaural and Star Wars

Requests are always open If you want to request you can either private message me or just write in my inbox

I write: teen!reader, gn!reader, platonic!reader, sister!reader, adopted!reader, brother!reader, son!reader, daughter!reader,

I also write for lgbtq+ so you can request with anything from that

I can also write romantic but I usually prefer platonic

I can write nearly everything except I do not write smut so if that’s what you want it’s better if you go somewhere else

*✧.｡.:*･# MARVEL ﾐ

— (overall all characters from marvel but below is the ones I prefer )

— avengers [ steve rogers, tony stark, clint barton, natasha romanoff, bruce banner, thor ]

— sam wilson

— bucky barnes

— baron zemo

— moon knight [ marc spector, steven grant, jake lockley, layla el-faouly, konshu ]

— kate bishop

— yelena belova

— loki

— guardians of the galaxy [ peter quill, gamora, rocket raccoon, drax, nebula, mantis, groot, yondu ]

— daredevil [ matt murdock, foggy nelson, karen page ]

— punisher [ frank castle, billy russo ]

— venom [ eddie brock, venom, anne weying ]

— miguel o’hara (spider-man 2099)

— jack russell/werewolf by night

— x-men [ logan howlett, erik lensherr, charles xaviar, deadpool, scott summers, alex summers, x-23, mystique, beast ]

— marvel cast [ all cast members from mcu ]

*✧.｡.:*･# SUPERNATURAL ﾐ

— castiel

— dean winchester

— sam winchester

— crowley

— lucifer

— jack kline

— gabriel

— the supernatural cast [ all cast members ]

*✧.｡.:*･# STAR WARS ﾐ

— prequel [ obi-wan kenobi, ahsoka tano, anakin skywalker, cody, rex, fives, fox, wolfee, waxer, boil, kit fisto, darth maul ]

— bad batch [ hunter, tech, crosshair, wrecker, omega, echo ]

— star wars rebels [ kanan, hera, sabine wren, ezra bridger, zebb ]

— reva sevander

— cassian andor

— mandalorian [ din djarin, grogu, bo katan ]

— the book of boba fett [ boba fett, fennec shand]

— sequel [ poe dameron, finn, bb-8 ]

— Pedro Pascal

— Oscar Isaac

*✧.｡.:*･# TOLKIEN ﾐ

— lord of the rings [ aragorn, legolas, faramir, meriadoc brandybuck, peregrin took, samwise gamgee, frodo baggins, boromir, gimli, elrond, gandalf ]

— hobbit [ bilbo baggins, thorin, kili, fili, bard, tauriel ]

*✧.｡.:*･# THE WALKING DEAD ﾐ

— rick grimes

— daryl dixon

— glenn rhee

— maggie rhee

— aaron

— gabriel stokes

— jesus

— mishonne

— carol peletier

— carl grimes

— judith grimes

— negan

*✧.｡.:*･# THE ROOKIE ﾐ (will come more soon)

— tim bradford

— lucy chen

— angela lopez

— wesley evers

— tamara collins

*✧.｡.:*･# CRIMINAL MINDS ﾐ

— aaron hotchner

— spencer reid

— derek morgan

— penelope garcia

— david rossi

— jennifer Jareau

— luke alvez

— emily prentiss

*✧.｡.:*･# HANNIBAL NBC ﾐ

— will graham <3

— hannibal lecter

*✧.｡.:*･# HARRY POTTER ﾐ

— golden trio era [ remus lupin, sirius black, harry potter, hermione granger, luna lovegood, fred weasley, george weasley, oliver wood, neville longbottom, draco malfoy ]

— fantastic beasts [ newt scamander, young albus dumbledore, gellert grindelwald, theseus scamander ]

*✧.｡.:*･# OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH ﾐ (will add more later)

— izzy hands <3

— jim jimenez

— edward

— frenchie

— stede

*✧.｡.:*･# SHERLOCK ﾐ (not taking requests for at the moment)

— greg lestrade

— sherlock holmes

— john watson

— mycroft

— moriarty

*✧.｡.:*･# THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY ﾐ

— diego hargreeves

— klaus hargreeves

— ben hargreeves

— viktor hargreeves

— number five

— luther hargreeves

— allison hargreeves

*✧.｡.:*･# HEARTSTOPPER ﾐ

— nick nelson

— charlie spring

— isaac henderson

— imogen heaney

— tao xu

— elle argent

— darcy olsson

— tara jones

*✧.｡.:*･# ARROWVERSE ﾐ

— arrow [ oliver queen, thea queen, roy harper, felicity smoak, john diggle, slade wilson ]

— flash [ barry allen, harry wells, harrison wells, HR, cisco ramon, caitlin snow, leonard snart, wally west, eddie thawne ]

— legends of tomorrow [ john constantine, sara lance, rip hunter, captain cold, nathan heywood ]

— john constantine

*✧.｡.:*･# GOTHAM ﾐ

— jim gordon

*✧.｡.:*･# THE SANDMAN ﾐ (not taking requests for at the moment)

— corinthian

— morpheus

*✧.｡.:*･# DOWNTON ABBEY ﾐ

— thomas barrow

— tom branson

— matthew crawley

— sybil crawley

-*✧.｡.:*･# DRAGON AGE ﾐ

— dragon age origin [ morrigan, alistair ]

— dragon age II [ hawke ]

— dragon age inquisition [ dorian pavus, cole, iron bull, sera, varric tethras, blackwall, vivienne, cullen rutherford, cassandra pentaghast, leliana, josephine montilyet, solas ]

*✧.｡.:*･# FATE: THE WINX SAGA ﾐ

— saul silva

— beatrix

— stella

— musa

— riven

— sky

— andreas

*✧.｡.:*･# ONCE UPON A TIME ﾐ

— killian jones

*✧.｡.:*･# PEAKY BLINDERS ﾐ

— alfie solomons

— thomas shelby

— ada thorne

— arthur shelby

— john shelby

— polly gray

— michael gray

*✧.｡.:*･# THE LAST OF US ﾐ (only platonic for now)

— Joel Miller

— Ellie Williams

— Pedro Pascal

-*✧.｡.:*･# NEW AMSTERDAM ﾐ (only platonic for now)

— Max Goodwin

*✧.｡.:*･# THE RESIDENT ﾐ (will be adding more)

— conrad hawkins

*✧.｡.:*･# WALKER ﾐ

— liam walker

— cordell walker

— stella walker

— august walker

— trey barnett

────────────────────────

[procrastinatorimagines]

Masterlist

*apologies in advance for some of the older stuff included here

FANDOM LIST

One Chicago

Halstead!Reader

Help (tw abuse)

May I Have This Dance? (x Connor Rhodes)

Surprise

Okay (Series x Matt Casey)

Imagine... being a soccer player and your brothers, Will and Jay, surprising you at one of your games

Imagine... being Will and Jay’s sister and telling them you’re pregnant

Protective (tw assault)

Knock First (x Matt Casey)

Big Brother Stuff

Make It Up To You

Chicago PD

Intelligence!Reader

Interrogation

Jay Halstead

Here For You (Series)

Partners

Buy You A Drink?

Stunning

Imagine... meeting Jay for the first time after you deliberately hit a criminal with your car when he was trying to escape

Unconditional

Goddaughter

Pillow

Burglar

I Got This

Tipsy

Take a Hint

High School Sweethearts

Full of Surprises

Take Your Daughter To Work Day

Hospitals (tw infertility)

Imagine... Jay getting hurt on the job and your daughter refusing to leave his bedside at the hospital

Hostage

Imagine... Jay not understanding why you feel self-conscious about your looks because you’re the most beautiful person in the world to him

What’s Next?

Evidence

Imagine... Jay getting you a cactus instead of flowers because he knows how bad you are at keeping plants alive

Danger Is Your Job

Options (tw infertility)

Undercover

Jealousy (x Kelly Severide)

Jay Halstead x Same Reader

Trapped (Series - Ongoing)

More Than Friends (Series - Complete)

We’ll Make It Down The Aisle (Series - Complete)

Hank Voight

Could Have Been More (Series - Complete)

Imagine... being Adam’s younger sister and secretly dating Voight

I Can Take Care of Myself

Imagine... Hank slowly realising he’s falling in love with you

Not Again (tw illness scare)

No More Hiding

The Gun Range

Hailey Upton

One Day

Looking Forward

We’re A Team

Moving On (x Leslie Shay)

Adam Ruzek

Imagine... being Voight’s daughter and finding out you’re carrying Adam’s child

I’m Your Brother (Ruzek!Reader)

Antonio Dawson

Family (tw kidnapping)

Worth It

Greg ‘Mouse’ Gerwitz

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Kim Burgess

Another Chance

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The One

Chicago Fire

Blake Gallo

My Girl

I Got You (tw death/depression)

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Caught in the Crossfire

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Matt Casey

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What if... (x Severide!Reader)

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Night Off

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Kelly Severide

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Crush

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Longest Shift Ever

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Joe Cruz

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As Fast As I Can

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It’s A Twin Thing

Take Care of You

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Labours of Love

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Elevator

Ethan Choi

Secrets

Busiest Night

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You Don’t Have To Pretend

Sonny Carisi

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Take The Leap

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Clinton Skye

Better Late Than Never

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9-1-1

Evan Buckley

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Imagine... having to convince your brother, Buck, not to go down to the station after you tell him your new TO, Bradford, is giving you a hard time (ft. The Rookie)

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Better Than They Know

Imagine... Buck bringing home a stray he rescued from a fire

Hope

Dirty Dancing

Eddie Diaz

Break In (tw assault)

Least I Can Do

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Josh Russo

A Good Thing

9-1-1: Lone Star

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Grey’s Anatomy

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I Knew You’d Find Me

Station 19

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Promise (Series - Complete)

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The Rookie

Lucy Chen

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Angela Lopez

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Tim Bradford

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All I Need

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Melendaire

“I Love You”

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Siren Song (Series - Complete x Damon Salvatore)

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Never Again

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Arrowverse

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Touch Her Again And You’re Dead (tw abuse)

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First Date

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Teyla Emmagan

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The 100

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Touch

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Gala + Tension + Bombs

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I Didn’t Mean To Hurt You (tw abuse I think?)

Supernatural

Dean Winchester

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My Baby, And My Other Baby

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I Would Never Hurt You

Sam Winchester

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Injury

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Valentine’s

Into You

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Shadowhunters

Izzy Lightwood

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Roswell, New Mexico

Kyle Valenti

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Lucifer

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Harry Potter

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Friendly

Cedric Diggory

I Surrender

Draco Malfoy

Dating Advice

[katehuntington]

Title: Ride With Me (part five) Fandom: Supernatural AU Characters series: Reader, Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, Ellen Singer-Harvelle, Jo Singer (Harvelle), Benny Lafitte, Ash Miles, Garth Fitzgerald IV, Castiel Novek, and many more. Timeline: 2008 Pairing: Dean x Reader (eventually) Word count: ±4500 words Summary series: Y/N is a talented horse rider who is on her way to become a professional. In order to convince her father that she deserves the loan needed to start her own farm, she goes to Arizona for six months, to intern at a ranch owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. Her future is set out, but then she meets a handsome horseman, who goes by the name of Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family.  Summary part five: Y/N successfully completes her first day as a ranch hand and it’s enough reason for bunkhouse celebration. But the evening, filled with drinks and music, sparks more than Y/N bargained for. Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fluff, angst, eventually smut. Swearing, smoking, alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse. Mutual pining, heartbreak. Crying, nightmares, childhood trauma. Description of animal abuse, domestic violence, mentions of addiction. Financial problems, stress, mental breakdown. Description of blood and injury, hospital scenes, character death, grief. Music: ‘Stairway To Heaven (acoustic guitar solo) - Daisuke Minamizawa, ‘Simple Man’ - Jensen Ackles, Jason Manns. Check out ‘Kate Huntington’s Ride With Me Playlist’ on Spotify! Author’s note: Thank you @kittenofdoomage, @coffee-obsessed-writer and @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish for helping me. You girls are awesome betas. 

Ride With Me Masterlist

     6.40 PM: Y/N’s exhausting first day at Gold Canyon Ranch is over. She didn't expect the time to fly by as it did. But turning out the horses, sweeping the floors, and cleaning the tack actually offered a soothing satisfaction. It was a nice variation to pitching business plans and writing a thesis, which basically has been the only thing she worked on for the past eight months. The tasks here were simple, therapeutic almost. That she didn't get to ride a single horse yet doesn't even bother her. What does, is the fact that she is drenched in sweat and covered in dust and horsehair. She can feel dirt tickle in her cleavage and under her bra, in her socks, and beneath the denim of her jeans. Somehow the particles got absolutely everywhere, mixing with the layer of moisture that covers her entire body.

     Dean locks up the tack room, which Y/N sorted out, while Jo took a group of twelve guests on a mountain hack. Impressed, he glances through the glass four-squared window, before he turns to her. The intern asked to organize the tack herself, after noticing the messy storage place. To Garth’s delight, he didn't even have to assign her that job.      “Good work. I don't think it has ever been this neat,” the head wrangler compliments.      Y/N smiles at that, raking her fingers through her dirty hair; it feels like she hasn't washed it in a week.      “Thanks,” she replies, happy that her work is being appreciated.

     The two of them stroll outside to the square behind the stables, where Benny and Ash are already waiting after they secured all the gaits. Jo joins too and sits down on the edge of a trough that holds fresh water for the thirsty four-legged workers when they come back from rides. While the five wait for Garth to finish up refilling the feed cart, Benny and Ash have a smoke. Y/N joins the ranch owner’s daughter and settles down in the spot she saved. Tired, she sighs louder than she wanted to be audible.      Jo sniggers. “A little different from the desk job you studied for, huh?”      Y/N takes off her hat and rubs away the beads of sweat that have gathered on her forehead with the back of her hand. Jo knows what she received her master’s in, because after the young blonde escorted her to the bunkhouse and helped bring in her luggage, they continued the conversation that started in the car on their way from the airport. Besides turning down the head wrangler, her study also came up.       “It's a nice change of pace,” she admits, smiling content.      “So, you like it here? Not gonna go runnin’ back to Maine?” Jo double-checks.      “Not anytime soon,” Y/N assures.      “Good!”

     Garth, who snuck up from behind, grips her shoulders and drags her back with more force than you would expect from the slender stable boy. Without mercy, he pulls the rookie from the edge, backed up by Jo who gives her an extra push, causing Y/N to lose balance and fall into the water trough. With a loud yelp, she lands in the cold water and almost goes under entirely, legs still dangling over the edge. Like a cat that has slipped into a bathtub, she desperately claws at anything in order to get a grip and pull herself up again, eyes wide in shock.      “Jesus Christ! C-cold!” she stammers, throwing Jo and Garth a startled look. “What did you do that for?!”      None of the workers can answer immediately. Benny has buckled over from laughter as Ash claps his hands, entertained. Both Garth and the girl who Y/N thought was her friend have trouble breathing. Dean watches from a little distance, arms crossed and an amused grin on his face.       “You are now officially a part of the team, Yankee.” The cowboy grins, victoriously. “Consider this your initiation.”

     Y/N stops struggling to get out, a huff escaping her lips. Of course, she should have known that the newbie gets pranked at some point. Feeling fooled and embarrassed, the intern shakes her head. Although their actions have her feeling insecure, she’s also aware that this gag might be a token of their acceptance.      She sighs, extending her hand and asking for a little help. “Alright, you guys got me.”      Jo steps forward, trying to hide the smirk still plastered on her face. Not for long, though, because Y/N braces herself with one boot on the edge of the trough and quickly locks her fingers around Jo’s wrist. Unable to escape the intern’s grip and not nearly quick enough to prevent an involuntary dive, Jo is pulled into the water as well, exclaiming a loud squeal that sounds more like a pig than a human being. Now the guy's bellow over in laughter; Dean especially, seems to die in a fit after witnessing his little cousin get her well-deserved payback. The look on Jo’s face causes Y/N to giggle loudly as well; seems like years of wrestling her three brothers pay off once again.      “You ungrateful lil’ skank!” Jo exclaims, propping herself up on her hands to keep herself above the water surface.      “You're calling me out? Really?” Y/N replies as she gets up.      Turning towards the blonde wrangler after stumbling out of the trough, she places her hands on her waist as Garth helps Jo to her feet. Disgusted, she just stands there, holding out her arms while the water drips down, leaving puddles in the dry sand.       “Great.” She scoffs, stepping out as her cowboy boots squish. “Now I really really need a shower.”       “And a dry shirt, or your dad will rip you a new one at dinner,” Dean smirks.      “Nice bra, by the way,” Y/N whispers, leaning in a little closer before she speaks.

     Jo’s jaw drops in shock as she glances down at her light blue chequered blouse, which transformed into a see-through hooker top now that it’s drenched. Her red lace bra is visible, catching the attention of the men. All but one, because Jo’s relative obviously isn't captivated by his little cousin, but rather by the other cowgirl. The denim blouse Y/N is wearing doesn't actually reveal more now that it's wet, but the fabric does stick to her skin as if it's an airtight fit, outlining every beautiful curve she has. Water droplets sneak from her neck down her chest and into her shirt, shimmering on her smooth skin. Dean swallows hard. Hot damn, she’s a sight for sore eyes.  

     Still smiling widely at Jo - who started a rant about how a bra isn't any different from a bikini - Y/N lets her gaze wander over to him. Dean instantly looks down, feeling busted, as red flushes his cheeks. The smirk on her lips dies down into a subtle smile, reading him until he dares to meet her eyes again. Did he just...? Was he…? Had she just caught him staring at her in awe? That short moment in which she found him looking, he seemed mesmerized. Him being the one to break eye contact, immediately followed by the blush that even his dipped down cowboy hat can't hide, only proves that.      Dean feels exposed, and he decides to direct the attention to one of the workers before anyone else notices the moment between them. He glances at Garth, who seems to be under a spell as well, a spell unintentionally cast on him by the other girl. The head wrangler’s death stare doesn't even snap him out of his trance.      “Like what you see, Garth?” Dean clears his throat, protective of his cousin.       Turning red, the timid young guy drops his gaze, stammering something incomprehensible. Meanwhile, Jo eyes Garth with a perplexed look on her face, but then focuses on Y/N. It awakens her from her thoughts and with good reason. Right about now would be a good time to start running.      “You are so dead,” Jo scoffs, trying to come off as serious. 

     It's the intern’s cue to head for the hills, letting out a laugh as Jo chases after her towards the bunkhouse. The men watch them run away and Benny can't help but chuckle.      “Hell, I would pay to see a wrestling match in the mud between those two gals.”      “That’s my cousin you’re talking about,” Dean warns.      Benny smirks. “So? She ain't my cousin.”      The comment is countered by a smack in the head, so fast that the broad farrier is unable to dodge the swing. He laughs at his friend's response, though. Bantering and frolicking is common between the two. After all, they have been like brothers for the past fifteen years.      “You leave me no choice then, I’ll settle for the other Belle,” Benny jokes.

     Dean responds with a forced chuckle, but the comment has his stomach in knots. No way Benny is going to run off with the girl he has set his mind on. He must do something, come up with an excuse to prevent the guy from going all Southern charm on her. He has to keep his cool, though.      “Sorry buddy, but I’m calling dibs on the intern,” he decides, patting his friend on the shoulder as he passes him.        Stunned by the bold announcement, Benny stops in his tracks, then he snorts in laughter. He cannot be serious. He’s calling dibs?       “Oh, no no no,” he counters, catching up with the head wrangler again. “You don't get to call dibs on her. I know you put your money on that horse, but if I remember correctly, she declined.”      “Don't care. I saw her first,” Dean simply replies, not impressed with his best friend’s contradictions.

     Benny shoots him a glare, but the brightness of his clear blue eyes shows that he thinks of it as nothing more than a harmless disagreement. Besides jokingly keeping a score every now and then, there is no competition between the two of them whatsoever. Usually, they don't even fuss about who takes who to their rooms at the end of the night. The women they shared their beds with were at the ranch for a couple of weeks at most, an intern would stay a little longer if they lasted that long. There was never any seriousness to the flings, they were just that: short term and without attachments. One night Benny got lucky, another night Dean, some nights both men had a woman in their beds. Heck, there have even been a handful of girls they both had sex with. Although Benny doesn't sense it yet, this is different. Dean can't really put his finger on it and he plans not to look into it too much, but he wants Y/N for himself.      “Oh, c’mon now. Women who come through those saloon doors are rarely that easy on the eyes,” Benny whines.      “Well, there's Casey.” Dean waits for his companion to pick up on the hint, which he does soon enough.      The Southerner narrows his eyes, making sure that his pal is implying what he thinks he's implying. “What would be your proposition, my friend?”      Dean hooks his thumb behind his belt buckle as he kicks his boots through the dirt, a sparkling triumph in his eyes. This offer is going to be too good to turn down. “Casey - who by the way is as thrilling to take for a private ride as you've been imagining - is all yours. You can have her to yourself if you leave Y/N for me.”      The men reach the porch of the bunkhouse, where they halt at the bottom of the steps. Benny turns to face his friend, who has extended his hand and is waiting for the guy opposite of him to shake it. He reads the head wrangler while rubbing his beard, piercing eyes trying to sweeten the pot.      “I dunno, brother. That intern is somethin’ else,” he contemplates, challenging. “And what if she turns your sorry hind down again, huh? Sure I can give it a go then?”      But the head wrangler shakes his head and keeps his foot down. “Either you're in or you're out.” 

     Benny keeps a straight face as he considers his options, but then the line that parts his lips starts to grow into a devilish grin. He shakes the cowboy’s hand in agreement.      “Great doing business with ya, Chief,” he says, content.      The firm handshake lasts just long enough for Jo to see when she peeks through the beaded fly curtain. She changed her clothes and freshened up. As she throws the boys a penetrating glare, she continues braiding her long hair.      “What are you asshats up to?” she questions, picking up on their suspicious behavior.      The partners in crime look at each other and shrug innocently.       “Nothin’,” they respond in unison.      The ranch owner's daughter takes a second or two to read them, furrowing her brow as her penetrating stare pauses on Dean, then on her colleague. Despite not trusting their shady whispers for one bit, she rolls her eyes and goes back to the bathroom to call Y/N for dinner. Sometimes she wonders how it is possible that those two idjits aren't related.

     How the employees of the Singer family are not so fat that before getting in the saddle, their horses would flip them off, amazes Y/N. Ellen’s crispy fried chicken topped generously with homemade gravy, served with potato slices baked in rosemary, together with buttered corn on the cob, tastes absolutely delicious. Jo’s mother cooked enough for an orphanage, or for eight hungry men and women as it turns out. Despite that it seemed impossible to eat half of the meal that was served up, the pots and pans are scraped clean by the end of dinner. Seems like everyone worked up quite an appetite.      Full and satisfied, Y/N heads back to the bunkhouse together with the other residents, expecting to retreat to her room, crash on her bed feeling delightfully bloated for about fifteen minutes before falling asleep. But when Benny and Garth drag some chairs outside on the porch as Jo flicks a switch that turns on fairy lights that hang from the ceiling of the roof edge, she starts to get that the evening has only just begun. Country starts to alternate with rock on a playlist called Bunkhouse Booze-nights on Ash’s computer and she can’t help but grin when the familiar intro of Led Zep’s ‘Ramble On’ comes from the speakers. When she looks over, she catches Dean behind the laptop, a boyish smirk on his face and a wink coming her way. Y/N feels the blood rush to her cheeks, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from shifting into a smile. 

     “What are you havin’?” he asks, making his way over to the doorway to grab drinks.      The intern isn’t sure if consuming alcohol is smart, knowing that her alarm will start buzzing again at 5.30 in the morning. She doesn’t want to give the wrong impression, plus she’s fully aware that she’s an absolute lightweight. The last time she had a couple of drinks was at her graduation party, if she remembers correctly since the memory is a bit vague. What she does remember is that she wasn’t worth a dime by the end of the night, let alone the next morning.      “A soda is fine,” she replies shyly.      Her peculiar answer draws some attention.      “I'm afraid we don't serve that here, sugar,” Benny chuckles, leaning against the back of the bench, boots propped on a wooden box that serves as a table.      “C’mon, Yankee. Live a little!” Jo encourages.       She emerges from behind the fly curtain, her arms around two large cozy cushions that decorated the couches inside. She throws one, which Y/N is able to catch before it hits her in the face, as she herself sits down on the other one.      She yields. “A beer then. Just one.”      “Let me tell you somethin’,” Dean says when he gets back from the kitchen with a crate of heavenly golden brew. “Firstly: we don’t drink beer here. You’re in Arizona now, we drink Corona, and secondly-” He sits down on a chair opposite of the intern, setting the twenty-four bottles down on the ground, “- you can never have just one beer.”

     He takes out a Corona, hooks the cap behind the edge of the crate, and jams the bottle down with the palm of his free hand, sending the cap in the air. When he hands Y/N the drink, she shakes her head, chuckling. Apparently her new colleagues are going to make sure she will have fun tonight, whether she likes it or not. The head wrangler continues to open the Mexican ‘Cervezas’ until everyone has a drink in their hand.      “Fellas,” Benny calls for attention as he heaves his drink. “May the wranglers ride horses and the cowgirls ride wranglers.”      The men cheer and toast to that. Jo, however, raises her eyebrow at Benny and then disapprovingly scoffs. Challenging, her gaze glides past the men in the circle, Y/N can tell she has a comeback ready.      “Here’s to our horses. May their obedience and inability to talk bullshit inspire men one day.”      Y/N snorts and even Garth appreciates the smart reply, hiding his amused grin when Benny looks over at him, muttering ‘What? It was funny’ while the women in their company toast their bottles and take a sip.      “Alright, all jokes aside,” Dean now raising his glass to the newest member of the crew. “To our new intern. May you have the time of your life here at the ranch, gain a new family, and find what you are looking for.”      His words warm Y/N; that was such a sweet thing of him to say. She knows Jo thinks it’s a public flirt, but again she reads so much truth in his words. Appreciatively the cowgirl smiles, her Corona meeting his in the air, after which the others join in on the toast.      “Hear, hear!” Garth chants, backed up by the others.

     It will turn out to be the beginning of a great night. Y/N gets to know the other workers a little better and is all ears when Ash starts to tell tall tales about his bull riding career. The first crate of Corona is emptied in record time and the crew starts on a second. After three beers she can feel the alcohol taking an effect and Y/N’s conscience begins to sound the alarm. She’s not sure if a crisis in the morning is avoidable at this point, but if she still wants a chance at a good start of tomorrow, now would be the time to head to bed. It’s ten to midnight when she decides to call it, to the disappointment of the others.      “Ah, please. Don’t leave me with these morons,” Jo begs when her new friend gets up.      “I'm gonna be a tired mess if I don't,” Y/N responds, feeling a little sorry for her.      “We’ll forgive you if you're a little sleepy and hungover tomorrow, Y/N,” Garth promises.      “I'm not sure if Mr. Singer will see it that way,” she brings to mind.      “You'll be fine and if not, you can blame it on us,” Benny adds.       “C'mon… Stay?”      It's Dean who asks, his soft green eyes on the cowgirl as he waits for her to cave. With a deep sigh, she glances at her watch, knowing that she really shouldn't. Y/N is about to tell him ‘no’ for the second night in a row, when his best friend saves him.      “You'll miss the best part of the night. Dean was just about to fetch his guitar,” Benny mentions.      His remark triggers Y/N to curiously raises her brow at the head wrangler, who in turn eyes the Southern farrier.       “I was?” he counters.      Benny chuckles. “If you want her to stick around, you better.”       Dean now glances over at the intern carefully, then gets up. “Alright alright…” he mumbles, pushing the fly curtain aside when he heads to his room.

     Y/N sits down again, waiting for him to return in anticipation; this she would like to see. Seconds later, the handsome cowboy returns with a Gibson six string. He settles on his chair again and rests the body of the acoustic guitar on his right thigh. The way the curved lines of the instrument form around his leg as he gently holds it by the neck that fits his hand perfectly, one would think that the guitar was made especially for him. He positions his fingers on the strings between the frets and strums them with his other hand above the soundhole while listening carefully, then twists one of the tuners on the head of the guitar slightly as he keeps testing the string until it's on key. The process continues until the Gibson sounds like harmony, then Dean shifts his focus to his audience.      “Requests?” he asks the group, although he is looking at the only woman he has eyes for.      “Anything good and old,” she replies, folding her legs in pretzel position while leaning forward, elbows on her knees, and the fourth bottle between her hands.

     He thinks about if for a short moment, then starts playing the intro of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’. The delighted expression when she recognizes the song after two notes triggers Dean to smile, and he continues to play. His fingers move swiftly over the fretboard as the wrangler hits the chords while swaying slowly to the rhythm, closing his eyes every so often. He makes a face when he messes up a note, but recovers and picks it back up. Completely astounded by his talent, Y/N doesn’t even notice that her jaw drops slightly when he sets in on the first verse and nails the melody. There is no doubt about it; he is absolutely amazing. When the song is over he receives a four-man applause and a shout out from Ash, who appreciates a little classic rock as well.      “If you think that's all that pretty face can do, you're wrong,” Benny tells her. “He's just warmin’ up.”      “How about some Southern comfort then, ey Benny? A little Lynyrd Skynyrd?” the head wrangler suggests.      His fingers caress the strings again, light and soft as if he's starting on a lullaby. Although the original is a true rock n’ roll anthem, Y/N recognizes the song that he’s about to cover acoustically. When Dean opens his mouth and lets his voice be heard, her eyes grow larger and she cannot believe her ears.      "Mama told me, when I was young.      Said ‘sit beside me, my only son.      Listen closely, to what I say.      If you do this, it will help you some sunny day."

     Y/N isn’t sure if it's the serenade he performs for her that does the trick, or the sight of the good looking cowboy playing his guitar as he brings the lyrics so passionately, but now she’s the one who’s mesmerized. His voice sounds like a combination of honey and whiskey, a rough edge adding to the beautiful depth. Completely blown away, she listens to the gift that was given him, taking in the musical mix of guitar and vocals.      “Oh, take your time. Don't live too fast.      Troubles will come, and they will pass.” As he continues, Dean looks up, meeting Y/N’s astonished gaze, which he keeps a hold of like he did on the night they met.

     “You'll find a woman, and you'll find love…”      While singing the line, his eyes are fixed on her. Maybe or maybe not intentional, but that question does not influence the consequences. She feels her heart rate pick up, beating evidently in her chest. A warm, tingly sensation starts to evolve in the pit of her stomach, enabling her to move. If she would have wanted to break eye contact, good luck, because turning her gaze away is simply impossible.      “Forget your lust from the rich man's gold.      All that you need, is in your soul.      You can do this, oh baby, if you try.      All that I want for you is to be satisfied.”      The fight against the effect that cowboy has on her, lasted a good twenty-four hours. Stubbornly she battled what surfaced the very first moment he so much as glanced at her over his poker cards yesterday evening, when she first saw the handsome wrangler. There are plenty of reasons why letting these feelings roam free is a bad idea. For one, work doesn't mix well with personal life. Secondly, she’s only staying for six months and was unable to keep a relationship going with someone who lives in the same town, let alone halfway across the country. Y/N could go on bullet-pointing why she should resist the hypnosis he has her under. This is a bad, bad idea, Y/N! He’s a playboy! He doesn’t like you, he likes girls in general! He couldn’t possibly be attracted to you! But telling herself doesn't help anymore, there's no reasoning with her heart.       “And be a simple kind of man.      Be something you'll love and understand.       Baby, be a simple, kind of man.      Oh, won't you do this for me son, if you can.”      The excitement she felt when she got on a pony at the age of four. The true fear she experienced when she fell off a horse, that moment right before she hit the ground. The thrill when she performed a sliding stop for the first time. That profound admiration that warmed her soul when she got Meadow from her granddad. The ecstasy that raised her up when she became State Champion with a perfect ride. Throw all those emotions into a blender and that would describe how Y/N feels right now. Vividly experiencing the chemical reaction in her brain, she continues to watch the man strumming his guitar, who has absolutely no idea what he’s doing to the young woman opposite of him. The small light bulbs above him shimmer an angelic light on his golden hair, highlighting his strong features. She is so captivated by the moment, that she can barely make out the words he's singing, but she does hear the soul in his voice. And as she realizes what is happening to her, something snaps inside, like a rubber band. Then she knows. Then she knows that there is in fact a way to describe this rollercoaster ride she’s on right now.

     She’s falling.      She’s falling in love.      "Don't you worry, you'll find yourself.      Follow your heart, and nothing else.      You can do this, oh baby, if you try.      All that I want from you, is to be satisfied.”

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to like or reblog my work, shoot me a message or buy me coffee (Link to Kofi in bio at the top of the page).

Read part six here

[callsign-dexter]

A Dog Situation

Request: Hi I love your work and was wondering if you could do a Tim Bradford x daughter!reader where maybe Nolan is watching her while Tim is at work because it’s a weekend, and they decide to go out to lunch and on the way back they pass by a box that says ‘free puppies’ a reader grabs one and Nolan knows he shouldn’t agree but he’s a big softie and then Tim comes homes and is just so confused.

No pressure to write this have a good day/night🫶🏻

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: fluff

Baby Bradford: A Little Fighter

Masterlist

A/N: thank you to @callsigns-haze for making this very adorable banner!

It was rare for Tim to be working on a weekend but Sergeant Grey needed all the help he could get out on the streets. Tim loved his job but he loved spending time with you more. Of course, you understood that his job could be demanding and took him away from you on the weekends, you couldn't be mad about that after all he is the one paying the bills.

Usually, you would have a babysitter on hand or when the others weren't working that got put on babysitting duty, giving your normal babysitter a break. Normally Talia and Nolan would be going in as well but weren't called in for whatever reason. You had known that he was getting called into work the weekend on Thursday and it wasn't a big surprise. Instead of your dad coming home Friday night he would be working until Saturday night which meant that Nolan would be picking you up and spending the night at your house in the guest room.

You love your ‘Uncle’ Nolan. He gave you all the sweets you wanted and let you do things your dad wouldn't let you do, though he respected your dad's rules. He also understood you and knew how to react in certain situations because he also had a kid, a son. If it wasn't for him, you probably would be much harder on your dad, of course you were hard on him but it could be worse.

It had been decided that Tim would be dropping you off at school Friday morning and then Nolan would be picking you up. You had already known Angela and Talia very well and Tim trusted them with you. It took a while but eventually Tim was ok with leaving you with the rookies, you made fast friends with everyone. He was more than ok leaving you with Nolan because he too was a dad and knew how children could be, he knew how to handle situations.

Tim's 6:30 AM alarm had just gotten off and jerked him out of his sleep. He was quick to turn it off before it could wake you up. He laid there for a second but then was rolling out of bed and started to get ready for a full day of work and then overnight work. He quickly took a shower and brushed his teeth and then dressed, after he was done, he walked out and went to your room and checked in on you. He smiled seeing that you were still asleep. He closed the door and went to the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee for him and started to get breakfast ready for him and you. When he heard your door open and the pitter patter of feet coming into the kitchen he smiled, right on time. “Hey, Sweetheart.” He said when you came and stood next to him, he slung an arm around your shoulders and you melted into his touch.

“Hi, Daddy.” You said not truly awake yet. He turned and kissed your head and then turning back towards the food,

“Remember Nolan is going to be picking you up today and staying with you until I get off work tomorrow afternoon.” He said and you nodded.

“I remember.” You said and he smiled and then you were moving away from him and grabbing a glass so you could get something to drink. Just about that time he had turned off the stove and you watched him stack the pancakes on the plates, then heading over to you sitting one plate in front of you and then the other where he would be sitting.

Both of you ate in a relatively comfortable silence, every now and then talk would happen but other than that nothing much was said. When you both finished your breakfast, he looked at you “Go ahead and get ready for school.” He said and watched you get up and put your plate in the sink and then scamper off heading to get ready for school, he smiled watching you. He asked himself how he got so lucky to have you as a kid. He hated what your mother did to you but that just meant that you had a stronger bond with him. Not long, you were coming out dressed and ready to go. He smiled at you as you grabbed your bag and he grabbed his and the both of you were out the door and to his truck.

After a short trip to your school, he was pulling up to the front of the school and turning to you. “Be good and don't smart off. Also remember to be good for Nolan when he comes and picks you up and stays with you.” He said, giving you a pointed look and you smiled up at him.

“I’m always good, Dad.” You said and he smiled and kissed your forehead.

“Don’t put him in a situation where he can't say no to either.” He said as you were getting out and you turned and smirked at him.

“I would never do that.” You said with a playfully hurt expression but he quickly turned into a smile and then you were shutting the door and giving him a wave and then you were off going into the school meeting up with some of your friends.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Tim arrived at the precinct and had just parked beside Lucy’s car. He got out and started into the precinct. He said hi to people and the front desk person. He walked into the locker room and started getting dressed when Nolan walked up to him. “Hey.” He said and Tim looked at him and smiled.

“Hey, Y/N is excited to be able to hang out with you tonight and tomorrow.” He said and Nolan smiled.

“I’m excited too. I love that kid.” Nolan said and that made Tim smile.

“She loves you too. Oh, don’t let her get you in a situation that you can’t say no to. She is good about doing that. Also don’t fall for the puppy dog eyes.” Tim said and Nolan chuckled.

“Nobody can resist those eyes.” He said and Tim smiled and agreed. They walked out in the briefing room and got ready to start the day.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, calls were answered and arrests were made. Before anyone knew it, it was the end of the day. Nolan walked in and got changed and as he was walking out Tim caught him. “Hey, have a good night tonight and day tomorrow. If you need me, call me and I’ll answer and if I’m needed, I’ll be there. Kitchen is fair game and so is the coffee, other drinks, there is food in the pantry, freezer, and fridge. Take out is also an option, Y/N/N knows where the money is and she has my credit card plugged into her phone and most take out options.” Tim said and Nolan nodded and smiled.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have fun and if we need you, you will be notified. Also, I can pay for the food.” Nolan said and Tim nodded.

“You don’t have to do that.” Tim said and Nolan shook his head.

“I want to.” He replied and Tim nodded in defeat. He knew that his little girl is in good hands but he’s a dad, it’s his job to worry. “Now go continue your shift. I’m gonna go and pick up your little girl and we’re going to have a blast. We’ll send pictures.” Nolan said and that made Tim smile. Tim walked off when Seargent Grey called out to him and Nolan was off to get you. Nolan walked to his truck and got in after throwing his bag into the back and then he got into the driver’s side and started his truck up and headed to your school, which wasn’t that far. Nolan got in the line with the other cars and waited for them to move. When he was finally up in the front, he saw you waiting and then when you saw him you smiled and hurriedly walked to his truck and he got in. “Hello, Baby Braford.” He said and you rolled your eyes.

“Hello, Uncle Nolan.” You said and you gave him a hug and you both were headed to your house. “What’s the plan for tonight?” You asked and he smiled.

“Well, your dad said there was some food in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. So, we can cook something up or we can order out. I was also thinking about having a movie night.” He said and you turned to him and he made a quick glance at you and saw you smiling and smiled but then paid attention to the road.

“Ohhh!!! Chinese food and movie night!” You said and he chuckled.

“You got it.” He said “We’ll order it once we get home.” He added and you nodded excited. Before you knew it you were home and he was pulling into the driveway. He parked the truck and killed the engine and then you both were getting out. Nolan grabbed his second bag and you grabbed your backpack and you both headed into the house after you unlocked the door with your key. You set your bag on by the door and Nolan walked to the guest room and set his bag on the bed. He walked out of the room and into the kitchen where you were leaning against the counter scrolling on your phone answering texts from your friends and your dad. You looked up when you heard Nolan. “Alright, you wanna go ahead and order the food and get movie night started?” He asked and nodded excitedly. “Why don’t you go and get changed and I’ll order, my treat.” He said before you could argue and nodded and headed off. “Want your usual?” He asked and you turned to him.

“Of course.” You said with that Bradford smirk and watched you walk on. He pulled out his phone and opened the app and ordered his and your usual order. Now the wait starts.

It wasn’t long until you had come out in some sweats and your dad’s hoodie that you “borrowed” from him but he knew he had lost it when you got your hands on it. Nolan had gotten the TV said up when you had come out of your room and into the living room. “What do you want to watch?” He asked as you came and sat down on the couch.

“National Treasure?” You asked

“Oh, my favorite. Do you want to start with the first one and then watch the second one?” He asked and you nodded excitedly. This is why he was your favorite. 20 minutes into the movie and the doorbell rang meaning the food was here and he got up to answer it as you got up and grabbed drinks. He shut the door and you both walked into the living room. You both sorted out the food and then you started the movie back up and began to eat.

After National Treasure ended you started National Treasure: Book of Secrets up and you both laughed and commented throughout the movie. Food was eaten throughout both movies and you had a blanket thrown over you. It was getting pretty late by the time that one ended but you were nowhere near ready to go to bed. As the credits rolled you looked over at Nolan “What’s it’s gonna be now?” You asked and he thought about it.

“Top Gun?” He asked and he watched your face light up. Top Gun was one of your all-time favorites and it was your dad’s too.

“Yes!!!! I knew you were my favorite for a reason.” You said and he laughed.

“There are a lot of reasons why I’m your favorite.” He said and you nodded.

“You got that right.” You said and then you got up and switched out the movies and then rushed to the couch and threw the blanket back over you and snuggled into Nolan. When it got to Goose’s death you cried so hard, you always did and Nolan wasn’t going to lie he teared up too. Once it ended, which you were sad about, you turned to him “Did you hear that they are coming out with a second one?” You asked and he turned to you.

“Oh really? When is it coming out?” He asked

“They haven’t given a date yet.” You said and he nodded and then you decided on a few more movies, Rock of Ages, Battleship, and all of the Mission Impossibles, and before you knew it, it was 12 AM. Throughout the night pictures of you and Nolan’s selfies of you and him eating and making funny pictures were sent to Tim.

“Alright, kiddo. Time for bed.” He said and you looked at him.

“I’m not even tired.” You said just as soon as a yawn escaped you and he chuckled.

“Nope. Bed time.” He said and you pouted but got up and trudged off into your room and got into bed and fell asleep quickly.

Nolan started to clean up and turn the TV off and made sure the movie was in the movie case, and threw away the trash. He turned off the lights and headed to the guest room. He stopped at your door and opened it and checked in on you and smiled when he saw that you were sound asleep. He shut the door and walked into the bedroom and got ready for bed. Once he was ready, he laid down and was quick to fall asleep.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

The next morning, Saturday, you woke up the smell of bacon and pancakes. Your stomach growled and it had you getting up and walking out of your room and into the kitchen to see Nolan already dressed and at the stove. When he heard you, he turned and he smiled “Hey.” He said and you smiled “I figured we have breakfast and then get out of the house and do some shopping and hanging out.” He said and you smiled.

“That sounds great.” You said and he smiled and turned off the stove and then handed you a plate and you both got what you wanted and then sat down at the table. You saw that your drink and his coffee were already on the table. Breakfast was eaten and small talk was made. He asked you about school and you asked him about work. It was fun and it was like when you were talking with your dad.

After breakfast you were getting up and putting your dish in the sink, something your dad taught you from an early age “Hey, once you get dressed and teeth brushed. We’ll get going.” Nolan said and you nodded. You were quick to get ready into some jeans and a ‘Talk to me, Goose’ shirt and then you threw on your dad’s hoodie again. You brushed your teeth and put your hair up in a ponytail. You grabbed your phone and headed into the kitchen. Nolan had just finished wiping down the table and counter when he turned when he heard you “Ready to go?” He asked and you nodded and he smiled. You both walked out and you locked the door behind you. You both got into the truck and headed off into the town.

When he got to where he had planned, he parked and killed the engine and then you both were getting out and walked into the shop. You both had a blast and bought some things. Everything was close enough so you didn’t have to keep getting back into the truck and leaving. After spending the morning shopping, you decided to have lunch at a cute little bakery. You both talked about anything and everything. As you finished lunch and were heading back to the truck because your dad was due home in 3 hours, you heard what sounded like puppy whimpering and you being an animal lover had to go and investigate. Meaning you veered off from Nolan and he was quick to take notice of this “Y/N.” He said and started off after you but you ignored him “Y/N Bradford, you cannot just walk off.” He said in a tone a parent would use when scolding a child, which he technically was.

“But Uncle Nolan! I heard puppies! I just couldn’t walk away.” You all but pouted.

“Never do it again.” He said and you nodded. You then turned and looked at the box that said ‘Free Puppies’. You peered down at them and there were only 2 left. They were Golden Retriever puppies, standard golden color. They both came straight to you when you bent down to see them and you picked them up, both were male. Nolan could see the wheels turning “Y/N.” He said in a warning tone.

“Uncle Nolan.” You whined “Please. Look at them.” You said and put the puppy in front of his face and licked him and then he looked at you and you had brought on your puppy dog eyes. This would be the situation that Tim said not to let you get him into. Nolan had an internal battle with himself but his heart won.

“Ok, fine.” He said “They're kind of cute.” He said and you squealed

“We need to take the other one, Uncle Nolan. We can't split them up.” You said and Nolan looked apprehensive.

“Y/N.” He said trying so hard not to give in but he was losing.

“Please, with a cherry on top.” You pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

“Fine. I remember passing a pet store while walking around. We can stop in and grab some stuff. Your dad is going to kill me.” He said but you weren’t listening to him because you were interested in the puppies. As you arrived at the pet store you walked in and Nolan got a shopping cart and first went to the collars, leashes, and harness. You got collars, harnesses, and leashes in blue and red. Then you went to get bowls for water and food. After doing that you got some KONG toys and 4 beds. Then two crates that would be switched to bigger ones when they got older. As you got to the food you were a little lost until a worker came over and helped you and got you treats. Then you went to the dog tags. “What are you gonna name them?” Nolan asked and you thought long and hard about it.

“Maverick and Goose.” You said beaming up at him, he smiled and shook his head. That is a perfect name. He typed it in for you, putting Maverick on the front and then your name and phone number and then Tim’s name and number on the back it printed out on a blue dog bone shaped tag with black writing. He did the same for Goose but on a red tag. Maverick and Goose had fallen asleep in your arms. Once it was done you headed over to check out and you paid for everything with your money and then you both were heading out and to his truck. He loaded everything and then helped you get in.

When you arrived back home you got out when the truck was parked and the engine was killed. You got out and put Maverick and Goose down on the ground to let him use the bathroom which he immediately did and then you headed inside. You played with Maverick and Goose while he brought everything in. When he did so he set everything up and got some water in a bowl and some food in the bowl. “Your dad is going to kill me.” He said again.

“No, he isn’t.” You said not taking your attention away from your new dogs. Not even 30 minutes later you heard your dad’s truck. Nolan and you looked up as he walked in and he froze when the puppies ran to him.

“Y/N.” He said when you came running to him.

“Dad.” You said in the same tone.

“What is this?” He asked

“This is Maverick and Goose. Our new dog!” You said excitedly and then he looked over at Nolan who had appeared.

“What happened?” Tim asked

“I was put in a position that I couldn’t say no.” Nolan said and Tim gave him a look “I couldn’t say no. She used the puppy dog eyes on me.” He said and then Tim turned to you.

“I told you not to put him in a situation where he couldn’t say no.” He said and you picked up the puppy and held it in front of Tim.

“But Daaaddd-” You said “look at them. How can you just pass this face up?” You added and Maverick, who you had picked up, licked him in the face and his face melted and he smiled and you knew you had won.

“Fine. We can keep him. But they are your responsibility. You take them out every time they wake up no matter what time and 30 minutes after they eat. You take them on walks. I’ll step in when needed but they are your responsibility. Understand?” He asked and you nodded.

“Yes, sir.” You said “We put your name and number on their tags as well as mine.” You added and he nodded.

“Good.” He nodded and then you scampered off to play with Maverick and Goose. Both men watched you being happy.

“I couldn’t say no, honestly.” Nolan said

“It’s ok. I probably wouldn’t have said no either. She can be very convincing.” Tim said chuckling and so did Nolan “You are welcome to leave or you can stay. It’s up to you.” He said and Nolan nodded.

“I’ll stay if that is ok with you. I love puppies and being able to hang out with Y/N/N. After all, I'm her favorite uncle.” Nolan said and Tim laughed.

“That is true. Shall we go and get acquainted with the new family member?” Tim asked, looking at Nolan and he looked at him.

“I think we shall.” Nolan said. Both of them walked into the living room and sat down on the floor Maverick and Goose and you were quick to notice. Everyone laughed and was having a good time. Tim looked over at you.

“Are you happy, Baby Girl?” He asked and you looked at him and smiled.

“I am, Dad. Really happy.” You said and he could see that.

“As long as you're happy. I’m happy.” He said and pulled you into a hug which you snuggled into.

You’ve always wanted a male Golden Retriever and now you have two named Maverick or Goose. You were happy and loved him. Your dad had to admit that he loved him too, he has always wanted a dog in the house but always had been too busy but now that you had one in the house everything just seemed perfect and whole. Maverick and Goose had completed your family and you and your dad couldn’t be happier.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

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[kjs-s]

Caught in the crossfire

Fandoms Marvel and The Losers

Pairing Steve Rogers x reader platonic

Summary  Steve and the reader are recruited to go after some rogue agents but end up involved in a more tricky case.

Words 1800

Warnings  shooting and mention of war

A/N This is my second entry for @locke-writes cinema rewrite challenge. I hope you like it. I found it sa funny that the movie was on when i was reading this last week.

You kept scrolling through the internal memos left on your old tablet, notifying you about everything that had happened with your old partner and his new team. There has been more than a year since you left the Special Forces to join the Avengers. At first, you were content there, up until the horrible remarks one of your supervisors kept making about your work ethics and professionalism drove you to quit. Fortunately, it only took a week for your best friend to come through. Clint was the only person you had told about your work and he loved sharing stories with you. Pizza parties at his house so you can play with his dog was your favorite pastime. Therefore, he offered you a job with him almost immediately. In addition, he appointed himself in charge of your training even though you ended up going on more mission with Steve. You two had just gotten back from a five-month mission to stop an alien attack. However, instead of getting some much-needed rest you found yourself in Steve’s office asking for time off.

‘’ I understand that it might sound crazy or irrational but I am certain something is going on there. I trusted Clay with my life for so long that I know him more than everyone else. You can ask Clint about all the times that lunatic has saved my life. I may not know the rest of his team although I am certain they are trustworthy.’’ You were talking fast so you needed to take a breath.

‘’I trust your judgment on your former partner. You have shown me that you have the ability to read people. I understand if you want to investigate what is going on with them. Why don’t you fill me in? Preferably on a slower pace so I can follow the story?’’

‘’Apparently, there was a mission to search and destroy a drug lord in Bolivia. The memo states that Clay and his team made a deal with the target and betrayed the Special Forces. That forced another team to be deployed in order to finish the mission and they ended up killing the first one.’’

‘’I am so sorry to hear that. And now you hope you can find evidence to clear their names?’’ Steve seemed surprised because he thought there were still alive when you mentioned them at first.

‘’No, that’s not what I need to do. As I read, ‘’The covert team is still alive. They attacked a convoy that was heading to a safe house and stole one of the vehicles. They used a stolen helicopter.’’ Stealing a police helicopter is an extremely risky move. Why would they do that just to steal a van? It doesn’t make any sense.’’

‘’Is it possible that they would try to either clear their names or get back at someone they believe is responsible for what happened? Who authorized the Bolivia mission?’’

‘’Their supervisor, let me check the name.’’ The expression on your face made Steve not want to find out what that person ever did to you. He knew you had quit due to one of your superiors and he assumed that was the codename you saw.

‘’I can’t believe that guy. I am certain he has something to do with this. Not just because I hate him. I honestly believe that.’’ You tried in vain to hide your hatred.

‘’Fine, I respect it. I assume that he has people working for him who would be dangerous. I will have Friday search for your friend and his team. Afterward, I will help you find out the truth and find evidence on Max.’’

It took only a few hours for Friday to track the team to an abandoned warehouse in Miami. When you landed the jet there, you knew the team would be ready to defend themselves.

‘’Clay are you here? It’s (Y/N). And I am positive you know who he is.’’ You pointed at Steve who was just standing around evaluating the situation.

‘’We are here to help. You were my mentor and I know someone tried to kill you and frame you for what happened in Bolivia.’’

‘’How do you know that?’’ A young, good-looking man spoke up from his hiding place. You could see that he was dressed in a ridiculous bike messenger outfit.

‘’ I can still get the internal memos since someone forgot to remove me from the list. Which is a good thing considering that I can help you if something is indeed going on. Sorry I’m asking, but what are you wearing?’’

‘’Can’t say, part of the plan. Does your friend there talk at all?’’ Jensen sensed right away that you were both trustworthy but wanted the others’ permission to share any information.

‘’I do, when I have something to say. I’m Steve and (Y/N) thinks we can be of service to clear your names.’’

‘’Jensen. And we are looking for revenge.’’

‘’I think you said enough.’’ Clay interrupted your conversation. ‘’I will fill our guests in. This one here own me a lot and promised me to never betray me.’’

‘’It was a pinky promise. I always keep those.’’ You spread your arms inviting your friend for a hug like you always used to do to tease him about the whole tough act.

They informed you about Max’s actions and their plan to steal a hard drive from him to prove his actions. It seemed like you weren’t needed although having two extra sets of hand, as back up couldn’t hurt.

‘’Since all we can do now is wait for the class clown to finish his part of the mission, might telling me what do you expect to do next? Stealing from him will get you nothing. We need to make sure he pays.’’ You asked Clay showing how much you still detested your old boss.

‘’I had no idea he acted that way around you. I just thought you needed some time away from the action. And look at you now, an Avengers working with the country’s poster boy.’’

‘’I wanted to come here alone but he is our leader. Looking after the rookie is part of his job. Looks like your boy is successful.’’ You wanted to not comment on your treatment. You had long forgiven Clay for not noticing it.

 While the team was working on the hard drive, Steve pulled you aside.

‘’I know that you expect me to talk like a leader and scold you for something. I am joking, those guys are great. Their stories made me feel like I was back at war, making split-second decisions. I don’t approve how they hijacked a helicopter that was dispatched for injured soldiers. However, I understand it was necessary. I’m glad we are helping them.’’

‘’I feel like you are about to tell me something I won’t like.’’

‘’We just need to act quickly. Our involvement will make things go public rapidly.’’ You agreed with him and promised to try your best and for Steve to not get any spotlight.

‘’We found his base of operation. We are headed to Los Angeles. Are you going to come with us?’’ Clay showed you the spot at the port and their mean of transportation.

‘’I think it’s better we get the jet. That way we won’t raise any suspicion and get the element of surprise. Send me the coordinates and we will meet you there.’’

Before landing in the port, you received an encrypted message from Clay. He informed you about Aisha leaving and that he wanted to proceed on his own. You admired him for his dedication to the team. However, that didn’t mean that he had to always be the hero. Refusing your help never stopped you from being a part of a team that could use any assistance. You were surprised about Aisha since you thought she seemed genuine. Steve didn’t share your opinions for he had met many people who betrayed him in the past.

You searched around for a while before finding the team. They had been captured by Special Forces men who were leading them away from your position. Steve reached for his shield but you nodded for him to stop. Drawing attention to yourselves wouldn’t get anything done.

‘’Let’s stay on them to see where they are taking them. If they make any move to shoot them, then we return the shots. You said it yourself, we need to stay unseen. We can’t have the Avengers involved in this.’’

As soon as they stopped, you found a great spot to monitor them. That’s when Steve noticed Aisha pointing a missile at one of the planes.

‘’She is probably here to help. When she fires that, we start shooting to rescue our friends.’’ It all went according to plan, with one issue left to be dealt with.

‘’I saw many armed people while we were coming here. I assume your target would be there with his weapons. Let’s finish your mission.’’ Steve couldn’t help but sound in commend. You then noticed your teammate had been shot in both legs. And having the others asking him if he can stand wouldn’t be pleasant either.

Taking down the rest of your enemies was easy. However, Max still got away. Fortunately, you managed to fire a missile on his plane that was filled with money.

‘’Good job (Y/N). I always knew I could count on you.’’ Clay still sounded like your big brother.

‘’And I always knew you would save my life, time after time. Choosing to let him go to not destroy the whole city is exactly what a hero does. Are you going to tell me what is going on with Aisha now or do I have to wait until we get your teammate to the hospital?’’

‘’She is the drug lord’s daughter. Yes, the one I killed. I bet she won’t let me forget about it any time soon.’’

In the hospital waiting room, everyone thanked you and Steve for helping them. You were just glad that it was over. Steve knew it wasn’t the right time then again he promised to keep an eye out for any more corrupt federal agents. He also offered to make the team official consultants for the Avengers.

‘’That would be great. Especially if it means we will get to see more of the two of you.’’ Clay accepted the offer and Jensen handed you and Steve pink shirts.

‘’Also, if you are not busy saving the world or anything, my niece’s soccer team is playing in a few days. You should come. They are in the playoffs.’’

@writing-journeyx   @sprinkleofhappinessuniverse  @agentpeggicarter @ohyesmarvel  @buckyofthemyscira @romantichen @once-upon-an-imagine @marveliskindacool  @jurassicbarnes @uncomfortable-writers @theassetseyeliner @sgtbxckybxrnes @thetherianthropydaily @dresupi @redgillan  @captainrogerss @musikat18 @justreadingfics @murdocksmartinis

[the-stories-in-my-head-95]

Star Crossed- Part One

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary- You were the adopted daughter Frank Reagan, the Police Commissioner of New York City. He had adopted you when you were 4, bringing you into a large family- something you’ve never had before. You decide to go to Harvard- Like your older brother had. It’s there you meet Bucky Barnes, heir to the New York Mob. The two of you fall in love despite your different backgrounds. Will your families approve?

Message- Here’s part one of my mob au/ blue bloods crossover!! Sorry if it sucks!

WARNING- readers parents OD’d. Mob au. Reader might get arrested later on. .  Family abandonment. Mentions of suicide. 

Word Count- 737

You were younger than all of your siblings, it was because you had been adopted after their mother had died. Frank- your adopted father had found you while he was on the job, he had taken your statement after you were found alone in your apartment, after your parents had OD’d at a party. You were quiet and skittish when you moved into your new home. Social workers had told Frank that that would change once you got used to your surroundings, but you never really grew out of it.

When it came time to go to college you decided to follow in your brothers Jamie’s shoes and go to Harvard, for history. But you didn’t want to go to law school afterwards, you had no interest in joining the family business. You wanted to get your Ph.D. in History and work at a museum or maybe teach at a college. Your first day of college was also Jamie’s first day as a rookie cop.

You’ve been at school for about a month when you meet him. Maybe meet wasn’t the right word, after all you’ve never spoken to each other. You both like to study by the trees on the quad. The two of you sat under neighboring trees and you would share shy glances, every once and a while. One day you were walking to your tree, you spare a quick glance towards where he usually sits, and your stomach drops in disappointment when you don’t see him. But then you look at your tree and you see him, sitting in your spot. He smiles at you while you approach.

“You’re in my spot.” You accuse.

“I’m Bucky. What’s your name?” Bucky questions.

“Y/N, why are you sitting under my tree?” You ask.

“Maybe I wanted a change? What makes it your tree?” Bucky grills as he smiles at you.

“It’s were I sit! You sit there!” You huff. “Then we make googly eyes at each other when we think the other isn’t looking! It’s our thing!” Bucky just smiles up at you.

“Do you want to go to dinner with me?” He asks.

“Obviously.” You say as you sit down next to him.

***

Bucky takes you out to a nice little Italian place the next night. You spend the entire dinner babbling about different periods in history. Bucky stays quiet, but he has a small grin on his face the entire time, he seems almost in awe of everything that comes out of your mouth.

“So what’s your family like?” Bucky asks you when the two of you leave the restaurant.

“Well, I’m adopted. I have, well had 4 siblings. But my older brother died last year.” You murmur.

“Oh, I’m sorry for your lost.” Bucky says sincerely.

“Thank you.” You say as you grin up at him. “Do you want to get ice cream?” Bucky nods his head and takes your hand and the two of you start to walk to the ice cream place a couple blocks away. “But anyway, my family’s pretty typical. All cops and a lawyer. Oh and my Dads the PC.”

“Your Dad’s Commissioner Reagan.” Bucky asks, stopping in shock.

“Yeah? You’re from New York City?” You ask smiling.

“Uh-Yeah.” Bucky stammers out. “My last names Barnes.” Your face instantly pales.

“Barnes-like the famous mob family, Barnes.” You whisper.

“Yep.” Bucky grunts. The two of you sit on a nearby bench.

“M-my Dad helped put your Dad in prison.” You whisper.

“I know.” Bucky groans.

“Does this mean we can’t date anymore?” You ask.

“I don’t know.” Bucky mumbles. “I really like you.”

“I really like you too.” You murmur. Then Bucky looks at you for a minute.

“I’m fine with this if you are.” He finally says and you nod your head. Bucky leans down and gives you a chaste kiss. “I guess this makes us the modern day Romeo and Juliet.” He murmurs as he pulls away.

“I’m not killing myself for you.” You say.

“Never would have expected you to, Doll.” Bucky says. “Besides, if both of our families disapprove we’ll just run away to Canada.” That makes you smile.

“Sounds good to me.” You say, before pulling his face back to yours. “Now, I remember there was talk of getting ice cream?” You ask as you pull away, Bucky chuckles.

“Yeah, let’s go, Doll.” He says as he takes your hand in his.

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[callsign-dexter]

Flu Season

Summary: Flu season hits the Bradford residence.

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: sickness, vomit

Baby Bradford: A Little Fighter

Masterlist

Banner done by @callsigns-haze

The flu had been going around Y/N's school and she was fortunate not to get it until late last night. When she got sick it was bad, she did have a good immune system but for some reason, she just got violently sick when a bug or the flu hit her.

It was around 3 AM when the pain and shivering started. Her stomach hurt so much that it woke her up. She knew she needed to go and get her dad or wake him up somehow but the thought of her moving herself just made her shake and tense up. She laid there for a few minutes until she finally decided to get up. When she pushed the covers everything started to ache. Just moving made her feel nauseous but she needed to push through and get to her dad. She took a few breaths and slowly sat up and her world began to spin. After a few minutes of sitting there, it stopped and she started her journey again. When she stood up on the floor her legs started to shake like a newborn foal using its legs for the first time. She slowly but surely made her way to her dad's bedroom using the wall as support. When she got there the door was open, thankfully, and she walked in, her breathing was labored if she didn't sit down soon she would surely pass out. Tim was sprawled out on the right side of the bed meaning the left side was open. Y/N crawled into the vacant spot and curled into him shaking.

It took Tim a good minute to feel the extra warmth and when he did that woke him up instantly. He opened his eyes to find his daughter curled up to him and grew confused. "Baby Girl, what's wrong?" He asked and at first, she didn't answer she was just shaking. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead and felt it was burning up. "You're burning up." He said and she nodded having registered his voice.

"I don't feel good." She said and he could hear the scratchy voice and then it was followed by a cough. He rubbed her back which soothed her. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She said looking at him with wide eyes and immediately Tim jumped into dad mode. He jumped up and then scooped his 7-year-old up took her to his conjoined bathroom and sat her down just in time for her to expel whatever she ate for supper the night before.

"Just let it all out. It's ok. You'll feel better afterward." He told her as she finished and left her dry heaving. Once she was done she collapsed into her father's chest as silent hot tears raced down her cheeks. "Feel better?" He asked and she nodded her head and then turned in his arms and cuddled into him. He reached up and flushed the toilet. "Wanna try to get some more sleep or drink something?" He asked.

"Sleep." She said and he nodded and stood up with her in his arms. "Wanna sleep with you daddy." She said and he nodded as he walked to his bed and laid her in it.

"I'll be right back." He said and she nodded. Tim walked into the kitchen to grab a bucket and headed back to his bedroom. Y/N watched his every move when he got back. "If you feel like getting sick then do so in this bucket." He said and she nodded and he sat it down on the floor beside her side of the bed. She was out like a light in an instant. Tim debated going back to sleep or just lay there with her. He went with the second option and slipped into bed on his side and sat against the headboard and turned on the TV with the volume low. After 30 minutes of nothing on he found himself drifting off.

Tim wasn't a heavy sleeper to begin with and when it came to Y/N he pretty much had trained his body to listen for her. He started this when she was just a baby and Isabel was gone a lot. They both got a restless 3 hours of sleep before he woke to the sound of her throwing up. He had at some point cuddled up with her and she was just shivering in his arms despite her being hot to the touch. He was quick to sit up and rub her back "You're ok. Let it all out." He said and his heart broke when she started to cry and dry heave. After a good 2 minutes, she stopped and flopped back into the bed exhausted. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was 6 AM. He was already awake and this was his normal time to be up. When he looked back over to his daughter she was fast asleep. He carefully got out and started his routine of getting ready for the day and he needed to call into work and her school as well as make her a doctor's appointment. When he finished he sent a text to Marina to let her know what was going on.

Tim: Hey, Y/N is sick, I'm thinking it's the flu. I'm going to try and get her a doctor's appointment soon. I don't want you sick so I'll be staying with her. I'll let you know what's going on.

In an instant he got a text back.

Marina: Oh no! Poor baby! Yes just let me know what is going on and let me know when you need me. If there is anything you need me to do let me know. I hope she feels better!

He went and checked on her and she was sound to sleep curled up near the edge of the bed. He noticed that the bucket was a little bit fuller than the time he got up and he sighed, he hated it when she was sick. He walked out and back into the kitchen to pour some coffee and call the doctor's office. It rang twice before they answered

"Thank you for calling Clearview Family Physicians. My name is Emma. How may I help you?" She asked

"Hi, my name is Tim Bradford and I'm calling on behalf of Y/N Bradford. She started throwing up at 3 AM and twice more around 6 AM and 6:30 AM. She is also hot to the touch. I know there is the flu going around but I just want to make sure that's what it is." Tim said

"I'm sorry that she's feeling under the weather. We'll certainly get her in and looked at. I have a 10 AM this morning." Emma said and Tim smiled.

"That would be perfect." He said

"Alright. I have her down for 10. We'll see you then." She said

"Thank you." Tim replied back.

"You're welcome." She said and then they hung up.

Tim looked at his phone it was only 7 AM. He figured he would let her sleep in for a little bit before trying to get her to eat or drink something. He needed to call the school next and figured they had enough time to get in and open it. He dialed their number and almost instantly they answered after he pressed call.

"Thank you for calling Clear Creek Elementary School. I'm Brenda. How may I help you?" Brenda asked

"My name is Tim Bradford and I'm calling to let you know that Y/N will not be in school today. She's come down sick." Tim said

"Oh dear. I hope she gets better soon. I'll mark her as absent." Brenda said with so much care in her voice.

"Thank you. We'll let you know what happens and when she'll be back." Tim said with a smile and taking a sip of coffee.

"Sounds great. Thank you for calling. Hope to see her soon." Brenda replied and then they both hung up.

Tim looked down at his watch it was only 8 AM. He had one more call to make but first, he needed to check on Y/N. He sat his coffee down and headed to his bedroom but when he heard the sound of vomiting he rushed to his room and was quick to his daughter’s side. "Shhhh, it's ok baby. Let it all out." He said he was amazed that she had so much left in her. When she was done she caught her breath and looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes.

"I don't like this." She said and Tim's heart broke.

"I know. But I got you a doctor's appointment at 10 AM and you won't be going to school." He said and she nodded top exhausted and that made him frown. He could see the fight wasn't there and her eyes weren't as bright. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you up when it gets closer to leaving. You can sleep in the car too." He said and she nodded and laid down and was out like a light. He sighed and stayed there making sure she was asleep before he got up and took the bucket to empty it and then set it down again. As he was checking on her one last time he bent down to kiss her head and felt she was burning up and then how congested she was and then she let out a cough and that made him frown. All those were new symptoms. He got up and saw that the clock only read 8:16 AM he sighed and left the room while digging his phone out and went to Grey's number and hit the contact and it rang for a minute until he picked it up.

"Officer Bradford. What pleasure do I have for you to call?" Grey asked and you could hear the chuckle in his voice.

"Hey, Y/N is sick and I'm gonna need to stay home with her. She tends to cling to me when she's sick." Tim said

"She always has, ever since she was a baby." Grey said with a chuckle. "You take all the time you need and let us know if you need something. I know everyone around here would love to help out. If you need Luna for something just let her know, she would drop everything for that little girl." Grey said and Tim smiled and it was true. When his daughter met Luna it was an instant attachment.

"Thank you, Sir." Tim said "I'll let you know if there is anything." He added.

"Good. Now go and take care of that sweet baby girl. We have it handled over here." Grey said

"I'll keep you updated. I got her an appointment at 10 AM." He said

"Good. Talk to you later and keep us updated." Grey said

"I will." Tim replied and then hung up.

Tim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't like taking off but when his daughter was this sick he would do anything for her.

When Isabel was around she never took care of Y/N when she was sick all that responsibility fell on Tim and this caused several fights. Then again fights happened because she wasn't around to take care of their daughter. It frustrated him to no end. Yes, she was in her life for 6 years but she was just there she wasn't an active parent and when Y/N tried to be interactive with Isabel she would just shoot her down and send her off to go and find Tim. Tim had watched it happen and watched her face fall and her world shatter a little bit more each time, then she would come over to Tim and he would help her or look at what she did and when Y/N wasn't looking he would just glare at his wife who wasn't even paying attention. She was always too invested in work and going undercover. Tim sighed angrily thinking about all the times he wished he had Isabel's help but she just simply abandoned them.

He looked down at his watch for what seemed like the millionth time that morning and saw that it was 9:20 AM. The doctor's office wasn't that far but he liked being early and he needed to get Y/N up and somewhat dressed. "Alright sweet girl, up we go." He said and lifted her up and that woke her up.

"Daddy?" She asked groggily.

"Hey, Baby Girl. We need to get your teeth brushed and then head to the doctor." He said and she nodded and laid on her head on his shoulder.

"My throat hurts." She said and he nodded as he walked to the bathroom and had her brush her teeth and then he let her throw one of his sweatshirts on and he grabbed her bucket and they were out the door and into the truck. She was so congested and she was coughing nonstop. She was also starting to shiver despite her being in her dad's hoodie. She had fallen asleep on the drive over. He parked in the closest spot he could find to the door and killed the engine and then got out and then got her out she was still asleep as he carried her into the doctor's office. He smiled at the receptionist and with practiced ease he held her and signed her in and then went and sat down with her in his arms as she slept. 10 minutes later and her name was being called.

"Y/N Bradford." The nurse said and he was standing up with her and walking through the door. The jostling around made her wake. "Hey, Sweetie." The nurse said and smiled and Y/N just coughed and snuggled into her father and that made her smiled. "I'm gonna take your temperature, blood pressure, pulse, height and weight." She said and Y/N nodded. Tim put her on the ground and she got her weight and height taken and she just shook like a leaf once those two things were done she was allowed to get back on her dad's lap and she gladly did so. Her temperature was taken and when it beeped the nurse took it out of her mouth "102. She does have a fever." She said and Tim nodded the last two things were taken and then they were taken to a room. Y/N coughed and sniffled and Tim just held her closer.

A few minutes later Dr. Spring walked in and smiled sadly at the sight of the little girl. "Good morning." He said and Tim smiled.

"Good morning." He replied back.

"It says here that she might have the flu. and it looks like she has a fever. Is there anything else?" Dr. Spring asked and Tim nodded.

"She also told me that her throat hurts after I got off the phone with the receptionist and she has started to cough and sound congested. She also started to shiver and when asked to stand to take her weight and height she was just shaking." Tim said and Dr. Spring nodded adding it into the notes.

"I want to run some tests." He said and Tim nodded and slowly began to wake his daughter up and she groggily woke up and the doctor introduced himself and explained everything but she didn't say anything. Her eyes weren't as bright as they had been before she was sick. "Nurse Glass will be in here soon to run the tests." He said and then walked out of the room.

5 minutes later Nurse Glass was walking in and began taking the samples for the tests that Dr. Spring ordered. The flu one went up her nose and she hated that and she started to cry but Tim just held her tighter and when she tried to turn her head she was met with his chest. The other was for strep and that had to be done by swabbing the back of the throat and she reluctantly opened her mouth and when the sample was gotten she started to gag and the nurse was quick to grab a bucket and Y/N threw up. After she was done the nurse threw it away and then walked out.

A few minutes later the doctor was walking back in "It looks like she has the flu, strep, and a sinus infection." He said "I'm gonna get her started on some antibiotics." He said and Tim nodded and then they were free to leave. He carried her out and she was out like a light on his shoulder. He said bye to the receptionist and he was heading to the pharmacy to pick up her meds. Once they were picked up they were heading home and he was parking in the driveway and walking into the house with her. He laid her on the couch and let her sleep.

Tim got her medicine out and read the directions and got some Gatorade out that he had for when he worked out. He walked over to her and woke her up and had her take her medicine and of course she protested but he was quick to let her wash it down with the Gatorade and then she was out like a light again with the TV on low. He made himself busy around the house while still checking on her. "Daddy?" She called out and he was rushing to her from the laundry room.

"Yes, Baby Girl?" Tim asked

"I'm hungry." She said and that made him smile because that was a good sign.

"You wanna try to eat some crackers?" He asked and she nodded. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed them and then headed back. He sat down and opened them and gave her the package and she began to eat slowly. She was keeping them down and the was great. He also had grabbed the thermometer and he checked her temperature and it read about the same. He watched her eyes droop and then she was back to sleep snuggling into her father. He let everyone know what was going on.

This had gone on for serval days and on the 4th day her fever broke and she was back to playing a little bit. She was still congested but her throat didn't hurt anymore and she was still coughing. Her eyes were starting to brighten back up and that made Tim smile.

On the 7th day she was back to her old self and the antibiotics were done and she was no longer congested and her eyes were bright. It was a Wednesday so she was cleared to go back to school with her doctor's note. He watched her skip off into the school and he smiled he was so happy to have his little girl back. Once she was safe inside he started his drive to work, he hated taking time off but if it was to take of his little girl then so be it. When he arrived he was asked how she was and he smiled and told them that she was better and that she went back to school and was back to her old self. Everyone was happy about that now she could get back to her shenanigans, like scaring the living daylights out of Officer Smitty and conning him into doing stuff because he was slightly terrified of her.

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@grandstrangerphantom

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[callsign-dexter]

I'm Fine

Request: hey love I just saw your angst starter sentences list and I don’t know if you are still doing it so if you aren’t just ignore me lol I have a few so you can pick and choose(or if you don’t like any of them you don’t have to do them no pressure)

maybe with Tim Bradford and daughter you could use

-you’ve been crying, i can tell.

Starter- You've been crying, I can tell.

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: angst, cussing, assault to a minor, hospitals, inaccurate medical talk, abusive coach

Masterlist

miscellaneous angst starters

A/N: Thank you to the person who sent this in! The same request from the same requester that had three different starters. The other two fics can be found here: Jake Seresin x Daughter!Reader and Maverick x Daughter!Reader.

It was rare for Tim Bradford to take a day off but ever since you, his 17-year-old daughter, was born you he had been taking more of them off and you were glad for that. One you got your dad and two he actually had time to wind down and focus on himself along with taking care of himself. He had just arrived home early in the morning, 6:30 AM, on Thursday from work he knew that would be getting up soon and you would be starting your routine of getting ready to go school and then softball practice right after. He started to get your lunch and then he was restocking your cooler with ice and drinks and some snacks that you had in your Trailblazer, once he was done, he picked it up and grabbed your keys and headed out to put it in your trunk so you didn’t have to carry too much at once. When he went back inside, he heard the shower running and smiled. He made himself busy with things in the kitchen and the laundry room where he went and got your practice clothing out and made sure they were dry and then put them in your bag. By the time he was done you had walked down the stairs with damp hair and when you saw him you smiled. “Hey, Dad.” You said and he looked up, smiled as you walked over and hugged him.

“Good morning, Sweetheart.” He said and kissed the top of your head as you buried your face into his chest. “Sleep well?” He asked and you nodded and then released him from the hug.

“Yea, I did. Did you have a good shift?” You asked as you moved to make yourself something to eat as he leaned up against the counter and watched you. “Coffee?” You asked and he shook his head.

“No, thank you. I’m planning on falling asleep as soon as you leave.” He said and you chuckled as you poured yourself some.

“So… have you confessed your love to Lucy yet?” You asked him smirking as you took a sip of your coffee made just how you liked it.

“Y/N.” He said with a warning tone and you rolled your eyes but still smirked.

“Oh, come on. Everyone can see you are in love with her and she is in love with you.” You said and when he didn’t say anything you knew you had won, sort of. You had met Lucy a few months back and saw the immediate heart eyes they had for each other. You and her really clicked.

“Don’t you have to get to school?” He asked as you looked at the stove and set your coffee down.

“Fine. We’re not done talking about this.” You said as you went to collect your backpack, lunch, and softball bag.

“Yes, we are.” He said and again you rolled your eyes.

“Whatever.” You chuckled “I have practice after school.” You said already dreading it because you hated your coach and he tended to overwork your team to the point of any of you getting hurt or sick from the little to none water breaks and the running without stopping and again no water.

“I’ve already packed the cooler and put it in your Trailblazer. Now get going before you're late. Be safe and I love you.” He said and pulled you into another hug and kissed your head again.

“I love you too.” You said and released him from the hug and you were out the door heading to your Trailblazer and off to school.

You had arrived at school, with plenty of time to spare, you parked next to your friend’s, Samantha Nolan, John Nolan’s daughter, your friend and fellow softball team member, 4Runner. You and her have been friends since the start of middle school and often stayed with each other. It was just a coincidence that your father’s worked together. You just sat in your Trailblazer just trying to mentally prepare yourself for the day and what is to come at practice. Lately your wrist and shoulder had been hurting and with you pitching it made it much worse and then batting made it worse. You tried to say something to Coach Theo Morgan about it but he just said to suck it up and deal with it. Your trainer Amanda Fender and assistant Coach Liam Colt just looked on with sorrow in her eyes, she tried to help but Coach Morgan wouldn’t listen to them and would threaten to fire them if they were brought up again. Several parents were complaining about how bad Coach Morgan was and how their children were breaking down to Coach Colt and they had even compensated by pulling their kids from the team. You haven’t told your dad about it because you didn’t like conflict and he had enough on his plate to begin with. You absolutely loved playing softball but lately you’ve been dreading even playing and starting to hate it.

When you looked down at your Trailblazer’s clock and saw it was time to start heading in, you killed the engine and grabbed your backpack and lunch and headed inside. You were quick to meet up with Samantha. You both had pretty much all of the same classes together which helped a lot. “Hey!” She said and hugged you.

“Hey.” You said and winced a little bit when your shoulder moved the wrong way and she frowned when she released you.

“You, ok?” She asked and you shook your head.

“No, my shoulder hurts when I love it a certain way and so does my wrist.” You said and she looked at you as you both began walking to your first class of the day.

“Have you told your dad?” She asked and again you shook your head.

“No, he has enough on his plate. You know how it is.” You spoke

“What about Coach Morgan?” She asked but knew the answer when you gave her a look.

“You know he doesn’t give a shit about us. All he cares about is winning.” You said and she made a face and nodded agreeing with you. “Even if I told Amanda about it, she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.” You added and again she nodded in agreeing with you. You both arrived at the classroom and went and sat down in your seats, which were right beside each other, and then a few minutes passed and the school day started.

The rest of the day went by quickly, maybe a little too quickly for your liking because now you had to face Coach Morgan and the hell that he was going to put you through. The softball field was just a little bit behind the high school so it was only a short walk to the field. When the last bell rang everyone was let out and you had gone to your Trailblazer along with Samantha, who was parked next to you, and you both traded out your school backpack for your softball gear. You both headed to the locker rooms chatting away. When you arrived, your other teammates were there doing the same thing and everyone greeted each other and then started to complain about how today was going to go and how shitty of a coach that Coach Morgan was.

Once everyone was changed and had grabbed their gear you all were heading down to the field. Everyone started to warm up and had to wait on your coach, who never seemed to care to actually show up on time so your assistant coach, Coach Colt, started your practice. He was a better coach than Coach Morgan because he actually cared about his team members. Practice started easy and it was actually fun then the pitching and batting started and as soon as you threw the first pitch your shoulder screamed in pain and so did your wrist and your pitch was off and this concerned both Coach Colt and Trainer Amanda enough for both of them to walk up to you. “Are you ok?” Coach Colt asked and you nodded not wanting to say anything even though Coach Morgan wasn’t there. They gave you a look and you believed you could trust them.

“No, my shoulder and wrist have been killing me.” You said and they nodded and Trainer Amanda started to press around and when she got to a point you winced and drew back.

“How long has this been going on?” Coach Colt asked

“Since last week.” You said and they gave you a look and a frown “I tried to tell Coach Morgan about it but he just said to suck it up and get on with it.” You added and they had a look of anger on their face.

“Why don’t you go sit down and we’ll get the relief pitcher in.” Coach Colt said and you nodded and went to sit down as your other friend Elizabeth Summers walked up to the pitching mound after giving you a sad smile. You were just glad to have some rest. 30 minutes into the practice Coach Morgan showed up and when he saw you sitting on the bench, he grew furious and stormed over to Coach Colt.

“Why the fuck is Bradford sitting on the bench and not on the fucking pitching mound?” He screamed and everything was silent and everything halted. Nobody liked Coach Morgan and were terrified of him.

“Her pitches were off because her shoulder was hurting and so was her wrist. So, Amanda and I are giving her a rest.” Coach Colt said defending you and trying to keep calm.

“I don’t give a fuck if she’s hurting. You have to work through the pain. No pain, no gain.” Coach Morgan said “I want her back on that pitching mound this instant.” He said and turned to you as you were picking up your glove and heading to the mound looking at Elizabeth who gave you a sympathetic look. You were a great pitcher and because of that you worked harder. They walked away from you to stand on the side “Now begin!” He yelled and you clenched your teeth and got ready to throw the ball already filling your shoulder scream in pain. You took a deep breath and wound up and threw the ball and as you released it tears came to your eyes and they clenched shut but opened them quickly, it had made it to the catcher’s, Samantha, glove like you planned it but it still fucking hurt. Samantha threw the ball back to you. This exercise went on for about 2 minutes just to get you warmed up and each time your shoulder and wrist screamed in pain. “Ok, I want to go onto the next drill!” Coach Morgan yelled “Coach Colt will be hitting the ball to different positions and everyone will be throwing it just like in a game.” He yelled and everyone nodded. You stayed put as well as everyone else as Coach Colt walked up and started the drill. Each time you caught it and threw it your shoulder screamed in pain and you were throwing some wild throws and that just pissed him off. “Time out!” He yelled and stormed over to you and grabbed you by the arm and practically drug you off the field and started laying into you. “What the fuck was that?! It’s like you’re not even trying! You’re supposed to be my best pitcher and you’re pitching like shit! I don’t give a fuck if your injured, you work through the pain!” He yelled and tears stung your eyes. Off in your peripheral vision you could see everyone looking and grouped together. Everyone knew you were hurt and tried to do something but they got punished or threatened to be kicked off the team. You weren’t paying attention to him and that pissed him off “Are you even fucking listening to me?!” He said and shoved you and then grabbed the front of your shirt and got up in your face.

“I am. My shoulder really hurts.” You tried to defend yourself and then he let go of your shirt and you thought it was over but then he raised his hand and slapped you in the face which made you step back and crash into the fence and head hitting the pole, you looked up holding your face and tears actually fell from your eyes.

“I don’t fucking care! How do you expect to become a professional?!” He said and grabbed you again and you were terrified and your face showed it and about that time Coach Colt and Amanda were rushing to your aid and Coach Colt pulled Coach Morgan off of you as Amanda shielded you.

“That is enough. Her shoulder and wrist have been hurting for weeks and you simply ignored her and threatened to kick her off the team if she said anything. That’s right we’ve heard all about it.” Coach Colt said

“That is not an excuse!” Coach Morgan yelled

“Yes, it is. Any more pushing and she could damage her shoulder and wrist for good and she won’t be able to play at all.” Amanda said as she held your crying form. Coach Morgan huffed and stormed off and left. Coach Colt turned to the rest of the team.

“Practice is over. Go home and rest, we’ll let you know when the next practice is.” He said and everyone nodded and started to gather their stuff and head to their cars not bothering to change then he turned to you and Amanda. “Are you ok?” He asked and you shook her head which you must’ve hit because shaking it caused it to throb and you had some blood running from your temple and your ear was ringing. “Here let me see.” He said and put a comforting hand on yours and slowly moved it and he grew angry. You had a handprint from where Coach Morgan had slapped you and his wedding ring must've got you too because you were bleeding from your cheek bone and bruising along with some swelling started to form. “I fucking hate that guy.” He said “You really need to go get checked out.” He added.

“I just want to go home. I’ll get cleaned up there.” You said

“Are you sure? One of us can take you to the hospital.” Amanda said and you nodded “Is anyone home with you?” She asked and you nodded. They knew Tim and Nolan were police officers and knew their schedule.

“Yea, dad is home.” You said in a quiet voice. Just then Samantha walked up with yours and her stuff.

“I’ll make sure she gets home safely.” Samantha said and that made you jump because you didn’t hear her walk up. That concerned them.

“Thank you, Samantha.” Amanda said and she smiled as she threw an arm around your shoulder and began your trek to your cars.

“You are not ok to drive.” She said and you looked at her.

“No, I am. I just want to be home.” You said and she nodded.

“Ok, just take it nice and slow, ok.” She asked and you nodded.

“Ok.” You said as you both put your stuff in your cars and then both got in and started your drive home. As you were getting closer to your house your vision was starting to get blurry with tears and a little bit of double vision was starting. Lucky for you, you had just pulled into your driveway next to your dad’s truck. You killed the engine and started to bawl. After a few minutes you wiped your tears, grabbed your backpack and softball bag and headed inside. You were moving slowly but straightened up and tried to walk normally. You turned the handle of the door and walked in being met with the TV on and your dad in the kitchen. You say your stuff down by the front door and then walk in with your head down and he smiled at you.

“Hey, Sweetheart. How was school?” He asked

“It was good.” You said and he frowned because he noticed how your voice croaked.

“Are you ok?” He asked and you nodded.

“I’m fine. I’m just going to head upstairs and get ready for dinner.” You said and you didn’t give him a chance to say anything as you rushed upstairs. When you got to your room you looked into the mirror and saw the damage, the handprint had darkened and there was more running down your face. Your shoulder and wrist hurt. It wasn’t even 2 minutes later when you heard a knock at your door.

“Can I come in?” He asked

“Yes.” You said as he opened the door.

“Y/N are you ok? You’ve been crying, I can tell.” Tim said

“How can you tell?” You asked with a scratchy voice.

“Your voice croaked like it always does when you’ve been crying. Also, you're my daughter I know these things." He said with a chuckle and you had let out a little one. You had your back to him and when he turned around, he instantly became angry.

“Who the fuck did this to you?” He asked as he walked up to you and gently grabbed your chin to look at you.

“Coach Morgan.” You said quietly

“That son of a bitch. Why did he do this to you?” He asked releasing you.

“My pitches and throws were sloppy because my shoulder and wrist had been hurting for weeks and he got angry and pulled me off the field. He cussed me out and then turned violent and then slapped me hard enough to push me into the chained linked fence hard. His ring cut him and my ear has been ringing ever since. My head hurts too from hitting the pole.” You said and Tim was angry but not at you. He had released your chin when you had begun talking.

“I'm taking you to the hospital and I’m going to take pictures of this and do something about it.” He said and you nodded and he pulled out his phone and began taking pictures of your face. When he was done, he ushered you out of your room and down the stairs to his truck where he was helping you get in and then he got in himself and started the engine, he pulled out of the driveway and started driving towards the hospital.

When you both got there, he made sure to park close by and then he killed the engine he first got out then he walked over and helped you out. On the way to the hospital your vision had doubled, the ringing intensified, and you had become dizzy to the point of almost throwing up. You were almost in the hospital when you suddenly went to the trash can and threw up. “Woah.” He said and rubbed your back after you were done you wiped your mouth and headed inside where he told you to go and sit down. Tim walked up to the front desk and got a forum to fill out. You had told him you were dizzy and having double vision. He walked over and sat down next to you and began filling out what was needed, answering the questions with ease. You leaned against his shoulder on your non-injured side. 

“I don't feel good, Daddy.” You said and he turned to look at you. You had turned pale and looked overall exhausted. “Wanna go to sleep.” You said and he shook his head.

“No can do. Not until we get you checked out by the doctor.” Tim said and you nodded trying your best to stay awake. He was quick to fill the rest of it out and stood up causing you to sit up and took the clipboard to the front desk. He went and sat back down and you cuddled into him. Thankfully the ER wasn't that busy and you were getting called back quickly. They were put in a room and then Gino Brown, Jackson West’s boyfriend, walked in and stopped.

“Officer Bradford, pleasure seeing you again.” He said with a smile then turned to you “Y/N, what happened?” He asked as he began taking an assessment and hooking you up to a monitor. 

“Coach Morgan hit me and that caused me to slam into a pole.” You said slurring your words. 

“He really did a number on you.” He said, “I'm gonna shine a light in your eyes.” He said and you nodded but squeezed your eyes shut from the moment.

“I'm sorry.” You apologized, opening your eyes and he shook his head.

“No worries.” He said and shined a light in your eyes and your pupils were slow to react. He sighed and turned towards your dad but could still see you “I think she has a concussion but I want Dr. Sawyer to confirm.” Gino said and he nodded he was about to leave when you spoke up.

“I think I'm gonna be sick.” You said and they could've sworn you had turned green and Gino was quick to grab a bucket and you threw up. When you were done you were catching your breath when all of sudden your eyes rolled into the back of your head, you tensed, and you began to seize, which was not normal.

“Woah! Ok.” Gino said and was quick to roll you on your side and then instructed Tim to help as he stepped outside “I'm gonna need some help in here!” He yelled out and two other nurses and Dr. Grace Sawyer rushed in.

“What happened?” Grace asked, quickly taking over Tim's place as the other nurses were quick to get an IV in and you hooked up on fluids. “Give a push of Midazolam. Are you ok with us giving her a sedative just to let her brain rest?” She asked calmly and Tim nodded truly scared for his daughter.

“We were talking and she was slurring her words and I was about to come and get you when she got sick. When she was done, she was catching her breath and then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she started to seize.” Gino said after pushing the medication in and you stopped and then he pushed a sedative in and they saw you visibly relax.

“Get her hooked up to a monitor and get her admitted. I want her to get a CT scan as well.” Grace said and everyone nodded and then she turned to Tim. “Now what happened to make her look like this?” She asked.

“She said Coach Theo Morgan, her softball coach, hit her and that caused her to slam into a pole.” Tim said as she motioned him to walk with her. 

“Him. We have had a lot of kids come in with shin splints, stress fractures, broken bones, and concussions. Y/N is the worst case we've had. We've never had one come in slurring words, complaining of dizziness, getting sick, and then seizing.” Grace said as they arrived at the CT scan normally, they wouldn't let anyone in the viewing room but seeing as Tim was a police officer, they let him. They watched the screen scan your brain. “Everything looks good from the scan. The seizure sometimes happens with a concussion. I want to keep her out and here for a few days and recheck in a couple of days.” Grace said and Tim nodded. “I also want to take an x-ray of her shoulder and wrist since it said on her paperwork about them hurting her.” She said and again he nodded.

“Can I get all of this in a report and the others? I'm gonna do something about this once and for all.” Tim asked and Grace nodded.

“Of course. I want this guy to go away.” She said as they moved you out of the CT scan and then they followed you to the x-ray room. They took the x-rays and it turns out that you did have a stress fracture to the wrist and a dislocated shoulder along with a stress fracture in it as well. Tim was outraged. You would need surgery before having your shoulder moved back in place.

When they got you changed into a gown while Tim made some calls. He walked back into your room; he saw you sleeping, he looked over your injuries and grew enraged. It wasn't long until Lucy was knocking on the door and he looked up surprised. Sure, he had texted in a group chat that you had made and he reluctantly was a part of, but he was surprised that anyone had shown up.

“Lucy, what are you doing here?” He asked surprised as he stood and she walked into the room and she hugged him.

“I saw the group chat and figured that you shouldn’t be alone so I came down.” She said and they released from the hug.

“Thank you, that means so much to us.” Tim said and offered her his chair while he grabbed another.

“So, what happened?” She asked and he told her all about it and how this wasn’t Coach Morgan’s first-time harming kids. “That is awful. Are you going to press charges?” She asked and he noted. 

“Yes, and I’m going to take him to court. This isn’t his first-time harming kids.” Tim said just then Grace walked back in and smiled and greeted Lucy.

“She’s going to wake up soon.  When did she last eat?” She asked

“Last time she ate was in the afternoon at lunch.” He spoke. It was 8 PM now so it had been 8 hrs.

“Since it has been 8 hrs. we can go ahead and run some bloodwork and then get her in surgery in the morning.” Grace said “I just need your permission.” She added.

“You have my permission.” He said and she smiled and nodded.

“Gino will be in here in a minute to take the samples. The sedative should wear off here in an hour.” She said and Tim nodded and she left the room. A few minutes later Gino was walking in and getting samples and then sending them off to the labs. 

“He really did a number on her didn’t he?” Lucy asked and Tim nodded

“Yea he did. It pisses me off.” He said and then it fell silent. Like Grace said an hour later you were waking up. Tim and Lucy were up in an instant.

“Daddy?” You asked groggily.

“You’re ok, Sweetheart. You’ve been admitted.” He said and then you looked around and saw Lucy and smiled.

“Lucy.” You said and she smiled and walked over and bent down and kissed your forehead.

“Hey, Mini Tim.” She said and Tim rolled his eyes. You had gotten the name because you were just like your father in more ways than one. 

“Sweetheart-” Your dad began “Your shoulder is dislocated and fractured and your wrist has a stress fracture in it. You also have a concussion and you had a seizure.” He told you and you took in the news. “You’re having surgery on it in the morning and staying here for a couple of days.” He said and you looked at him.

“Will I ever be able to play softball again?” You asked 

“That’s a question for Grace.” He spoke 

“Grace is my doctor?” You asked and he nodded and you smiled.

“Gino is your nurse.” Lucy said and that made you even more happy. A few minutes later Grace and Gino walked in and smiled when they saw you were up. 

“It’s good to see you up.” She said “I’m sure your dad already told you what is going on.” She added and you nodded “I ran a CT Scan on you to make sure nothing was damaged after the hit to the pole and there wasn’t anything.” She said “We ran bloodwork and everything looks good and we have you scheduled for tomorrow morning to fix your shoulder. Do you have any questions?” She asked and you nodded.

“Will I ever be able to play softball again?” You asked and she smiled.

“After physical therapy we will reassess but I highly believe that you will be able to.” She said and you smiled. 

The rest of the night was filled with talking and then Lucy had to leave and now it was just you and your dad. You stayed up for a little bit longer until you fell asleep and then after he made sure you were good and asleep, he allowed him to sleep your heart monitor luring him to sleep. 

——————————————————————

The next morning Tim was being woken up by a knock on the door and Grace and Gino were walking and he smiled. They began talking and that had woken you up. They greeted you and then began the process of talking to you about prepping for surgery and what they planned on doing. After a few minutes they were wheeling you into the prep room and had you count down from 100 and before you got to 88 you were out like a light and they were wheeling you into surgery. 

Tim was a nervous wreck; he had let everyone know what was happening and he wasn’t surprised that they had shown up. Wesley, Angela, Nolan, Lucy, Jackson, and Talia had showed up, they asked how it had happened and he told them. He told them how he was going to press charges and take him to court. Wesley said that he would be your lawyer. He also had called your school and let them know what was going on and then he called your assistant coach and trainer and they were down in an instant. They told him that they tried to tell Coach Morgan to back off but they were threatened to be fired and they watched the entire thing happen. Tim told them his plan and they supported him and said they would testify and knew other parents would too. 

1 hr. later they were done with surgery and Grace was walking out to them. “Everything was a success and she is to make a full recovery.” She said and she left and Gino and a few other nurses were wheeling you into your room. You were groggy and slept a lot. When you fully woke up you noticed Coach Colt and Amanda there and you smiled.

“Hey.” You said to them and they greeted you back. Every now and then you would nod off and they let you sleep as much as possible and Gino along with other nurses were in and out checking on you. They had put a few screws in your shoulder and fixed your dislocated shoulder. 

On your third day of being in the hospital your dad had to leave for a few hours but Lucy said she would stay with you. You both gossiped and you even talked about her being in love with your dad and how he wouldn’t admit it but he was so in love. When your dad came back you both acted like nothing happened but he had his suspicions.

On the fourth day you were finally released and were given instructions on how to take care of your shoulder and what exercises to do to keep your wrist and elbow from locking up. Your dad also told you that he had pressed charges against Coach Morgan and to take him to court as well and he talked with the sports director at school and the principal. 

 ——————————————————————

Court day arrived and you were dressed up and so was your dad. You walked into the courthouse and met Wesely and he hugged you gently. He obtained all the medical records from you and other cases and Tim had given him the pictures he had taken. Court started and it was tough going at first but it was turning in your favor when Wesley presented medical records from you and others along with the pictures and had you along with other team members and passed team members testify along with parents. Coach Colt and Trainer Amanda both testified.  It was a long-drawn-out process. There was a break for the jury to decide if he was guilty or not and it didn’t take them long. They came back and gave the judge the verdict and when they said guilty it was all over. Relief washed over you. Wesley turned to you and smiled. Coach Morgan was arrested for harming and putting a minor in the hospital and he was banned from coaching for life. You thanked Wesely profusely. “Thank you so much.” You said and he smiled.

“You’re part of the family and this family sticks together.” He said and then gently hugged you and kissed you head and then left. You and your dad left after talking to the others and Samantha, who had come and testified she also had provided a video that she secretly took and gave it over to evidence. Tim and you sat in the truck and you sighed in relief and he looked over and smiled.

“Everything is going to be ok now. He’s gone and can’t hurt you or anyone else anymore.” He said and leaned over and brought you in for a hug and held your head and kissed it.

“Thank you, dad. For everything.” You said and he smiled.

“Anything for my girl.” He said and then you smirked and he raised an eyebrow. 

“So, when are you and Lucy going to get together?” You asked 

“Not this again.” He said and you laughed and that made him smile. One of these days you were going to get him to admit it.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

@angenu01-blog

@talesofreading

[callsign-dexter]

Baby Bradford: A Little Fighter

Summary: 7 years ago, 2011, Tim Bradford's and Isabel Bradford's world changed they welcomed Baby Bradford into the world. Now, 2018, it's just Tim and the light of his life dealing with the world.

Isabel left when Y/N was 6 but even then she was in and out of undercover so, she really didn't know her mother. Tim is all she had during that time and grew close to her.

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Daughter!Daughter, Tim Bradford x Lucy Chen

Warnings: angst, fluff, guns, fighting, swearing, inaccurate medical talk, inaccurate police talk, car crashes, break-ins, weapons, hospitals

Masterlist

A/N: Ages range. Tag list is open as well.

Banner done by the lovely @callsigns-haze!

Baby Bradford Meets The Rookies

Flu Season

Parental Kidnapping

Boyfriend?

Emergency Room Visit

Uncle Nolan Saves the Day

Nighttime Sickness

Stranger (Not Really) Danger

Carnival Gone Wrong

I Swear I Wasn't Drinking

Caught in the Crossfire

LAPD Parent Dance

Daddy is Awesome!

Break In

Quarantined

A Dog Situation

Better Than Daddy

Running Out Of Time

Lunch with the Best

The Setup

Driving Lesson

Wisdom Teeth

Shaken Up

Kidnapped

Self Defense and Weapon Training

Undercover

Mom

Tim's Undercover Gone Wrong

Life and Death

A Bad Breakup

Road Trip

Sick Once Again

Ice-skating

Prompts:

"I got you, Baby Girl."

[callsign-dexter]

"I got you, Baby Girl."

Request: Hmmm this is so hard to pick, all of them are so angst!! How about…. “hey – stay with me.” For Baby Bradford Universe…

❤️love you!!

Starter- Hey-stay with me.

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Daughter!Reader, Lucy Chen x Daughter!Reader, Tim Bradford x Lucy Chen

Warnings: angst, guns, gunshot wound

Masterlist

Baby Bradford: A Little Fighter

miscellaneous angst starters.

A/N: Thank you @maverick-wingman for this angst request you really do know how to wreck me......

Banner done by @callsigns-haze

Tim always knew that his little girl, himself, and Lucy would be in danger due to their job especially when the people got out that they put away wanted revenge. That is why he kept his private life and his work separate but only let the people he worked with know about his little girl, Y/N, because he knew they would protect her with their lives. He didn’t like when she had to be left alone, he always wanted someone with her at all times and for her to have her location on and of course Y/N got irritated about it but she understood and didn’t put up too much of a fight, she loved her dad.

It was a Friday evening and he and Lucy just gotten off, Saturday was meant for them to be off until Monday with Y/N but they had gotten news that they needed to go in to work that day, they weren’t happy about but did as they did what they were told. Now they just had to break the news to Y/N which wasn’t going to be easy because the 15-year-old cherished her time with her dad and, now, mom, on their off days. Both of them had just picked up their kid and were heading home, they decided to tell her over supper. She had just hopped into the car after putting her backpack in smiling at her parents. “Hey, Mom and Dad!” She exclaimed as she buckled herself in and once, she was Tim started to drive off.

“Hey, Baby Girl.” Tim said smiling at her through the review mirror and then quickly putting his eyes back on the road.

“Hey, Buttercup.” Lucy said actually being able to turn around and look at her. She had given the girl the nickname because she loved the movie The Princess Bride and Buttercup was one of her favorites and she also like Reese Peanut Buttercups.

“How was your day?” Tim asked still focusing on the road and she shrugged.

“It was ok. One of the seniors got arrested because he was caught harassing a teacher and was high.” She said and they were surprised.

“Wonder why we didn’t hear about it.” Lucy said having turned back around.

“School security arrested him.” She said like it was nothing and to her it probably was nothing due to her parents being cops. After a few minutes of driving and nothing more was talked about the topic of food came up.

“What do you want for supper?” Tim asked and she looked at him and thought about it.

“I’ve been wanting BBQ.” She spoke

“Make it or buy it?” He asked her.

“Make it. You make the best BBQ.” She said and Lucy nodded in agreement and he smirked.

“You got it. What do you want with it?” He asked

“Mac and cheese.” Lucy and Y/N said at the same time and Tim smirked it was a good thing that Lucy and his daughter had similar tastes. The were home and no time and they were getting out of the vehicle which was now parked in the garage and heading inside. Once they were in, they took off shoes and as Y/N was sitting her backpack down and was about to head upstairs her father stopped her.

“Do your homework so you’re not waiting until last minute.” He said knowing she had a habit of doing so.

“Fine.” She sighed in frustration and sat down to begin her homework which could be done in no time since she excelled in mostly all subjects. By the time dinner was ready her homework was done and they could eat. As they got their plates of homemade BBQ and homemade mac and cheese along with their drink choices they began eating and it was mostly quiet until Tim started to speak up.

“Lucy and I got called in to work tomorrow.” Tim said he and Lucy watched their daughter’s face go through so many emotions while he took a drink of his water.

“What?” She finally asked once it hit her.

“Oh, Buttercup. It’s only for Saturday and then you have us all day Sunday.” Lucy said and Y/N was not satisfied with that answer and they could tell by the quietness that she went into.

“Nolan is going to be with you.” Tim said and she nodded as if saying ‘ok’. They hated telling her bad news because she always seemed to get down but they had to tell her eventually. Tim and Lucy looked at each other but they continued on with dinner and when they tried to make small talk all they got were one worded or short answers. The only thing that made it better was that Nolan was going to be with her while they were working, she absolutely that man and maybe because it was that he was gentle and patient with her. When dinner was over, they put their plates in the dishwasher and then headed into the living where they always had a movie night after dinner, it had become a tradition, after changing into their pajamas. Y/N had fallen asleep with her head in her dad’s lap. When the movie was over Tim had picked her up and headed into her room and tucked her in and then giving her a kiss to her head “I love you, Baby Girl.” He said and then headed back out into the living room where he and Lucy watched an episode of a show they had started and then they were headed to bed.

Saturday rolled around and Tim and Lucy were up early preparing to go into work. After they both had showered and packed the doorbell rang and they knew it was Nolan and Tim went to answer it, as Lucy began to get their coffee ready. She was making Tim’s first because it would take longer because he wanted the coffee pot and her’s wouldn’t take long because it was in a Keurig, he swore he would never use one of those ever. “Hey, Nolan.” Tim greeted him and let him.

“Good morning, Tim.” He said and just about that time Y/N walked into the kitchen and smiled at everyone and greeted everyone. “Good morning, Lucy and Y/N.” He added.

“Good morning, Mom, Dad, and Uncle Nolan.” She said and hugged them all.

“Alright, we’re about to head out soon. You be good for him and Nolan,” Tim said turning towards him “don’t let her drag you into anything or let her trick you.” He said knowing that Nolan had a weak spot for the young girl and he nodded.

“Noted.” Nolan said

“There are leftovers in the fridge or feel free to go out.” Lucy said and Nolan and Y/N nodded. “Alright, Tim we got to go.” Lucy said looking at her watch and then hugging her daughter and kissing the side of her head as Tim nodded and did the same thing.

“We love you.” Tim said

“Love you too.” She said and they headed out after saying bye to Nolan. Once they were gone, they turned to each other.

“Movie day and then out for lunch?” Y/N asked him knowing the answer because that became their tradition as well.

“Absolutely.” He said and she smiled and they went into the living room and began their day. It was only 8 AM so they had some time before lunch. Breakfast consisted of junk food and some movies that had some bad acting especially the cop movies, which everyone liked to nick pick.

 12 PM rolled around and Y/N and Nolan were headed to their favorite café that they liked to visit when they are together and well everyone’s favorite. As they pulled up, they were laughing and having a good time but something just didn’t feel right when they walked in but they decided to ignore it and continue on. They ordered and waited for their food and when it was ready, they went and sat outside wanting to enjoy the sunny day. The feeling of something bad happening slowly ebbed away as they talked and made jokes. It was nearing the end of lunch for them and both Nolan and Y/N were done and she had decided to take the trash up and then maybe she could get him to agree to get some ice cream and everyone’s favorite place. Just as Y/N had thrown away her garbage she heard her last name being shouted. “Yo, Bradford.” The voice shouted and she turned around smiling expecting to find one of her friends but it quickly went away when she didn’t recognize the person and gun was pointing at her “This is for my dad.” He said and before she could answer he pulled the trigger and everyone started shouting and then he took off running. Pain was what hit her first after the initial shock wore off and she made a face as her hands went towards her abdomen and she fell to her knees.

Nolan heard the shout and looked up from his phone and saw the scene and paled and then jumped into action and as he was heading towards them the distinct sound of a gunshot going off was heard and at first, he ducked but then kicked himself into gear. He pulled out his gun and was about to pull the trigger but he was already too far ahead and around other people. “Call 911.” Nolan said to someone and they nodded and then he was off to Y/N. “Hey, Y/N/N. You’re going to be ok.” He said and while covering her hands with his hands but she was losing blood fast and she wasn’t saying anything just staring at him and gasping for air. He was about to say something when he heard sirens and then footsteps behind him and he looked back behind him and saw Tim and Lucy coming over.

“Y/N?” Tim asked and knelt down next to them “What happened?” He asked Nolan as he took over pressure and that made his daughter cry out.

“She went to throw away the trash and I was answering some emails and texts when I heard a shout and looked up. The guy had a gun pointed at her and I jumped into the action but couldn’t get a shot off because he was already too far away.” Nolan explained but Tim didn’t say a word too worried about his daughter, he wasn’t mad at Nolan.

“Angela and Jackson are going after him now.” Lucy said and then Y/N started to cough and blood was starting to come out of her mouth and flow down her chin.

“Hey-stay with me.” Tim said when he noticed her eyes start to shut and breathing started to become irregular. There wasn’t an exit wound and that worried him. “I’ve got you, Baby Girl.” Tim started trying to keep it together but his voice was slowly cracking “Dad and mom are here.” He said knowing she would find comfort in that Lucy was there too. The ambulance rolled up and were quick to load her up and head to the hospital with everyone behind them.

When they got to the hospital Y/N was immediately rushed into surgery and now Tim, Lucy, and Nolan had to wait. Grey had heard and was immediately there as well along with Talia, even though she had moved to a different department Lucy was quick to let her know, Harper, who was quick to grow close to the girl because she reminded her of her child and would protect her at all cost and Nolan let her know, Angela, and Jackson. Wesley Evers even showed up after hearing the news from Angela since she was on the phone with him and he had to admit he cared for Y/N Bradford and she had grown close to him. “We caught the man. He was the son of someone that Tim had put away a few months ago and he somehow figured out she was your daughter. He wanted revenge. He’s going away for attempted murder.” Grey said and they nodded.

Grey had immediately let Tim and Lucy have the rest of the day off since it was their child in the hospital. Everyone else besides Nolan, Harper, and Wesley had to go back to work. Nobody talked while they waited Tim was just staring at his hands, his hands that were stained with his daughter’s blood something that he wished would never happen. He had tried to wash them off but it had worked only a little bit and the same went for Nolan.

4 hrs is how long they waited until a doctor was coming out. Wesley and Harper had gone to grab everything Tim, Lucy, Nolan, and Y/N needed from home. They tried to get Nolan to go home and rest but he refused to leave his niece behind. Grace Sawyer had been her doctor and her heart dropped when she saw it was Y/N that she was going to be working on, even though she had met the teenager a few times the two grew close, Grace saw them and walked over to the small group.

“Grace.” Tim said “How is she?” He asked and Grace smiled but it was a small one.

“It was touch and go and we almost lost her because of blood loss but she’s a little fighter.” She said and everyone nodded agreeing “The bullet entered her abdomen and then traveled and hit one of her lungs and collapsed it which was why her breathing was labored. We got all of the bullet out and fixed her lung. She’s in recovery and everyone can go an see her now Gino will be here nurse.” She said and they nodded. Gino and her had also become close after the short interactions they also became close but then again that was just how she was and nobody could resist her. “I’ll show you to her room.” She said and they followed her “She’ll be out of it for a while just so she’s not in as much pain and it was a pretty major surgery.” She added when they got there Gino was making sure everything was set to go and smiled and greeted everyone when they got there but was quick to leave so that they could have some time with her.

Everyone took a seat and they waited. Tim was sat the closest to holding her hand being careful of the IV. While Lucy beside him and Nolan on the other side. Nobody spoke and they only sound was the steady heartbeat coming from the heart monitor. They knew that she was going to be ok because she’s a Bradford and Bradford’s don’t let anything take them down even if it is a gunshot wound. She also had the best doctor and the best nurse on her side.

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