#with her and vince it is literally in the past and also the start and i would fucking love to write the before times as well

[riftwalker-limbro]

a take about something adjacent to this floated around yesterday but i didn't have the spoons to reblog it then and my brain generated this today so

happy that verica popped up completely irrelevant to any other plot i had going on. the romance between her & vince is just about the least focused thing in my story. which gives me the opportunity to be as silly with it as i like. and it gets on my ass about making her a fully fledged character bc these brainworms of mine suffer heavily from vince favouritism.

but i can already somewhat tell that she's probably gonna become pretty high up in the favourites ranking as well. as much as i have in common with vince on an interests level, there is more with verica, and the things i have in common with her i've explored through writing much less so far, so that's gonna be a Journey of (Self) Discovery again i'm sure. and the few character traits i have in stone for her are already looking pretty interesting too, again mostly to play well with vince's own, but i want to add more to make her more unique and alive still too.

mmm gonna be fun

[coachbeards]

literally back to thinking how different haven would’ve been if crockers had immunity too. they were created by croatoan for the explicit purpose of collecting troubles doomed from the start so it’d make sense that they were immune to the troubles they needed to collect. it would’ve made them stronger, worse threats, heavily feared even more than before. it also adds to the weight of lucy and vince needing to murder simon, since he’s TOO strong. he, along with the rest of the crockers, are mara/lucy/sarah/audrey’s other halves. the other sides to their coins. the giver of the troubles, the takers of the troubles. it’d change the dynamics between the crockers, reverend driscoll, and the guards as well as…everyone. especially audrey and her past selves. (also of course. duke + nathan…)

[cyber-corp]

Gecko Boy's Homestuck Thought-Dump: Act 4

I will periodically edit more as I progress.

Let's start nice and-

Oh. Oh no. Is this a troll? Is this what everyone obsessed over in the early 2010's? This terrifies me.

Anyway, Act 4's artstyle seems to be getting a lot more complex, which is always a nice change of pace from the standard black, white and grey housing.

Also the parcel mistress and Peregrine are literally the same person. This is an absolute fact.

This is unnecessarily funny. Bravo Vince.

The way GC types (and talks about smelling text) gives me undeniable dread. The way they talk about seeing Rose in the future gives undeniable dread. What do they know? Why do they want to help so badly?

Also apparently she's blind. Cool.

Rose is currently sitting in some weird rainbow oil land, while an entity in running-writing speaks to her. Hussie is really kicking up the palette now.

I cannot believe that John Egg Bert hates the blind. Unbelievable.

EB: do you have a braille screen or something?

And here we are. The trolls. Possibly the most iconic part of Homestuck itself. I think they're supposed to be opposites to the main pack (top-left is Dave, top-right is Rose, bottom-left is Jade and agitated guy is John).

John is getting help from GC, the bottom-left one, who apparently isn't supposed to helping, due to knowing John's future already and screwing with his timeline (canon event joke goes here).

Oh look! They are the same! Wonder what that means for Jack Noir and Spades Slick then...

EB: i'm in a rocket pack and i am about to blast off into space. TG: ok

This is exactly how I'd expect to a 13-year-old to react. Very realistic writing.

John then blasts off into the seventh gate, with sweet Casey in custody.

Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of future? Dave busting some shit up. There's also some big artstyle changes as well! Kinda reminds me of something you'd see on ABC3 late at night.

Like look how sick and sleek this looks. Also Dave's got new drip.

He talks to Rose about how John and Jade fucking died (John got trolled, Jade got hit by the meteor) and how he's going to go back in time to fix it. However, this in turn will stop Rose's current timeline from existing, so she's going to the dreamworld to avoid being wiped.

Future Dave goes back in time to Past Dave, pesters John about it, and then fucking REPLACES THE BIRD, thereby BECOMING the sprite.

Look at this screenshot. What the actual fuck.

[sleepy-achilles]

TikToks in my FOD universe part 7/???

Captions and more below

1. Posted by a fan

Caption- Nah because the Leon and Mentor Taker storyline gave us a whole new heel Leon and it was so hot and I was so here for the angst and violence that came with it. Made ministry taker look like a decent person 😅

2. Posted by the official WWE accounts, on the first day of pride month, when deon wasn't official or anything. This blew up, the social account runner was determined to get this ship out there. Footage from the deon feud.

Caption- Who knew all it took was a baby face Leon to bring out a extremely attractive aggressive Heel Drew? Thank you Leon Michaels. (Ps, you also look really good as a baby face. A lot nicer too)

3. Posted by a fan. Footage from the deon feud. It blew up.

Caption- Everyone thank Drew for not only bringing back swearing but giving us puppy dog eyes Leon, and lookin hot whilst doing it.

4. Posted by a fan. Footage from the mentor taker storyline

Caption- I'll never forgive vince for destroying the gladiators for some shitty (I lie, extremely good but heartbreaking) storyline. Now sheamus hesitates around Leon. Around his Leon! His lil baby cowboy that he helped teach human emotions too. And Leon? Leon has never been the same since.

5. Posted by a fan

Caption- These two are not talked about enough! The absolute power duo of sibling duos! They ran so all the others could walk and they look damned good whilst doing so!

6. Posted by a fan, reblogged by the official wwe account.

Caption- It's always taker and Leon this, taker and Leon that, when Shawn Michaels literally gave us a copy and paste of himself and named him Leon Michaels, it was not so yall could sleep on them as a duo. They don't play the game, they play the company and they look good doing it.

7. Posted by a fan, reblogged by official wwe account, blew up. Broke hearts. Footage from the Leon and jericho storyline. Basically instead of the Shawn and Rebecca story it was Leon and valentina and because I hate jericho, he took it too far and seriously injured and hurt valentina. This upset Leon and changed him drastically, especially as it wasn't planned for the story at all.

Caption- This entire 'storyline' broke my heart, like I'm grateful we got to learn more about Leon and his relationship with Valentina and Mattie, and how much they mean to him, but what Valentina went through? What Leon went through? Jericho needs to count his days, I'm glad Leon brought back blood on TV and it was jerichos blood he was spilling. Yk somethings wrong if taker says its too far.

8. Posted by a fan. A mix of fod vlogs and promos.

Caption- Taker is 100% a better parent than cait, but the relationship between taker and the boys has its off moments too me. He was clearly made to be a girl dad and it shows sadly. And cait? Bro the devil is waiting for her. Bfr how you gonna abandon your son and then turn up looking for money because he's successful? You did shit to help get him there. And then start on his baby brother? No way.

[ice-mage]

My Review of Teen Wolf: The Movie

So, I watched the Teen Wolf movie when it came out, but it’s been a busy few days, so I haven’t had the chance to really share my thoughts until now. By now, I’m sure anyone who cares has either already seen the movie or has decided not to see the movie, so be warned that this will contain spoilers.

I won’t belabor my thoughts too much (knocks on wood). In looking at this movie, I think there are two questions:

Is Teen Wolf: The Movie good? No.

Is Teen Wolf: The Movie enjoyable? Yes, I thought so.

Teen Wolf: The Movie is an objectively bad movie. It’s full of plot holes, inconsistencies with existing lore, and bad cgi. From the very first scene, it’s not explained why Liam is in Japan or why he has the nogitsune box. Then, he later shows up in Beacon Hills, just in time to save Derek at the high school for some reason. And this is after the nogitsune has been released and he apparently told no one. When they resurrect Allison, they show up to the Nemeton with dirt and a sword and then tree just does the magic itself. No ritual or anything, they literally just stand there and then all of a sudden magic happens. Deaton apparently could use mistletoe or something to cast the nogitsune out of Chris that he never tried with Stiles. Mr. Harris is somehow alive, but we get no explanation. Lydia somehow got enough control over her powers to no longer have premonitions of death, except that her first scene shows that she doesn’t have control. I could probably go on and on, but I’ll leave it with the biggest two. First, the nogitsune is also a werewolf. Even though it was established in the show that a wolf and a fox cannot coexist in the same body. And second, while I could be okay with Derek having a self-sacrificing death, his death didn’t make sense narratively because it wasn’t necessary. Ostensibly he dies because he has to hold onto the nogitsune so Parrish can burn it to death with hellfire, which also consumes Derek. But we see Parrish holding the nogitsune on his own when Derek pushes Scott off the Nemeton. And even though the movie reminds us earlier that Jackson has paralytic venom, he and everyone else just stands there. From start to finish, there was a lot that just didn’t make sense.

I’ve always thought that Teen Wolf at times sacrificed character development to plot. Nowhere is that more apparent than in this movie. Most of the dialogue is expository. The movie has both Liam and Mason, best friends during the show, but they don’t interact at all. The movie introduced Hikari, but she only has a handful of lines of dialogue. They had a casting announcement for Deputy Kitsune, but he was only really in one scene where he was killed off. And even still I think he had more dialogue than Hikari. We don’t see Eli interact with Peter, not even when Derek dies, even though family means a lot to Peter. And we don’t learn what most of the characters have been up to the past 15 years.

But I expected the movie to be bad, full of plot holes and all the rest going in. I never liked Teen Wolf because I thought it was good. I liked Teen Wolf because I loved the characters. And probably because I had low expectations, I was able to enjoy seeing these characters on my screen again. I loved seeing the relationship between Derek and Eli, his son. And the scenes between Scott and Allison also worked because they were character-driven. Posey has said that the movie is the best worked he’s ever done. I haven’t seen him in anything else, but I thought it was his best performance as Scott.

Jeff said in an interview that he had too many characters. And as much as I love so many of these characters, I agree. From the tier list I did before the movie came out, you know I like Jackson. But he didn’t have a purpose in this movie. And neither did many of the characters. Part of the problem was that so much of the movie was filmed without a complete script having been written. On the Return to Beacon Hills podcast, Vince Mattis, who plays Eli, said that when they started filming, they only had half a script. And in an interview with Collider, Crystal said that they didn’t have a script until the last two weeks of filming. So a lot was filmed while Jeff only had an idea, but not a story. Maybe that could have worked with a smaller cast, but not with this many characters.

The movie needed to have a more definitive focus on fewer characters. I get that Jeff wanted to bring Allison back, so Scott and Allison are one set. When he determined that he would use the nogitsune plot line to do so, he should have elevated the roles of Hikari and Deputy Kitsune. And lastly, he needed to introduce the new teen wolf, so Eli would round out the main characters of the movie. With that core five, you then figure out how your remaining characters serve their plot and character arcs. I liked the relationship between Eli and Derek, but it would have been nice to also see Eli have more interaction with the rest of his family, namely Peter and Malia. And in the movie, Eli mentions that Scott hadn’t seen him in 12 years, indicating that Scott hasn’t been in Beacon Hills in that long. And the pack seemed to not really still be in touch with each other. If the movie had focused on this more, it could have added an emotional arc for Scott that many other characters could have contributed to, even with limited dialogue, while also not detracting from the plot.

From all of the promo and social media posts, you can see that much of the cast loves Teen Wolf as much as the fans do. And it was great to see them on screen again because of that. Unfortunately, Jeff isn’t as great a writer as I think he thinks he is, and the movie suffered. So, was the movie good? No. But did i enjoy it anyway? Yes. And at least it appears to have put the fire back into the fandom a bit.

[purplesurveys]

1761

How did it feel outside today? I didn't go out, but in any case to my surprise it was cold all day – I haven't turned on my fan at all, and right now I even have my blanket around me without anything running. I don't know if this is still one of those rare good days in the year, or if it could already be the start of the Christmas weather.

Are there any animals in the room with you?  Nopes. I'm in my room; the dogs sleep downstairs.

How did you spend yesterday afternoon?  I was just working and had been in a couple of meetings as well.

Are any of your siblings taller than you?  They both are. I'm the smallest sibling and also the smallest in the immediate family, haha.

Name a song that reminds you of a past relationship:  Sparks by Coldplay. Thankfully I associate Coldplay so much more with BTS now because I love the band and it would've sucked if I had to stop listening to them.

When did you last have a nightmare?  I feel like it was just recently, but I can't remember exactly when.

What's the goriest thing you've ever seen?  TRIGGER WARNING: DEATH, BLOOD. Either photos of actual corpses on the internet, or select wrestling matches that are known for having been extremely bloody. I have a very specific memory of watching Vince McMahon's forehead literally pumping out blood cos his cut went way deeper than it should have.

Have you or do you attend pep rallies regularly?  I haven't. I know my university had those as an annual thing but I never was able to attend any because I could never find anyone who wanted to watch it.

Have you ever seen a building on fire in real life?  I haven't, but seeing massive clouds of smoke from a distance from burning buildings is something I'm fairly familiar with. The last time had been in July when we were staying over at a hotel and could tell there was a fire going on at some province all the way south, like in Cavite, from that giant-ass cloud of smoke we saw from our floor.

Have you kissed anyone and their first name started with an F, D, or L?  No, I haven't.

Have you ever been in therapy for anything? Nope, haven't been to therapy.

Do you think clowns are creepy?  They can be but they aren't the creepiest things in the world for me.

If you had to write an essay about a popular song... what would that song be?  Let's go with Gangnam Style by PSY.

When did you last have some fruit?  Every day I was sick in the last week my mom fixed up this drink for me to consume and I'm pretty sure it had some kind of fruit in it; I'm just unable to identify which.

What's something you have to look forward to?  Getting to head out again after finishing my quarantine. I completely forgot that the local Audrey Hepburn exhibit is only running until the end of the month, so I really need to book a visit within the next weekend as it'll be gone by the 28th.

Is there any part of your sexual/romantic history that you have not told your current significant other about or that you will not tell future partners about?  There is a small part that I probably would have to mention, but it's too personal to discuss in detail here.

Have you ever developed feelings for someone whose sexual orientation was incompatible with yours?  Nah.

How many relationships have you been in that actually got sexual?  Just one.

Who performs the most random acts of kindness out of everyone you know?  Probably Bea. Girl always has surprises up her sleeve.

Are any of your pets “overweight”?  Cooper may be slightly overweight, but it's not like alarm bells level and we definitely watch how much we feed him so that it doesn't start becoming an entirely bad health issue.

Who’s the most romantic person you ever went out with?  I've only gone out with one person.

Last person to tell you that you smell good?  My sister.

Last person you told that they smell good?  That's not really something I tell people and tbh the last time I remarked they smelled nice it was to my dogs hahaha.

What shows do you watch?  I gravitate towards sitcom the most since I prefer easy watching, so shows like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine...I also started on The Office earlier this week. Every now and then I'll watch something a bit heavier as I can only enjoy a good drama; most recently I finished DP.

Is there anything you are craving right now?  I'm feeling pretty full right now actually so I'm good.

Think back to the last person you kissed, how many times have you laughed with them?  A million times and more.

What are five Halloween costumes that you’d like to wear in the future?  RJ of BT21; Diane Nguyen from BoJack; Joey Tribbiani from that scene where he wore all of Chandler's clothes at once; a bottle of peach soju; and the dude from the 'A child' Vine hahaha.

Who did you have your first kiss with? Do you remember what color his/her eyes were?  My ex, yeah I do.

Whose Facebook timeline did you post on most recently?  I don't post on anyone's feeds. I think only older people do that anymore.

Have you ever had a restaurant dish that was made with bugs? If not, would you even want to try one?  I haven't, actually; I didn't even get to try any bug dishes in Thailand when I was there – our itinerary was so packed we didn't have time to look for restaurants or stalls that had them :( But yes, I'm adventurous when it comes to food so I'd definitely try.

If anything, I went to a Thai tasting menu event a couple of weeks ago and I took up the owner's offer to try one piece of cricket. It tasted like chicharon, just a bit more savory.

Which edible flowers have you tasted?  I don't think I've tried flowers before.

Who was the last non-relative woman you spoke to in person?  Fern.

What was the last video you added to your favorites on YouTube?  I don't really do that. The most I do is just press like on videos.

Who was the last person that apologized to you?  I think Coleen.

What comes to mind when you think of pregnancy?  Expenses.

Do you prefer bar or liquid soap?  Liquid.

Do any of your family members have an upcoming birthday?  It'll be one of my cousins' birthday on November 3rd.

What is your favorite flavor of Jolly Ranchers?  I've never had a Jolly Rancher.

Is your favorite animal endangered?  No.

Are you better at writing fiction or non-fiction?  Non-fiction. I have absolutely zero luck with fiction; I've just never figured it out.

Have you ever dated someone one grade/year above or below you?  Neither.

What is the middle name of the last person you texted?  I have no idea.

Have you ever come close to drowning?  Yes, when I was 9.

So… remember Girl Scout cookies? Any favorites you had/have?  No I don't. We don't have those here.

Why did you ignore the last person you ignored?  Because it was a work-related person messaging on a fucking weekend and they should know to leave me alone.

Which cartoon character would you want to keep as a pet? Pluto :) If I could have Baymax in dog form too that would be so fun.

Do you like chocolate milk?  Just Chuckie. I'm not too fond of everything else.

What is something you hate, but wish you loved?  Hiking and more outdoorsy activities. < So real. I wish I could love hiking but tbh it is the worst thing in the world.

What’s the cutest thing your S/O does, but denies it’s cute in any way?  I don't have one.

Who have you hugged in the past month?  Idk, I wanna say around 10-15 people? I've seen a good number of friends this month so far.

Last bad news you heard?  Family death for one of my co-workers.

Have you ever dined alone at a restaurant?  Yup, several times.

Have you seen a baby being born in real life?  I have not.

Do any of your exes know each other?  I only have one.

What’s an opinion you find impossible to take seriously?  Continuing to be supportive of the Marcos regime.

Have you ever changed in front of the last person you kissed?  Uh, sure.

Do you have any goats?  I don't own any goats, no.

Do you hang out with your sibling’s friends?  Nah, they like to keep to themselves and that's fine by me.

Have you experienced any severe side effects of medications?  Well, I've been bruising this last week but I'm not sure if that's simply because of my weakened immune system or the meds I took.

On Facebook, do you have people listed as your siblings who aren’t really your siblings?  No, never did that.

Have you lost any close family members to cancer?  One.

Do you know anyone who doesn’t have a middle name?  I've met people who only have one first name, but they're very rare.

How often do you check your emails?  For my personal email, at least once a day.

Would you want your kids to have your hair color?  All Filipinos have black hair so I don't really have a choice lol.

Have you ever had a big YouTuber reply to a comment you left on their video?  Nah. That'd be cool, but also I never comment so HAHAHAHA

Have you ever given a lap dance?  Nope.

[study-coffee-chicago]

Brady and Burdens (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister Imagine)

These plotlines were requested from @beckaroo89 on wattpad and an anon here on Tumblr! I hope you enjoy!

Also, this is not proofread because I wanted to get this posted and then go to bed because I have classes in the morning, so that's why there might grammar/spelling errors. Finally, please remember to reblog and comment!

Enjoy!

When Jay walked into Brady, a home for troubled girls who had nowhere else to go, or the foster system had chewed them up and spit them back out, he just expected it to be a normal undercover case. No more, no less. He had been undercover many times, it was nothing new.

He was being shown around the place by his new "supervisor", Vince, when there was a call over the speaker.

"All staff report to a fight in the cafeteria immediately. Fight in the cafeteria. All staff please report."

Jay and Vince sprinted into the cafeteria.

It reminded Jay of a high school cafeteria. Normal. Except, two girls were fighting. Typically, at the high school he and Will had gone to, it was typically the boys who got in fistfights with each other. But, he knew that if girls were fighting, then the anger had been bubbling up for a while. Basically, it would take a lot to pull these two apart.

"You know restraints?" Vince asked.

So, Jay faked it. His background for this UC gig was that he used to work at his uncle's auto shop. You don't learn restraints there.

He scoffed. "No."

"Then improvise," Vince told him.

Luckily for Jay, he did know the way to properly restrain a minor. Because, if he didn't and a girl got hurt, he and Brady would face a mountain of lawsuits. And, if a girl got hurt very badly, something that resulted in her death or a very serious injury, Jay could face jail time.

But, he knew proper restraints, so it was okay.

"Bitch! You're a little bitch!" a girl yelled and spat--literally she spit--in your face.

"Go to hell!" you yelled.

All Jay could see was the back of a girl with jeans and a t-shirt, but he would know your voice anywhere.

And, at the moment, your back was to him so you had no idea that Jay was here. You knew they didn't give a damn about you. Whether that was because they told the social worker that or because the social worker didn't bother to contact either of them. Either way, Will and Jay had no idea that you were out of your dad's care.

"You're done!" Jay yelled as he pulled your arms behind you and hooked his arms through at the space where your elbows were. "You're done!"

"Ja--"

"Ryan! You got her?" Vince asked.

"Ryan?" you yelled above the noise of all the other girls yelling about the excitement of the fight. "What the hell are you--"

"I'm giving everyone three seconds to stop talking!" Vince yelled. He counted to three in his head. "Good. Next person who moves or yells is getting a level docked!" He lowered his voice and turned to Jay. "I'll take her to a room to go process, you take her?" Jay nodded. "She seems pretty calm at the moment, so just find an empty classroom. No need for a time-out room."

"Got it," Jay answered.

He released his hold on you, but kept on hand on your bicep, just like he would if he were leading a suspect to the backseat of his truck.

"J--"

"What did he just say?" Jay questioned. "Be quiet or you'll get a level docked. Last chance."

You shut your mouth. Maybe this was just Jay's doppelganger. But, he sounded like him, too. This was more like Jay's twin.

You were led into an empty classroom. The minute Jay closed the door, he dropped his "Ryan" facade.

"Y/N? What are you doing here?" he asked.

It was Jay. You thought you'd never see him again.

You started to get choked up. You were only fifteen, and this past month has been hell for you. All you wanted was for one of your brothers to come and break you out of here. But, after three weeks, you lost all hope of getting out of here. Your social worker was an asshole who hated his job, so the minute a placement opened up, he dumped you here. He didn't even try to get in contact with Jay or Will. You were pretty sure that was illegal or that he'd at least lose his license. When you had brought up your brothers when you were picked up by DCFS, he told you that you were just a kid. And, you just gave up after a few weeks. After all, you were a kid. What did you really know about how all this stuff worked.

"I- I..." But you just trailed off and instead threw yourself into his arms.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jay reassured while he rubbed your back. "It's okay. But, I do need to know why you are here."

You pulled away and looked at him. You didn't want this to be the last time you hugged him, so you kept holding onto him. You didn't want this to be the last time you hugged him.

"They- he didn't- he didn't even listen to me! He didn't try to con- try to contact you."

"Who, Y/N? Who didn't try to contact me?"

"DCFS! He- He just brought me- brought me here."

"Y/N, we're gonna sit down, okay? That might be easier for you to calm down, okay?"

You nodded and followed him to the desks in the classroom. You sat in one of the chairs and Jay sat in another one and angled it toward you. You reached for his hand and he nodded his head and grabbed on to your outstretched hand.

Jay gave your hand a squeeze. "What about Dad?" Jay asked.

You scoffed. "Dad hasn't given a damn for years. I thought I was good at hiding it. Apparently not enough."

"Meaning?" Jay probed.

"Wearing the same clothes over and over, not having lunch, the bags under my eyes."

Jay told himself that he would've noticed. But, unlike your teachers, he wasn't seeing you five days a week. With his job and you being in high school, he was lucky if he saw you maybe once every two to three weeks. The same went for Will.

He heard a bell ring.

And, he assumed that Vince would come and find this soon. He needed to make this fast because he didn't know whether or not girls would be coming in here for a class.

"Listen, I'm on a UC gig right now. Just, call me Ryan when you see me."

"Why? Jay, please just get me out of here. I wanna- I wanna go home. With you. Please," you pleaded.

Jay felt his heart shatter. But, despite being a detective, he couldn't do anything at the moment.

"I know, I know you do. And we are gonna get you out of here and to me or Will. You just gotta give me 24 hours to figure out what the hell happened and to get through all that red tape. Can you do that for me?"

You nodded your head and bit your lip to hold back more tears.

"I promise I will find a way to get you out of here. But, for the next 24 hours, I'm not your brother, Jay. I'm just Ryan, the new staff member. I need you to remember that."

"Okay, I can do that."

***

"Jay, I understand you're upset, but we already put you under. We can pull you, but the whole case would go under. And, you did say you thought that Ellie knew something. You can't build trust in one shift and then ask her the pressing questions tomorrow morning," Voight told him.

"Don't you think I know that!" Jay yelled. "I know we can't get answers in one shift! I know that! But, she's my sister, and I don't even know why she's there!"

"Then, we'll figure something out. We'll figure out why she's there and figure out an alternative to get her out of there without your cover being blown. And, if you don't like the idea, then you can blow your cover. We'll work through the night and you can give me your answer before your next UC shift at Brady."

Next shift. His next shift at Brady was tomorrow at 8 am. It was currently 5 pm. Jay would need to stop working on this at 7 am tomorrow. They had fourteen hours to figure out an alternative to his cover being blown.

"I'll go notify the rest of the team about our change of plans," Voight said. "You need to go get your head on straight."

"Sarge--"

"Take ten minutes, Jay. You need your head on straight if you want to figure this out and get Y/N out of there."

Jay sighed. He didn't want to take that time, but he knew his boss was right. If he wanted to get you out of Brady, he couldn't be letting his adrenaline get the best of him.

So, he went to the locker room. He splashed some cold water on his face and then took some deep breaths, a skill he had learned since his girlfriend, Hailey, had convinced him to go to therapy.

Breathe in for four seconds...Hold for four seconds...Breathe out for four seconds...Breathe in for four seconds...Hold for four seconds...Breathe out for four seconds...

Jay lost count of how many times he had done the breathing exercise, but now he felt calmer, lighter. He took this time to go over what you had told him so far and get his thoughts in order before he had to tell them to the team.

A social worker didn't do his job...dirty clothes, being tired all the time, no lunch at school, which sounded to him like some of the textbook signs of child neglect--

"Hey."

Jay looked up at the sound of his girlfriend's voice.

"Uh, hey," Jay replied.

Hailey walked over to him and sat down next to him on the bench. "You doing okay?" she asked and placed a hand on his back and rubbed small circles on it, which was almost the same thing he had done earlier today when you had cried in that classroom at Brady.

"Yeah...all things considered," Jay answered. "I'm not about to run through a wall to kill anyone anymore."

"Well, I for one am glad about that. I don't need to be talking you off the ledge when you have bigger priorities to worry about."

"Yeah," Jay agreed.

Hailey kept pushing. "Anything you wanna talk about before we go back into the bullpen and you have to tell everyone the facts?"

Jay chuckled at that. "This sounds like a therapy session. No offense, Hails."

Hailey cracked a smile. "Your girlfriend and badass detective by day, but I do sometimes moonlight as a therapist at night. Guess I never told you that."

Jay smiled. "That was good." He closed his eyes and focused on what you had told him and his feeling surrounding what little he knew. "It's just that, I'm pissed at my dad. From what she told me, it sounds like textbook child neglect. I can't believe me or Will didn't notice and get her out of there. If one of us--"

"Jay, you can't blame yourself for this. It was your dad and your dad only."

"I know that. And, the fact that apparently, a social worker failed to notify me or Will. That makes my blood boil. We could've taken her in if he had done his damn job. I need you to promise me, that when we catch that guy, you won't let me talk to him. I'll lose it, Hails. I promise you I will."

"I can do that," she promised. "You ready to get out of here and get some work done. We can stay in here if you need more time or--"

"No," Jay cut her off. "Let's get back upstairs. We don't have much time."

***

"She wasn't lying about the neglect--" Adam started, but Jay cut him off.

"She wouldn't lie about things like that," Jay interjected.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," Adam apologized. "But, according to the DCFS notes and the teacher she did show signs of neglect like she told you."

Adam told Jay everything that was in the report and Jay typed some into their case notes. For this case, he'd only be taking case notes while they were trying to figure everything out. So, he'd get everything from his team, but he wouldn't be the first one to find the information; essentially, he wouldn't be using his detective right now. Voight didn't want Jay to get an invoice for punching a computer or breaking something else in the bullpen, so he figured it would be best for Jay to just take the case notes on this one.

"Anything on the social worker?" Jay asked.

"Nothing yet," Adam explained. "He's got a clean record. Obviously. He wouldn't be in this job if something popped on his background check. But, we both know that assholes like him slip through the cracks."

Jay scoffed. He hated people like that. "Yeah."

"Jay, come here," Hailey said. "You're gonna want to see this."

He walked over to her computer. All she did was point to a paragraph and then to a signature below said paragraph.

"I can't fucking believe him," Jay muttered and then grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going?" Hailey asked, but she thought she already knew the answer.

"To my dad's. See why the hell he signed that."

And then, he was walking down the bullpen stairs, leaving everyone else but Hailey wondering what was on that computer screen.

"Why's he going to see his dad?" Adam asked.

"Because," Hailey sighed. She hoped her boyfriend wasn't about to do something stupid. "He signed away his parental rights to Y/N."

***

"I cannot believe you!" Jay yelled as he stormed into his childhood home after giving the front door two hard knocks. He hadn't even waited for his dad to answer the door after them, he just walked in.

"Jay?" Pat Halstead asked, abruptly standing up from a chair at the kitchen table where he had been eating dinner. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Jay asked rhetorically, taking more steps toward his dad. "What am I doing here? You'd think I'd never find out, didn't you? Think me and Will are so stupid we wouldn't figure out you signed away your parental rights?"

"I thought it was what was best for her!"

"Best for her?" Jay yelled. "You've gotta be kidding me. She's in a group. A group home!"

Pat Halstead furrowed his eyebrows and a look of confusion fell across his face. "A group home? But I thought..." he trailed off, not knowing how to explain that he didn't mean to do you any harm by signing away his parental rights.

"You thought what? That she'd be better in a group home?"

"No, I thought she'd be with you or Will."

At this, Jay's anger subsided just slightly. "What? Dad, what are you talking about? I thought Y/N was living with you until..." he trailed off. He couldn't exactly tell his dad what had happened since it was still an ongoing investigation. "Until I found out otherwise."

"What? No. Those Department of Children people told me that if I sign away my parental rights, it'll be easier for you or Will to take her. After all, I can't raise a daughter without her mother."

Jay wanted to point out that you were fifteen and were starting to gain independence, there wasn't much raising left to do. But he stayed silent about that part. "And you think me and Will could do much better? Last I checked, we're both men."

"I know that!" Pat took a deep breath to stop himself from yelling again. "I know that. But you and Will both have a lot of, uh, female friends." He didn't know if the women Jay and Will were working with had been girlfriends, they were sleeping with them, or if they were just coworkers, so he settled for female friends. "I figured one of you, with the help of a few of them, could be better role models for her. I've been working the same job for forty years now, Jay. Not much I've accomplished. And, I can't even remember to get her new clothes for school or turn down the damn tv so she can sleep at night. I figured you or Will would be better for her."

Jay thought he heard regret in his dad's voice, but he couldn't be sure. He wasn't a man who showed a lot of emotion to begin with.

"Tell me about the social worker," Jay probed. If you said that the social worker just dropped you off at Brady without contacting one of them, he had to have done it for a reason. Just like there had to have been a reason why he convinced your dad to give up his parental rights to you. After all, the system (though a system with lots of flaws) typically tried to work on parental reunification, family therapy, and eventually children (or teens) back in their home after treatment in a group home or foster home.

"Not much to tell," Pat began. "He came here with two police officers, explained what the teacher had said, the cops handed me a temporary removal order and told Y/N to go pack some of her stuff.

"While she was doing that, the social worker, I think his name was Jean, started talking to me. One officer had gone with Y/N and the other had gone outside to the cruiser, so it was just me and him. He told me what was going on, asked if I had any questions, and asked if there was any family she could go to. I told him to give you or Will a call.

"Then, he asked if I want to terminate my parental rights and I asked why. He then said that it would be easier for you or Will to take her in if I did so. So, I did. I thought it was for the best, Jay. I really did."

Jay nodded. So his dad actually wasn't in the wrong. He was trying to do what was best. Even though he hadn't contacted him, he had assumed that this Jean guy had. So, at this point, Jay didn't find anything that his dad did illegal or wrong. Maybe a little stupid (not questioning further, not going to court) but not wrong.

"Is she in trouble? Is that why you're here?" Pat asked.

"No," Jay answered. "No, she's not. I'm just trying to figure out what happened so that she can come home with me."

"Okay, good. I want her to be safe."

"She will be."

***

"Please tell me you have something on the social worker?" Jay asked when he walked into the bullpen.

"Not much yet," Kim answered. "What'd you get from your dad?"

"He said that the social worker, the name's Jean, said that if my dad signed over his parental rights, that me or Will would have an easier time getting custody of Y/N."

"That makes sense," Kim piped up. "No custody battle."

"Which would be the case," Jay started, "if that Jean bastard actually bothered to contact me or Will!"

"My issue is how'd he get away with that?" Kevin asked. "When I got Jordan and Vanessa, there was a lot of paperwork, lots of people checkin' stuff. It wasn't just the social worker. The social worker's boss checks over stuff when they choose a placement to make sure it's good and then they can be placed there."

"You're saying you think there's more people involved besides this Jean guy?" Voight asked.

"Wouldn't be shocked," Kim said.

"Well, dig into the social worker." Voight paused. "Halstead, my office."

This time, Jay knew he did nothing wrong or was gonna get benched when he followed his boss into his office and closed the door behind him.

"Will's on his way," Voight said. "I had Trudy notify him."

"Why? I could've gotten her out just fine," Jay argued.

"I know, Jay. But, I want you to stay under at Brady. So, if Y/N gets out of there tomorrow, she'll have to go somewhere. And Will's your other option."

Jay nodded. "Okay. He's pissed?"

"Trudy didn't say. But, I will say, you should go down there now so he doesn't blow up on patrol."

"Probably a good idea."

Jay walked downstairs just in time to see Will entering the building. He opened his mouth, but Jay stopped him.

"I'm right here, so don't yell."

"She's in a group home? And you didn't care to call me right when you knew?" Will yelled anyway.

"What did I just say? I'll explain in a second. Just, c'mon."

Jay gave Trudy an apologetic look, silently apologizing for his brother's yelling, and then walked up the steps and buzzed himself and Will into Intelligence.

Then, they went into the coffee room and Jay explained everything he knew so far.

***

"How'd it go?" Hailey asked an hour and a half later.

"As well as it could go," Jay answered. Jay had explained everything to Will and then after that, Voight came in and handed a piece of paper to Will and told him that it was one of the best custody lawyers in the city and that he owed Voight a favor which he was cashing in now. So, Will went home to contact the lawyer to fast-track your leaving Brady. "Please tell me we got something when I was in there."

"We did," Hailey said. "Voight and Adam are having a chat with Jean McCloud at his house right now."

"Adam and Voight. Not people I want knocking on my door in the middle of the night. What'd you find out?"

"Corruption."

"About?"

"A judge and that Vince guy from Brady."

"Shit. And, you still need me under, right? To get Vince to confess to whatever it is?"

"Yeah, no judge is gonna sign off a search warrant against another judge based off a few online claims I found. Nobody even arrested or talked to this judge. There's not enough to make a case."

"So, what did he do?" Jay asked.

"Well, there's a lot of moving parts," Hailey began. "For the past half hour we've been trying to figure it out for the past half hour...hence why Kim and Kevin aren't there because they're talking to some lawyers who know the judge."

"Bad idea to talk to the judge upfront?"

"Probably. We need to get more information on this before we go straight for the jugular."

Jay laughed. He never thought he'd hear his girlfriend say a phrase like that. "So, what's the working theory?"

"The working theory is... a little complicated." She walked over to the board and Jay turned towards it and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know about Jean McCloud. Social worker. Nothing popped on background checks or other criminal history. You know Vince, the worker at Brady. And this is Judge Calhoun."

"How are the three connected?"

"That's where it gets tricky. What we think is that Judge Calhoun signs off on the warrants to send girls to Brady. McCloud picks them up and, since he already has a placement set and a judge's order, he just drops them off at Brady. Then, we have Vince, and that's where we get stuck."

"Stuck how?"

"Well, by scouring basically the entire internet, we found a claim of Judge Calhoun saying that he'd have sex with a woman who had a court case and he'd grant her custody. But that's all we found and that never went anywhere. We even checked his financials to see if he paid this woman off, and there was nothing. So, our theory is that she was just pissed she lost custody of her child. She's also in prison for drug charges, so it's believable.

"So we have him giving the go-ahead for placements at Brady to McCloud. McCloud had a sexual assault charge at age fifteen against a twelve year-old-girl, but since he was a minor, it was sealed when he turned eighteen," Hailey explained.

"Which is why no employer would be able to get it for a background check. Because once it's sealed, we're the only ones who are able to access it," Jay said.

"Exactly."

"So, we've got a judge with sexual coercion and a social worker with a sealed sexual assault charge from fifteen years ago. What about Vince?"

"That's the tricky part. We think he might be running girls, but we have no evidence."

"And you came to that conclusion how?" Jay asked.

"Remember right after you walked out of that classroom with Y/N and Vince caught you?"

"Yeah." That felt like a lifetime ago now after everything that had happened today. It seemed like the easiest part of his day if he was being honest.

"Well, from the cam, you just nodded. Do, you remember what he actually said?"

"No. I was thinking of Y/N. My head probably wasn't on straight and I figured it was something to do with training."

"We could tell you had no idea what he said."

"What? How?"

Hailey walked back over to her computer and clicked some buttons. She turned the monitor so that Jay could see.

"This is what he said." Then, Hailey pushed play.

"Look, have your fun," Vince began on the video. "Life's already ruined these girls. But just because they're throwaways, doesn't mean you can't go to jail. So shut your mouth."

Jay was horrified when he heard his response.

"Got it. Yeah, I, yeah, I got it."

Jay put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. If he wouldn't have been thinking about you and that whole situation, he could've pushed Vince further. But he didn't.

"Fuck," Jay muttered.

"It's okay," Hailey said. "You have tomorrow to get some info. Today wasn't your last chance to get this guy to crack, okay? And, maybe Y/N can tell you something once we get her out."

"Yeah, hopefully, something will happen."

Because if he just made a billion-dollar mistake by not focusing and someone was abusing those girls, he'd never forgive himself.

***

Three hours later, it was 2 am. And Jay's phone rang as he was chewing a bit of pizza. He quickly swallowed and then saw was calling and answered his phone.

"What'd the lawyer say?" Jay asked Will.

"Everything's good, except me or you would have to go to court to file a petition of guardianship and then have the home checks and everything," Will answered.

"So...she has to stay in Brady."

"Yeah, unless we know of a foster family. Then he said that he could push it through so that she could go to them for the week given the circumstances."

"We don't know any--" But then Jay cut himself off. He remembered years ago when Antonio was here and Casey and Gabby were trying to adopt a little boy. Sometimes, Antonio would go over there in the morning to help with him when both Casey and Gabby needed to sleep after a shift. "Casey," he whispered to himself.

"What? Jay, I can't hear you."

"Casey, he was a foster parent for that kid he and Gabby tried to adopt years ago."

"You think he'd help out?" Will asked. Honestly, he didn't expect it. It was a random ask and a big ask, even if it was just for a week.

"It's worth a shot," Jay said. You had met Kelly a handful of times, but had only met Casey twice at the firefighter cookouts in the summer.

"Okay, I can go run over to the firehouse right now. Do you want to try his house so we don't waste time?"

"Yeah, I'm basically useless here unless I get some more coffee in me...and I'm sick of district coffee."

Will chuckled. "Call me if you find him before I do."

"I will." Then, Jay hung up.

"What was that about?" Hailey asked. "Something about, Casey and a foster kid?"

"Yeah. About six years ago, Casey and Gabby--his ex-wife and Antonio's sister--tried to adopt this little boy, but it didn't work out. If Casey's still a licensed foster parent, he might be able to take Y/N in for a week while me and Will get through all the paperwork and court and all that. I'm gonna go run to his house right now."

***

Jay pounded on Mat's front door when Will called him and said he struck out at the firehouse.

Mat opened the door.

"Jay? What are you doing here?" he asked. He was in pajama pants and a t-shirt. Jay had no doubt woken him up.

"Listen, I know it's the middle of the night, but I have a huge favor to ask you. Can I come in? It needs some explanation."

"Yeah, of course."

Casey stepped out of the way and Jay walked into his house. Casey led him to his kitchen where he turned on a light and opened the fridge.

"You want a beer?" Casey asked.

"Nah, thanks. But I'm still technically working."

Casey sat down at the table across from Jay. "Alright, so what's this huge favor you needed e for in the middle of the night?"

"You remember my little sister, Y/N?"

"Yeah, she always liked to try and beat the boys at push-ups at the firefighter cookouts. Why?"

"Well, we've got a bit of a situation. To make it quick, my dad was neglecting her, DCFS picked her up, didn't contact me or Will, and now she's in a group home. We can get her out, we just need to get through court and lots of paperwork. But, the lawyer, well he owes Voight a favor, so he said that if we knew of anyone who was a foster parent, he could get her out of Brady, which is the group home, and to them tomorrow morning," Jay explained.

"So, you're wondering if I'm still a licensed foster parent?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. Are you? I don't know. It's been so long since you and Gabby--"

"I get it renewed every time I have to," Casey answered. "I just felt that there was a reason I needed to. And this is it. I'll do it."

"You will?" Jay asked and his eyes grew wide. He honestly wasn't expecting Casey to say yes.

Casey's face broke out into a huge smile. "Yeah, I'll do it! Just tell me who I have to call."

"Okay, okay." Jay paused. He knew he had to get back to work, so he couldn't stay here. "I'll give Will a call and have him come over here because he was the one who talked to the lawyer. I gotta get back to work. We have an active case along with all this Y/N stuff."

"I get it. Stay safe out there."

***

Hours later; Jay's back on shift at Brady

"Hey, I need to talk to you and then we need to go to the office," Jay said to you. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a different color flannel than yesterday.

"Why?" you asked.

"The office?" You nodded. "I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine." But, he threw in a wink, so you knew he was lying; he just had to play the part because he was undercover.

The two of you walked into an empty classroom again and you sat down next to him.

"So, what's going on? Are you getting me out of here? Please tell me you're getting me out of here?" you asked. Despite this being Jay, you were still nervous that you wouldn't be able to leave.

"Well, we're getting you out of here. But first I need to ask you a couple of questions and then I'll explain what's going on, okay?" You nodded. "Okay. Have you seen Vince do anything weird here?"

"Define weird."

"I dunno, uh..." He really didn't want to mention sex trafficking to you because that was the working theory back at Intelligence. "Him doing weird stuff. Maybe him exiting rooms with girls, sneaking around at night, stuff like that."

"So sex." Jay almost choked, but he nodded. "Oh, yeah. One girl told me to stay away from him, and this resident named Tonya, but I haven't seen anything. Except for him and Tonya leaving classrooms together a few times. Oh, and I did see this girl named Ellie go into Tonya's room with Vince. And, Vince was the only one to come out."

"When did you see this?" Jay asked.

"Maybe a week ago?" you guessed.

"And you know this happened because...?"

"The little curtains we have in front of the windows on our doors on the inside that we put down when we're changing, well I leave mine open at night so I get a bit of light from the hallway and so I can see what's going on."

"So that Vince doesn't come into your room?"

"Yeah," you whispered.

"Hey, we'll get him. Don't worry. That's why I'm here," Jay reassured you.

"Okay. But, what's gonna happen to me?"

"Do you remember Mat Casey? The firefighter you met at the cookouts who's really good friends with Kelly?"

"Yeah. Why?" You furrowed your eyebrows and cocked your head to the side, a trait Jay swore you had picked up from your mom when she was still alive. You had no idea what a firefighter would have to do with you getting out of this place.

"Well, he's a licensed foster parent. And since me and Will can't get guardianship of you until at the earliest next week--"

"You're just dropping me off with him?" You didn't think your brother would just dump you on someone else like your dad did.

"No, not like that," Jay quickly reassured. "It's just for a week while me and Will get through all the paperwork. I promise. And, Will and me will come visit whenever we're off shift. Case- Mat even took a week and a half of furlough so that you won't be by yourself. If I didn't think that this was 110% safe, I wouldn't let you stay with him. You get that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. You and Will promise you'll come back for me once everything's sorted out?"

"We promise." Jay stood up. "Now, let's get you to the office. Will and Matt are waiting there along with a judge who signed the order to get you out of here. And then we can go get your stuff."

***

God, your hand was hurting from all the stuff you had carried earlier today. But, that was normal when you had to do a lot of pressing and grabbing with your dominant hand. A year ago, you had tripped in the snow and caught yourself, but now your hand hurt whenever you did certain movements. You had brought it up to your dad, but you could move it, so he said you were fine. You didn't bother arguing with him because you had bigger problems to worry about, like what you were going to eat for lunch the next day at school. And, a few weeks later, it felt fine except for when you did certain movements, like push-ups in gym class or pushing yourself up from a sitting position.

Maybe I should tell Will, you thought to yourself as you sat at Mat Casey's kitchen table with Will next to you and Mat across from you. All three of you were eating pizza for lunch after you had gotten all settled. No, he'll think it's stupid and not want to pay for it like Dad did...even though I know it was just because we didn't have the money for it. And, Will put himself through med school. He probably doesn't have money to spend on your hand right now anyway. And Jay's busy with his job and this case, so just deal with it.

"So, what do you say we go to Navy Pier since everything's settled?" casey suggested, snapping you out of your thoughts. "And, Jay can even meet us for dinner or something else over there, too after he's done working."

"Y/N, what do you think?" Will asked.

"You'll come, too?" you asked. "You don't have to work."

"Nope. I don't have to work until tomorrow, so I'll be with you the whole day."

You agreed. You hadn't been to Navy Pier in ages.

***

A Week Later

"Y/N, how about you go pack your stuff while I talk to Jay," Casey suggested.

"Okay!" You raced to what had been your room for the past week and started packing your things.

Back out in the kitchen, Casey and Jay were talking.

"How'd court go?" Casey asked.

This morning, Jay and Will had both gone to court to finalize guardianship. Jay was your primary guardian and Will was your secondary one in case anything happened to Jay. So, you would be living with Jay. This made sense because Will was still living in a small one-bedroom apartment near the hospital because that man could not seem to pay off his med school loans.

Jay hadn't stopped smiling since court let out. And, even though Will had to be at work at noon so he couldn't be here with Jay, Jay knew that he would be in an all-around better mood than he had been at the hospital than other times in this past week.

"Court went great. We had the same judge that you talked to at Brady when you came to pick Y/N up and, let's just say, others are getting prosecuted for what happened."

"You're saying her social worker and the judge before committed a crime?" Casey asked. He knew this was messy and there was a case, but he didn't think it was this serious.

"Let's just say, they'll be in prison for a long time."

Turns out, Judge Calhoun was signing off these warrants to Brady and Jean McCloud would convince parents to sign away their rights when he picked a girl up. Then, he'd bring them to Brady and Vince would run the girls. They'd leave through a small door in Tonya's room, since she was also helping run other girls, like the girl Ellie you had mentioned. Then, they'd keep all the money...and Judge Calhoun and Jean McCloud would receive sexual favors.

Jay was just glad he found you in time before they started running you, too.

God, the system was fucked.

He just tried to do his best to make it a little bit safer.

Casey nodded. "And, has Y/N had any issues? Any surgeries or injuries to her right hand?" Casey asked.

Jay shook his head. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"Sometimes, when she's pressing her hand down like this--" He put his arm and straight and pushed down with his hand "--in an extended position like this, she'll wince. I asked her about it, but she said she was fine. Just keep an eye out."

"Will do, thank you."

***

A few days later, you were re-enrolled in your old school. And, you had only been gone for about a month, so you and your brothers came up with the excuse that you had to get your appendix taken out and there were complications with the surgery, so you had been in the hospital for a while, which was why you had missed school.

Everything was fine until you had to do the push-up test for gym class. You were in so much pain. You thought you were over this.

But, you couldn't let either of your brothers know, so you played it off. You took the bus home like normal and then ate a snack and took some ibuprofen. And, when Jay asked you why you were taking it, you claimed you had a headache.

"Oh, so you don't want to go ice skating tonight?" Jay asked.

"Ice skating? We're going ice skating?" This was the first you were hearing of that.

"Yeah. I thought since it's mine and my girlfriend, Hailey's, regular day off and Will just worked three days in a row, so it's his day off too, that we could all go ice skating and grab some dinner after. But, if you have a headache, we can stay home."

"No!" you yelled. Jay looked surprised at your raised voice. "I mean, it's not too bad. Once the ibuprofen kicks in, I should be fine."

"Okay. We'll leave in half an hour. I'll put some ibuprofen in my truck just in case."

"Okay." You started to walk to your room but turned around when you realized something. "I can't skate."

"What? Of course, you can. We used to take you skating all the time," Jay said.

"I don't have skates, so I can't skate."

Jay smiled. "We can just rent you skates. It's not a big deal. Now, go get changed and work on some of the homework you have before we leave."

***

Jay finished tying his skates and then he sat on the ground and spread his legs slightly. "Foot," he said. You kicked your right foot out slightly. You had your skate on but still hadn't mastered the art of tying hockey skates. Jay maneuvered your skate-clad foot between his legs and worked on tying your skates.

"You know," Will started, "I could've tied her skates if you wanted to tie Hailey's."

"Um, last I checked I can tie my own skates, Will," Hailey sassed.

"See? That's why I didn't offer because I know she can do it by herself."

"It's a lot faster if I tie my own, too," Hailey said.

Will shrugged. "Can't argue with that logic."

Jay finished tying your skates and then the four of you walked on the rubber mats and out to the ice.

"You remember how to skate? Or do you need one of those learning things that you grab on and push around to stay balanced?" Will joked.

You rolled your eyes. "I remember how to skate."

Will stepped onto the ice, and then you did.

You started to skate and stuck your arms out. "Whoa."

Jay quickly grabbed onto your bicep. "You got it?" he asked, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Yeah. I think I'm just gonna stay close to the boards on the first one or two laps just to get used to it."

"It's fresh ice too because the Zamboni was just out," Jay said. "You'll be good in a few laps."

"Hopefully. I don't think I could've lost ten years of skating with you and Will in two years."

"It's just like riding a bike," Hailey said once she got on the ice. "You'll be fine. I'll skate with you for the first two laps if you want?"

You smiled. "Sure." Despite only knowing Hailey (well, you had met her once or twice before but only as your brother's partner at work, so you didn't really "know" her) for only a few days, you already looked at her like a big sister.

***

Everything was going fine until you got high on some confidence and decided to race both Will and Jay at the same time with Hailey as the judge.

So, the three of you stood on one end of the rink at the goal line and Hailey stood across the rink at the other goal line. You were glad that the other family that was here just got off the ice because you didn't want to crash into anyone by accident.

Hailey dropped her hand as if there was a racing flag in it and the three of you were off.

Jay had no shame in winning, so he passed your right away. Will, on the other hand, you thought he wanted to make this more of a race so he skated slowly until the red line at center ice. Then, he sped up so he was just a few inches ahead of you. So, you sped up.

You were skating as fast as you possibly could. Long strides, arms moving at your side to pick up the pace...

But then, you caught an edge.

You fell super fast and managed to catch yourself before you smacked your head on the ice. But you had stuck your right hand out, just like you had a year ago when you had tripped walking home and smacked it down hard on the ice.

For anybody else, this wouldn't have been a big deal, but you hit it hard and it had already been hurting.

You winced.

You heard someone slamming on the brakes and then two seconds later, Will was crouched down next to you.

"Are you okay?" Will asked. "Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt," you argued as you stood back up.

"Oh bullshit," Jay said. "We all saw you wince."

"Jay, let Will do his job," Hailey said gently. "How about we get off the ice and take a break?" she suggested.

You nodded and then skated slowly off the ice. Will was behind you and was scrutinizing your every move. He noticed that when you pushed the door open, you clenched your other fist.

Yeah, he was going to check out your hand no matter what you said.

Jay, Hailey, and Will started to take off their skates and you sat down and bent over to start untying yours.

"Don't you dare move that hand before I look at it," Will ordered.

You huffed but stopped untying your skates anyway.

After Jay took your skates off, Will suggested that the four of you go to his house just because he had his medical stuff there.

"Dude, it's a hockey arena," Jay pointed out. "I'm sure they have medical stuff here."

You shook your head. You didn't want Will looking at your hand in public. What if you screamed when he did something to see what was wrong? You didn't want all that attention.

Will cocked his head so that Jay looked at your scared face.

"Fine," Jay relented. "We'll go back to your apartment."

***

You sat on a barstool while Will stayed standing and took your right hand into his.

"Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn--" But, you cut yourself off. They wouldn't tell you nothing was wrong like your dad had done. "It hurts in my forearm when I push down and right here when I push down." You touched the area of the back of your hand right below your middle finger and your ring finger.

"Okay. I'm going to move your hand and fingers around. Tell me if it hurts."

You nodded and Will started moving your fingers around. It hurt when he moved your middle finger and your ring finger a certain way, but you gasped when he moved your thumb a certain way.

"The pain go up your forearm?" Will questioned.

"Yeah," you confirmed.

"Okay. I think you have tendonitis in your extensor tendon." He held his arm in front of him so he could show you. "That tendon goes from the thumb, up the side of your forearm," he explained as he dragged his finger over his arm. "And then, it loops around halfway and goes down the middle of your forearm, so that's why you have pain there, too. But, tendonitis is typically an overuse injury, so it's weird that it happened just now when you fell. I think I might take you in for some x-rays to see if there's something else because--"

"No!" you cut him off. You didn't want to waste time at the hospital. "I, uh, I hurt it a year ago."

"Is that why you've been taking ibuprofen?" Jay asked. Your eyes widened. You didn't think noticed. "Y/N, I'm a detective. I notice things."

"Did you get it checked out? How'd it happen?" Will asked.

"I tripped when I was walking home from school and I  caught myself on my hand. I thought it was fine because the pain went away in a few weeks and it only hurt when I pushed down on it. I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone. It's just that hospitals are expensive and I didn't want to be a burden."

"Did someone tell you that you're a burden?" Jay asked.

You shook your head. "No, but I barely had enough food to eat at dad's so I just kind of assumed."

"Y/N, I promise you that you are not a burden," Will said.

"You're sure?" you questioned.

"We're sure," Jay promised.

There was a long pause while you just mulled this over in your brain.

It was broken by Will. "But, I do need to go get you a brace from the hospital. And, while I'm there, I want you to ice your hand. I'll pick up Arby's on the way home too, so everyone text me your orders."

You thought you were going to cry at this point. You weren't a burden anymore. You weren't at Brady anymore. You felt like you had a home again.

You went and sat on the couch next to Hailey the minute Will left. Jay was grabbing ice from the freezer for your hand.

"Now, what do you say we get on Will's Netflix and watch High School Musical and not change it when Jay complains?" Hailey asked as she grabbed the remote.

You smiled and nodded.

Oh, and in this process, you had gained a pseudo big sister.

Even though everything that happened at Brady was shady, you were glad it was your brother who had been undercover or you wouldn't be watching High School Musical with Hailey in Will's apartment right now.

And you just knew, that this time, this family was forever.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for almost 84k reads! Again, please remember to reblog and comment! And, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’ll add you!

Taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88 @glitterquadricorn​

[scmediafest]

Ready for another day of reveals? Game on! Today, we’re traveling to Candyland, Gotham, the Santa Monica pier, and even Pemberly! These works are so good, you won’t want to hit pause.

If you’re following along, check out today’s works on our Google spreadsheet.

🎮

DAY 2 REVEALS

city keeps callin’ out to pay her sins (meeting you might count for enough penance)

[Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands - M - 61,166]

"Catwoman glances down for a second, her eyes popping wide at her precarious position, then back up at her savior. She remarks, with a rueful shake of her head, “Guess I was wrong about you catching me.”

Twyla tugs the other woman up with her forearm. “Come on. Don’t struggle or you’ll fall.”

“I know.”

Her tone’s reassuring, and she’s gazing up with some strange mix of concern, arrogance, and pity just before—

“See you around, Batwoman.”"

*🎮*

A Hundred Years From Now

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd/Jake, Alexis Rose/Ted Mullens - E - 7,620]

It's 2038 and David and Patrick will be married for 20 years. Taking certain lyrics from "Look at Us" by Vince Gill, the story of their year.

*🎮*

Stuck in the Molasses Swamp with You

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose - G - 3,628]

"They each pick a little plastic child to be their token in the game, and Patrick offers to explain the rules, but Alexis waves him off, grabbing a card from the pile. There’s a loud pop as she does so and then… pink smoke? Then a sweet smell, like cotton candy, or bubble gum, maybe, and for a moment, David can’t see anything.

“Um. Was that supposed to happen?” he hears Alexis say, followed closely by Stevie muttering, “What the fuck?” As the smoke clears, David has to agree with her, because, seriously, what the fuck?

-

Get in, besties. We're going to Candyland."

*🎮*

please tell me I won't wash away

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose - T - 2,398]

“Really? This is where you want to do this?”

“I thought we should end this where it started,” Patrick says, and David tries to ignore the bile that rises in his throat at the words ‘end this,’ being said so casually. “It’s a full circle moment for us. Literally.”

David follows Patrick’s gaze to the ferris wheel that towers above them, colorful buckets swaying as they slowly rotate over the pier — full circle indeed. Once upon a time, David wouldn’t have set foot on this boardwalk, much less taken a ride on that death trap, but… It’s only the first item on a laundry list of things he’s done simply because Patrick Brewer asked him to. Ironically, it’s also the last item that brings them here today.

David sighs. “We’re here to sign divorce papers,” he reminds him.

Or — On the day they're scheduled to sign their divorce papers, Patrick brings David to the place their relationship began: the ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier. He's secretly hoping they'll be given a sign, but a literal tsunami is a bit more than either of them bargained for."

*🎮*

Will You Accept This (Friendship) Rose?

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands - G - 2,304]

David is supposed to ‘get to know his sister’s girlfriend more.’ He can’t imagine he and Twyla have anything in common until they do. In other words, Twyla and David bond over their love for The Bachelor.

*🎮*

You Remember It All Too Well [+Podfic]

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd/Ruth Clancy (background), Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands (background) - G - 1,259]

"Yes, it's true. Taylor and I dated a long time ago. …And yes, it's possible that maybe she wrote a certain song about… I mean, without going into the details, things between us did not end well."

After the 10 minute version of "All Too Well" is released, secrets from David's past are revealed.

*🎮*

[podfic] Pride and Prejudice and Schitt's Creek

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Alexis Rose/Ted Mullens - T - 3:04:54]

"Pride and Prejudice AU.

The Roses are living in genteel poverty. Mr. Brewer has recently arrived in the neighbourhood and rumour is he has 10,000 a year!"

*🎮*

CREATORS: If your works were released today, please don't forget to update your posting date!

[ubdqelliot]

Hey, can we Not say Little Hope’s end was bad?

TLDR: The Dark Pictures Anthology isnt a supernatural horror series; it’s a psychological horror wearing the clothes of supernatural stories. Treating it as such only leaves us feeling dissatisfied. Just because Little Hope wasn’t the story we wanted, doesnt make the twist “shitty” or “overused”. Its NOT a scapegoat. It’s the intended story. There’s a reason Until Dawn isn’t part of this series.

Hey can i say something though,,, the ending doesnt invalidate the journey at all. It’s just a different kind of journey.

The mind can do some absolutely insanr things, especially with an added bit of head trauma.

The events of little hope was the story we wanted. Until t wasn’t. But for some of us, its the story we needed.

Anthony lost everything. He was suffering. He was delusioned, even before the accident. We can tell by the fact the wreck even happened. He was hallucinating. He couldn’t cope with the loss of his family, especially when everyone blamed HIM- including himself.

HE started the fire. HE left it unattended. HE didn’t help Megan. HE couldn’t save anyone. He spent decades blaming himself for events either out of his control, or a small mistake. HE DOESNT KNOW that the fire was caused by Megan’s doll, not until after he’s released. Even then, he still blames himself.

So when he returns to little hope, albeit briefly, his mind Physically Cannot handle the memories. They overflow into what he believes is reality. He hallucinates.

THIS IS A SYMPTOM OF PTSD!!!

Then he gets a concussion. His mind is SCRAMBLED. The trauma, the mental illness, and the crash was too much. He physically cannot handle being in Little Hope again.

So his mind creates a story. A fracture. (AN ACTUAL MEDICAL THING)

A story that allows him to, for just a little while, escape. He’s just a student, pursuing creative writing- something that he likely wanted to pursue until his livelihood was taken from him. He’s happy, although confused, and not so painfully alone. He’s got friends, kinda. Parental figures.

But his mental illness quickly seeps through again. His trauma spills into this new life. He sees things that reminds his mind of Before, and his mind tries to desperately to explain it.

Then comes the fear. The memories. Sort of. His mind tries to explain WHY.

I think seeing Vince only made it worse. He doesnt know its him, but his mind does. It creates an explanation: he’s a weird old guy. Nothing more.

The demons, the character arcs, these are stories he wants to tell himself. These are stories he NEEDS to tell himself. His mom and dad are falling in love again, albeit in new faces. They dont HATE each other.

Most importantly, nobody hates HIM. He needs that most of all. When he bashes himself, not even purposefully, they assure him he’s ENOUGH. They even compliment him on some weird quirks of his. Sometimes they say weird things, or hate on him, but not NEARLY as much as they did Before.

This is EVIDENT in what happens.

He doesn’t want the demons. He doesnt want his family to die again. This is LITERALLY chance for him to come to terms with what happened and save them. He LITERALLY envisions himself CHANGING THE PAST. The NUMBER ONE THING that therapists tell people with trauma they can’t do. That’s not coincidence.

The journey was meaningful. To us. To HIM. Whether they die, they live; whether he is saved, or is arrested, or in jail.

THE FOUND FAMILY IS THE GOAL!!!

Sure, they aren’t real. Sure, they’re dead. But with the good ending, he feels accepted. They literally help him accept that IT ISNT HIS FAULT. Nothing that happened is his fault. Its implied to be Little Hope’s story, but He knows it’s about the fire. We know. And with the bad ending, he’s overcome with the guilt and trauma. He kills himself, BECAUSE he couldn’t accept he couldn’t change the past. BECAUSE he is overwhelmed with the fact he can’t save them.

In the ending where they die, and Mary saves him, because he saved her, its both. He doesn’t blame her, he’s learned. He doesn’t blame himself, because he’s learned. But he’s still suffering. There’s nothing he can do to change what happened. They’re still dead. But he’s the only one who knows that its not HER fault. He saved HER. He did everything he could: he understands. Sure, he’s suffering, but he is trying. He isn’t succumbing anymore. HE HAS A REASON.

Sort of. She’s the lingering effect of the fracture, the piece. It’s similar to an Alter, with DID, only they aren’t another personality. They don’t take control of your body. They’re just another voice in your head. But they serve a purpose. For him, it’s reminding him he has a reason to live.

Megan’s ghost doesn’t save him. We all know that, she isn’t real. It’s a Piece. His mind is saving him. Because at the end of the day, he’s ill. He’s not magically Better.

The story isn’t invalidated by the fact most the cast isnt real; the fact the demons weren’t real, just because the story being told wasn’t the story we wanted. It has consequences and impact, and we see it on Anthony.

Also??? As someone with trauma??? I can see so much of my symptoms cranked up to 100 with this? And this story was SO important to me?

Can we PLEASE stop saying Little Hope’s twist was shitty just because it’s not the story we wanted?? As we can tell, the dark pictures anthology ISNT a series about monsters and ghosts, like Until Dawn. Its not about secret monstrocities hurting people.

The Dark Pictures Anthology isnt a supernatural horror series; it’s a psychological horror wearing the clothes of supernatural stories. Treating it as such only leaves us feeling dissatisfied. Just because Little Hope wasn’t the story we wanted, doesnt make the twist “shitty” or “overused”. Its NOT a scapegoat. It’s the intended story. There’s a reason Until Dawn isn’t part of this series.

[thoushallnotfall]

God Bless the Children of the Beast - Part 13

Previous // Masterlist

Pairing: The Dirt!Tommy Lee x Reader

Word Count: 2.7k

Notes: Sorry this took a minute to get out guys; it’s been a busy week! 

God so much happens in this update. We literally jump through like 3 years. 👀

Okay, so I'm changing some history here. (I'm mean I've already done that because, well, the movie did and that's what I'm following; but we're doing it again) I know Thaler took over after Doc, but since they cut him from the movie and made it kind of look like Nikki just sort of ran things, that's the angle I'm going with. 👍 Like I've literally been planning this from the get-go so I'm not changing it now.

Warnings: None

1990

A lot had happened in the last year.

Rehab had been a success for you and the boys, and you all had managed to stay sober through the recording of Dr. Feelgood–Motley Crue’s first number one album. Nikki had surprised you all and gotten married; and while Brandi seems like a genuinely nice girl, you were just glad to finally see your brother happy and committed to someone for a change. 

Still, not everything was going so well. 

You were back out on the road touring for the new album, and the band was feeling the strain. They had never toured without booze and drugs before, and it was clearly getting to them. Not only that, there was trouble at home for Vince and Tommy, and neither of the were handling it well.

Normally, they'd party their frustrations away–get drunk, do some drugs, then find some chicks to forget their wives with for a little while–but without that outlet to fall back on, they had to find other ways to cope. Vince took it out on his bandmates–usually choosing to argue with Nikki or Tommy–while Tommy chose to either argue with Vince, or bottle up his feelings entirely. Of course, they both still cheated, but without the drinks and drugs it apparently wasn’t enough of a release for them. You tried to talk to them about it, but they both brushed you off for one reason or another. 

Vince’s growing animosity with Nikki, and on occasion Tommy, made him start to keep you at arm’s length. He didn’t have a problem with you personally, but your closeness with the other two made it difficult for him to open up to you despite your efforts to talk to him. As time went on, he just kept pushing you further away, becoming more distant, and you worried just how far he would drift from you and the others before he would just disappear all together.

You and Tommy were just as close as always–closer even, since rehab helped you get past some of your old bullshit–he just didn’t want to talk about his problems with Heather. Part of the problem was that he didn’t totally understand what was wrong; what little he would say about it was that she was being ‘weird and distant’ and that she wasn’t answering his calls, so he didn’t really know enough to talk about. 

But you also thought part of him was just too scared to talk about it. Tommy had dreamed about true love his whole life, and he found it–it had probably never occurred to him that he could lose it. Things had always gone so well with Heather; for there to suddenly be signs of trouble brewing probably terrified him. You wanted to talk to him about it–comfort him, if you could–but if he didn’t want to talk about it, you didn’t want to force the issue.

Aside from the personal problems, there was also the issue of Nikki running the show. 

When Doc was fired, Nikki had taken over trying to manage the band alone. He wasn't doing an awful job, and you helped him out as much as he would let you given his control freak personality. Still, it was the cause of a lot of the fights between him and Vince.

—

You and the boys were sitting at a table in the middle of a strip club, drinking waters and looking miserable. A waitress walks by with a tray of lemon drops, offering you the shots. They look amazing, and you can just imagine the sweet and sour shot burning down your throat, but none of the boys had drank this tour and you weren’t about to be the first to fall off the wagon. Nikki sends her away with an order for another round of waters–Vince looking less than pleased. Trying to escape the tense atmosphere, you glance over your shoulder to look at Tommy. 

He was standing at the payphone, looking upset as he talks into the handpiece; Heather must still be dodging his calls. You stare at him a little longer–watch the frustration and confusion on his handsome face–and even though you should be happy that things weren’t going well, you couldn’t help but hurt for him. You didn’t want Tommy to be unhappy, no matter what the reason behind it.

“They’re keeping us on the road–15 new days in Canada.” Nikki says, bringing your attention back to the table.

“I haven’t seen anything about any new days.” Vince says, looking annoyed. Uh oh. This would end in another fight if Nikki wasn’t careful. 

“Check your itinerary man.” Nikki replies.

“I would, but apparently someone doesn’t think it’s important to let the lead fucking singer know what the fuck is going on here.” Vince snaps.

“I’ll get you a copy of the new itinerary Vince.” You reply, trying to deescalate the situation. Just then, Tommy plops down in the seat next to you.

“Guys I fucked up. Heather’s being all weird and distant and–I drank.” He says, looking ashamed. “Well, a little–I had one shot and I’m sorry.”

“I’m gonna have a fucking cocktail too man.” Vince says before you have a chance to respond. “What are you gonna do about it Nikki?”

“Okay look everyone falls off the wagon once and awhile–” Nikki replies.

“Oh fuck you man, fuck off! Fuck the rest of this tour! It is the no fucking fun tour, and I am sick and tired of not having any fun.” Vince shouts, standing up.

“Vince!” You call out to him as he walks off, but he ignores you.

“Just let him go y/n.” Tommy says as Nikki chases after him.

You watch as Nikki confronts Vince, who physically pushes Nikki away before taking a shot. Just like that, sobriety was out the window. Nikki comes back up and sits down.

“Shit.” He says, slumping in his seat.

“I’ll get him the itinerary when we get back Nikki, and we’ll sort this out, okay?” You say, trying to be supportive. “It was just one drink; he was just angry because he’s stressed out.”

“I can’t believe I forgot to send him the new fucking itinerary.” Nikki says.

“It’s fine, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Don’t stress about it; I’ll take care of it.” You reply. He looks over at you.

“You probably wouldn’t have forgotten.” Nikki muses, before sighing, hanging his head. “You’re right y/n, I do have a lot on my plate–too much, probably. I’ve been thinking for awhile now that I’m not really cut out for this manager shit–that I should probably hand over the reigns to someone whose better suited to the work so I can get back to just focusing on the music.” He lifts his head to look at you. “So what do you say? You wanna be our manager?” You stare at him like a deer in headlights.

“Excuse me?” You ask, stunned.

“You guys are cool with that, right?” Nikki asks, looking over at Tommy and Mick.

“Fuck yeah dude! That’s awesome.” Tommy says, smiling over at you. Even after everything, his smile made your heart race.

“About time if you ask me; she’s the obvious choice.” Mick says, taking a drink of his water, a smile playing on his lips.

“You really want me to be your manager?” You ask, looking back at Nikki.

“Yeah. You already have experience helping me and Doc, and I mean who’s better qualified to take care of us than you?” Nikki asks, smirking.

“You are uniquely qualified for the position–you’ve got nearly 10 years experience cleaning up our messes.” Mick jokes.

“I don’t know, I made a lot of those messes too.” You reply, smiling.

“Hell yeah you did!” Tommy says, raising his hand expectantly. You laugh, giving him a high-five.

“I’m just saying; yeah, maybe we could hire someone with more experience in management–but we could never find someone we trust more.” Nikki says, putting a hand on your shoulder. “You’ve been with Motley Crue from the very beginning–you deserve this–and we know you’ll always do what’s best for this band.” You had to stop yourself from tearing up.

“Okay, if everyone’s cool with this–I’ll do it.” You say, smiling from ear to ear. “But you have to talk to Vince about it too.”

“Yeah, yeah–I don’t see why he’d have a problem with it, but I’ll tell him tomorrow when I bring him that fucking itinerary.” He says, leaning back and smirking at you.

—

February 1992

The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. You knew there wouldn’t be–Vince had become so flaky since Sharise had left. You look at the others, all looking pissed as you slowly hang up the phone.

“I’m telling you guys everything is fucking all upside down and flipped flopped and while we’re waiting for our lead singer to get his head out of his ass we’re getting left in the dust man!” Tommy says, standing behind his drumset. You sigh. “I’m just saying bands replace their frontmen and it still works okay? Van Halen–”

“I know Van Halen fucking did it cause you say that every single time Vince misses a fucking rehearsal.” Nikki snaps.

“Come on Tommy, he’s just going through a lot right now.” You try to reason with him. “Wouldn’t you be a little off your game if Heather left you?”

“Don’t even fucking say that man.” Tommy says.

“I mean, can’t you all just try and be a little empathetic for once? Please?” You ask.

“Whatever; just call the prick again.” Mick says. You sigh, making your way over to the phone, while Nikki moves over to the fax machine. You have a feeling you’re not going to be happy about the message he's about to send.

—

You’re working on some paperwork while the boys continue with rehearsal without Vince, when the blonde comes marching into the studio. 

“Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on here?” Vince asks, clearly pissed.

“Let’s save us all some time, especially yours Vince as it’s clearly more valuable than ours!” Nikki snaps back. You stand up and move towards them.

“You’d better tell me what the fuck’s going on man.” Vince says again.

“What’s going on is we’re down here, and we’re working, and we wanna be here, but we are tired of forcing you to be here with us.” Nikki says.

“Maybe I’d come in more if I liked the material.” Vince jeers.

“Maybe you’d like the material if you were in the studio making it with us instead of staring at your fucking watch!” Tommy jumps up and shouts.

“Woah, let’s all calm down.” You say, getting between them.

“Yeah, I’m staring at my watch because this album is fucking stupid!” Vince yells back. There’s a silence as the boys all look at each other. “You know what fuck all y’all. You know, I’m done. Fuck this, I quit.”

“Vince!” You call after him as he makes his way to the door.

“Good, ‘cause you’re fucking fired!” Nikki yells back.

“Nikki!” You shout at your brother, looking between him and Vince.

“I quit already, dick.” Vince says, walking out. Nikki slams the door behind him. You look up at him, as the room fills with a heavy silence, the weight of what just happened hitting them. Before anyone has the chance to say anything, you quickly run out after Vince.

“Vince!” You called his name through the rain, but he was already getting into his car. You quickly make your way through the downpour and jump into the passenger’s seat before he can drive off.

“What the fuck?” He looks over at you in surprise.

“I couldn’t just let you leave before we talked.” You say, your wet hair dripping water on the leather of the seat as you look over at him.

“I’m not going back in there y/n–I’m done.” He says, looking out the windshield.

“So what, that’s it? Just like that? You’re just gonna walk away?” You ask, not even trying to hide the tears pooling in your eyes.

“It had to happen sometime y/n–we all knew this was coming.” He said, still not looking at you.

“It didn’t have to Vince–it still doesn’t. I can talk to them, I can–” He puts his hand on yours.

“It’s over y/n. Let it go.” Vince says, looking into your eyes. You feel a tear slide down your cheek.

“So now what?” You ask. “What are you gonna do?” He moves his hand away and looks back out the windshield.

“I don’t know. I’ve still got my racing–and hey, I could always try making it as a solo artist.” He smiles over at you. “You wouldn’t happen to know any good managers, would you?” You laugh.

“Oh the boys would hate that.” You reply.

“Fuck’m–it’s your life, do what you want.” Vince replies. “Just think it over and let me know, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll think about it.” You reply, reaching for the door handle. You stop, looking back at him. “And Vince, I just want you to know; no matter what happens–any of the drama or the bullshit that may come from this–you’re still my friend, okay? You’re important to me, and I love you.” Vince blushes, looking away.

“Yeah yeah, I love you too–now shut up and get out of my car.”

—

1993

You somehow convince the boys it would be fine if you manage them and Vince, and things for him were going fairly well. His first solo album, Exposed, was doing moderately well on the charts. Meanwhile, you were trying your best to deal with a Motley Crue without Vince Neil. John Corabi was brought in to be the new lead singer for the band, and while he was a good singer and a nice enough guy–he just wasn't Vince.

The fans knew it too. As much as Nikki and the others tried to promote John, everyone just wanted Vince back. Of course you did too, but what could you do? The band had succeeded because they were a group of stubborn fools who didn’t know when to give up, but that also meant they didn’t know how to back down from a fight–even when they knew they'd fucked up. No one wanted to admit they were wrong and come ‘crawling back’ to the other, so they were stuck in a stalemate.

—

You were sitting at home in your office, going over some paperwork for Vince, when you phone rings.

“Hello, y/n Sixx speaking.” You say absently as you continue reading over the paper in your hand.

“Y/N?” It was Tommy. He sounded upset. You set the paper down on the desk.

“Tommy? What’s wrong?”

“Y/N, I-I fucked up man, I fucked up so bad.” He stammers. “Fuck y/n, I, I–”

“Whoa, Tommy! Calm down.” You say, clutching the phone tightly. “Just tell me what happened.” 

“There was this fucking article–someone got pictures. Damn I’m so fucking stupid!” He shouts.

“Tommy, you’re not making any sense.” After a long stretch of silence, you hear a sob come through the line.

“Heather knows I cheated. She left me y/n–she’s kicking me out.” Your breath catches in your throat. 

A rush of emotions hits you like a freight train–too many to sort through at once. Anger, sadness, pity, illation, hope, guilt; each coming one after another. Anger at Tommy for cheating again. Sadness and pity at the pain he must be going through. Illation and hope because finally, finally, you might have a chance with him. And lastly guilt, that you would even consider your own feelings now, when he was in so much pain.

“Y/N?” Tommy calls out to you, snapping you out of your trance.

“Oh, oh god Tommy I’m so sorry.” You say, shaking your head to clear your thoughts. “Um, if, if you need somewhere to stay for awhile, you’re more than welcome to crash with me.” You offer.

“Really? You’re sure that’s cool?” He asks.

“Yeah of course.” You say. “It’ll be just like old times.” He laughs through a sob.

“Yeah, old times.” He repeats.

“You want me to come by? I can help you bring some stuff over.” You ask.

“Thanks y/n. God, what would I do without you?” He replies, and you smile to yourself.

You didn’t want to be this happy about Tommy’s marriage failing, but it had been seven years–seven long years, and you had given up hope of ever getting your chance with Tommy. 

Now, you might finally have one–a chance–and that thought alone nearly made your heart leap out of your chest. 

[angrylizardjacket]

dirtbags // 1: Charlotte

Summary: Motley Crue High School AU with The Pack (Lola, Charlotte, Peach, & Eileen); Winter, 1984. Charlotte’s halfway through her Junior year of High School when Lola arrives in town, and becomes a part of Charlotte’s life almost by accident. 

Tommy seems to fall for any girl he hasn’t grown up with, Nikki and Charlotte are in agreement that their friendship becoming public knowledge would be social suicide for them both, Vince is a tool, and Eileen is still mad at him for what happened over Summer. 

A/N: 8829 words. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO @misscharlottelee this has literally been in the works for what’s felt like a year, but i decided that i can’t keep putting it off forever, so here. part 1. i think im going to try and put these out weekly?? maybe sooner?? but i adore you and i of course absolutely adore @josaphinebaker so i’m glad to finally let you all enjoy the long-awaited, multi-part HS AU (me, not posting writing for months: AND WHAT’S THIS? THE HS AU WITH A STEEL CHAIR --) ft. a softer world quotes

who said life can’t be an adventure? because whoever said that is probably the villain.

There’s a place for everything, and everything has it’s place. That’s they way the world works, at least, that’s the motto the rest of the cheerleading team seems to adhere to almost religiously. Charlotte, who’s been on the team for almost a full year and a half, since the start of her Sophmore year, can’t see the world so black and white. It’s not that she signed up to be a Cheerleader to fulfil some bitchy, blonde stereotype, it’s more that she had free time to fill and thought it would be fun. It took her a few months to find her footing once she’d been offered a place on the team, and was quickly thrust into her school’s the social spotlight, but she managed in the end, and had been managing ever since, mostly.

“Charlie, you’re so lucky,” Tommy, her cousin, lamented to her, driving her home after cheer practice, and marching band, had finished for the day. He was still in his uniform, as was Charlotte, and she gave him a sidelong glance, picking at the nail polish on her thumb. She doesn’t even give him an answer; ever since she’d joined the team, he had felt the need to wax poetic about the other cheerleaders and their uniforms. It’s so familiar that she doesn’t even need to prompt him into mooning over seeing Pamela in the cafeteria that day.

“She’s never going to date you if you don’t talk to her,” Charlotte’s smile is sly as her gaze slides back to the road, and the sun drifting towards the horizon.

“If Pam ever found out I’d looked at her, she’d probably just spit on me, call me pathetic or some shit,” Tommy’s eyeroll is implied by the flatness of his tone, but Charlotte can’t help but laugh.

“Oh Tommy, everyone looks at Pam,” she reminds him, and Tommy lets out an annoyed whine.

“I know,” he groans, clearly not cheered by that fact, feeling ever the more hopeless, and they fall into silence. Charlotte reaches down beside her seat and lifts a lever, pushing the seat back so she could comfortably rest her feet on his dashboard.

“Did you hear someone finally bought the MacCready burger joint? Dad was talking about it yesterday,” Tommy says mildly, making a left-hand turn onto their street. Charlotte raises her eyebrows, intrigued, but doesn’t speak. Tommy knows her well enough to take her silence as an invitation to go on, “Mrs Mac is going into hospice care and apparently some guy bought it and moved into town.”

“Oh shit, poor Mrs Mac,” Charlotte muses, and crosses her ankles on the dash, “hopefully their food is edible now.”

“Their burgers were great!” Tommy protested loudly.

“Their burgers were trash, Tommy! You’re just a rat -!”

“I’m not a rat!” He argues back, pulling into the gas station around the corner from their house. Tommy pulls up beside one of the pumps, and Charlotte gets out to browse the various snacks on offer inside the service station.

“Afternoon, Mick,” Charlotte calls out to the gas station attendant, the guy who’s been working here since he was fourteen, who’s currently got an electrical apprenticeship every other day. Charlotte realizes she might know too much about him considering he barely communicates in grunts most of the time. It’s not that he can’t speak, it’s just that he has a well documented dislike of her over exuberant cousin.

As expected, Mick doesn’t look up from his copy of Rolling Stone behind the counter, but makes a noise of acknowledgement.

Before Tommy has finished filling the tank, an unfamiliar figure enters the gas station, breezing past Charlotte and snatching up a packet of pork rinds, moving to the drinks fridge and taking a can of lemonade. The person is a young woman, though Charlotte doesn’t get a good look at her face; she’s got silky, black hair down to the small of her back, beneath a backwards baseball cap, and she’s the most notable of her clothes are her scuffed, black boots, and her oversized, black denim jacket littered with patches and pins. 

When she puts her items on the counter in front of Mick, she pauses, frowning at the display, and Tommy enters the shop with an oblivious smile, asking if Charlotte had decided on anything.

“Can I help you?” Mick asks flatly, and the girl holds up a single finger, the universal signal for wait, and Mick huffs, but remains quiet. The girl adds a packet of gum to her haul, and leans her elbows on the counter.

“And a pack of Marlboros.”

Mick scowls.

“How old are you?”

“Are you being paid enough to care?” She responds, voice a low, challenging alto, and after a moment of deliberation, Mick actually shrugs, and turns to the cigarette display, picking out a pack for her as she pulled a few bills from her back pocket. After everything’s paid for, and the various food and drink had been stashed in the numerous pockets of her jacket, the girl is quick to open the cigarettes. 

“They’re for my dad,” she explains, taking one out and putting it between her lips, grinning, “mostly.”

She passes a bewildered Tommy and Charlotte on the way out, giving them a flat look over, eyebrow raising minutely at the sight of Charlotte’s cheerleading uniform, but she’s quickly out the door. Tommy, flabbergasted at her display of confidence, marches straight up to counter and leans on it like he’d seen the woman do.

“A pack of -”

“Fuck off,” Mick tells him, before Tommy even finishes his sentence. Charlotte snorts a laugh, approaching the counter with a bottle of diet coke. 

“Fifteen bucks on pump three,” Tommy sighs, pulling out his wallet, “and Charlie’s drink.”

“Do you know her, Mick?” Charlotte asks, still smiling, mind playing over the interaction.

“Do I look like I know her?” Mick grumbles, counting the handful of quarters Tommy had passed him with a ten dollar bill. Tommy, however, has never in his life taken Mick’s constant foul mood to heart, even when he probably should.

“He loves me, secretly, I know he does,” Tommy grinned when they were back in the car, heading to Charlotte’s house to drop her off, “we’ve known each other for five years, we’ll be friends any day now.”

“Tommy, he’s three days away from just decking you when you go to pay.”

“Which is a step up from when you said he’d throw me in front of traffic,” Tommy, ever the optimistic dumbass, chooses to look on the bright side. Tommy wears his affection on his sleeve, and seems to find himself trying to befriend anyone who would sooner fight him, if his hero-worship of local punk Nikki Sixx is anything to go by. It’s with a painful clarity that Charlotte realizes if he ever meets the girl from the gas station, he’s going to fall in love with her almost immediately.

Which makes Charlotte’s accidental and secret friendship with Nikki Sixx awkward.

“Oh Miss Lee,” Nikki whistles at her the following morning, wearing a grin that’s all teeth, “you know just what a guy likes to see on a Thursday morning.” He’s leering at her, leaning on the mesh of the fence, fingers hooked into the metal as he presses himself against it, his gaze trained on the pleat of her cheer uniform split upon her thigh over her tights.

“Every time you speak, I consider vehicular homicide,” Charlotte tells him with a sigh, straightening out her skirt, already resigned to the fact the rest of her free period was about to be co-opted. 

“Then I’m glad you can’t drive,” Nikki’s still grinning, throwing his bag over the fence, into the garden Charlotte had thought was peaceful enough to study in.

“It’s the only thing keeping you alive,” she says, plastering a fake, sweet smile on her face, closing her biology textbook as Nikki vaults the fence a few feet away from her. She pulls her jacket a little tighter around herself, in an attempt to ward off the slight chill of the end of semester air.

Never in Charlotte’s life would she have intentionally tried to befriend Nikki Sixx. How was she supposed to know that two of her free periods coincided with when he liked to show up to school? And that the secluded garden area out behind the library where she liked to study in said free periods was the easiest place to sneak in? 

She’s threatened to turn him in more times than he can remember, and he spits back that she should just find a new place to study, but she keeps showing up, and she never turns him in, and by now most of Nikki’s flirting is harmless.

They were both very much of the opinion that having a public friendship would be bad for the both of them; Nikki’s got more than a reputation of his own, both because his name technically isn’t Nikki, but he fights anyone who calls him Frank, and because he’s kind of a slut. Also there’s still an unconfirmed rumour about him being expelled from his first high school back in Seattle, since he’d joined their school a semester in Freshman year. Everyone’s too afraid to ask. Charlotte knows the cheerleaders aren’t above making hell for one of their own if they were caught fraternizing with someone like him. 

That being said, Nikki had made it very clear that he’d rather saw off his arm than admit that they were even acquaintances, scoffing about how he’d lose any and all street cred he’d ever had if his friends found out he was hanging around Miss Everyone’s Best Friend Charlotte Lee. At the time, she’d taken offence to his tone, but she quickly came to learn that that’s just how Nikki is sometimes.

He offers her a cigarette from the pack in his pocket like he always does, sitting opposite her on the picnic bench instead of going to class, his bag still on the grass where he’d thrown it. Like always, Charlotte turns it down, but it does remind her-

“Saw a girl yesterday at Mick’s gas station that reminded me of you,” Charlotte flips to the back page of her notebook, which was already littered with little drawings, and starts scribbling idly.

“She hot?”

“I guess?” Charlotte says after a moment of consideration, “didn’t get to see her long enough to really be able to tell.” Nikki hums thoughtfully, and Charlotte, without looking up, “she asked Mick for cigarettes and he was like ‘how old are you?’ and she was like ‘are you being paid enough to care?’“ 

Nikki takes a long draft from his own cigarette, and kindly turns to the side to blow smoke into the wind, instead of directly into Charlotte’s face, as he used to do, or like he does when he’s annoyed.

“Mick would have mad respect for a move like that,” Nikki snorts, and when Charlotte looks up from her notebook, she sees him looking off into the distance, giving a genuine smile at the mental image. Maybe this is why she puts up with him, these rare genuine moments. He raises the cigarette to his lips again, and looks back at her, eyebrows raised, as if prompting her to go on. Charlotte looks back at her notebook.

“It inspired Tommy to try and buy smokes too, but Mick shut him down fast; I swear, if we show up when he’s clocking off, he’s going to K.O Tommy the first chance he gets.”

“Which is a step up from when you said he’d throw him in front of traffic,” Nikki notes, and Charlotte pauses, frowning. She hadn’t realised her hyperbolic threats on Mick’s behalf were a standard unit of measurement for how much he did or didn’t like her cousin. They were bullshit! Why did anyone take them seriously? Charlotte’s often astounded at her own credibility, and how much people tend to take her at her word without question.

“What’s she look like?” Nikki asks, flicking his ash into the grass, bringing Charlotte out of her thoughts.

“Who?”

“The girl from the gas station.”

“Oh,” Charlotte pauses, thinking, finally settling on, “she was wearing heaps of dark shit, had black hair, maybe that’s why I thought of you. I don’t know who she is though, didn’t recognize her from anywhere.” She adds, and Nikki hums thoughtfully, nodding. With his free hand, he snatches her pen out of her grip, despite her yelp of protest, and begins doodling pentagrams on the back cover of her notebook. 

“You free tomorrow night?”

“I’d rather die than date you.”

“Charlie, you’re not my type -”

“Nikki, your type is tits and a heartbeat.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d fuck you, but I’d rather be castrated than date you,” Nikki responds flatly, and Charlotte quickly shuts up, scowling, “but my band has a gig at a place that doesn’t card, so if you and that overgrown Labrador you call a cousin can sneak away from mommy and daddy for the night, you’re more than welcome to come party with the big kids.” He smirked, flicking Charlotte’s pen back at her. Charlotte’s annoyance has simmered down at his offer, considering his words. 

“Nikki Sixx inviting me to see his band,” she mused, sly smile curling at the corners of her lips, mischief glinting in her eyes, “you like me, don’t you? You like Miss Everyone’s Best Friend. Soon I’m going to be your best friend too!” At least she was self aware enough about her people-pleasing tendencies to poke fun at his scorn.

“I like that you’re cousin’s obsessed with me, so bring him too,” Nikki’s quick to correct, but his heart’s not fully in it, if the smile he’s failing to repress is anything to go by, “I’m just in it for the ego trip, sweetheart.”

Charlotte gags at the pet name; the bell rings.

“She smells like an ash tray,” is the first thing Charlotte hears when she sits herself with the rest of the cheer squad at lunch, and she’s terrified for a moment that Heather, the Vice Captain of the squad, is talking about her. Discretely, Charlotte sniffs at her hair, worried that the perfume she’d spritzed to hide any of Nikki’s lingering smoke had worn off quickly. Heather’s not even looking at her, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially to the other gathered girls.

“Heather, half the people at this school smell like smoke,” Eileen cuts in as the voice of reason, taking a dainty bite of her food to punctuate her point. Heather’s expression sours.

“Yeah, but she’s pretty, why would she smoke?”

“Heather, you smoke,” Eileen rolls her eyes, and Heather sits back, crossing her arms, long, dainty fingers resting on her perfectly tanned and toned biceps.

“Yeah, but at least I have the decency not to smell like the bottom of an ashtray,” Heather raises an eyebrow, as if offering some form of challenge, and Charlotte watches Eileen bite back on a scathing retort, simply offering a withering smile, and continuing on with her lunch, “anyway,” Heather rolls her eyes, and starts up a new conversation with the girls on her other side, who were hanging onto her every word like it was gospel.

It’s quite possible that the tensions between Heather and Eileen may never actually die down, Charlotte considers, fiddling with the plastic-wrapped straw of her juice box. The thing is that Heather had only scored the position of Vice Captain of the cheerleading squad after Eileen, practically a shoe-in after two years on the squad and a pretty impressive acrobatic repertoire, publicly turned down the offer, quit, and joined the swim team the very next day, refusing to give a reason for any of her actions. A vicious joke circled the school about Heather being sloppy seconds, and despite Eileen never actually contributing to the joke in any way, or even acknowledging it, part of Heather still obviously resented her. The fact that Eileen still chose to sit with the cheerleaders despite not being one anymore, might also play into that, like she’s rubbing it in Heather’s face, even though she never would intend to do that.

Charlotte’s known Eileen for what feels like forever, since Summer camp in Grade School, living close enough to maintain a friendship, but not close enough that they were in the same district for Grade or Middle School. Both academically and socially minded young women, they’d found themselves in a number of clubs in those years that brought them face to face at meet or competitions, and thankfully, their local high school drew from a wider range of districts, finally bringing them together as allies, rather than competitors. 

“Who were they talking about?” Charlotte asks quietly, stabbing her straw into her juice box, trying to keep their conversation discrete.

“A girl transferred into our grade -”

“On a Thursday?” Charlotte scoffs a little, “with three weeks left to go before Winter break?” And Eileen makes a noise in the back of her throat, an I know, it’s weird, right? Without saying any actual words. 

“Something Fields; we just had French with her,” Eileen nods to where Heather’s now happily chattering with the other cheerleaders, earlier disagreement seemingly forgotten.

“Something?” Charlotte asked wryly, and Eileen gave her an amused look.

“Madame Laurent’s accent would butcher the name Sally, I’m surprised I managed to understand Fields,” and okay, she has a point, Madame Laurent’s French accent was half the reason any of the students studied the language, if only to understand her, because her English, while technically good, was sometimes incomprehensible. 

“The girl didn’t correct her?”

“Nah, just kept quiet, embarrassed, I think,” Eileen mused, and Charlotte hummed thoughtfully, “though she did sit herself right next to Heather; bold move, I’ll applaud her for that.”

“Bet Heather didn’t like that,” Charlotte snickered quietly, and Eileen’s smile stretched into a full grin.

“She straight up moved the moment the girl put her bag down.”

“The poor girl,” Charlotte shook her head with a sigh, before clarifying, “not Heather, obviously.” Eileen snorted a laugh.

“What’s the new girl like?” Charlotte finds herself asking, intrigued.

“Quiet,” is Eileen’s immediate answer, “couldn’t get a good read on her, but she knows a decent amount of French.” But she deliberates for a moment, “looks kind of mean.” And for the barest moment, Charlotte frowns, mind flashing to the girl she’d seen at the gas station yesterday... it couldn’t be.

“Black hair?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“I saw a girl at the gas station yesterday, black hair, kind of mean looking, Mick didn’t know her,” that was the big tip; Mick seemed to know all the gas station regulars, so she must be new. Eileen catalogued this information in her mind, but had no comment on it beyond a shrug, before reminding Charlotte that they had debate after school, and asking if Tommy would be sticking around to give her a lift home. 

“He will be, he’s got practice until four too,” Charlotte said with a half smile, “and yes, he can give you a lift home too... Will Peach be needing one too?” She asked, referring to Eileen’s younger sister, but Eileen shook her head.

“She’s staying back until five every day this week to finish her science fair project, mom’s happy to pick her up - something about magnets this year - but I don’t want to wait around.”

“Wait, how long until the science fair?” Last year, Eileen, Charlotte, Tommy, and Vince Neil, who they’d still considered something of a friend at the time, had all come to support Peach in both her first year of high school, and her first science fair. Peach had come third, with a rather impressive display about which various household liquids killed plants fastest, and all three had cheered when she’d been given her ribbon, and Tommy and Vince spent the entire ride in the back of Peach and Eileen’s mom’s station wagon ranting about how she should have won, and scheming about how to best put a dead houseplant in their science teacher’s bed, like some low budget, home depot Scarface. Tommy may have become their friends via his place as a constant fixture in Charlotte’s life, and Vince simply because he had grown up as something of her neighbour and Tommy’s close friend, but their loyalty was absolute. Well, almost absolute. Vince was noticeably absent from their current roster of friends however, the then-four of them how vowed to make it a habit, and they could all tell Peach had been touched by the gesture, and Eileen, Charlotte, and Tommy were, at the very least, going to uphold that promise. A small smile plays on Eileen’s face.

“Next Tuesday, she’s so excited.”

if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. but you won’t. 

So according to Eileen, Vince Neil is throwing a party on Saturday, and seeing as Charlotte’s parents still think the world of Vince after he’d been so kind of her after everything happened with her ex at the start of the year, she’s allowed to go. They went to middle school together, though he was always a year younger than her, in Tommy’s grade, and their parents were passive-aggressive PTA friends for a few years there, and, as mentioned before, he’d been genuinely sweet when she was at her lowest. Her parents don’t know that a week and a half into Summer break, right after he’d taken her to prom and promised to key her ex’s car if she asked, he started surfing, starting hanging out at the beach with the rest of the pretty, mean jocks spending their Summer in the sun, and had turned into a vain asshole. Or, well, more of a vain asshole than he already was. 

Vince’s family was well off, and his parties were legendary, which is what made her parents agreeing to let her go so strange. 

What they didn’t, and would never agree to, was letting her go to Nikki’s gig, so she didn’t even bother to ask. Instead, she asked to spend the weekend with Tommy and Athena. Her mother calls to confirm that that would be okay, Charlotte packs a duffle bag with outfits for the weekend, and her mother reminds her to take care of herself at the party the following night, kissing her on both cheeks when Tommy turns up in his beat up Vista Cruiser. 

“Why are you hanging out with us tonight?” Tommy asks, frowning, still in the clothes he’d worn to school. Charlotte’s grip tightens on her duffle bag.

“Because we’re going out tonight.”

Immediately, Tommy’s posture straightens, and his expression lights up; he was delightfully easy to excite. Suddenly he was brimming with questions as he drove, fighting to keep his eyes on the road, and Charlotte let herself relax a little, glad to see he was onboard.

“Nikki Sixx’s band -”

“- is playing tonight!” Tommy finishes her sentence, his voice breaking on the last word out of excitement, though Charlotte kindly doesn’t comment, and it doesn’t stop Tommy’s eyes from sparkling, “he wrote it in sharpie in pretty much every bathroom in the school; you want to go?” Yeah, that sounds about par for the course for Nikki Sixx’s brand of advertising.

“You’re half in love with the guy,” Charlotte ignored Tommy’s spluttered protests, “so I wanna see what the hype is about,” she lied easily. She wasn’t a fan of lying to Tommy, he deserved better than that, but he also might crash if he knows that Nikki had personally invited them.

Tommy begs his mom to let them go, promising to be safe and be back by midnight, and the moment Charlotte vouches for him, his mother’s concern melts into agreement, and Athena complains that she’s never allowed to go anywhere. Tommy sticks his tongue out at her, and she kicks him in the shins, scowling, until Charlotte asks her to help her get ready, and Athena brightens considerably. 

“Charlie you look like a badass!” Tommy delights when he steps out of the bathroom, hair all teased up, eyeliner expertly applied his waterline, wearing an outrageous outfit. He was going to fit in easily. 

“Holy shit, dude, so do you -”

“Tommy! That’s my shirt!” Athena accused, storming over to him, trying to pull the tight, black tank top with the hot pink diamante lightning bolt off of him, despite his jacket over it, while he tried to slap her away.

“It looks better on me!” Tommy snapped, escaping her grasp and trying to hide in the bathroom. 

“Dude, she’s thirteen, give her the shirt back, you can borrow one of mine,” Charlotte sighed, standing back from it all. 

“Never!”

His mother called out if everything’s okay, and while Athena yelled that Tommy was stealing from her, Charlotte called back that she’d take care of it.

“Charlie, please,” Athena sulked, leaning against the closed bathroom door, while Tommy told his sister to piss off. Charlotte sighed, before giving the young girl an evaluative look.

“Would you let him wear it for five bucks?” 

Athena squinted at her, seriously considering the offer; if Tommy had made it, there would be no way she would have accepted, but she knew Charlotte was good for it. 

“Fine, but if he stretches it, I’m telling mom about his stash of Playboys,” she threatened, to which both Tommy and Charlotte made noises of surprise, Charlotte because she hadn’t known about that, and Tommy because he clearly didn’t think Athena knew about it either. 

“You wouldn’t dare,” Tommy hisses, wrenching the door open. Athena turns arms crossed, smile smug, and gives him her best try me look. Tommy wrinkles his nose, but stalks into his room, grabbing a five ones from his wallet and giving them to Athena, who Charlotte had never seen so pleased before.

“I hate her,” Tommy seethed, and Charlotte petted his shoulder in solidarity.

“I know,” and then, “aren’t you going to be cold?” 

“I’ve got another jacket.”

The pub, Kings’ Hotel, sits on the border between suburbia and the CBD, and Charlotte’s been past it a million times, has spent a considerable amount of time idly staring out the window of MacCready’s Diner across the road, but never actually been inside. Speaking of MacCready’s, there’s a ton of scaffolding around it that Charlotte definitely doesn’t remember, and the sign’s been taken down, so it appears Tommy’s gossip about it being under new management was true. 

There’s no bouncer, but high schoolers and music were already spilling from the building by the time Charlotte and Tommy showed up. The music is decent, if a little heavy, but Charlotte knows she could definitely get into it if she wanted to. When she approaches the building, she notices a gaggle of vaguely recognizable people all in a cluster, huddle together while they smoked to keep warm in the cold night air. 

“Hi Heather,” Tommy calls out to one, putting on his most winning smile, and when Charlotte gets a proper look, yeah she can see Heather with her hair sprayed up and lipstick shiny, give her cousin a sceptical look. She does, however, notice Charlotte, and her expression shifts to something faux sweet and coy, a show of being amicable to someone obviously associated with a fellow cheerleader, and she gives them both a wave.

“I thought you had a thing for Pam,” Charlotte asks quietly as they push their way into the pub.

“Charlie, I’m into any and every cheerleader I’m not related to, why should I deprive any of the other lovely young ladies by only focusing on one girl?”

“Gross,” was Charlotte’s only comment. Tommy ignored her. 

It was kind of overwhelming at first, between the loud music, the crush of people she half-knew, the fact that the bartender didn’t even blink when Tommy ordered a beer, or the fact that Nikki Sixx was on stage in skin tight leather pants, playing bass like it was his God given mission in life.

Her ex and his best friend had also been kind of obsessed with Nikki and his band, and she was coming to understand the hype. Between the swirling lights, the people on the dancefloor, and the heat of the crowd, it was almost hypnotizing to be a part of.

“You should get a drink,” Tommy urges, and Charlotte hesitates. She’s had spiked punch before, half a glass of wine at a family get together when her mom had been tipsy and feeling indulgent, and a couple of sips of beer that her ex had offered her when they’d gone to parties together, but she’d never really...

“I don’t know what to order,” she admits, hesitant, but still raising her voice over the music. Tommy offers her his beer to taste, but Charlotte was already well aware of the fact that beer tasted like piss, and she turns him down. She tries to think back to what people order in TV shows and movies, and tentatively approaches the bar.

“Could I get a jack and coke?” She asks, just thankful that her voice doesn’t shake. The bartender looks her up and down, checking her out without a hint of subtlety, and Charlotte fights the urge to pull her jacket tighter around herself.

“Of course, honey, that’ll be five-fifty,” the bartender smirks, and Charlotte gives an uncertain smile back, thanking him and passing over a ten dollar note. He gives her a five change, along with her drink and a wink. Gross.

“What’d you get?” Tommy asks, when she finds him again, standing against the opposite wall, already halfway through his drink. Charlotte’s holding hers in her fingertips, nervous, taking a sip and scrunching up her whole face at the taste.

“Jack and coke,” she hisses as the alcohol burns. Tommy’s eyebrows shoot up at her bold choice, and asks if he can try it. She offers it easily, and he too makes a face as he drinks, but pretends like it’s great. 

They see more people they recognize, people confused but glad to see them out. They’re almost immediately accosted by Keanu, yet another face Charlotte hadn’t been expecting to see, and he wraps them both up in a hug; he’s all dark hair and wide, easy smiles, somehow everyone’s friend in a way that’s so different from how Charlotte seems to be everybody’s friend, but he and Tommy get on like a house on fire. There’s a resilience they both seem to have, and a shared enthusiasm, despite the fact that Keanu was a Senior, a year above Charlotte, and a full two above Tommy, but his good nature seemed to override these boundaries; the moment Tommy mentions he’d been thinking of heading to the dancefloor, Keanu’s more than happy to join him.

Immediately Tommy gulps down the last mouthful and beer and the pair of boys see fit to start cutting shapes on the dance floor with wild abandon, and so Charlotte finds herself at a table at the back of the room with Heather, a few other cheerleaders and their boyfriends, and surprisingly, Vince. He’s in white leather pants, and they look cool as hell, but also it’s Vince, and Charlotte’s fighting back the urge to laugh.

“Charlotte Lee, you’re looking fine tonight,” Vince slide into the space beside her, and Charlotte doesn’t roll her eyes, or make a comment about how he looks like a greasy snowman, no matter how much she wants to.

“Surprised to see you here, Vince, where’s all your popular little surfer pals?” She asks sweetly, and Vince raises his eyebrows at her, a retort on the tip of his tongue.

“I forgot you two knew each other,” Heather says, and she pauses, clearly deliberating, something dangerous in her eyes, “didn’t you used to date?”

“No,” Charlotte blurts quickly, though Vince is just as quick to deny it, “we’re friends- we were friends; not anymore. We went to prom together, yes, but we never dated.” She clarifies quickly, body language all tight and uncomfortable, which manages to go all the way over Vince’s head, and his hand comes to rest on his heart, expression reading betrayal.

“How long have been known each other, Charlie, for you to say we’re not even friends -”

And maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the alcohol, but Charlotte snapped.

“We were friends for years, Vinny, then six months ago you decided to spend all your time with a bunch of tools and bragged about taking me to prom because I was a cheerleader, and also - oh yeah, remember this? - made one of your best friends cry,” Charlotte hissed venomously, shoulders still tense, fingers gripping the edge of the table. Vince scowled.

“Peach wasn’t-” the words spill from him automatically, but there’s a flicker of something that may just be shame in his eyes, so he drops his gaze and starts again; “my friends are not tools -”

“The Vince who was my friend wouldn’t skip school three days a week to get high and fuck on the beach!” 

“It sounds like you two have a lot to work out...” Heather seems genuinely surprised, and while she’d been fishing for gossip, this was too much, and she graciously backed out of the conversation, pulling one of her friends over to the bar. Charlotte was suddenly aware of how hot it was in the bar, how sweaty and oppressive it all felt.

“People can fucking change, Charlotte,” Vince scowled.

“You didn’t change for the better, Vince, whatever the opposite of character growth is, it’s what happened to you.” Charlotte spat, and turned on her heel before he can respond. She didn’t want to stand on the side side of the road out the front, so she heads for the door labelled Beer Garden, and steps into the cool night air. 

Once outside, she realises how quiet it is, and when she sees Nikki Sixx at one of the tables with a blonde girl giggling in his lap, she comes to the conclusion that the band must be on break. The Beer Garden is mostly populated by smokers, the people around Nikki being the cool, intimidating, stoner punk rockers that she’d figured would be here, but that she can’t bring herself to approach. It’s nice to take a moment to be alone, she finds, breathing in the crisp night air, head feeling clearer for it, looking up at the stars glittering overhead. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Vince is a fucking tool. He’d made Peach cry the week they got back to school, and Charlotte had vowed to never forgive him for it. 

After a few minutes, Charlotte takes the time to really look at the people milling around, wondering if she actually recognised anyone. Much to her surprise, in the back corner of the courtyard area, she did. 

Side by side, Mick from the gas station, and the mysterious girl who’d bought cigarettes from him, sitting on the edge of a planter full of dead shrubs, both smoking, neither speaking, reading one magazine between the two of them.

Charlotte’s not quite sure who’s more likely to stab her, between Mick and the girl, and Nikki’s band of misfits, but she hedges her bets and heads to the pair at the back.

“Having a good night, Mick?” Charlotte asks tentatively, before giving pause. They’re reading a ratty old copy of Hustler. Mick looks up, and lets go of his side of the magazine, letting the girl take it, to keep flipping idly through.

“The band’s okay,” Mick muses, and seems to realise that his cigarette has gone out when he tries to take a drag on it, and he pulls out a lighter and relights it, “how’s your night been?”

“It’s been alright, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Charlotte gives an awkward laugh, looking to the magazine, which Mick seems to either have forgotten about, or not realise that he’s reading porn in public, but finally the girl looks up.

“Someone cut out all the tits,” she’s got an accent Charlotte hadn’t noticed back at the gas station, and still can’t quite place, but that’s not the part she focuses on.

“What?” 

The girl flips the magazine around to show a Farrah Fawcett look-alike posing suggestively, with her entire torso cut from the magazine, just leaving a hole where the cologne ad on the next page can be seen. 

“Found it on the side of the road on the way here,” Mick says, like it suffices for an entire explanation. Instead of elaborating, he offers Charlotte a cigarette.

“No thanks, I don’t smoke,” an awkward silence follows, Charlotte with her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jacket, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, while the girl close the magazine with a resounding slap and threw it over her shoulder into the dead shrubs, “I’m Charlotte.” Charlotte offers her hand. The girl looks at it, then to Charlotte’s face.

“From the gas station, the cheerleader” she says, tone unreadable, giving Charlotte a scrutinizing look, like she’s waiting for the blonde to shirk under it’s intensity. Charlotte doesn’t back down, and the girl finally gives her a firm handshake, “Lola.”

Silence followers, chatter filters over from the various other groups, Nikki’s laugh, loud and clear, above the rest. Neither Mick nor Lola makes room for Charlotte, so she sways idly from side to side, people watching the rest of the courtyard.

“Didn’t pick you for this type of scene,” Mick muses finally, crossing his ankles and fixing Charlotte with a strangely neutral expression, cigarette almost burned down to the butt where it’s poised between his lips, “that over-eager cousin of yours, sure, but this doesn’t seem like it’s your style.”

“Oh, Tommy is here,” Charlotte’s quick to clarify, looking around as if he were about to jump out of the bushes and irritate the rarely amicable Mick, “but, I don’t know,” she shrugged like coming out tonight wasn’t her idea, “I’m more than happy to give anything a go at least once; people at my school are kind of weirdly obsessed with the bass player, so I guess I wanted to see what the hype was about.”

Mick finished his cigarette as he considered her words, giving a pensive look to the bass player himself, still surrounded by a gaggle of fans, and eventually stubbed the last of the ash out against the edge of the planter he was sitting on, letting the butt fall, crumpled, to the ground. 

“He’s the only one with any ounce of talent,” voice gruff, Mick’s approval comes as a surprise to both Charlotte, who’s eyes go wide at the statement, and Lola, who barks an unexpected laugh, that ends with her choking on the smoke in her lungs. Mick thumps her on the back, and she roughly when her breathing clears, tears watering in her eyes. 

“Whoever writes their songs is half decent,” Lola points out, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, after which she dropped her own mostly burnt-out cigarette, crushing it under the heel of her boot. Yes, she has a point, but Charlotte’s curiosity gets the better of her.

“Can I ask...?” At her tentative tone, Lola immediately tenses, growing defensive, “are you Lola Fields?”

“Why?” Lola immediately snaps, and Charlotte raises her hands in surrender. Mick’s arms are crossed, looking with interest between the two girls.

“I think you go to my school,” Charlotte quickly clarifies, but Lola’s scowl deepens, as if wondering how she knew that, “do you take AP French with a tall, ginger girl?”

“I don’t really know who else is in the class,” Lola slowly tells her, but it’s not a no, which is all that matters. Charlotte nods, but doesn’t press the subject, “it’s weird that you know that much about me.” Lola adds.

“It’s barely anything,” Charlotte points out, baffled at the sudden defensiveness. 

“You know my last name and that I do AP French,” Lola says, and her gaze shifts from Charlotte to the gaggle of fans surrounding Nikki, as they all started to head inside.

“Well,” Charlotte doesn’t let her resolve falter, smiling, “my name’s Charlotte Lee, and --”

“Oi, Cheerleader, you coming inside? We’ve got another set to go!” Nikki Sixx’s voice rings out through the courtyard area, and Charlotte visibly cringes at the sound of it, turning slowly on her heel, still wincing when she faces him. 

And yes, he was talking to her, his hands are still cupped around his mouth like a megaphone, a tunnel showing off his smug and toothy grin. She hadn’t realised he’d even noticed her, but he had, and he needed her to know he had.

“The world doesn’t revolve around you,” she calls back, irritated. Nikki lowers his hands, and even from this distance she can see him raising his eyebrows.

“But you’re here, aren’t you?” He leaves the because I invited to you as an implication only she would hear, knowing she would hear it nonetheless. Charlotte sighs deeply, shoulders sagging with resignation, and Nikki, feeling as though he’d won, turns sharply on his heel and marches inside.

“I hate him,” Charlotte groaned.

“You know him?” Mick seems rather surprised, enough that the emotion could be heard in his voice. Charlotte turns back, not quite sure what to expect when she faced them. Mick is watching Charlotte with actual interest. Lola was watching the spot where Nikki had been, expression carefully blank.

“He’s a pain,” Charlotte says, defeated, and Lola’s gaze flicks to her, expression turning amused, but before she can get a word in -

“There you are!” The door to the now mostly-empty beer garden bursts open, and Tommy makes himself known. He’s left Keanu somewhere inside, apparently, now that he was on the hunt for his cousin. Mick sighs so heavily that it’s all he can do to lean back into the planter, arms crossed over his chest like a vampire, as if the very sight of the kid exhausts him. From this position, the packet of cigarettes in his pocket is exposed, and Lola steals one.

“I’ll owe you,” is all she says, as Tommy approaches, in less of a beeline, and more of an unsteady wave, more than a little tipsy. Christ, his mom is gonna kill them both.

“I was looking everywhere for you,” his wide eyes betrayed his concern, despite his current state, but his concern turns to joy, upon seeing her company, “hi, Mick!” Mick does not answer, laying with his eyes closed, in the shrubs. 

“He’s dead,” Lola supplies without missing a beat, pulling out her lighter and lighting the stolen cigarette, and Tommy’s expression falls.

“We should help him -”

“I can help him, don’t worry,” Lola assures, with faux seriousness, before her tone shifts to something light, easily distracting the tipsy boy, “you were in the gas station the other day with this one, weren’t you?” She gestures with her lighter towards Charlotte; Tommy looks to his cousin before looking to Lola.

“I- yeah, oh, shit, you’re- hi,” suddenly flustered as he finally remembered where he knew her from, he offers his hand, “Tommy.”

“Lola,” there’s a new edge to her smile, sparkling in her eyes as she taking in Tommy and his whole look, which has something strangely protective flare up in Charlotte’s chest. But then Lola catches the slight frown on Charlotte’s face, and it’s like she knows exactly what she’s thinking, because she lets go of Tommy’s hand and her expression betrays on the faintest hint of amusement. 

“Lola,” Tommy nods very seriously, as if committing the name to his memory in his current state was quite the task, but he persisted nonetheless. After a moment, however, he seemed to remember his original mission, “Vince thought you’d headed home -”

“Fuck Vince,” Charlotte spits automatically, venomously, a knee-jerk response, and Tommy’s stunned into silence. 

“Do you want to go home?” Tommy’s far too earnest and concerned for his current state, and Charlotte feels momentarily guilty for her outburst, hanging her head and letting herself breathe for a moment.

“No, the music’s good, we just got into a fight -”

“You guys used to actually be good friends,” Tommy hesitates, confused, and Charlotte gives him a rueful smile when she looks back at him.

“Then he decided that being nice to the people who have been friends with him for years was lame.”

“He’s nice to me,” Tommy says, sounding a little put out, and Charlotte shrugged, crossing her arms.

“And he’s still nice to me, doesn’t mean he’s not a tool; I’m a cheerleader, and you’re a guy, of course he’s still going to be nice to us.”

Tommy still doesn’t get it, but Charlotte decides to head back into the pub with him, throwing over her shoulder that it was nice to meet Lola. She could almost swear she heard a muttered ‘fuckin’ teenagers’ from Mick, all of nineteen years old himself, which just has Charlotte rolling her eyes. Mick taps Lola’s arm when Charlotte glances over her shoulder, while the rest of him still lays flat in the dirt, and Lola passes him the cigarette obligingly, crossing one leg over the other and smirking at him.

it doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty. i am gonna drink it through this crazy straw!

“Vince is on the warpath,” Eileen’s always been able to remain composed while unreasonably drunk better than any person Charlotte’s ever known, and the following night, while Vince’s house party rages around them in the living room of his house, is no exception. She won’t say how many vodka sodas she’s had, or who supplied her with the vodka, but the way she was unable to suppress the amused twist of her lips was a dead giveaway that she was a little more than tipsy.

“Oh?” Charlotte’s eyes were roaming from face to face at the party, never sticking to just one, hands clutching a red solo cup full of cheap wine.

“Someone told him the person who keyed his car was here,” Eileen’s close to laughter, and Charlotte’s eyebrows raise in surprise.

“Does he -”

“No,” Eileen shakes her head, taking another delicate sip of her own drink, “he thinks it’s one of Duff’s friends.” She says, before her eyes going wide, and she slaps her free hand over her mouth - “sorry.” Charlotte, who’s too tipsy to care about the mention of her ex, is more confused than anything else.

“Because of me?” She actually snorts, skeptical, “as if Duff or any of his friends cared about who took me to prom after everything happened, enough to key Vince’s car.” It’s been long enough now that she can laugh at it, and the warped logic of it all, knowing full well that the girl sitting beside her was the real vandal of Vince’s shiny, red car. 

“Can you believe Vince asked me to invite Peach? After all that shit he pulled on her after Summer? I almost clocked him in the middle of the carpark!” Eileen’s movements were relaxed and uncomplicated, so unlike her usual demeanour, so easy-going, so honest, sometimes drunk-Eileen’s openness caught Charlotte by surprise, “told him to invite her himself if he wanted her there so bad.”

“I’m in awe of your restraint,” Charlotte mused, leaning into Eileen, letting her eyes fall closed in an attempt to keep the room from spinning in her vision, “he’s such an ass; I’m surprised you’re even here.”

“The nerve on him, acting like he’s too good to be seen with her because he’s got new friends,” Eileen shook her head, wrapping her free arm around Charlotte’s shoulders, securing her, still people watching, “I should have keyed him,” for a moment, she hiccups, and when Charlotte cracks her eye open for a moment to guage her friend’s current state, she sees Eileen glaring into her mostly-empty cup. 

“I’m still deciding if I should pee on something he cares about,” Eileen says, tone so serious that Charlotte can’t help but dissolve into giggles.

“What?”

“‘s why I’m here,” Eileen was so earnest in her declaration that Charlotte was a little nervous, if only because drunk-Eileen would absolutely do something as undignified as pee on something of Vince’s in an act of revenge.

“Would you key Duff’s car for me?” Charlotte asked to change the topic, all soft and teasing, and she can hear rare, unrestrained the smile in Eileen’s voice when she assured Charlotte she would in a heartbeat, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

Despite it still being early in the night, Charlotte knew that if she seemed drunk when she got back to Tommy’s house, her Aunt would tell her mom, and that’s the exact opposite of what she needs. Tommy can get legless if he wants, he only has to face the wrath of his weirdly supportive parents; if Charlotte comes home obviously drunk, she won’t be allowed out of the house until college. So she decides to get water.

There’s bodies everywhere, and Charlotte’s struggling to move through them, even with Eileen guiding her to the kitchen.

Charlotte’s been in and around this house so many times, it should be second nature to her; she and Tommy had spent what felt like half their childhoods in this house, within it’s pristine, white walls, and expensive, leather furniture, playing pretend trying to imagine what their future would turn out to be. None of them would have pictured this, of Charlotte, of Charlotte hating Vince and still stumbling, drunk through his house, nor had they seen Vince, playing pretend with popularity, tossing them all aside for a set of conceited fair-weather friends. Tommy’s never been able to predict his own future, too willing to go with the flow to be too certain of anything. 

Away from the living room, and the record player, the music is muffled, and the chatter is quieter, as people are here for drinks, or snacks, while most were choosing to dance in the crush in the living room, or making regrettable, teenage decision upstairs. 

Eileen tops up her drink with obviously spiked punch. Half vodka and soda, half spiked fruit punch. Gross. Charlotte looks on in disgust as she sips water, and Eileen acts like there’s no difference between taste, but she interrupts her own performance of stoicism when her eyes widen.

“Fields.”

“What?” Charlotte asks, confused as all hell, following Eileen’s gaze to where the kitchen opens up onto the patio, only to see Lola, in a full face of makeup, hair sprayed to high heavens, wearing all sorts of black, ripped, mesh and denim layers, looking like an intimidating cross between glam rock and crust punk. She was straddling someone’s lap, looking at them intently, what looked to be a black, eyeliner pencil in her hand.

“That’s the girl from my French class,” Eileen sounds a little surprised to see her, and Charlotte smiles a little.

“Her name’s Lola -” but her mouth drops open when Lola, in the dim light spilling from the kitchen, leans in and kisses whoever she’s sitting on. After a beat, both Charlotte and Eileen burst in fits of unsubtle laughter, not having anticipated this turn of events. They’re holding each other for support in their drunken amusement, laughing like this is somehow the funniest thing they’ve ever encountered, thankfully aware enough to set aside their cups. 

“I- we’re intruding right? This is- we should leave-” they’re not even the only ones in the kitchen when Charlotte says this, gasping for breaths between her laughs, but they seem to be the only ones who have noticed what’s happening, or at least the only ones who halfway care.

Until there comes a shout of ‘yeah, get some, Tommy!’ from the bonfire about thirty yards from the patio, and Charlotte very clearly and distinctly thinks ‘oh no’.

Vince is silhouetted by the fire, bleach blonde hair catching the light, but Charlotte can hear the smirk in his voice.

“Shut up, Vince!” Lola’s partner, who is now unmistakably Tommy, calls back, flustered, as Lola hides her grin against his shoulder. Vince and his cronies, none of whom Charlotte knows by name, jeer in response. Then Lola’s leaning back and saying something that Charlotte doesn’t catch, but suddenly Tommy looks inside, his expression turning from flustered and pleased to horrified as his gaze locks with Charlotte’s and they both know that she knows.

Eileen is wheezing with laughter beside her.

Charlotte sees Tommy’s now lipstick-stained mouth mutter ‘shit’. Lola follows his gaze, and waves awkwardly at Charlotte. Charlotte also mutters ‘shit’.

Charlotte tips out her water and gets herself another cup of wine from the back of Vince’s refrigerator. A lot has happened in thirty seconds, she thinks she deserves one more drink for the night.

[smolbeandrabbles]

One Heart To Another - Vince Kovac x Reader (Tangle)

Main Series: The Honey / Back on Love (Also see: Chaser / Want to Want Me / Middle Distance Runner / Love The Way You Love Me )

Author’s Note: Yooooooooo! Starting the writing year here off with Vince? You betcha! This is a direct continuation of ‘Back on Love’. Literally, we gonna pick up where we left off. 

Disclaimer: Tangle & all associated characters nothing to do with me / lyrics not mine / you’ll see I put my banner back at the top so no gif disclaimers-! 

Premise: After two chance encounters leave you with questions and doubts, the only thing left to do is confront Vince about his past.

Words: 4247

Warnings: Tangle season 2/3 spoilers ahead! / swearing / mentions of sex

______ You can't keep a secret in a tell-all town this size I figured I'd see you around I didn't know what I'd do 'til now And I don't wanna impose or cause a scene But I'm gonna tell you what the last one told me

From one heart to another From one ex to the next lover I've felt that spell you're under That kiss underneath those covers When it's good, it don't get better He'll make it feel like it's forever But from one ex to the next lover He goes from one heart to another

Some take to drinkin' and some take to the words in red Some lay low, some get high Everybody's got their way to get by To fix what's broken inside And for him, it's goodbyes and taillights

You can't fix it (you can't fix it) You're gonna see it (you're gonna see it) He's addicted to the leaving

---

Ally blinked at you a couple of times, almost surprised that you knew her name – that he might even have told you that much. Seemed you were both as worried about this eventual conversation as each other. You swallowed hard, turning fully towards her, neither of you sure of what exactly to say next. Although she had called upon you, so clearly she had something to say… She took a breath and smiled gently, “I wondered if he might say anything.” In truth Vince hadn’t told you much about Ally other than she existed; but you knew enough about his two kids, Romeo and Gigi, even if you had yet to meet them. She’d barely said two sentences to you and yet you were instantly warming to her, “Vince said a little. I can’t say I ever expected to… meet you like this.” You took a step forward, smiling back, “It’s a pleasure.” Then stopped yourself, “Can I… say that?” She only laughed herself, “I suppose so. You’ve kinda been the talk of my neighbourhood for a little while… and not just because you’re an amazing architect.” Ally said it more because she’d clearly found out that’s who you were, not because she’d admired your work. You flushed; seemed like you were going to become Melbourne gossip. But with Vince’s reputation could you really be so surprised? “Oh- I-” “I just… It sounds like the two of you are happy. And I don’t want… I don’t want to mess that up for you. That’s not why I’m seeking you out, but… I saw you over here and I just… I have some things to say.” Happy? You thought for a moment. Were you? Were you happy with him? You supposed that may well have been one word for the way he made you feel, but it might not have been the one you chose. You would prefer comfortable… or hopeful, that you could perhaps build some kind of future together. You nodded slowly, “I guess I might have expected you would if we ever did meet. I’ll hear you out!” Afterall, you could take ex-wife spite with a pinch of salt if that’s what this was going to be. Only Ally didn’t look like the type, and she’d just said that wasn’t what this was. You believed her, you trusted her. Her next smile was a little awkward, “Maybe… maybe we shouldn’t do this here. Do you have time for a coffee?” Your eyebrow shot up, okay, that wasn’t just a few things to say – this was a whole conversation she wanted to have! You glanced at your watch, your call wasn’t until this evening, you still had plenty of time to kill, “Yeah, sure! That would actually be really nice..!” *** She threw her coat over the back of her chair as she sat opposite you, “Sorry, I don’t know how much you know of Melbourne, but this one is one of my favourite places to go. I hope it’s not out of your way?” You laughed, waving away Ally’s worry, “I’m still learning, it’s nice to add somewhere different to my list.” You also understood her wishes to be somewhere she found comfortable. This wasn’t going to be the easiest thing to talk about, even without the factor of you being Vince’s new girlfriend.

Ally didn’t have to do this. She didn’t have to subject herself to these thoughts ever again if she didn’t want to – sure, they could be intrusive, you understood that. But she didn’t have to bring them to you. It made you understand all at once the kind of person she was; doing this for you out of the goodness of her own heart. It gave you a sudden sense of tranquillity. Happiness for her – Vince didn’t deserve a heart like hers; you were almost glad that she was out of it. You knew about strings of messy love affairs and ‘love them and leave thems’ - you’d done enough of that in your life; whatever she had to tell you about Vince, you figured you could handle it.

She started with small talk, allowing yourselves to warm to each other as you talked about your work and your interests. You found it odd for Ally to start a conversation as if meeting a new friend, then wondered – almost aloud – if that was what you might become. You supposed in the back of your mind you’d always thought that you and her would have to become something if Vince was ever going to see his kids again. When Ally began to touch on Vince, however, her smile didn’t even falter, not once. And she shared with you good memories. Everything about her ex-husband she truly loved – and you could see that in her eyes. How much joy this reminiscing brought her – you damned him yourself for breaking her heart, for ever cheating on her in the first place. Even if without that, there wouldn’t be a you and him.

Then she paused, swallowing hard, faltering as she stared down at her empty coffee cup and fiddled with the sleeve of her cardigan. And you knew what was coming – everything Ally had really pulled you here to tell you. The warning. The Ex to the Next Girl. She started with Emily. Em. How she’d found out, how it ended. How Em broke it off with him first. How Ally had thought about fixing everything, about staying with him, for the kids as much as everything. But she couldn’t. It was all a little too much for her. And as you thought, many told her she deserved better. But Vince had been her everything for a very long time, and you could only imagine how difficult it had all been for her. By Ally’s smile, though, you could tell things were getting better. She went on to explain a few other aspects of Vince’s personality; flaws and quirks she thought you aught to be mindful of. But that not all of them were bad – not everything about Vince was bad. Once again affirming that she wasn’t here to tell you to run miles; because maybe he’d changed, maybe he would try this time. But she was here to make you aware, so that whatever the decision was, it was your own. So that you were never on the back foot in the relationship. Plain and simple, Ally wanted you to have all the knowledge, so that you had all the power.

Then she paused again, and it was all there in her hesitation that she had so much more to say. Something was stopping her – but you leant forward, needing to know it. Ally had come this far; you needed her to go the whole way. She could only shake her head: Ally knew about one affair, but she had found things that indicated Vince’d had others when clearing his stuff out. You raised an eyebrow; you weren’t sure Vince ever really gave a number before… he said he’d ‘cheated’, he hadn’t expressed this might have been multiple accounts. But looking at the way he was with you, you wouldn’t be surprised. They wouldn’t all have rejected his advances, they wouldn’t all have been given the ‘I have to earn you’ spiel in the same way as he’d given it to you. Amicable of him to keep chasing you, if he’d known it so easy, was your only thought. Ally bit her lips together; “Some of it I can’t talk about. It’s not my place. It’s his. But if he loves you. If he really means it and he loves you, Vince will come clean. You should give him that opportunity, because if he’s serious he’ll do it. I can’t promise that it’ll be easy. But if he does then it’s all down to you. But that honesty alone, trust me, is worth so much. Because that isn’t him. So, if he does it, it’s for you.”

“…I don’t know if I’m ready for what the answer could be…” You knotted your fingers together and stared at your hands for a moment; shaken a little at the anxiousness that was starting to set in across your shoulders. Ally reached across the table, and her hand upon yours squeezing gently had you raising your eyes back to her, “If he doesn’t then there’s only one thing to do, Y/N,” her smile was sympathetic, but her tone serious, “take this warning and run.” *** Vince didn’t return home for a few days. That was fine, sometimes it was like that. He still had his own place and, as this technically wasn’t really his house, there were days that he didn’t live here. It had never bothered you before; only now you had Ally’s words echoing in your head. Not that you thought he was cheating, but you could feel that whisper deep in the back of your head. At the same time, you were glad he wasn’t around so you could gather your thoughts, think about how exactly you were supposed to ask him about it. You figured you were going to have to mention Ally, but also weren’t sure what reaction that would get. And you weren’t sure that you wanted to leap at him with something as blunt as “So, how many times did you cheat on her?!”

You had picked up your phone a couple of time and hovered over the call button, and every time it lit up with a text from him you would thinking about it and stop yourself. No. This wasn’t a call, and certainly wasn’t a text conversation, this had to be a face-to-face confrontation. So you didn’t call him… you simply awaited his return to you.

 Meanwhile, you were still working around the city, and got pulled into a meeting with a property developer. Although work had come from your architect company, she had asked for you specifically and had your design in mind for the development. That was no problem, as you were free, your boss didn’t see the harm in sending you out. Manuel had called out to you before you left the office and asked if you needed back up, you simply shook your head and rolled your eyes at him, “I’ll phone if I need you to bail me though!” “Alright! I’ll be right here-!” He was a little blessing sometimes; you weren’t about to admit that to his face though. You thought he already probably knew.

When you met Nicky Barnham she was about what you expected, all business and fast paced talking about how many investors she had that had brought her this piece of land, and exactly what she wanted, and a budget she’d constructed. You nodded along, listening to what she was thinking. Seemed very ‘out of the box’… you wondered what the pièce de résistance was… Why she would bother asking for you specifically. You came with a price tag, even without it being a direct commission. Just so she could say it was designed by you? Right now it wasn’t the most exciting thing you’d ever heard of, and you could just as easy pass it on to an assistant or someone else in the firm if it didn’t pique your interest. You weren’t about to tell her that, of course.

She seemed to hold this air of confidence over you that you didn’t like. The way she watched you a little too closely, as if she was scrutinising everything about you: from the words you used and the way you spoke, to your attire, your drawing, your portfolio of experience on similar projects… your body. You found that one most odd. Because it wasn’t in a ‘I’m checking you out’ way – which you might find flattering, but a little inappropriate for a business meeting. But as if she were sizing you up, seeing what exactly you were working with. You tried your best to ignore it with a neutral expression; all you had to do was your job, then you could get out of here. Then eventually, she spoke up. Because finally she couldn’t resist the urge to ask the question. And you realised exactly why she was staring at you in such a way as it burst from her. “You’re the architect that’s with Vince Kovac, right?” Your stare back was very measured, and you chewed the inside of your lip for a second. Was that how she knew your name? Did this have nothing to do with your actual prowess as an architect? She was asking for none of your signatures because she didn’t know who you were. Not really. ‘Damn being the fucking talk of this town-!’ You placed your pencil down slowly, wondering exactly where this was about to head. “Yes.” You didn’t offer anything else than that. Your relationship wasn’t up for discussion. She wasn’t a friend. She wasn’t even an acquaintance. This was her first consultation with you; the personal details of your life were just that. Nicky leant forward, smirk forming on her lips, “Oh, the sex is just so great isn’t it? Now there is a man who knows what he’s doing… especially in the back of a car. And I saw the one you pulled up in; must be quite a thrill… or in that truck of his. And you’re tiny, so you must fit in the bed, or the back seat so easily… Someone tells me he practically lives with you. I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t let him out of that bed once I got him in it.” She tucked her hair behind her ear with a far-off look of remembrance, “Of course, it was just the once but… mmm… I could do that again.” You weren’t exactly sure what the correct response was – although 20 that were obviously highly inappropriate for the situation screamed their way across your head. You hoped that your face wasn’t reading all of them at once. You blinked, taking a breath to calm them all down. Personal is personal. But also, she could stop thinking about whatever mind blowing sex she got from Vince once, because he was yours now. And it was none of her business what you got up to with him – between the sheets or in the back seat. Your voice wasn’t exactly controlled though, and the anger boiled beneath the surface: “We haven’t had sex yet.” “Really?!” She was shocked, and obviously hadn’t read you at all, “You need to get on it girl, he’s not the kind of man to wait around forever, if you know what I mean. When he gets bored it’ll be onto the next one.” You very nearly snapped the pencil in two. Ally had said she knew about more affairs. And you got the feeling that one was now sitting across from you spilling details to lord over you that ‘yes, I’ve had sex with your boyfriend too!’… although now it was just ‘I’VE actually had sex with him. You haven’t.’ What did she expect, you to lean across the table, eyes bright, and start spilling every intimate detail with her? This wasn’t some girl gossip. This wasn’t you and your best friend in college where you used to lament about all the boys you were both chasing. She was barely even a client right now. What the hell is wrong with some people? You simply opted to nod, with your eyebrows raised. Yeah. So you’d heard.

The rest of the session passed with very little words, and when you’d gave the rough designs to Nicky, she smiled and shook your hand, and said she was looking forward to working with you, with a very pointed smirk. As soon as the door closed behind you you wiped your hands on your clothing and threw the file onto the seat beside you. Forgetting it almost immediately. You drove back blind, and were still barely seeing when you reached the office. Manuel craned his neck in curiosity as you entered. Anytime anyone asked for you, everyone always wanted to know where they’d heard of you and what signature twist they wanted, and what it was that meant your usual services were out of budget. He needn’t have bothered, you made a bee line for his desk. “How’d it go?” You dumped the folder, still staring off at nothing in particular, “She’s all yours.” “That bad, huh?” Manuel pulled it towards him, “Not gonna pass up a commission or a daft sketch from you though, I love working with your designs!” You barely managed a sarcastic laugh over your shoulder as you stalked back to your own space; “Knock yourself out!”

***

You were still working when Vince arrived home, glass of wine balanced on the arm of the couch as you stared at your laptop screen and the CAD design in front of you. Something still seemed off about it. Maybe you weren’t in the right mood for it… and you were about 3 or 4 glasses in… But you just wanted the thing done so you could actually get on with the evening you had planned. DVD lying forgotten on the coffee table in front of you. “BAAAABE?” Vince’s voice cut through your thoughts and you raised your eyes from your screen to the room, realising you now had another problem on your hands. Vince hadn’t been back since Nicky… hadn’t been back since Ally. You’d talked but… you wanted to talk. You looked back to the design and sighed in frustration; well, this wasn’t getting finished tonight. “Oh-! Here you are. How you doing? You been okay?” He swept through your living room, disappearing into the kitchen – whereupon you heard the fridge door open and a beer cracked. He ambled back through, pausing, eyebrow raised at your lack of answer, “Babe?” “Yeah, what?” “You… not talking to me or something?” It made you incredulous that he was able to stand there with a smug little smirk on his lips. But you had to keep level. If you lost it with him immediately then Vince would have already won. Your eyes trailed back to your laptop screen and you inclined your head towards it. You chewed your lip for a second, passing your fingers between each other, in an attempt to channel your thoughts. To him you were quite clearly upset, even if he didn’t understand why. You had let this man into your life, he practically lived with you. Vince had said, in earnest, looking at you like you were the only person in the world, so quiet and sincere that he had to earn you. And yet… all this? Did he simply say that to every woman he met? It was so easy to sit here and just believe that to be true. In the end you didn’t even choose your words as carefully as you wanted to. Perhaps needed to. You’d been given days to think, and instead you’d over thought it too much. “How many other woman are gonna tell me what a great lay you are?!” Vince lowered the bottle from his lips very slowly, eyebrow cocked, “…What?” You lowered the screen of your laptop just as slow, and turned to him; “You have ONE chance to come clean with me, now.” “Y/N, you’re not making sense…” He started towards you, “ONE chance Vince-! And I want the truth, I don’t-” He sat beside you taking your hands, “Who? Who have you been talking to?” “…Well, Em I knew about from you. A couple of days ago I got accosted by Nicky Barnham… I hope the list ends there. But I need to know. Who else is gonna come at me from the shadows? Vince if this is going to be a real relationship. If you want me to trust you, if you want to earn that trust. Then I need to know everything. Right now.” There was a pause of significance as his fingers repeatedly laced and unlaced with yours. Vince couldn’t meet your eyes even though you’d somewhere, somehow, found the strength to look at him. His eyes remained on his beer bottle for countless minutes before he sighed, almost in resignation. This was his moment – and his only moment – to come clean. Or the wrath that might be coming if he didn’t was what he’d have to face. Vince could only imagine how unforgiving you’d be. “There was one other.” “One?” “One. I promise.” You weren’t sure how much you could really count on his promises, but you would hear him out at least. “But it’s not… It’s not like Em or Nicky that… that was easy.” Your eyes narrowed at him, anything but impressed at his choice of language. But his blue eyes held yours, almost pleading you to see his side of the situation; whatever that was. “Her name is Tanya… but.” He delayed it again. The inevitable truth. “God, Y/N. It’s-” You almost wanted to scream at him to get on with it, but you stilled, and you held your tongue for a punchline you almost couldn’t imagine. “We have a daughter together. Her name is Ophelia.” Your eyes widened, and your hands pulled from his as you visibly recoiled from him across the couch. You knew the gasp was loud, you knew what your body language was saying. Vince hadn’t just had affairs; he’d had a child with someone else. Was this what Ally was referring to!? You could only imagine that it was. And that, by the way he was talking, Vince even had something to do with her life. Your throat burned and tears pricked at your eyes and fell before you’d even noticed their presence. After all he’d said. When he’d come clean before Vince had barely scratched the surface. Did he not trust you enough? Did he not want this enough? Did he not love you enough…? Was this the person he was always going to be? Was there simply no hope for your relationship, no matter what he told you and how sincerely he told you he’d work for you. Were you just gonna be another ‘great lay’ on Vince’s ever-growing list? Fuck that. You weren’t down to be chased and won like some trophy at the end of a game. Used for sex and excitement until that spark was just gone; another picked up after you just as easily. He’d never gotten you naked, but you had let him into your life. Parts of you you hadn’t let anyone see for a very long time, not since you’d last seriously dated. You weren’t just upset with him, you were hurting. And all you were measuring up was his lies. How much of what he’d told you could easily have been lies. You were deep into over thinking now. And you couldn’t handle it. You stood, hands to your head for a moment as you moved away from him. “I want you to go.”

It hung in the air even as he stood quickly, his attempt to rush to your side countered by your steps back and away from him, and this time you refused to look at his face. “What?” “Vince. Please, I need you to leave.” “Y/N.” His next attempt to take your hand had you yanking away from him, this time looking at his face as you pointed to your front door. “Please, if you care about me even a little you’ll go, right now. I need time, Vince. I can’t... this hurts! Can’t you see how much this hurts?!” “Please. We can talk about this.”

No. No. You need to go. “I can’t. I need you to leave.” “Y/N.” Your advance on him to shove him down the hallway was met with steps backwards, hands raised. Alright, I get it. But Vince kept looking at you even as you stalked him down the corridor; “Babe, we can fix this. You know that. We can talk about it.” “I’m not ready to talk about it. You need to wait for that.” YOU can’t fix this. He opened the door and took one step back onto the porch. You almost found it amicable that he was listening – that Vince wasn’t attempting to push you up against the wall, sweet talk you and kiss this all away. He knew it wouldn’t work. That would result in you screaming at him, clawing at his face and him losing you forever. Vince Kovac still couldn’t afford that.

But his blue eyes still begged you to let him back in, even as you shut the door in his face. You slid down the other side – head pounding from thinking, whooshing slightly from the glasses of wine. He didn’t call back, but you knew he didn’t leave right away either. Maybe Vince thought you’d change your mind, throw your door open and run to him and drag him back inside.

It didn’t happen, and eventually you heard his truck roll off the drive way. Only then did you stand, allowing yourself one sob before you wiped your eyes and trudged back through into the living room.

Your eyes fell upon the bottle of wine on the side, your half-finished glass. You couldn’t be sure, but you thought your heart might just be broken. You balanced your glass between your fingers and poured it full again.

Nothing good wine couldn’t fix…

---

Thank you for reading! First (published) fic of 2021! I’m not going to promise any consistency this year at all, but I’ll try my damnedest. 

[xxisxxisxxis]

Deleted Scene: Gateway Drug

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"Fool Me Once" -- [1987] 

I run a hand through my done-up hair, snagging it on hairsprayed strands, wincing. 

"Thank you for coming today, I know you're busy as busy can be but you made time for this, so, we appreciate it." Danielle tells me me as I sit down and she readies her notepad and pen, switching her recorder on to tape audio.

"No problem." I reply, glancing at Duff in the corner by the door. 

"I know this might be a little strange but I always like to start my interviews off with a icebreaker, if that's okay?" She offers. 

"No, that's fine." I tell her, getting more comfortable in my chair. 

"This philosophy we've been trying to pan out in some of our shoots is the difference between beautiful and sexy, and explore that notion and gauge if people even think there is a difference, so my question for you is: do you think there is a difference between 'sexy' and 'beautiful' and which would you rather be?" 

"Oh, my God, okay." I breathe out, laughing, and she joins me. 

"You said 'okay' so I asked." She reminds me and I nod. 

"Beautiful implies to more than just outward appearance, it applies to someone's soul and their spirit, their attitude, how they carry themselves, how they treat others, whereas 'sexy' literally means sexually exciting which is usually based on looks mostly." I point out. 

"Okay, and I also asked which you'd rather be--or which one you think you are." She rewords it. 

"You sure did, um…" I already know my answer, but don't want to make it seem like I want someone to tell me I'm pretty. "...I don't…" I sigh and she looks like she's dying to hear my answer, and so is Duff. "I'm pretty." I reply and she furrows her brows. "I mean, I think I'm decently pretty. I've been called beautiful before but I still have a lot to work on within myself before I feel comfortable with that. But I appreciate it when I'm called that." 

"And what about 'sexy'?" 

"Oh, no. I'm not." I say it matter of fact, and she looks stumped. 

"What?" 

"I mean, if I try I probably can be but just everyday I don't see myself as 'sexy'." 

Duff's laughter quickly erupts, and I look at him to see his hand on his mouth to stifle it before he clears his throat. 

"Sorry." He mumbles to Danielle when she looks back at him before turning back to me. 

"I assure you, Vivian, you are a very sexy, very beautiful woman." She promises. 

"Thank you." I smile shyly at her.

"Okay, I was wanting to talk about you a little bit because I feel like people know who you are but not much about you other than what's, I guess, painted on you in a certain way, so if you would tell me who Vivian Sixx is." She crosses her legs, brushing a hair from her eyes as she patiently awaits my answer. 

"Oh, gosh, nobody's asked me that, yet." I blurt, thinking for a moment as she brushes my comment off with a small giggle. "Um," Nikki Sixx's wife, maybe?, "to be honest I'm not sure." I chuckle out, rubbing my lips together. And she looks at me like she fucking pitties me. I force myself to save this close-call shitshow, giving Duff another look and he gives me an encouraging thumbs up as he mouths, "you got this." 

"I dance." I let out, and she raises her brows. "Ballet, not stripping." I clarify. "I have since I could walk." 

"You've never considered a professional career in it?" She asks me next. 

"I was going to but then plans changed and I put off school. But I do plan on going back and finishing at some point." I explain. 

"Did those plans involve your marriage?" She questions and I chuckle a little. 

"I got pregnant--or I thought I got pregnant. It wasn't until after we got married that I found out it was a false positive." I admit. "And I'm sure people are going to say that I was never pregnant, that I was just trying to trap Nikki in a marriage but that's bullcrap because nobody can 'trap' Nikki or make him do something he doesn't want to do, so..." 

"I can’t see him doing anything he doesn’t already want to do.” She agrees with a smile, glancing down at her notes before clearing her throat. “On the lines of Playboy, being that some of our executives saw you in the music video for ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, you were voted ‘easiest on the eyes’ in this past weeks poll out of eighty-two other women.” She informs me and I raise my brows. “Does stuff like that flatter you or do you see it as misogynistic?”

“Well, um, firstly, I’m sure glad you said ‘on the eyes’ because I was about to ask you who started the survey and where do they live?” I reply and she laughs. “So, I’m glad it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but, um…” I lick my lips, letting out a breath. “...I don’t think it’s necessarily misogynistic so I don’t mind it, but I don’t really like the fact that there’s eighty-two other women at risk of feeling less-than now.” I admit. “I appreciate it, though. I’ll take it.”

“You don’t like competition?”

“I do but I’m pitted against women constantly in my personal life or the media tries to, at least, and it’s just stale at this point, you know? It’s stupid.” I rub my forehead.

“Are you referring to what’s recently happened with Vanity?” She blurts and I force myself not to be phased. “Do you have any comment on that particular situation?”

I look at Duff once again, screaming internally while faking a smile.

“It was honestly a misunderstanding.” I lie. “I know we’ve already said it was misunderstanding before but it truly was.”

“Have you spoken to Vanity since?”

“Yes.”

“So, you two are still on good terms, even though she told the world she was engaged to your husband?” She presses more and I brush red hair from my face, trying to keep my tears from growing in my eyes as I see Duff from the corner of my eye, looking at me sympathetically.

“I love her to death.” I say, honestly--even though I shouldn’t love her, I do. Even if she’s a part of the reason my heart broke, I still love her. Even if I’m not acknowledging her existence, I love her. “And I wish and pray nothing but the best for her.” I finish and she grins slightly, knowing she’s getting a good story.

"Is she a woman you've felt like you've needed to compete with?" She asks next, her words hitting me in the gut. 

"Subconsciously, maybe, but I've never gone out of my way to compete with her. I've never had to." 

"What about groupies?" She raises a brow. "Or do you care because you two have been married for a while?" 

"I'm sure a lot of women think, 'oh, I'm married to him so I've won', but I've seen guys take off their wedding rings before walking into a strip club or a bar and leave with three girls under each arm--a marriage doesn't solidify anything we think it does, it should but it doesn't so of course there's been moments where I've been pissed off about women doing everything they can to cross a line but, again, I don't wake up every morning and say, 'what do they have that I don't?' in comparison to groupies. They're termites: they swallow wood, ruin homes, and then it's on to the next." I say and she swallows uncomfortably. 

"Does that not contribute to society's stigmatic view on promiscuous women being 'sluts'?" She asks me. 

"Having sex with people doesn't make a woman, or a man, a slut. Pursuing a taken man or woman, knowing they are taken, makes a slut. Cheating on a significant other makes a slut." I state. 

"What about posing for Playboy while being in a relationship?" She counters. 

"Posing naked doesn't make someone a slut." I defend what I said earlier. 

"Just wanted your view on that since you come from a strict upbringing in the Christian faith, is all." She tells me. "Especially since your mother is bound to hear of all this and probably have plenty to say." 

"I haven't talked to my mother in years so if she has something to say but can't say it directly to my face, it's not worth hearing." I tell her. "My dad is the one I'm antsy about all this happening because of." I feel my skin prickle with nervousness because I never gave much of a thought to my dad seeing me on Playboy. 

"Do you have a good relationship with him?" She asks me, intrigued, and I nod. 

"Yes." I say. "I always will, he's the most important person in my life for sure."

"I think we all thought that'd be Nikki from the way we see you look at him in pictures and in passing." 

"Oh," I say it a little flat, a small inkling of a look coming to her face and before I plant any doubt in her mind, I add, "I'm still completely head-over-heels for him but my dad's always gonna be my number one." 

"Does he and your father get along or does your dad keep his distance, too?"

"No, no, he and my dad get along fine." I assure her. "He really keeps his distance out of respect for my mom, but lately he's been more involved, so...but, no, he doesn't have any problem with Nikki. He really appreciates him and all he's done for me, um, yeah, it's really a blessing they get along." 

At least he did. Before he found out Nikki had an entire mistress...on national television…along with the rest of the country. 

"That is very nice." She agrees. "And what about the other boys, do you get along with them as well?" She refers to Vince, Tommy and Mick. 

"Oh, yeah, absolutely." I rub my lips together.

"Is it true you and Tommy and Vince and our very own Tansy Lyn grew up together?" 

"Yes. I met Tommy in elementary school, and Vince and Tansy in middle school and we've been friends ever since." 

"What are they really like? Outrageous news reports, complaints from parents and the church, girls, parties, drugs and booze aside, what are they authentically like and how do you coincide with them and how has being alongside them from the start of their journey, to now, shaped you?" 

"They seem larger than life and it's hard to see them as anything but that, but I've seen them all be so overwhelmed indescribably with joy, and I've seen them all be completely broken and not know what to do, and I've seen them be piss poor and then have more money than God it seems, but they aren't these huge rockstars behind the scenes. They have diva moments, of course, but Tommy and Vince still act just like the boys they were when I first met them, and the same goes for Nikki and Mick. They act out for publicity, and everything in the press is obviously exaggerated but they're normal guys. They're honestly just regular, gross, messy, disgusting, perverted, immature stinking boys--talented, but still normal." I admit. "And I think the effect it's had on my life is just that I've had to mature faster than maybe I would have because it's like I have children. Like I'm constantly going and someone's going through a crisis whether it's Tommy one day or Vince the next, or whatever so keeping them out of trouble the best I can and then trying to be there and as present as I can be when they need me is stressful but it's rewarding. I like helping out where I can and they need all the help they can get so, it's really helped mature me a little more, I guess, is what I'm trying to say."

"I mentioned earlier their reputation within churches and religious groups and I'm curious as to know how you, as a Christian yourself, feel about songs like 'Shout at the Devil' which really got a rise out of politicians and church-goers everywhere, and most recently 'Wild Side'--which is a song that you are an accredited writer on--that's off of their 'Girls, Girls, Girls' album and is a mockery of the Lord's Prayer?" 

"First of all, to clear this up, I didn't write anything in 'Wild Side', Nikki asked what the Lord's Prayer was and I told him and his brilliant mind gave me a writing credit which will plague me the rest of my life, I suppose, but to answer your question...it's 'Shout at the Devil', not 'Shout with the Devil', therefor it doesn't bother me. Now, 'Wild Side' bothers me. A lot. But that's a way Nikki felt when writing it, and I'm not going to tell him those feelings aren't valid just because I don't feel the same way. That's not fair to him, and I'm certainly not ever going to tell him not to express himself and channel how he feels into his work because that's what makes music and art individual and unique. So, it doesn't matter how I feel. If it makes him happy and he's proud of it then that's that and if I don't like it or don't agree with it or find it insulting to my beliefs then I just, 'forgive him, God, he knows not what he does' and just get over it." 

"Do you think there will be a new 'Filthy Fifteen'?" 

"I would say Tipper Gore and her group of desperate, dry, housewives can go get screwed by other men because their husband's are clearly inadequate but then I suppose they can't find bigger pricks than who they're married to, so..." I blurt and she widens her eyes, a little smirk on her lips as she laughs. 

"I take it you weren't a fan of the censorship?" 

"The only plus side to censorship and stickering everything is that kids know what to play in front of their parents and what to save for themselves." I finish and she chuckles some more. 

I talked some more about marrying so young, what it was like being married to one of the biggest names in rock music at that time and so on, all while hiding the fact that once I left there, I was going to go back to the tour, sleep in a separate room than my husband, not talk to the friends I grew up with who were supposed to have my back, and be so completely miserable.

The moment Duff and I leave the room once I've said goodbye and thanked everyone who was apart of the process for my shoot, I feel lightheaded. 

"Viv?" Duff asks me, concerned, and I take deep breaths, bracing against the wall. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I lie, nodding a little. "Just tired, I think." 

My voice cracks painfully and my tears are already beading at my lashline. 

"Viv, if you need a second--"

"--No, I'm fine. We gotta go." I deny, making myself walk again before he stops me. "Duff…" before I can argue, he's putting his bass down and pulling me to him, hugging me tightly. 

I give up, knowing that he knows me too damn well to buy my shit. 

I wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his chest, feeling my tears, hot against my cheek, soak into the fabric of his t-shirt as the warmth of his lips press comfortingly to my hair. 

[365days365movies]

January 23, 2021: The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Car movie weekend continues!

So, Drive was definitely more of a straight-up action movie with driving scenes. I can assume that this movie’s the exact reverse, with more driving than other types of action. But, first...truth time. I’ve never seen this movie...but I have seen a Fast and Furious movie. To be specific...

Yeah, that’s the last one, The Fate of the Furious. See, my girlfriend is a HUGE fan of the franchise, so we saw that in theaters on a date. It should be noted, again, that this is the only film I’ve seen in the franchise. That is, of course, until today!

I actually enjoyed the last movie, so hopefully I’ll like the first. Ive also heard that the franchise has changed DRASTICALLY since the original movie. So, let’s get into it, and watch the birth of the Family, shall we? SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

A hijacking is taking place on the Los Angeles highway, as a delivery truck full of TVs and other technology is intercepted by an automobile gang using grappling hooks. Cool.

The next day, a guy in an electric green car (that I want, and would name Acid Storm) is doing a speed test in his car. This is Brian Spilner (Paul Walker), who goes to a place called Torretto’s for a sandwich. It’s namesake is Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) who waits in the back of the bar. His sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster) mans the bar, and is sought by Brian. 

This is to the chagrin of Vince (Matt Schulze), a potential rival for Mia’s affections. Along with Jesse (Chad Lindberg), Leon (Johnny Strong), and his girlfriend Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), he’s a part of Dominic’s crew. Vince begins a fight with Brian over Mia, and Dominic intervenes, telling Brian not to come back to his place, threatening his job at one of his friend’s establishments.

That night, Brian goes to a local street race, which is run by Dominic. Brian enters the buy-in for the race by putting Acid Storm (Brian’s Car) up for collateral. Using complex nitrous oxide systems, or NOS, the racers begin.

Brian uses a liiiiiiiittle too much of the NOS, and while Acid Storm certainly goes faster, it completely craps out in the process, causing him to lose. As Dominic is chewing him out for his poor driving, and is about to take Acid Storm, the cops make their way to the illegal street race, causing everyone involved to scatter.

Dom’s nearly caught, but Brian picks him up, saving him in the process with some slick driving. In the process, it’s revealed that Brian spent two years in juvie, while Dom spent two years in Lompoc, a federal prison, and didn’t have a great time there. In the process of fleeing, they’re saved, then held hostage by Johnny Tran (Rick Yune), the leader of a Vietnamese gang, alongside his cousin Lance (Reggie Lee). They destroy Acid Storm in the process.

Dom returns to his place with Brian, where a party is taking place. He chews out the rest of the gang for leaving him behind, then leaves to go upstairs with Letty. As Vince is about to start a fight, Mia steps in, and offers to take Brian home.

The next day, however, he’s arrested by the cops, for seemingly no reason. And that leads to...a surprise! Brian’s an undercover cop, forking for the LAPD and the FBI! Surprise! His real name is Brian O’Conner, so I’ll stick with Brian. The mission is to discover who’s hijacking the trucks, and Toretto is the number one suspect.

Brian brings a new car to Toretto, a beaten up wreck with an excellent engine. Toretto brings Brian on officially as a part of his gang, which immediately puts off Vince. They fix up the car together, and Dom invites everybody over for dinner. This leads to Mia turning Vince down for Brian, which naturally pisses Vince off.

At Brian’s other OTHER job, at a local customization garage, where Hector (Noel Gugliemi), the organizer of the street races, asks him to give him three sets of parts for three identical cars. Whiiiiiiich sounds like the gangsters. And they aren’t part of Dominic’s crew or Johnny’s. I’m calling it now, it’s these guys.

Later that night, Brian breaks into a garage to investigate, but he’s caught by Vince and Dom. He makes an excuse that he’s trying to figure out what the competitors have for vehicles, while Vince insists that he’s a cop, but the Bluff check appears to work on Dom, who must have a lower Will than Vince.

The three end up breaking into Johnny’s place, where Brian sees the stolen TVs. They also notice that their cars have no engines in them. But as they’re investigating, Johnny and Lance show up with a hostage, an auto supplies fence who hasn’t brought their engines to them. They oilboard him (gross), and he gives up the location. Johnny sucks. And Dom’s group sees all of it.

The next day, Brian gives his information to his cop allies (Ted Levine and Thom Barry), who also accuse Brian of falling for Mia, which could cloud his judgment. While they want to move on Johnny and Dominic, he convinces them to wait a few days.

Dominic and Brian are working together, when Dominic espouses some of his past. His father was a stock car racer who died in a terrible accident, due to the interference of a rival driver. Having seen his father die, and blaming Linder, he beat Linder savagely, crippling him for life. It also prevented Dominic from racing professionally, and landed him in jail, bringing him into his current lifestyle.

Mia and Brian officially go on a date, and seem to hit it off. Mia seems to be a talented driver all on her own, but that’s not the focus of the night. The hijackers hit again, and Brian gets the call from the feds while in bed with Mia. Johnny and his gang are arrested, with Brian coming along.

Unfortunately, the DVD players were bought legally, leaving the feds with nothing, and Brian with 36 hours to solve the case. Toretto is now the biggest target, to Brian’s chagrin.

The next day, Brian plays hardball with Toretto, and manages to get his way into Race Wars, which seems to be an in for Dom’s other pursuits. Although, I still don’t think it’s him involved in the hijackings.

Race Wars! The amateur racing circuit begins, and everybody’s there, including Letty, who smokes a guy for $2000. Nice. Meanwhile, Jesse’s racing up against Johnny, despite Brian warning him not to. Jesse loses the car to him, and takes off after the race. Johnny confronts Toretto about that, and the FBI raid of his house. Dom’s not a big fan of that accusation.

That night, Dom and company take off, to Mia’s protest. And STUPIDLY, Brian tries to get the truth out of Mia by telling her that he’s a cop. That’s gonna go greeeeeeat. Mia’s understandably upset about this, but also realizes that Brian’s telling the truth, both about how he feels for her, and about the fact that her brother’s extremely likely to get arrested or hurt. She still isn’t happy about it, though.

We also cut to Dom and the gang, now short of Jesse. And yeah, it’s him. Not gonna lie, I really didn’t think it was Dom! Kinda sucks that it is, to be honest. They start the hijacking, but don’t account for something: the truck drivers are getting PISSED OFF. They mentioned earlier that some of these drivers are readying themselves for potential hijackings. And it looks like this is one of them.

This truck driver means business, and is now actively trying to kill Dom and his gang. He fires at the cars, while Vince clings to the side of the truck. He runs Letty off the road, and she’s not doing amazing. Vince gets shot, and Dominic’s car gets shot right in the engine.

Brian and Mia, meanwhile, catch up to them in the newly repaired car (which I’m calling Sunstorm), and rescues Vince, who also isn’t doing amazing. In the process, he reveals to Dom that he’s a cop. And Dom...is also not happy.

Vince is airlifted to a hospital, and Dom and Brian meet each other back in town. They confront each other, just as Jesse finally shows back up with the car that should be Johnny’s. Johnny agrees, as they engage in a drive-by shooting, killing Jesse in the process. Brian and Dom chase after them, Brian in Sunstorm, and Dom in his father’s old car.

What proceeds is a tense, gun-filled motorcycle and car chase. Johnny’s shot and killed by Brian. Dominic shows up, then speeds away, as Brian gives chase. They meet at a stop light, and agree to a street race toward a railroad crossing, complete with oncoming train. If Brian catches him, then he’ll go with him.

If.

...Yeah, that was cool. But unfortunately, it ends less than ideally for Dominic.

Brian helps Dom out of the wrecked car, as the police approach. He gives Dom Sunstorm, allowing him to flee the police. Dom’s free, and Brian stays behind to face the consequences. Not that we see those, as Dom drives into the sunset of Baja California, living life a quarter mile at a time.

And that’s The Fast and the Furious! It’s a ride...literally! The Epilogue’ll have more details. See you then!

[scmediafest]

🎮 DAY 2 - CREATOR REVEALS 🎮

city keeps callin’ out to pay her sins (meeting you might count for enough penance) by Yellow_Bird_On_Richland (@turningtimeinthetardis)

[Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands - M - 61,166]

"Catwoman glances down for a second, her eyes popping wide at her precarious position, then back up at her savior. She remarks, with a rueful shake of her head, “Guess I was wrong about you catching me.”

Twyla tugs the other woman up with her forearm. “Come on. Don’t struggle or you’ll fall.”

“I know.”

Her tone’s reassuring, and she’s gazing up with some strange mix of concern, arrogance, and pity just before—

“See you around, Batwoman.”"

*

A Hundred Years From Now by @legalgal421

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd/Jake, Alexis Rose/Ted Mullens - E - 7,620]

It's 2038 and David and Patrick will be married for 20 years. Taking certain lyrics from "Look at Us" by Vince Gill, the story of their year.

*

Stuck in the Molasses Swamp with You by amanita_fierce, @dinnfameron

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose - G - 3,628]

"They each pick a little plastic child to be their token in the game, and Patrick offers to explain the rules, but Alexis waves him off, grabbing a card from the pile. There’s a loud pop as she does so and then… pink smoke? Then a sweet smell, like cotton candy, or bubble gum, maybe, and for a moment, David can’t see anything.

“Um. Was that supposed to happen?” he hears Alexis say, followed closely by Stevie muttering, “What the fuck?” As the smoke clears, David has to agree with her, because, seriously, what the fuck?

-

Get in, besties. We're going to Candyland."

*

please tell me I won't wash away by @petalwritesx

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose - T - 2,398]

“Really? This is where you want to do this?”

“I thought we should end this where it started,” Patrick says, and David tries to ignore the bile that rises in his throat at the words ‘end this,’ being said so casually. “It’s a full circle moment for us. Literally.”

David follows Patrick’s gaze to the ferris wheel that towers above them, colorful buckets swaying as they slowly rotate over the pier — full circle indeed. Once upon a time, David wouldn’t have set foot on this boardwalk, much less taken a ride on that death trap, but… It’s only the first item on a laundry list of things he’s done simply because Patrick Brewer asked him to. Ironically, it’s also the last item that brings them here today.

David sighs. “We’re here to sign divorce papers,” he reminds him.

Or — On the day they're scheduled to sign their divorce papers, Patrick brings David to the place their relationship began: the ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier. He's secretly hoping they'll be given a sign, but a literal tsunami is a bit more than either of them bargained for."

*

Will You Accept This (Friendship) Rose? by @rosedavid

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands - G - 2,304]

David is supposed to ‘get to know his sister’s girlfriend more.’ He can’t imagine he and Twyla have anything in common until they do. In other words, Twyla and David bond over their love for The Bachelor.

*

You Remember It All Too Well [+Podfic] Amanita_Fierce, doingthemost (@sarahlevys), @hullomoon, NC Pods (@n0connections), @petalwritesx, RhetoricalQuestions (@rhetoricalk), skipperpods (@thesleepyskipper), @sunlightsymphony

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd/Ruth Clancy (background), Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands (background) - G - 1,259]

"Yes, it's true. Taylor and I dated a long time ago. …And yes, it's possible that maybe she wrote a certain song about… I mean, without going into the details, things between us did not end well."

After the 10 minute version of "All Too Well" is released, secrets from David's past are revealed.

*

[podfic] Pride and Prejudice and Schitt's Creek by @hullomoon

[Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Alexis Rose/Ted Mullens - T - 3:04:54]

"Pride and Prejudice AU.

The Roses are living in genteel poverty. Mr. Brewer has recently arrived in the neighbourhood and rumour is he has 10,000 a year!"

[danwhobrowses]

WWE Wrestlemania 37 Day 1 - Review

Big Card, Not so big build

But it is that time of the year, we Stood, we Delivered, and now we shall Showcase for the Grandest Stage of them All

I got hyped for it by watching Bret vs Owen so I do have expectations, I haven't been spoiled too much save for the Main Event and the fact that there was storms that delayed the event, I dunno if they cut that content but we shall see Note: I am gonna bold who I predicted to win per match as well just to show how right/wrong I was

Spoilers for Wrestlemania Night 1, You Have Been Warned

Pre-Show The opening panel was not so great; Booker (with a captain Hook moustache), JBL, Lawler and Rosenberg, bunch of contrarian drivel really and trying to make Braun/Shane out like it deserves on the card just doesn't sit with me, that match robbed a potential Father/Son Tag Title Victory for the Mysterios (I know the Dirty Dawgs won on SD but I feel like they wouldn't have retained if it were Mania). Most of the promo packages were good at the least since they can cut out all the shoddy booking decisions and act like some stars were underbooked over the past year. I will say though, selling BelAir and Banks as 'the first time a women's singles match has main evented Wrestlemania' is a bit of a slight on the triple threat - which would've been 1v1 if Vinny didn't want to be adamant in adding more feathers to Charlotte's peahen plumage - it was still a singles match, sometimes WWE's desire for 'first time evers' are a bit insufferable. Also this is not 'the most important match of Cesaro's career', that is a terrible thing to say about a non-title match revolving around Rollins feeling embarrassed. The Hall of Fame recap was a mixed bag as well, mainly because I disagreed with some of the inductions and the way they tried to sell them bigger than what they are, but I was glad for some - Liger, Bulldog, Molly Holly, Kane...still waiting on Lillian and Andy Kaufman to get inducted though. Sonya also popped up to promote the tag turmoil and retreading the main event, she was super natural and should've been on the whole panel, or in the ring. Sonya's talents are wasted right now.

No Match though! An Hour of Recap lacked any entertainment seeing as we'd see all these promo packages again on the main card. So overall this was entirely skippable.

Main Card...Delayed Vince opened the event to address the crowd, which was kinda nice actually. It was a much more inclusive introduction than just having someone singing America the Beautifu-oh they're still doing tha-boooooooobs! It's also kinda weird looking at the roster not even on the card on the stage, like this is their only contribution for the entire year...

The intro package was a big obnoxious too, dude does an okay Jack Sparrow accent but it kinda went on a bit long, 10 minutes into the main show and there's no wrestling y'know?

Byron out with a super white suit as well, looking like Liberace as weather warnings echoed the arena, with news that it'll be worse tomorrow I hope that arena has a roof. With the delay WWE pulled with interviews, Big E even showed up to join his New Day buddies. Cole's 'Wrestlerainia' did not land and Braun saying 'I'm fighting for everyone whose been bullied' doesn't land either, we had this story with Nia and Alexa years ago. I also hate 'Herstory', like the literal word I hate it, History has adapted well beyond gender. Sure, it evolved from the Greek Histor which means 'wise' or 'a learned man' but the His is not the agent noun, the Tor is, and it's a gender neutral noun, if it were a Latin root then it'd be masculine but its root is Ancient Greek - there's your Etymology lesson for tonight.

The irony though, the moment fans get back in the arena they have to come back out because of rain.

Main Card - This Time Around Titus and Hulk came out as hosts to ramp up the crowd, it was kinda uncomfortable in context really, plus we don't need a third rundown of the card. Reminder that those in bold was who I earlier predicted to win.

WWE Championship - Bobby Lashley [w/MVP] (c) def. Drew McIntyre (Ref Stoppage Submission via Hurt Lock) Starting hot with the World title match again, bit odd to see Lashley do his point pose on the ramp and no pyro, but both men fixed their eyes on each other and barely looked away. Their history goes beyond WWE after all, not that the commentary would tell you. The did come out with a ton of falsities though, I know the WWE Championship was at several times the most prestigious belt in wrestling but not all the time in that 60 years, Big Gold Belt, IWGP and 10 Pounds of Gold had times too, AEW also can tout that, but Cole's most baffling claim was that you'd need to win it to be a Hall of Famer - on the same year Bulldog who never won a world title was inducted. No quick draw like last year, the match started with some meat slapping, Drew even gesturing a fuck you with the Bras d'honneur to Lashley after knocking him down. Both men would trade blows and advantage, Drew almost locking an armbreaker but Lashley clubbing free - very weird camera cutting there. Lashley hit 2 throws and a neckbreaker to regain the advantage, he didn't get the Futureshock but he hit a nice Northern Lights Suplex. Lashley hit his newer version of the Dominator and an Uranage but both only kept Drew down for 2, he almost got the Hurt Lock as Drew fought back with some blows and a front-facing Alabama Slam, he tried a superplex but Lashley fought out, tried a kimura but got knocked down, so he went for the Tree of Woe throw he does. Lashley gets him with another Uranage but Drew kips up, belly to belly, Futureshock, Futureshock, Futureshock! 1, 2, No! Drew calls for the Claymore but Lashley rolls out, MVP coming late, Drew then does a Tope onto both. He goes up top but almost gets caught with the Hurt Lock, an Exploder and a Flatliner puts Lashley in the driver's seat, he tries for the Hurt Lock again but is driven into the Turnbuckle, Drew then locks in the Kimura but Lashley gets to the ropes. After trading shots Lashley lands into a boot and a headbutt, Drew looks for the Claymore but MVP shouts to distract him, allowing Lashley to dodge and get the Hurt Lock in, Drew tried to fight back, tried to roll out of it by kicking the turnbuckle but Lashley cinched it in tight, fading, fading, and the ref calls the bell.

A very good opener this one, big men slapping meat can hardly go wrong. Not too many false finishes either and MVP only psyches Drew out rather than got fully involved. It was right for Drew to fade rather than tap too. First prediction wins, I did think it was a risk but I expected it because WWE had sold the idea that they wanted Drew to win in front of a crowd, but he had held the title for most of the year, so I anticipated the swerve. Still, we didn't have to break up the Hurt Business for this, hopefully Lashley gets more time to shine.

As Lashley celebrated with some strange camera switching we moved to Titus, the NWO and a Bayley segment. Bayley trying to sell her Ding Dong Hello and being denied some Two Sweets, a huge waste of Bayley's talents especially with the year she has had.

Tag Team Turmoil for a shot at the WWE Women's Tag Championship on Night 2 - Natalya & Tamina def. Naomi & Lana, the Riott Squad [Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott], Billie Kay & Carmella and Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose (pinfall by Tamina on Ruby Riott via Superfly Splash) Props to Billie Kay selling the lack of cohesion in her and Carmella's entrance as they started the match against Lana & Naomi. Naomi started with the advantage but it was traded to Carmella when Lana was tagged in, then to Billie, then back to Naomi. A double facebuster flattens Billie but Carmella breaks the pin, after Carmella throws Lana out Billie rolls up Naomi - who is also strengthened by Carmella lying on the floor but using her feet to keep Billie up right - for 3, eliminating that team. Naomi is not happy, as she should be that was a huge waste, as the Riott Squad come in. Sporting Suicide Squad Joker (Ruby) & Harley (Liv) outfits, the Riott Squad start hot but are foiled by Carmella's tag. Liv is the feeder to Carmella and Billie's combos, they try the same rollup trick but they are caught by the ref, Carmella's dumped allowing Liv to hit a codebreaker and hold Billie down for Ruby's senton for the 3, the two embrace but Carmella superkicks Liv as Dana & Manda arrive in pink, Mandy humorously slipping on the ramp did not go unmissed. With Liv taken out Ruby tried to fight alone, Dana hits a top rope blockbuster but Liv comes back to break the pin. Dana hits a spinning neckbreaker and tags Mandy in, a pin for 2 by Ruby opens the door for Liv to be tagged in, a Codebreaker/Riott Kick combo lands but the pin is broken by Dana. Cole accidentally calls Mandy 'Dana' as she rallies, Dana comes back to dump Ruby out as they land the Superplex/Swanton combo on Liv, Mandy pulls Ruby from making the save but Liv reverses the pin for 3. The announcer then wrongly says that the Riott Squad were eliminated and has to be corrected, making you think this wasn't the plan. Natalya and Tamina pick up the scraps, Natalya tries a Sharpshooter but gets rolled up for 2, she drops Liv onto the ropes and tags Tamina in. Natalya hits a powerbomb but Ruby breaks the pin before being dumped out by Tamina again. Liv fights both women enough for Ruby to tag in, an assisted spear on Tamina leads to the Codebreaker/Senton combo but it hits for 2. They set up the Codebreaker/Riott Kick but Tamina yanks Riott away and superkicks Liv. Natalya returns to hit the Hart Attack on Ruby, looks to set up the Sharpshooter but instead tells Tamina to take point, Superfly Splash gets the win. The champions look on on a monitor at their opponents.

A bit of a mixed bag this one, the wrestling was clean but I think external botching brought it down, as well as questionable booking decisions. Naomi is a multi-time champion she should not be pinned so quickly. I did again correctly predict Nattie and Tamina, but I personally wanted the Riott Squad to win, it was the Heyman dressing down that motivated me to pick the Daughter Combo - also weird that they acknowledge Tamina's heritage given what Superfly did. The Riotts at least got a great showing, the finish took a bit of a long time considering that all Liv took from them was a superkick and was out for 2 minutes, hopefully this'll inspire booking to push them which is well overdue. As for Tamina and Natalya, heel vs heel is a tough one, they didn't look like babyfaces here and while I do have them to win the titles this was not a good look for their chances.

Cesaro def. Seth Rollins (pinfall via Neutralizer) Seth entered the ring with a homage to the Andre OBEY print on his tights, followed by his Cesaro smear ad, then Cesaro in a weird choice of just a black jacket as well as black and yellow tights similar to his Wrestlemania XXX attire.

Cesaro starts with a huge uppercut and setting up the Swing, but Seth wriggles out, tries a big boot but Cesaro hits the Dragon Screw and tries for the swing again, but fails again. Cesaro gets a corkscrew springboard uppercut but Seth hurts his arm on the ropes, he gets an uppercut as Seth climbs on the turnbuckle but he kinda didn't get all of it. Going for an Avalanche Gutwrench Suplex, Seth rolls out into a Buckle Bomb for 2, Seth then preys on the arm, Cesaro's arm prevents a rally as Seth hits the Superplex/Falcon Arrow combo for 2. Cesaro flurries with uppercuts, he tries the swing but Rollins keeps countering, first a rollup then going to ropes followed by an Enzugiri, when he tries the Stomp though Cesaro gets the swing, 9 spins causes the arm to give way but he locks in the Sharpshooter (probably why Natalya couldn't/wouldn't do it last match), Rollins gets to the ropes and powers out of the Neutralizer, knee strike and a sling blade sets up for a Corkscrew Frog Splash for 2. Seth sets up the Ripcord Knee but gets lifted into a Neutralizer! 1, 2, No! (Commentary saying again 'and now Cesaro begins to doubt himself), Cesaro tries it again but lands into a Pedigree! 1, 2, No!

Seth gloats surviving both of Cesaro's big moves, clubbing the back of Cesaro's head with his hand and then his leg as he prepares a stomp, Cesaro then hits the uppercut, UFO! Gestures for the Swing and gets it! 23 Rotations, Neutralizer, 3!

That's what I'm talking about! Indy Darling match with some great spots, good crowd involvement and a proper babyface win. Cesaro thanks the crowd as they cheer him on, Seth did show some great creativity which I kinda hoped Cesaro would but it was a small thing in otherwise a great match. I guessed with my heart on this one unlike the Tag Team Turmoil, because of my Universal Title plans really, Cesaro has been given the chance to earn the push we all know he deserves and he's took it, now we can push him further.

Post-match they recapped the AMBR and 4-Way, bit off to say 'Veteran Experience pays off' when Rey was the most experienced of them all, also the 4-Way should've been on the mania card and the tag turmoil on SD. They interviewed the Dirty Dawgs to talk the Raw Tag titles, which was a bit rough to see, it's clear what the pecking order is in Vince's mind.

Raw Tag Championships - AJ Styles & Omos def. New Day [Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston] (c) (pinfall by Omos on Kofi via Double-Handed Chokeslam TITLE CHANGE) Annoyingly the Champions came out first, but they were introduced by Big E, a Fusion Dance hologram graphic paired with their entrance as they came out in Red to rep the Tampa Bay Bucs in what would've been their 2020 attire, cheekily the 2020's last 0 was scribbled out and a 1 added. Blue trumpet though, couldn't recolour that. AJ and Omos came together too but no matching attire, Omos looked like he was going for dinner. AJ also looked like he stumbled a bit at the start.

Kofi goaded AJ into starting the match rather than Omos, leading to some liquid sequences from both former WWE Champions, each respectively rolling out of an SOS and Calf Crusher. After a back body drop Kofi stared down an unimpressed Omos, then twerked which hurt my soul. Kinda heelishly, Xavier tripped up AJ when a throat chop gave him a reprieve, leading to them keeping AJ in the corner, including the Unicorn Stomp as Omos continued to look unimpressed. Against Xavier AJ tried to drag him to his corner, but cannot get to Omos' halfhearted reaching. A team bulldog only gets 1 though. Kofi then continues to block the corner so AJ goes out of the ring to run around, only to be intercepted by Xavier. AJ continues to try and get to Omos, even being flattened by a splash by Kofi, when setting up their finisher though AJ elbows Kofi away, a visual exchange between the now free AJ and the top-turnbuckle Xavier preludes AJ finally tagging in Omos, Xavier frightened as Omos finally has a smile on his face. The 7'3 giant no sells Xavier's and Kofi's offense, charging into both on either turnbuckle, then a backbreaker to both. AJ then jumped over Omos to hit the Phenomenal Forearm to deal with Woods, Omos hit a two-handed chokeslam then pinned Kofi with one foot for the titles.

I didn't like this match's narrative, the wrestling was fine but the story wasn't done so well. For one, New Day acted more like the heels by bullying AJ and keeping him cornered, for second, Omos didn't really 'wrestle' he just no sold and did 3 safe moves and third, New Day are 11 time tag champions, Kofi a former world champion and they pinned him like that. Disrespect. The fact that the SD Tag Titles are second fiddle to a match where it's just AJ Styles plus the Great Khali, and that's Raw's Division right now, Two Thirds of New Day and this mismatch. This only highlights the severe lack of depth and WWE's booking hypocrisy. Next time you read about a 5 foot something wrestler not getting a title or a push because they're 'too green' or 'can't talk' remember that Omos won the tag titles on his debut match after doing a backbreaker, a turnbuckle tackle and a double handed chokeslam.

Humorous though is that WWE cut to a cringy Corbin ad break just as AJ was falling off of Omos' shoulders, I saw that WWE. We also cut to Sasha preparing for the match as the cage began to lower.

Steel Cage Match - Braun Strowman def. Shane McMahon (pinfall via Running Powerslam) The apathy for this match remains high considering that Shane showed up a couple months ago to steal a card slot from someone who could've been wrestling all year. Shane enters in his usual way, Braun with blinding fog and a train sound effect, cringy commentary as well as Shane keeps the door shut. Elias and Ryker soften Braun with chairs, attacking the legs and gifting Shane a chair who unloads on his grounded opponent. Once he feels he's done enough he tries to leave by the door, but Braun pulls him away, he tries to climb over the cage but gets pulled away, Braun declaring that he won't escape. Shane does his tacky jabs dodging Braun's wide swings, he tries to climb out again but Braun grabs him, but there's a planted piece of sheet metal that he uses as a weapon. After a 1 count Shane tried to escape through the door but fails, Braun decides to throw Shane into the cage walls, opening Shane to be struck by his blows and sandwiched between the cage walls, the leg gives out before the powerslam allowing Shane to ram Braun into the cage wall and DDT him, Coast to Coast gets 2 and Elias and Ryker climb the cage, hoping to pull Shane over, but Braun tackles the cage wall to knock everyone off. Shane makes the climb again but Braun is gripping onto him, bags are planted on the corners of the cage as Shane cracks Braun with a toolbox, as Shane celebrates he gets his leg over, he waves his hand through the cage at Braun but he grabs it, peeling off the cage wall to pull Shane back inside. Braun considers leaving but pulls Shane to the top of the cage, throwing Shane to the ring floor. Braun shouts at Shane, hits the running powerslam for 3.

It's good to be wrong here, though when I predicted Shane to win it was more a Pyrrhic win like being sent through a cage wall - because the build had Braun foolishly act like cage matches never have interference. This was a match, Shane planting weapons and using Elias and Ryker to prove himself 'smart' and Braun just powers out of it, the ripping the cage wall to drag Shane back in was a good spot - if not overly convenient since Shane could've dropped and gloated after - but it didn't need to be Wrestlemania.

Bayley comes back this time to the announcers table, bullying Cole out of his seat, but she's made to look stupid since Byron of all people tell her that they're waiting for the Hall of Famers, the HOF package happens again and the inductees able to attend appear on the stage, graphics of those who couldn't on the screen, NWO get their own entrance though with the NWO-painted Big Gold belt, bit unnecessary really they have enough spotlight.

Stone Cold announces the next mania in Texas in the AT&T Stadium, Booker then joins the announcer's table.

Bad Bunny & Damian Priest def. Miz and John Morrison (Pinfall by Bad Bunny on Miz via Crossbody/Electric Chair combo) A bunch of men dressed as bunnies hop into the ring before Miz and Morrison lipsync their diss track entrance. After the promo package Damian Priest makes his entrance, wearing the HBK Bondage shirt and sporting the purple, Bad Bunny appears atop of a Monster Truck in a pre-recorded segment with a lot of camera cuts, leading into the live version, looking like Rufus from Bill and Ted.

Miz and Morrison goad Bad Bunny to start the match so Priest tags him in, Miz mocks Bunny for a free shot and gets floored with a blow, waistlock and another punch, after a brief flurry Miz slows Bunny down but then gets caught with an arm drag, a toehold and a roll up for 2. Morrison attempts to snap Miz out of his frustration, but every offense he gets Bad Bunny comes back, this time with a spinning headscissors. Morrison's tagged in but gets headbutted, a 'bunny hop' jumping elbow, Miz's cheap shot leads to some heat feeding as Miz does some mocking bunny hops. He rolls over Miz for 2 but gets flattened with a boot, Morrison punishes Bunny on the announcer's table who then does a Spinaroonie while they continue to punish Bunny and incite Priest. Bunny gets a tornado DDT to open up the Hot Tag who cleans up house with strikes - more annoying camera cuts though. Chokeslam only gets 2 because Morrison breaks the count, Bunny comes in and both men hit stereo Falcon Arrows, both for 2, Priest does a tope, Bunny crossbodies from the top corner. Priest sets up his finish but gets caught with a Skull Crushing Finale, 1, 2, Bunny breaks the pin. Back into his corner Morrison tries to keep Bunny from being tagged, but Bunny hits a Canadian Destroyer onto Morrison on the outside of the ring, Miz and Priest awestruck. Priest sets up the Electric Chair, Bunny crossbodies and that's 3.

I may not know who Bad Bunny is, or particularly like his music, but he definitely meets the standards of the work celebrity guests should put in if they wanna be booked for a match. Bad Bunny did far much more spots than Omos, granted his punches flooring Miz was a bit unbelievable but overall he shone in an entertaining match, I feel bad for Miz and Morrison really, Miz was WWE champion about a month ago for a week and Morrison left at the top of Impact and AAA to come back for this? Maybe if he pairs up with his wife he'll get the booking he deserves. Also don't really know why Booker needed to be there on the announcer's table, aside from one mock spot and a GI Bro mention he didn't influence the match at all

SD Women's Championship - Bianca BelAir def. Sasha Banks (c) (Pinfall via KOD TITLE CHANGE!) And so comes the Main Event, the Royal Rumble winner comes out a sparkly EST outfit with tassels, Sasha with a black and neon green attire that definitely stood out. More shoddy camera cutting though kinda upset the flow of the entrance.

On Pre-Show - 'These two are in the Main Event regardless of Race, Regardless of Gender' On Main Event - 'For the first time two black women are having a title match on the main event at Wrestlemania' ...poor form WWE. Especially since you followed this with a Snickers plug.

The Bell rings as there are close ups on an emotional Bianca, duelling chants from the crowd as Sasha overpowers BelAir, leading her to kip up and get her own advantage, almost landing the KOD early. BelAir's power catches most of Banks' assault so she opts for counter-wrestling, she looks to count BelAir out but then decides for a Suicide Dive, but BelAir catches her and presses her back up the stairs and into the ring. Dropkick by Sasha gets 2, Bianca hits a powerslam but her handspring moonsault is blocked by Sasha yanking at the hair, using it as leverage to drive her knee into BelAir's head, Shining Wizard only gets 2. When Banks tries the knees in the corner she's planted with an Uranage, she tries to yank Bianca's hair into the corner post but Bianca powers her into it instead, a barricade crossbody also misses but the count is up to 6, both women roll in, BelAir uses an inside cradle to momentum herself up to a Vertical Suplex position, she slingshots 2 of the sides but Banks struggles, Bianca powers her back up but Sasha struggles again, BelAir powers again and lands the suplex but it takes a lot out of her. After clotheslining Sasha who was pulling on her hair, BelAir flurries with strikes and a running shooting star, Glam Slam hits but Sasha gets the knees up for the 450. The two trade pins and BelAir hits the Powerbomb for 2, she tries again but Sasha goes for a facebuster, Double Rotation Tornado DDT gets 2 for Sasha, a clunky Frog Splash which might've been a Meteora that Bianca was out of position for hits BelAir but only has 2, Sasha starts getting frustrated and goes for the arm, snaps it against the ropes then throws BelAir into the steps, she goes for the Bank Statement, wrapping Bianca's hair around her arm for added leverage, she tries to rebound off the ropes but Bianca rolls back to rope break, Sasha yanks the hair between the rope and stomps on her hair in frustration but this gets Bianca angry, she sets up a Superplex but is thrown off, she tries what looks like a Stratusfaction but gets locked into a Tree of Woe double stomp, Bianca avoids it and the running knee strike, landing the 450! 1, 2, No! Bianca freaks out, she was so sure that was it, but now the anger sets in, KOD set up but Sasha pulls the hair to right herself, Bianca cracks Sasha with her hair and tries again, but Sasha wriggles to try a Backstabber, Bianca escapes that, spins her around and lands the KOD, 1, 2, E.S.T.

A really good match from both women, met with a great ovation for Bianca. The match liked to prey on Bianca's hair a lot which may've been a little overdone, I would've liked to have seen it get a bit more than 18 minutes too. I predicted Sasha because I think Rhea's winning hers (I still do) and Sasha has once again yet to have a major Wrestlemania win, but I'm certainly not unhappy with BelAir - she put on a great performance here, especially with the fact that she fumbled her NXT Women's Title match against Baszler earlier, showing a lot more maturity and a strong face character to get behind. WWE should not have overdid the booking on this in the build but for the night, it is Bianca's night to close day one of WrESTlemania.

Conclusion NXT Stand and Deliver set a high bar for Wrestlemania to pull off, and for Night 1 at least I believe they definitely met it. There were a few downs, shoddy camerawork, non-wrestling botching and heavy mistreatment for Naomi, Bayley and the New Day but on the other hand we had great matches out of Cesaro, Bad Bunny and the other title matches including the main event, aside from the tag turmoil I'm not upset with the winners. Becky teased us with appearing before the show but it seems like it was a fakeout, was kinda hoping she'd be back but maybe it'll be Night 2

We will only find out on the night though, and there's a lot more to look forward to.