#read please

about: the new charge nurse is quiet. too quiet. jack is going to solve her like a puzzle and figure her out.

a/n: guys this is short as hell like i wrote a longer ver but it's low-key doodoo. let me know if you want it. lowkey nervous rn (if this doesn't do a well as the titus one i may or may not crash tf out)

jack thought you were weird. well, maybe weird wasn't the right word for it but there was definitely something going on with you. he was certain of it. you just weren't like the other nurses. they liked to gossip and they went out after work and they were-well they were sociable. and you were the total opposite.

now jack wasn't saying you were rude, not at all. in fact, you were probably one of the politest people he knew. but that was the problem, you never went beyond professional-politeness. never tried to get to know your co-workers or join in on after work beers. you walked into work like you were dreading it and while jack couldn't blame you...the way you acted was unusual to say the least.

at first, he chalked it up to nerves. you were the new night shift charge nurse and it must have been daunting. he couldn't imagine the pressure of having to familiarize yourself with new people who had already formed strong friendships and bonds. but you'd never get anywhere if you never tried. and you always seemed dead set against even looking in a coworkers direction for more than five seconds.

he knew something was going on with you (evidence? he had a gut feeling). and he wasn't stopping until he found out what.

so jack tried his damn best to get you to open up. but it's like you were a pro-social-activity-dodger or something! every, "good morning," was met with a tight smile, every compliment went ignored and jack felt like he was starting to lose it. even when he went above and beyond, it was like he didn't exist! he bought the night shift a round of dunkin' coffees (much to shen's excitement) and when he placed a cup on your desk he was met with a polite smile and a quiet ,"sorry dr abbot, i try to avoid caffeine in the mornings."

liar! liar, liar, pants on fire! he'd seen you multiple times at the coffee shop near the hospital with an iced coffee in hand! why were you pushing him away! he just didn't get you. not at all.

it all came to a head around your ninth month in the pitt. robby was doing one of his pep-talks during handover as everyone huddled around. jack tried to pay attention, he really did but he couldn't help but watch you.

it was a weird habit he'd started to develop since he begun his mission of figuring you out. for one reason or another, jack always found himself looking at you. he told himself it was because he was being a good attending and keeping on eye on everyone.

but deep down he knew the real reason he watched you. he was waiting for you to crack. waiting for that sour candy exterior to dissolve away and reveal the sweetness at it's center. he was really trying not to rush you, not to crush the hard candy between his teeth to get to the sugary insides quicker. he knew better than that, he knew behaving that way could cause problems...like cavities! because he was totally still talking about hard candies....not anyone important like you or anything.

an elbow digging into his ribs snapped him out his thoughts as he turned to see shen looking at him like he was the one everyone should be worried about. "you alright man? you're kind of staring down our charge nurse...it's creepy."

jack frowned as he crossed his arms against his chest, "m'not staring i just-" he sighed before turning to shen ,"she's kinda strange right? it's not just me that thinks that? like do you notice how quiet she is? or how she's kinda got zero friends here-"

"come on abbot, that's mad rude. we don't know what's going on up there." ellis swooped in on his left, leaning back again the wall ,"besides maybe she's one of those people that just prefer a little alone time. ain't nothing wrong with that."

he nodded along, it made sense but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else there. something more, something-

"or maybe she's a crazy party animal." the trio's head snapped in the direction of this new voice. there stood one of the new med students, joey or joy or something (jack was never great with names). she shrugged, "we live in the same dingy apartment block and she's always hosting ragers," she whipped out her phone to show them your instagram. there was picture after picture of you in one club after the other. your bio read "saving lives by day and pillaging the clubs by night".

"woah-"

"did not expect that..."

joy nodded ,"she's so quiet because she's always fighting mad hangovers.." she sighed," the pain of being the life of the party i guess."

jack felt his jaw fall to the floor.

he could not fucking believe it.

after all this time, he comes to find out the very thing he'd been trying to figure out for literally nine months, the thing that'd been taunting him shift after shift....was "mad hangovers"! nothing else! no personal grudge! no hint of possible feelings making her feel like she couldnt be near him (that was just a hunch by the way, he totally hadn't been day-dreaming about it)!

"are you shitting me right now?" heads snapped in his direction as robby frowned at him.

"you good brother?"

jack felt his face heat up, but his final straw was when you looked at him. with those stupid all knowing eyes that used to make him want to know what made you tick. now they just pissed him off.

he pushed past people, making his way to the ambulance bay ,"going for a smoke!" god he couldn't stand being in the same room as you! all this time he'd wasted trying to figure you out! god he felt so stupid!

joy frowned, " does abbot even smoke?"

summary: y/n is feeling bad while paige is at practice

warnings: language, pain

a/n: ive been obsessed w paige x pregnant reader so here is this 😭😭.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I feel like shit. I’ve been having contractions all day, it’s hot, and on top of that, Paige has been gone all day. I groan as I pull my phone out to text Paige.

wife 🤞💞💍

baby where r u

paigey 💜👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

im at practice still y? do u need anything?

wife🤞💞💍

im having contractions again

and i miss u

and im hungry

and its hot

and i feel like shit

and ive been throwing up all day

your daughter is kicking my ass

paigey 💜👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

chipotle or wing stop

wife🤞💞💍

huh?

paigey 💜👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

im omw home, chipotle, wing stop, or do you want something else?

wife 🤞💞💍

chipotle

wait Geno let you leave?

paigey 💜👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

yeah i told him you were feeling bad

wife🤞💞💍

baby you should’ve stayed at practice

read 5:37 pm

I roll my eyes, throwing my phone back down. Paige has the tendency to leave practice if i text her. I turn on the TV to watch something to distract myself in the meantime. I drift off to sleep while watching.

“Hey, baby” I hear gently, waking me up. “hm” I hum, sitting up. I look up to see Paige standing there in her practice clothes with a chipotle bag and her gym bag in one hand and multiple bags in the other.

“Paige” I whine, immediately feeling the pain as i get up. “What’s wrong, baby?” Paige says, dropping her bags and running up to me. “It just- it just hurts” I groan, going back to sit down.

“Sit down, baby. I got it, don’t get up” Paige soothes, sitting me back down. “I got snacks and Chipotle. I also found this heating pack thing- the girl helped me find it because i was lost” Paige rambles with a smile on her face.

“Thank you, baby” I say, quietly. “you’re welcome” Paige says, setting the things out in front of me. “You wanna go in the room?” Paige asks me. “mhm” I nod.

“okay, are you sure you can walk?” Paige asks. “Yes, Paige.” I sigh, walking into the room as Paige follows behind with everything in hand.

“Okay, ima go take a shower and you can find a movie” Paige says, setting everything down. “Mhm” I nod as Paige walks into the bathroom.

A couple minutes later Paige walks back in the room, putting on some boxers and a sports bra. “Did you find a movie?” Paige asks, kissing my cheek and laying next to me.

“Yeah, but I didn’t wanna start it without you” I whisper, showing her the movie. “Here’s your food” Paige says, handing me a burrito bowl. “And I got you ice cream, chips, cookies, candy, and drinks” She finishes, pulling the things out the bag.

“Thank you, baby. I love you” I say, pressing a small kiss on her lips. “mhm, I love you too” Paige says, starting the movie.

“It’s called 5 Feet Away” I say, eating my food. “mm” paige nods, watching the movie as she cuddles against me.

☆

“ow” I groan. It’s 11 pm, Paige is sleeping and her daughter won’t leave me alone. “hm?” Paige stirs.

“shit. Ow” I say, tearing up. “What’s wrong, baby?” Paige says, sitting up. “It- it hurts baby. really bad” I cry, gripping the sheet in pain. “here, take this” Paige says, handing me a pain pill.

“shit” I groan. “It’s oaky, baby” Paige soothes, rubbing my back. I don’t know what hits me but i feel emotional all of a sudden. “Paige, what if i’m a bad mom” I cry.

“Baby, you’re gonna be a great mom. I promise” Paige says, wiping my tears. “but-“ I start before Paige cuts me off.

“Y/n you’re gonna be such a good mom, okay?” Paige says, more directly now. I nod while sniffing. “Cmon, let’s go back to bed” Paige whispers, pulling me into her carefully.

“I love you” I whisper into her neck. “I love you too” Paige whispers back as we fall back asleep.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

BLACKTOP HEARTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Blood on the Counter

Roxanne Hart had cleaned blood out of Cherry Diner before. Saint Hollow was not exactly the kind of town where people solved problems with calm conversations and handwritten apologies. Men got drunk. Men got angry. Men threw punches in parking lots beneath flickering neon and then stumbled inside at two in the morning like coffee and a plate of fries could put their lives back together.

But Dean Mercer's blood felt different.

It was on the counter.

On the floor.

On the white napkins clenched in her hand.

And somehow, stupidly, annoyingly, it felt personal.

"Sit down," Roxanne snapped.

Dean stood in the middle of the diner with rainwater dripping from his dark hair and blood sliding from the corner of his mouth. His chest rose and fell too hard, like the fight was still living inside him, begging to continue. His eyes stayed on her. Not the broken table. Not Marlene cursing under her breath.Not the truckers pretending not to watch.

Her.

"I said sit down," Roxanne repeated.

Dean's mouth twitched.

"You always this bossy after midnight?"

"You always this stupid after getting punched in the face?"

That made one of the truckers cough into his coffee. Dean glanced over. The man immediately looked down. Roxanne pretended she did not notice. Dean Mercer had that effect on people. He did not even have to speak. He just looked at someone with those dark, mean eyes and people remembered every bad thing they had ever heard about him.

Roxanne hated that.

She hated it even more that he seemed used to it. Finally, Dean slid onto the stool at the counter. He moved like every inch of him hurt, though she knew he would rather swallow glass than admit it. Roxanne grabbed the first aid kit from beneath the register and slammed it onto the counter. Marlene looked at her from beside the broken table.

"You sure you want to deal with him?"

"No," Roxanne said. "But if he passes out, you'll make me drag him outside."

Dean smiled around his split lip.

"You'd drag me?"

"I'd try."

"Cute."

Roxanne popped open the first aid kit.

"Keep talking and I'll use rubbing alcohol."

"You were gonna use it anyway."

"Now I'll enjoy it."

Dean leaned forward, resting his forearms on the counter. His hands were awful. Split knuckles. Swollen fingers. Blood drying in the creases of his skin. Grease under his nails like he had come straight from the garage to the fight and then from the fight to her. She hated how familiar that thought felt already. Like this was a routine. Like he belonged there after ruining himself.

"You need a doctor," she said.

"No."

"That was not a suggestion."

"I've had worse."

"That does not make you sound tough. It makes you sound damaged."

His eyes flicked up. For half a second, the diner noise disappeared. Rain. Thunder. Marlene sweeping glass. The low hum of the neon sign. It all blurred behind the way Dean looked at her, sharp and still. Then he smiled again, but this one did not reach his eyes.

"Careful, Hart. Keep talking like that and people might think you care."

Roxanne pressed an alcohol pad against his split knuckles. Dean hissed.

"There," she said sweetly. "Enjoying it."

He let out a rough breath through his nose, but he did not pull away. That was the thing that got to her. Dean Mercer fought like a man who could not feel pain, but he sat still beneath her hands like he was afraid if he moved too quickly, she would stop touching him. Roxanne pushed the thought away as soon as it came.

Dangerous.

Dean Mercer was dangerous. Everyone said it and tonight had proved it.

"You cannot do that in here again," she said.

"Was not planning on it."

"You never plan anything. That seems to be your problem."

His eyebrow lifted.

"You got me figured out already?"

"Not hard."

"No?"

"No." She wrapped gauze around his hand tighter than necessary. "You walk around like you want people to be afraid of you, then act surprised when they are." Dean's jaw flexed.

Good.

Maybe something could get through that thick skull.

"You do not know anything about me," he said.

Roxanne looked up at him. The words should have warned her away. Instead, they made her feel like she had stepped too close to a locked door and heard something breathing on the other side.

"I know enough."

Dean leaned closer. The counter between them suddenly felt too small.

"You know rumors."

"I know you just turned my diner into a boxing ring."

"Your diner?"

"I work here enough that I have emotional ownership."

That almost got a real smile from him.

Almost.

Roxanne finished wrapping his hand and reached for his face before she thought better of it. Dean went still. Completely still. Her fingers hovered near his jaw. The cut across his cheek was not deep, but it was bleeding. She could leave it. She should leave it. She should hand him the alcohol pad and let him handle the rest like the grown man he apparently insisted on being. Instead, she touched his chin and tilted his face toward the light. Dean did not not breathe and neither did she.

His skin was warm beneath her fingertips. Rough with stubble. His dark hair curled damp against his temple, feathered and messy in that careless way that probably made half the women in Saint Hollow lose their minds. Roxanne focused on the cut.

Not his mouth.

Not his eyes.

Definitely not the way his gaze dropped to her lips again, slow this time, not even pretending it was accidental.

"Stop that," she whispered.

His voice came low.

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you are trying to start another fight."

Dean's mouth curved.

"With you?"

"You would lose."

His eyes darkened with amusement.

"I might let you win."

Roxanne pressed the alcohol pad to his cheek. Dean flinched and cursed.

"Oops," she said.

"You are mean as hell."

"You walked into that one."

He laughed softly, but the sound faded when she wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. That was the mistake. Touching him there. Her thumb brushed too close to his lower lip, and suddenly the air changed.

It thickened.

He watched her with the kind of intensity that made everything inside her go quiet and loud at the same time. Roxanne pulled her hand away.

"There. You are not dead."

"Disappointed?"

"Extremely."

Dean looked at the gauze on his hand, then back at her.

"You always work nights?"

"That is none of your business."

"So yes."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Do you always get beaten half to death and crawl into diners afterward?"

"That is none of your business."

"So yes."

His grin came slow.

It should have annoyed her. It did annoy her. It also made her stomach do something she refused to name. Marlene appeared behind Roxanne with a broom in her hand and murder in her eyes.

"Mercer, you owe me for that table."

Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out more crumpled bills. He dropped them on the counter without looking away from Roxanne. Marlene counted them.

"This covers half."

"I'll bring the rest tomorrow."

"You better."

"I will."

Marlene studied him a moment, then huffed and walked off. Roxanne crossed her arms.

"Look at that. You can be responsible."

"Do not tell anyone. I have a reputation."

"Your reputation is trash."

"Then I have nothing to lose."

He said it lightly.

Too lightly.

Roxanne heard the truth beneath it anyway. Nothing to lose. That was the kind of thing people said before they drove too fast on wet highways. Before they stepped into underground fights with men twice their size. Before they walked around covered in blood like pain was the only thing that still made sense. She hated that she wondered who had taught him to think that way. The clock above the kitchen window ticked toward three thirty.

The Miller brothers were gone. The truckers had left cash on their table and slipped out during the cleanup. Marlene disappeared into the back to call her husband about the broken table, which left Roxanne alone with Dean beneath the buzzing diner lights. Rain blurred the windows. The jukebox clicked, then switched songs.

A slower one this time.

Something with a guitar that sounded lonely.

Dean looked toward the window.

"You need a ride home?"

Roxanne blinked.

"What?"

"When your shift ends."

"I heard you."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because that is a weird thing to offer after destroying my workplace."

Dean shrugged, but his shoulders looked tense.

"Storm's bad."

"I have walked home in storms before."

"Not tonight."

The words came too quick. Too hard. Roxanne stared at him. There it was again. That strange shift from arrogance to something darker. Not kindness exactly. Something more possessive. More instinctive. Like he had decided something and expected the world to get out of his way.

"You do not get to tell me what to do," she said.

Dean's eyes returned to hers.

"No?"

"No."

For a second, neither of them moved. Then he leaned back, lifting both hands slightly like surrender.

"Fine."

Roxanne did not believe that for one second. The back office door opened and Marlene stepped out.

"Roxie, go home. I'll close."

Roxanne turned.

"What? No. I can finish cleaning."

"I said go home. Storm's getting worse, and I do not need your mama haunting me because I kept you here until sunrise."

Roxanne sighed.

"She would not haunt you."

"She would if she knew this place had boys bleeding in it."

Dean's gaze sharpened. Roxanne felt it before she saw it.

Mama.

People always reacted to that word differently around her. Like grief was a bruise they could see through her uniform. She untied her apron and shoved it beneath the counter.

"I'll walk."

"No, you will not," Marlene said. "Mercer, you still got that car outside?"

Dean stood.

"Yes, ma'am."

Roxanne gave Marlene a betrayed look.

"You cannot be serious."

Marlene pointed at the rain streaked windows.

"I am very serious. He may be trouble, but even trouble is useful in a storm."

Dean looked amused. Roxanne grabbed her jacket from the hook near the kitchen.

"I hate this town."

Dean followed her to the door.

"Thought you hated me."

"I can multitask."

He opened the diner door for her. Cold rain scented air rushed in. Outside, his light blue Camaro sat crooked beneath the neon sign, shining wet under the pink glow. It looked too pretty for someone like him. All sharp lines, chrome, and danger. Like it had been built for speeding away from bad decisions.

Roxanne hesitated.

Dean noticed.

"You scared of cars too?"

"I am scared of men who drive like they have unfinished business with God."

His smile flashed in the dark.

"Smart girl."

She should have walked home. She really should have. Instead, she stepped into the rain. Dean moved beside her without touching her, but close enough that she felt him anyway. Close enough that when thunder cracked overhead, his hand lifted slightly toward her back before he stopped himself.

She noticed.

He noticed her noticing. Neither of them said a word. The Camaro door creaked when he opened it. Roxanne slid inside, instantly surrounded by the smell of leather, smoke, and rain. Cassette tapes littered the console. A black jacket lay in the back seat. The dashboard glowed faintly blue. Dean got in beside her and started the engine. It roared to life like something waking angry. Roxanne buckled her seat belt.

Dean glanced at her.

"What?"

"I like living."

"Did not say anything."

"You looked."

"You always this defensive?"

"With men who bleed on my floor, yes."

He pulled out of the parking lot. The tires hissed over wet pavement. Saint Hollow passed in streaks of neon and darkness. Closed shops. Flickering gas station signs. Empty sidewalks shining with rain. Somewhere in the distance, lightning lit the hills silver. For a while, neither of them spoke. The quiet felt worse than arguing. Roxanne watched Dean's hands on the wheel. One wrapped in her gauze. The other bruised and tense. He drove fast, but not recklessly. Not with her in the car. That realization sat strangely in her chest.

"You live on Magnolia, right?" he asked.

Roxanne turned slowly.

"How do you know that?"

Dean kept his eyes on the road.

"Small town."

"That is not an answer."

"It is the only one you are getting."

Every warning bell in her head rang. But beneath the unease was something else.

A thrill.

Because Dean Mercer knowing where she lived should have scared her. Instead, it made her wonder what else he had noticed. The Camaro slowed at a red light, though there was not another car for miles. Rain streamed down the windshield in silver lines. Dean looked over at her.

In the dark, bruised and cut and soaked in neon, he looked less like a town disaster and more like a secret that had learned how to hurt people first.

"You should stay away from me," he said.

Roxanne's breath caught.

It was the first honest thing he had said all night.

Maybe ever.

She looked at him for a long second. Then she gave him the truth right back.

"I was planning on it."

Description:

In the summer of 1994, a restless teenage Clark Kent sneaks away from Smallville for one night in Gotham, determined to catch a concert by his favorite underground band, The Mighty Crabjoys. But the gritty city holds more than just music. At the packed club, he crosses paths with two other teens: sharp-tongued aspiring journalist Lois Lane, in town for The Pixies' reunion set, and a brooding local rich kid named Bruce Wayne, there with his friend Lois that brought him there expecting him to lighten up.

What starts as a night of punk rock and rebellion turns into a whirlwind of close calls, city secrets, and unlikely connections. Gotham's shadows loom large, but for Clark, Lois, and Bruce, this night might just spark the beginnings of something much bigger than any of them can imagine.

Content ratings: Explicit, M/M, Work in Progress.

Tags:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Lois Lane, Alfred Pennyworth, James "Jimmy" Olsen, Eve Teschmacher, Minor Characters, Kara Zor-El, Punk Rock Clark Kent, Punk Rock Lois Lane, Punk Rock Bruce Wayne, Punk Rock Concerts, Running Away, Origins, Canon Compliant, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Can be read as both canon compliant or canon divergence honestly, legal drugs, Sneaking Out, Typical Tennager Rebellious Behavior, Tennagers/Young Adults, Young Love, First Time, Anal Sex, Superheroes, Vigilante Behavior, Sex, First Kiss, Bruce Wayne is a rich boy locked in his room listening to sad music, Alfred Babysits Him, Lois is there for the drama, Puppy Love, 90’s setting, Teen Crush to Lovers To beefing over how they act as superheroes, that’s a thing now because I say so, Coming of Age

https://archiveofourown.org/works/67637156

“still, i am a fool” by me, “alexaafterrain”

“it’s ok. you don’t have to be strong all the time.” that just made him cry more. he always thought showing emotion made him weak, a nuisance.

you came into his life and he learned that emotions can be beautiful and he’s not weak, he’s just being vulnerable. he learned that being vulnerable was good and was actually what he needed most.

after learning this, he’s made his friendships stronger and isn’t as brash. “suki. you’re so much more than that title of dynamight. you are katsuki bakugou, through and through. please don’t ever forget that.” you kiss his forehead and he hugs you.

“you’ve taught me that men can be vulnerable and actual people.”