kayleigh

[stickwithme1]

@kingdonmicrofic day 7: karaoke. 498/420

When Emma invites Mel to her 26th birthday party, Mel feels absolutely floored.

Even if she truly got along well with Emma (they spoke about books and music or their apparent shared loved for craft fairs and little crochet animals), after working at the Pitt for over a year, she’d sworn to herself that even if she got along well with her co-workers, she wouldn’t convince herself that they were friends, it was easier to avoid heartache.

But Mel knew that since Emma moved from Michigan, the new nurse struggled to make friends outside of work with their hours, so she made the effort to go.

Only to be completely stunned when she found herself in a private karaoke room with a few other nurses from work and a hoard of strange young adults hyping up the current singer.

Completely in over her head, Mel stands in the corner, holding a gift in her hands,feeling awkward until she spots Emma in a short silvery dress. In that moment, she sees Mel and her expression widens as she attempts to run over to her.

“You’re here!” Emma slurs and hugs Mel tightly, catching her by surprise. They’d never hugged before.

“I brought you something.” Mel smiles when she pulls away and lifts the small gift bag. “Happy birthday.”

“Oh, thank you! You shouldn’t have!” Emma says and immediately pulls out her gift, aww-ing when she sees the little crochet platypus, quickly hugging Mel again.

Emma is a fountain of excitement and joy, inviting Mel to put a song in the queue and to join in with everyone else, as she walks away and goes to show off her new present.

Mel smiles, awkward. Uncertain of what to do, she keeps watching Emma who goes to Donnie and shows off the platypus she’d received. Mel is stuck looking, as Donnie smiles tenderly at Emma, one of his hands brushing over her hair, and something tugs in the back of Mel’s mind like a memory.

“Here I thought I was hot shit because I got her a bottle of wine.” A voice comes from behind her.

Seeming to have just arrived, Frank stands with said bottle in a gift bag in his hands, smiling towards Mel as she beams back and she hugs him quickly.

“Why didn’t you mention you were coming? We could’ve come together.”

“Emma just told me today, pretty she wanted me to be here for you.” Frank says, levelling his eyes to her own.

“I’m sure that’s not true. Why would she do that?”

“Because she knows that any party doesn’t start until Mel King walks in.”

Mel laughs that off, knowing how untrue it is. But the look in Frank’s eyes makes her stop laughing very quickly, as her eyes trail down to the smirk on his lips. Quickly, before she can escape he wraps an arm around her shoulders and starts bringing her into the room.

“Come on, King. Let’s find you a Meg song.”

[kayleigh-rae]

love me right - a kingdon fic playlist

accompanying playlist for @disgracedprinceera's and mine popstar mel verse, inspo lines are below the cut for those interested

love me right

"Enchanted" by Taylor Swift Walls of insincerity Shifting eyes and vacancy Vanished when I saw your face All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you

"Butterflies" by Kacey Musgraves I was hiding in doubt ‘til you brought me out of my chrysalis And I came out new All because of you

“Little Wonders” by Rob Thomas And I don’t mind If it’s me you need to turn to We’ll get by It’s the heart that really matters in the end

[kayleigh-rae]

tagged by @nicogayngelo in the last line game, post the last lines from what you're working on! a bit from the outline for the next chapter of the popstar mel au 🎤

tagging @disgracedprinceera, @pansiesandposies, @melika-elena, @manmahal, @miracle-and-wonder, and anyone else that wants to participate

[Para. The call did wonders to shift Frank’s mood, the grief is still hovering there but it’s nothing he’s not used to dealing with. He follows Mel’s security guy through the halls of the arena, fully convinced that he’s going to need a map to find his way back to his car, before they finally make their way backstage. They briefly come to a stop in front of a door emblazoned with Mel’s monogram logo and then he’s once again walking through a door to be met with the sight of Mel King.]

[Para. Except this time, it’s the Mel King that the world sees, hair and make-up done, skin glistening after performing for two hours, and a light cotton dress in place of her sparkly costume. Well, it’s not quite the public Mel King. There are small traces of his Mel coming through though; in the way she looks over Adam’s shoulder while he’s talking, how she lets Becca dominate the conversation, how she keeps wringing her hands in front of her stomach.]

[Para. Becca is carefully recapping every detail of the concert until she looks around and spots him.]

Becca: Mel, he came!

[Para. Mel finally turns to look at him and he swears her eyes get lighter as they meet his.]

Mel: Hi

Frank: Hi

Becca: In all the times you talked about him, you didn’t mention how nice his eyes were!

[Para. How often was she talking about him for Becca to keep mentioning it? Frank looks over at Mel, expecting to see an apology written on her face, but she’s practically glaring at her sister. But that can’t, she can’t…]

[disgracedprinceera]

title: love me right (popstar mel AU) (1/2) authors: disgracedprinceera and @kayleigh-rae ship(s): mel/frank rating: t primary tags: alternate universe: music, popstar mel, meet-cute, flirting, divorced frank langdon, virgin mel king summary: Frank Langdon has spent the last couple years adjusting to his new normal: keeping his head down at work, being a present father, navigating co-parenting, and making sure his sobriety sticks this time around. Those are his priorities; dating doesn’t even break the top ten. Or, at least that’s what Frank thinks before she walks into the ED: Mel King. Global superstar. notes: written for @kingdonweek's "fame and glory" prompt.

Normally, that wouldn’t mean anything to him. The evening of their divorce, Abby—after they’d spent all day together with the kids—had sent him a playlist titled Divorced Dad Rock on Spotify along with the text: your marital status finally caught up to your music taste. He’d laughed then, sent her a couple of emojis, blowing a kiss and a middle finger, and went back to microwaving his pitiful frozen dinner. So no, he shouldn’t, by all accounts, recognize her. However, Penny has played that coffee song non-stop all summer, Tanner joining in the madness eventually. 

By early-July, Frank gave up trying to get his kids to listen to anything else. A mere ten days later, he’d gone down the Mel King rabbit hole, first because a responsible parent should know what media his kids are consuming and then out of sheer interest. To say he felt relieved to find out she wasn’t some hypersexualized 18-year-old is an understatement. 

But the Mel King that exists in the media is completely different from the woman lying on this hospital bed. Gone are the sparkly stage costumes, pin-up hair, and make-up, and in their place: leggings, an oversized tee, braided hair, and glasses. The latter short circuits his brain a bit; he always did have a thing for them, the trend broken with Abby’s nearly perfect vision. 

He must be a little too hung up on the way her tortoiseshell glasses set off her hazel eyes because Princess elbows him sharply in his side, her smile tight. And great, just what he needs. Within the hour, everyone will know that he fumbled his introduction before he could even properly start. 

read on AO3

[kayleigh-rae]

hope everyone enjoys!

[disgracedprinceera]

title: but i keep quiet (from strangers 'verse) authors: disgracedprinceera and @kayleigh-rae ship(s): mel/frank rating: e (later chapter) primary tags: canon divergence, unplanned pregnancy, discussion of abortion, infidelity, mother-daughter relationship, caregiver burnout, melmisery summary: five times Mel almost called Frank during her pregnancy, and one time Frank almost called her after their baby's birth. notes: written for @kingdonweek's "oops accidental pregnancy" prompt and melpreg summer. takes place in our strangers 'verse aka pittfest baby.

Becca’s galaxy projector bathes her bedroom in soft blue light, making her visible to Mel’s tired eyes. For three minutes now, she’s stared at her sister’s form in the center of the bed, still but for the gentle rise and fall of her chest—a far cry from Becca’s typical restless movement. She must be exhausted then. That makes two of them. 

Despite her bone-deep weariness, Mel stands in the doorway—watching, waiting—until the shifting, swirling blue begins to make her queasy. For Becca’s sake, she tries to hold out, to ignore it, for as long as she can.

(Today, yes. But this isn’t just about today. Those same sentiments have held true for dangerously close to a month now, and time is running short.)

---

read on ao3

read all of strangers

[kayleigh-rae]

a little pittfest baby treat for kingdon week and melpreg summer

[xskywalker21]

you look so pretty, pretty like the sun

I could watch forever while you shine on everyone

@kingdonweek | wedding

[mateo-diaz]

KINGDON WEEK [ day one ] ↳ different first meeting

aka the AU where mel signs up for a notoriously tough online class and has heard horror stories about the old man professor who is awful at technology and doesn't know how to teach online, but thankfully the TA is hot nice and very helpful, and they end up bonding...

made with help by @fromiftowhen <3

[pansiesandposies]

Title: Lowball Glass
Fandom: The Pitt
Pairing: Mel King/Frank Langdon
Category: F/M
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: “I’m sorry, I’m not looking for a date right now,” Mel says, only a little disappointed in herself for turning him down. She reminds herself that she barely has time to breathe, let alone time to go out with some stranger who could very well be a serial killer. He’s handsome enough to get away with it, honestly. “Believe it or not I’m at a work mixer. I’m just, uh, failing at the mixing part.” His eyebrows lift, cheeks going pink enough to be noticeable even with the odd lighting of the club. Then he lifts his left hand, flashing a wedding ring at Mel. “Sorry, I realize how flirty I came off there. I’m not looking for a date either, I really just wanted to see if you wanted to talk. No ulterior motives.” Or, the night before her first shift at PTMC, Mel goes to a mixer with some of the other new residents.
Word Count: 5,524
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

@kingdonweek

[cemeterycigs]

POV: your coworker is locked out of her apartment after you both worked a 14 hour shift so you obviously had to share a bed and you're being like, totally normal about it.

for kingdon week 2026

[manmahal]

Y'all...

There are fics and there are fanfics that you remember years from when you read them. I don't say it lightly but this one is one of those for me.

Please, if you're looking for a great Kingdon fic, read "Don't delete the kisses" by @disgracedprinceera and @kayleigh-rae. I'm serious. This is The Writing Duo of the fandom and you won't find a humbler set!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/72442481/chapters/188638091

[disgracedprinceera]

you are the sweetest! i'll pay for your therapy bill, i promise! (i hope they accept explicit fic as compensation...)

[kayleigh-rae]

@manmahal stoppppppp it is such an honor to share this space with you! i love my fandom friends!!!

[disgracedprinceera]

title: don't delete the kisses authors: disgracedprinceera and @kayleigh-rae ship(s): mel/frank, background mel/other and frank/other rating: e primary tags: possessive behavior, jealousy, angst with a happy ending, mutual pining, they're unhinged your honor summary: After two years in Pittsburgh, Mel’s ready for a serious relationship. Frank would love nothing more than to be that guy for her except he’s six months out from his second relapse and trying to do things right this time around. When Mel brings her new flame to the ED’s holiday party, Frank’s possessiveness gets the best of him, and it only gets worse from there.

Chapter 3 (out of 5) is up!

[kayleigh-rae]

and playlist for anyone that’s interested!

[kayleigh-rae]

I was so excited to see the Don’t Delete The Kisses update but when felt so disappointed and confused with the authors’ notes. I thought the whole point of waiting over half a year to post the interlude chapter was that the rest of the story would be completed, so you could post quickly and avoid the cliffhanger angst? Instead the next chapter is “outlined”? Which, was how you framed the story in the first chapter, as outlined and almost done? You might have bitten off more than you can chew.

so the only thing i respect is that you sent this message to both of us

but other than that, kindly feel free to ignore anything else that we work on. we do this for free and for fun as a way to decompress from full-time jobs and real life responsibilities.

i don’t know how you exercise creativity but the reason why the story isn’t wrapped up the way we initially thought is because the more we sat with it, the more we wanted to fully flesh out these versions of the characters. if you don’t find that interesting, ao3 is free and open to explore

also, feel free to link your ao3, tumblr, or any other page where your work is featured so i can judge if you’re able to handle something since apparently we can just make those assessments without knowing a single thing about someone

[rosenfinchzz]

Kissing practice

[princessdelacruz]

puddle

Mel pulls her cardigan across her body tighter. The forecast didn’t call for rain when she checked it this morning, but she can spot a sea of gray clouds looming in the distance from her spot atop the hill.

It’s fitting.

Rachel King always loved the rain.

She places the flowers in the grave cone: A carefully curated bouquet of daisies, lilies and delicate white baby’s breath. She settles cross legged on the grass not caring that her jeans will be damp with mildew by the time she’s done.

“Sorry we haven’t been back. Life’s been pretty busy.”

Mel extends her left hand, the stone on her ring finger catching on the last few remaining rays of sunlight.

“I’m getting married and Aunt Sandra wanted to celebrate.” A laugh escapes her. “You know how she is.”

She’s said it a dozen times by now, reiterated the events using so many different combination of words to coworkers, extended family, her book club and even to the local flower shop owner down by the street from their apartment, but it still hasn’t sunken in yet.

Last Saturday as they both got ready for another twelve hour day, she’d walked into their bedroom and found Frank’s jeans by the bathroom door. He had a nasty habit of leaving clothes scattered about that quietly drove Mel mad. As she bent to gather them up, the box had slipped out of his pocket and onto the carpet. She’d frozen for too long, her mind racing through all the possibilities while the frustration subsided. By the time she’d gained control of her hands and picked it up, the door swung open.

“Sweetheart…”

“Ask me.” Mel said holding her entire future in the palm of her hand. “Ask me. Please, Frank.”

And he did, right then and there, clad in only a towel around his hips.

“Did you send him to me?” The rain picks up. A puddle pools on the etched marble stone right under the words ‘loving mother’. Water droplets mix with the tears on her cheeks. “Frank..he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. He makes me so happy, Mom.”

“And he loves Becca, too.” Mel sniffles. She recounts the time they tried to surprise her after a long and dreadful shift by making her mom’s famous apple pie. It was two months into the relationship. Mel had come home to flour all over the kitchen as well as all over their clothes and hair.

He’d pointed to Becca like a child, claiming, ‘She started it.’

To which she’d stuck out her tongue in his direction, ‘You’re an asshole, Frank.’

The pie tasted nothing like their mother’s recipe—too much cinnamon— but watching them crack jokes with each other as they cleaned was enough to wash away the horrors she’d seen that day. It was the moment she knew he was it.

“She’s excited to give me away.” She says, after a few moments. “But said she’d only do it because it’s Frank..and that she’s not going to do it again.”

Mel is sure she won’t have to.

‘Two peas in a pod’ is what her father always said. While Mel knew her mother loved her with everything she had, the bond with Becca was special. Fiercely protective, not overbearing—her parents made sure they both had the same opportunities of other kids their age—but one snide remark and Rachel King wouldn’t hesitate to put another mother and her son in their place or get kicked out of the playground for trying.

“We’re okay, Mom.” The sunlight kisses her skin again. Warm, bright and healing. She places her fingers against her lips, then to the stone. “We’ll be okay.”

(The next time Mel visits her mother, she isn’t alone. She places the black and white sonogram on her gravestone, Frank by her side.)

[xskywalker21]

📸🫶🏼!

[princessdelacruz]

social media au: kingdon fluff

[rosenfinchzz]

Date for dinner ✨