#oqfixitweek

[starscythe]

Day 6 of @oqfixitweek - Roni day

Roni has a huge crush on her bookish regular (Robin) but is too scared to do anything about it.

[somewhereapart]

Parks and Wreck (OQ AU)

She's known him – known of him anyway, since the beginning.

He's head of the Parks department, and she's the Mayor, she could never have not known him; he works for her.

And yes, of course, she had noticed early on the dimples, and the scruffy bearded jawline, and that ridiculously attractive lumberjack look of a man who spends all his days dealing with the ins and outs of the Storybrooke wilderness.

But there'd always been one problem, and that's that he's insufferable.

A smirky, snarky, entirely-unintimidated-by-her, arrogant… ass.

And then there was the matter of that tattoo.

She'd seen it the first summer here, the first warm day, had zoomed in on it with an almost comical, movie-esque precision as he'd held his son's hand on Main Street, a drippy chocolate ice cream cone in the other.

Her heart had thudded so hard she'd thought Ruby would hear it from four feet away, but the waitress had only sidled up to where Regina was standing gobsmacked in the entrance to Granny's outdoor seating, and followed her stunned gaze.

"I know, right?" the younger girl had sighed. "I wanna climb that man like a tree."

The possessive anger that had had Regina imagining the satisfying crunch of Ruby's neck as it wrenched too far around with a well-placed flick of the wrist had been… surprising. She'd had just one thought – Mine. Okay, maybe one more: Back off, bitch.

And then she'd had to remind herself – she didn't choose him, she chose this. Her curse. She'd walked away in favor of vengeance and her own happy ending (so then shouldn't she have this now – him – her soulmate? Is that why he's here?), and it's not as though channeling Ruby's more… animal instincts into lust rather than murder hadn't been built into said curse, so she couldn't hold that against her, she'd supposed.

Still, she'd glared, murmured, "Private thoughts, public place," to the girl a mere thirty seconds before the head of her Parks department had passed with his boy. He'd smiled at her, nodded his head, had Madam Mayored as usual, except this time it had made butterflies erupt in her stomach. Her smile in return had been practiced and stiff, her limbs melting.

It was stupid – she'd known him for months.

He was an ass. An arrogant, smirky, irritating… ass. (He had a great ass…)

She doesn't like him. This isn't… this isn't what a soulmate should feel like. (He gets under her skin, always; she looks forward to seeing him as much as she dreads it, but well, Graham isn't the only eye candy in town and sometimes she likes a guilt-free fantasy to occupy her lonelier nights – she can kiss that goodbye now that she knows who he really is, she supposes.)

So no, no, she doesn't think this is… Well, it's just not the right time. She has her town, she has her job, she has the beginnings of calm, the dregs of night terrors, the vault of potions, the hollow echo of magic in her bones, in the streets. She has anger, still, and pain, and not much else. She'd be no good for him like this, she needs more time.

And besides, she doesn't like him anyway.

Continue on Ao3 or FFnet.

[believingispowerfulmagic]

OQ Fix It Fic Week Day 6: Second Chances

@oqfixitweek Day 6: Roni Day

Uses the following prompt: Roni gives a homeless person (Robin) a job in her bar

           She discovered him sleeping in his car in the alley when she went to throw out her garbage one chilly Seattle morning. It was a beat-up piece of crap she believed was once green but now covered in dirt and mud. A person’s whole life appeared crammed into it—pillows, blankets, clothes, knick-knacks—and sleeping in the middle of it all, a man about her age. He had matted blond hair and a matching beard. She couldn’t see much more as he had wrapped his blanket around him like a cocoon to stay warm.

           He wasn’t the first homeless person she had encountered living in Hyperion Heights and she tried to help out those she could with a dollar here or there, but he was the first one she felt really drawn to help. It almost felt like they were meant to meet and she was supposed to give him a second chance.

           Not that Roni would ever admit it out loud. She didn’t believe in things like fate or that spiritual junk.

           But she tapped on the window, startling the man awake. He blinked open beautiful blue eyes and she almost felt like she had once drowned in them before. She shook the feeling off as she motioned for him to roll down the window so they could talk.

           He sighed, leaning over to lower the window and immediately launched into a spiel he must’ve been used to giving. “Sorry. I’ll move the car so I won’t be your way anymore. Just give me a couple minutes.”

           Roni was surprised to hear him speak with a British accent and wondered what brought him to Seattle. But she figured she’ll find that out in good time. For now, she had something else to ask him: “Do you need a job?”

           “What?” he asked, blinking in confusion. He then stared up at her, making her fidget.

           She barreled on, hoping she wasn’t making a fool of herself. “My custodian quit on me the other night and I could use with someone who can help me keep the place clean. The pay won’t be so great and I can’t offer you benefits, but I can give you a lot of hours to come up with something resembling a decent paycheck. If you want it.”

           He stared at her. “Really? You would just hire me like that?”

           “Consider me desperate,” she said, trying to play it cool. “So, you want it or not?”

           “Yes, yes. Thank you,” he replied, gratitude and relief in his eyes. “I also have my own tools in here so I won’t need those. And I promise I’m legal. I can work in the States.”

           He then held out his hand to her. “I’m Rex, by the way.”

           “Rex?” she asked with a snort, unable to help herself. “Isn’t that a dog’s name?”

           “I had strange parents, what can I say?” He shrugged before giving her a little smirk. “I trust that won’t keep you from hiring me now.”

           She shrugged as well. “I guess there are worst names to have.”

           “And may I ask who I am working for?” he asked, eyes sparkling as he looked up at her.

           “Roni,” she said, finally shaking his hand. “Named the bar after me, so you’ll be able to find it. I’ll see you at three?”

           He nodded. “I’ll be there. And Roni? Thank you.”

           “No, thank you. Really saving my life here.” She gave him a wink with both eyes while stepping away from his car to head back inside as she ignored the way her heart wanted to beat right out of her chest.

           Rex was a model employee. He showed up on time, looking neat but appropriately attired for work as a custodian, and performed his tasks skillfully. He also went over and beyond what she asked of him, doing repairs to parts of the building and making some improvements for her. Rex kept the bar clean and everything running smoothly, which Roni was grateful for.

           After a month of working for her, Rex came in one day and told her that he would like to give her an official address for his payroll file. She recognized it as an apartment building not far from her bar and was glad he was able to find a good place to live now. He said he didn’t have much by way of furniture yet, but he didn’t mind sleeping on the floor. She felt awkward buying him furniture but did purchase him an air mattress, insisting it was a housewarming present. “Besides, I can’t have you throwing out your back, right?” she asked, trying to brush off the conversation.

           She turned away, knowing that if she saw his beaming smile and those irresistible dimples, her stomach would do flips and she would flush. And that would ruin her tough girl exterior.

           A few days after he got a new place, Rex came in with shorter hair. It still appeared thick but it was cut close, especially on the sides, and revealed some silver there. She stared at him for a few minutes, knowing her mouth was open, and he started to squirm. “I, um, finally got my hair cut. Does it look bad?” he asked.

           “No,” she said, almost stuttering. “It looks…good…on you.”

           He grinned, running his hand through his hair before rubbing his chin. “I also got a shave. That beard was a bit too much, yeah?”

           When he moved his hand, she saw that the long beard was gone though there was still hair covering his cheeks and jawline. It gave him a scruffy but handsome look and she swallowed, nodding stupidly. “Yeah…”

           “Well, I’m glad I look a bit neater. And I feel lighter,” he said, grinning as he walked past the bar. “I’ll go get started on the floors for today and leave you to your tasks. See you in a bit, Roni.”

           “Yeah,” she said again, feeling like the biggest fool on the planet.

           Once he was gone, she groaned as she covered her face with his hands. She hadn’t expected to fall in lust with her janitor when she hired him, she just wanted to help him out. But here she was. So what did she do? Suffer in silence and wait for the feelings to ultimately fade or make a move and hope Rex was receptive to it?

           That seemed like too much of a risk, though, and she didn’t want to drive off the best janitor she ever had. So it seemed she was going to have to suffer in silence. Her crush would fade over time, she knew.

           At least, she hoped.

           Rex started to open to Roni as he continued to work for her. He talked about how he came to America to attend university, studying political science and finding work with a non-profit that helped the less fortunate back East in Boston. While working there, he met and fell in love with a woman named Madison. The two married but she became sick within a year of her marriage. “It was cancer and it was aggressive. The doctors tried to fight it with just as much aggression but it was no use, she died shortly after our second wedding anniversary,” he told her.

           “I’m sorry,” Roni said, squeezing his hand. She then poured him a glass of whiskey, holding it out to him. “On the house. Don’t tell the boss.”

           He chuckled, taking a sip of the whiskey. Setting down the glass, he continued: “Living in Boston was unbearable, so I quit and moved faraway. Seattle seemed pretty far.”

           “That it is,” she agreed, pouring herself a whiskey as well.

           “I tried to find a job similar to the one I had in Boston but I found my heart wasn’t in it anymore,” he confessed. “So I went to go find myself. Unfortunately, my savings ran out before I could find who I was and I found myself living in my car, which thankfully I had paid off before I moved out here.”

           Roni’s heart broke listening to his story and she rested her hand over his. “Have you found yourself yet?”

           He shook his head before smiling, lacing his fingers with hers. “But I think I’m getting closer, thanks to you.”

           She smiled, ignoring the way her heart beat faster and her skin grew warmer as he continued to hold her hand. “Well, glad to help.”

           Roni took another sip of her whiskey before sharing her own story of woe. “I opened this place with my high school sweetheart, Darren. He’s the one who named it after me. I wasn’t that narcissistic or unimaginative,” she told him.

           “I think it’s a good name,” he replied, now rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

           She shrugged. “I guess so. Anyway, we got everything up and running and things were good. We even felt secure enough to discuss marriage but then these two really drunk guys got into a stupid argument. Darren went to break it up and in the blink of an eye, was stabbed with a broken bottle.”

           “Oh god,” he breathed, giving her hand a squeeze as she took another sip of her whiskey.

           Once she swallowed, she continued: “I called the police and the ambulance. The EMTs got him stable and rushed him to the hospital but there was little the doctors could do since he lost too much blood. I barely got to say goodbye and tell him I loved him before he was gone.

           “People thought it was weird that I continued to run this bar but it was our dream, you know? I couldn’t just walk away from it, from him. And I’m glad I haven’t. It’s everything to me.” She smiled as she glanced around at the bar.

           Rex let go of her hand and picked up his glass. “I propose a toast. To those we’ve loved and lost.”

           “To them,” she said, clinking her glass against his. She then took a sip. “Thanks for listening. It’s been a long time since I talked about Darren.”

           “Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.” He gave her a little half smile.

           She smiled back, squeezing his hand. “Same to you. Listening is kinda my specialty, being a bartender and all.”

           He laughed and they finished their whiskey in a comfortable silence as Roni realized that maybe, it wasn’t a crush after all.

           Maybe—just maybe—it was love.

           Roni locked up after the last of the Halloween crowd finally staggered out the door. She pulled off her Marilyn Monroe wig with a weary sigh, leaning against the door. “Thank god. I thought they would never leave,” she said. “Cash out and then clock out. I’ll see you all tomorrow. Or later today. Whatever.”

           Her staff eagerly finished up and left, leaving only her and Rex behind. Rex took off the leather jacket for his James Dean costume, hanging it behind the bar as he stared at the mess left behind by the revelers. “This isn’t too bad,” he said.

           “You can go home,” she told him. “I can handle this.”

           He shook his head, grabbing the broom. “I’m your janitor. This is my job. Let me do it, please. You go home.”

           “I am home,” she reminded him, pointing to the ceiling. On the other side was her living room, which led to her very enticing bed. But she wasn’t going to leave him alone with this mess. “Let’s do this together, then. It’ll go faster.”

           Rex nodded, handing her the broom before retrieving his mop. They worked together in silence, slowly but surely cleaning up the mess. Once the last garbage bag was tossed into the dumpster, Roni placed her money into the safe and closed it for the night before locking her office. “Time to hit the hay,” she said.

           She turned, finding Rex at the jukebox. Frowning, she approached him. “What are you doing?”

           “I was thinking about what you said to Henry earlier,” he told her. “You know, about moving on and taking chances? I thought I would take a chance of my own.”

           Her heart beat wildly in her chest and her palms grew sweaty. “Oh? How so?”

           Rex selected a song, playing Yazoo’s “Only You,” before turning to her. He held out his hand. “Will you dance with me? And, maybe, go out for dinner tomorrow? Er, tonight?”

           “I would love to,” she said, taking his hand. “And the same goes for dinner.”

           The smile gave her as he pulled her close was bright enough to rival the sun but she didn’t mind looking into it. She smiled back as they danced around the bar. It had been a long time since Roni had felt loved and safe like she did in his arms and she hoped the feeling never ended.

           Lying her head on his shoulder, she was glad she took a chance on the homeless guy sleeping in his car behind her bar.

[ninzied]

Home [OQ]

For @oqfixitweek, Day 2: fix the Zelena baby situation.

Everything reminds him of her, here in this city that never shuts off – and neither do his thoughts, it seems, always searching for her, finding her wherever he can: in Roland’s pleas for more mint chocolate chip, in those spiced cider candles that Marian can’t seem to stand, even in the little black raven that’s made an unlikely home of their windowsill.

Regina is everywhere to him and yet nowhere at once, at least not where it matters – not in his arms, smiling that smile that he’s helpless to kiss, not in his bed where a wife he can’t recognize lies beside him instead, and even if he hadn’t begun to guess at her secrets (a terrible strangeness, a simmering unease), he’s no way of making it back to Regina, of letting her know that he’d left his heart at the town line with her.

Until one afternoon when his eyes alight on the raven – cocking its head at him as if to say Well what’s taken so long? – and perhaps it’s a ridiculous notion, but Robin’s too desperate for her to care anymore, and two days after he’s scribbled a note and sent it away, there’s an answering knock at the door, and a young boy of fourteen just behind it, hands on his hips with a scowl that he could only have learned from his mother, “So are you and Roland ready to go or what?”

[brookeap3]

Whiskey Neat

Robin is cursed to work for Victoria Belfrey. But he comes into Roni’s bar regularly to drown his woes in whiskey. She can’t stand him. Or so she tells herself. Except for when he flirts with her and she can’t help the pesky butterflies in her stomach.

A/N: A little drabble in this verse I‘m considering for Day 6 of @oqfixitweek Roni day!

It’s after one o’clock in the morning when she hears the ding of the door opening and closing unexpectedly. She’d kicked everyone out at midnight after all, and even though she’s technically open for another hour, Roni hadn’t been anticipating any customers.

When she catches a glimpse of who it is, she can’t help but roll her eyes.

“I should have known she'd send you.” Roni comments idly as Grant takes a seat on what's quickly become his regular barstool. She doesn't even look up from the glass she's polishing as she tells him, “You might as well turn your Armani self around. I'm not changing my mind. Victoria Belfrey is not getting my bar.”

He surprises her when he replies, “I'm not here about that, Roni. Just a man looking for a decent glass of whiskey. Thought you might be able to oblige a fellow.”

Dark brown eyes lift hastily at that, meeting cool blue, the color of the ocean on a warm day, and for a moment the pair of them stare at each other. Roni’s expression puzzled, Grant’s amused while he waits her out. Seems Mr. Hawthorne isn't entirely Victoria’s lap dog. Huh. Interesting.

Curiosity peaked, Roni smirks. Barely. A hint of a smile playing over the corners of her mouth as she tosses the rag down and trades the pint glass for a lowball, reaching for his preferred Laphroaig and pouring two fingers of it into the glass she places in front of him.

“Rough day at the office?” She asks, serving the friendly neighborhood sounding board that comes with the job, some of their usual banter returning to her tone. Grant chuckles, fingers the glass for a moment before knocking back a portion of it, Adam's apple bobbing with the action. It's more distracting than she'd like it to be, the subtle ripple catching her attention, igniting a few of her glands that have been sorely neglected for far too long. Still, he's the enemy. Helping the witch take over this community bit by bit, driving out the uniqueness that makes Hyperion Heights special.

Tilting his head at her, amusement in his gaze, Grant replies, “You could say that. Boss isn't a joy when she's been bested.”

“Well I don't doubt that for a minute. Wish I could say I'm sorry but…” her voice trails off for a second, curls bouncing as she tilts her head and shrugs a shoulder, “I'm no liar.” She finishes, shifting to take another glass down from the shelf and pours herself her own helping of the amber liquid. Tonight's a celebration after all and with Grant her only customer at the moment she doesn't see one reason not to join him.

It’s not the first night the two of them have been in these exact positions and shared a glass.

He laughs out right at that and as much as she hates to admit it, even to herself, it's a gorgeous sound. Rich and rambunctious, and dammit, it makes her smile in return. This pesky fluttering of her heart when he’s around can lead to nothing but trouble.

“To fighting the power,” she offers, lifting her glass and waiting until Grant mirrors her pose, clinking his with hers in salute, before she tips her glass back and lets the whiskey burn deliciously down her throat, warming her limbs.

The war may have only just begun (and she’s certain Victoria will have some sort of retaliation up her sleeve), but she’s won this battle at least and she’ll sure as hell take the victory over the loss of everything she’s worked for.

A celebratory lap of whiskey and company she would be wise to be cautious of, despite the way her heart whispers that Grant Hawthorne is more than meets the eye, doesn’t hurt her moody any either.

[oqfixitweek]

Outlaw Queen Fix It Week - Roundup

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this week! 65 participants created an amazing 305 entries. I am in awe of #OutlawQueen shippers right now!

If you haven’t seen all of the entries I’m sure the writers and artists who took part would love it if you could reblog, retweet, review or leave a message on them (if you get the chance). You can find masterlists for each day below:

Monday 23rd - Robin never died Day

Tuesday 24th - Fix the Zelena baby situation Day

Wednesday 25th - Quest to get Robin back Day

Thursday 26th - The events after 4A never happened Day

Friday 27th - Off-screen Day

Saturday 28th - Roni Day

Sunday 29th - Dark!OQ Day

And these people participated in all 7 days so have won a Roni button:

ouater YoungOutlaw23 DreamshadeIvy Inlovewithlanap Starscythe angry_fish CarolinaMR9 ourheroregina Sparkles21_ GlindaLoveShoes ankareeda willow1411 SweetonDreams BakerStreet_Me OQIsForever AEBrim FlaviaOttaviane jenningzzz teresaSortiz quiller_queen imnikkiheat QueenOfTheMM Lunatwilight07 @just-an-outlaw​ Wicked__Regal gotatheory ariestess69 sjcarter23 persnickets thequeensxthief RegalPixieDust verkaiking audreysl0ve SomewhereApart @thiefwithacode @4cullensandablack

Please send a DM with your address so I can get this button sent out to you!

[queenieappleby]

Day 5 - @oqfixitweek - Regina spends time with Baby Isabella a.k.a. Peanut (which happens to be hers). I think it’s fixed! :

XOXO, 

Ana 

[thisisamadhouse]

No one gets left behind

For @oqfixitweek Day 2: Henry saves the day before Zelena gets pregnant. A little something that sprung into my head during 3 very long hours at the hairdresser. Unbetaed, all mistakes are mine.

You may be a teenage boy but you have lived with a single mom all your life, you know more about how women think and feel than most men ever care to find out. Your mom may be the strongest person you have ever met but heartbreak affects everyone one way or the other, and your mom has suffered through it more times than she will ever be willing to tell you.

When she comes back from the town line, after saying goodbye to Robin and Roland, you can see that something is different, a light has dimmed in her eyes, the smile she gives you is forced and strained, and she can’t keep up the charade for long. You don’t bother asking her how she is, you just stay close, and you pretend that you crave ice cream and hot chocolate and a movie, because that’s what your mom used to do when you were sick. When tears start falling along her cheeks halfway through the film, you lean your head on her shoulder and ignore the droplets, you just hug her and hope that for once she will let you be the strong one.

Robin calls her when they arrive at the apartment in New-York, but the conversation is short and awkward, and your mom takes deep breaths afterward that sound like sobs. They text a bit, but one day you see your mom look at her phone after it dinged and just put it down without replying, her eyes even sadder.

A couple days later, Will Scarlet sits next to you at Granny’s and asks you how your mom is, Robin is worried, he says, she hasn’t been replying in a while. You understand how much your mom is hurting so you take it upon yourself to reassure Robin. You text him, and even call sometimes when you get a new comic book you want to share with Roland. The little boy loves his storytime with you, but you can hear how difficult it is for them all. Even through the phone you hear Robin and Marian argue, the way Roland’s breath hitch, and you can imagine him cuddling around his monkey and gripping the phone tighter. You feel for him, this little guy who has been dragged between worlds, whose dead mother suddenly reappeared, who has been separated from his honorary uncles, it’s a lot.

You ask him how life at home is, and when he tells you about the fights and the slammed doors, and ‘I don’t think Mama likes me very much’, it raises red flags. You plunge yourself back into the story book, and you read whatever you can find about Robin and Maid Marian, and it just doesn’t match with the angry, insecure woman who asked Robin to delete Regina’s number from his phone.

You don’t tell your mother about your doubts, you don’t want to give her hope in case you’re wrong, or to make her feel guilty that she let them go over the town line with an impostor. The timing is what worries you, that Emma and Hook found Marian so soon after Zelena’s apparent demise. Her magic was strong enough to reopen the portal and you wonder, you wonder.

When you hear a particularly vicious fight during another phone call to Roland, you decide to ask the Merry Men what Marian was like when they knew her, and nothing they say reassure you. So you share your doubts with your grandparents and the Blue Fairy, and though they are skeptical -their almost pitying expressions telling you that they think you’re grasping at straws-, what you found is a matter of concern. The Fairy concoct some sort of revealing potion to uncover magical disguises, enchants a map so that you can find your way into Storybrooke, and you also decide to bring the magic blocking cuff with you.

You tell both your mothers that you’re going camping in the woods with David, and for once you’re glad to have the support of an adult for one of your schemes because they both bring the full force of their inquisitive stares unto you, and you’re two seconds away from squirming before they nod and wish you a good weekend.

The two of you take off, and David’s expression when you reach New-York is priceless. You guide him around, and it feels so strange to be back here. You’ve always felt that this city was extraordinary, bigger than life, but after spending time in little Storybrooke with all its magic and fairytale characters, Big Apple seems rather normal.

You both observe the building where Robin and his family live, and wait until you’re sure that the former Prince of Thief is alone with Roland to go inside. They are shocked to see you, though Roland is overjoyed, jumping into your arms and talking a mile a minute, Robin pales and you can see that he is assuming the worst. You’re not sure if your explanations will soothe his fears.

He is glad to know that your mom is alright, well mostly anyway, but when you tell him what really brought you here, he is dumbfounded and upset. He doesn’t want to believe it, who would really? He has been duped, and he has to come to term with it. You tell him that you can give him proof, and you all wait for ‘Marian’ ’s return in tense silence.

The moment she walks through the door you throw the potion on her, and the dark-skinned startled brunettesoon morphs into a familiar angry redhead. David seizes her, and you put the cuff on her wrist, ignoring her protests, before turning back towards Robin and Roland. The boy is clinging to his horrified father and you feel sorry for them, they have lost Marian a second time and there is nothing you can say to make it better.

“I think it’s time to go home,” you tell them, and they look dazed as they nod.

They gather their meagre possessions and follow you to the larger car you borrowed from the dwarves.

Your mothers are waiting for you at the town line, and you’re not surprised, you knew it was only a matter of time, but it was worth it. Your mom freezes when she sees who gets out of the car, and her face turns ashen as Zelena appears. Roland runs towards her, and she embraces him tightly, Robin isn’t far behind. In any other circumstances their matching confused expressions could be comical, but not now, not when your mom and Robin are shedding tears, both, you suspect, in happiness at being reunited, and in grief at the tragedy surrounding it.

You join them, and your mom looks at you in wonder. “You brought them back to me, Henry. You figured it all out! How?” She asks you, and you smile at her.

“It didn’t sound right, none of it did, I had to be sure that your happy ending hadn’t been ruined for nothing,” you answer, and she engulfs you in her arms, and Robin squeezes your shoulder affectionately, and Roland is pressed in the middle of you all.

Your mom did say that one day you would have more family than you would know what to do with.