side blog I wanted to post my fics to but now it's just for reblogging writing-related stuff and my fics to keep them in one place | Ao3: wikiangela |main blog
Tommy smiles at the sight. He still remembers their conversation during their first date, and he kind of wants to laugh. Before he thinks too much about it, he likes the post — he's pretty sure it's against the unwritten "rules" to like an ex's post, but anyway.
He doesn't think about it much when he types out "glad to see you're still such a great ally 😉🏳️🌈" and posts the comment. Then he clicks on Evan's profile, and almost laughs when he sees a rainbow emoji in his bio. Tommy checks out the last few posts, just out of curiosity, to see what he's been up to. He already popped up on his feed for once, Tommy might as well look around a little.
on a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again
pairing: Tommy/Charlie (OMC)
rating: G
words: 2k
[read on Ao3]
"You might not believe it, but I swear, I didn't do that on purpose," the man says, his voice warm and pleasant, like honey to Tommy's ears.
"Wha- why wouldn't I believe that?" Tommy asks, confused, his brain feels fogged over. Damn, it's been a while since he lost his head over a hot guy like this.
"Because in about sixty seconds I'll ask you for your number, and I don't want you to think I spilled your coffee on purpose just to get the attention of the hottest guy here," he explains, as if it made perfect sense to him. Tommy's just more confused.
"Who the fuck does that?" he asks, frowning, and the man laughs loudly. He's weird. Tommy digs it. He's intrigued and a little amused by the situation.
"You'd be surprised," the man just says with a shrug.
"So, I heard that Lila met your boyfriend today," he says through a chuckle, and Tommy rolls his eyes. Of course Charlie already knew about his encounter with Evan, but leave it to his kid to twist his words.
"She already tattled, huh?" Tommy laughs, shakes his head, as he walks around the kitchen island to get to his husband. "I told her he was my ex."
"That's not what she told me," Charlie teases, reaching for Tommy. Tommy grabs his hand and pulls him closer, wraps his arms around Charlie.
and we don't even know each other now (I knew it, I knew you)
pairing: Buck&Tommy
rated: G
words: 4.3k
[Read on Ao3]
But now it's been almost ten years since they broke up, and Tommy moved on. His heart healed and found a new home a long time ago. That familiar warmth in his chest at seeing Evan slowly changes into simple nostalgic fondness, as Evan makes his way through the crowd closer to him.
"Tommy, hi! I thought that was you," he says, eyes sparkling, as he's grinning in astonishment. "Wow, I can't believe it's actually you. It's been so long!"
"Evan," Tommy breathes.
I don't mind a detour (as long as I still get to be yours)
rated: G
words: 1.8k
[read on AO3]
He can't believe Tommy's actually here, in his kitchen, with him.
"Thank you-" Buck suddenly starts, then has to clear his throat. Tommy stills, but doesn't turn to face him. "Thank you for coming. For- for being here."
"Of course," Tommy says quietly, almost a whisper. "You call, I'm there, you know that."
"Tommy, you don't have to- we're broken up, and it's been so long." Buck feels awful. He wants to stop calling Tommy for favors, but what can he do? This time it wasn't even conscious.
"That doesn't change a thing," Tommy says firmly, glancing at Buck over his shoulder. "I'll always be there. Especially when you really need me."
"I-" Buck bites his tongue before he says something stupid like 'I always need you'. "Thank you. (...)."
Readers don’t come to stories just for plot. They come to feel seen. No matter the genre (fantasy, romance, sci-fi, or fan fiction), stories resonate when they reflect emotional truths readers recognize from real life, even in unreal worlds.
These aren’t clichés or morals. They’re emotional realities that make readers think: Yes. That’s exactly how it feels.
Below are 15 emotional truths readers crave, plus notes on how you can bring them to life on the page.
1. Love is often messy, not pure
Readers crave love that includes fear, jealousy, uncertainty, and mistakes. Perfect devotion is less relatable than love that struggles.
Writing tip: Let affection coexist with resentment, doubt, or exhaustion.
2. Wanting something doesn’t mean you’ll get it
One of the most painful (and powerful) truths: desire isn’t a guarantee.
Writing tip: Let characters want deeply even when the outcome is uncertain or tragic.
3. People hurt each other without meaning to
Most emotional wounds aren’t caused by villains. They’re caused by misunderstandings, timing, and fear.
Writing tip: Replace malice with misalignment. It feels more real.
4. Growth is uncomfortable and uneven
Change rarely happens in a straight line. Readers recognize setbacks, relapses, and resistance.
Writing tip: Let characters regress before they improve.
5. Silence can hurt more than words
What goes unsaid often carries more emotional weight than dialogue.
Writing tip: Use pauses, avoidance, and unfinished sentences strategically.
6. Love doesn’t always fix the damage
Affection can coexist with trauma, grief, or broken trust.
Writing tip: Allow love to support healing without magically curing it.
7. People lie to themselves first
Readers connect to characters who rationalize, justify, or deny uncomfortable truths.
Writing tip: Show the gap between what a character says and what they do.
8. Fear often masquerades as anger
Anger is usually the surface emotion; fear is the engine underneath.
Writing tip: Ask what your character is protecting themselves from.
9. Being chosen matters
Whether it’s love, loyalty, or friendship, readers crave the moment a character is actively chosen.
Writing tip: Make choices explicit, not assumed. Moments where a character is deliberately chosen tend to land harder than declarations.
10. Closure is rarely perfect
Real life doesn’t always offer clean endings, and readers know that.
Writing tip: Aim for emotional resolution, not total neatness.
11. Grief comes in waves
Loss doesn’t fade, it resurfaces unexpectedly.
Writing tip: Let grief appear in mundane moments, not just dramatic ones.
12. People change… but not all at once
Readers crave realism: habits linger, flaws persist, even after revelations.
Writing tip: Let improvement be partial and ongoing.
13. Wanting independence can clash with wanting love
The tension between autonomy and connection is deeply relatable.
Writing tip: Force characters to choose, or believe they must.
14. Regret can be quiet
Not all regret looks like breakdowns. Sometimes it’s a glance, a pause, a “what if.”
Writing tip: Use small, restrained reactions to show lasting regret.
15. Being understood is as powerful as being loved
Readers ache for characters who are truly seen, flaws and all.
Writing tip: Give characters moments where someone understands them without explanation.
Rule NO. 1 - there are no rules - take a prompt and write something with it, it dosen't have to be good, no one ever has to look at what you write. find joy in writing thats the goal behind the bingo sheet. find joy in writing for the joy of it. a scene a whole story. let the promts bring you what they will for ideas, use your brain to create something that will shock, reveal, titulate, arouse, disgust or shake you.
additional rules if you need peramiters to work within:
take a prompt once a week
for 10 minutes sit down with a notebook
act as if you are a child writing in the pages of your homework things that do not apply to class. or for those 10 minutes act as if writing is the secret hobby you do in your bedroom alone.
find the joy in what you write again.
write as much as you can.
use whatever works for you to get you motivated to write and makes you feel like your in love with writing again.
"SOOOOO... WHAT IF WE KISSED...?" PROMPTS
* assorted dialogue for tossing out the idea of being in a relationship or just kissing and seeing what happens after, adjust as necessary
i hear you're a good kisser.
are you staring at my lips?
how about a kiss for old time's sake?
maybe we could experiment a little.
have you ever thought about kissing me?
is there even an "us?"
a little bird told me you're a really good kisser.
could you see me as... more than just a friend?
what's a little fooling around between friends?
i'll admit, i have thought about you like that.
kissing you sounds like a very good idea.
i've been meaning to ask you out for ages.
maybe we could... see what happens.
there's no harm in a little experimentation.
did you want to kiss me back then?
for what it's worth, i really enjoyed the kiss and i wouldn't mind doing that again sometime.
could we pretend this is our first kiss?
maybe we could go on a date sometime.
you could start by coming closer.
just wondering what you taste like.
i saw you looking at me earlier.
could we talk about... us?
i'm not interested in anyone but you.
i bet if we tried, we could make it work.
a kiss won't kill us.
wanna makeout?
quick, kiss me before they walk over here.
i've wanted to kiss you for a long time now.
i never had the courage to ask you if you'd kiss me.
could i keep seeing you after this?
i really enjoyed it, by the way.
you're a much better kisser than i expected.
well, that got out of hand quickly.
maybe we should redo our first kiss.
next time, we should make it a date.
can i kiss you?
kissing sounds really fun right now.
have you been kissed before?
i never liked kissing until you.
you are... unbelievably good at that.
give me a minute to catch my breath.
your heart is racing.
are you okay? you look very flustered.
are my cheeks burning?
figured we're both about to die, so what the hell.
As soon as he enters the club bathroom, he's met with a pair of blue eyes that have been on him the whole goddamn night. He opens his mouth to say just about anything, but before he can, there's a pair of the most gorgeous, delicious lips on his, and he's kissing back like his life depends on it.
The stranger drags him into a stall, locking it behind them without looking, expertly enough to let Buck know it's not his first, hell, maybe not even his tenth time doing this. There's this weird, possessive feeling in his chest at the thought. Which is ridiculous, because he doesn't know this man, doesn't even know his name, he doesn't have any right to claim him as his. But still, right now he feels like he wants him more than he's ever wanted anyone. And it's not like Buck hasn't had his share of bar hook-ups either. This one feels different, though. Or maybe that's just his dick talking. God, he must be hornier than he thought.
"Hey," the gorgeous stranger breaks the kiss for just long enough to smile — a beautiful, toothy, nose-scrunching grin, "I'm Tommy."
"Evan," Buck breathes out, then lounges in to capture the stranger's — Tommy's — lips again. The kiss is desperate, hungry, like either of them won't be satisfied until they eat the other alive.
He's not really thinking about it when he pulls out his phone out of his pocket and automatically searches Tommy's contact. He only realizes what he's doing after the third beep, and he wants to immediately hang up, pretend he didn't just call his ex, maybe block his number before he could call back, if he even would, just do something to avoid embarrassment, but then-
"Evan?" Tommy's confused, and slightly concerned, voice sounds on the other side.
"Uh, hi," Buck responds quietly, "I- I didn't think you'd pick up," he adds, shaking his head as he continues walking down the street, towards more colorful houses.
"Evan, you know I'll always pick up when you call," Tommy's voice sounds way too earnest, and Buck's eyes sting.
wasn't looking for much but that's just when you happened (that's right when you happened)
"Okay, everyone," a voice cuts through the music at the club. Not exactly Tommy's scene, but he was dragged here by his friends. One of which is currently raising his glass and trying to get the attention of everyone around the table. "Here's to Kinard's broken heart, again," he grins at Tommy, his tone teasing but kind.
"Yeah, okay," Tommy shakes his head but raises his own glass, downing the shot. His friends follow. "Let me hear it. Again."
"No, I'm serious," Davis continues, "maybe next one will finally be your Mr. Right."
"Ha, yeah, I wouldn't count on it. I think I'm done." Tommy says, picking up another shot.
"What do you mean?" Alex speaks up, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Are you saying you're swearing off men?" Davis asks.
"I'm swearing off love." Tommy shrugs, trying to appear more unaffected than he feels. He's been trying not to let it get to him, all the beak-ups, disappointment, getting left behind over and over again. Sometimes it was his own fault, he needs to admit that. "Can't help that I'm unlovable, apparently," he chuckles, but it comes off flat.
"Tommy," Logan starts, but Tommy shakes his head.
"No, it's fine, I'm okay with it. I just think I'm better off on my own." He doesn't think he's lying, at least not fully. He knows he's better off not getting his heart broken over and over again, when he gets too invested too fast. "Maybe I'll get a cat."
"What if the cat doesn't love you either?" Sean jokes, and Tommy genuinely laughs. He knows him so well, it has been a thought that went through his head at some point.
"Good point, that would destroy me," he says with a chuckle, "maybe I'll just be alone then."
"Or you could stop always self-sabotaging and ending relationships before they get too real," Alex says next to him, quiet but audible. He hears a gasp from somewhere on the other side of the table, as silence falls over them all. "What? It's the truth," she shrugs and reaches for her drink. Tommy feels all eyes on himself.
"Yeah," he clears his throat, takes a sip of his beer. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I do that sometimes," he admits, thinking back to his last few relationships and how they ended. How he ended them before giving it a real chance. He got burnt a couple of times, a long time ago, and maybe he put up some walls. Maybe he's the one who's in his own way to finding love. He's pretty sure he is. But that doesn't really change much. "But either way, I'm officially packing it up. No more love for me." He says decisively, lifting up his drink.
"Hear hear!" Davis cheers enthusiastically, and everyone follows, though Tommy notices a few concerned looks sent his way. He doesn't care. He's going to die alone, and he already accepted that. He doesn't want any more heartbreak, and he won't experience any if he doesn't give love a chance, right? He won't look for it, won't accept any advances when it comes his way. No way.
He's just done.
Except…
It's his very next shift when he gets a call from an old friend, asking for a favor. Which leads him to meet the most adorable, handsome, hottest guy he's ever seen, with a smile so bright it can rival the Sun, and the bluest eyes he could look into forever. For a second he forgets why they're there, what they're about to do. It's just him and this gorgeous man in front of him.
"Hi, I'm Evan," he says with a grin and a firm handshake, and fuck. Tommy knows instantly that if he gets to know him any better, he'll be in trouble, his heart will be in big trouble. He can't help himself, though, drawn to this guy like to no one else before.
"Hey, Evan," he says, the name tasting sweet in his mouth. He's trying very hard to look away, to focus on the life-and-death situation at hand, but Evan is distracting. "I'm Tommy."
It takes about ten more seconds before Howie brings him back to earth, and he swears to himself he'll be careful. He won't fall for this guy, he can't. He doesn't even know if he's into guys and anyway, Tommy cannot go through a breakup again.
But then Evan kisses him, a couple weeks later, in his apartment, after admitting he's been trying to get Tommy's attention. And Tommy's even more sure he's completely, utterly fucked.
God, he'll never hear the end of this from his friends. He was so ready to give up on love, but now… now he really wants this. Maybe he finally found the one. He really hopes this time it works out.
"You want to what?" Tommy asks, an incredulous look on his face, as he looks at Buck over his shoulder. He's at the stove in Buck's new kitchen, making breakfast, and Buck can't help but pause and take it in. Tommy, in his kitchen, after spending the night in his arms, like so many mornings before. God, he's so grateful he gets to have this, after everything they've been through, after they stopped being stupid and just talked.
"Talk to Bobby." Buck says with determination, not getting deterred by Tommy's increasingly skeptical look.
"Are you-" Tommy turns around to fully face Buck, "You're really serious about the ghost stuff? Don't answer that, of course you are," he sighs.
The door to the nursery is open, the smell of paint still carrying through the hallway, and illuminated by the moonlight, an outline of his husband sitting in the chair in the middle of the room.
Buck leans against the doorframe and looks at Tommy, deep in thought, staring at the still empty crib they just assembled earlier today, a firefighter teddy bear in his hands — his first purchase after getting that call that they're officially having a baby — fingers fiddling with it. He looks worried, maybe even panicked, and Buck gets that. He's not entirely calm and collected, either.
When Tommy doesn't notice him for a minute, Buck gently knocks on the door, watches his man startle and look at him.
When Tommy wakes up, it's still dark out, he's hot and sweating, and he's pretty sure he's about to fall off the bed. Or, get pushed off the bed. He takes a second to gather his bearings, and then he notices that his boyfriend's head is right next to his own. On Tommy's pillow.
Evan is plastered against him, his skin so hot against Tommy's, they're both under the duvet, and he's crowding into Tommy's space so much, Tommy is at the edge of the bed. Another inch and he'll be on the floor.
He smiles and rolls his eyes, already used to how cuddly Evan is. He tries to gently push him away, to the middle of the bed at least, but Evan just makes a disapproving sound and burrows his head further into Tommy's pillow. Tommy tries to shove him, a little less gentle, but to no effect.
"Baby," he tries, shaking his arm a little. "I hate to wake you, but I need you to move."
"Mm, no." Evan says, eyes still closed. Tommy's not sue he actually woke up.
"You're on my pillow," Tommy tries to push him away again, as gentle as possible.
"'S more comfortable," Evan mumbles, wrapping his arms tighter around Tommy. A laugh bubbles out of Tommy's chest.
"You're so adorable, but I'm almost on the floor. You wanna switch pillows?"
"Nah, yours will be more comfy anyway." Evan says, a smile playing at his lips.
"Uh-huh. So it's not about the pillow?" Tommy asks teasingly, though he knows, he's known before he woke him up.
"I wanna be close to you," Evan whines, fingers digging into Tommy's skin like he's afraid he was gonna leave.
"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart," Tommy chuckles, presses a kiss to his forehead. "But could we maybe move a little? I'm about to fall off the bed," he says quietly, amused, running his fingers through Evan's sleepy curls.
"God, you're so needy," Evan mutters, teasing, and Tommy wants to laugh. He doesn't, though, just gently pushes at Evan once again, and this time he goes, shuffles to the middle of the bed — but grabs at Tommy's arm to bring him closer.
"I'm here, relax," Tommy says, moving right next to him, until there's not an inch of space between their bodies. He's still hot and Evan being so close isn't helping, so tries to kick the sheets off, but Evan protests that, too. "Don't tell me you're actually cold."
"I'm not, but I like being covered. Can I sleep now?"
"I guess I'll be sweating, then," Tommy shakes his head, presses a kiss to Evan's hair.
"Tommy," Evan starts, but then opens his eyes, gives him a displeased look, and shuffles the covers around until he's only half covered, on one side by the duvet, on the other by Tommy. And Tommy's uncovered and finally a little cooler, only heat coming from Evan's skin. "Better?"
"Yeah," Tommy responds, watching as Evan makes himself comfortable again, still sharing Tommy's pillow, tucking his head under Tommy's.
"So sleep now," he says, getting comfortable and muttering something about waking him up for no reason.
"Yessir," Tommy chuckles, wrapping his arm around his man. "I love you," he whispers, though he thinks Evan is back asleep already. But then he hears a quiet, barely audible response.
"Love you." Evan mutters, fingers grabbing onto Tommy's forearm, like he never wants him to move away. Tommy has no intention to. He's right where he's supposed to be, and he'll stay here forever. With this pillow-hogging cuddle machine, with a really tight grip even in his sleep. He'll gladly wake up in the middle of the night due to almost falling off the bed for the rest of his life, as long it's with Evan.
He opens it, and that's when the real surprise happens — the first thing he sees is a little note sitting on top of the lunch box. It's folded in half, and he opens it — and feels his cheeks burn, a laugh escaping him as he reads:
If you were a pasta, you’d be my favorite—because you’re just pasta-tively amazing. Have a nice shift xx
Evan
"What's so funny?" Someone asks, but Tommy can't take his eyes off of Evan's terrible handwriting. He wants to read it over and over again.
"Nothing." Tommy shakes his head, feels like his whole face is red. "Just my boyfriend being adorable," he can't resist sharing, and feels curious stares.
rated: E
word count: 2k
pairing: buck/tommy
written for @911whatisyourpride week four - sex & romance
[read on ao3]
___
This time around, they were supposed to take it slow, get to know each other all over again, don't rush or make any impulsive decisions. And they have been doing that, for the most part. They talked — just talked — for weeks before Buck finally asked Tommy out on a proper date.
And Buck decided he was going to romance the living hell out of Tommy, and make the date the most romantic thing ever, and he was going to be the perfect gentleman the whole night. At the end he'd get Tommy home, walk him to his front door, get their first kiss since getting back together, and then leave, make plans for the next one. Take it slow.
And the date was very romantic. Flowers, candlelit dinner, walk on the beach under the stars, holding hands and laughing together. All the cliches. Tommy was loving it, and Buck was loving Tommy.
They did get their 'first' kiss at the front door, too — it was sweet, chaste, smiley, a perfect ending to a perfect date. But then Tommy asked him if he'd like to come inside for a drink, with that playful smile and a sparkle in his eyes, and, well, Buck is a weak man when it comes to the love of his life asking him for just about anything.
rated: G
word count: 2.3k
pairing: buck/tommy
written for @911whatisyourpride week three - family
[read on Ao3]
Just then, a little blur of disheveled hair and blue pajamas bursts into the kitchen, around the table, slamming into the backs of Tommy's legs.
"Oof, careful," Tommy says gently, while Evan picks their four-year-old daughter up. She's grinning, pushing her hair away from her face with both hands, and then reaches for Tommy to give him a hug. "Good morning, sunshine," Tommy plants a loud kiss on her cheek, making her giggle.
"Hi," she smiles, her little arms wrapping around Evan's neck now.
