#Advanced Metal Lockers for Office

[tufferoneindustries]

Premium Safe Locker in Wardrobe for Home and Office Use

Explore our range of top-quality safe lockers in wardrobe designs, perfect for securing your valuables. Our collection features innovative and stylish options that blend seamlessly into your wardrobe, providing both functionality and aesthetics. Whether you're looking to protect important documents, jewelry, or other cherished items, our safe lockers offer robust security and easy access,with advanced locking mechanisms.

[lockerscalifornia]

Discover the Ultimate Workplace Lockers by Cool Lockers® California

Say goodbye to outdated, high-maintenance metal lockers and upgrade to modern, durable, and low-maintenance workplace lockers by Cool Lockers® California. Our vibrant and versatile storage solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of any workplace, ensuring your team stays organised and productive.

Why Choose Cool Lockers® California’s Workplace Lockers?

Superior Durability

Weather-Resistant: Built to withstand humidity, salt, sun, and water, ensuring longevity and minimal maintenance.

High-Density HDPE: Made from top-quality polyethylene, our lockers resist corrosion, abrasion, and dents.

Customisable Options

25 Colors: Choose from a wide range of solid colors to match your brand or office decor.

Modular and Versatile: Custom-made to fit various industries, including schools, retail stores, fitness clubs, and corporate offices.

Cost-Effective

Maintenance-Free: No need for repainting or extensive upkeep, saving you money and time.

Long-Lasting: Engineered to last for years, providing a reliable storage solution that pays for itself.

Practical Storage Solutions for Every Industry

Utilise Shelves: Add shelves or stacking bins to create specific storage spaces within lockers.

Install Hooks: Free up floor space and keep items wrinkle-free with sturdy hooks for coats, bags, and more.

Use Dividers: Keep shared lockers tidy by creating separate sections inside each locker.

From small startups to large corporations, our office lockers offer a practical solution to keep your workplace organised. With advanced security features to prevent theft and vandalism, you can trust OzLoka for all your storage needs.

Organise Your Workspace Today

Don’t let a disorganised workspace slow down your team’s productivity. Invest in our high-quality lockers and experience the difference it makes. Contact us now to learn more and get started!

[skylarmoon71]

Alexander (Grimm) - Crossover AU - Chapter 17

“Hurry up, it has to be here!”

“Be quiet, I’m going as fast as I can.”

The two voices continued to bicker in the dark locker room. The light flickered back and forth as they worked to break the lock that kept the metal door closed. With a twist of the pliers, it dropped to the floor. The woman opened the door eagerly, shining the light inside.

It was empty, nothing but a single piece of paper there. She picked it up, opening the folded sheet.

“What does it say?” Her partner asked.

“Gotcha.” She spoke aloud.

“Took the words right out of my mouth.”

Both of them flinched and you smirked, flicking the lights on.

“M-Ms. Jane!”

They looked frantic.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jenson, or should I say Cole and Amy. What a crazy coincidence that you have the key to the murder victim’s locker. I thought you both had never met her before.”

They looked at a loss for words, and you just continued to grin.

“See here’s what I think happened. She met you that night when she was running from her abusive lover who just so happened to be a married wealthy politician. She stayed with you for a few nights, you couldn’t help it. You both are just upstanding citizens.”

They were frowning.

“You saw her arguing with the congressmen, you saw an opportunity to exploit that, so you blackmailed her. She had no idea it was the both of you until she found the burner phone and the first couple hundred you were able to squeeze out of her. You panicked when you were discovered and you knew that the congressman would do whatever he could to cover up the affair. He wouldn’t be able to provide an alibi because that would spill all his dirty secrets. He was the perfect patsy, I have to give you points for creativity.”

Cole's teeth were gritted.

“How did you know?”

Reaching into your pocket, you pulled out the letter. They stared at the copy of the one they had gotten in the mail.

“No one knew she was being blackmailed. I forged the signature and doctored the date so you would think it was sent weeks in advance. I knew you would come here if you thought she left evidence behind. This locker is the only place she would put something that valuable. Looks like you both weren’t as smart as you thought.” 

You were still grinning, and they looked mortified for a moment, but then a look crossed their faces.

“Y-You’re under arrest, did I forget to mention that?”

They looked a bit too comfortable and you backed up when Cole’s hand tightened on the pliers that he held.

“No one knows you’re here.”

You swallowed, raising your hands.

“Do you really think I’m that stupid, the police are here, they’re coming in right now!”

Your yell earned nothing but silence.

“RIGHT NOW!!”

Still nothing.

Laughing uncomfortably, you just shook your head as you spun around and bolted out the door.

“Grab her Cole!!”

You could hear his heavy steps and you prayed that you would at least make it out of the restaurant.

“Portland PD hands in the air!!”

You rushed behind Nick who had his gun aimed at Cole. Hank was at his side with two other officers. Cole froze in his spot, dropping the tool immediately. Amy stopped a few feet behind him when she realized the predicament.

“Damn, it took you guys long enough!!”

“Maybe if you stopped running riddles and actually communicated we could do our jobs.” Nick stated as the officers moved to cuff the married couple.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“One of these days you’re gonna get shot.” Hank snark.

“Glad it wasn’t today, thank you boys. Truly. I appreciate it.”

They just sighed. Your skills were uncanny, but you were still as unpredictable as a child. 

[custommagnetspromo]

Say it with a Magnet: Using Custom Magnets for Personalized Gifts and Promotions

Custom magnets offer a wide range of possibilities for brand promotion, each tailored to different marketing needs and audience preferences. From functional items like magnetic notepads and bottle openers to unique shapes and interactive designs, these magnets ensure continuous brand exposure in various settings. By selecting the right type of custom magnet and incorporating thoughtful design elements, businesses can effectively enhance their visibility, engage customers, and drive brand loyalty.

Custom magnets not only serve as effective brand promotion tools but they can also be used for personalized gifts and promotions. custom magnets can be used for special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays, or holidays, and how they can make a unique and memorable statement.Custom magnets have a distinct charm that makes them ideal for both promotional reasons and personalized gifts. Custom magnets are a cost-effective choice for people as well as businesses because they are affordable to make in large numbers. They offer great value for money, especially given their durability and lifespan.

Magnets can be customized in a variety of ways, including form, size, color, and design. This mobility allows for a great deal of creativity, ensuring that your magnet accurately portrays your business or mood. Magnets, unlike paper things, are durable. They can survive repeated handling and remain vivid and functional for years, keeping your message or brand in focus. Magnets are intrinsically useful. They may retain notes, images, and reminders on a variety of metal surfaces, ensuring they are visible and utilised frequently.

Magnets are frequently used in highly visible locations, such as on a fridge, locker, or office board. This ensures that your message is seen again, reinforcing brand familiarity or personal sentiment. Custom magnets provide a unique approach for businesses to showcase their brands and communicate with their customers. Custom magnets with your company's logo, motto, and contact information can be delivered at events, in stores, or via direct mail campaigns. This consistent visibility promotes brand awareness and recognition.

Custom magnets can be used to promote a new product. Create magnets that reflect the new product and distribute them to build interest and excitement. Custom magnets can be used to promote trade exhibits, conferences, and community activities. They act as a reminder to participants and may include vital information like as dates, places, and website links. Add personalised magnets to your customer loyalty programmes. Provide them as incentives for repeat purchases or as part of a welcome package for new members.

Custom magnets make excellent personalized gifts in addition to being useful for business marketing. Convert precious memories into photo magnets. These can be presented as gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other special events. Custom photo magnets with photographs from previous reunions were made for a family reunion. Attendees received these magnets as mementos, serving as a lasting recall of the important event while also reinforcing family relationships.

Save-the-date magnets are a popular choice for weddings, celebrations, and other special occasions. They ensure that guests remember the date and have easy access to the details. A couple getting married created gorgeous save-the-date magnets featuring their engagement photo and wedding date. These were distributed to visitors well in advance, ensuring that the date was highlighted on everyone's calendar and adding a personal touch to their invitations.

Custom magnets featuring inspirational phrases, personal messages, or humor can make someone's day. They make wonderful gifts for friends, family, and colleagues. A manager who wanted to increase team morale delivered personalized magnets with motivational quotations and the company logo to their employees. These modest tokens of thanks contributed to a healthy work atmosphere and built a sense of community. Make customized magnets with holiday or seasonal themes. These might be celebratory gifts for friends, family, or even customers, bringing joy into their homes or offices.

Custom magnets are an excellent tool for both personalized gifts and promotional purposes. Their low cost, durability, and great visibility make them ideal for businesses wishing to increase brand recognition and individuals looking to offer memorable gifts. You may maximize the impact of magnets and achieve your marketing or giving aims by designing them attractively and meaningfully and using clever distribution strategies. So, whether you're saying thank you to loyal consumers, promoting an exciting event, or simply sharing a personal message, do it with custom magnets

[isloveworthdyingfor]

Admiration and Shadows

(Esther Nicholette Sullivan) The space felt alive, pulsating with each person's energy pushing their limits, a rhythm I matched with every step toward the lockers.

My gaze swept across the room, catching on Abilene—a whirlwind of enthusiasm—as she bounded towards Major Steele. The man himself was just wrapping up a defense class, his frame silhouetted by the glare of overhead lights, muscles shifting under his shirt with a grace that spoke of quiet strength.

"Major S!" Abilene's voice cut through the hum of activity like a beacon as she flung her arms around him. His surprise was evident, even from a distance, but he responded with a pat on the back, a look of bemused patience on his face.

"Wow, Abilene's going for gold today," I muttered, an involuntary smile tugging at my lips.

"Someone's feeling frisky today." Mary's voice was laced with amusement as she leaned against the locker next to mine, her eyes twinkling with shared humor.

We all watched a collective chuckle building in our throats. It wasn't the first time Abilene had displayed her... intense appreciation for our trainer. But something about the sight—her uninhibited fervor and his gentle, almost fatherly handling of it—warmed something inside me.

"Frisky? She's practically campaigning to become Mrs. Steele Number Two," Delilah quipped, and we erupted into laughter, the sound bouncing off the walls and mingling with the clattering of weights.

Watching them, a memory flashed through my mind—a time when James looked at me with the same admiration now shining in Abilene's eyes for Major S. A time when his touch sent shivers down my spine, not frustration coursing through my veins.

"Careful, ladies," I said, pulling myself back to the present, "that kind of enthusiasm might just land her in the next advanced class—or a restraining order."

"Or both," Mary added, and we snickered, shaking our heads at the absurdity of it all.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," I declared, channeling the fire in my belly into a fierce determination. "I've got some pent-up energy to burn."

With the image of Abilene's unabashed adoration fading behind me, I strode forward, ready to embrace the sweat and strain that awaited. This was my battleground, my sanctuary. And for the next hour, nothing else mattered.

"Maybe she's just practicing her takedown moves for next week's sparring class," I quipped, a mischievous smirk playing on my lips as the thud of the heavy bag punctuated my joke. The thick air of the gym swirled with our laughter, laced with the tang of sweat and the muted hum of determination. Abilene skipped back to her locker, utterly unaware of our playful jabs, her face illuminated with a love-struck glow that lit up the dull grey of the metal lockers.

I wrapped my hands, the tape crinkling and stretching snugly around my knuckles, each wrap a step closer to unleashing the day's pent-up frustrations. Delilah nudged me hard, snapping me out of my reverie. Her eyes were saucers, wide and reflecting something akin to alarm. I followed her gaze, feeling the pulse in my throat pick up tempo.

There stood Lilith, Major S's wife, framed by the doorway of the gym's office like a sentinel. She couldn't be compared to Abilene's gleaming workout ensemble; her fake blonde hair seemed locked in a perpetual battle with her dark roots, her baggy attire unable to conceal the power that lay beneath. My chest tightened as an unsettling glint flickered in her eyes—a flash of jealousy?—and for a moment, the clamor of the gym faded into a distant echo.

The tension in the room shifted a silent current that raised the hairs on my arms. Lilith watched us; that much was clear, but what churned behind those sharp eyes? I could feel it, a creeping awareness that we were under scrutiny, that the playful banter held more weight under her watchful gaze.

"Keep it tight, Nic; focus on your form," Major Steele's voice cut through the unease, grounding me. His presence was a refuge, his words a tether pulling me back from the edge of discomfort. I nodded, grateful for the distraction, and turned to face the punching bag.

The weight of Delilah's hushed words settled heavily in the air between the clanks and grunts of exertion, "She creeps me out," she whispered, her gaze darting to where Lilith stood, an ever-present shadow in the fluorescent-lit gym. "Like a watchful lioness guarding her territory."

I followed Delilah's uneasy glance, my skin prickling with the chill of her analogy. Lilith's eyes, dark and piercing, were fixed on us, or more specifically, on Major Steele as he moved from one client to another, his confidence as unwavering as the muscles that rippled beneath his fitted trainer's tee.

"God knows what goes on behind closed doors," Mary added in a low murmur, echoing the silent question that had haunted the gossip mill for months.

I shivered despite the sweat cooling on my skin. My mind raced back to the enigmatic couple's last public spat, a memory flashing like lightning—a tempest of accusations and hurt pride that made their union seem anything but stable. I remembered how Major S's jaw clenched, the controlled calm of his voice barely masking the storm that churned behind those sharp eyes.

"Eight years, isn't it?" I mused aloud, trying to recall the snippets of overheard conversations that painted a vague timeline of their marriage. "Or has it been nine?"

"Doesn't matter," Delilah countered, her focus back on the weights in her hands. "It's the cracks that count, not the years."

"Cracks?" I echoed, glancing at Lilith again. Her gaze met mine, a flash of recognition passing between us before she turned away, leaving me with the unsettling feeling of having wandered into a predator's line of sight.

"Everyone's got them," Mary said, eyes never leaving her reflection in the mirror as she lifted dumbbells with practiced ease. "Even our dear Major S."

"Especially him," Abilene chimed in, her tone wistful, tinged with the ache of unrequited adoration.

There was a collective pause, each of us contemplating the man whose authority filled the space yet whose personal life seemed shrouded in whispers and sidelong glances. How much did we really know about Major Gabriel Steele—about the heart that beat beneath the façade of strength and the smiles that never quite reached his eyes?

"Back to work, ladies," Major Steele's voice called out, a gentle nudge back to reality.

"Yes, Sir," I said, shaking off the unease. I turned towards the punching bag, wrapping my hands tighter around the worn leather. With every strike, I let go of the questions and the doubts and focused on the rhythm of the workout, the burn in my arms, and the simple clarity that came with physical exertion.

[tritonmarketresearchamey]

Cam Locks Market | A Digital Revolution in Security Systems

A standard cam lock operates with a key that rotates the cam to lock or unlock the mechanism. Widely used, from personal lockers and office furniture to filing cabinets and vending machines, their efficient security drives its market growth. As per industry sources, most of the export shipments of cam locks were made to countries like Peru, the United States, and India. In this regard, Triton’s research predicts that the Global Cam Locks Market is expected to rise at a 4.26% CAGR over 2024-2032.

Cam locks can be tailored to specific customer needs, including adjustable cam lengths, various locking mechanisms, and compatibility with different key types. As the market grows, the potential for improved cam locks seems limitless, promising a digital future where security is smarter and more reliable.

Explore in detail about this market in our FREE sample-

Cam Locks Market: Leading Product Developments

Recent years have seen remarkable advancements in cam lock technology, driven by the demand for secure storage solutions and smarter locking systems. Manufacturers are integrating smart technologies into traditional locks; the digital cam locks market is bound to grow.

Smart Cam Locks:

This type offers keyless operations through numeric keypads, RFID cards, or Bluetooth connections. These smart cam locks provide enhanced security features such as audit trails, which track who accessed the lock and when.

For instance, in July 2023, ASSA ABLOY announced their SMARTair cam locks that offer both RFID and mobile access. The advantages of electronic access control highlight the shift towards more flexible and secure locking solutions.

Smart cam locks can remotely manage access permissions, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Furthermore, the adoption of smart technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) in security systems has opened new avenues for innovation in the digital cam lock market.

Biometric Cam Locks:

Biometric technology has also made its way into the design, with cam lock manufacturers introducing locks that require fingerprint verification or facial recognition to unlock. Companies like Master Lock, Southco, and Blusafe are pivotal in introducing biometric cam locks to the market.

With a storage capacity of up to 100 fingerprints, these locks offer a higher security level. Thus, providing a long-term security solution, these features make them ideal in sensitive areas such as data centers and personal lockers.

Cam Locks for Environmental Durability

Another area of innovation is the development of cam locks designed for extreme conditions. These locks are made from materials resistant to corrosion, dust, and water, making them suitable for outdoor use, where traditional locks would quickly fail.

Biodegradable plastics and recycled metal alloys are some environment-friendly manufacturing materials used to reduce carbon emissions. Moreover, the trend towards sustainability has led manufacturers to offer customized cam locks in harsh environments such as marine applications.

Future Potential of Cam Locks

The future of cam locks lies in further integration with smart home and building management systems, allowing for seamless security solutions. In order to enable remote monitoring, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies can be utilized to make smarter and reliable cam locks. With predictive security features that can detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts before they happen, the cam locks market is set to alter the landscape security technology.

Grab a Quick Read to Understand the Key Insights of the Cam Locks Market-

FAQs

Q.1) What are the common applications for cam locks in various industries?

Answer: Cam locks are widely used in numerous industries, such as furniture manufacturing, automotive, electronic enclosures, healthcare, and security. They cater to the demand for secure storage solutions for cabinets, drawers, mailboxes, vending machines, lockers, and more.

Q.2) What are the advantages of cam lock?

Answer: The key advantage of cam lock fittings lies in their capacity to offer swift and effortless connections. Engineered with a straightforward yet efficient mechanism, these locks enable prompt connection and disconnection without any specialized tools.

[priyarao-01]

Cam Locks Market | A Digital Revolution in Security Systems

A standard cam lock operates with a key that rotates the cam to lock or unlock the mechanism. Widely used, from personal lockers and office furniture to filing cabinets and vending machines, their efficient security drives its market growth. As per industry sources, most of the export shipments of cam locks were made to countries like Peru, the United States, and India. In this regard, Triton’s research predicts that the Global Cam Locks Market is expected to rise at a 4.26% CAGR over 2024-2032.

Cam locks can be tailored to specific customer needs, including adjustable cam lengths, various locking mechanisms, and compatibility with different key types. As the market grows, the potential for improved cam locks seems limitless, promising a digital future where security is smarter and more reliable.

Explore in detail about this market in our FREE sample: https://www.tritonmarketresearch.com/reports/cam-locks-market#request-free-sample

Cam Locks Market: Leading Product Developments

Recent years have seen remarkable advancements in cam lock technology, driven by the demand for secure storage solutions and smarter locking systems. Manufacturers are integrating smart technologies into traditional locks; the digital cam locks market is bound to grow.

Smart Cam Locks:

This type offers keyless operations through numeric keypads, RFID cards, or Bluetooth connections. These smart cam locks provide enhanced security features such as audit trails, which track who accessed the lock and when.

For instance, in July 2023, ASSA ABLOY announced their SMARTair cam locks that offer both RFID and mobile access. The advantages of electronic access control highlight the shift towards more flexible and secure locking solutions.

Smart cam locks can remotely manage access permissions, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Furthermore, the adoption of smart technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) in security systems has opened new avenues for innovation in the digital cam lock market.

Need help to decode the market growth? Connect with our experts for a simplified analysis!

Biometric Cam Locks:

Biometric technology has also made its way into the design, with cam lock manufacturers introducing locks that require fingerprint verification or facial recognition to unlock. Companies like Master Lock, Southco, and Blusafe are pivotal in introducing biometric cam locks to the market.

With a storage capacity of up to 100 fingerprints, these locks offer a higher security level. Thus, providing a long-term security solution, these features make them ideal in sensitive areas such as data centers and personal lockers.

Cam Locks for Environmental Durability

Another area of innovation is the development of cam locks designed for extreme conditions. These locks are made from materials resistant to corrosion, dust, and water, making them suitable for outdoor use, where traditional locks would quickly fail.

Biodegradable plastics and recycled metal alloys are some environment-friendly manufacturing materials used to reduce carbon emissions. Moreover, the trend towards sustainability has led manufacturers to offer customized cam locks in harsh environments such as marine applications.

Future Potential of Cam Locks

The future of cam locks lies in further integration with smart home and building management systems, allowing for seamless security solutions. In order to enable remote monitoring, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies can be utilized to make smarter and reliable cam locks. With predictive security features that can detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts before they happen, the cam locks market is set to alter the landscape security technology.

Grab a quick read to understand the key insights of the cam locks market: https://www.tritonmarketresearch.com/pressrelease-details/cam-locks-market-insights

FAQs

Q.1) What are the common applications for cam locks in various industries?

Answer: Cam locks are widely used in numerous industries, such as furniture manufacturing, automotive, electronic enclosures, healthcare, and security. They cater to the demand for secure storage solutions for cabinets, drawers, mailboxes, vending machines, lockers, and more.

Q.2) What are the advantages of cam lock?

Answer: The key advantage of cam lock fittings lies in their capacity to offer swift and effortless connections. Engineered with a straightforward yet efficient mechanism, these locks enable prompt connection and disconnection without any specialized tools.

[safeenabh]

Why You Should Choose The Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock

Introductions

Digital locks have become increasingly popular in recent times. They offer a convenient and reliable way of securing your home or office. With numerous options available in the market, it can be difficult to choose the right one. If you are in the market for a digital locker for home or office, the Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock by South India Agencies is an excellent option.

South India Agencies brings you the Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock, a superior digital safe solution for your home or office security. With advanced technology and reliable performance, Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock is the perfect choice for those who want the best security solution. Our digital lock offers a unique set of features that are designed to provide maximum security and convenience, making it an ideal choice for anyone who values safety, privacy and ease of use.

– Smart Solity App Support [via Bluetooth] – Smart Solity App Support [via Wi-Fi] – Recognizes fingerprint fast & Accurately in 0.9 sec – Ergonomic Push & pull design – Metallic bronze, dark silver and black colour – Mechanic key support for emergency use – Free installation – 2 Year local warranty

Choose South India Agencies for the Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock and experience the best in security technology.

Fingerprint: Biometric technology is used by a fingerprint lock to identify users and authorise access based on each person’s distinct fingerprint. This might be a very safe and practical technique to restrict access to a place. With South India Agencies’ Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock, you don’t have to worry about forgetting your passcode. Use your fingerprint as the key to unlock effortlessly every time.

Smart Key: A smart key lock allows users to remotely lock or unlock a door by communicating with a smartphone or other device via wireless technology. Access to visitors or service providers may be granted via this.

Solity Smart App: A smartphone app is used to manage entry to a facility using the Solity Smart App, a form of digital lock. The software allows users to grant access to others and remotely unlock or lock the door.

Passcode: Users must enter a numerical code on a keypad to unlock a door that has a password lock. This can be an easy and practical method of restricting access to a location, but it’s crucial to pick a secure passcode that is difficult to decipher.

Fire Rated: South India Agencies, Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock’s fire-rated feature allows you to rest easy knowing that your belongings are secure even in the case of a fire.

Conclusion

You can now see why the Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock can be the ideal security option for your house, place of business, or any other building. The Solity GSP-2000BK Digital Lock, latest in the world of digital safe with its cutting-edge features, usability, and durability, is a dependable and secure alternative to safeguard your possessions. When you think about your alternatives for digital locks, visit South India Agencies, where you can get the Solity GSP-2000BK digital lock.

[myriadstoragesystem1]

Myriad Storage System is one of the leading metallic file compactor storage system manufacturers in Mumbai. We have a range of advanced locking systems and cabinets for office use. We are a manufacturer of Storage Compactor, pedestal drawers, office lockers, gym lockers, etc. Contact us now.https://www.myriadstoragesystem.com/compactor-storage/

[biglockerwarehouse2]

Techniques for Buying Metal Safe-keeping Lockers Online

school lockers

According to varying preliminaries in addition to guidelines of Quality, the market is experiencing the huge relegation of metal safe-keeping lockers. Many organizations are in dynamic associated with stony days along with wide-awake nights so that you can compete for the conventional of supremacy together with trending entreaties from lockers. Different forms and size with lockers are in easily use in various sectors just like offices, homes, universities, gyms and many various public places with regard to contrastive purposes. This post girdles the cycle of features of some sort of subservient storage locker that assist you to sustain your essentials without the need for kind of revulsion within your lovely heart.

school lockers

In line with some market experiments here are some pro techniques for a complete critique involving X factors that require to be understood when you make your mind to invest in a metal storage area unit from some sort of online stockpile.

Establish your match checklist: It is either importunate to devise some layout of your possibilities, a color mix or dimensions meant for storage lockers earlier so that it becomes simple choose the best match within the piles of dibs. It's a basic concern you need to ask yourself in advance of its too later part of the, as the size associated with employee locker will never round off the lockers for school. Depending on the color tone plus the space provided pictures place, you need to filter out your desire directory, as it looks funny when there is an incongruity with your room setting.

Budget limit: Your wide spectrum from ranges of storage space lockers like one tier locker, six-tier locker is available in the net market for your apps. Therefore , it offers a variety of options to decide on your best fit depending on the budget you can are living with. For a cost-effective possession, keep your eye ball on sales and additionally revised rate set of various online sites.

Your lock to the locker: Storage devices can be specifically designed for the upkeep of extra stability of your valuables which means this is a mandatory birthmark that needs to be checked just before their delivery. Only some the accessible steel storage lockers already in the market have inbuilt fastener pattern so don't simply assume the possibilities your own personal. A list of salient attributes like standard locking mechanism and key, shoot alarms active layer finish and more have got incorporated to make sure that a items are in harmless hands. In case of various lockers like fit lockers and health and fitness lockers, an additional part of coating is additionally provided to prevent these individuals from rust in addition to pest.

Smart solution for saving additional delivery cost: On the internet shopping is a advantage for busy bees with wide selections and good assistance but extra sending costs turns this approach line of benefits once again. This is the biggest pitfall of online searching that defrauders engage in dirty tactics at this time whilst transactions to grab other profits. This bad circle of unknown charges often agitates the buyers knowning that directly leads to loosening the bond with trust among them. Therefore , make your own search terms to choose only all those enduring sites that supply the benefits of free dwelling delivery to avoid the responsibility of extra shipping cost.

[autisticempathydaemon]

Let’s get mischievous (and polyamorous)

cw: Rated M for suggestive language and themes, gender-neutral pronouns for Freelancer, Alternative POVs, the Damien/Freelancer/Gavin/Huxley/Lasko polycule being an absolute menace to society

None of this would have happened if our favorite boys plus Freelancer could just keep it in their pants till they got home smh

aka Five times the polycule started rumors and the One time they put them to rest

Also available on AO3!

One.

There are a lot of emotions that are normal to see on your friend’s face when they get back from the guidance counselor: anxiety, frustration, even fury wouldn’t be a surprise. Pure, unadulterated alarm definitely is though. 

“Are you… okay…?” Katrina asks when her shell-shocked friend drops herself down onto the cafeteria bench, backpack tossed onto the ground with a heavy thud . Lucy looks up at her, dark eyes wide behind wild, black curls, and leans across the table. 

“Kat, who is Professor Lasko dating?” Kat looks quizzically at her friend, and Lucy presses her forehead against hers and hisses. “Answer the question, or I’ll go crazy.”

“Umm, shit, you know as well as I do?” she hedges, face flushed under the beautiful Warder’s intense gaze. “The rumor is that he’s dating that incubus, Gavin, and that’s why he had to transfer out to another session.” Lucy snaps her fingers and pounds her fist against the table, and Kat wants to laugh as her friend’s eyes bug even wider. 

“If that’s the case! If that is the case-” she says, pulling in Kat by the cheeks. “Then why did I hear that fourth year fire elemental, Damien, storm into his office after I left and tell our professor- and I quote- to get on the desk and see how long he can go without breathing?” 

“Oh, shit ,” she whispers.

“Oh, shit .” Lucy echoes, voice knowing and haunted.

“…that’s, like, kind of hot though, right?“

“That’s not the point -“

Two.

Xavier wants so many things in this world. He wants his team to win the championships. He wants to pass his advanced Healing course.  He wants world peace. Above all, he wants his boys to stop fucking hooking up in the team showers. 

‘It shouldn’t be too much to ask,’ he thinks, burying his face into the small metal cabinet and digging for his wallet. The locker room is dirty and hot and rank no matter how much he implores his teammates to keep it clean and tidy. It’s an objectively gross place, so Xavier has no idea why this is the third time in as many weeks he’s had to deal with moaning echoing off the shower tiles. 

“Bro, how do you do that?” A deep, familiar voice whines, and Xavier fights the urge to slam the door on his head. Why? Why did it have to be Huxley? He has lunch plans at the Dog House with him and Damien tomorro-

“Practice makes progress, big man, and I am nothing if not diligent.” 

Xavier almost trips over his own feet as he backs out of the locker and lifts his ear to the air, because surely, he must have misheard. That didn’t sound like Damien.

“What’re you practicing for, Gav, a triathlon?” 

“Oh, Hux… this isn’t practice.” A sultry chuckle rifts through the room, and Xavier tries and fails to scramble his way out the doors before hearing more. “This is just the warm-up .” 

Three.

If you asked Tony, he would say living next to a fire elemental isn’t too bad; it’s living next to Damien that’s the issue.

Don’t get him wrong, he’s a decent neighbor! Damien never plays loud music after 7 PM. He doesn’t have any loud pets like the dude with the cockatiel on the other side. He returns any mis-delivered packages promptly. He’s overall courteous and quiet… but his boyfriend isn’t. 

Huxley is great in general . The earth elemental is friendly and amicable, always waving at him when they pass each other in the hall or stairwell, always giving him an effusive, energetic greeting. He would say he likes Huxley; he just doesn’t like the obnoxious, sleep-shattering earthquakes that plague the nights he stays over. 

But tonight, as he suffers gales of wind, tectonic tremors, the smell of smoke and ash, the creak of water surging in old pipes, and Damien’s raspy cries of “ Freelancer ” through the walls, Tony can’t help but shove a pillow over his head and miss his old apartment, rats, bats, and all.

Four.

7/11 really doesn’t pay Emma enough. 

Her manager getting a divorce is one thing. Honestly, that’s not even the problem, because Emma didn’t like his wife anyway, and Trevor was obviously happier once the separation was underway. But couldn’t Trevor have been happier in Dahlia ? And not whatever state he moved to, leaving the store understaffed and her undertrained? 

Now, the freak natural disasters, that’s another thing. Like, working a convenience store in a college town was bound to be a little wacky, a little zany even, that’s to be expected. What Emma did not expect was ball lightning, one of the world’s rarest weather phenomenons, to occur next to the hot dog roller not once, not twice, but thrice.  

(First time it happened, she didn’t even know what it was. The second time, she was busy marveling at it happening again. The third time the ball of electricity short circuited the electronics, Emma rang up the nervous couple at the till with a pen and paper.)

This, though- this is the straw that breaks Emma’s back. She glares at an innocent bag of Doritos, the closest thing to the perpetrators that she’ll look, and turns on her heel, inventory clipboard clutched tight to her chest. Fuck the restocking procedure; she has a resignation email to write.

There is a limit to how many times a person can catch a customer with their dick in someone else’s mouth, especially when Emma knows their sweet, studious partner by name. As she crouches behind the counter and waits for the sultry bastard and apologetic, stuttering homewrecker to leave, Emma thinks all the money in California couldn’t convince her to stay, let alone fifteen dollars an hour.

Five.

Once again, Lucy approaches Katrina with wide, shell-shocked eyes, silent and panicked even as she hands her girlfriend her nachos. 

“What’s up, doll? Did someone bother you?” Lucy just shakes her head and sits on the bleachers next to her, taking long, desperate pulls from her soda. “Are you… good…?” 

“So you know Huxley? The quarterback?” She asks, bringing her face close to Kat’s to be heard over the crowd and still have the semblance of intimacy. Katrina fights the urge to kiss the older girl’s cheeks and wins, nodding, listening. 

“Obvs, we just saw him humiliate the other team in the first half.” Luce nods, bringing her hand up to the back of Kat’s neck, pulling her even closer. “He and that Damien guy are the it-couple of DAMN, bless his heart,” she continues, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the fire elemental at the field sidelines, proudly wearing a letterman’s jacket that’s not his. “He deserves better.”

“Oh, I think Huxley’s getting exactly what he deserves-” Luce hisses, shaking her girlfriend for emphasis. “-considering I just saw him railing my Energetics 101 partner under the bleachers.”

“Not the Freelancer who covers for you when you’re late!” Katrina gasps, scandalized, while Lucy buries her face into her pale, freckled shoulder. She gripes about decency and privacy and beds that no one uses, and Kat thoughtfully mumbles into her coconut-scented curls.

“We could go home and use our bed-“

“Is your voyeur kink something we need to talk about, or-”

+One

“Deviant, what on Elegy is that?”

“Gavin, you’re god knows how old, and you’ve never had a Sloppy Joe?” 

“I’ve had a large number of sloppy things in my mouth. Inevitably, some of them must have been named Joe. They all looked more appealing than that.” Freelancers snickers, almost dropping their cup of water with their shaking, and Gavin stops sneering derisively at the steam table to empty their hands. “Why can’t we all eat at home again?”

“If you had been listening instead of making faces at Caelum behind everyone’s backs, you would have heard Lasko say that he’s too busy with meetings to come home for lunch-” they say, dragging the demon over to an empty round table. “-and us telling him he has to meet us here.” They sit, and Gavin makes his best attempt at seductively lounging in the stiff, small plastic seat (and failing.)

“We could get good food, and I could rift it to him. It’d be easy-peasy as you humans say.” The incubus grins, knowing he’s cute, and Freelancer throws their apple at him, not giving a shit. 

“One. Then you’d be hogging Lasko, not fair. Two. The last time you did that, he didn’t eat!” Gavin catches the apple- damn those demon reflexes- and grins wider like the cat that ate the canary.

“I wouldn’t say that, deviant; after my visits, Lasko is nothing but sated-”

“Gavin, do they not teach you shame at that daemonry and demonry school you went to?”

“Shame was an elective I chose not to take, little Spark. I was too busy learning that trick you like where I use my-” Damien slams his tray down onto the table, the cups rattling threateningly as he sits, and Huxley laughs uproariously, placing a cool, steady hand on the fire elemental’s neck. 

“Careful, Gav. Dames just came back from his Advanced Flame test, he’s already running hot,” he says, rubbing his thumb in little circles beneath Damien’s ear. “He’ll burn you, not by accident, just on purpose.” Gavin hums in pleasure and stretches his leg to brush his ankles against Damien’s under the table. 

“Well, now, there’s a thought. Normally, I’d like a little negotiation before we try something like that, but~”

“O-oh boy, do I want to know what we’re n-n-ne-negotiating n-now?” Four keen heads look up, and Lasko blushes under the attention no matter how often he receives it. 

“Negotiating who gets to kiss you first!” Freelancer says, shoving an exasperated (loving) hand in Gavin’s face before smiling up at the airhead. “Help us out and make the decision for us?” 

With a sweet, light laugh, Lasko puts his food down and kisses Huxley first, the tall boulder of a man barely having to lean to sweetly peck at his lips. Next, he moves to Damien, the two of them quickly kissing each other’s cheeks, the hot-blooded of the pair adjusting Lasko’s glasses as they part. 

  Freelancer reaches for him impatiently, grabby hands pulling him in by the cheeks. Lasko can’t help but smile and laugh into the touch, noses bumping awkwardly, and the freelancer laughs with him before shoving him towards Gavin. When Lasko leans down, his incubus lover snatches him by the waist into his lap, cutting off sweet, embarrassed stammers with a kiss. 

The quintet is happy and content, all smiles and familiar touches, a sight for sore eyes… and a sight for the lunch crowd filling the dining hall. If they weren’t off in their own little world, they’d probably hear the collective metaphorical light bulbs going off in heads and money passing hands. 

(The custodians swept the betting pool, because even in a world full of magic and literal Stealths, no one is both more observant and more unnoticed than the cleaning staff. They’ve seen too much, and if the Academy won’t get them memory wipes, several thousand dollars in winnings will make an excellent consolation prize.)

Tagging:

@calicostorms who was nice enough to ask to be tagged and also makes the best Redacted ASMR playlists ♡( ◡‿◡ )

@gingerbreadmonsters who asked about it, kicking my butt into writing it (ʘ‿ʘ✿)

[rubeau-art]

For the writing prompts the 4 ! U choose the character 👌

I tried. I immediately got off track. But I am pleased with the result so y’all can have it anyway!

—-

Characters: Jax, Ori & unnamed Onyx Guard. Note: Anything spoken in the Trader Language will be marked with </>.

—-

Of course he would shift at the worst possible time. Of course he would be unable to find someone to help him when he actually needed it. And of course the last person he had wanted to see him like this had caught a glimpse as he had made a mad dash for cover into one of the locker rooms.

Jax had barely managed to squeeze himself under the door before finding a space to wedge himself under a locker. The cold metal dug painfully into his back and still he had no idea if he was tucked in enough to not be seen, but he also knew the officer had followed him in. The advancing dull clack of boots on the hard floor measuring out the seconds before he was found.

Just as the tip of a boot rounded the corner opposite his hiding spot, Jax’s vision was abruptly obscured by blackness. He clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from swearin. Jax could hear nothing over the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears as a familiar, bright green eye opened up before him. A  faint rumble rattled through his chest and he nearly swore anyway.��

It was that goddamned Midra.

Ori had been sitting in the locker room going over the homework Justin had given him when the door had opened. He chose this room to study as he knew it was unused. He didn’t have to endure the withering looks most of the humans gave him as he passed. 

As such, the entrance of the Onyx officer had startled him quite badly, the fearful little Midra skittering onto the floor  and keeping low as he heard boots approaching. 

But that wasn’t the only sound he heard. His long ears twitched as a faint, panicked breathing caught his attention, sharp eyes catching the tiniest movement when he sought out the source of the noise.

Was that Jaxom? He narrowed his eyes at the tiny thin. He saw it slip and for a split second he saw a flash of dirty-blond hair. It was Jaxom!  The officer must have seen him! That was why there was a member of the Onyx Guard at the base in the first place. They had been sent to find out who ‘Atlas’ was.

Ori could feel his own panic rising. Jax hated him more than anyone else here. Blamed him for his parent’s death, his current condition, and because he had no other outlet, the war as a whole. Ori had come here to help him, and despite how the human felt about him, he wasn’t going to fail in his reason for coming here. He could not let the officer find him!

The Onyx rounded the corner and Ori dived over to where Jax was hiding, hearing the sharp intake of breath from beside his head before he saw Jax’s terrified expression so close to his eye. He let out a low rumble that was supposed to be comforting, but just made the miniscule human tense up.

The Officer stopped dead as she rounded the corner. Of all the things she had expected to see when she came in here, the base’s rogue Midra was not one of them.

She had of course seen him before when she had been taken around the base on the first day, and  been told he wasn’t to be treated as hostile. Looking at him now, she could tell he wasn’t like the Midra she had seen. The black, feline-esque alien was far smaller and more outwardly submissive than the others, and while she still held that bias towards him, seeing him pressed flat to the ground and staring at her with wide eyes gave her pause. 

“What are you doing here?” She asked, noting how the alien flinched when she spoke. 

Ori trembled under that gaze and hoped his poor grasp of the human language would be enough to keep him out of trouble. “Hiding…” 

“Hiding? From what?” For all she had seen and done since this war started, the Onyx officer had never spoken to a Midra before. The thick accent was a surprise.

“…You- a-all of you.” Ori tilted his head towards the locker, looking like he was trying to hide his face.

Jax could not let himself make a sound as Ori’s muzzle shoved him down toward his shoulder. What the hell was the alien doing? Jax tried to shove him away, but Ori pushed him within reach of his hands, a thick curved claw snagging Jax’s shirt making him finally stop struggling. 

Hidden between his body and the bank of lockers, Ori managed to tug Jax into the folds of his jumpsuit without the Officer noticing, feeling those little angry movements tangle into his fur as he shifted his weight to lean more against the lockers.

The Onyx regarded Ori with an unreadable expression, not sure what to make of him.

“I have been led to believe you are here to help the staff. Is this correct?”

With the tiny human stashed away safely, Ori sat up a little, long ears pressed flat to his head in fear. “Correct… Yes…” 

“Will you help me while I am here?”

The dark Midra’s tail flicked, ears twitching in surprise. “…you need assistance?”

This wasn’t what he expected. He expected more distrust, anger like so many of the others. But this woman from the Onyx Guard was calm and let him speak.

She nodded and crouched to be closer to his current level. “I am looking for something. Well, someone. I think you know who I mean?”

Ori dipped his head, looking away from her as she got closer to him.

“…Soldier…”

“Correct. If you know who it is, or if you see them. Will you tell me?”

Jax went still when the two of them started talking. Would Ori sell him out to the Onyx for the way he had treated him? He could hear the Midra’s heart beating faster than his own and wondered if he really was considering it.

“If I see… Yes.” Ori said it slowly, using the fact the Onyx couldn’t read his body language as well as his slow awkward speech to hide the fact he was lying. Badly.

“Thank you. Ori, was it?” The Officer made no move to touch him. While she might have offered a handshake to anyone else, her lack of understanding his race kept her from doing so.

He nodded again, his ears raising a little as the conversation seemed to draw to a close. The little Midra was eager to be anywhere else right now, especially with Jax tucked down his clothes. 

Without another word, the officer stood and turned to leave. She was sure the Midra knew something but until she knew more about him and the people here, there was no reason to press the frightened thing. Strange. Feeling compassion for one of his kind was new to her.

Ori waited for a moment, just to be sure the Onyx had left, then looked down as Jax tried to free himself, staring up from that dark fur. He looked angry… but it seemed to be different from his normal angry

He nosed Jax back down into his clothes. <Stay. I will take you somewhere safe.>

Jax had forgotten Ori was almost fluent in the trader tongue, and after hearing his broken English it was almost alarming. Like talking to a completely different person. He balled his fists tighter into that fur as he was pushed back down. There was nothing he could do to stop the Midra. He wouldn’t be able to shift again for a while and it wasn’t like he had any better plan to get out of here.

 Ori did up the top of his jumpsuit a little more,then padded silently out of the locker room. 

—

Jax kept still as Ori took him from the locker room and out into the base. He couldn’t quite understand why Ori would throw himself between him and the officer. It just didn’t fit with the conclusions he had come to about Midra and Ori in particular. He let himself get lost in his thoughts to distract himself  from the Alien’s bizarre, swaying gait.

<…Jaxom? Are you okay?>

Ori’s voice cut through Jax’s fragile peace and he jolted. When did Midra stop walking?

<Where are we?> Jax said cautiously. He didn’t think Ori would hurt him like this, but he couldn’t be sure.

<We are at your room. Is that okay?>

<…Yeah.>

Jax wriggled a little, trying to get himself free of the heat trapped within that fur. He felt Ori shift around him, then that strange, double thumbed hand settled in his vision. The Midra’s claws were nowhere to be seen, which was some comfort. Jax had experienced too many of those claws tearing into him. Were they retractable? Jax had never really stopped to observe, but it made sense they would be. He found he appreciated Ori had put them away for him.

<Why didn’t you tell her about me?> Jax asked quietly as he pulled himself onto that offered hand. He was glad to be out of that stifling fur and somewhere that felt safe, even with Ori there. 

Ori waited patiently as Jax climbed onto his hand, though his heart was pounding, waiting for Jax to begin shouting at him for one thing or another. He had not expected the quiet question that came instead, nor the confusion in the man’s voice.

<…I left the flotilla to help you. A promise to myself more than… you.> He spoke as he  moved Jax over to the bed. It wasn’t  the most gentle trip Jax had ever had, but it was quick and he was glad to be out of Ori’s grasp. 

Ori continued as he pulled his hands away and lowered himself to lean his chin on the edge of the bed. Those big green eyes looked over Jax before looking away.

<I know you hate me. And… Your condition is my fault. Hate me or not, I will help you. Undo the damage I caused.> His ears pressed down flat to his head again and a trembling whine accompanied his words. <...Are you afraid of me?>

Jax stared at him from where he sat, nearly drowned in the sea of his own bedsheets. He had heard these words from Ori before, but this time they actually hit him as holding meaning. And that last question, where had that come from?

He grit his teeth and looked away from that huge dark muzzle. 

<I’m not afraid of you… and I dont- I don’t hate you.> 

Ori tilted his head toward him, the little white dots of his eyebrows raised?

God this was hard for Jax. But Ori had just saved him and deserved some explanation for Jax’s shitty behaviour. 

<You represent a lot of things for me… It’s… It’s hard to look at you. I look at you and remember everything that’s  happened. The things that are still happening.> His voice wavered and cracked, < But you, Ori… I don’t hate you. I don’t know you enough to hate you. You came here to help and I’ve been nothing but a dickhead to you.>

Jax could feel the flush and dampness on his cheeks as all that anger and frustration he would have directed at Ori in the past came out with no direction. He wiped the stinging tears from his eyes, but there were only more there to take their place. Almost being caught had shaken him. Ori had been there. Had helped him, and was here now when his walls broke down.

Ori made a high-pitched chirrup in his throat as the tiny, usually angry human started crying. He had never seen someone cry like this! It was violent and painful, and it was Jax. He was frozen as he watched Jax curl into himself and press his palms to his eyes, harsh sobbing wracking the three-inch frame.

The Midra hesitated, then leaned forward, then very very delicately, licked the back of Jax’s head. It was the only gesture of comfort he knew.

Jax flinched and looked up at him sharply, his hair now stuck up at the back, but there was no anger, just surprise mingled with those overflowing emotions.

<I would like to know you better, Jaxom. It would be easier to help you.> Ori touched Jax’s side with his nose.

Jax sniffled, then snorted a tiny laugh as he pushed those long whiskers out of his face and wiped his eyes. <I don’t understand you.>

<We can understand. But… It will take time. And being around each other.> Ori smiled. Not a human smile as Midra didn’t show their teeth, but his eyes scrunched up in a rather cute fashion. <But… Everything can wait. For now… May I stay with you until you are able to shift?>

For the first time, Jax didn’t feel angry at Ori. He just felt tired, and honestly grateful the Midra had been so stubborn as to not give up on him. He found he did want Ori to stay right now. <Sure. I mean- You can stay.> He looked down, as though about to move to get out of the way, but Ori beat him to it,  carefully climbing up onto the bed, expertly avoiding jostling Jax too badly as he curled up around him. 

<This is the first real conversation you and I have ever had. It… It is like meeting again for the first time.> 

Jax surprised himself with how easily he settled after Ori had stepped over him and curled up on his bed. He was right. It was like meeting again for the first time. Jax had actually seen Ori as more than just the face of the enemy, and it had changed something. 

<I didn’t thank you before. Not for saving me, but for… you know. Coming here. It must have been a hard decision for you to leave everything behind like that.>

<I do not regret it.> Ori shuffled his head closer so his cheek was against Jax’s back.  Those words repeated in Jax’s head as the two lay there on his bed. Ori didn’t regret coming here. Didn’t regret helping him after he had been terrible to him. It would be hard to tell how things would be between them after this quiet moment passed, but Jax silently promised to make an effort to be better to Ori than he had been.

[duffs-shot-glass]

Self Defense (Axl Rose x *sister!* Reader)

*pic not mine, found on pinterest, credit to owner*

Self Defense

Axl Rose x (sister!) reader

Fluff/sad??

WARNINGS: profanities, mentions of sexual interaction, (Idk if this counts as sexual harassment??...)

Word Count:1,329

Requested by: @foxinaforestofstars

“Hi there! I love your writing! I was wondering if I could request a fic where reader is Axl's little sister and under his guardianship. Her school calls because she punched a boy for tugging her bra straps and pulling up her skirt. The principal is about to punish her but Axl (maybe having brought the rest of the band, up to you) goes off at them because how dare they try to punish his little sister for defending herself? Thanks in advance”

I tried my best on this! Hope you liked it! Thanks so much for requesting!!

(btw sorry it took so long for me to post!)

Y/N’s POV:

I was completely convinced that the last period of the day was the worst. When the bell rang I was practically thanking God. I picked up my books and walked to the hallway. Sadly, my school had our lockers outdoors. I didn’t enjoy it much when the heat was absolutely horrible like today. I walked out the doors of the school and to my locker. I was just thankful that I got to go home. Axl told me that the band would be over when I got home from school so I was pretty excited. I liked the guys in the band. They made me feel like I was part of their friend group rather than just the ‘little sister’. I closed my locker when I heard a voice from behind me. “Where ya goin princess?” I rolled my eyes and turned around. Of course it’s Jason. Jason was the biggest player in my grade, not to mention he was mean to almost everyone. “That’s Y/N to you, and I’m going home. If you’d excuse me.” I tried walking by him but he put his arm out to stop me. “What do you want Jason?” He smirked at me and put his hands on my shoulders. I felt my back hit the cold metal of the lockers as he pushed me up against them. “You know what I want Y/N.” I tried to free myself from his grip, but he was stronger. “Jason I told you before I’m not sleeping with you or going out with you or doing anything with you!” I shouted as I continued to struggle out of his hold. “Y/N I don’t understand. All the other girls in our grade say I’m the best there is.” He slid his hand under my t-shirt sleeve and started playing with my bra strap. “Jason, stop! I told you I don’t wanna do that!” Anger was growing inside of me. As much as I hated to admit it I was scared. “Come on Y/N! Your brother doesn't have to know...no one has to know.” His other hand trailed down my side until it reached my thigh. My legs weren’t covered since I was wearing a skirt, and I could feel his touch lingering on me. “I will know Jason. Please stop. Please? Don’t be a jerk.” I tried to reason with him but it seemed to make him more upset. “I’m not a jerk Y/N. I just know what I want and I know you’re the only one who can give it to me.” I felt his hand slip under my skirt and pull it up. “What the hell?!” I yelled. My initial reaction was to punch him...so that’s what I did. I heard a nasty cracking sound and looked up to see Jason holding his nose. “Why did you hit me?!” He yelled. That’s when I heard the door to the school open. I looked over to see my teacher, Mr. Brown, walking towards us. I ran to him as fast as I could, “Mr. Brown! Please help me. Jason was just harassing me. He was-” I was cut off when Jason yelled, “She hit me!” I glared at him and turned back to Mr. Brown. “Y/N is this true?” There was no way I could lie. His nose was bleeding for God sake. “Yes, but Mr. Brown he literally lifted my skirt up aren’t I supposed to defend myself someho-” I was cut off again, this time by Mr. Brown. “Y/N that is not acceptable behavior. I need you to go to the principal's office immediately. You have been assigned detention.” My eyes went wide with shock. “This wasn’t even in school!” He glared at me, “It was on school property. Now go to the principal's office!” He shouted. I scurried into the school and made my way to the principal’s office. Wait till Axl hears about this.

Axl’s POV:

I was standing in the kitchen talking to Duff when the phone rang. I groaned and made my way to the phone. “Hello?” I was shocked when I heard Y/N’s teacher’s voice on the other end. “Hello Mr. Rose? Y/N will be staying after school today, she has detention.” I had to stop my jaw from dropping. Y/N was a good student, I knew that. “May I ask why she has detention?” I heard the teacher sigh before responding, “She punched a boy in the face.” My eyes went wide and I tried to hold back a giggle. Like sister like brother huh? “Well she must have had a good reason to.” The teacher scoffed at my response. “Mr. Rose there is no good reason to punch someone in the face. Now if you must know, she said the boy harassed her. I think she’s being overly dramatic. Anyways she won’t be home for another two hours. Have a good day, goodbye.” He hung up the phone and it took everything in me not to break it. “Who was that?” Duff mumbled before putting a cigarette in his mouth. “That was Y/N’s school. She got detention.” Duff looked confused. “Why would she get detention? She’s a great kid.” By this point the rest of the boys had come into the kitchen to see what was happening. “What’s going on?” Izzy questioned. “Y/N got detention for defending herself. She punched some boy because he was harassing her and now the school is saying it wasn’t justified.” Anger was now relevant on their faces. “Let’s go.” I headed for the door and the boys followed close behind. We all piled into the car and I sped to the school. I was clutching the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles were turning white. When we arrived at the school I hurriedly got out of the car and slammed the door. My anger was growing with each step I took. I told the boys to wait outside since I didn’t want us to get into more trouble than necessary. When I walked into the building I saw Y/N sitting in an office in front of a desk. I rushed over to the room and opened the door. “Hello Mr. Rose. How can I help you?” Y/N’s principal was sitting at his desk. “Don’t ‘Hi Mr. Rose’ me. Why is my sister here?” He sighed and sat back in his chair. I turned to look at Y/N. “Are you okay sis? What did that guy do to you?” For once in my life I saw something in her eyes that I didn’t see normally. I saw fear. I’m gonna kill that fucking guy. “He was messing with my bra straps and stuff and he uh...he pulled up my skirt.” She looked at the floor as if she was ashamed to be telling me. I clenched my jaw as I turned to her principal. “How dare you!” I yelled. I could tell her principal was a bit shaken up by the loudness of my voice. “Mr. Rose, she punched him..” He mumbled. “How dare you try to punish my little sister for defending herself?!” I yelled again. I watched as her principal nodded his head slowly. “I guess I didn’t realize it was um...that serious.” I shook my head in disapproval as I grabbed Y/N’s arm. “Come on, let's go.” She grabbed her backpack and followed me. When we got outside the boys were relieved to see Y/N was with me. “You’re not going back to school.” Y/N looked up at me amused. “What?” She laughed. “You heard me. You’re not going back to school.” She smirked at me. “Yeah sure we’ll see about that.” I laughed and smiled at her. Once we were in the car I looked over at her, “No but seriously if I see that kid? I’m killing him.” She laughed and shook her head.

Hello! Second post of the night! Anyways thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Have a good day/night and remember you are beautiful! <3 :)

[starkeristheendgame]

Inspired by 9-1-1 (on Fox), which is my current obsession. I highly recommend checking it out and it’s spin-off series 9-1-1: Lonestar. If you already like 9-1-1 and Buddie (Buck and Eddie) then you should check out my new main account @therogueheart. Liberty has been taken with protocols and practices here, but the land of fiction knows no rules.

Firefighter!Tony x Civilian!Peter.

TW: Age difference | Under-negotiated sexual content | Unrealistic practises

“NYFD! We’re evacuating the block!”

“NYFD, are any residents present?”

Peter jerked awake to loud yelling and incessant pounding on his door, flailing blearily in bed for a moment before he fell off the side of in a heap of limbs and bedding, scrambling to get upright.

He shrugged on a hoodie and tripped into a pair of combat boots, stumbling his way sleepily to the door. He was operating on barely five hours of sleep and felt every hour he was sorely missing - though his midterms were a good enough reason to burn the midnight oil.

He wrenched the door open just as a firefighter on the other side went to swing the breach ram into it, letting out a squeak of panic as it stopped mere inches from his belly. The man wielding it was huge; with short blond hair and shoulders that could fit a person comfortably on either side. 

“That was close, I could’ve ruptured your entire torsal cavity and killed you!” the firefighter boomed cheerfully, straightening up with a broad, dazzling smile. Peter let out a faint noise and did his best not to pass out, sagging against the doorframe and gripping it. 

He was wide fucking awake now, that was for sure.

“My name is Thor, I’m with the NYPD, Manhattan division. We’re evacuating the block, there’s been a gas leak on the lower and mid levels and there’s risk of combustion,” the man ordered, slinging the ram over his shoulder and gesturing to the hallway. Peter could hear other voices, all similar conversations amidst the yells of NYPD, open up!

“Uh,” was all Peter got out before he was being ushered out of his doorway. Firefighter Thor nudged him several steps forwards before Peter’s brain finally came online and he jerked to a stop.

“Wait! I need my Adderall and my phone! If I don’t call Aunt May she’s gonna kill me and if I don’t take my meds I’m gonna be screwed!”

Thor looked undecided, brows pinching. “You shouldn’t-”

“It’s okay, Thor. Move onto the North quadrant; I’ll stay with this one,” came a voice from behind them and Peter turned, shrinking in on himself a little. 

Illuminated in the crappy hallway lighting was a man who looked like he’d stepped straight off a movie billboard. He wasn’t as tall or the same brand of clean-cut Hollywood handsome that Thor was, but he was just as attractive. More so, if Peter was going to acknowledge his tendency to lust after men twice or even thrice his age. 

The man had black hair swept into a neat side-leaning quiff, a hint of salt and pepper at his temples. His facial hair had been styled in a way that ought to look ridiculous but only served to give him a unique, sharp look, accentuating the shape of his jaw. 

The man winked at him and Peter realised he’d been staring. When he glanced to the side Thor had already moved off out of sight and the firefighter left behind gestured to Peter’s door, which was thankfully still open ajar from where he’d been rushed out.

“Uh, thanks. Thank you...Sir? Officer?” he cringed at his own awkwardness, shuffling past. The man looked amused, quirking a brow and pursing his lips a little, even as something indescribable flashed in his eyes. 

“Sir works just fine, if that’s your thing. But for the record - I’m Captain Stark. Pretty boys get to call me Tony, though,” the man winked again, teasing seeping into his voice as Peter flushed and beelined for his bed, grabbing his phone from it’s charger and scooping up his bill box and keys. 

He lamented not being able to grab anything else, but he knew better than to put himself (and someone else) at risk by lingering. Tony ushered him out of the door with a hand on the small of his back, guiding him towards the stairwell. Peter could hear noises and voices on the lower levels but realised with surprise that they were the only two left on the topmost floor.

“You were dead to the world, kid. Thor was banging on your door like crazy. We almost gave you up for not in,” Tony voiced, seemingly understanding his realisation. Peter flushed again and mumbled something about studying, hurrying down the stairs as quickly as he could, Tony a close and solid presence at his back.

It wasn’t until the cool, outside air hit his legs that he realised he was still only wearing a thin hoodie and the shorts he’d gone to sleep in. He shivered in dismay, wrapping his arms around himself. He wasn’t the only one who’d clearly been dragged out of bed - there were people milling around in robes and pyjama sets. 

One poor man was even shivering in a ratty blanket, suds dripping from his hair and into his eyes. 

“What happened?” he asked, doing his best to stop his teeth from chattering. 

“Residents on the lower levels reported strong smells of sulphur and gas. We think it’s a line rupture or faulty heater somewhere. Full evac is protocol until we know for sure and can get started on a fix,” the fire Captain answered, steering him a little away from the main crowd and to one of the trucks. 

“Take a seat, kid,” Tony offered, gesturing to the step-up of the truck. Peter did, flinching as his bare skin met the icy metal. The man left him there, turning away to resume his role as he barked orders and disappeared off into the fray. Peter busied himself with his phone, only looking up when Tony’s voice boomed out over the crowd sometime later. 

“Alright, everybody listen up!” the man yelled, clapping his hands. “We’ve located the source of the gas and the good news is that it’s a relatively easy fix. The bad news is that it’ll take a minimum of four hours. In the name of safety, none of you can return to the building until it’s deemed safe to do so. Your landlord and building technicians will get in contact as soon as they’ve been given the okay for you to return home. In the meantime, I suggest you go visit friends, family, or find a nice coffee shop while you wait!”

An immediate chorus of groans, complaints and angry remarks bubbled up, the firefighters all doing their best to marshal the situation and contain the displeasure. Peter shuffled where he sat, chewing his lower lip in frustration. 

Aunt May was half a city away and on shift; Ned was visiting his Grandma and MJ’s girlfriend had stayed the night, meaning if Peter valued his eyes he couldn’t show up at her door. 

Which meant he was probably going to spend the next four hours shivering at a Starbucks and studying on his phone. 

Great. 

“You good, kid?” the voice was joined by a pair of turnout clad legs and Peter looked up, tossing his phone between his hands. Out in the natural light Captain Stark was even more handsome, a strange mix between rugged and polished. 

“Um, yeah. Just...Trying to decide which coffee shop I’m gonna move into,” he sighed, offering a weak smile. The Captain looked thoughtful. 

“Little thing like you, Mom and Dad weren’t just out getting milk?” his tone was teasing but curious. Peter shook his head. 

“Uh, no. I don’t...I did live with my Aunt. But I graduated highschool early and got a scholarship for the Manhattan Institute of Advanced Sciences. That shitty little studio is all mine,” he rattled the keys in his pocket and shifted. His butt had warmed the step some, but it still wasn’t exactly comfortable. 

As if sensing his discomfort the man shifted, peeling himself out of the huge, heavy turnout jacket. “Here, sit up a little,” the man coaxed, crouching down. Peter found himself enveloped in the jacket as Captain Stark wrapped it around him and tucked it under his ass and thighs, pulling it shut so it cocooned him in the heat. 

It smelt of soap and aftershave and maybe a little bit of sweat, and Peter found himself relaxing immediately, giving a hum of pleased satisfaction. 

Tony was smiling at him when he opened his eyes again and he flushed, saved from embarrassment by a tall, lithe man approaching. 

“Cap, we got ‘em all squared. Company is on the way for the fix. The one-five-nine offered to stay and play babysitter. We’re clear to move out.” The man had a purple band-aid on his right brow and did a double-take when he looked down at Peter. “We get a new recruit, Cap?”

Captain Stark looked thoughtfully between Peter and the man, fingers curling around his waistband.

“Alright. Barton, round up the others, call to move out. Have the one-five-nine use radio line six if they need us. We’re bringing back a station puppy.”

‘Barton’ glanced at Peter again, eyes raking over him before he did something between a smile and a smirk. “Copy that,” he confirmed, spinning on his heel and jogging off. 

“Huh?” was all Peter could think to say. 

“You’ve got nowhere better to go and you’ll freeze without getting changed. I’ve got some spare clothes at the station and you can hole up on the couch until we get the go-ahead to send you home. Rogers can cook, so let’s see if we can’t put a good breakfast in that belly,” Tony responded, nudging him up and out of the way so he could open the truck door. 

And that was how Peter found himself wedged into the truck with Clint Barton, Thor Odinson and Steve Rogers. They crammed a spare headset on him and grilled him on student life as they drove, Captain Stark chiming in from the front of the truck. 

The station they pulled into was huge, newly renovated and vast. Firefighter Thor set two hands on his hips, lifting him out of the truck easily and setting him down on the floor, ruffling his hair before dogpiling onto Steve, both of them stumbling and grappling away, arguing in snippets about door breaches. 

A little dazed, he startled when a hand fell to his back again and turned, flushing when Captain Stark smirked at him and nudged him towards the locker room. The others were already there, stripping out of their turnouts and talking animatedly. 

Peter was divested of the jacket but was given a thicker, warmer hoodie emblazoned with ‘NYPD’ and ‘Stark’, the older man rooting around in a locker for a moment before producing a pair of sweats. 

They were baggy but he double-tied them and rolled up the ankles and found them more than comfortable, shyly thanking the man. Tony was watching him, eyes dark again with that hidden thought, before he seemingly shook himself out of it and herded Peter towards a set of steps. 

Upstairs was a kitchen space and a small common area with two couches and a TV. Barton immediately handed him a steaming mug of herbal tea and Captain Stark ushered him to the table and after several minutes of sitting in their midst and listening to firefighting stories, Steve placed a plate of toast, beans, bacon and eggs under his nose. 

“Eat it before Barton mauls you for it,” Steve advised with a grin, sinking into the seat opposite him and stretching out, one arm slung around the back of Thor’s chair. Peter took the warning and dug in, shamelessly moaning at the taste. The eggs had been seasoned and there was something in the butter on the toast that made it rich and almost a little salty. 

“Better than sex, huh kid?” Tony teased from his side and Clint gasped, throwing his hands over Peter’s ears. 

“He doesn’t know what that is yet!”

After breakfast he was bundled onto the couch, handed a mug of tea to keep his hands warm and the remote to the TV as the others stomped down the staircase, citing organising their gear.

The alarm blared out as he was watching a nature documentary and he leaned over the balcony rail just in time to watch them leaping into the truck, flushing as the Captain shot him a wink before shutting the truck door, it’s sirens wailing and lights flashing as it pulled out of the bay.

They weren’t gone that long, but when the truck pulled back into the bay it was covered in dust and dirt. 

He padded down the staircase, pulling on the sleeves of his hoodie as he watched them all descend from the vehicle. They looked a little dusty and grimy, but otherwise unharmed. 

“Winch rescue up on the hiking trails,” Clint informed him as he jogged past, beelining for a room just past the lockers. “I’ve got dust in places it doesn't belong!”

The worst of them all was Steve, who’d apparently tripped over the winch line and gone tumbling down the hillside. He was largely unhurt, but he was also the last one out of the showers thanks to needing some extra scrubbing. 

“C’mon, kid. Time to earn your keep,” Tony teased once they were clean and dressed in LAFD shorts and shirts. They were filling buckets and bringing out plastic boxes full of soaps and polish, and he almost whimpered when he realised they were going to clean the truck. 

He was practically living a piece of fanfiction. 

Or torture. Either one was applicable. 

It took exactly ten minutes for someone to lose their shirt. Peter didn’t know if it was fortunate or unfortunate that it was Steve, who flexed his pecs with a wink when he caught Peter staring. As if not to be outdone, Thor immediately tugged his shirt over his head, baring an even bigger, beefier torso that fed the red flames burning up Peter’s cheeks. 

“Alright, show offs. Stop preening and get cleaning,” Tony barked at them good-naturedly, rolling his eyes as he handed Peter a sponge and flicked suds at the two taller blonds, who pulled faces but dove into the work with vigor. 

In an attempt to cool down his embarrassment he turned his attention to the truck, scrubbing gently in broad circles to match what the others were doing. He’d never realised just how big firetrucks were and he wondered idly how often they had to do this.

“Hey, shortstack, you wanna be on top?”

“Excuse me?” Peter squeaked, rounding on Captain Stark, who smirked at him and gestured to the roof of the truck and the little side ladder.

“On the roof. Tends to get gritty up there,” the man drawled, eyeing him in thinly veiled amusement. It had to be on purpose, Peter realised. Especially when he moved to the side ladder and a set of rough hands wrapped around his hips, boosting him up several rungs.

He settled down to scrub, listening to the soundtrack of the station and the men below, peering over the edge now and then to watch them or to join in the conversation. It was dizzying - having them all grinning up at him, sunny and sparkling and half-naked.

Mercifully, there wasn’t too much more teasing as they scrubbed and buffed and wiped. He wasn’t sure his cheeks could take getting any hotter - but then, where safer to combust but in the middle of a firehouse?

Captain Stark helped him down from the roof again with the same hold around his hips, thumbs rubbing brief circles along the ridges of the bones before the man stepped aside with a quirked smile.

“Hungry, kid?”

“If I don’t get fed soon I might start chewing off my own foot,” he harrumphed with a grin, ducking his head when Clint barked a laugh and ruffled his hair.

“Kid after my own stomach,” the man drawled, taking the steps three at a time in a way that Peter and his short legs watched enviously. 

Lunch was buffet bits like potato chips and little sponge-cake fingers and fruit, which Peter didn’t mind at all. He threw grapes into Clint’s mouth and arm-wrestled Steve and deliberately paid no attention at all to where Captain Stark’s leg pressed against his own under the table.

In the grand five hour total that he was there they got called out twice more, once for a tree rescue (a man who’d tried to save money by cutting his own yard tree, not a cat, much to Peter’s disappointment) and a small kitchen fire that left them bitching for a full hour afterwards about how people needed to stop trying to be Gordon Ramsey when they could barely cook packet ramen.

And then, just when the others were beginning to get shift about nearing their time to come off rotation, Peter’s phone rang. 

It was his landlord, sounding gruff and disinterested as he informed Peter the apartment had been deemed safe to re-enter, although all aparts were going to be required to keep their gas appliances off for the night and their windows open.

The others had stopped milling around in the locker room and listened in with thinly concealed interest, offering nods and smiles when it was revealed Peter was safe to hit home.

“Just on time, huh?” Steve beamed at him, ruffling his hair. 

“Aw, man. Do we have to give him back?” Clint whined in protest, swooping down to wrap himself around Peter like a clingy mink shrug. Peter giggled, tucking himself into the hold and putting on a pretend pout.

Truthfully; he didn’t want to leave. At first he’d been apprehensive about being stuck in a building with a bunch of strange men, but over the course of the day he’d come to cherish their family dynamic and the easy, comfortable companionship.

“You knew he was on loan, you layabouts,” Tony chastised them fondly, rolling his eyes. When his crew had been bullied into resuming their prep to leave, Captain Stark sank onto the bench next to Peter.

“You want a ride back, kid? I live past that area anyway and it’s my fault you’re so far out from home,” he noted with a warm smile, tugging on a boot and stooping to lace it.

Peter bit at his lower lip. Technically; he should say no. He didn’t actually know this man, and being a firefighter meant nothing for how trustworthy he was.

But…

“You don’t mind?” he asked lightly.

“It would be Captain’s honor,” Thor assured him with a wink. And that was that, the others finished dressed and they moved out to the parking lot as a herd, Peter trailing awkwardly along behind Tony towards a sleek, red and gold Audi.

He was hugged and ruffled and treated to a sizable farewell from the others, each of them pointedly telling him not to be a stranger as they piled into their vehicles and drove off in a cloud of muted music and squealing tyres.

When he turned around Tony had slipped over to the car and stood with the passenger door open, stooped into a half bow.

The interior was crisp and clean and smelt like fresh linen when he sank into the seat, tucking his legs in carefully. Tony slid into the driver’s side like he lived to be behind the wheel of a flashy car, slipping on a dark pair of shades and letting his window slide down.

Tony switched radio on to a smooth rock station and Peter let himself relax in the seat, phone still clutched carefully in hand just in case, but thoroughly enjoying the rumble of the car and the way Tony looked behind the wheel.

They didn’t speak much on the way but Peter snuck several glances at the other man, shivering through a bolt of unsteady heat each time Tony caught the motion and tipped his head, smirking at him from behind those shaded lenses.

The apartment building loomed up on them far too soon, signalling the end of a day Peter was confident he’d keep in his memories right up until his last breath.

(And if it tempted him to maybe one day set fire to his kitchen a little bit, well.)

Tony pulled the car to a stop in the parking lot, leaning casually back in his seat. 

“Maybe you should, um, check my apartment?”

It took Peter a moment to realise he was the one who’d spoken, mortified as Tony pushed down his shades to peer at him over the rims with an arched brow.

“To, uh, um…” Peter squirmed on his seat, doing his best not to think about how it was the other man’s clothes he was wearing. “Make sure it’s safe. I mean, I’ve built up a little trust. With you. Who knows if the other guys missed something?”

And what he wouldn’t give for a sinkhole to just swallow him up right then.

But to his surprise Captain Stark just peered at him for another moment, then smiled. “Sure thing, kid. The other’s’d never forgive me anyway if I let you die off in the night.”

With cheeks hot enough to sear a steak, Peter slipped out of the car and practically ran for the building, hyper aware of Tony’s presence beside him as they ascended the steps. God, he was so fucking stupid. Tony was probably going to poke around the apartment a little, open the window then skip on back home and tell his wife all about the strange kid he’d had to babysit all day.

His hands were shaking as he unlocked his door but if the man noticed he said nothing, stepping in behind him and pushing the door gently shut. Peter toed off his boots by the door and turned, watching the man roam the apartment, sniffing here and there and opening the window in the kitchenette.

“Hey, come here,” Tony’s voice called when he was plugging his phone in. Jamming the cord into the device, he bounced out of the room and slid to a halt next to Tony, who held a hand out to steady him. “Do you feel that?”

“What?” Peter asked in confusion, head tilting. 

“Sexual tension,” Tony grinned at him, winking terribly. 

“Wha-- Oh,” Peter rocked back on his heels, cheeks blazing. 

“You’re not subtle, kid. I got ribbed the whole day out over it,” Tony teased him, reaching out to ever so gently tuck one of Peter’s mahogany curls behind his ear.

“Sorry?” Peter tried, fingers curling around the cuffs of his - Tony’s - hoodie.

“I know a way you can make it up to me,” the only man purred, leaning in a little closer. And then all at once he softened, head tilting a little. “Only, of course, if you want to.”

“Aren’t you… Married?” Peter asked hesitantly, even as his heart kicked up a notch and heat gave a lazy spark between his lips. Tony’s brows shot towards his hairline.

“Not since I last checked, no,” Tony answered, sounding terribly amused. “Where did you get that thought?”

And oh, no. The last thing Peter was going to do was tell Tony he thought the man was so attractive it was feasibly impossible for him to not be taken. His ego would get so big he’d float off to space and then where would Peter be?

Instead of answering he shifted, bracing his hands on Tony’s chest and rising onto his tiptoes so he could press a chaste kiss to Tony’s mouth, the man’s stubble tickling the corner of his mouth before he pulled away, shrinking in on himself and rubbing at his lower lip.

Tony blinked down at him for a moment. Then he shifted, leaning down to wrap his hands around Peter’s thigh and hip, lifting him up with a flex of work-honed muscles. Peter clutched at his shoulders, legs automatically wrapping around Tony’s waist.

It was a new kind of novelty; to feel thick, corded muscle beneath his palms, to feel the cut of it between his thighs, to feel the scrape of stubble over his jaw and his mouth. All of Peter’s other partners had been close to his own age and relatively close in terms of build and body.

A few strides had Peter’s back pressed against the wall where he let his head fall back with a thump, mouth falling open on a whine.

“Look at you having your five minutes of bravery,” Tony teased him, shifting one leg so his thigh helped to hold Peter’s weight, fingers flexing against his skin. “What happened to the quiet little kid who burnt up anytime he looked my way?”

Peter had nothing to say, shivering through a hiccupped sound when something thick and hard rode the crease of his thigh and hip, hot between the layers of fabric that separated them. Instead of answering he pawed at the man’s shirt, desperately wanting to see the carved flesh beneath it.

“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll give you what you want,” Tony soothed him, adjusting them both before he helped to tug on the fabric, muscles shifting and bunching as he worked it over his head and threw it off somewhere to the side.

“Oh,” Peter choked, setting his palms down on the plane of Tony’s stomach. He was beautiful; tanned skin marred with a smattering of scars that stood out pink and pale. He knew better than to focus on them but he couldn’t help running his thumb over a half-moon scar at the bottom of Tony’s pectoral.

“Emergency field incision,” Tony murmured, nipple peaking at the close touch. “Had to mesh-wall my heart.”

Peter had no words for that, either. In all the fun of the firehouse he’d almost forgotten the reality of such a dangerous job. He ran his thumb gently over it again, as if to kiss it, and tightened his legs to bring Tony into him again.

It made them press together in a delicious, warm friction, Tony’s pupils dilating further when Peter tried to stifle the noise the touch prompted. He was squeezed back into the wall as Tony leaned down, catching his mouth in a slick, gentle kiss. 

“Hey, kid,” Tony murmured against his mouth, leaning back just enough to speak, teeth scraping over his swollen lower lip.

“Hm?” Peter whimpered, trying to tilt his head to reach him again.

“You wanna see why they call me Captain Firehose?”

Peter’s lashes fluttered as he looked up, mouth dropping open for a moment of pure, unadulterated suspense.

“That was awful,” he groaned with a giggle, tickled by the cheesy line and rendered pink-cheeked by the soft, fond look at Tony fixed him with.

“Made you smile, though,” Tony purred, adjusting his hold as he ducked down to press a kiss to Peter’s cheek, lips trailing over the warm skin before he pulled back and away, muscles flexing as he held Peter up without the support of the wall.

Blushing harder, Peter wound his arms around the man’s neck. “Okay, Captain. Show me how to handle your hose,” he whispered, yelping and laughing when Tony spun them around towards the bedroom with a grin.

[dp-marvel94]

Face to Face- Chapter 34

Summary: When Danny went through the ghost catcher, he expected to be cured of the ghostliness that had haunted him since the accident, not to wake up on the lab floor with his parents saying he’d been overshadowed but everything’s back to normal now. But why does Danny Fenton cry himself to sleep to then dream of flying? Why does Phantom, the ghost who was supposedly possessing Danny remember a life that wasn’t his? Most of all, why do both the human and the ghost feel that something vital is missing, in their very soul? Or: Trying to cure himself of his powers one month after the accident, Danny accidentally splits himself but neither his ghost nor his human half know that that is what they did

First -> Last -> Next

Word Count: 5,208

Also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net

Note: I'm finally back with an update! It's been a while. I've been busy with my Invisobang story but it's finally finished. There's more about that at the end. But anyway, enjoy this much awaited chapter of Face to Face!

Fenton was distracted staring at the clock...again. His math teacher, Mr. Faluca, droned on in front of him and he was trying to listen. He really was but….there was just so much going on in his mind. Yes, he was less worried now that Phantom was back from the Ghost Zone, but now his curiosity was peaked. Halfa. There was a word for what he was and right now, his other self was talking about that with Sidney, the ghost he’d met earlier. 

Fenton was so tempted to peak. He could, he realized. He could softly withdraw and see through Phantom’s eyes and hear through his ears. But… he needed to stay here, stay present. He was the human half right now, just Fenton. He couldn’t risk getting lost, getting tangled up with Phantom again before they were ready and able to really be one person.

So Fenton pushed away the thought. He put his pencil to his paper, copying the numbers and equations down. So this was new material. His brow furrowed, trying to figure out where the teacher was. After a few minutes, his expression relaxed. Alright, okay. This was actually starting to make sense. 

Class continued and Fenton continued taking notes. About ten minutes later, the intercom turned on. “Danny Fenton.” The boy looked up, stiffening at his name. “Danny Fenton. Your father’s here to pick you up.”

Fenton’s stomach suddenly flopped with nerves as he felt his classmates’ eyes on him.

Mr. Faluca turned to look at the boy. “Go ahead Danny.”

He quickly started packing up his things, trying to ignore the muttering of the teens around him. Moments later, he stood and slung his bag over his shoulders. Head hung low, Fenton walked past his teacher and opened the door as the lesson continued without him.

Now in the hallway, his thoughts whirled, his worries resurging. Why was his Dad here? Why was he picking him up early? And-

The boy paused, the realization suddenly hitting him like a freight train as he passed by the rusty locker 724. Phantom. His ghost half had run off, in front of Mom. The woman was probably worried out of her mind. 

The boy then continued, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Huh...it was actually surprising that he hadn’t got a panicked phone call from one of his parents yet. But that must be why Dad was here to pick him up. Obviously, Mom had told Dad what happened in the lab. And it made sense. If ghost Danny was missing, they’d want to make sure human Danny was safe at least.

Fenton’s heart sank in guilt at that thought. He hadn’t even called his parents. Not after he’d calmed down at lunch and not after Phantom had arrived through the portal. They’d both been silent for the past hour. Well...at least he’d get the chance to tell his parents what happened and ease their worries soon. Actually, he could do more than just tell them that Phantom was safe.

The human reached out with his mind, calling into the empty space between the two pieces of his mind. Phantom?

A gentle nudge was received in acknowledgement.

Fenton swallowed. Dad’s here to pick me up. You need to come too. He’s probably worried out of his mind.

The echo of his own guilt came back, projected from Phantom. Alright. I’ll meet you in the car.

Fenton nodded, humming in acknowledgement before he turned his attention back to walking down the hall. After a quick stop at his locker, the boy continued towards the front office. He pushed open the door, freezing as he saw the people staring back at him.

“Dad….Jazz.” He muttered, eyes flickering between his father and sister’s worried faces.

“Danny.” Dad breathed, relief flashing over his face. He took a step forward, sweeping the boy up in a hug.

The human Danny stiffened, blushing at the attention. His gaze shifted to the secretary who was looking at the large figure blocking the door with barely contained judgment. “Dad. I’m okay.” The boy muttered, pulling away.

His father’s face fell but before he could reply, Jazz advanced. Her face was set with deep worry. “Danny. Do you know where-”

“Yes.” Fenton cut her off, anticipating her question. “He’s safe.”

“But where-” She started.

“Not right here.” The boy whispered.

“Come on. Let’s go to the car.” Dad interjected, placing a gentle hand on Fenton’s shoulder. 

The man returned to the desk to sign the two teenagers out of school before the three quickly walked towards the front doors. They exited, crossing the parking lot towards the GAV. Dad unlocked the vehicle and the three piled in. 

As soon as Fenton was seated in the backseat, Jazz turned to face him from her place in the front. “Your ghost half ran away to the Ghost Zone?!” Her eyes were wide, tone rising with exacerbation.

“Yes. We did but-” Fenton held on his hands.

“How could you do that, Danny?!” She pointed. “And how long ago was this?”

“Maybe...an hour and a half? But-”

“An hour and half?!” Jazz glared. “And you didn’t come get me! You didn’t even call-”

“Jazz.” Dad cut her off, voice uncharacteristically serious. “Stop berating your brother.” He turned to Fenton, expression softening. “The other you is safe?”

The human Danny nodded. “Yes.”

“And where is he?” The man calmly asked.

His eyes flickered out towards the school. “Still in the school.”

“What?” Jazz gapped. 

Dad raised a brow. “Maddie said he ran off through the portal.” 

“We...he did.” Fenton bit his lip. “But uh...long story short, he managed to find his way back.”

“How?” His sister asked.

“So...umm...apparently, there’s a portal to the Ghost Zone in one of the lockers? Phantom managed to find it and flew through it.”

“And he’s still in the school because?” Jazz sounded slightly skeptical.

“He’s making sure Sidney gets back to the Ghost Zone okay.” Fenton said plainly, the information suddenly entering his mind. “He’ll meet us out here soon.”

Dad’s brow furrowed. “Who’s Sidney?”

“Oh.” The boy blinked, realizing what he said. “He’s...uh...a ghost who helped the other me find the portal. They talked about ghost stuff and..” He met Dad’s eyes, tentatively. “Apparently, the ghosts have a word for what I am. I’m a halfa.”

His father’s eyes widened in response. For a long moment, he paused as if processing. Then he swallowed. “We can talk about all of that later but your mother….”

Fenton paled, looking down. “Oh...uhh...yeah.” He froze, anymore words dying in his throat.

Jazz broke the silence. “Where is Mom?”

Dad’s frown deepened. “She’s….” He trailed off as if it was too hard to continue.

More tense silence. There was a tickle in the back of his mind, Phantom wondering if Dad was still waiting in the parking lot. Fenton replied with the image in front of him.

Phantom responded. Wait for me. I’m coming.

The ghost’s more active presence withdrew before Fenton could reply. The human looked up. “Phantom will be here in less than a minute.”

True to what he said, his ghost self soon phased through the back of the GAV. He flickered into view beside his human self.

Dad and Jazz both flinched, surprised at the sudden appearance before relaxing.

Phantom bit his lip. “I’m here now. Sorry it took so long.”

“You didn’t have any trouble with the ghost, did you?” Dad asked, raising a brow.

The ghost boy shook his head. “Nope. Sidney’s cool. We had to finish our conversation.” For a second, Dad and Jazz looked like they wanted to ask. But Phantom continued before they could, his gaze flickering nervously around the van. “Where...where’s Mom?”

There was a pause before Dad started, tentatively. “Your mom….she…” He pulled out his phone. “She left me a message on my phone. Here...let me show you.”

Fenton and Phantom both said nothing, anxiety flaring as the man pulled up the voicemail.

“Jack! Pick up your phone!” Mom’s panicked voice rang through the phone. “Come on Jack! You need to pick up! Jack!” Her voice rose as she rambled. “Our son...our son, he ran off through the portal. Through the portal Jack! He...he came downstairs to talk to me and….I f-cked up Jack. I f-cked up!” Fenton flinched, shocked at the language. 

“Oh god I...I...Jack, I screwed up.” Her voice wavered, sounding watery. “He...he said...he said he was upset with me and...and...oh god...I just yelled at him. I just sat there and yelled at him and….oh god, I f-cked up Jack.” 

There was a clatter, the sound of quick footsteps. “He ran off and…. I need to fix this. I have to fix this. I….” She paused, determination entering her voice. “I’m going through the portal. I’m...I’m going to find our son and bring him home.” More clatter, metal thumping again metal. “Go pick up Jazz and the other Danny. Make sure they’re safe and tell them I love them. And I’ll see you soon, okay? I’ll see you soon and the rest of our son will be with me.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The message ended with a beep. There was a sudden, deep silence. After far too long, Phantom spoke. “She went...she went after us. Through the portal.”

Dad nodded grimly. “I went back to the house before coming to get you and she was gone.”

The ghost’s hands were shaking. “She’s….Mom’s in the Ghost Zone, looking for me. But…” He put his head in his hands. “I’m not there.”

“I know.” Dad said quietly. “You’re safe and...your mom is a capable woman. She’ll be okay.” He turned back to face the windshield. “We need to head home now, okay? We’ll find a way to get up with her and everything will be okay.”

Phantom really hoped so. He did. He took a seat beside Fenton, reaching for his seat belt at the same time the human reached for his. The ghost’s hand lingered over the lock. He hadn’t done this, hadn’t been in a car since he’d split himself, since he was still trying to pretend that he was a normal human. He buckled the seatbelt. Now he was a ghost and he was sitting in the back of the GAV and Mom was the one lost in the Ghost Zone. Suddenly, he wanted to zip right out of this car, through the roof and go home. He needed to find Mom, even if...even if-.

He shivered, a thousand possibilities tumbling around in his head. He’d managed to push it away for a time but what Mom had said to him before he ran off still tore at his heart. The anger had leaked out of him but he was still hurt and scared and confused. And now he was shook up after hearing that message. Mom cussed. She cussed. And she was panicking and scared and said she’d screwed up, that she’d had to fix this. She was determined to bring him home. Was she...maybe she was sorry? Maybe she...she got it now. And...he wanted to hope. He wanted to hope so bad but it hurt and he didn’t know what to do or think or-

Fenton leaned into him, interrupting his thought. There was a brief flash of worry and then...the human was taking deep, purposeful breaths, trying to calm down. Phantom needed to calm down too. He couldn’t panic, couldn’t worry about all this right now. Instead he leaned back into Fenton’s side and tried to relax. Passively, the two clasped hands.

“Danny?” Jazz’s voice interrupted, her eyes focusing on Phantom, who looked up in acknowledgement. “I’m happy you’re safe.” She bit her lip and the ghost boy knew she was nervous like he was. “It’s going to be okay.” The girl could have been saying that for his benefit or for her own.

In response, Dad’s gaze flickered towards his daughter and then at the two boy’s through the rearview mirror. His eyes rounded, worriedly but lovingly, before he focused back on the road as they turned a corner.

The vehicle flew down the road while the passengers sat in silence. For once, Dad’s fast driving was the least distressing thing on Phantom’s mind. And it was fitting, that the man was in such a hurry to get home and figure out what to do. But the ghost had already made up his mind.

After what somehow felt like the blink of an eye and hours at the same time, the vehicle pulled into the driveway and slammed to a stop. All the passengers unbuckled. In a breath, Phantom turned invisible. 

Dad looked back, eyes widening. Jazz gasped in worry. “Danny!”

The boy huffed. “I’m still right here. I’m gonna stay invisible until we get in the house. I don’t exactly want the neighbors to see me.”

His sister sighed. “Alright.”

“Come on kids.” Dad said visibly relaxing. 

Phantom exited the GAV, following his human self. He shivered in the air. Now that he was here, at the house, it was taking all his self control to not dart forward in front of his family and fly down to the lab, through the portal, and-

Fenton found his wrist without effort and led him to the front door without a word. Dad unlocked it and the kids followed him into the house. Once they’d passed the threshold, Phantom had had enough. With the door closed, he returned to visibility and raced across the living room, kitchen, and down the basement stairs. He stopped at the bottom, eyes falling on the still open portal. 

Behind him, the sound of footsteps pounded. His sister’s and father’s worried voices rang out. But the ghost didn’t listen, too focused on the portal and the soft song emanating from it. A sound which he knew the purpose of and wasn’t as scared of anymore.

Fenton jogged through the door and hopped down the stairs with the rest of the family at his heels. The human stopped abruptly, coming to stand beside his ghost who then turned to face his father and sister.

“I need to go after her.” Phantom said quietly but with determination.

Jazz’s expression shifted, turning serious. “You can’t do that.”

“Jazz.” He started, testedly. “I need to help Mom. She’s only...she’s only there because of me and anything could be happening to her and-”

“Your Mom can handle herself.” Dad cut in, equally serious. “I don’t want you putting yourself in danger too.”

The human Danny frowned. “She went off without a plan. No supplies. No idea what she’d face. She’s probably lost.”

His sister argued. “And getting yourself lost wouldn’t help her!”

“I won’t get lost.” The ghost straightened, confidently. “Look. Mom’s not coming back on her own until she finds me. I’ve actually been in the Ghost Zone before. And I can fly. I can get us out of trouble if something happens and get both of us back in no time.”

Dad took a breath considering. “I understand that son. But...none of that will help you if you manage to get lost yourself. You don’t know how far away your mom is. And what if you do find her but get lost on the way back?”

“Mom couldn’t have gotten that far.“ Fenton insisted, holding up his arms. “And Phantom literally can’t get lost.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jazz rose a brow in challenge.

“I literally can’t get lost in the Ghost Zone.” The ghost deadpanned. He grabbed onto Fenton’s arm. “If other me stays here, I’ll always have a beacon to lead me back.”

Dad and Jazz’s brows both furrowed in confusion. “Really?” Dad frowned.

“That’s how he got back to the school earlier.” Fenton supplied. “We’re connected because ya know, same person. He followed that line back to me.”

Dad tilted his head. “You could use that to find your way back after you find your mom?”

Phantom nodded. “And Fenton can keep you guys updated. I can show or tell him what’s happening.”

Dad still looked confused, like he wanted to ask more but after a long moment, acceptance crossed his face. He conceded. “Alright. Go find your mom.” The ghost boy floated higher off the floor and turned to face to portal.

“Hold on a second.” Jazz interrupted. She stepped forward and hugged Phantom. “Be careful little brother.”

“Yeah. Of course.” Ghost Danny returned the hug before pulling away.

A second later, Dad was wrapping him up in a bear hug. “I love you and...I’m sorry.” 

“I...it’s okay. I love you too.” He whispered, returning the hug. His core pulsed nervously. The memory of his conversation with Dad last night flashed through his mind. He might have understood what Dad was apologizing for. For how Mom acted, for not being there for that conversation. But either way- “It’s not your fault.”

Dad didn’t reply to the statement, squeezing his son a little tighter. “Hurry back but be safe Danny-boy.”

Phantom pulled away from his father and finally, his eyes fell on the one person left to address. He grabbed Fenton’s hand and squeezed. “I'll be back soon.”

The human put his other arm around him, pulling him into a hug. “I know. Go find her. And…” He bit his lip and the ghost could feel his worry at the idea of facing Mom again. “It’ll be okay...we’ll be okay.”

The ghost squeezed back. “Yeah. We will.” He pulled away before flying towards the portal. With one last look back, he dove through for the second time that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ghost Zone (World of the Dead? Infinite Realms?) was the same as the last time he’d entered. Swirling green, floating rocks, purple doors in the distance. But this time, he was more aware of his immediate surroundings. He paused, right outside of the portal to take in the environment. The portal’s frame was sitting on a shelf of rock. The shelf dropped off about ten feet in front of him. To either side, it dropped off after about twenty feet. He turned back around, facing the swirling green light. There was the portal but...what if he walked behind it?

There was in fact something behind it. The frame of the portal closed off in the back, forming a wall of  sleek metal that reminded him of the lab at home. Phantom turned away from the frame, his back facing it. He frowned, spotting the edge of the rock again. It went all the way around, like the portal sat in the middle of an island or...he quickly floated over to the edge. The rock continued downward, like he was on the top of a mountain or a cliff.

He felt the shadow of his heart skip a beat. If Mom wasn’t up here, then had she fallen? His eyes desperately searched over the landscape for a scrap of blue, the color of his mom’s jumpsuit.

“Mom!” He called out. “Where are you?”

There was no reply, her form not in sight. Frantically, Phantom turned to the side. Still nothing. He flew to the front of the portal. “Mom!”

He then looked down, gasping. There was a tiny spot of blue, standing out in clear contrast to the green and brown landscape. It must have been hundreds of feet down, at the base of the structure. The boy started shaking, panic overtaking him. She’d...she’d fallen, hadn’t she? Was she hurt or...or….

His eyes then widened noticing something. The small dot of blue was moving. No, not just moving. But moving quickly as if the figure was running or jogging along a narrow strip of rock, away from him. Stepping off the ledge, the ghost started descending. 

“Mom!” He tried again, to no response. Obviously, she couldn’t hear him.

Phantom dove faster, keeping his eyes pinned on the blue figure as it continued down the twisting path. The road, since that’s what it resembled, twisted back, forming stairs and sloping down under itself.  Then it met another, darker colored strip, forming something like a crossroads.

The ghost boy flew closer as the figure jogged down the stairs. Then he paused, flinched at what sounded like a motorcycle engine. Reflexively, he flickered invisible. He glanced down the darker path at the crossroads. Something metal glinted in the dim light as the noise approached. Seconds later, the object materialized in the crossroads. It was in fact a motorcycle and...two glowing figures sat on the bike. The blue figure froze.

Phantom paled, his speed increasing. Seconds later, he landed above the crossroads at a raised part of the road. His back faced the stairs that the blue figure had just run down. His eyes widened as he recognized the scene.

In the crossroads, two ghosts, both of whom were in their early twenties, sat on a motorcycle. The man had greasy looking blonde hair and was wearing a biker jacket. Behind him sat a woman with green hair, in a red jacket and mini skirt.

“What is that?” The woman asked.

“Kitty, I think...that’s a human.” The other glowing figure’s voice rose in harsh disbelief. “What is a human doing here?”

The girl scowled, judgmentally. “And what are they wearing?”

The blue clad figure slowly approached, holding something long and metallic to their side. “I’m not looking for any trouble.” A familiar voice rang out, slightly desperate. “Please. I’m just trying to find my son.” 

Phantom gasped, his core pulsing excitedly. That was his Mom’s voice. Mom! Mom was in front of him. She was okay. She was alive and walking around and….She was...being pinned by two unfamiliar ghosts.

The ghost boy stiffened at the sudden realization. He sprung into action, calling out. “Mom!”

The two ghosts looked in his direction, brows furrowing at his exclamation. “What was that?” The girl, Kitty, asked.

Phantom ignored the question, darting in between the ghostly couple and his Mom. He tensed, holding his arms out to shield her. 

“What’s going on?” Mom startled, taking a step back. “What was that?”

The man’s brow furrowed. He blinked, eyes focusing on Phantom. Then he snorted. “Kid? You tryin’ ta mess with this human too?”

“Mess with?” He muttered. Then Phantom frowned, realization hitting him like a brick wall. He was still invisible. With a slight mental push, he reappeared. 

“Danny?” Mom’s disbelieving voice rang out behind him. Then it shifted into something relieved and hopeful. “Danny!”

The boy turned to the side. “Mom.” The same relief was in his voice.

The woman dropped her weapon. She took a step forward until she was close enough to touch. Mom reached out but Phantom was faster. Before he could really think about it, he was clinging to the woman from the side. “Mom! I found you.”

Mom was shaking. Her hand reached up to run fingers through his hair. “Danny. Baby, you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He squeezed her. “And you’re...you’re not hurt or….”

Near the pair, someone snorted. “Mama’s boy.” Then there was yelp. “Ow. What’d you elbow me for?!”

“Give him a break Johnny.” The green haired woman chastised. “He’s what? Twelve?”

Phantom scowled, turning his head towards the other ghosts. “I’m fourteen!”

“Same difference.” The man waved him off.

Ghost Danny stepped away from his mother again. Now that he knew she was really here and uninjuried, he turned his attention back to the other ghosts, though he did cast a worried look behind him.

“So…” The man, Johnny, looked between the two, a curious if slightly up-to-no-good expression on his face. “How did a human end up here?”

“None of your business.” Mom said quickly, seriously.

Johnny raised a brow. “Some ritual to contact your dead son gone wrong?” Phantom and his mother both flinched at the word. “Found a thin spot and you waited for a portal to open.”

“Like she said.” The ghost boy glared. “It’s none of your business.”

The man smirked, opening his mouth to retort but Kitty elbowed him again. “Leave them alone Johnny. Let’s go.”

“Come on kitten. There’s a good story here.”

The young woman crossed her arms. “We’re going to Ember’s party. We’ll be late if you don’t hurry up.”

“Fine. I’m going.” Johnny rolled his eyes. Placing his hands on the handles, he pumped the gas. “See you ‘round kid.” 

The two ghosts speed off, Phantom watching them warily until they disappeared into the distance. Finally, he relaxed, turning around to face the woman. For a moment, he hovered. After the initial hug, he was at a loss for what to do. He’d found Mom and she was physically okay. They should head home-

Mom quickly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him without hesitation. “Danny baby.” She gently cupped the back of his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Somehow, with the stress of the confrontation over, she sounded more relieved than before. Her voice broke, sounding watery. “I shouldn’t...I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t have said that. But I love you. I love you so much, baby.”

The ghost listened to the words, his eyes tearing up. But he didn’t have it in him to return the hug. He didn’t pull away either. Instead he stood there, torn in two directions. He was happy, so happy that his Mom was safe. And the lack of hesitation, the words. They were exactly what he wanted to hear but…..

“It’s okay. You’re okay. It’s going to be okay, Danny. I love you so much.”

What was with the change in attitude? Well, he did run off to another dimension, after telling Mom that he didn’t think she loved him. And well...oh god he had no idea what to think. This was too much. Too much. He needed to just get them home and-

Mom pulled away, peering at him with tearfilled eyes. She gently cupped his face. “Danny baby. Look at me.” Obediently, he shifted his eyes up, to maintain her gaze. But it was a struggle as tears welled in his eyes and his lip quivered. “I love you.” The woman breathed. “I love this you. I love Fenton….” He averted his gaze from her eyes, an ache piercing his core. “And I love Phantom. I love both parts of you. You’re a part...you’re a part of my son. And I love this part.” Her voice wavered, tears falling down her face. “I shouldn’t...I shouldn’t have made you think that I didn’t, that I wouldn’t love you because you’re a ghost but-”

Suddenly looking down again, Phantom pulled away. Damnit, damnit, damnit! This hurt too much. He couldn’t stay here, couldn’t do this, could’t hear her say those words when...when….

Mom’s expression fell. Slowly, she lowered her hand and didn’t reach for him again. “You’re still upset with me?”

Numbly he nodded. Yes, yes he was. Because they’d done this before. He’d heard her say this before, that she loved all of him and then she’d contradicted it with her actions. And he couldn't...he couldn’t hope again, he couldn’t trust again. It was too good to be true. It was-

“That’s alright.” Mom finally said. “You should be upset with me. I deserve that. But I do...I do lo-”

Another stab at his core. “We should get out of here.” Phantom cut her off. “We can have this conversation later, once we’re back through the portal.”

Somehow, Mom’s expression became even more heartbroken but she didn’t argue. “Come on then.” She started turning back the way she’d come.

“I was going to fly us back.” Phantom said plainly.

The woman turned back around. “Oh of course.” Her frown deepened, studying him. “You’re going to carry me?”

His shoulder’s fell, pouting. “You know that I’m perfectly capable of that.”

“That’s not what I meant, sweetie.” She said gently, taking a step forward. “How do you want to do this?”

Phantom hesitated for a moment. “Here, put one arm around my neck.” The woman did so. “And I’ll grab your legs. Now hold on.” The ghost grabbed her legs, adjusted the woman so he was holding her legs and back with his arms. Both her arms looped around his neck. Slowly, he rose off the ground. “Don’t look down.”

A small forced smile unfurled her lips. “I won’t.”

The boy hummed, looking up at their destination. “How did you get all the way down here anyway?”

“I climbed.” Mom said plainly.

“You climbed?” He rose a brow in disbelief.

“It was the only option.” She muttered. “I had to find you, Danny.” There was no anger, no judgement. Just the determination, the desperation he’s heard from her earlier.

Ghost Danny didn’t reply, looking at the portal again. Well, it turned out, he had found her instead of the other way around.

Mom bit her lip. “It really scared me, when you ran off. But...we’re going home now.” She looked at him earnestly. “Everything will be okay. I’ll...I’ll find a way to make all of this up to you.”

Oh god. He hoped...he hoped he could believe her. He wanted to but...time would tell.

Endnote: Thanks for reading! I'm also going to take some time to pump up my Invisobang story. It's 76K, guys! That's literally the second longest fic I've ever written. Posting day is August 23rd so please check it out when it comes out (For the angst, clones, identity crises, friendship, sibling bonding, and Frostbite being a good mentor/dad.)

[bleachanimefan1]

You Are My Sunshine Part Two

The Faz Gang's All Here, Sort Of?

The next morning, Ayla arrived at the Pizzaplex. She headed to Vanessa's office to find her waiting for her. Vanessa held out an uniform with the Freddy's Pizzaplex logo on it. Ayla took them from her and went into the changing rooms. She placed her bag beside her on the floor and started changing, putting her uniform on. After she was finished and placed her clothes into her locker, Ayla picked up her bag, heading out. Vanessa was standing outside as she waited for her to finish.

"Now, that that's out of the way," she said as she lead Ayla down the hallway. "I'll take you to meet the animatronics. I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you. Now, we have three rules: All animatronics must be back into there rooms before midnight to charge. Do not go down to the lower levels, you don't have clearance for that, and do not go out into the halls after midnight."

"Why can't I?" Ayla questioned.

"It's dangerous. That's all you need to know," Vanessa told her.

As the two walked into another room, Ayla saw that it was dimmed down. There were numerous of colorful neon signs, of Freddy, Roxy, Monty, and Chica everywhere, as well as their names. In the center there was a fountain of Freddy.

"I can't get over how big this place is!" Ayla exclaimed in awe taking it all in. Vanessa rolled her eyes, chuckling a little. "Yeah, so big you can hide a body in here and no one will ever even know." Ayla stopped in her tracks with wide eyes.

"What did you say?"

Vanessa ignored her, as the two stopped in front of Freddy's door and it slid open. Ayla saw Freddy standing by his mirror. His electric blue eyes watched Vanessa as her and Ayla walk in. He had on orange tint to his metallic body with a blue lightning bolt on his chest, red shoulder paddings, spiked bracelets, light blue face paint, a red earring on his left ear, wearing his signature black top hat and bow tie. In his room there was a neon sign with his name. There were some pizza boxes here and there as well as some toys and plushies of him and the others. Pictures of him and the others were hanging on the walls and also there were some children drawings as well, that they gave to him. A large round table and couch that had a giant Freddy plush and black bow tie pillow sitting on it.

"Freddy!" Vanessa greeted him. Freddy walked over to the two and waved. Ayla stared in awe by how tall he was. He practically towered over the two girls.

"Hello, Vanessa. Who is this?" Freddy asked her then turned to Ayla.

"This is Ayla, she is going to everyone's mechanic and help fix up the place." Vanessa explained to him. Freddy looked back at her then back to Ayla, focusing his eyes on her. A beam of light came out from his eyes

"What is he doing?" Ayla asked.

"He's scanning you into his systems." Vanessa explained.

"Ooh, he's technologically advanced, huh?" Ayla hummed, blushing a little with excitement. Suddenly, Vanessa's pager went off. "Darn it, another kid got lost on the second floor. I gotta go. Freddy, can you finish up the tour and show Ayla around?"

"I would be happy to," Freddy smiled, nodding his head. Vanessa left without a word, leaving Freddy and Ayla alone together. As Freddy turned back to look at Ayla, he was taken back by how she was intensely staring at him.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked, nervously.

"You're SO big!" Ayla exclaimed, excitedly and started to quickly bombard the robot with questions. "How do your eyes work? What kind of power source to you run on? What kind of programming do you have?!"

"I don't know?" Freddy said, confused.

"Sorry, I kind of get carried away sometimes."

"It's alright, superstar," Freddy smiled, leading her outside the hall. "Come with me and I'll show you to the others."

"That's Chic's room," Freddy said as he and Ayla walked into her room. There towers and stacks of pizza boxes scattered everywhere, but mostly were in piles by the trashcan. She had neon lighting, including her name and there were photos on the wall as well. Loud music was booming as Chica was shredding on her electric guitar. She didn't even noticed when Freddy and Ayla had walked in. She had a whitish tint to her metallic body with a few stray feathers sticking out from the top of her head, wearing a pink bow, pink chest piece with shoulder guards, on her arms were green gloves, and pink and green leopard leg warmers, and green triangular earrings that resembled picks.

"Yeah, rock it, girl!" Ayla cheered, loudly. Chica stopped, startled, and turned around, hugging her guitar to her chest.

"Freddy, I didn't hear you come in," she said to him before looking down and noticing Ayla standing next to him. "Who's this?"

"Ayla, this is Chica," Freddy introduced them both. "Chica, this is Ayla. She is going to be our mechanic and help fix up the place."

"I've got pizza. Want some?" Chica asked her. Ayla nodded as she as she felt her stomach growling.

"Sure, I could use a bite."

However, Ayla was confused as she saw Chica walk over to the pile of trash and picked up and pizza box then came over to her and Freddy, opening it.

"Here you go!" Chica smiled. Ayla nearly gagged at the sight of it. It was an monstrosity. It was a toxic waste bomb. Ayla almost passed out from the foul smell that it was giving off, there were flies flying around, landing on top of it, around the edges and on some of the toppings there was mold on it, giving over a greenish-blue color. It looked like it was going to crawl out of the box at any minute.

"On second thought, I'll pass." Ayla smiled back while trying not to puke. Chica shrugged, tossing to the side, and it splattered on the glass of her window, sliding down to the floor.

"Oh well, you're always welcome to have some if you want it." She smiled. "And welcome to the family!"

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind," Ayla smiled back and waved as she and Freddy left her room, heading towards the others.

"Over there, is Roxy's room. But, I wouldn't go in there. She's in one of her moods, right now." Freddy explained.

"Uh, huh," Ayla said, seeing the animatronic wolf, crying in front of her mirror. She had long grey flowing hair, her tail as well, wearing a red punk rock outfit with red shoulder paddings, a cropped t-shirt that exposed her stomach, with black stars on it, red shorts, several earrings on her ears, spiked belt, bracelets on her wrists and neck. The two walked passed her show window.

"Hang in there, beautiful! We've all had those days!" Ayla shouted as she and Freddy walked passed. Roxy's ears perked up, hearing her and turned her head. But, Freddy and Ayla had already left. Suddenly, Freddy stopped, nearly causing Ayla to crash into him. She peeked out from behind him to see a huge red curtain in front of them. There was loud noises coming from behind it as someone was screaming in rage and stuff behind tossed around inside. They sounded like they were in pain? Ayla blinked then looked up at Freddy. He had a sad look in his eyes.

"And lastly...that's Monty's. You've seen the pictures all around the hall to know what he looks like. But, I must warn you, do not go in there alone if you're going to fix him, have one of us nearby. It's too dangerous because he could snap into a blind rage." Ayla gulped and nodded her head.

"Why is he so angry?" she asked.

"I don't know," Freddy shook his head. "Monty's always been like that since he first came here."

Ayla stared at him for a moment then looked at the chinks and scratches on Freddy's body. She couldn't help but noticed that most of the animatronics here had a little wear and tear to them. How many years have it been since anyone even came to fix on them?

"Shall we get to work?" she asked him. Freddy looked down at her.

"Work?" he asked confused. Ayla smirked and pulled out her wielding mask, putting it on then pulled out her wrench and screw driver, twirling them.

"You and I are going to spend a little quality time together," she mused. Freddy's eyes shifted away from her, nervously, then back to her again. He backed away as she slowly began to advance upon him.

"Is this going to hurt?" he asked hesitantly.

"Maybe, a little if you move around too much," Ayla teased. "So, shall we go?"

Freddy nodded, before walking back to his room, following Ayla.