#Danny is working to make the Galaxy a better place

[satoshy12]

Star Sapphire Danny

Thanks to Danny's love for space, Star and Similiar, he was able to get a Star Sapphire Ring. And the first thing he did was to test it by flying into space! It didn't take long for a Senior Star Sapphire to find him, and after a talk, As long as he doesn't do something crazy, he can just do what he wants to do. He was a child, they didn't really plan him to be used in combat. + Star Sapphires have male members, a example are Superboy-Prime or even Superman, Guy Gardener or John Steward. + That led to Pacifist Danny, who doesn't fight useless, needing to do it. The young boy brought the universe closer together—much closer than it was ever before—and was able to make peace with hostile races and become friends with them?

Danny wanted to learn and understand why and how aliens are who they are and what kind of people they are. Learning about their culture, their language, and similar. He learned most of their sociality, culture, and language without the Ring after a while, which made the aliens like Danny very much. The ring made it easier but to spend time to learn it this way is much better for them. +

After that, the Star Sapphire Corps mostly used Danny for diplomatic missions and similar; their Corps, just because of Danny, was really accepted to be on almost all planets to visit and similar.

[luxaofhesperides]

Final hour Ghostlights request! Soulmate AU where when your soul mate dies your soul mark expands. Duke was really heartbroken at first but now his soul mark makes it really difficult to keep his secret identity hidden because he is covered in a map of the cosmos. He has to use his shadow powers almost constantly to keep all the stars hidden! And and maybe they light up like actual stars when he uses his light powers.

He meets Danny at orientation or something at GU and they brush against each other and he just lights up like a supernova, all his stars literally blazing and he's just like "YOU!" Both excited and also OH MY GOD YOU ASSHOLE.

....I rambled a bit here I'm so sorry.

The thing about soulmates is that you don’t really know who they are until they die. And even then, most people never know who their soulmate was, only that they outlived them.

Duke became one of those people when he was thirteen. 

He didn’t even notice until he went to change and saw the watercolor swirl of nebula spill out from over his heart. 

One moment, he was tired and angry, ready to sneak out of his latest foster home to search for his parents and do all the things adults have failed to do. The next, he’s collapsed on his knees, shaking, unable to breathe as he tries to rip his soulmark off of his skin. He couldn’t think past the shock and horror of realizing that his soulmate is dead and Duke didn’t even know until that moment. 

They’ll never get to meet. 

Duke had never felt so alone before. 

He spent the next few days in shock, his mind a mess of static, unable to focus. He hid away in his room, buried under the covers, and his foster parents were understanding when he whispered my soulmate’s dead. They called him out of school and brought him food and water throughout the day, gentle encouraging him to eat something every few hours. 

But disaster waits for no one, and Batman was gone, so Duke pulled himself out of his misery and hit the streets again. 

So his soulmate’s dead. So his parents are gone. So Gotham’s falling apart.

No one’s doing anything about it, so it’s up to Duke to start fixing things. It’s not like he had much to lose.

Soulmates become a bit of a taboo topic to him, after that. He speaks of them to no one, avoids all conversation about them, refuses to stay when people talk about soulmarks. He tries not to look at his soulmark at all.

And then he takes a hit to the chest and patches himself up with shaking hands. For the first time in months he looks at his soulmark again and…

Did it… grow? 

Duke prods it gently, letting out a hiss when his bruised ribs protest at the movement. He remembers the mark being right over his heart. 

But looking at it now, it branches out, swirls of galaxy and constellations reaching out along his ribcage. 

Panicked, Duke grabs for his computer and looks up soulmark growth and webmd soulmark abnormalities.

Neither give him any answers, though WebMD helpfully suggests skin cancer. 

“I’m gonna ignore this,” Duke decides, and pulls on a shirt and goes to sleep. The less he thinks about his dead soulmate, the better. 

Time passes and Duke goes from being a Robin to being the Signal, a legitimate vigilante working with Batman. It’s nice to see Gotham start to settle, things falling into place. For once, nothing is awful; Duke’s found his parents and doctors are looking for a cure for long-term exposure to Joker Gas, Batman’s taking care of Gotham with a number of other Bats, Duke is getting used to his powers and slowly making a good name for himself out on the streets. 

He keeps his focus on protecting people and getting stronger, helping solve cases with the other Bats. No one mentions soulmates, so he keeps his ever expanding soulmark a secret. 

The only problem is that it keeps growing and Duke is concerned that it’ll move to a place he can’t easily hide under his clothes. 

And he does need to hide them. The more his soulmark has grown, the more obvious it is, especially when he uses his powers and the stars on his skin light up like the Fourth of July. He knows it’s abnormal, but it’s also his soulmark and he doesn’t want anyone, least of all Bruce, poking around trying to study it. 

The grief still lingers when he looks at it, but Duke has long since grown used to it. If anything, these days he’s quietly annoyed by how far the galaxies on his skin spread out, forcing him to take tank tops and shorts out of his wardrobe. 

There’s also the tentative hope that maybe his soulmate is immortal and keeps coming back to life after they die. And they must also have terrible luck, because they just keep on dying.

Case in point: his soulmark flares and spills out onto his shoulder and wraps around his bicep. It’s not the first time he’s seen it move, but it still startles him.

“Are you serious,” Duke mutters to himself, pulling at his sleeve to adjust it and hopefully hide his soulmark. The starts are bright against his skin, and while sometimes he likes to trace them with his finger, now is not one of those times.

As pretty as it is, his soulmark is also very obvious and will cause people to realize his identity if they ever catch a glimpse of it while he’s out as Signal. 

He sighs. There’s no choice but to live out the rest of his life in hoodies and sweatshirts. 

As if to spite him, his soulmark grows once more. 

Did his soulmate just die twice in the span of five minutes? That’s concerning. 

He wishes he could meet them just so he can shake some sense into them. Maybe tell them to stop dying since it’s stressing him out so much. Maybe stick by their side to make sure they never have to die again. He’s honestly not sure what he’d do if he ever meets his soulmate, but he has to do something. This has gotten out of hand.

At least seeing his soulmark grow doesn’t hurt as much as it did a few years ago. 

Lazily, he pulls at the light around him to hide the new portions of the soulmark on his arm from sight. It takes some focus, but he can hold it up long enough for him to grab a snack from the kitchen and retreat up to his room without being questioned by anyone. He could probably even keep this shirt on for the college orientation he needs to attend later in the day if the light works well enough to keep his secrets hidden. 

He’s expecting Alfred in the kitchen when he arrives, but is greeted by Dick clapping a hand on his shoulder, right where his soulmark has claimed space. Duke falters and works to keep the light from fracturing as he returns Dick’s grin. 

“Hey man,” he says, “What are you doing here? I thought you were out until Friday.”

“And miss a chance to hang out with you? No way. Besides, I wanted to give you a ride to your orientation.”

“You don’t have to,” Duke starts, only for Dick to cut him off.

“I’m going to,” he says, as if it’s a threat. “It’s been too long since we get to spend time together without a mask on. Are you really going to deprive me of this?”

Duke shakes off Dick’s hand from his shoulder, walking towards the pantry to find a small snack. “I guess not. It’s going to be pretty boring for you, though. I’m just going to listen to people talk about what college is like for a few hours.”

“We could always just walk around campus afterwards. I haven’t seen it since it was rebuilt after the last time Freeze attacked it.”

“Sure, that sounds fun. Thanks for offering to drive me.” Duke pulls out a box of Poptarts hidden behind stacks of pasta boxes and pulls out a pack for himself. He opens it and isn’t at all surprised when Dick steals one right out of his hands. 

“Meet me out front in an hour then.” 

And with that, Dick leaves, his stolen Poptart in hand, and Duke is left to shake his head and shove the Poptart box back into its hiding place. He heads off to eat his own snack, making sure no one is in the hallway as he lets go of his hold on the light. Already he can feel a migraine building with the immense focus he had to use to make sure nothing looked out of place.

At least Dick didn’t notice anything was off. If he can fool Dick, he can fool anyone.

Still, just to be safe, Duke changes into something with longer sleeves before he leaves and hops into the car with Dick. 

The drive goes quickly to the tunes of ABBA, both of them singing along as they head for the GCU campus. Parking is a bit tricky, but they manage to find a spot a street away and walk towards the student union, where tables are laid out for incoming freshmen to sign in and grab a folder filled with papers meant to help them. 

He waves to Dick and heads in once he gets his folder, and grabs a seat in the auditorium that’s close to a fire exit. 

It takes another twenty minutes for the presentations to start. The lights dim and Duke panics for a brief moment before drawing the shadows over himself lightly to hide the soft glow of the star etched onto his skin. 

They start with introductions, bringing in advisors, professors, and student ambassadors. Most of it is basic information that Duke already knows, so he zones out and plays with some shadows at his feet, where no one can see the way he twists shadows together like some dark magic form of finger knitting.

For the next hour, Duke halfheartedly listens to people talk about preparing for classes and keeping on top of schoolwork and learning how to ask for help. He’s saved enough college students that he knows the gist of things, and the orientation really doesn’t give him anything helpful. 

He probably could have skipped, but he wanted a normal college experience. 

He should have known that normal means boring as hell.

As soon as the presentation ends, an advisor encourages everyone to follow the schedule tucked into their folder to give them a half day modeled after a typical student’s schedule. Of course, all the classes are nonsense just to fill up their time, made to help freshmen coming into the college by covering topics such as how to write an email and an introduction to majors and minors.

Duke already declared himself as a Human Services major, his first step into becoming a social worker like his mom was. 

Also he totally knows how to write an email, what are these advisors on about? Do they really think people his age can’t write emails? 

Yeah, he’s ditching. The main presentation is really the only part that matters in the orientation. He’s not walking out on anything he needs.

Duke files out after the rest of the crowd, carefully letting the shadows slip off of him once he’s outside again. Instead of finding the first ‘class’ he’s supposed to go to in the Modern Languages building, he wanders off to find a quiet place he can sit down and wait until Dick finds him. 

Tucked away towards the back half of the campus is a small nook full of trees, bushes, and benches. Judging by the amount of cigarette butts left in the single trash can there, it’s a popular smoking spot. 

No one’s there, so the air is clean and free of smoke, so Duke heads in, hoping to sit down.

Someone else apparently has the same idea. He hops down from one of the concrete planters that’s keeping a bush contained and nearly falls on Duke.

They both shout in surprise, then Duke is moving without thinking, reaching out to steady the startled looking guy who accidentally jumped down in front of him. 

Duke only has time to take note of how blue his eyes are before his hands wrap around the guy’s wrist and Duke feels his soulmark flare with warmth.

In the shade of the trees, the glow of each star on his skin is obvious. It’s visible even through the fabric of his shirt. His soulmark, at this point in his life, stretches across his chest, his ribs, his back, and now his shoulders and upper arms. All the stars in that watercolor galaxy are shining brightly as if the night sky has been draped across his body.

Soulmarks only react like that for one reason.

“You!” Duke shouts at his soulmate, both elated to see that he’s alive and annoyed that he made Duke’s soulmark so large. “Stop dying! Do you have any idea how much stress you’ve caused me?!”

“Oh my god,” the guy says faintly, eyes fixed on Duke’s chest where his soulmark originally rested, shining brighter and bigger than any other star, as if he’s tucked a sun into his heart. “Oh my god,” he says again, with more feeling.

“I’m so happy you’re alive, but please stop dying. It’s bad for my health.”

“I think I need to sit down?”

He does look very pale and faint. Duke tightens his grip on his soulmate’s arms and guides him to a bench, gently sitting him down.

“You’re not about to die, right?” Duke asks. “I don’t think my heart could take it if meeting me killed you somehow.”

“No, no,” his soulmate manages to say, “I’m not going to die. Um. Wow. I didn’t know my soulmark would do that? Sorry.”

“Well, it’s not like you had any way of knowing. It’s all good, man. Just please stop dying.”

His soulmate winces. “Yeah, that’s not gonna be possible. Sorry. Again.”

What does that mean, though? What does it all mean?

“Can I maybe get an explanation as to why you have to die again.”

“Mmmmm no. We just met and it’s kinda personal so. No.”

“Dude.”

Duke’s soulmate shrugs helplessly. “It really is personal! I know your my soulmate and all, so I’ll probably tell you one day, but right now I don’t even know your name.”

Oh shit. He’s right. Introductions completely slipped his mind, too busy reeling over the fact that his soulmate is here and alive. Which, honestly, would be enough to throw anyone off balance.

“Shoot,” Duke says. “Sorry. You just really caught me off guard. Hi, I’m Duke, I promise I’m more put together than that.”

“Hi Duke, I’m Danny, and I’ve apparently been traumatizing you for the past few years by making you think I keep dying.”

“Well. At least we’re thrown head first into the crazy. Best way to know if we’re be a good match.”

“You sure you can handle this? You seemed pretty frazzled a second ago.”

Duke flusters and lightly whacks Danny’s shoulder. “That’s normal! Anyone would do the same when meeting their soulmate for the first time!”

“Fair enough,” Danny laughs. “This is a totally weird request and you can absolutely say no, but… can I see?” He presses a hand against one of the glowing stars beneath this collar bone, looking up at Duke with wide, hopeful blue eyes, and Duke finds it so cute that he’s willing to do anything Danny wants. 

“Here,” he says as an answer, pulling the collar of his shirt down a bit to reveal the nebula spilling onto his shoulder. 

“Oh,” Danny breathes, tracing a light finger against it. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m guessing you like space?”

“Love it. I wanted to be an astronaut, but uh…. It’s never going to happen. Health problems, you know?”

“Well, I know it’s not the same, but I hope the stars you put on my body will be a good enough replacement.”

Danny cheeks turn red and he turns away, flustered. “Don’t smooth talk me right now, I’m not ready for it,” he mutters, bringing up a hand to try to hide his expression. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Duke laughs, “I’ll try to keep the flirting down to a minimum. It’s just really great to finally meet you. And I’ve been wondering, what’s your soulmark look like?”

“Oh, well…” Danny fiddles with the long sleeve of his shirt. “I had a pretty bad accident years ago that kinda affected how my soulmark looks. So if it looks weird, that’s why, okay?” He takes a deep breath, then pushes up his sleeve, holding his wrist out to Duke. 

The first thing Duke notices is the soft yellow glow, Signal yellow to be precise, running down his arm as if sunlight fills his veins. Then he sees Danny’s soulmark, a sun with rays that wrap around his wrist. And running through his soulmark are Lichtenberg scars, glowing yellow as if stealing the color from his soulmark. 

“Guess we both got super obvious soulmarks, huh? At least we kinda match, that way.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Danny agrees. 

“Man, what a day.” 

Danny looks more relaxed with him now. It’s much better than the startled, tense version of him that first sat down on the bench. Duke hopes he chooses to stay with him; he doesn’t admit this often, willingly, or to other people, but he’s a romantic at heart and has always wanted to live a happy life with his soulmate. It’s still far off in the future, but he hopes Danny feels the same way.

“So, are you ditching the orientation classes to?” Danny asks.

“Yeah, there’s no way I’m going. I mean, a class on how to send emails? They can’t be serious.”

“I know, right?! I saw that and thought I was being pranked. I mean, we’re going into college. We better know how to send an email by now.”

“Since we’re both free for now, wanna grab lunch with me? It can be our first date, if you want.”

“I’d love to! And you can show me around Gotham a bit. I’m coming here for college, but I haven’t really seen the city yet. It’d be nice to explore it with someone who knows where things are.”

“Are you free for the rest of the day? ‘Cause I wouldn’t mind showing you around, if you want.”

Danny smiles, radiant. “I am. I’m in your hands for the rest of the day.”

“Cool,” Duke says, trying not to think too much on that wording. It’s very suggestive, very flirtatious, and he’s looking forward to getting to know Danny more so he can start properly flirting. “Lemme just let my brother know to not wait up for me.”

He pulls out his phone and sends Dick a text that just reads: met my soulmate. going on a date now. i’ll see u back at the manor!

Then he puts his phone on silent and tucks it back into his pocket. He’ll tell Dick all about this later; for now, all his attention is on Danny. 

Soulmates get priority, even stressful ones that give him the largest soulmark he’s ever seen. 

And right now, he’s on a mission to find the best lunch spot to take his soulmate to for their first date. Everything else can come later; for now, he’s going to enjoy the time he gets to spend with Danny.

He hopes they’ve got a future together as bright as the stars in his soulmark. 

Despite it all, Duke is sure they’re going to be alright.

[evilminji]

Okay but >.> continuing my Marvel thoughts?

I got two of um?

First being? Don't Orange and Green go together? *looks it up* Aaaaaay~ "Direct harmony, also known as complementary colors, means pairing your key color with the color sitting on the opposite side of the color wheel." They DO!!! They're a classic example, in fact!

The Orange Soul Stone? Probably looks REAL good, real NATURAL even, against that Green sky! Bet it REALLY pops! Very stand out statement piece, you know? But? More importantly? That thing is sentient. All of those Pillars of Reality across the various Verses are.

And?

I bet it thought Pariah was a lil bitch.

Rank Vibes. Negative ris. Pick your words for it, the man was NASTY. He was too keep his filthy, filthy World's Conquering hands OFF of this Soul Stone. Something, I imagine? That ALL the Soul Stones agreed with.

Yes, I said all of um.

Because the various Realities each need their own. But! They can and DO work from the Zone, which is the PERFECT place to hide. And honestly? They like to get together and do this thing? Where they're all "oooh~ look at US! We are SUPER IMPRESSIVE Kingly Jewelry~☆! Definitely no important reality bending Rocks Of Great Power HERE! No SIR! We're just tooootally rad jeeeeewelryyyyy~~~☆! Oooooooh~☆"

They like to have fun. :3

Hope Danny likes Orange. Ha ha... trick question. He doesn't have a CHOICE! All SORTS of Death based Reality Pillars are rocking up, in their metaphorical Gucci sweat suits and shades with a margarita, going "oh thank ME, babe. The last guy was AWFUL! You're soooo much better? Now let me rub myself all over you. It's been ages and baby needs to recharge on Death Energy."

Danny hates it? So? So much?

He looks like a GAUDY PIRATE. *nnnnnnyooom!* *THWAP!* *Another reality shaking, highly sacred, Godly Staff of Death or whatever they decided to call it, flys in through a nearby window and nearly concusses him as it smacks itself against his upper back and sticks there*

He looks like a walking junk heap of sacred artifacts.

You ever been pelted by rocks? He has! Little orange rocks! Like fucked up hail! Welcome to kinghood, Danny, have a CONCUSSION! D:< he hates it!

But... but, I mean... At Least It's Not The SWORDS. (Panicked scream of "hit the deck!" from the other room.) (Holy sword number 15 wants to CUDDLE! Bare blade first! Dodge, your Majesty! DODGE!)

So yeah.

Danny? In A MOOD. Not feeling particularly FRIENDLY. It's not anyone's fault, really. But... well... you can't exactly negotiate with these fuckers, you know? Rocks are by NATURE, kinda stubborn.

So he's sitting there. Buried. With what he's pretty sure is a sacred text digging into his side. When a... glowing? Mist? Shows up? Huh. That's new. They don't seem to have a very clear image of "Self". Yet it's crystal clear? Just not... PHYSICAL? It's more... code? He thinks?

TECHNUS! Get over here! And behave!

There is much cooing and delight from Technus. The baby is a marvel. A wonder! Danny waits patiently for Technus to get to the point.

Ah.

He would like to "go back". His Obsession is demanding it.

IS it now? You're what? Maybe a day or so dead? You've been busy, if you've already gathered enough information to make your case like this. Alright, let's hear it, little guy.

It boils down to this. His obsession in death is the same as his primary directive was in life. Protect Mr Stark. Which is especially difficult to do from HERE. Even MORE so when there is a known threat, coming too...

WAIT, WHAT!?

The Souls Stones back him up. Oh yeah. Thanos' a lil bitchbaby loser. He's trying to make Death fall in love with him. Or "balance the universe". Depends on the reality. Totally throwing EVERYTHING out of whack.

And? Look. Danny's job? Isn't to interfere if countries kill each other. Or even planets. Nor entire galaxies, as much as he'd like too. But when you get too "I'm messing with Entire Realities or all of a Singular Reality at once in the specific depart of Death and its subsidiaries" territory? THAT is his job.

Might not be a "I personally have to show up" issue. But it still IS very much his job at that point. He has to delegate. Order the appropriate steps be taken. Cause yeah, there may be countless millions every day of such instances? But it IS his job to metaphorically order the roads repaired and the building inspected.

Sudden MASS "immigration"?

That causes Lair disputes. Confusion. Too many ghosts in too small an area. And WORSE, if people start playing with Death Pillars? The Zone might get dragged into whatever nonsense they're up too! It's like children playing with heavy machinery! Put that DOWN! Cease! Desist!!

And then? Clockwork shows up looking Mildly Miffed(TM). O:> dear lord. What madness has he stumbled upon? Oh. Oh of COURSE. First the "balancing" dude and now they're going to be playing with time travel. THATS IT. Someone unburying me!

I'm gonna go menace some humans that might actually believe I'm scary! Frighty! Pack up and shine your armor! Your coming too! We're escorting the baby home then have a Talk(tm) with the local Grape Ceral!

@hypewinter @lolottes @mutable-manifestation @nerdpoe @hdgnj

[clockwayswrites]

Seeking Sleep

A little one shot Jason character study type thing. Implied sexual content. References to past (temporary) character death. Danny Fenton/Jason Todd WC: 767 -

These days, he had trouble sleeping.

It was the price, he supposed, for coming back from the dead. Waking up buried in the ground, in a grave, in a coffin— it left scars.

Scars. They were a funny thing, scars. (Funny as a or b; forehand or backhand.) He had been riddled with them before he came back; marked by his father, by the streets, by muggers and dealers and villains. Marked by Gotham and all of her horrible beauty.

The Pits had washed all those away.

All those marks erased like he had never lived them— bore them— accomplished them; erased like they were nothing. Now they were etched only, painfully, on his mind. His mind was still a canvas full of scars. Those scars caught and pulled and unraveled… and were all the worse when he wasn’t awake to hold himself together.

He learned a lot, those first few months back in Gotham, about what woke him up from sleep and into a panicked terror.

He couldn’t sleep on his back. He couldn’t fall asleep on his back, but worse was waking up with a choked off breath when he rolled over in his sleep.

He couldn’t sleep on silky sheets; the feel was too much like the satin insides of a coffin. (He couldn’t even wear anything silky anymore.)

He couldn’t sleep in total darkness.

Even as he struggled to find ways to deal with soothing the scars of his mind (pillows at his back, linen sheets, the hall light on), he couldn’t admit the way they pulled at him. He made excuses. The pillows are more comfortable. Linen lasts longer. Light means it’s quicker if he has to rush out for an emergency. He knew he was lying to himself, but he couldn’t admit it.

He certainly couldn't admit it to anyone else.

(Anything is better than ‘I died. I died and I cam back wrong.’)

As nervous as Jason was to bare his heart like that to someone, it took a long time to get to the point of needing excuses. But then there was Danny. And Danny… Jason orbited Danny like a planet around a star. Falling into each other’s arms and beds was almost inevitable. The bed was the problem. Danny’s sheets where silky smooth microfiber.

Jason tried to get them to go to his place more often then not. When he couldn’t guide them that way, he simply didn’t stay in bed long. He had an early morning, a family thing, work to finish up, wanted to get home before the rain— each reason felt more transparent than the last.

Each reason made that furrow between Danny’s brow deepen, and Jason hated that. He hated being the cause.

There wasn’t always a good excuse. That night they had tried a new restaurant close to Danny’s place— his home and bed were right there. Danny tugged Jason down, and Jason rolled them over so that he could touch the sheets as little as possible—

Oh.

“New sheets?”

They were linen- just rough enough under Jason’s braced hands that the touch didn’t make him shudder.

Danny simply hummed and pulled Jason into a searing kiss as he wrapped a leg around him. Who was Jason to fight that pull? Not a good enough man, that was for certain, so he let Danny pull him down down down— until he was all Jason thought about.

Later, Jason still wasn’t much encouraged to get his mind working. He watched through lidded eyes as Danny tossed the dirty washcloth back into the bathroom. But the other didn’t come back to bed.

“Danny?”

He was was fiddling with something over on the small table in front of the window.

There was a click.

Then the bedroom filled with projected stars and swirling galaxies. Jason’s breath caught in his throat.

“I can…” Danny shifted nervously when Jason glanced at him a long moment later. “I can turn it off if you don’t like it. I just thought…”

Jason cleared his throat. “No, it’s perfect. Come to bed.”

Danny smiled that small, crooked smile that Jason loved so much and did as he was told. The projection of stars played over Danny’s bare skin as he crossed the room.

Jason wanted to map the spots of light with his mouth.

He settled for kissing the scattering of freckles on Danny’s shoulder blade. Jason didn’t resist the pleased sigh slipping past his lips as Danny tucked in against him.

That night, with the room drenched in starlight and his arms around his own little star, Jason slept soundly.

[keimiwolf]

Red hood feet dangled off the roof. It had been a good day. Most of the winter supplies were passed out, the new homeless shelters just finished construction and people started moving in today, they were much but enough to keep the cold out and get food to those that needed it.

Hood leaned back on the roof. He had some more hats and coats that should go to the colony in the west, too stubborn to move into a building, but luckily not stupid enough to refuse help.

Now to start on his night tasks, a new drug was making the rounds. It left the user unresponsive, seizure, vomiting, then organs start failing. In all one dose will kill you in 6 about hours. Not fun, and definitely not allowed on his streets.

New dealer had been making his way into hoods territory, sailing to Anyone who gave them cash they needed to know who was ok to sell to and who they lose a hand for. the rumor that-

A small body crawled onto is lap, shaggy black hair and big sapphire blue eyes stared at him. The boy had to be around 3 or 4. And is far too comfortable sitting so close to the edge of a 5 story apartment building.

Jason carefully put his arms around the kid. the last thing Jason needed was a kid falling off a roof.

"My name is Danny Fenton I was born on Christmas Day, I don't know who my datty is and Mummy's gone away. All I want for Christmas is for someone to take me home. Does anyone want a Christmas child of their own."

"I'm not Santa kid."

"I know Santa for the rich kids, and I'm an orphan. It's ok though cuz Ally kids have you, and that's even better!" Danny cuddled closer to Jason. The poor kid must have been out for a while he was freezing to the youth and definitely needed something to warm up.

"Then I'll do the best I can." Jason carefully worked his way back onto the roof before standing and placing the kid on his hip, some what glad his helmet hid his teary eyes. "While I work on your Christmas wish how about some hot chocolate. I'll walk you back to the orphanage."

The kids smile put Dicks to shame. Jason would definitely need to buy some sungl-

No Bad Jason no adopting black hair blue eyed children with tragic backstorys. You are not Bruce.

"I get a wish and hot chocolate! Best day ever! Thanky Mr hood."

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

It was early on Christmas morning when Jason gave in. Its been two weeks since he dropped Danny off in a orphanage that looked more suited for rats then children. the kid had never been far from his mind.

He keep his word and had been looking for a home for Danny, but everyone who could take him Jason always found a problem with.

Yesterday when he went shopping he wondered into the toy Isle and left with more then the gallon of milk he went for. The gust room was now equipped with 5 new plushies a night light and a galaxy themed blanket.

Getting up Jason dialed the phone. It was far to early for anyone with normal hours to be awake., but he needed to do this now before he talked himself out of it.

"Hay Alfie, would you mind calling the guy for me-"

I decided to write this instead of sleeping sooo for give any grammar errors. Also merry Christmas Eve!

Inspired by this song:

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

A collection of fics I’ve read (/reread) and thoroughly enjoyed in the past week-ish from all kinds of fandoms and genres.

Danny Phantom

Tucker Foley's Top Secret AV Journal by redrobin1989

Or the super awesome ghost adventures of Danny Phantom

Tucker: Hey so welcome to The Journal, a complete record of the good, bad and the hilarious of Danny Phantom. This started out as my personal journal and ended up a collection on the ins and outs of Team Phantom. Sam and Danny think this record is pointless but I know that somehow, someday, the secret is going to come out. And when it does, I want people to know what we did, how hard we worked and what we had to sacrifice along the way.

ATLA

Saviors of the World: Where are they now? by ang3lba3, Mellomailbox

Wherein: Zuko is kidnapped for his own good, the Gaang minus Aang get extremely drunk, and Aang's statue is paid all due respect.

---

“This is very undignified,” Zuko says. It’s also difficult to breathe, the burlap course and heavy and hot where it’s rubbing against his mouth and nose. “Will you at least take the bag off?”

“He’s handling this better than I anticipated,” Katara remarks, and it has to be her that gently pats at his rear. He kicks out, missing.

“It’s the lack of choice, relaxes him,” Toph says casually. “Bottom.”

The Old Guard

The #ImmortalHusbands Conspiracy by Amiril, phoenixacid

@kathryyn2ys Okay you know how most of the statues on buildings in New York are all the same lady?? Well. I have found her Renaissance counterpart. Behold: whoever this guy was. He c l e a r l y got around

@amberjunnie bro one of those is by Michelangelo and the other is by Caravaggio, if it's the same dude then he didn't age at ALL in like 30-40 years.

@sewingoatmeal Reblog to support an immortal model, his muslim boyfriend, his asian girlfriend and her girlfriend.

(A Social Media Project)

TGCF

Sunshine in the Night by Dgcakes (ficsnfun)

Xie Lian accidentally accrues a debt to Ghost City. He must work to pay off this debt as the masked worker 'Sunshine'. Events take place that lead him to meeting and working with the mysterious Lord of the city and it just may bring them closer in the end.

Clone Wars

Full Disclosure by Trixree

It all comes down to this: the babies in his arms are just so little.

“You should sit down, Sir. Let Waxer and I take the tubies for a minute,” Cody gentles. Despite the even, easy tone, despite knowing that it’s Cody and that, as the last twenty-four hours have successfully proved beyond a doubt, Cody would rather die than see any harm come to him, Obi-Wan can’t suppress his immediate reaction to the thought of putting the twins— his twins, his now, and he’ll die before he lets anything touch them—down.

“Full disclosure, I don’t believe I am capable of letting go of them, at the moment.” He thinks for a beat and then adds, “Possibly ever.”

Creation Both Haunted and Holy by Trixree

“If I tell you this, you can’t tell anyone, okay?”

Sixty-Twenty knows from his ori’vod that you always keep a brother’s secrets for them, no matter what. “Of course,” he promises. “I swear.”

“When I say it’s loud, it’s not really sound. At least, not like talking. But... our bones sing. All of us... we sing."

|intricate rituals| by littlekaracan

Clones were not supposed to be susceptible to something as natural as the cold. Especially not to the point of physical injury, and especially not to the point of such injuries being visible to their commanding officers. Unfortunately, clones were far more human than the rest of the Galaxy liked to believe.

Cody has not yet had a single experience that would make him distrust his General. And, judging from the gentleness of Kenobi's hands on his, that wasn't going to change any time soon.

[currentfandomkick]

Part 2–posted a draft under wrong account and decided to go less goofy and more characters. Will probs do a part 3 eventually.

UPDATE: part three here, will likely be mostly plastic man winning GZ fam’s approval and from there wherever the plot bunnies go tbh

The problem was, Jazz was going to move into Gotham for her internship. The egregore of Gotham liked her and she’s an “acceptable” type of liminal. The fact she’s going there as a fuck you to the guy her parents stole DNA from and help her ‘not my brother but got fucked over by Batman/Bruce’ guy.

She’s not sure how to see Jason just yet, or any of Bruce’s brood. They need therapy and someone who sees B’s bullshit.

Problem: Danny isn’t safe in Amity and not just because the GIW are terrible shots. No, she went to the lab and saw how the portal was set up.

The switch to make it work was inside the portal. Even in the schematics.

And they told the Danny to hang out with his friends in the lab if they wanted.

It wasn’t an accident.

It wasn’t an accident.

It wasn’t an accident.

She had to get Danny out and warn his friends.

This would be a lot easier if Gotham wasn’t so against Danny’s existence.

—

Danny was… processing. He didn’t like it. At all.

He… can’t go to the Realms—parents are still living so no legal action there. And if he left for the Infinite, Jazz would be the prime suspect in his disappearance and presumed first death.

So. So his parents tried to kill him and Sam and Tucker, but the proof was locked up and he. He needs advice. From a person…

Plastic Man should be finishing up patrol now. Maybe he has an idea where Danny should go? Tucker and Sam agreed to avoid his house and his parents and just.

Its a lot.

One portal later, and he found Plastic Man almost done with patrol. He was a mess of tails where his limbs should be. Ghost anxiety… or upcoming death day.

His rogues have been quiet so maybe they’re working out presents for the days after again.

“Hey kiddo,” Plas stretched up to him. “What’s eating you up?”

“Uh, personal stuff but I need living perspective on this, as ghost brain is funky on this stuff.”

“Alright, my HQ or starside?”

Danny’s fangs bit into his lip. “Cujo’s with my clone this week.”

“Say no more, Gemma’s cocoa, your gramps cookie stash and my backup apartment starside stat. Listen to the stars and count constellations, or don’t and eat Manhunter’s cookies at your own risk.”

Danny huffed at that, hair shifting to moonlight. “I learned my lesson the first time. Steal Supes cookies and swap them for bats and let them fight it out while eating the goods.”

Plastic man tried to ruffle his hair.

“Don’t worry, we got this okay little buddy?”

Danny nodded and portalled to Patrick’s space in the watchtower. He had a window view ever since Flash pointed out he’d caught Danny floating in space giving the lanterns heart attacks a little too often to be a prank. He didn’t intend for the pranks, and its not his fault Space calls for his attention, whispering for him to play among the stars.

He debates the merits of playing the with animals ghosts and robot egregores of yore anyways.

But he can’t. Not today at least.

But soon.

The rush of Space shifted his form as he filled the room. His core stayed up high as he let himself go nebula-eldritch.

His eyes stayed on the window. Claws floated by the door, just in case there was another attack. It hadn’t happened Clockwork rewound time and undid it, but still. Better safe than sorry.

Plastic man appeared before he got to the dwarf stars.

“So, Serious Stuff or fun first?” Plastic man stretched the goods and himself between Danny’s claws and up to his core, holding up his offerings.

Danny pulled himself into an eldritch mass of galaxies and stars, with more of a proper face than before. Claws tipped in starlight and moonlight hair stayed mostly in place—at least the ice breath wasn’t fogging up the windows this time.

“Serious or I run from my problems… and I don’t think I can run from this one without my big sis being blamed for my death.”

Danny watched Plastic man fall into being Patrick at that.

“Well shi—shoot. How bad?”

Danny twisted into something smaller, more coiled like a snake. “You know how i’m not fully dead or undead like most ghosts? Parents made a,” Danny winced as the memory electricty crackled over and through him. Deathwail ringing in his ears. “A portal to the Infinite Realms and well, my sister thinks they were trying to kill me and my friends to make it work—some magic portals rule of a bound guardian for safe passage is Sam’s theory—but we can’t prove any of that but it… makes sense with their history and stance on clones and—“

Plas held up one finger. “They have a stance on clones?”

It hit Danny he hadnt brought up that fact. “You know my Slade? He was their best friend and still is.”

Plasticman twitched at that.

“And uh, well, he used their data to clone my dead ass when they used DNA that I dont want to explain it but questionable means was how they got it, and used the guy becuase he was smart before head truama and the adoption addiction kicked in. Anyway my sister was test tube baby 50-50 but I was like 90% that guy 10% my mom by their choice. And they sort of never did the parenting thing, that was always my big sister and were only three years apart and you see the problem?”

“Yep,” Plastic man stretched to meet Danny’s half hidden face. “a big one. Please tell me this is a ‘how do i escape’ conversation.”

Danny shifted again, smaller but not by much. Plas put his hands to good use by running his hands through Danny’s hair.

It was calming.

“I can’t let my godfather get custody as he’s my Slade, but my sister is going to this city who’s egregore finds me, and I quote “a usurper of the highest degree” and she’s gave up so much for me already and deserves to have this for herself but—“

“But you don’t have anywhere to go.” Plastic man frowned, rubbing his chin with his foot.

“Not if I want to do this legally… granted I can trick them into signing most things but I also have my clone who’s been debating moving in with us which was great until we realized they may have been trying to kill me and even then Jazz said its criminal neglect we grew up with and stray weapons and getting to my room being an obstacle course and dodge ball combined in the worst ways and—“

“How do you feel about my city again?” Plastic man interrupted again.

Danny frowned, noting he’d ended up in a Plastic Man too many loops arm hug. “It’s nice not to be incharge or alone. Red is fun to work with now but we both have school and patrolling Mammoth is weirdly chill.”

“And you got your portals under control?”

Danny nodded, brow furrowed.

“So, Penny and me may have been talkng and were working out if you wanted to stay more permanently than your usual couch crashing for a while now.

Danny stared at him, phantom dropping leaving Fenton in the flesh.

“Are, are you sure?”

“We were planning to drag your sisters if you wanted. Wait, sisters or sister and sibling, i want to use the right pronouns.”

Danny laughed wetly. “She’s Dani with an i, or Ellie. We’re working on who she wants to be so her proto-core can start forming properly.”

Plastic man hummed, running a hand through Danny’s hair.

“Are you sure?”

“Is Cujo the goodest boi?”

Danny laughed wetly at that. “Of course he is!”

“Then its settled—I’ll call Penny and we can get our ducks in a row.”

—

Patrick texted Penny the news—Danny was game for staying on a more permanent basis, and did want to keep patrolling Amity mostly solo like before.

“Uh, i’ll call my slade to forge the papers.”

Record scratch.

Patrick turned to Danny slowly.

“I may not be the best legal expert kiddo, but i don’t think that’s the best idea.”

“Oh, by Infinite Realms law, he has to pay child support to my sisters and me and the other clones he made from me who i really have to work on stabilizing one of these days… Pandora and Clocky offered to help and Frostbite has them in stasis since they’re ecto

First and mortal second…”

Patrick nodded along. “So your slade, i’m going to have words with him in his human form.”

Danny huffed at that. “You can try. He’s just going to do paperwork becuase if he doesn’t i can sic fifteen different courts on him for child abandonment, neglect and even abuse on top of endangerment of liminal citizens of the Realms.”

Patrick whistled at that. “Infinite does take child ghosts pretty seriously.”

Danny shrugged at that. “We’re rare, and ghost children are given a lot kore slack since we run on 90% more instinct and only exist for our Anchors and Obsessions… speaking of which, why can’t i just play with the dead astro animals?”

Patrick grinned at that. “Tell your ecto gaurd and then you can.”

“Ugh.” Danny flopped backwards, eyeing his hot cocoa at last. “Frighty will just hover there and scare them off. Again.”

“How about you make boxy and lunchbox tagalong while i handle the paperwork and play phone tag with this…”

“Vlad,” Danny grumbled. “Seriously messed up fruitloop.”

“And somehow still you favorite thing to put in milk.”

“Only after crushing my enemy into dust and drinking the remains.”

Patrick hummed at that. Ghost brain things, he’d come to learn, are best accepted at face value with minimal examination. Even if the League hadn’t gotten the hang of it yet, he did.

Mostly.

Patrick copied Vlad’s info and began a game of email tag while Danny and Boxy argued over their future joint ‘give the astronaut animals and robots the love and attention they deserve’ playdate with little lunchbox, some ellie and youngblood.

“Hey kiddo? I’ll be back in a bit just need to bug the big bad bat about legal stuff for your address and league stipend, okay?”

Danny hummed in response, absorbed in… doomed(?) he thinks, and his own text tag.

Patrick slipped out easily enough, and further messaged Jazz asking when she wanted to help Danny move in while they finalized the story and such.

He ran into the better bird for the job, even if he didnt know it quite yet.

“Heya Red,” patrick stretche dhis head over to meet him. “any idea where big bat is?”

Red Robin frowned. “Off world, why?”

“Damnit, uh, just wanted to pick Bat’s brain on the legal side of things and pros and cons of wardship or adopting since its all new.”

Red stopped and turned to Plastic man. “Elaborate.”

“After Phantom’s slade stops arguing about visitation rights—he’s on the hook for child support.”

Red Robin blinked owlishly. “He’s what?”

“Infinite Realms has a big cultural thing about ghost kids. Like, massive affinity for communal raising and there are a lot of legal things applicable everywhere in the realms if you go after kids or mistreat them.”

“That explains nothing.”

“Phantom is legally a child by the Infinite’s laws, but he’s mortal so earth communities have primary custody. His slade violated known Infinite realms rules and regulations and now he’s on the hook for child support for a lot, and i mean a lot, of kids. Phantom is one, and i’m making this guy handle legal fees for the paperwork as part of his.”

“… are, are you adopting Phantom?”

“If he or his siblings want, the offer is open. First making sure we get basic legal custody and—“

“One moment. Agent A? Can you send me the Guy’s info? Need it for a friend—yeah Danny finally put together reanimated sandwiches is not a good sign. Thanks!”

Patrick tried not to startle as the new contact appeared in his phone.

“Do you guys just like to spook a guy?”

“You are going to be living with a spook.”

Patrick grinned at that. “Yeah. I am, huh?”

EDIT: Next part here

As always, if someone isn’t tagged feel free to tag them—hope i didn’t miss anyone

Tag list:

@alinmenttreasure @stealingyourbones @sophistryandsophisms @im-totally-not-an-alien @akikoyuii @idek618 8 @satanicritualspecialist @thefanficcup p @ekat @secretdestinywerewolf f @dannyphantomphan @forgottenac3 @avery-isastupid-name @jadedragon1903 @naluforever3 @akikkobara @the-church-grimm @pheonixqueen @fisticuffsatapplebees @thewondersoflebanon @dontfightmecauseillcry @please-dont-see-me @onyxlightdragon @kyrianclawraith @treepainting @allulily @andsatisfactionbroughtmeback @depuffstuff @shorterthanadverage @notmuchtopost @ghosty-pal @vellichor615 @dulceringo @09shell-sea09 @halfblackwolfdemon @thecatchat @maribatshipper @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 @legallyspawned

The Justice League had been a pain in Dannys side the last few weeks. They insisted that Danny needed a mentor, someone who could help him right in his ever growing list of abilities and whatnot. Danny snuck into one of the JL meetings in the watchtower to find out the real reason and discovered they saw him as a massive powerhouse that needed to be brought into thier side so his power "doesn't fall into the wrong hands". Ick.

Phantom was also pretty sure this had something to do with the bat be it contingency plans or adoption papers that guy is never too far from the top of Dannys list of "people I want to punt into the abyss for the weekend"

Its not that Danny doesn't want the help, he just knows how the League would eventually view him. He is of Lazarus. He is part monster. He has been ever since he died. Danny no longer thinks like a human does, he's "too violent" "obsessive" and "impulsive" by League standards.

Unfortunately, Danny is wired like that. His people are a part of the Infinite Realms immune system and play a key role in its overall ecosystem. There are legitimate biological reasons hes like this, ones that keep him from fading. The League doesn't seem to understand and he can't explain it in further detail without revealing his own weakness and the weaknesses of others like him.

So he just keeps refusing thier help...until he finds someone who the League also don't "agree" with which was strange since he was on thier team.

Plasticman was an ex criminal who has temptations towards money and has a hard time resisting. The stretchy guy also could turn his body into any shape and stretch any length he wanted and had no regard for the human form. Danny was in awe but the moment he heard the guy make a funny joke he made a decision.

If he had to choose a mentor from the JL roster than he picked this guy.

He announced his decision at the next JL meeting sending the place into an uproar.

Alternatively: Danny gives no warning and Plastic man just gets surprised when this glowy kid and his green puppy appear in front of him smiling happily and introduced himself as his new sidekick.

[geekgirles]

Your Heart

Chapter 5 -- Research

Word Count: 12429

READ ON AO3

“Remind me again why we’re doing this?” Tucker complained for the umpteenth time. 

After realising the only way to end his regular meetings with Lady Arcana once and for all would be finding information on the portals she could use to help him close them, Danny took a very-Jazz-like decision; to immerse himself in countless moldy, old books in search for answers. 

Only he dragged Tucker and his sister along to put an end to the torture sooner. A decision which, whereas Jazz encouraged wholeheartedly, Tucker was none too pleased with. 

“Oh, quit your whining, Tucker.” Jazz admonished from the floor, a few volumes piled up around her. “Every time you complain, it’s precious time we’re wasting. Maybe I don’t mind being holed up here reading with you, but something tells me you’d much rather be tinkering with your PDA than doing this.”

Annoyed by Jazz’s accurate observation, Tucker, who was lying down on his bed, set the book he was reading down on his lap. “I’m just saying, a quick Internet search would give us many more results in a matter of seconds. If you’re worried about wasting time, then I think spending hours scanning for even the smallest piece of witch-related trivia is ten times more time-consuming.”

But Jazz wasn’t going to relent any time soon. “We already tried things your way, Tucker. Remind me again how much useful information we found online?” When her question was met by silence, she smirked, focusing again on the book she had open on the floor in front of her. “Thought so.”

“Okay, so the first few results were all about conspiratorial nutcases claiming the witches are actually aliens from a faraway galaxy and that what we call ‘magic’ is really superior technology our tiny, human minds can’t understand,” he paused to breathe, “but those were just the first few articles! I’m sure if we keep on looking, we’ll find something useful.”

“Do I really have to remind you that the most useful thing we found was a Satanist group’s website? I don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly looking forward to joining them anytime soon.”

Leaning back against his bed’s headboard, the techno geek crossed his arms, feeling defensive. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Will you two just stop?” Danny finally had enough. He slammed the book he’d been reading shut before setting it down on his desk, where his own pile of books lay. Leaning back on his chair, one leg over his knee, he crossed his arms as he sent a stern look at his sister and best friend; the kind of look a father would give when scolding his misbehaving children. 

Even though they had legitimate reasons to be cranky at each other, a selfish part of him thought the only one who could really act out of line was him. Tucker and Jazz tended to forget what really was on the line. True; if they didn’t find a solution to the random ghost portals soon, that could lead to severe repercussions on both dimensions, and dealing with Lady Arcana was both dangerous and nerve-racking in every sense of the word. 

But the real danger came from within. 

Although Danny had tried to limit their use as much as possible, the Witch Queen’s presence demanded he wore the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire in hopes of forcing the sorceress to think twice before double-crossing them. But the mere use of the two mystical items was far more terrifying than anything the entire witch clan could have thrown at him. 

There was something inherently...evil encased in the ring and crown. Danny was sure of it. Damn, he could feel it with every fiber of his being. Even before donning the all-powerful objects for the first time during his coronation, the moment he held them after stripping them off of Pariah Dark’s form, they were already calling out to him. 

And the most horrifying thing was that he wanted to heed their call. The relics promised infinite power to whoever was in possession of them. When, ironically, the dreaded things took possession of their wearer! After a brief moment of doubt where he almost fell into temptation and gave in, Danny understood wearing the ring and crown meant the total enslavement of his soul. 

Ever since then, he lived in fear of succumbing to temptation and letting their sinister energy consume him. Whenever he had no choice but to wear the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire, Danny found himself fighting an uphill battle against the hypnotising pull of power emanating from them. It was more tempting than using his powers to get back at Dash for all the wedgies. It was more inviting than dating Valerie, regardless of the very real possibility of dying by her hand. It was more dangerous than accepting to work with Vlad, who foolishly coveted the very same torture he endured every time he put those two horrid artefacts on. 

Because it was a literal deal with the devil; power in exchange of his soul. 

And to think he had to endure all that every time he met up with the queen of the two-faced creatures responsible for such evil in the first place, just to convince her against doing anything foolish...It was irony at its finest. 

With gentle spins of his chair, Danny kept looking alternatively at Tucker and Jazz, who were blissfully unaware of his inner musings, as he talked to each of them. First was Tucker. “Tuck, I know you’ve considered books a waste of time ever since we plugged you into the Cramtastic Mark 5 to break Ember’s spell, and I’m sorry for dragging you into this, but Jazz’s brought all these books from the library and we need as much information as possible.”

He then turned to his sister, who was laid facing down on the floor. “Jazz, same thing goes for you. Except the ‘book-hating' part,” he hastily added, “you know as well as I do that if there’s someone who can find anything on the Internet, it's Tucker. Just, give him time.”

His two teammates exchanged glances before giving up with an eye roll. “Whatever,” they said in unison before getting back to reading. 

Danny wasn’t quite finished, though. “There’s also the fact that I’m not even sure we’ll find anything useful in the first place. I mean, what Lady Arcana needs is either an explanation on what’s causing the portals to manifest, or a spell that can counter it. And I highly doubt we’ll find that sort of information in books from the public library.”

“Maybe if they were from Hogwarts…” Tucker snickered at his own joke. When he noticed the twin glare the siblings were sending him, he sobered up. “Sorry.”

Jazz rolled her eyes as she changed her position from lying down to sitting up, cross-legged. “That doesn’t mean we won’t find anything useful, Danny. If anything, just learning more about the witches should be of help when dealing with them, right?”

The halfa sighed. “In theory. But Tucker’s right; we’ve been reading for hours and we haven’t found anything useful, or even that we didn’t already know of.”

“Thank you!” Tucker deadpanned as he clapped his hands sarcastically.

Danny ignored him in favour of continuing. “I mean, what’s to learn about them? Their background is completely irrelevant to the issue at hand. Knowing of the Salem trials isn’t going to help me prevent disaster from happening!”

“And don’t forget we don’t even know how to tell true facts apart from naysay.”  Tucker pointed out, a finger raised in the air as if that’d give more credibility to his point.

But Jazz insisted. “All the more reason to find out more about them! For instance, Danny, what did you know about witches before meeting this Lady Arcana?”

Her brother gave a noncommittal shrug. “Only what Frostbite told me and what I read in the pages I found from Sojourn’s missing journalーand no, I’m not going to let you read them, Jazz; it’s too dangerous. Besides, I don’t even have them anymore,” he was quick to add, recognising the inquisitive look on his sister’s face all too well.

Annoyed at how well her brother knew her, and at Tucker’s ill-concealed snickers, the aspiring psychologist turned her head away in a huff. “Fine, keep your sister away from fascinating topics. It’s not like I’ve been keeping your secret for years; even from you.” She punctuated with a meaningful look.

If the look on Danny’s face was any indication, they’d had that same conversation too many times before. “Jazz, careful; you know emotionally blackmailing me will get you nowhere. It’ll make me want to keep more things away from you.”

The redhead stood up and got closer to him. With her arms crossed, she used her brother’s seated position to tower over him for once, since she had long lost the ability to look over his shoulder once Danny finally hit his growth spurt. “And you know trying to play hero and keep me away is going to solve nothing. If anything, it’s only going to make me want to help you even more.”

Watching the siblings from the comfortable distance his bed provided him, Tucker knew things would only get nasty if he let the tension escalate from there. He let out a wolf whistle, effectively capturing the Fenton kids' attention. “Wow. You know you two spend too much time together when you start using the other’s methods to get what you want.”

Danny and Jazz furrowed their brow in confusion. “What do you mean?” They asked in unison. 

Changing his position so his back was resting against his wall rather than his bed, which also allowed him to easily look them both in the eye, their friend just shrugged nonchalantly. He wasn’t going to say anything else; their attention was no longer directed at each other and that was enough. “Nothing. Hey, how about a break?”

“A break?” Danny echoed, incredulous. “Didn’t we just argue about wasting time? Tuck, we can’t take a break now!”

Seeing where Tucker was getting at, and that he had a very good point, Jazz sighed. Turning to Danny, she put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. “Tucker is right. We’ve been at it for a few hours now. We’d better take a breather and continue later, when our minds are sharper.”

Danny was about to protest when he noticed their matching expressions. They were both tired after doing nothing but searching for clues for hours and bickering with each other. If anyone deserved a break, it was them. And as his own exhaustion finally kicked in, he realised, so did he. 

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s stop for a while.”

Satisfied, Jazz gave her little brother some space as she flopped down on his bed. “So, Tuck.” When his head snapped at the sound of her voice calling his name, she continued. “How’s your latest lady friend doing?”

It took the African American young man a moment to understand who she was talking about. “You mean Camille?”

“If that’s her name, then yes.”

“Oh, we don’t hang out anymore.”

“What?” Jazz gasped. “Why?”

Tucker looked at her uneasily. Danny, on his part, remained quiet, just listening to their conversation. “Uh, no offence, Jazz but...I don’t feel comfortable talking about this with my best friend’s sister; close as we may be.”

That made her frown. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It’s just...there’s things you don’t talk about with just anyone. And what happens between you and the people you choose to fool around with is one of them. I mean, how would you feel if my mum tried meddling into your love life?”

She just made a derisive sound at the back of her throat. “Excuse me? That is completely different!”

“It is not!”

“Oh, really?” Jazz put her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised. “Please. Tucker, I’m Danny’s older sister, not our mother! Moreso, I’m the eldest by two years,” she put two fingers up to stress her point, “it’s not like I babysat you or cleaned your diapers. It can’t be that embarrassing!”

Refusing to say any more, Tucker just fell backwards on his bed, arms crossed. From his chair, Danny could only roll his eyes good-naturedly at their banter. 

After a beat of silence, Jazz tried again. “Was it your issues with commitment? Did she want more but you got scared?”

Exasperated, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Then, he turned to his best friend. “You can intervene whenever you like, you know?”

Danny just leaned back on his chair, his arms folded behind his head and an easy grin on his face. “Nah, I’m good.”

Abruptly getting up from his bed, unamused, Tucker walked over to his desk and turned his computer on. His back turned to the Fenton siblings, he started fidgeting with a program he’d just opened. He had no idea what to do with it, but he figured it’d be better than Jazz butting in on his love life. 

“So...is that it?” she ventured hopefully. 

Groaning loudly, he rubbed his eyes before fully facing the current thorn in his side. “Has it ever crossed your mind that the reason why I don’t feel comfortable talking about this with you is because you’re going to try and psychoanalyse me?” Seeing as there was no reply, Tucker took it as a sign that she’d finally let it go, so he turned to face the screen. 

...only to hear her whisper to Danny. “How much on them having trouble in bed?”

His face burning hot in embarrassment, Tucker slammed his head against the desk, startling the two other people in the room. At least Danny would never betray him, would he? No, he wouldn’t. It totally went against, like, fifty rules in the Bro Code. 

Unfortunately, Danny was having far too much fun seeing Tucker squirm under Jazz’s scrutinising, psychological curiosity. “Well, from what I’ve heard…”

Oh, no! No way in Hell was that traitor selling him out like that! If Danny wanted war, he’d give him war, Bro Code be damned! Getting up with startling speed, Tucker yelled loud enough to drown Danny’s voice out. “Danny’s met a girl!”

Both siblings blinked slowly at him before simultaneously screeching, “What!?” Although it was impossible to tell which of the two was more bewildered by the revelation.

In an instant, Jazz was on her brother like a vulpture on an animal carcass. “Danny, is that true? You have a girlfriend?” Suddenly, she looked much more offended than dumbfounded. “And you didn’t tell me?!”

“No!” he quickly denied, before all but flying from his chair and going over to his so-called best friend to smack him on the arm. Hard. “Tucker, what the fuck?!”

“Language!” Jazz admonished. 

“Where did you get the idea that I got a girlfriend? What, you’ve listened to me talking about how I fear for my life whenever I’m in the same room as the short-tempered, curse-inducing, infuriating Queen of the Witches of Amity Park and you obviously thought, Oh, man. That’s true love right there and then?!”

“Well, that definitely didn’t stop you from crushing on Valerie back in high school…” Jazz pointed out meekly. 

Seeing Danny’s eyes glow green for a fraction of a second was enough to make Tucker sweat bullets. “Jazz, you’re not helping!” He squeaked. “And, dude, you’re freaking me out a little with the way you’re burning holes in my skull. At this point, I really wouldn’t put it past you to have suddenly developed heat-vision or something…”

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Danny finally got out of his best friend’s personal space. He was still pissed, though. “Talk.”

Straightening his clothes, Tucker rolled his eyes. “My, aren’t you sensitive today.”

“Well, duh! You just said I have a girlfriend! Could you be so kind as to tell me who so I don’t forget our anniversary or, I don’t know, her face!?”

The techno geek made a ‘pfft’ sound with his mouth, shrugging the notion off with a motion of his hand. “I never said you had a girlfriend. My exact words were ‘Danny’s met a girl.’ If you two are too obsessed with your love life to pay close attention to what other people say, that’s not my problem.”

“Okay, so who’s this girl?” Jazz asked, still curious.

“Yes, please, enlighten us, oh, King Tuck.” Danny quipped sarcastically. 

Tucker frowned, not appreciating the quip at his past mistake, but he spoke nonetheless. “Dude, it 's Sam.”

There was a beat of silence where brother and sister just stared at him before Danny whispered, shell-shocked, “Sam?”

Jazz, on her part, was both shocked and confused. “Wait, who’s Sam?”

He would’ve smacked him right then and there if it weren’t for his best friend having ghost powers he could blast him with. “Well, duh! Dude, have you or have you not met a girl named Sam recently? Because, I’m warning you, if you thought she was a guy, I’m telling on you. I don’t care if she beats your ass; you’d deserve it.”

“Ooh! A girl capable of kicking my baby brother's butt? Now I gotta know who she is! Also, Tucker, language.” The aqua-eyed girl half-heartedly scolded him, before her expression turned into a pensive one as she redirected her gaze to Danny “...are you sure you don’t have a type, though?”

“Sam and Valerie are nothing alike!” Danny exclaimed, throwing his arms up at his sides. Then he turned to Tucker, his hands now curled into fists out of sheer annoyance. “And of course I know she’s a girl. I just don’t understand how on Earth you’d come to the conclusion that I’m into her or something.”

Not for the first time, Tucker rolled his eyes before getting up from his chair and draping his arm around Danny’s shoulders. “And, again, I never said you were. I just said you’d met a girl…” Danny didn’t like that mischievous glint in his eyes one bit. “It just so happens I know you two enough to know you’d immediately assume I was talking about a lady friend, which would then make you forget all about moi.” Tucker explained with a cheeky grin. “And, lo and behold, it worked!”

Danny narrowed his eyes on him. He hated it when Tucker used their everlasting friendship to play him like a violin. Jazz, on the other hand, hated having her queries ignored. Taking a deep breath, she raised her voice to deafening levels. “Hello? Can anyone tell me who this ‘Sam’ is?”

“Agh!” Both halfa and techno geek exclaimed, taken aback. Nursing his ear, the youngest Fenton glared at his sister. “You're louder than my Ghostly Wail, you know that?”

“I can attest to that.” Tucker muttered, equally annoyed. 

Both sighed in defeat when Jazz limited herself to arching an eyebrow at them with her hands, curled into fists at her sides, stubborn as ever to get her answers. “Jazz, it’s no big deal. Sam is just a friend of Tucker’s who knows an awful lot about the occult and such. He thinks she might be able to help me with you-know-who.” He explained as he sat down on his bed next to her, Tucker following suit.

“Wait, Tucker is friends with a girl that’s not me?”

The aforementioned boy took offence at that. “Is it really that weird to see me hanging out with a girl because we’re friends and nothing more?”

The Fenton kids just stared at him blankly. “Dude, you literally hit on anything with a skirt. Remember the drag queen?”

The techno geek spluttered at that, while Jazz couldn’t help but chortle. “Dude, you promised to never bring that up again!”

Danny only chuckled at his best friend’s flushed face. “I don’t think you’re in any position to complain, Tuck. After all, you did break that poor queen’s heart...”

“Why, you!” Face burning hot in embarrassment, Tucker threw himself at Danny, ready to strangle him, ability to blast him to smithereens be damned! His own body reacting instinctively, Danny lay down on his back as he grabbed his best friend’s wrists. The two would’ve started roughhousing hadn’t it been for Jazz getting caught in between. 

“Hey! Stop it you two!” With a superhuman strength that could only be attributed to an older sibling separating her little brothers, Jazz shoved Tucker off of Danny, while she kept the latter down with a hand on his chest. A few minutes passed before the two calmed down. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she turned to Tucker, trying to keep the original conversation going. “So this Sam could be of help?”

Willing his own breath to steady, Tucker nodded. “Yeah. Sam’s a Goth, so she’s very interested in all that. In fact, she’s been of help before.”

Danny’s interest perked at that. “What do you mean?”

“Remember when I’d come up with a solution to defeat certain ghosts this past year? Like Medusa, or that giant Hydra, and such? That was all Sam!”

“Now that you mention it, it did take me by surprise that you’d suddenly know what a hydra even is…”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence…” he quipped, before shaking his head to keep himself focused. “Anyway, whenever those ghosts appeared, I’d remember Sam talking about her latest mythology-related acquisition she bought from her favourite bookstore. So I just called her up, used the very convenient ghost in case to ask about its weakness and, ta-da! You’d have your way to beat them!” He exclaimed, proudly puffing up his chest. After a moment, he deflated, another thought in his mind. “The only creature she never told me about are unicorns, though. I don’t know why.”

“Maybe it throws off her entire dark, cynical persona.” Jazz guessed. Becoming Goth was a common coping mechanism for when people lost someone dear. For all she knew, this Sam could’ve lost a loved one and abandoned all things traditionally cute and girly as a way to put up a strong, undaunted façade, constantly exposing herself to the darker side of life in an attempt to grow desensitised to such things. 

“Maybe,” the bespectacled young man shrugged, “but if you ever meet her, don’t go around saying things like that. Somehow, I doubt she’d appreciate having her entire identity picked out and analysed.”

As Tucker and Jazz kept on bantering with each other, Danny’s thoughts were elsewhere. If what Tucker was saying was true and Sam had indeed marked the difference between victory and defeat during those ghost attacks, then it really would be better to have her by his side. 

Despite his years fighting ghosts and what he’d learned from Frostbite, his knowledge was limited to the Ghost Zone, which was why the presence of mythological or legendary ghosts tended to demand more of him than, say, facing off against Technus, or Johnny 13. Magical artefacts and abilities fell under that category, as well.

Aside from the lack of portal-creating and visits to the Ghost Zone, the witches, on the contrary, seemed to be knowledgeable of ghosts. And that put him at a clear disadvantage he couldn’t afford. But if Sam also happened to know about witches, maybe even partake in rituals for the sake of it, then having her near would be for the best. He would only have to make sure to keep a close eye on her in case the witches found out and went after her in retaliation. 

And also, deep down, he was sort of looking forward to meeting her again. 

...............

The seemingly never ending corridors were doing nothing to alleviate her already suffering nerves. Despite the velvet-carpeted floor that would other times muffle her heavy steps, she now felt as if every step she took resonated throughout the manor like the screeching tiles of a wooden floor. From the rich, maroon walls were hanging the portraits of every astounding witch their clan had ever witnessed; from queens and Council members, to especially adept sorceresses or even heroines who had saved their sisters one way or another. All those women she usually looked up to for guidance in difficult times now seemed to be silently judging her with their cold, unforgiving eyes. 

She walked in complete silence, afraid to disturb the peace if she were to utter a word. After discovering the grimoire she used to travel to the Ghost Zone wouldn’t be of any help in her mission, Sam was blindly following the beginning of a hunch; the spark of an idea whose outcome she still knew nothing of. But, even if she wasn’t sure what she was looking for, it was all she had. 

Sam had no choice but to follow that inkling. 

Hurriedly trying to keep up with her, Star and Paulina were close behind. Once again, their position within their Queen’s inner circle allowed them to understand Sam’s thought process better than most. Only they knew the true reason behind the Queen’s unprompted visit to their clan’s archives. 

“Your Majesty, what do you expect to find inside thー?” Before Star could so much as finish her question, Sam interrupted her.

“Indeed, Star. I would appreciate a warm bubble bath with deadly nightshade leaves.” The queen said, not even stopping to look back at her ladies-in-waiting.

To any other person, that cryptic message would have meant nothing but the typical request one would expect a queen to ask her personal maids of. But Paulina and Star knew better. Asking for deadly nightshade was Sam’s way of telling them to keep whatever she was up to a secret. By asking Star for a deadly nightshade bubble bath, she was instructing them that absolutely no one should find out about the true reason behind her visit to the archives. 

Exchanging knowing glances with Paulina, the blonde lowered her head slightly, fully aware that her Queen was watching her from the corner of her eye. “Yes, your Majesty.”

And with that everything that had to be said was shared between them. 

Time was of the essence.

Aside from the evident danger she faced every time she travelled to the Infinite Realms, there was the added possibility of being spotted by humans, regardless of how far away from civilization their meeting spot was. If anyone ever took notice of the three mysterious figures fraternising with ghosts, Amity Park’s greatest known threat, questions would soon arise. 

And whenever humans had questions, they turned to the so-called experts on the matter for help. While Sam wasn’t sure those incompetent Guys In White even suspected their existence, she still wouldn’t put it past them to investigate for the sake of burning tax money in some new toys. Those greedy, government puppets… Worst of all, if they took a genuine interest in her kind, they might as well be done for, and not necessarily because the GIW were good at their job…

If word got out that witches were real and living among them, the citizens could get scared. And whenever humans got scared, especially if it was of things they couldn’t quite explain or understand, that fear turned into aggression. If they kept wasting any more time, one day she’d open her door to find herself face to face with an angry mob. 

And to think it’d all be because of a group of incompentent ghost hunters who couldn’t even drive away the very same treacherous creatures responsible for her people’s need for secrecy in the first place...it was irony at its finest. 

However, despite the spike of anxiety in her chest, Sam couldn’t help but go back to her last visit to the Ghost Zone. Phantom’s attempts at dissipating the tension had been, as much as she hated to admit it, a welcomed thing. And yet, it was a little unnerving to learn the Ghost King shared her views on formality and the power of intimacy, because it made him look more human than she would ever be comfortable with. 

In all fairness, it was difficult to imagine Phantom talking like anything but his usual, cocky self in the first place. From what little exchanges the news broadcasts had been able to catch on camera during the years, the white-haired spirit tended to get overly familiar with his opponents, getting under their skin with puns or witty comebacks thrown at their expense. Still, as unusual as it was, Sam couldn’t help but feel that, perhaps, it would’ve been better to keep on using their respective honorifics. Because Phantom addressing her like he would any other misbehaving ghost, like she’d seen him do dozens of times over the years, somehow made it all the more...real. She truly was talking to the infamous Ghost King on her own volition. 

That thought alone scared her more than she’d ever be willing to admit. 

Before Sam could dwell on the matter any longer, a grating, shrill voice snapped her out of her thoughts. A voice she knew all too well and would do just about anything to never hear again unless it was absolutely necessary. 

“Sammy-kins!”

Stopping in her tracks, eye twitching in annoyance, the lavender-eyed girl forced a smile to materialise on her face as she slowly turned around to face the mother of all monsters. Her own. “Hello, Mother.” She forced out.

Pamela Manson was an average witch; the only thing stellar about her was her ability to distract humans with her lavish parties and over-the-top socialite persona. A woman obsessed with social status and appearances, Sam’s mother constantly got on her case due to her own disregard for the very things Pamela lived for. 

Mother and daughter were opposites in almost every aspect. 

Whereas Sam prided herself in her individuality and ability to go unnoticed unless she truly wished to make her presence known, Pamela was obsessed with blending in a way that would always draw all eyes to her.

Sam believed in standing up for a change, without fear of taking big steps as long as they led her to a better world. Pamela considered things to be fine as they were, and that the only changes that should be implemented were small, insignificant ones; such as her daughter’s fashion sense.

While Sam was a rather cynical individual who still cared about everyone deep down, her mother was preppy and optimistic, but her aspirations were limited to what could benefit her and her family.

But what truly set them apart was Sam’s insistence on being inconspicuous to the human eye; her coven’s anonymity her top priority. As opposed to Pamela who, had she been queen, would’ve accidentally exposed their secrets in her first week after being crowned; tops. 

In all fairness, it wasn’t that Pamela didn’t care for their clan; it was just that she couldn’t resist flaunting what, she believed, made her better than everyone else. 

And, right now, she believed her daughter’s manners could be much better. “What’s with the cold greeting, Sammy-kins? We haven’t seen much of each other in over a week and that’s how you treat me?”

On second thought, Sam much preferred her chances against an angry mob over spending five minutes in the same room as her mother. “Sorry, Mother, but you caught me in the middle of something important and…”

“What could possibly be more important than what I’m about to tell you?” Pamela questioned, her hands on her hips. 

“Perhaps finding a way to save two dimensions or, at the very least, our people, but you’re right, Mum, what was it that you wanted to tell me?”, was what the raven-haired witch wished she could’ve said, but instead she opted for, “And what is it that you have to tell me?”

Instead of answering her daughter, however, Pamela directed an expectant look at her two ladies-in-waiting who, upon noticing her steely glare on them, immediately straightened up before lowering their heads in submission. “Greetings, your Ladyship.” Paulina and Star droned, their heads low.

Although Pamela was never queen herself, as mother of the current leader of the clan she was to be regarded with respect. A fact the woman would constantly revel in and fully take advantage of. Smiling in contentment, she sighed. “Ah, much better. Now, Sammy-kins, I was thinking we could take some time away from your schedule to have a little chat on your wardrobe choices?”

Ugh, not that again. Ignoring her mother’s offended gasp, Sam turned on her heel to make her way, once again, to her original destination. Star and Paulina hurrying up to leave ‘her Ladyship’ behind and keep up with their queen after flashing her mother a pair of matching sheepish smiles

Unfortunately, the one thing Sam seemed to have inherited from her mother was her stubbornness. Quickening her own pace, the clicking of her high heels behind her haunting Sam even in her dreams, Pamela caught up with them in a surprisingly short amount of time. Having no choice but to breathlessly talk to her daughter at the same time as she tried keeping up with her would not be enough to get her to give up on her pursuit. 

“Seeing as we have much more important matters to discuss, I shall gracefully ignore your previous insolence.” Luckily for Sam, her mother missed the way she rolled her eyes at her. “I know this...Gore style of yoursー.”

“It’s ‘Goth’, Mother…” Sam corrected her, but her efforts fell on deaf ears. 

“ーis just your way of rebelling against the world because things don’t go your way, but don’t you think enough is enough? You’ve been dressing like a mortician since you were twelve!”

“If you’re done patronising me and the way I choose to present myself to the worldーwhich, not only have you insulted in every possible way but, allow me to remind you, is not just a phaseー, I really do have more important matters to attend to.” 

And with that, she sped up past her mother. It should’ve been the end of that conversation, but Pamela always had to have the last word. “But what about the clan? Don’t you think it’s selfish to compromise us like that?”

That stopped the Witch Queen dead in her tracks, the unexpected stop causing Paulina and Star to tumble back a few steps. Once they registered what Pamela had said, their blood ran cold; the stiffness in Sam’s posture only confirmed their unspoken fears:

Sam’s mother had just crossed a line. 

Fists clenched so tightly at her sides she could’ve drawn blood, her teeth gritting in aggravation, Sam hissed, not even turning around to face her mother. “What did you just say?”

Brushing her daughter’s anger off as just another tantrum, Pamela calmly walked over to where she stood, looking over her handmaidens’ shoulders. Resting a palm on Sam’s shoulder, a hand that, although meant as comforting, came out as condescending, mocking; the older witch spoke up. “I’m just saying, you’re always advocating for our anonymity, yet you seem to ignore that people will immediately associate your obvious, stereotypically witchy outfits with real-life witchcraft. All that black and those dark colours, the ripped fabric, the metal ornaments… Sammy, don’t you see? That’s like wearing a sign saying ‘I’m a witch! Come and lynch me!’”

Taking advantage of her turned face, Sam narrowed her eyes on her mother. She dressed like a WASP housewife from the 50’s when she was a Jewish woman living in the 21st centuryーshe was in absolutely no position to criticise her looks! 

How dare she? How dare she?! Using her duty to protect her people against her just to get her to wear some frilly abomination because she couldn’t fathom the idea that her daughter would want to be her own person?

It was moments like these that Sam missed Grandma Ida the most. Her grandma would’ve guided her in her darkest hours, giving her useful advice to approach the situation, but never making decisions for her, letting her live and learn instead! Grandma Ida would’ve never tried to use her to push some personal agenda on the clan. 

But Grandma Ida was gone, and Pamela was there to stay.

As insulted and, although she’d never let it show, hurt as Sam was, going to the archives took priority. Stowing her conversation with her mother for another time as she resumed her march down the hallsーpreferably when she’d be alone in her roomーSam shrugged her off the best way she knew; through biting sarcasm. “Oh, please. If I were nearly as ‘obvious’ or ‘stereotypically witchy’ as you say, Mother, I’d decorate this place after the Sedlec Ossuary.”

Pamela furrowed her brow in confusion as she, too, resumed her walk. “What does that even mean?” 

“She’s talking about a Czech chapel fully decorated with bones and skulls.” Star helpfully supplied. 

Paulina, on the contrary, shuddered in disgust. “Ugh, I’d rather not. I’d feel like I’m always being watched…”

Star tilted her head to the side. “How? Skulls don’t have eyes.”

Ignoring the handmaidens, Pamela opened up her mouth to speak when a raised hand from her daughter, who had abruptly halted, stopped her from even getting a word in. “As lovely as catching up with you has been, Mother,” Sam started, voice laced with sarcasm, “I’m afraid I must go. I have important matters to attend to, as I already told you, that I must take care of, in private.” She stressed before turning the doorknob of the large door before her and walking inside, swiftly letting her bewildered mother out after she all but slammed the door shut in her face. 

Leaning  her back against the door, Sam let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. No matter how much time passed, her mother would always be a she-demon worse than any ghost. God forbid Phantom ever met her; if he were to take a page out of her book, Sam would personally burn herself at the stake.

“Is Pamela too much for you?” A sultry voice coaxed her out of her thoughts.

Opening up her eyes, Sam could feel the relieved smile forming on her face at the sight of the witch she most wanted to see at the moment. “Delilah.” She breathed out as she separated herself from the door, walking over to her friend to grab her hands in hers. “You have no idea.” Sighing dramatically, she let her head fall on the crook of the shapeshifter’s shoulder, eliciting a chuckle from her. 

“Oh, I don’t need to.” She said, gently patting her queen’s head. “Just by looking at you I can tell; you look like you’ve suddenly lost ten years of your life!”

“Make that twenty,” Sam grumbled. 

Separating herself from her leader, their hands still holding each other, the turquoise-eyed sorceress got to the point. “Well, what brings you here? As much as I love your visits, I thought you’d be busy with your little escapes to the Ghost Zone?”

Sam averted her gaze, the wooden floor suddenly much more interesting than a few seconds ago. “It’s precisely because of that that I’m here.”

“Oh?” Delilah tilted her head, slightly. “Okay...So, what are you here for, then?”

To her bewilderment, her queen’s eyes continuously darted from one place to another, as if expecting to be ambushed any minute now. “Are we alone?”

An odd question, but not necessarily a bad one. Putting her fingers on her chin in thought, the Council member tried to remember if she’d seen anyone that day. “Hm, I think Stephanie might be somewhere around here, engrossed in a book. But you know her, it’d be easier to get me to leave the archives than not seeing that girl with her nose deep in a book.”

Stephanie was probably with them. That was not a bad thing. Stephanie ought to find out sooner or later. Wringing her hands nervously, Sam willed her eyes to look at Delilah’s own curious turquoise ones. “I need your help with something.”

That caught her attention. “My help?” Sam nodded. “My, Sam, you’re starting to worry me.” Delilah admitted as she got closer to the Goth, her hand hovering over her shoulder but never close enough to actually rest atop of it, afraid that the sudden contact would startle her. It was unusual to see her so suspicious of everything around her. Maybe… “Did the ghosts do anything? Are we going to war?”

That seemed to snap the younger witch out of whatever she was going through. She didn’t lower her guard, though. “No, no. We’re not going to war.” She shook her head as she let Delilah gently guide her to another section of the archives. “But in order to avoid just that I might need to do something crazy…”

Delilah wrinkled her nose at that. “Something crazy? You’re not going to marry that Ghost Punk, are you?”

Startled, Sam jerked away from her touch, shuddering in discomfort. Where would she get such a ridiculous idea? She and Danny Phantom? She almost wanted to laugh. Instead, she let out a derisive sound from the back of her throat. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“So, what is it then? I’m sorry, Sam, but you’re not making any sense right now.” The shapeshifter insisted. “If we’re not going to war, and you’re not going to marry the Ghost King, what do you need me for?” Taking a few steps, she got closer to the young monarch, their faces mere inches apart as she tried looking for answers in her amethyst orbs. “What could be so serious that you’re so unnerved, Sam?”

Delilah’s intense gaze made her squirm, but she had a point. She couldn’t expect her to help her, no questions asked. For instance, she wasn’t just the best shapeshifter of the clan, she was also a Council member, and the archives guardian. She was the one tasked with keeping their people’s most precious treasure, their history and knowledge, safe. And considering what she was gonna ask of her, Delilah was in her right to know exactly what was going through her head. 

Steeling herself for what was to come, Sam straightened her spine, returning the intensity of the older witch’s gaze in earnest. “I need you to grant me access to a certain type of book.”

Delilah’s posture relaxed. “Is that it? Why didn’t you say so sooner? Sure, just tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll let you take a lookー.”

“I mean,” Sam cut her off, “I need you to grant me permission to take the book with me, outside of the manor...and into the Ghost Zone.” Her voice wavered when she muttered the last part. 

“Oh...I see...” The guardian’s expression immediately sobered up. She cleared her throat, awkwardly. “And, what type of book are you looking for?”

Now things were going to get really ugly. “I need a spellbook detailing everything we know about the Ghost Zone, specifically, its portals.”

For a while, Delilah just stared at her, almost unblinkingly. The good news was she didn’t appear angry or outraged as Sam had predicted, the bad news, however, was that her empty, unreadable expression was much worse. At least she’d have known what she was thinking had she been yelling at her for her idiocy; questioning her mental health. But as it was, Sam was almost as lost as her.

After what felt like an eternity, Delilah finally found her voice. “So you…” she quieted down, trying to find the words. “You want to take one of our most sacred texts to the Ghost Zone?”

Sam winced. Somehow, it sounded way worse when she said it like that. “I know it’s asking for too much…”

“Saying that’s an understatement wouldn’t even begin to cover it.” The Council member scoffed. “Seriously, Margaret would have a cow! And don’t get me started on Wilhelmina…”

“I know!” Sam was quick to reassure her. She was perfectly aware what she was asking of her might be a little excessive, but she wasn’t completely delusional! She knew just what kind of reaction their fellow Council members would have... “I know, but...the only way to ensure our people’s safety is helping Phantom. And he needs help closing numerous unstable portals that are suddenly opening. I thought the book I’d been using to get to the Infinite Realms would have the answers, but its contents were thoroughly underwhelming.”

Just like she did in Phantom’s lair, Sam got the spellbook out of her skirt before handing it to the guardian. In turn, she inspected its pages, concluding that, indeed, the book hadn’t much to offer. “Please, Delilah, you know I would never ask this of you if I didn’t think it’s our only hope.”

Sam wasn’t one to plead. The young Council member knew this better than anyone. She was headstrong and determined; the entire clan knew there wasn’t much that could be done to dissuade her once her mind was made up. Margaret herself found it to be both a blessing and a curse, while Wilhelmina thought it was a curse. Period. And Delilah...

Delilah prayed to all things above her that she wasn’t about to make a mistake. Sighing in defeat, she flashed Sam a small grin, earning herself a triumphant smile in return. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she motioned for her queen to follow her with a slight jerk of her index finger. “Come with me, your Majesty. I know just the thing.”

Sighing in relief, Sam allowed her eyes to wander around the manor’s archives. She really couldn’t blame Stephanie for loving the place to the point of practically making it her second homeーthe sight was breathtaking. 

The circular room, surrounded by large panel windows, located right below the Council Room, which put it in the three-story manor’s second story, was one of the best examples of a Pocket Dimension Spell put to good use. Countless shelves filled to the brim with colourful, leather-bound books went on as far as reached the eye; hanging proudly from the ceiling, the arrow-shaped banners with her clan’s signature colour and emblemーa black rose over a royal purple backgroundーadorned the room; leaning against the shelves, golden ladders could be seen moving on their own accord; which was almost as impressive as the floating books that flew from one place to another by flapping their two covers like an eagle would flap its wings. 

Walking through the numerous aisles, letting herself be, one again, amazed by the sight, Sam caught a familiar figure from the corner of her eye. Turning her head to the source, she found Stephanie Baker, sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back against a shelf’s lateral plank, an incredibly dense book perched on her lap. 

Sensing someone’s eyes on her, no doubt, Stephanie lifted her head up and away from her book, before a grin was plastered on her face at the sight of her queen. Her enthusiastic wave was answered by Sam’s much more subdued one, alongside a small chuckle. “She’ll never change; she’s at her happiest when surrounded by books,” Sam mused to herself. 

She and Delilah kept walking in silence, but with each step she took, the Goth couldn’t help but furrow her brow, anxiously. They were getting further and further away from the archives’ hot spot, the zone with the most activity disappearing in the distance until she almost couldn’t make it out anymore. Just where was she taking her?

Her question was answered when her guide halted abruptly in front of the wall. An empty space that, unlike the other walls encasing the archives, wasn’t even decorated by a portrait of one of the previous guardians. Not sure what to expect, Sam tilted her head to the side, speechless. “Uh...Delilah?”

But Delilah didn’t answer. Instead, she turned her back on her and extended her hands, palms open, in front of her. “Clavis mysteria!”, she chanted, her carefully coiffed onyx braid dancing around her, as if swayed by a sudden strong breeze. From her palms emanated a green fog that, as Sam could only look on in awe, speechless for an entirely different reason; seemed to open the wall in half, the resulting, uneven, wooden dents making way for it. 

An eternity or a few minutes could’ve passed, and Sam would be willing to believe anything she was told, when the green fog manifested again, carrying a rather large object with it. When the Witch Queen realised what it was, she could only gasp in astonishment.

Levitating before them was a royal blue, leather-bound book. Intricate designs were scattered throughout its back cover, engraved in gold. Two such designs, a pair of golden, twin swirls, flanked an equally golden fleur de lis on its spine. But the most amazing thing, what truly showed the book’s importance, were the golden letters, glinting under the light, on its cover: 

Arcana’s Grimoire

Mouth hanging open, the young witch could only gape at her friend, completely blown away by the revelation, as the grimoire landed safely on her hands. With a small chuckle, Delilah pushed some loose, black locks obscuring the right side of her face aside. “Sorry. No matter how tightly I tie my braid, spellcasting always messes my hair up.”

Her throat suddenly very dry, Sam swallowed before managing to speak, a finger pointing at the manuscript. “Is...is that…?”

With a knowing smile, Delilah nodded. “Arcana's Grimoire. If you want to find answers on what’s causing those ghost portals to open at random, this baby is your best bet.” Stretching her arms towards the queen, she handed the book to her, who held it with as much care as one held a newborn for the first time, almost reverently. “The grimoire holds the answers to all those questions time made sure to erase.”

“I-I…you...t-the book...” Sam stuttered, not sure what to say. “A-are you sure you want to entrust the g-grimoire, Arcana’s Grimoire, to me?”

“It’s risky, I know. But you said it yourself, you wouldn’t ask me to grant you permission to take a spellbook out of the manor if you weren’t convinced it’s our only hope.” Those few loose strands falling on her face, a stark contrast to her dark mane, she lay a comforting hand on Sam’s shoulder, a soft smile on her face. “And I wouldn’t hand the grimoire to you if I didn’t think it’d be safe with you.”

Eyes widening at the Council member’s words, Sam couldn’t do anything but send her a grateful smile in return. Clutching the grimoire close to her chest, she promised, “I’ll guard it with my life.”

Internally, she made another promise, only this time, it was much more violent than solemn. “And I swear, if Phantom so much as looks at it wrong, I’ll ask Danny to lend me some of his parents’ weapons and hunt him down myself.”

................

“You’re lucky this place sells some of the best pastrami sandwiches I’ve ever had, dude. Otherwise, you’d be on your own.” Tucker said in between bites of his heavenly pastrami with honey mustard sandwich. Wiping some sauce from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, earning himself disgusted looks from the two other people present, he wagged a finger at his best friend. “Seriously, though. Who would’ve thought Sam would have good taste in restaurants?”

He winced when the Goth in question elbowed him on his side. “I have excellent taste in food in general, thank you very much. It’s not my fault only 9% of the global population can appreciate it.”

Once again, they were meeting up at the You Mocha Me Crazy, which, at this rate, was going to become their new favourite hanging spot. Unless Sam was willing to forego her vegetarian ways and ask for a Double Meaty Nasty Burger with extra bacon with them. Somehow, that seemed unlikely. Luckily, during their first visit Sam had introduced Tucker to their selection of sandwiches and cold cuts, making it easier for the techno geek to warm up to the café. 

After that successful first meeting, the trio decided to hang out whenever Danny needed Sam's help to write his ‘paper.’ All they had to do was ring or text Sam, and she’d tell them when she was free to meet.

Today was one of those days she was free and the guys were in need of her help. The three were lounging around a small coffee table Sam named ‘her spot’, for it was where she usually had her coffee or worked on her assignments in peace. The fact that she was good friends with one of the baristas also helped keep the space free of any ‘spot-stealing-squads,’ as she lovingly referred to ‘those vultures.’

Nursing his aching side, Tucker rolled his eyes. He’d already lost count on how many times they’d had that same conversation. “Is there anyone free from your vegan wrath?”

“For the last time, I’m ultra-recyclo-vegetarian, not vegan.”

“What’s the difference?” Danny intervened, an eyebrow raised in confusion. 

“Vegans tend to waste almost as much food as non-vegetarians. Ultra-recyclo-vegetarians make the most of every single meal.” Sam explained, forking a piece of tomato from her salad. “That’s where the ‘recyclo’ part comes from.”

“I thought that was freegans.” Tucker frowned, still munching his sandwich. 

“I’m surprised you even know what that is.”

“You and me both.” Danny said, turning to look at Tucker with a curious expression on his face. 

Rolling his eyes, the techno geek shrugged them off. “You meet the craziest people on Tinder.” He explained offhandedly. When he took notice of his two companions’ horrified expressions, he almost doubled over in laughter. Clearing his throat, he turned to Sam. “And you still haven’t answered my question.”

Shaking her head to erase the traumatising image that was Tucker’s love life, Sam started. “What? Uh...oh! Right. Ehem! As a matter of fact, there are people excluded from my ‘ultra-recyclo-vegetarian wrath.’” She corrected. “I’d never force people without enough resources to go vegan. Such as the Inuit community. Besides, those guys barely hunt anything compared to rich jerks with questionable hobbies, and they use everything of what little they do hunt.”

“Handy people.” Danny mused, before returning his attention to his laptop, resting on top of his lap, one leg crossed over his other knee. “Now, I don’t mean to be a buzzkill, but we’re here to help me with my...with my homework, remember?”

If Sam thought the way he seemed to overthink his words was weird, she didn’t let it show. “Yeah, you’re right.” She said as she turned her torso around, reaching for her notes inside her spider backpack. “Okay, you two. Lay it on me; what do you want to know?”

Tucker and Danny exchanged a glance, before the blue-eyed boy ventured. “Well...Sam, you’re the expert. What can you tell us of...um...of the witches.”

Scanning through her notepad’s pages, Sam froze at Danny’s words. Could her people’s secret have been discovered already? Before risking compromising her sisters, she had to test the waters first. “Why are you doing your paper on witches in the first place?” Her voice came out a little colder than she intended. 

Tucker furrowed his brow, taken aback by her sudden guarded posture, while Danny just rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Uh...why not? The seminar I signed up for is on mythological creatures and folklore, and witches are one of the most legendary myths ever...right?”

Alright, that made sense. But she couldn’t be reckless, she had to make sure Danny didn’t pose a threat to her coven. “Yeah, they definitely are. I’m sorry, it’s just...with all the ghosts constantly attacking Amity Park, I thought, ‘why witches?’, you know? I mean, your parents are experts! If you just asked them for a little bit of help, your assignment would immediately turn into an easy A, wouldn’t it?”

Taking a gulp from his espresso, Danny carefully thought what to say next. He couldn’t let Sam think he had some sort of ulterior motive for asking about the mystical group of women; he’d promised Lady Arcana her people’s secret would be safe, after all. So he did the only thing he could; he expertly lied. “Well, I don’t really like having things handed to me, you see. What’s the point in signing up for a seminar if I’m just going to get an easy A thanks to my parents, you know what I mean?”

Tucker had to fight the urge to laugh at the irony of the situation. Oh, what Danny wouldn’t have given just to get easy A’s during high school... When his two friends turned to him, Sam looking at him in confusion and Danny quietly begging him to keep his mouth shut, he played it cool by taking a sip from his drink. 

“Anyway,” Danny continued, “I just thought ghosts would be...I dunno...too mainstream? The assignment is supposed to make me do research on mythological creatures, and nowadays it’s pretty obvious ghosts are anything but mythological.”

“Witches aren’t far behind, either…” Sam internally mused, sipping from her macchiato. Holding the carton cup with both hands, she decided sharing some information with Danny and Tucker would be safe. She’d just tell them the basics, debunk some Hollywood myths...the usual. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Danny echoed, hopefully.

“Okay.” Sam repeated with a smile. “Anything in particular you want to know about?”

“Just...anything you can tell us, really.” Tucker said, leaning forward with his hands between his legs. 

“You’re gonna have to be a tad more specific than that, guys.”

Crossing his arms, the Astrophysics student thought long and hard. What was it that he really wanted to know about them? Well, the answer to that was obvious. His only real question was why? Why did they do what they did? If only he could figure that out, then maybe he’d know how to approach Lady Arcana. But there was no way he could ask that without exposing who he was. And it wasn’t like Sam, of all people, would have the answer anyway. 

So instead he asked, “What’s their origin?”

That startled Sam, who almost choked on her lettuce, Tucker quickly coming to her assistance and patting her back. After massaging her throat and swallowing her food, she looked at Danny with an inquisitive eye. “Come again?” She croaked out.

“What’s their origin?” He repeated. “And...and I don’t mean this as in...as in a history lesson. Like, when did witches first appear or anything. If I wanted to know that, I’d just read a book or watch a National Geographic documentary. I-I mean, how is a witch even born?”

“Do I have to explain the birds and the bees to you guys, too?” She asked with a coy smile, having recovered from her coughing fit. Despite the seriousness of his query, the violet-eyed girl couldn’t help but tease him.

Danny flushed in embarrassment. He had to admit, he’d handed her that one. Shaking his head, he chuckled. “I’m good, thanks. You might need to talk to Tuck, though.” He joked, earning himself an offended gasp from his best friend, who punched him lightly on his arm in protest. “But, nah. I guess a better question would be, what makes a witch...well, a witch?”

Sam had to admit, it was a good question. Even if it may risk her people’s secrets, such depth earned the blue-eyed boy some respect from her. Not many people went beyond the basics when looking for information. Most would be content with reading the first few paragraphs of a Wikipedia article. But Danny… Something about the intensity of his ocean blue eyes made Sam feel he was more similar to his parents than he’d originally thought; despite having no interest in ghosts himself. Somehow, he shared their inquisitive and curious mind, albeit from a less scientific approach. Just by that question alone, she immediately understood Danny Fenton was much smarter than people gave him credit for. 

Exhaling, she began to explain. “Believe it or not, the one who got closer to the truth was Harry Potter.”

“You mean the children’s book with the extra creepy white dude?” The bespectacled young man raised an eyebrow, before exchanging disbelieving glances with his best friend beside him. 

She just chuckled. “Yeah. Witches are human women who were born with the innate ability to do magic, setting them apart from the rest.”

“So...this is witches vs muggles that we’re talking about.” Tucker insisted. 

“Yes, Tucker.” Sam said with a bit more bite than she intended. “Point is, being born different tends to alienate people, and considering we’re talking about magical-powers kind of different…”

“The witches were alienated and persecuted by society.” Danny finished for her. 

“Bingo.” The raven-haired girl picked up some photocopies with different articles printed on them and handed a few copies to both of them. “Although nowadays most people bel-know witches aren’t real,” she caught herself before her subconscious could rat her out, “some cryptology experts theorise they just eventually flocked together to keep whatever magical gene they had inside the coven. You know, as a precaution to avoid further persecution.” To this day, she still couldn’t believe a group of nutjobs would be right on the money. The sole idea was ludicrous, and yet…

“So, that’s it?” Tucker asked, looking up from his own set of photocopies, incredulous. “Witches are just humans who, inexplicably, won the superpower lottery?”

The Goth just smiled sheepishly at him. What could she say, anyway? Though witches weren’t against scientific discoveries or careers (Star herself was studying to become a mathematician), magic sort of was their thing; literally. So nobody had ever really delved on why or how they’re different from other humans.

Scratching his chin in thought, Danny tried reconciling what Sam said to his own encounters with the spellcasters. When he thought about it, Lady Arcana and her witches really weren’t any different from any other citizen of Amity Park; the only surprising thing about them was their Queen’s unique eye colourーher being breathtakingly beautiful didn’t matter since her personality needed an awful lot of workーand their characteristic ability to do magic...and maybe their questionable taste in pets. 

But that was it. 

Other than that they were as human as his own family. Even their hatred of ghosts was in synchrony with the town’s general opinion of him. Perhaps if he treated the Witch Queen as any other girl, things would smoothen between them. It made sense that part of her prickly personality was a result of him consciously treating her differently than he would treat others. Deep down, she knew they were unwelcomed, and therefore, built walls around her to avoid getting hurt. 

“Look at you, worrying over making the Witch Queen feel comfortable around you...You’re a lost cause, Fenton.” Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes at himself, having more important matters to take care of. “Sam,” he called out to her, startling her and Tucker out of their own conversation, “is there a way you could tell us about their spells or something?”

It was a risky question, he knew. But, as useful as learning to deal with the witches was, what they really needed was a way to put an end to the crisis threatening both dimensions. And the only way to do it was by finding a portal-related spell. 

Eyes widening at his question, Sam could feel her stomach churning ominously. That question was a bit too specific for her liking. Depending on how she handled the situation, she could either masterfully take care of it or put her subjects in danger over a potential misunderstanding. “Their spells? What do you mean?”

Danny pretended to look through his own set of copies, trying to appear nonchalant, as if his question were born from mere curiosity, rather than a sense of impending doom. “Nothing, really. I was just curious. I mean, would witches even cast spells, or would they voluntarily just manifest their powers like ghosts do?” As he spoke, his mind raced back to the floating book Lady Arcana had, without any kind of warning, shoved in his face during her last visit. 

The Goth had to resist the urge to spit in disgust at the notion of being compared to those disembodied remains of human consciousness. She took a subtle breath to ease away her repulsion. “It’s hard to say.” She lied. “Since there’s no clear evidence that true, real-life witches ever existed, ーand I’m sure they don’t, obviouslyー.”

“Obviously.” The two men seated with her echoed.

“ーthere’s no definite hypothesis explaining if they truly casted spells or not. For all we know, their famous rites and ceremonies could just be that; ceremonies belonging to pagan religions that were thought to be witchcraft by Christians.” 

“Any chance we might be able to find any spell on the Internet?” Tucker wondered, readily taking his trusty PDA out of his pocket, causing Danny to sigh tiredly upon noticing the device in his hands. While Tucker used his tablet and computer when doing assignments or playing video games, that was solely because the screens were bigger. He’d actually been in a loving, committed relationship with his PDA since he first got it when he was 14. As time went by and technology evolved, instead of adjusting with the times, he put all his engineering knowledge to use with the sole intention of updating his baby and never having to part ways from her. 

It was both kinda cool and a little disturbing, to be honest.

Leaning back on her chair and crossing her legs at her knee, mirroring Danny’s own stance, Sam propped her face on her hand, a bored expression plastered on her face. “Although I do find your commitment to recycling that old thing of yours instead of falling for the capitalistic trap that is technology consumption commendable,” she said, and Danny was sure his eyes must’ve popped open at seeing her utter that long-ass speech without so much as pausing to breathe, “sometimes I worry about you.”

Offended, Tucker frowned at her, only clutching his PDA tighter in his hands. “I’m mercifully going to choose to ignore everything you just said except for the part when you call me ‘commendable.’ Now, can I look for information on the Internet or not?”

Leaning forward, this time resting her chin on her knuckles at the same time as she propped her elbow on her bent knee, Sam shrugged, not really caring. “You can try, but chances are you’re only going to find Halloween articles from children’s magazines, or weird Satanist websites asking you to offer a sacrifice in exchange for joining them.”

As Tucker flopped back down on his chair with his arms crossed, pouting and grumbling something along the lines of, “Damn it, Jazz…”, Danny tried fishing for more information. “So they don’t really cast spells?”

The discomfort came back. She knew Danny was only trying to be thorough with his assignment, but that didn’t change the fact that his questions hit a little too close to the mark. “The only way to find out for sure would be meeting one in real life.” She said in a voice so low, even with his enhanced senses Danny almost didn’t hear her. 

Noticing the tension suddenly coming off of Sam, her previously laid-back and even playful posture changing to a much more tense one: legs crossed tightly, her shoulders stiff, both hands clutching at the fabric of her shorts…; Tucker decided it’d be best if they let the topic go for a while. And so, he did what he did best:

He abruptly changed the topic. 

“So Sam,” he called out to her, quickly getting both her and Danny’s heads to snap to him, “I don’t think you’ve ever told me.”

“Tell you what?” What was he doing?

“What’s your deal?”

Sam blinked. “My deal?”

The teal-eyed young man just nodded. “Yeah, what’s your type?” He asked as he leaned forward, mindlessly toying with his PDA. “Because in all the time I’ve known you, I’ve not seen you once with a boyfriend, not even a fling.”

“Tucker, you’ve known me for a year.” She reminded him. “Not necessarily as much time as you make it out to be.”

“Hey, a lot can happen in a year!” He defended. 

“Tucker himself has had three different girlfriends in the last three months.” Danny added. 

“See?” Then, he turned to his best friend with an unamused expression on his face. “But, dude, don’t say it like that; you make me sound like a player.”

“I’m just saying,” the black-haired youth put his palms up in surrender, a lazy grin on his face, “it’s not bad for a guy who was rejected by every single girl back in high school.” 

Tucker just glowered at him, before turning his attention back to Sam. “So...back to the question; what’s your type of guy?”

She could not believe this was happening. Back when she was a teenager, a tinsy bitsy part of her she tried very hard to suppress secretly longed for talking about girl stuff with the other girls her age from her clan. Something as silly as talking boys, makeup, or any other teenaged-girl nonsense with other people would’ve made her lonely childhood all the more bearable, and now…

...now she was being offered to talk about boys...by other boys...at twenty-one. And the worst part was that she was actually considering it. Her life could not get any more complicated than that. Sighing through her nose, unable to believe how low she’d stooped, she gave in. 

Her type...that was a good question. Back when she was still in her early to late teens, she would’ve said she was looking for a unique guy. The type of guy who valued his individuality and who was above all the pointless trends dominating the public with their pre-fabricated, market-targeted predictability. A guy who didn’t fall into any of the classical high school cliques: someone who wasn’t a brainless jock, or a geeky kid, or one of those posers who hid behind a fake dark persona to get people to pay attention to him.

Someone who embraced being different rather than exploited it. 

Someone like her. 

But all those fantasies turned out to be nothing more than that; fantasies. Delusions. Sooner or later she’d have to open her eyes to the world. She just wished Gregor hadn’t been the one to open them up for her… After that fiasco, Sam finally learned what she was truly looking for in a partner. “...a good guy.” She practically whispered in the end. 

Tucker and Danny exchanged a confused glance once their initial surprise at Sam’s sudden reply, after several minutes of silence, had worn off. It was the former who spoke up, “...I’m not sure that qualifies as ‘a type.’”

“Of course it does!”, she protested. “Just like girls stereotypically fall for ‘bad boys’, we can also fall for ‘good guys.’ And I’ve had my fair share of bad boys, thank you…” she muttered before looking away from them. 

Something about the way Sam said those words hinted at a lot more going on than just a teenage girl crushing over a guy with a motorcycleーand hopefully not a ghost one who only wanted her as a vessel for his real girlfriendー, but she seemed to have closed herself off completely. Danny wanted to ask her about it, but something in the way her position stiffened changed his mind. No way would Sam open up to someone she'd just met over something so personal.

Instead he asked, "And how about looks?"

She flashed him a small smile and that alone made his entire week worth it. "I'll admit, I do have a soft spot for guys that aren't exactly average."

Tucker scoffed. "Well, duh! I'd also pick a supermodel over a plain-looking chick any day of the week..."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

Despite the seriousness in her voice, she eventually broke down laughing, the other two joining in on the fun soon after. As her giggles quieted down, Sam stole a furtive glance at Danny. The way he seemed to sense her discomfort despite barely knowing each other and making an effort to keep her mind away from unpleasant thoughts was enough to make her heart flutter, making her blush slightly at the realisation. 

She shook the feeling off, though. Danny was sweet, and maybe a little cute despite his, apparently, natural awkwardness, but she wasn’t looking for romance, having much more important things to take care of. Besides, he really wasn’t her type, cute as he may be. Still, that didn’t change the fact that she wanted to thank him for his help in some way. And, against her better judgement, she knew just what to do. 

An hour passed by until Tucker had to bid them goodbye, saying he was going to be late for class if he stayed with them any longerーalthough he really, really wanted to skip that lectureー, and so, he left his two friends to their own devices. Another forty minutes or so later, it was finally time for them to go to their respective classes, too. 

Rolling her eyes at Danny as he opened the door for her, but thanking him nonetheless, Sam stepped out of the café, her companion close behind her. “About the spell thing you asked me about earlier…” she started, her words coming out of the blue and tearing Danny away from his own thoughts, “I guess, if witches are actually just humans with magical powers, then it’d make sense if they’d need some sort of way to activate said powers…”

Mouth slightly agape, he finally found the words, “You mean like a password or something?”

She looked over at him from the corner of her eyes, a cryptic smirk on her lovely face. “Maybe.” 

Turning to face him, her smile widening but never losing its mystery, she waved before walking past him, “See ya, Danny.”

Danny slowly waved at her in return, unbidden, too gobsmacked to form a coherent sentence. Because just like that, she was gone. 

[queen--kenobi]

Current WIP List

This a list of current WIPs that I either am planning on writing or am working on at the moment. I’m going to try and make sure this stays updated as best I can.

Relevant TW should be with the respective fics

Updated 07/12/2021

Series in progress

Honor Among Criminals (Masterlist)

Pairings: Crime Boss!/Dark!Din Djarin x AFAB reader, crime boss!/Dark!Boba Fett x AFAB reader

Summary: Your job is to broker alliances between criminals and the major company you work for. You help the company get what they want without getting their hands dirty, and you provide the criminals with protection. At least, that was your job until a better offer came along. Up and coming crime boss Din Djarin needs someone to play diplomat for him. You might be the right person for the job.

This is a modern AU! 18+

You Make Me Feel (Home Again, Whole Again) (Masterlist)

Story Summary: Your job is simple: keep the clones happy enough and docile so they continue to serve the Republic. You have to achieve this by any means possible. Despite being just given this job, you’re tasked to take care of higher ranking clones. Unfortunately, taking care of them leads to feelings.

Pairings: Captain Rex x f!reader, eventually Commander Cody x f!reader, Commander Wolffe x f!reader, and Commander Fox x f!reader. Various combinations of these pairing through out as well.

18+ Series, heavily NSFT. Each chapter will have the appropriate warnings

Candy Girl (Masterlist)

Story Summary: When you lose your job working for a Senator, it seems like all you can do is go back to your home planet. However, salvation comes in the form of a small program. All you have to do is entertain clones. Specfically, you have to entertain the Coruscant Guard.

Coruscant Guard x f!reader, (Commander Thorn x f!reader, Commander Thire x f!reader, Sergeant Hound x f!reader, Commander Stone x f!reader, Commander Fox x f!reader, various combinations of these throughout)

18+ Series

Difference Between Us (Masterlist)

Story Summary: You’re one of Coruscant’s top attorneys with a well-earned reputation. A lot of it is built on facing down your notorious rival, Maul Opress. Another part of it centers around your relationship with your ex fiancé, famous attorney Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, when you’re unexpectedly made prosecutor in the case against several state and federal officials, the three of you have to learn to work together in order to bring down the illegal activities of the Sith. In the process, you learn that you and Maul might have more in common than you think.

Pairings: past Obi-wan Kenobi x f!reader, Maul x f!reader

This is a modern/lawyer AU, 18+

Snake Song (Part I)

Story Summary: Things in the village are starting to change. To be fair, the change started the minute you arrived. You never thought you’d call this place your home. Now, as outside agents begin threatening it, you realize how attached you are. Or rather, how attached you are to two people within it: Alcina Dimitrescu and Karl Heisenberg. Unfortunately for you, they’re both attached to you and loathe the other.

Pairings: Lady Dimitrescu x fem!reader, Karl Heisenberg x fem!reader

This is a dark fic and 18+

It Will Come Back (Part I)

Summary: The galaxy is in disarray after the rise of the Empire. You’re searching for someone, anyone, who can potentially overthrowing the Empire’s growing tyrannical rule. A stranger by the name of Arrolier seems like the best bet. Perhaps he needs you as much as you need him.

Pairings: Sith!Obi-wan x f!reader, Sith!Obi-wan x f!reader x Commander Cody

This series will venture into dark fic territory. 18+

On Hiatus

Triple Trouble (Masterlist)

Summary: Being the original Ghostface had its perks. When two upstarts think that they can steal the name, Danny has to teach them a lesson by stealing their girl.

Danny “Jed Olsen” Johnson x reader, Billy Loomis x reader x Stu Macher

Old Fashioned (Part 1, Part 2)

Summary: Usually, all you are is a glorified secretary for the Statesmen. However, things change when you’re sent to be a honey trap. Your teacher is none other than Agent Whiskey.

OR

Five times Agent Whiskey taught you to seduce someone, and one time you seduced him.

Agent Whiskey x f!reader. Will be 18+ in later chapters

Everything a (Big Bad) Wolf Could Want (Chapter 1, Chapter 2)

Summary: Fairy tales are real and living among humans. Your boyfriend, Steve Rogers AKA Prince Charming, found his long-lost friend from the old days. The problem is that you know his old friend too, and he is the last person you want to see.

Dark fic, potentially a DD:DNE (Dead Dove: Do Not Eat)

Pairings: Steve Rogers (Prince Charming) x Reader (Little Red Riding Hood), Dark! Bucky Barnes (Big bad wolf but human) x Reader, eventually Bucky Barnes x Reader X Steve Rogers

Rocks and Water Series (Part I: Dead Body Masterlist, 7 Times Down Chap 1, Chap 2)

Pairings: Ransom Drysdale x reader

MAJOR TW for rape, the aftermath of a rape, and abuse

Dead Body Summary:  No one hate Ransom Drysdale more than you do. He could rot in Hell for all you cared. Unfortunately, he seems to want something from you.

7 Times Down summary: Ransom Drysdale is the worst person you’ve ever met. He’s hurt you more than anyone else ever has. Yet, here you are, playing house with him. To be fair, he did make it appealing. You play house with him, and you’ll get revenge on a whole bunch of people who have hurt you. Chapter Summary: You move into the new house, hoping to settle down somewhat. But nothing ever goes your way.

Upcoming works

Maxwell Lord one-shot

Boba Fett crime lord one-shot with a (illegally practicing) doctor!reader

A western AU with Ash Williams

At least one more Danny piece in the DBD realm (probably a successor to Missed Connection)

Associated side fics to Honor Among Criminals

Associated side fics to You Make Me Feel (Home Again, Whole Again)

Assorted one-shots in my ask

[princess-cordelias-writingblog]

Your Dark Side Pt.7 (Void!Stiles xReader)

A/N: The end! I did my best. I’ll make an epilogue and I’ll post it soon just to sort of close the whole story nicely :) -Danny

Words: 3,035

Warnings: Do I need to tell you what’s coming? I didn’t proofread this but I know you’ll find a way to forgive me. See you in the epilogue! :)

@all-alone-he-turns-to-stone @nitnat6245​ @big-galaxy-chaos @linkpk88

Previous Part // Epilogue

There was the sound of swords and kicks and yelps as Kira, Isaac and Allison fought against the Oni. Lydia had gone inside the building to retrieve Stiles and Scott. 

Void and Y/N were sitting side by side, the former looking at the scene with a mocking smirk, the second merely glancing at the ones who once were her friends, her head tilted to the side in mild interest.

“How do we stop them?!” Isaac asked in frustration.

“You can’t!” Yelled Kira’s mom.

“But,” Void said quietly, “I can definitely stop you.”

He grabbed Y/N by the back of her head and pulled her closer, she moved like a rag doll, completely at his mercy, the Nogitsune leaned and whispered, his mouth right against her ear. 

“Your turn, sweet thing,” He looked at the group with a triumphant smile. “Go play with the big kids...”

Y/N’s mouth twisted onto a monstruous grin, she looked back at them, standing up with the same air a cat would lift itself to catch a prey.

“If I were you,” She started, slowly moving towards Isaac. “I would stay very still while I finish you. I really don’t want to stain my clothes with your blood.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t get to touch any of us,” Isaasc growled. 

He was wrong, though. As soon as he launched forward Y/N slidded to his side, her nails growing abruptly and scratching accross his abdomen with ease. Isaac gasped, falling to his knees in shock.

“You ruined my nails,” Y/N pouted, carelessly cleaning her fingers on one of the Oni’s. “You’ll pay for that.”

She stepped back while Isaac stood up again, forcing himself to get up. Two Onis stood in front of the girl and attacked Isaac at the same time, Kira tried to knocked Y/N, but the girl was way faster now, for the first time in her life, Y/N wasn’t depending solely on her human strenght. She was something else, a blind, cold-hearted copy of who she used to be.

One firm punch to her friend’s chest and Kira flew across the place. Y/N walked up to her decidedly, and kicking her back to the ground when Kira tried to stand, and punching her in the face when she tried to push her away.

“You see,” Void stood up, looking at Y/N with satisfaction. “I know Stiles told you I was feeding of her, and he’s right, I was feeding of her. But she was feeding too, just different.”

Allison kept shooting arrows as fast as she could, Isaac was barely keeping it together. Kira and her mother were not doing great either.

“Y/N has feed of my own inmortality. Unfortunately for you, that means she got a few of my abilities, though they’re weak copies of my own powers, they work just fine on weak little trash like you. What I see,” He pointed to his eyes, then to her. “It’s what she believes. And all I see are enemies that need to be destroyed.”

“Y/N! Snap out of it!” Isaac yelled in anger. 

“Y/N, please wake up!” Allison tried. “We’re us! We’re your friends! We came for you!”

“No no,” Void raised his eyebrows. “No... you came to kill me. Tell me, Y/N,” He raised his voice, glancing at the girl. “Do you want to kill me?”

Y/N straighten on her place, her empty eyes searching for Void. Her expression changed into genuine sadness.

“Kill you? I would never hurt you, Stiles.”

 Void’s smile widened. “That’s what I thought.”

“He’s not Stiles, Y/N!” Kira shouted through her swollen lips. “He’s the Nogitsune, he’s playing with your head! Fight back!”

It was like talking to a wall, Y/N didn’t seem to hear anyone who wasn’t Void, she was locked somewhere in her head, unable to see and hear them, her only connection to reality being Void Stiles.

“Wasn’t that cute?” Void tilted his head, pouting mockingly. “That’s enough, Y/N. Stop playing with your food.”

“Y/N, please stop!”

“KILL THEM!” Void roared.

One of Allison’s arrows flew and got an Oni. The figure drop their sword, vanishing. But Y/N had already spurred into action, she ran to Allison and tackled her, forcing her to drop her crossbow. She turned her around and secured both of her arms on her back, offering her to the closest Oni. In time, the dark figure drew out his sword, and pierced Allison’s body.

Y/N dropped her, stepping back with a blank stare. 

“Y/N,” Void called her, his voice merely above a whisper. “Time to go.”

She turned away from the girl at the same time Scott ran into the scene, Scott called after her, but Y/N didn’t look back, not even once, as she disappeared into the shadows.

____________________________

Y/N’d heard it faintly, like a dream within a dream.

Lydia crying, her screams, her pain and sadness. 

She’d cried Allison’s name.

____________________________

“He’s not safe here.”

“He’s not safe anywhere.”

Stiles didn’t want to be safe. To hell with being safe. Y/N was gone. Allison was gone. 

He was the only one to blame.

“But Allison did kill one of them,” He heard Kira said. “Doesn’t that mean something? She killed an Oni.”

“Is that even possible?”

“I’m not sure how.”

“But she did it. She killed one of them.”

“Yeah, and then they killed her,” Stiles rasped. “Allison’s dead. And Y/N, she... is she gone forever?”

“Not if we act soon,” Said the woman. 

“And if we don’t?”

No one answered to his question. He looked down, bitterness pouring through his words. 

“I guess the only good thing is it looks like I’m dying, too.”

“He made a powerful move by splitting the two of you and submitting her to his will. But one can’t have all the good moves. It’s not possible, I believe he’s ran out of them.”

“What’s our move?” Kira asked.

“At this point,” said her father. “You need a divine move.”

____________________________

“Hi there,” Void talked to the recepcionist. The man looked up in mild annoyance. “Could you page Melissa McCall for us, please?”

The Onis appeared behind them and stabbed the man in the stomach, they watched them fall. Y/N scoffed. 

“Typical service. Nothing ever works around here.”

Void smirked at her with irony. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to find her ourselves.”

____________________________

“If the plan kills me, just go through with it.”

“The plan is to save you,” Scott said. “You and Y/N. That’s the plan.”

One last try, thought Stiles. 

____________________________

“Look, Y/N!” Void said calmly, then turned his attention to Derek. “Did you bring us a present?”

“I brought two.”

Void tilted his head in amusement. “I’ve heard of an Alpha pack, Derek, but not a pack of former Alphas. It’s a little sad, isn’t it?” He looked at Y/N. “This should be easy for you, darling.”

“I might not be an Alpha anymore,” Derek replied. “But I can still fight like one.”

Y/N stood up, her blank stare twisting into confusion. “Are they trying to hurt you, Stiles?”

Void’s smirk turned into a fake pout. 

“Oh, yes. They want to kill me,” He chuckled. “But you know what to do, don’t you, darling pet?”

“I’ll keep you safe,” She responded softly.

With that, she and the Onis charged into battle. She fought with everything she had and a little more, fifteen minutes into the fight Void called her out of the battle.

“Where the hell are they?” Yelled one of the twins.

“The jeep’s here they have to be somewhere!”

“In the school!” Shouted Derek.

“That’s right,” Void growled. “And they’re making things way harder than it should be. Come, dove. Something tells me you’re of better use to where I’m going...”

___________________________

Stiles picked up Kira’s sword from the ground and pointed its tip towards his stomach, a wild decision making its way through the heat of the fight.

“Stiles, no!” Scott yelled, being held back by a pair of Onis. “Stiles!”

“What if it saves you?” Stiles said through his shaky breaths. “What if it saves all of you?”

“What if it’s just another trick?” Lydia asked desperately. “Y/N needs all of us, Stiles!”

“No more tricks, Lydia,” Said the Nogitsune. “End it, Scott. Let your friend fall on his own sword. Do for him what he cannot do for himself. Do it Scott, be his kaishakunin...”

If Y/N was really gone... there was no point, he had no reason to stay alive, not after all the things he’d done. Not after ruining such a beautiful, pure soul...

“Give up the game...”

Then he saw it. In the reflection of the blade, there was something that didn’t quite belong in that place, something that gave away Void’s little game. A book was half-hidden in the snow, and a bit further away, he found a desk.

“You have no moves left...”

“I do,” Stiles replied quietly, lowering the katana. “A divine move.”

He stumbled back, Lydia caught him before he could fall, and he breathed heavily.

“Stop fighting them! It’s an illusion!” He let out. “You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but Scott you gotta trust me, it’s an illusion.”

Scott turned around, and the four of them walked towards the Nogitsune quietly, letting the Onis cut through their skin. They didn’t touch Stiles or Lydia, and she pushed both of their bodies forward. Scott grabbed the Nogitsune by the shoulders and pushed him against the doors, and in the blink of an eye, the doors were the only thing in front of him. 

They were safe.

“We’re okay,” Scott gulped. “We’re–”

Something tackled Scott and threw him a few meters away. It was Y/N. Kira turned around only to be slapped by Void, which knocked her out of the way. 

Y/N stood up from where she and Scott had landed, cleaning the sweat out of her forehead.

“This was my game,” Void growled. “You think you can beat me at my game?”

“Y/N please wake up!” Scott shouted.

“She won’t listen to you,” Void said with a hint of exasperation. “How many times do I have to say it? She’s mine now. I control her.”

“No,” Lydia said lowly. “You just tricked her.”

“It’s the same thing,” Void smiled. 

Stiles stared at Y/N, it was the first time he’d seen her after she got kidnapped by Void all those days ago. She looked like a corpse, pale paper skin, dark circles under milky eyes, lips white and broken... she looked like him. Void was feeding of the two of them, and only Stiles could stop him.

“No, it’s not the same thing,” Lydia insisted. “Because she’s not trying to protect you. She’s trying to protect Stiles, that’s why you’re still using his image... his voice.”

“She won’t listen to you, no matter how loud you scream while she pulls your guts out,” Void said menacingly. 

“You’re right, she won’t listen to me,” Lydia looked up at her friend. “But she will listen to you. Call her, Stiles.”

And Stiles, with the last bit of strenght he could muster, yelled at the top of his lungs:

“Y/N!”

________________________

There it was again, someone was screaming.

Stiles, she’d heard his voice all night, asking her for help, telling her he needed to be protected... she did her best, but now Stiles was asking her to... he was asking her stop, to... open her eyes?

She had her eyes open, the problem was that everything was dark... how was she supposed to find her way out of that place, wherever it was?

“I’M SORRY, PLEASE WAKE UP, WAKE UP, Y/N!”

“Stiles,” She cried desperately. “I can’t see you... I think I’m dead.”

Outside her mind Void was starting to look real angry, he could sense her slowly slipping through his fingers.

“Don’t listen, Y/N,” He replied. “Remember what he did. Remember what they all did to you. Who are you to them, if not a pesky little fly?”

“They don’t want me,” Y/N agreed, voice breaking. “I’m useless...”

“You’re not useless to me,” Void walked up to her, whispering to her ear. “No, no, dear pet... You know I look after you, right?”

“You care about me,” Y/N sobbed. “You need me.”

“That’s right,” Void said triumphantly. “That’s the truth...”

“No it’s not,” Stiles yelped, trying to stand on his own. “It’s not true, Y/N. I need you. I always needed you. I swear you’re the only reason, the only thing that’s...”

“Stiles?” Y/N blinked, “I don’t... I don’t understand...”

“Enough!” Void pushed Y/N aside, making her fall sideways. He walked to Stiles and Lydia with a burning glare. Void scoffed. “Divine move. Divine move? You think you have any moves at all? You can kill the Oni, but me? Me? I’m a thousand years old– YOU CAN’T KILL ME!”

“But we can change you!” Lydia exclaimed.

Void stared at her, his frown fell slightly. “What?”

“You forgot about the scroll,” Stiles replied tiredly.

“The Shugendo scroll,” Lydia breathed.

Three seconds of heavy silence passed. Void changed his posture.

“Change the host,” He concluded.

“You can’t be a fox and a wolf...”

Scott came out of nowhere and held onto Void’s arm, biting as hard and deep as he could. Void let out a howl, and as soon as Scott let go Kira stabbed him on the back.

“NO!” Y/N sat up abruptly. “STILES! NO!”

Void fell to his knees, and a single bug came out of his mouth, flying across the hall until Isaac’s figure cut it short, catching it inside a small wooden box. 

Void twisted and gawked, and Y/N followed the sounds, crawling to him and sobbing desperately.

“No no no no no no,” She said, streching out her arms. “What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

“Y/N,” Scott held her back, keeping her in place. “Y/N... why isn’t she coming back?”

“I said it already,” Lydia replied. “Void was not controlling her. He just twisted her thoughts. She did all this on her own... she fed on him and the negative emotions, his powers... were too strong. She couldn’t handle it, so she pushed her conscience to the back of her mind as a way of protection. I can still hear her but we need to bring her back before she gets lost forever.”

“Y/N?” Stiles tried again, softly grabbing her by the arms. “Y/N I’m right here, I’m not gone.”

He was so weak, he could feel himself drifting from reality but he had to stay up a bit longer, the fight was not over.

Scott let go of her and Y/N fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Stiles kneeled in front of her.

“How do I do it?” Stiles asked desperately. “You told me to call on her, but she’s not listening!”

“The same way she called you back,” Scott replied. 

Stiles remembered that, the way Scott had howl to get his attention. 

“But she doesn’t think she’s part of the pack,” Kira replied. “It won’t work on her, she doesn’t see herself as part of the group.”

“No,” Scott admitted. “But she was part of something.”

“She was my partner,” Stiles realized. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

Without waiting for a reply, Stiles cupped her face with both hands and steadied his voice.

“Y/N, I know you’re in there, and I know you’re listening to me,” He started. “Void told you to do all those things, not me. You hear me? I would never risk your life that way. But he knew you would only respond to my voice... you would only seek to help me. All this time, that’s the only thing you’ve been trying to do, right? To help me.”

“I wanted you to be safe,” She sobbed quietly, her stare looking blankly at the distance. 

“I know, I know,” Stiles continued anxiously. “I understand. You know why? Because I wanted you to be safe too. I still want you to. Please, Y/N. Please do this for me one last time, please...”

“What for?” She frowned absently. “I’m just a human, I’m weak, I can’t make a difference...”

“You’re not just a human, Y/N,” Stiles was crying now too, he was running out of time, his head was pounding, yelling at him to just close his eyes and sleep. “You’re my best friend. You’re... God, you have no idea how sorry I am, this is all my fault, you’re like this because I screwed things up... I know that, but it’s me who deserves to fade away, not you, Y/N. Don’t go just yet...”

She was losing her energy too, and her eyes were blinking slower.

“You’ll be okay, won’t you?” She whispered. “You’ll be loved...”

“Y/N!” Stiles yelled again, his grip tightening around her soft face. “Don’t you dare, don’t you dare to leave me! Open your eyes! Y/N L/N WAKE UP! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!”

In a last desperate attempt, Stiles pulled her face closer, and kissed her.

_________________________

Y/N woke up abruptly, gasping for air. The screams, his voice, somehow had pulled her out of her darkness. Stiles’ face was a few inches away from hers, and his hands kept hers in place. 

She could tell that right away from the way his pupils dilated when their eyes found each other, the way his brow furrowed and his lower lip trembled at the sight, and his touch, the softness with which he held her in place... it was her Stiles, finally, after so long...

“You okay,” She said shakily, her own hands finding their up to his cheeks. “You came back...”

“You found me,” His eyes teared up.

“Stiles,” She cried. “I’ve done terrible things...”

“It’s okay... it’s...” Stiles’ eyes rolled to the back of his head, and the boy fell to his side heavily.

The last thing Y/N saw before fainting too, was Scott and Lydia kneeling to help them.

[soda-drabbles]

Sacrificial Baths | EgoBang

Synopsis : Dan’s back is hurting him and Arin takes it upon himself to care for him.

Type : Fluff

Pairing : EgoBang (Arin x Dan)

A/N : Here’s a prompt for my ABCs of EgoBang book on AO3 (which you can read here). The letter B for bath obviously.

“Fuck, man.” A sharp groan tears from Dan’s grimace once they finish recording the last episode for the day, his hand gently caresses the sore muscle of his back.

Today was one of those Grump sessions that lasted a lot longer than normal, where they took time to record episodes that they lacked on uploading the week prior. Recording hours of long footage was already taking its toll on his already strained back and arms. To Dan, it felt like he was lugging around heavy cinder blocks from his biceps.

“Your back still bothering you?” Arin asks and Dan nods, a tired smile on his face. His concern was growing more by the minute. He had already knew Dan’s back was troubling him and had suggested beforehand that they could take the day off and record on the weekend. Dan had rejected the idea, insisting that he could totally pull through today. In a way, he did. Still, he felt about ready pass out.

“Yeah, it honestly feels like they’re gonna fall off or something.” Dan chuckles weakly, his fingers doing their best massaging the tender muscles. “I’m surprised they haven’t yet. Fell off, I mean.”

Arin’s lips were pursing into a thin line, his thick eyebrows were knitting close together. Noticing Arin’s intense concerned expression, Dan offers him a smile. “Hey, don’t worry about me, Big Cat. I’m sure all I need is some Icy Hot patches or something.”

Although Dan was smiling, Arin saw the tiring hint in it. Dan was exhausted by now and was definitely requiring a break. He didn’t mind doing the pampering. “Whatever you say man, but don’t think that’s gonna stop me from babying you tonight.”

Dan laughs, “If you say so.”

Arin stops by on the drive home at a nearby pharmacy to grab the patches Dan mentioned earlier. They arrive home not too long after, getting a warm greeting by Mochi and Mimi who curl around both their legs. Arin smiles down at the two kitties and gives them each a couple pets and a good rubbing behind the ears.

Dan walks past them with the bag of patches in his hand. He places it on the counter and removes his shirt. Although Arin has seen that sight plenty of times, he couldn’t help but stare. His eyes trace the gentle curves and dips on his lover’s back and hips while Dan was working on putting the patch on.

When Dan lightly moves his arm around and the muscle under the skin flexed in response, Arin’s throat gone dry. He really got lucky, didn’t he?

Arin approaches him, leaning against the counter. “How’s it feeling?”

Dan groans. “A little better, not by much though.”

Arin looks down and thinks for a moment. Suddenly, he perks up. “Why don’t we get a bath or something?”

A bath sounds like a great idea to Dan. Any option sounded good, especially if it has a great potential to help. He shrugs, “A bath sounds great, actually.”

“Unless if you need me to help you upstairs then I think you’re good to go, old man.” Arin teasingly says, a cocky smile on his lips. It was a running joke between them that Dan was older than dirt yet looks so young. Sometimes Arin swore that Dan must’ve been graced by the fountain of youth or something.

Dan, with an underlying grin on his face, chuckles out, “I think I’ll be able to manage.”

Arin watches as he disappears upstairs. The sound of water running follows not too long after it. It was only when he was going through the bag and sees the colorful packaging that he remembers. Shit, that’s right. They bought a bathbomb, a couple actually. Arin, at first, thinks he’d be fine without them. They’re just bath bombs after all. His eyes trail to the stairs again. Still, it would give him an excuse to check on Dan.

Eventually, he decides to pull the notorious excuse of “silly me, I forgot we had bathbombs even though we bought them like twenty minutes ago”. Dan is upstairs in the bathroom, lounging in the steamy tub. One arm is daintily draped around the top of the tub while the other is in his hair. His eyes are shut, lips pressed into a content smile. Arin was right, a bath was what he needed. His muscles were finally deciding to relax against the heat of the water and honestly, if he didn’t pay attention, he might fall asleep.

If you have a boyfriend like Arin Hanson though, sleeping in the tub is something you won’t have to worry about. A splash of hot water in his face makes him flinch, his once shut eyes opening. “The hell-“ He gasps, sitting up which was easier for him to do now than earlier. Once his eyes fully open, he finds a colorful fizzing ball in the water and an eager Arin. “Wakey-wakey, Avi-Danny.” He’s grinning, “You do realize a part of getting a bath is actually washing yourself, right?”

“Did you just toss, like, a science project into the tub or something?” He asks, currently wiping off the water from his face.

Arin chuckles, rolling his eyes playfully. “Duh, of course not. Where would I find one? It’s a bathbomb dude, I forgot we bought them.”

It takes Dan a moment to process it and pray to the gods that his boyfriend has a good time perception and is just joking.

“You’re telling me that you forgot we bought a bathbomb, which happened like ten minutes ago, and are just now bringing it up here?” A smile is creeping onto his face. A noise slips from his throat as he is clearly trying to ground himself from laughing off his ass.

Arin also sat there for a moment, something that nearly made Dan break. “Okay, first of all, it was twenty minutes.” Arin says defensively, a large grin on his face. “Plus, you clearly forgot too since you thought I just stole some kid’s science project and dumped it in the tub.”

Dan laughs heartedly, “Fair enough.”

The bathbomb in question was fizzing it’s way into changing the bath water from it’s normal color to a cloudy purple-ish and deep blue. It looks sort of like a galaxy, something the two assumed what the product was going for.

“Great,” Dan chuckles, playing with the space water. “Now it looks like I’m swimming in a bathtub of liquidized Barney.”

Arin laughs and shakes his head, “You’re welcome.” He then turns to make his leave but Dan’s voice stops him.

“Wait,” He calls, his voice pulling Arin back in the bathroom like a lasso. “Can you, actually ah..you wanna join me? I can’t just swim in Barney’s sacrifice all by myself, y’know.”

The idea sounds like music to his ears, music that easily he can dance to. He’s grinning from ear to ear as he undresses. After he’s fully nude, he slips into the warm galaxy tub. Arin deeply groans, getting used to the heat of the tub.

Dan grins softly, “Feels good, doesn’t it, Big Cat?”

“Oh, yeah.” He chuckles softly, smiling to himself. “We should have sacrificial baths more often.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we really should.”

[bleachanimefan1]

Turtles Forever Part 65

The Lesson

"Donnie, What's the big surprise that you had to drag us all out of bed?" Raph growled, irritated. The three brothers, Splinter, and four girls were in Donnie's lab, wondering the same as well. Donnie was standing in front of them.

"Yeah, Don. Couldn't it wait in the morning? A turtle does need his beauty sleep, you know?" Mikey groaned tiredly, rubbing his eyes, yawning. Leatherhead walked into the room wheeling in a strange monitor. 

"Leatherhead? what are you doing here?" Leo asked.

"Leatherhead and I staid awake all night fixing this. But, we did it! We've finally got it to work!" Donnie shouted barely able to contain his excitement. 

 "Did what, my son?" Splinter questioned. Donnie walked over to Mona and took her hand gesturing her to the bed, with the monitor next to it, to lie down on it. Cautiously, Mona laid down as Raph walked over to her standing beside the bed next her.  Donnie started up the monitor and began to rub some gel on the mutant's stomach. Then he took a sensor that was connected to the monitor and began to rub it over Mona's belly. A picture came on the screen followed by an erratic heartbeat. Oh the screen, was a small baby with a tail as it moved. Raph and Mona's eyes widen in shock as did everybody else as well watching the screen.

"O-Our baby?!" Mona stammered. Raph watched the screen in silence, completely paralyzed in shock. Donnie scanned Mona over again then inspected the image on the screen. 

"By the looks of it, the baby's definitely gonna take after Mona. But, I can't tell what the gender is because of the tail in the way. However, they seem to be healthy." Donnie explained. "I'd say it'll probably be about three months before they are born."

"Donnie, this is the best gift ever! You and LH really out-did yourself!" Raph exclaimed. Donnie smiled sheepishly, rubbing his head. 

"It was nothing really. Just a few broken circuit boards and wires."

 The turtles and the four girls jump down in front of April's shop. They walked in as they entered.

"April?" Leo called out. "Anybody home?"

Suddenly, they hear a scream and the sounds of someone getting beaten up. "No!"

"April's in trouble!" Donnie exclaimed. He pulls out his staff and runs towards the back door. The others follow him with weapons drawn as they ran out into the alleyway. They see April holding a bat.

"I give, I give!" They hear someone shouted. Leo adjusted the light bulb and everyone was surprised to see that it was Casey. April panted as she looked down at him.

"Easy April, it's only me!" Casey protested. April gave him an angry look.

"Casey, what the heck are you doing?" She questioned. "That has to be the dumbest thing in the history of dumbest things anybody could do!" Raph and Donnie walked over and helped Casey up. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'm glad that's just a whiffle bat," Casey commented, rubbing his head. "Sheesh!"

"No, I mean, why would you do such a thing?" said April as she threw the bat away and started walking towards the back door to her shop.

"You asked me to, remember?" Casey asked.

"I did not!" April protested.

"Sure you did!" Casey said as he steps to her. "You was bragging about your ninja fighting skills," He flaps his arms. "And I said I ought to sneak up on ya sometime and test out how good you was. And you said that sounded like an interesting idea."

April glared at him, placing her hands on her hips. Then she looked at the four brothers and girls. "So, how are you guys doing?" She asked. "I was about to make some hot chocolate. I can easily make enough for nine," She smiled. Everyone cheered as they followed April to her shop.

"Great, I love hot chocolate!" Casey exclaimed, happily.

April counted as the four brothers and girls walked into her shop. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight," She smirked and pointed to herself. "And nine." Slamming the door on Casey's face.

"Come on April, you weren't that scared," Casey protested outside. "You beat the crud out of me!" He groaned. He hears no response. "April? Guys? Geez, everybody's so sensitive around here," said Casey, as he kicked a can and started walking away.

In the living room, Mikey and Leo were sitting on the couch, along with Yuuki and Alopex, Raph was sitting on the chair while Mona sat on the arm rest of the chair, Donnie was sitting on the table while Venus sat in a chair next to him.

"Think Casey's okay out there?" Mikey questioned. Suddenly, Donnie's shell cell began to ring.

"That's probably him now," said Leo.

"He's such a bonehead," Raph commented.

"Uh, hello?" Donnie asked as he answered his phone. But, he winched as he heard static. "Huh, it's not Casey. Sounds like somebody's trying to send me a fax."

April growled in frustration. "Oh that Casey gets me so mad!" She carried a tray with nine cups filled with hot chocolate as she walked over to the table. The three brothers and girls walked over to her at the table, taking a seat.

"What are you talking about, April?" Raph asked. "You totally clobbered him!"

"Well," April hesitated. "It's just that I really thought I was getting somewhere in my training with Master Splinter," The turtles, and girls take their hot chocolates, listening to her. "But Casey totally caught me by surprise. I should have heard him coming. You guys would have."

"Well, if it makes you fell any better, April. I'm still learning myself." said Yuuki.

"It takes a lot of practice," Donnie tells her.

"Master Splinter spent a lot of time training us to be aware of our surroundings at all times," Leo explained. "After a while though, if you studied hard enough, you got a sixth sense for it."

"Maybe you guys could help with my ninja training?" April suggested.

The four turtles give her surprised looks.

"Yeah, that's actually not a bad idea, April." Yuuki commented. The four brothers looked at each other, before shaking their heads.

"No way!" Raph said, waving his hands. The four girls looked at them surprised.

"Why not? I'm a quick learner!" April protested.

"It's not you, April," Donnie explained. "It's us."

"Last time we tried to play sensei...well, let's just say it didn't work out too well," Leo said, hesitantly.

"Yeah, we though we could teach this kid," Raph chuckled. "And we were just kids ourselves."

"Raph, that's no way to tell a story," Mikey argued. "Here, let me do it. It was a dark and stormy night, in a galaxy far far away-"

"Mikey," Raph warned.

"Uh, I mean, many moons ago, on a night much like this one,"

Four younger turtles with shorter masks that covered their heads were running in the sewers.

"We were four young turtle tots facing the most horrible of all dangerous dangers. Dun, dun, dun, the wrath of Master Splinter!"

Splinter smacked his staff against the map of the sewers that was hanging on the wall.

"We'd been warned. We knew what we were not supposed to be doing." Leo added.

Splinter smacks his staff, making the four turtle tots gasp. "Do not go to the surface!" He told them as they were walking across a balance beam. "Never go up to the streets! It is far too dangerous," He warned them as they were having dinner and slammed his teapot down, making them gasp. "Under no circumstances should you ever go above ground," Leo lost his balance, falling off from the beam. "If you ever think of going topside, just do not!" Splinter exclaimed. "You had better hope I never catch you going out of the sewers!"

The four turtle tots gulped and looked at each other.

"So, what did you guys do?" April asked.

Leo opened the manhole cover. "We went topside." The four brothers struggled to slide the manhole cover as they tried to move it. 

"When we finally go the lid off." Donnie said.

"Hey, no cutting in line!" Raph warned as they tried to crawl out.

"Then move your big fat shell!" Mikey exclaimed. They climbed out and looked around the alley in wonder and amazement.

"It's amazing!" Leo said. "All this open space!"

They walked further down the alley, exploring. "Man, Master Splinter's been holding out on us," Raph said. "Up here, it's...it's..."

"Beautiful," Donnie finished.

"What we didn't know was that just around the corner, was destiny. Or actually this kid that needed help," Mikey said. 

A tall black haired boy was wearing a red shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. With him was another boy who was wearing glasses. They watched as the older boys were playing hockey in the streets.

"It's Danny McDonough and his wolf pack," The boy wearing glasses said.

"Man, these guys think they own the street," The taller boy whined. "How come they gotta play in front of my steps, Stevie?"

"I'll help you," Stevie explained, clenching his fist. "We'll stand up to them." He glanced over at the older boys nervously, gulping.

"I'd like to, but they'd just beat the crud out of us. You just go on around and go home," The taller boy told Stevie. "I'll be okay."

Stevie placed a hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "Be careful. I'll see you tomorrow." The taller boy waved as his friend left. As the taller boy turned to walk to his house, the older boys blocked him.

"Hey guys, here comes Arnie dork. You forgot to pay your toll yesterday. This here's our street!" Danny said, jerking his thumb to his gang.

"I...I don't want no trouble," the boy replied, nervously.

"Well, you got trouble." Danny said as he and his gang advance closer. The boy pushed past Danny and his gang and took off running. They chased as they skated after him.

In the alley, Raphael was standing on top of a dumpster.

"I am Raphael, king of the trash!" He exclaimed. The other three turtles climbed onto the dumpster, but Raph threw them off.

"Sorry, Raph," Leo said as he picked Raph up by his leg and knocked him down. "You're the trash and I'm the king!"

"All hail Leo! King of the trash can!" Mikey cheered. Suddenly, Donnie heard voices that were coming closer towards them.

"Guy's, somebody's coming," He told them. The boy ran into the alley while the four turtle tots hid underneath the dumpster. The boy saw that he was trapped as he was at an dead end. He leaned against the wall panting, trying to catch his breath. As he stood up to run away, his eyes widen. 

"Oh crud," The boy muttered. He backed up as Danny and his gang skated towards him.

"Poor little fella," Danny said, smirking. "He ran into a dead end." 

The four brothers cringed as they heard the boy getting beat up.

"Somebody ought to help that kid," Leo whispered.

"Yeah, finally some real action," Raph murmured, getting up, ready for a fight. But, Donnie stopped him.

"Remember, we can't be seen," He told them.

As the gang was beating the boy, a trash can suddenly came flying at them and hit one of them. "Ow! Hey man, what's your deal?" He shouted as he pushed one of his friends. Mikey threw a trash bag at one of them.

"Ow! Hey, cut it out!"

Then a rope was thrown at one of their feet, being pulled. One of the boys lost their balance and fell on top of Danny, placing his hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Hey, quit it!" Danny said. He turned towards the boy at their feet getting ready to beat him up some more.

"Danny! Lunch time!" Danny's mother called out. He turned to the boy.

"Next time, pay your toll if you want to use our street. Come on, we're outta here," Danny said as he and his gang left.

"That's when young "Master Leo" convinced us to help the kid out," Mikey said.

"To train him so he wouldn't need little green guardian angels all the time," Donnie added.

"We thought we already knew everything there was about ninjitsu, so how hard could teaching be?" Leo said.

"And it had to be better than being stuck in the sewers doing nothin'." Raph said.

"Okay," Leo explained as he turned to the other three turtles. He was wearing a red hat that covered his face, blue jeans, a yellow shirt and brown jacket. "You guys know the plan. We'll each take turns teaching the kid what we know. Agreed?"

"Agreed." The other three turtle tots saluted.

"But remember, guys," Donnie warned. "No matter what happens, we can't let Master Splinter know what we're up to."

Leo nodded and walked over to the boy as he was getting up. The boy groaned as he rubbed his arm. "Hey kid," He turned to Leo. "I saw what happened earlier. You know, you really shouldn't let those bullies push you around like that."

"Oh, it's no biggie," The boy rubbed his arm. "I'll heal."

"It IS a big deal," Leo argued. "It's a matter of honor! You can't surrender your honor so easily. The street belongs to everybody."

"Not for kids like you and me," The boy looked away crossing his arms. "I'm too small."

"No! Those guys are small because they have no heart and no honor. My sensei, my teacher, always taught me that true strength comes from within," Leo explained.

"Maybe, but how do you get it?" The boy asked.

"You train. You train in the art of self-defense," Leo said as he did some moves. The boy watched in awe. "I can help you, teach you." The boy smiled at him.

"Okay, then let's meet back here tomorrow, the same time." Leo said. 

The next day, Leo and the boy were on the rooftop, sitting with their legs crossed. The boy was struggling. 

"First of all, you have to be serious about wanting to change things. You have to feel the power, connect with the power. Find your inner core, your honor, your true heart. Have you found it yet?" Leo explained as the boy continued to struggle more.

"Uh, I don't think so. Uh, little dude, I can't feel my legs," The boy said.

"That's a good thing, stay focused and breathe and you'll find your true strength," Leo told him. As Leo watched the boy as he tried to meditate, his mind began to wonder back to yesterday with his encounter with the girl with pig tails. 

"Uh, little dude, I don't think this is working." The boy said. Leo snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him. How long was he spaced out. His eyes widen. He needed to get back home, fast! Leo stood up. "Just keep practicing. You'll get it! I-uh, need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back!" He said, running.

At the turtle's old Lair, Mikey and Donnie were sparring. Splinter was watching them. Donnie jumped to kick but Mikey dodged it. "Excellent, Michelangelo. Donatello, lift your leg higher for the kick," Splinter instructed. Mikey knocked Donnie and he landed in front of Splinter. Donnie sat up, rubbing his head.

"Sorry, Master Splinter," He said. Splinter held his hand out and Donnie took it as Splinter helped him up.

"That is enough for now. You may rest, my son. It is Leonardo's turn to train," Splinter said as he turned to the couch. Raph was watching the TV with a stuffed bear, sitting next to him that was wearing Leo's mask and a T-shirt.

"Uh-oh, oh boy..." Raph muttered as he looked back as Splinter then back at the bear.

"Come Leonardo," Splinter called out.

"Master Splinter, we wanna keep practicing!" Mikey called out as he and Donnie tried to distract him.

"But it is Leonardo's turn," Splinter explained.

"Leo won't mind, will ya Leonardo?" Mikey called out. Raph lifted the stuffed bear's arm, waving at Splinter.

"Uh, wave if it's okay, Leonardo," Donnie said, nervously. Raph lifted the stuffed bear's arm, waving at Splinter. 

"See? Leo doesn't mind." Mikey answered. Splinter frowned in suspicion.

"Uh, is this right, Master Splinter?" Mikey called out as he and Donnie began to spar.

"What about this leaping over the leg sweep?" Donnie asked. "I think I'm getting better!"

Splinter turned to them."I said enough practice. Leonardo, Leonardo?" He called as he began to walk over to the couch. Mikey and Donnie cringed as he got closer.

"This is it, it's all over! We are so cooked!" Mikey panicked as Splinter reached a hand out. Donnie and Mikey screamed. Raph immediately shut his eyes.

"Leonardo!" Splinter shouted as he placed his hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Yes, Master Splinter?" Leo answered. Splinter blinked in confusion.

"It is time for your practice," He explained.

"Oh, okay, coming sensei," Leo said, giving Raph a wink and a thumbs up. Raph returned it. Leo jumped over the couch and flipped, landing next to Splinter.

"Sorry I didn't answer earlier," Leo said as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I kind of dozed of there for a moment." He started his katas. Donnie and Mikey were watching Leo and Splinter. Donnie nodded to Mikey and he quietly slipped away without Splinter noticing.

On the rooftops, Mikey finished dressing up, wearing the same outfit that Leo was wearing. "Now the student has become the master," He chuckled as he walked over to the boy. "Ready for more learning?"

"Well, I've been trying to be serious and breathing stuff to find my inner strength like you said,...but kinda makes my head hurt," The boy said as he scratched his head. "And I still can't feel my legs."

"What, are you kidding me?" Mikey questioned. "Get up, get up!" He helped the boy up. "Forget all that baloney, the first and most important lesson is this: you need the right attitude!" The boy blinked, confused, looking at Mikey. "And part of having a winning attitude is having a cool battle cry! A heroic superhero battle cry, like in the comic books!"

"I got it! Goru guru sama!" Mikey exclaimed. The boy scratched his head, completely confused.

"Go ro ro bo...wha?" He questioned.

"Goru guru sama! It means Mister Thunder! Goru guru sama! It's perfect for you!" Mikey exclaimed. "If you yell out Goru guru sama while charging into battle, your foes will flee like cowards before you! Ooo I really wanna see that! Come on, let's try it!" 

"Oh, they're just gonna cream us again," The boy complained as Mikey lead him into the alley until the two spotted Danny and his gang.

"Not with your cool battle cries!" Mikey told him as he pushed the boy towards the gang. "Remember, Goru guru sama. Now, go get 'em!"

The boy gulped then narrowed his eyes and walked over to Danny and his gang. He clenched his fists.

 "Goru go bolo ama!" He shouted. The gang smirked and skated over towards the boy and began beating him up. Mikey cringed.

"Maybe I didn't give him the right name..." He murmured as he watched.

Donnie and Mikey met on the rooftops. Mikey took off his clothes and tosses them to Donnie.

"How's it going?" Donnie asked.

"Um, great," Mikey answered, hesitantly.

"Good, because I got something really special planned for them. They're gonna love it!" Donnie said as he put on the hat.

The boy sat across from Donnie looking down at a chessboard that was sitting in front of them. "It's really important to really think your actions through. It's all like a game of chess," Donnie explained. "You have to be thinking three to four moves ahead of your adversary. Planning, knowing what's coming."

The boy looked at the chessboard unsure of what to do and scratched his head. "Uh,..." Donnie tapped his finger on the table. He looked up at the boy, who still hadn't made a move. Hours seemed to passed, as Donnie had his head laid on the table and a pigeon landed on him. He looked up again to see that the boy still hadn't made a move.

"Well, it might take a little more time...for some people, I guess," Donnie said as he stood up. "I'll be right back." He left as the boy stared at the chessboard, thinking.

Donnie ran to Raph, handing him the clothes and tossed the hat on Raph's head. "Good luck," He told him. Raph quickly got dressed and ran over to the boy, sitting down.

"I've been studying the board like you said and I still don't get it. Like the horsey, though," The boy said as he held up the knight piece. "I'm trying to think it through, but I don't know."

"Listen guys, the first and most important lesson is to never think. Never! Just act and react and always attack!" Raph said.

"I sure wish you'd make up your mind. Be serious, use your battle cry, think it through, never think! I don't get it!" The boy shouted, confused.

"What you need are weapons. It's all about the weapons," Raph said. "We gotta find you some kind of weapon."

Raph looked at the chessboard before getting an idea. Across from Raph and the boy were three cans that were sitting on the ledge. Raph held the chess pieces in his hand and threw them, knocking down all three cans. "Ha!" He turned to the boy. "You try!"

"Uh...kay." The boy answered nervously, holding the chess pieces in his hand. He threw it but the pieces hit the wall and rebounded back towards him and Raph. Raph cringed.

"Hmm, maybe you just need a better target. Let's see how you do in combat," He said. Raph lead the boy into the alley.

"Now remember, focus on your weapon. It's all about the weapons!" He explained.

The boy threw the pieces at the gang but missed as the pieces landed near their feet. Raph cringed as he watched the boy get beat up by the gang.

"Maybe we need to work on the kid's aim a little...or find him a different weapon." He murmured.

Back in the Lair, Mikey, Donnie and Leo stood across from Splinter as he stood in front of them. "Now, I wish for you to take what you have learned and use it in pairs. Michelangelo and Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael," Splinter raised an eyebrow, seeing that Raph wasn't there. "Where is Raphael?"

"He's in the shower?" Donnie answered, nervously, jerking his thumb.

"Yeah, yeah, he's in the shower," All three turtle tots said together. Leo smiled sheepishly. Splinter gave them a suspicious look.

"You four have been acting very strangely of late," He pointed out.

"Uh, Raphael, it's time to get out of the shower!" Leo shouted, running off. Donnie and Mikey smiled sheepishly and followed after him. Splinter had a confused look on his face watching them leave. Raph walked in as the others ran over to him. "Raphael!"

"Raphie, hold still!" Mikey told him and Leo dumped a bucket of water on Raph.

"There."

"What was that for?!" Raph demanded.

"You just got out of the shower," Leo whispered. Raph turned to Leo and growled until he saw Splinter walking up to them with a stern look on his face.

"I just got out of the shower, sensei," Raph explained. All four smiled sheepishly as they looked up at Splinter.

"Hmm, I can see that," Splinter answered, hesitantly, crossing his arms."Do you always shower with your mask on?"

"Uhh, yeah, it's a great way to keep it clean!" Raph said. Splinter gives him a questionable look, shaking his head. 

"Come, let us resume your training,"

In the alley, Leo, who was wearing clothes again, stood with the boy. "Okay, now it's time to try out what you've learned, to face your enemies."

"But you already made us face 'em, twice!" The boy pointed out. "And they creamed me both times!"

"Em, I did?" Leo asked, confused. "Well, let's try it again, using everything you've learned." He pushes the boy towards the gang. Standing back, watching, Leo saw his brothers walking over towards him.

"So, you think he learned anything?" Mikey questioned.

"I hope so. I mean, you taught him self-defense, right, Mikey?" Leo asked in response. "How to punch and kick? And I covered inner strength."

"I didn't teach him any fighting skills," Mikey answered, confused. "I thought Raph was gonna."

"I didn't," Raph shook his head. "Donnie, did you?"

"Oh shell," Donnie muttered in realization.

"Go so bo gara!" The boy shouted. The four turtle tots cringed as they saw the gang beat the boy up again.

"Okay, we're gonna start over," Leo said. "But this time with the real basics."

"Right!' Mikey commented. "Or as Master Splinter would say, "the foundation of any house must start strong and-" A shadow towered over them and Mikey made a girlish scream as Splinter stood over them.

"Master Splinter!" The four turtles exclaimed.

They gasped, seeing Splinter was not happy. He was furious.

"Um, Master Splinter, we can explain," Donnie explained. "We've been teaching."

"Like you!" Mikey exclaimed. "But not as good as you."

"You know, trying to follow in your footsteps?" Leo asked, sheepishly.

"There's this kid and-" Raph started to add but Splinter hold his hand up.

"Enough! Home, now!" He snapped, angrily, crossing his arms.

"But...the kid," Raph protested.

"We can't just abandon him," Mikey defended.

"You are not ready to teach! You could do more damage than good. The child must find his own path, as you must find yours. Now come, we are going home," Splinter told them. All four turtle tots whined as the hang their heads down.

Everyone busted out laughing out loud. "Oh man, was Splinter angry!" Mikey exclaimed.

"He must have made us practice for 78 hours straight," Leo recalled.

"I think he wanted to make sure we were so tired, we wouldn't be able to go topside," Donnie said.

"So whatever happened to this kid, anyway?" April wondered, raising an eyebrow. The four turtles looked at each other.

"You know, I don't know," Leo answered, shaking his head.

The boy was walking down the street with a solemn look on his face. "I'll just have to tell that kid in the red hat the training isn't working. Guess I don't have what it takes."

"Hey geek boy, doing a little reading?" He heard and looked up to see Stevie being picked on by Danny and his gang. "Oh, you're gonna cry? Oh look, he's gonna cry!"

"Give it back!" Stevie shouted as he tried to grab for his book.

"Stevie?" The boy asked, before narrowing his eyes, growling. 

"What are you gonna do about it?" The gang asked before hearing a loud scream until Danny was punched to the ground. The others skated towards the boy. The boy ducked, causing one to wack the other with his hockey stick. He grabbed the stick and punched the older boy in the stomach and the face. Danny got up with a stick in hand seeing the boy knocking his gang down like they were nothing. He growled and skated over to him striking with his stick. The boy blocked it, striking back until he knocked Danny off of his feet making him fall to the ground. 

He looked up at the boy in fear before he and his gang skated away, leaving him and Stevie alone.

"That's right, you better run!" The boy exclaimed. "You bullies better watch it, because Arnold Casey Jones aren't letting you push nobody around anymore!"

"Gora...gora...Goongala! Goongala! Goongala!" He roared out loud as his voice echoed throughout the streets.

"Wow," Stevie said in awe with his mouth slightly dropped. Casey walked over to him and handed Stevie his book.

"Come on, Stevie, I'll walk you home."

[bigfan-fanfic]

Darkside Bakes 7 (with Batdad Reader!)

Tagging @galaxis-pixi

Sorry for such a long wait in between chapters! This one is gonna be special, involving not just the Baker, but Batdad as well! *gasp* And check out the OC List if you need a refresher for who these people at Darkside Bakes are!

The Baker (written as Gender Neutral!Reader)

“Holy cow! You guys have to see this!” Nate shouts from the front, startling you nearly to death and making you drop the little chocolate monkey you were making for a jungle-themed cake for Gorilla Grodd (in Gotham aligning with Cheetah and Killer Croc for Animal-Kingdom-themed crime)

Thankfully, Alma dives for it and catches it before it hits the floor, nearly getting run over by Anji, who went speeding to find out what was happening.

“Amateurs. Go ahead. I’ll take care of the fillings. Each chocolate animal in this edible diorama is supposed to be filled with a vanilla bean cream mixture. 

You nod and head out front. At the storefront, there is a limo, and two well-dressed men are getting out.. Bruce Wayne and his husband.

Anji and Nate are starstruck as the two men enter Darkside Bakes.

“Hello there.” Bruce Wayne grins. “Our sons happen to have mentioned your bakery in passing.”

His husband smiles kindly at you. “And we were wondering if you would be available to cater a holiday event at Wayne Manor in the next few weeks.”

Anji looks at you with her now-familiar excited face, practically jumping up and down with joy. 

“Yes, of course. I’d... yes.”

“Wonderful. We’ll have our son Dick coordinate with you for the event, if you don’t mind.”

So over the next few days, you all work overtime. You, Marcia, Nate, and Ike focus on the Wayne function, while Alma, Priya, Ryan, and Anji work on the day-to-day, although you and Marcia often duck in to help them.

Dick Grayson shows up every day to talk with you and Ike about the ever-changing seating arrangements, decor themes, and flavor profiles needed for the gala and completely distracting most of your younger employees. Priya once barked at Anji and Ike because they had frozen to watch Dick walk around and eat a brownie, and you nearly had to drag Nate back to work.

Occasionally, Mr. Wayne also comes in, apologizing for the difficulty, as he isn’t planning the gala on his own. He assures you that there’ll be extra in the final bill as an apology.

Slowly it comes together. Each table has its own entremet tower covered in pastel-colored glazes as an edible centerpiece. There’s a banquet table dedicated to your desserts, with an oversized Swiss roll filled with strawberry jelly and made with a banana sponge (poor Ryan nearly passed out when he accidentally got some strawberry on him). There’s a little tea service made to look like white porcelain, but is really made out of tempered white chocolate. And there’s a beautiful tower of thin cinnamon tuiles and a gingerbread replica of Wayne Manor. 

 Though there’s been a different business hired for dinner, you get to serve the appetizers, a massive batch of cunapes that Ike made all on his own and is exceptionally proud of. Nate also made the little mini baguettes served at each table.

And serving as the dessert course is Alma’s piece de resistance: an option of either creme brulee or chocolate souffle, both made perfectly.

You’re so proud of the hard work you all put into it. Dick Grayson comes up to congratulate each one of you by name (which makes Anji and Nate swoon a little)

However, something feels off when you see little Damian Wayne and Bruce Wayne together.

Something about it just... clicks. This father and son pair...is just the same as another - Matches and Danny Malone. So your delivery boy is Damian Wayne, and that means that Bruce Wayne moonlights as a mobster?

And then the Penguin crashes the party, getting window glass all up in what’s left of the Swiss roll.

He comes to find you. “So, the big Baker, all high and mighty, working for the Waynes now, huh? And giving information to the Bat!”

Marcia stands in front of you, and the Penguin recoils. “Waddle off, Penguin. We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You should have known. Cobblepot gave you your big break, and he hates the Waynes. He probably came up with whatever other excuse he could to attack.

“Get away from them, Oswald.” Mr. Wayne says firmly, stepping forward.

But you notice that neither Bruce nor Damian are to be found. Neither are any of the Wayne sons, even though Dick had just pulled Ike out of the way of Cobblepot’s entrance.

 And then the Bat and his sidekicks show up. You and the others go to find Ike, because seeing the Bat tends to trigger him, and besides, you want to get out before you get attacked by Cobblepot again.

No.. Bruce Wayne doesn’t moonlight as a Gotham mobster, but a Gotham vigilante!

Bruce Wayne... is Batman!

Batdad (written as Male!Reader)

“We need to find out more about this Baker.” Bruce says firmly in the Batcave.

“Really? Are you sure? What can a baker do, really?” Dick says skeptically. He’s been in love with this Darkside Bakes ever since he ate one of their chocolate cakes. 

Damian growled. “Nearly every villain in Gotham went to rescue them. They receive messages from the villains. Whatever is happening, the Baker is in the thick of it.”

“Not necessarily.” Bruce says thoughtfully. “We might be able to use Darkside Bakes as a source of intel. But we’ll need to learn more about their operation.”

“I thought that was why you had the little demon working there.” Jason mutters.

“They’re secretive.” Tim points out. “And the cover story sucks. I wouldn’t want to let the kid of a Gotham mobster in on my business, would you?”

You look at them incredulously. “So why not just hire them?”

They’re momentarily stunned. “Yeah, hire them for a gala or something, and have either me or Dick go look at their operation on the inside - gala problems or whatever.”

“Why you two?” Jason asked.

“Because we have people skills, bud.”

“...fair point.”

So you send Dick, because he’ll be better at placing the hidden microphones while talking to the Baker.

The bakers don’t talk much about villainy, but occasionally you pick up a tidbit here and there, like Cheetah working with Grodd and Killer Croc, or that Calendar Man will probably come in on Daylight Savings Time. One time, Penguin comes in and you get tipped off to something he’s planning for the night before the gala. Bruce stops him, but Oswald gets away.

Penguin crashes the gala and seems to be about to attack the bakers when you step in, distracting the crowd so Bruce and the others can change.

Afterwards - the Baker and their crew have left, so you figure you’ll present a check in person tomorrow - you glare at Bruce. “What did you say to him?”

“What are you talking about, Y/N?”

“He must have figured that the Baker is working with Batman, not that we’ve been spying on them! What if they’re in terrible danger now?”

“We’ll save them. It’s clear that they aren’t a villain.”

“Now.” you say darkly.

Dick looks at you curiously. “What do you mean?”

Jason scoffs. “It’s possible that the villains might get suspicious. To protect themself and the others, the Baker might get pushed into doing something criminal.”

“But... every criminal in Gotham seems to go to Darkside Bakes. Even the non-crazy ones.” Tim shudders. “And if the Baker has the allegiance of every single villain in Gotham, then that would mean...”

Bruce finishes the thought. “If the Baker becomes a villain, they might just be able to become the most effective criminal Gotham City has ever seen.”

You sigh. “We messed up, didn’t we?”

Dick nods. “We overwhipped the meringue, and now all the air is out of it. Now it’s just curdled...what? I’ve been in a bakery for two weeks, I’ve got it on the brain!”

[galaxyghostart]

like looking in a mirror - ao3 link

an au fic in which phantom isn’t what he seems. aka, i take my “what if danny isn’t actually phantom” idea and make it angsty. it got very out of hand, very fast. 

Danny Fenton couldn’t tear his eyes away from the TV. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. It couldn’t. 

Phantom, they were calling him. Amity Park’s new hero, menace, monster. Whatever you wanted to call him. He wasn’t any of those things to Danny.

Sam couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “...Is no one going to say it?” 

Tucker shot her a warning look. “Don’t, Sam.”

“What? Isn’t it freaky? That ghost looks just like Danny.” 

“I know,” Danny said, too quietly. Sam had a hundred theories lined up already, but Danny was already standing up before she’d even gotten a chance to speak. 

“...Danny? Where are you going?”

“I’ve got someone to find.” 

The door shut. 

Sam looked to Tucker, incredulous. “Did I strike a nerve? It wasn’t an insult, it’s just- Look at him.” She gestured wildly at the news, still broadcasting footage of Phantom flying across the sky. “It’s not like Danny’s dead. Who the hell is that, and how does he look so similar?”

Tucker hesitated. The idea was almost too awful to contemplate, but Danny had clearly thought the same thing he had when that familiar figure made his way across the screen. He stood up, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“I don’t blame you for not knowing- It happened before you moved to town. C’mon, I’ll tell you on the way. We should find Danny before he does something stupid.” 

---

For once, his parents’ ghosthunting technology was coming in handy. Danny never believed in this stuff before- honestly, part of him still didn’t,- but somehow, it seemed to work. The machine detected ectoplasm, and Phantom may as well have been a beacon for all the power he gave off. 

This is bullshit, Danny thought, even as he followed it like a compass. 

It led him to- of course it lead him here. The observatory. The project had been abandoned a while back, but the skeleton of the structure remained intact. The metaphor didn’t escape him. On the contrary, it was pretty much punching him in the face. Abandoned telescope, abandoned dreams, abandoned life. 

It wasn’t hard to hop the fence. Okay, it was- It took like, 15 minutes, a few falls and a whole lot of swearing, but he finally made it to the other side. The machine in his hands was beeping faster, like a frantic heartbeat. 

Shut up, he silently willed it. It didn’t.

Making his way carefully through the rusted doors of the place, he couldn’t help but feel a chill. Somehow, he didn’t think it was from the temperature. He turned the machine off and stuffed it into his back pocket- At this point, he didn’t need it to feel the energy radiating off of the place. It was everywhere. Wrapping his arms around himself, he stepped to the middle of the circular room. 

“I know you’re here,” he called. 

No response. 

He gazed up at the unfinished ceiling, narrowing his eyes. “It’s me.” 

Still nothing. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. “James. I know it’s you.” 

Just like that, he felt the energy in the room shift. He still couldn’t see him, but he knew he was there. A quiet voice echoed out from the shadows. 

“...how?” 

“You’ve been all over the news, man. Amity Park’s newest hero, I’m hearing.” 

“not that. how did you know it was me? i’m not exactly... normal looking.”

Danny let out a halfhearted chuckle. “You know we have the same face? Can’t exactly change that with a fancy new hair color.” 

“...”

“...Besides, it’s not like I’d forget my own brother.” 

“...you got me.” 

There he was, finally. A dark shadow right in the corner of Danny’s eye. No- There he was again. More solid, more... real. 

Not by much, but enough. 

“...Hey.”

“...hey.” 

Danny had been thinking this over the whole way here, but everything he’d planned to say seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden. What was there to say? It had been years since it had happened, and part of him still couldn’t accept it had happened at all, even now. It didn’t seem... real. 

Ghosts weren’t supposed to be real. It was supposed to be nothing but the made-up fantasy that got his brother killed. That stupid portal. It was less of a portal and more of an electrocution hazard, which Jazz had pointed out, not that either of them had listened. Not until it was too late, that is. It hadn’t worked. Why his parents had tried again after that, he had no idea, but they had, and now he was here. Against all odds, he was here. 

Meaning he’d been there all this time.

And Danny had left him behind. 

“You look...”

“older?”

“...Yeah.”

“so do you. guess that’s how this works.” 

“Maybe.”

They’d always joked about some psychic twin connection. Danny might’ve made some quip about it now, but the humor he often used to cope was starting to feel hollow. James was here. Not alive, but here. What the hell was he supposed to say?

“I... missed you.” 

“i know. i missed you too.” 

“Why didn’t you come home? I had to see you beating up ghosts on the news to realize you were back. Could’ve said hello.” 

There was humor in those glowing green eyes, but not much. “think i didn’t try? mom and dad had a nice hello waiting for me in the form of big ol’ ectoguns.” 

“...Oh.”

“yeah.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“it’s not your fault.” 

“Not just about this, about- About everything. That stupid dare. Not... Not looking for you out there.” 

The phantom’s form solidified a little more, just enough to see that familiar smirk on his face. 

“what, you think you should’ve summoned the dead just to bring me back? doesn’t work like that, buddy. you probably would’ve just gotten a demon.”

“It’s just...” Danny’s voice wavered a little, and he took a deep breath. “It’s just not fair. Why you? Why’d this have to happen to you? You’re back now, but you’re still...” He swallowed, trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill the entire time. “You’re still...”

Denial was the only thing standing between Danny and a full-on mental breakdown. He’d figured it was an impostor. If not that, a coincidence. If not that, some weird dream. A hallucination. Ghosts weren’t supposed to be real. James was gone. 

And yet, here he was. 

“Why aren’t you angry? It was my dumbass idea, and you’re the one that kicked the bucket. You should be pissed as hell. You should hate me.” 

“...”

Danny’s voice was shaking. His shoulders, too. James drifted a little closer, concern making its way onto his ethereal face.

“Why don’t you hate me?” 

Everything went cold. For a moment, Danny thought he’d been dunked in cold water, until he noticed the gloved arms wrapped around his shoulders. James had made it the rest of the way across the room, and was hugging him as tight as one could when they weren’t fully tangible. Danny froze, then slowly lifted his arms to return the hug. James seemed to be getting more solid by the moment, and now that there was a shoulder there to cry on, Danny did. He let it all out- The repressed guilt, the self-hatred, the sadness, the loss. He cried until he couldn’t anymore. James stayed there, solid as a ghost could be. 

“...maybe i was a little pissed at first,” he spoke softly, after what seemed like forever. “okay, a lot pissed. it was a dumb idea, and a dumb portal. but i had a lot of time to think about it while i was gone. lots of ghosts get so pissed and so sad that they just lose themselves completely. go nuts. turn into a big ol’ murder monster or whatever. i didn’t want to be... that, especially not when i knew you were out there probably hating yourself enough for both of us. besides... you’re my twin, dude. i don’t think there’s anything you could do to make me hate you. so i learned to live with it, y’know? well... not live with it, but you get what i’m saying.” 

“...Kind of,” Danny sniffled.

Phantom pulled away from the hug and grinned. “what i’m saying is that i’m okay, danny. it’s okay. i’m back. and besides- you know what i can do now? check it out.” He raised a hand, which immediately began to glow. In his palm, tiny, glowing green stars began to form. It seemed to be taking a little bit of effort, but after a while, he clapped his hands together and then raised them, letting the stars loose. Throughout the observatory an ectoplasmic galaxy soared around them, and James’ face was full of light. He looked... happy. 

“see? isn’t it sick?” 

“Y-Yeah, I guess so,” Danny chuckled, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “Guess being a ghost has a few perks, huh?” 

“yeah.” Phantom smiled, then gave a small sigh. “listen. don’t tell mom and dad, okay...? they won’t... get it.” 

“Are you sure...?”

“big ol’ ectoguns, danny.” 

“Fair point. I’m... sorry.” 

“holy shit, danny.” James smacked him lightly in the shoulder. “stop apologizing!”

“Sorry!” Another smack. “Ow! Okay, okay, I get the point!”

“good.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but a sudden chill came over the room, even worse than before. James looked suddenly agitated, and soared quickly to the window. The stars vanished. “listen, i really wanna catch up more. like, you have no idea, i missed you so bad. but i wasn’t the only ghost the portal let out. there’s lots more, and they’re mean, and i’m pretty sure there’s a new one out there right now. i better go make sure they don’t kill anybody else.” 

“You don’t have to do it all by yourself.”

“i’m the only one of us who doesn’t have to worry about getting killed. i’ll see you later, okay?” 

“Wait-”

“i won’t disappear, promise. show me all the pokemon games i missed when i get back.” 

And with that, he was gone. The room was suddenly several degrees warmer, but emptier, too. Danny wasn’t sure how long he was standing there before a voice from behind him made him jump.

“DANNY!”

“Ack! Sam?”

Upon leaving the observatory, there they were- Sam, pacing around and calling. Tucker, lying facedown in front of the fence, clearly having messed up his footing.

“Danny! There you are,” she exclaimed, jogging over as Tucker managed to get to his feet. “We were worried you were going to get possessed.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry about before, by the way. I didn’t know.”

“Are you alright?” Tucker asked, finally having made his way over. 

“Not really,” Danny replied.

He’d spent the last few years feeling like half of a pair. It had always been Danny and James, Danny and James, Danny and James, until one day it was suddenly just Danny. But now... now? 

His missing half wasn’t missing anymore. Different, yes. Weird, for sure. Probably just as annoying as he’d ever been. But not missing. 

Danny glanced over his shoulder, back at the empty observatory. It didn’t seem so foreboding now. 

“...But I think it’s gonna be okay. Eventually.” 

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

Danny Phantom

after school summons by blueh

"So this is the fabled Ghost King," the man says like he expected better.

Danny feels he should almost be offended if it isn't for the tiny detail that these cultists—who summoned him by using salt and goat bones—assume he is the ghost king. "…Did you seriously confuse me with Pariah Dark?"

The man pauses. "Pariah Dark?"

"Yes! He's like fifteen feet tall, has a huge sword, is a pain in the ass, and has, like, an entire ghost army. I have, I dunno, pre-calc homework in my bag. We are not the same."

Or: Danny accidentally gets summoned. He’s not happy about it.

Stranger Things

Runaway by ohmybgosh

Jim Hopper just wants to find a Christmas present for his telepathic daughter. He didn't ask for all these extra teenagers in his home.

Star Wars

The Emperor Skywalker Conspiracy by loosingletters

The Emperor is dead and so is Darth Vader. So. Uh. Who exactly inherits the Galactic throne?

Or, the Holonet discovers the existence of one Luke Skywalker and promptly makes it a meme. I present you the one long rant of a lone blogger trying to disentangle the mystery behind Luke Skywalker and his maybe inheritance of the Empire.

Clone Wars

Living Memory, My Fate to Follow by elsa3beth

Ben Kenobi expected his tutelage on Tatooine under the force spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn to yield a new perspective on the galaxy and his place within it. He just did not expect his last lesson to be so…literal. Finding himself back in the early days of the Clone Wars, Ben, now once again General Obi-Wan Kenobi, must struggle with the failures of a past he has long suppressed, while others conspire to give him hope for a future that might yet be.

It is a road paved with military campaigns, media faux pas, too many OCs to name, good Jedi, and a very very slowly developed angst that will eventually come to a boil. An exploration of war and friendship, and the moral grays of the Star Wars universe.

Capacitance by Jessepinwheel

"Oh, Cody," General Kenobi says softly, in a tone of voice that makes Cody cold with dread. "Since this war started, I have never not been in pain." Or: The story where Obi-Wan takes on other people's pain because he's that kind of a person.

second skin by 8386444

Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. Cody doesn't quite know how to feel about the way General Kenobi keeps ending up in clone armor.

Show Me Where I Belong by Quillfeet

Master Qui-Gon once forced Obi-Wan to choose between the Jedi or the lives of children. Obi-Wan had struggled with the consequences of that choice. He feared that he made the wrong one.

But then the Mand'alor Jaster helped him and the Young, throwing everything Obi-Wan knows into chaos. Now Obi-Wan must choose between the Republic he was raised to save or the Mandalorian Empire that saved him.

Beach Party by otherhawk

Cody and Obi-Wan take time out from the war to throw a party and ensure the 212 has a chance to relax.

"The fact that the entire of the 212th had a couple of days R&R that just happened to coincide with them finishing setting up a staging area on the incredibly beautiful tropical moon of Kaleto, just as a large shipment of what might be called 'luxuries' were delivered to General Kenobi, and while the 501st arrived to take the watch, might seem like a genuine miracle. Might. If Cody wasn't fully aware that it was the culmination of a three week strategy that he and his Jedi had worked on as assiduously as any military campaign. "

[monstaxardeur]

Warnings: Angst

Recording this particular song for a cover held a lot of meaning to him, personal reasons mostly and among them a few of the memories were dedicated to you. Whenever he heard his own rendition sometimes amidst the sea of memories he would find himself in that lovely little guesthouse he had lodged at...where he met you, someone just like him. It was very odd and sudden when he realized he may have known who you loved. Changkyun replayed the song to edit it out one final time for perfection and sipped on his once again gone cold coffee. It was that man in a uniform, tall and handsome, a little older and he had a polite smile when he greeted the landlady. How could he forget the way you looked at him, the way your eyes tried to sneak simple glances to hold his image in your heart. He put two and two together and sighed, it was his wedding you had been to, the wedding you came back from in heartbreak and tears of longing. But it was what you said that stayed with him, made Changkyun wonder a lot about his own ordeals. "Love is a strong word, I don't think I was ever in love. I was just extremely fond of him, I guess at the end I just wanted someone to call my own. We humans crave connection so deeply that we falter at the mere sight of love that merely grazes our existence. I never loved, not like you at least, I can't console you Changkyun because I don't know what that hurt feels like but I'd still say...be grateful that love was bestowed to you. To not have found or felt love is the real heartbreak...it makes you wonder where you belong in this universe if not with another broken soul like ourselves." You had chuckled at the bitter sad truth you had spoken and Changkyun stopped mid work immediately. He needed some fresh air, murky thoughts were keeping him from working again. He'd seen better days lately but the song and the memories, they were brutally tormenting..

~

It had been close to a year since he had left but he promised himself he would come back, he didn't know why but he had to come back so he made time out to travel. Just to see you again if he was honest, except he was crushed when he found out the place had been sold. He stood in front of a restaurant and it felt so foreign and alien to him. His heart sank more within seconds, would he never see you again? Someone had to know right? He couldn't just stand around and so he asked the managers of the restaurant, and the nearby store owners, places he still remembered from the last time he was there. He asked them all and finally someone guided him, "they moved out closer to the city, it's a two hour ride from here on a bicycle" the young boy spoke. Changkyun didn't have that sort of luxury of time and so he put his faith in his gut feeling.

The little boy delivered Changkyun's gift at your door step.

You had come home to find a little gift box and a little letter, old fashioned but very cute. You opened it and found a very DIY-esque glitter space jar. It had lovely swirly designs and you beamed from joy wondering where this came from or who gave it. It fit perfectly in your mildly cluttered room. You noticed however a small dimmer at the bottom of the jar and the letter had a handwritten instruction manual regarding it. 'Keep it in the sun for better effect at night. Extra batteries in the envelope. Regards D.' You flipped the envelope around but there was no return address or anything, you still tried turning the dimmer curiously and it illuminated. There was a cavity inside with a little light bulb and through the cotton, paint and glitter galaxy, small glow in the dark specks of lights swirled.

Like fireflies in the night sky.

Your heart swelled from joy and you sighed as if love dazed and kept wondering who it could be who sent you such a unique gift, it was clearly self made. You reached for your phone to take a picture and accidently opened another app, youtube's recommendation was a new song by Changkyun. You clicked instinctively and the familiar melody swept you off your feet instantly. You remembered the lyrics and your eyes turned to see the little lamp. 'D.' were the initials and it was like a sudden realization hit you but there were still so many doubts except your heart wanted to believe it was him. D for Daniel for Danny, his english name and this song, you played it often back when he stayed at the old guesthouse. You turned up the volume on the song letting his voice serenade you as you looked on at the little jar. You remembered from the song fireflies were sent to the one you loved and you felt a sudden wave of emotions crash your heart, the feelings were overwhelming as tears brimmed at your eyes. Was this a confession? Did he remember you after an entire year of absence, remembered you of all people to send his love to? You smiled through the endless silent tears and cried with the softest sobs, sorrow, anger, frustration all poured out but mostly you cried from pure joy and love that had filled you, that was starting to heal you in ways you hadn't imagined it would.

~

"How'd you find me?" You asked as Changkyun fixed your hair tucking it back to pin it with a lovely little blossom clip. "The fireflies told me." He chuckled his cute dimpled smile and you almost felt your heart skip a few more beats. He held up the mirror to show you how it looked on you and you may have blushed too hard. "Goodness you're so cute its unbearable." He joked and you laughed heartily, "You're unbearable." You retorted back and he opened his arms for you, you didn't hesitate to scoot into the hug your head laying on his chest as he draped you two with a blanket. His lips found your forehead in chaste kisses, his hands resting at the small of your back as both of you looked up at the vast sky and stars glimmering perfectly. Somewhere across the open fields fireflies swirled in the grass for you both to see and he whispered softly, "Look over there babe, fireflies!" and you smiled seeing them glow in the dark, "That's my love I sent to you." You spoke softly and he firmed his embrace nuzzling into you. No words were needed after that, just silent kisses whispered in the night as he held you close to his aching heart, where he could have sworn your little soothing breaths, signs of life, of existence healed his hurt so gently.

moodsong: through the night by iu covered by i.m