#GUILT TRIPPING IS LIKE HIS KRYPTONITE

[archaictold]

The heat in his attitude snuffs out like one boldly would a burning candle with a precise pinch of their fingers. It doesn't disappear from his demeanor in full. Rather it redirects—most prominently as confusion when she pivots, acting the part of kindness. And so he pauses, hearing her out. Probably his first mistake. ❝ You don't give off a very good first impression, if I could be frank with you. ❞ Although, it is worth note that she's completely changed her approach. Whether that's out of belated self-awareness or entirely disingenuous altogether, he isn't sure. What he can make sense of is that it's an attempt to soften the edge he's established between them, and Zhilan, not typically having a sharp temperament to begin with, finds that he is faltering. At least, for a moment. A moment is all that's needed to allow her an opening, wherein she slips into the seat beside him, completely unchecked. He responds by tensing, but doesn't rise from his seat and leave. Not even as as she breaches his personal space and flicks the tip of his nose in a doting fashion. The only counteraction he takes is adamantly waving the motion away, like a fly from one's meal, his features wrinkled and distinctly put-off. Once his hand lowers, no longer shielding himself from any more disregard toward his boundaries, he assesses that her age, if nothing else, sounds like the truth. ❝ That would make you... not human? ❞ It would explain her lifespan being so short, and also her strangeness. Still, the danger of her hasn't left his senses. It might be something like morbid curiosity that keeps him there, entertaining her with his responses instead of making the more logical decision to leave. ( That, too, was human nature. To be drawn in by the inexplicable, defying common sense. )

❝ Genuinely, if you want people to respond to you better, you could stand to learn a thing or two about first impressions. You've gotten one of me, the way I've gotten one of you. That said, they aren't always correct... You're different now than you were when you first approached me. ❞

oh !

zhilan seems kind. soft. gentle, even? would she be mistaken to presume as such? from doelike feature to the vibrancy of green hair, all that he is screams alive! on initial impressions.

"now, why all the grumpiness ?" teeth show and pleasantries rear their head, lips positioning themselves into the kindness zhilan emits ( a smile, raised eyebrows to express curiosity, all of this is what indicates interest, mahito knows. maintaining eye contact is also something to show an expression, or degree, of sociability ). "i enjoy reading. kafka, believe it or not . . ."

a sigh, and a tinge of sadness presents itself in her voice. fake, of course! "are you really truly so cold to strangers ? i'm only ten months old, you know," and for that, she seems entirely serious. "learning about this world isn't easy when others are cold."

lip pouts, and she slinks into the chair beside him, rocking back and forth on the legs. "but what does it matter?" hand outstretched, she flicks his nose gently. "a gruff person like yourself definitely wouldn't want to waste time explaining basic necessities to someone in need. i should've evaluated you better ! but now i know. ♡ "

[thenewgirl76]

Why Can't We Be Friends?

Before John can spend his rare downtime bonding with his childhood friend Angela Foley's son for the next two weeks, he first has to find someone to babysit the... weird looking creature that's apparently his nephew in all but blood's best friend. Not an easy feat given how clingy to the point of being attached to the hip the ferret shaped thing is.

Tucker has to bribe his pet(?) with hanging with the Green Lanterns along with the rest of the Justice League up in the Watchtower(they'll definitely be discussing that later) just to convince him to not try and tagalong. And that's how Hal finds himself dealing with the major headache that is Phantom.

No, he's not exaggerating. That's exactly what the measly gremlin is with his constant demands for food, affection, or playtime from anyone who's present and insistence on getting into whatever he can, one never-ending headache. What makes it even more taxing is how everyone else, even Batman is so wrapped up in how "cute and lovable" the little bugger is they see nothing wrong with his annoying antics.

And as if it couldn't get any worse, the tiny menace seems to have taken a liking to him the most out of all the League and won't quit following him around. It's like dealing with an abnormally needy and scarily intelligent cat, and Hal absolutely abhors cats.

That said, he does find himself feeling just a smidge of regret when he allows his stress over a grueling patrol to get the best of him and yells at the little creep for drinking his coffee. If it'll get everyone off his back and stop Phantom from making those hurt puppy dog eyes at him he'll make it up to the diminutive devil later somehow. Right after he sneaks a nap in while he's stuck on monitor duty.

But of course Phantom won't even allow him that, as he's now pestering him rather persistently with that aggravating chirping and trilling. Since napping is no longer an option he'll just see what Phantom wants and hopefully get rid of him for at least a few minutes afterwards. So Hal slowly drags himself into consciousness, and is met with a large oddly colored hunk of swiss cheese?

Waking up a bit more he starts hearing the swiss cheese begging him for death. Okay, clearly something's wrong with this picture. Wiping the last of the sleep from his eyes Hal looks again, and is instantly screaming in horror upon realizing what he had mistook for swiss cheese in his sleepy haze is actually Sinestro, looking very much like he'd fought a school of piranhas and the piranhas won. With all the blood and all the chunks of missing flesh and skin Hal can see why his former mentor was pleading with him to end him.

And throughout all this that little monster Phantom is staring up at him, perched on the barely alive korugaran, covered in his blood and looking far too pleased with himself. If it weren't for Hal's training and fortitude he'd either be running scared or having a nervous breakdown. That doesn't stop him from being immensely relieved over no longer having to be on guard around Phantom once John finally comes to get the miniscule hellion off the Watchtower.

Though it would be nice if; Superman stopped trying to guilt trip him. *He swears on everything holy he's gonna find the biggest piece of kryptonite and shove it where the sun don't shine if he has to listen to how Phantom never would have did what he did if Hal hadn't been so harsh one more time.*

Wonder Woman ceased with her badgering about how he should have shown more appreciation towards Phantom and the gift he had bestowed upon him.*He'd love to see just how appreciative she'd be if it was Cheetah getting dumped in front of her all chewed... oh wait.*

Flash quit laughing at him. *Shut the hell up Allen. He did NOT scream like a little girl.*

And most of all, John and all the other GL dropped it about how they were so jealous he was the one Phantom gifted instead of them. *Seriously guys? With all that little miser put him through, that's what you're taking from it?*

Missing Scene

*When Sinestro was confronted by Little Baby Man*

*What Little Baby Man did to him before hauling him off to present to Hal*

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

Bruce Wayne. 2

.⋆｡Batman’s Kryptonite｡⋆.

Bruce Wayne x plus size reader

Bruce works too hard but unluckily for him, you’re more stubborn than he is

Warnings: reader can be sunburnt, fluff, mentions of showering together, workaholic Bruce

Minors DNI

Library- @hannibals-favourite-meal-library

5k Follower Celebration

Bruce was nothing if not a hard worker. He continuously worked himself to the bone to keep everything afloat and for that, you really did admire him. He used his privilege to help so many people both in his day job and his night job but god did you find it hard to spend time with him.

His brain seemed fixated on his goals, even in the quiet moments where there was nothing to do. Nothing ever got his full attention, not even you, his loving girlfriend.

“How long has he been down here?” You crossed your arms over your chest as you observed Bruce who was currently hunched over his new project, blue eyes firmly fixated on the delicate wiring. Alfred sighed heavily through his nose.

“Since the moment he returned from the airport after dropping you off.” Your eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

“That-“ You took a deep breath in an effort to calm yourself down. “I knew a week long girl’s trip was too good to be true. I’ll take care of this, take a couple days off.” The older man nodded and left the cave with a fatherly squeeze to your shoulder.

As soon as you heard the elevator doors shut, you shed the thick cardigan and long sleeve shirt you were wearing, leaving you just in leggings (that Bruce absolutely went crazy for) and a thin undershirt that did little to disguise the colour of your bra. Your steps were light but not completely silent, it would do you no good to sneak up on the Dark Knight.

Even centimetres away, you could feel the tension in Bruce’s muscles, like he was wound up for a fight. He jumped only slightly as you laid your hands on his shoulder blades but he quickly eased into your tough, letting out a hum of acknowledgement. “Back early?”

“Actually, I’m right on time.” His hands faltered and you knew that his dark brows were pulled up like they always did when he was coming out of a work-related trance. The chair turned yet your hands never left his skin, now resting on his strong chest as he looked up at you. His pupils dilated, slowly overtaking the stunning blue of his irises as he took in your attire.

“Are you sure?”

You chuckled. “I have the sunburn to prove it.” He grunted, obviously not quite believing you, or he just didn’t want to admit that he hadn’t obeyed your suggestion of taking some time off when you were gone. 

“You were supposed to come back on the fifth.” Bruce tried to argue as his eyes flicked back to his work. You knew that look, it was his ‘I want to end this conversation so I can get back to work’ but you knew exactly what to do to distract him.

“It is the fifth, my love. Maybe you need to take a break. How about coming upstairs with me and we’ll have a nice hot shower?” Your touch slowly migrated up his chest to his jaw and Bruce’s eyelids fluttered under the attention. But he just as quickly tensed up again, catching onto your game.

“Sorry sweets, I have work to do.” He attempted to turn his chair back around but you stepped between his spread legs, pinning him to the spot with your body. 

Your bottom lip turned out into a truly award winning pout and you sniffed. “But I missed you baby, I just want to spend some time with you.” You could actually see his will beginning to crumble. One more step.

Tears filled your eyes. “Do you not want to spend time with me?” 

He knew that they were crocodile tears but they tugged at the mass of guilt in his chest anyway. “Do not. I said no. Those puppy dog eyes don’t work every time. Fuck- fine.” Immediately, your tears disappeared and you beamed at him.

“Great! Maybe I’ll also show you the new bikinis I got on the trip.” Bruce groaned and let you pull him to his feet, abandoning his half-finished work.

“You are a cruel woman.” He complained as you dragged him to the cave’s exit. You looked back at your boyfriend with a wink.

“I just know Batman's kryptonite.” You teased and though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, Bruce wholeheartedly agreed. You definitely knew how to get him to fold.

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[slashers-and-rats]

1. marking

billy lenz x gn!reader | nsfw |

“d-do you have to go…?”

billy knew the words cut through you. he could see it in the way you tensed, hand resting on the knob of the front door, clenching as you hesitated in actually turning it. if you turned around, it would only be worse. his pout was like your kryptonite. the way his eyes got big, and his voice softened to nothing but a whimper… he knew it was mean pulling out tactics like this, but he had no other choice.

well, that wasn’t entirely the truth. he could choose to let you go out with your friends without making a fuss. he could choose to survive a few hours without you, and find some other activity to do. he had taken up crochet, he liked to watch cartoons while he did it. he had chores he could be getting done, he hadn’t managed to get a load of laundry in that day. he could distract himself. he wouldn’t, though. he was choosing to guilt-trip you, and forget about the little bit of shame that came with it.

“i already told you, billy,” you began, turning around to face him. you looked so nice. you had gussied up, making sure your hair was done nice and your outfit was perfect. he had only ever seen you do that when you two were having date nights. he wasn’t used to seeing you doing it just go out with buddies. he didn’t see the need; why work so hard to impress people you couldn’t even cum in? “i’ve been putting this off for awhile. i miss them, and they miss me. i have to go.”

“oh…” he stuck out his bottom lip a bit more, looking up at you through his eyelashes. he knew how to strike your chords- he was plucking them like they were a harp. he could see it. you flexed your hands by your sides, and chewed on your bottom lip. billy wanted to urge you on, whisper ‘come on, come on… stay, stay, stay’ but he couldn’t be so obvious. no, this was a patience game. he just had to wait, and keep moving his pieces slowly and steadily.

“come on… don’t make that face,” you whined, pinching his cheeks between your fingers. he kept his gaze away from yours, keeping them trained down at the space between you too. it made you groan. “i won’t be that long. it’s only dinner, i’ll be back before bed. way before that! we can watch a movie or something when i get home. that sounds nice, right?”

billy glanced up at you. he was winning, he could feel it. you rested your hands on his shoulders, squeezing some comfort into the muscles there. he liked it when you touched him, even when it was in these circumstances. you were so firm, but so… soft. everything about you, even the sturdy bits, were soft and plush-like in billy’s eyes.

“can’t- can’t i come?” he mumbled. he began fiddling with the bottom of your shirt, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. it was soft too- nice and smooth. it was a nice shirt, one of the ones he wasn’t allowed to make messy or rip up after your date nights. something curled in the bottom of his stomach. you shouldn’t have been wearing it then. you should get different clothes, special clothes for only friendly things. these were his. you were his.

“do you even want to?”

he paused at the question. you had a point. he didn’t. but he also didn’t want to be without you. he felt embarrassed by the need, but it was only a pin prick in comparison to the ache he felt when thinking about you not being here.

you saw his hesitation. it felt like when you taught him chess, and you’d see his strategy from a mile away. the tides of the game began to turn.

“listen, i can’t stay. you know that, i know that… but! how about we make this a little more fun for both of us?” you offered a smile, brushing some of his hair behind his ear. you cupped his face and forced him to look at you, and he could see the glint in your eyes. it made his pulse quicken. it was that little sparkle in your expression, the mischievousness behind your grin, that made his heart thump hard behind his ribs.

“make it… fun?” he tilted his head questioningly, pulling you close by the bit of your shirt still in his clutches. fun meant sex, that wasn’t hard for him to figure out. or, at least, it meant something close to it.

“yeah! i was thinking,” as you spoke, you twirled a strand of his hair around your finger, “you always talk about marking me. you do it all the time, and i love it, but i never really have anyone to show it off to. how’re people gonna know i belong to you if they never actually see?”

billy felt confusion for a moment. he loved marking you up. he loved biting into your soft flesh, and watching it bruise. he loved seeing you walk around the house, wearing barely anything, flaunting those pretty little accessories only he could give you. he liked knowing that if anyone saw you, they’d see you were already accounted for. but, he also could acknowledge that with how little you actually went out, who was actually seeing you?

with all those thoughts swirling in his head, you had inched closer to his king. you were closing in, and winning a game you didn’t even really know you were playing. or maybe you did, and billy didn’t give you enough credit.

“why don’t you mark me up before i leave, huh? let’s make sure people know i have a big, handsome man waiting at home for me…”

your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in close to your body. his hands moved from where they were playing with your shirt, to holding you by the hips, pushing himself closer to your warmth. he pressed his mouth to your jaw, letting his lips rest there for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. he wanted to mark you so badly, but doing that meant that you’d still leave after. but at the same time, he was throbbing from the thought of you being seen with his symbols of possession dappling your skin. he almost wanted to make you wear a collar out too, one of the ones that had his name on the tag (a special valentine’s gift many moons ago).

you leaned back enough that you could see his face. he bit his lip hard, trying not to succumb to his own desires. he couldn’t give in. you’d leave if he did, that wasn’t an option…

“please, billy…? make me pretty? i want all of my friends to know i have the best man in the world…” you spoke with your lip sticking out in a pout, just like he had done.

well played, he thought. he grumbled something under his breath, and you almost thought he had said ‘you win’, before he was attacking your neck with his teeth. it started gentle enough. he dragged his canines along the expanse of your throat, feeling you swallow hard underneath his lips. he let his tongue trail behind his teeth, using it to watch for those little reactions your muscles gave to his teasing touch. soon, he found what he was looking for, and he sank a bite into a sweet spot near your jugular.

you moaned softly, pulling his body closer to yours. you leaned back against the door, allowing him to sandwich you in between his body and the wood. he slotted himself between your legs, wiggling a bit until he could feel your heat right up against his own crotch. he groaned a little himself, his hands running down to squeeze hard at your thighs, wanting to leave indents of his fingertips.

he began biting and sucking along more of your flesh, drinking in every little gasp and whimper you gave out. he knew you so well by now. he had each pleasure point mapped out in his brain. he hit each one, biting along your neck and down your shoulders, over your collarbone and down to whatever skin he could reach above the collar of your shirt. he pulled you in closer, rubbing himself into your inner thighs.

“g-gonna show everyone you’re mine… no one is gonna get you. you’re mine- no one else gets to have you,” he growled into your chest, his arms wrapping around your torso so that he could trap you against his own body. you squirmed in his grip, but melted once again when he kissed a soft spot on your shoulder.

he could hear your heart beating fast. he pushed his own chest into yours, groaning softly at the way your pulses seemed to make a beautiful little melody together. your moans only added to the sounds. he’d spend all day listening to this if you’d let him.

he was getting hard. the way you reacted to such a selfish act on his part made him ache. he wanted to be selfish. he wanted to coat you in his bruises, he wanted to go to the dinner with you just to pin you to the table and fuck you; he wanted to voice all these wants, but it just came out as garbled, tangled phrases. “fuck you in front of everyone- cum down your throat in- in front of your friends… i’ll make everyone see. i want everyone to see you’re mine. mine, mine, mine…”

you smiled so sweetly, your hands running up the back of his neck to grip at his hair. it pulled him back down to reality, forcing him back into his body for just a moment. he pulled away, breathing heavily and staring down at the bit of damage he had already managed to do. there was so much more empty space to be covered.

“you’re throbbing against me, baby, jeez,” you sighed. he blinked a few times, glancing down at where your bodies connected at the hips. he was. through the fabric of his pants, he could see the way his cock pulsed. he hadn’t even realized he was that hard, he had been so caught up in covering you with his little blessings.

he whined softly, pressing further into you. you gasped softly at the way his cock rubbed up against you. he felt desperate. desperate to make you stay with him, and desperate to have you touch him. you reached down, palming him through his pants. his mouth hung open in a quiet whine, his lips going back to your neck and sucking hard there to muffle himself. you let out a whine of your own, squeezing around his clothed shaft.

“i need… need you, need, need… mine- i need m-my piggy. need it, need now, need-“ his rambles fell out against your skin. he humped into your palm- sporadic, weak little thrusts to show that he needed you. he did, he needed it so badly. you knew that, you could see it.

you hummed, pulling your hand away from his crotch. it made him choke on a few of his words, but quickly he recovered when he saw you turning around. you wiggled your pants down your hips, before pressing your hands firmly against the door in front of you both.

“make it quick, come on.” it was all you said, and yet it was enough.

billy leaped forward, grabbing you by the hips and immediately grinding himself against your butt. you giggled breathily, wiggling back against him to tease. he growled, yanking down his own pants so that they sat at the middle of his thighs. it was enough, for now. usually he’d want all of his clothes off, all of yours too, so that he could feel every little inch of your skin pressing against his. it felt like he was melding with you, combining your bodies into a mess of sweat and sex. but he didn’t have time for that, you had to go.

when did he begin getting worried about you being on time? he didn’t know. what he did know was that he was throbbing, and had to get inside of you before he burst at the seams.

billy lined himself up with you, and rubbed his head over your hole a few times. he saw you shudder, and near purred from the joy of making your body react. to know that you felt the same way he did, so needy for this release, was intoxicating to him.

he didn’t waste much more time, pressing the tip of his cock inside of you. he groaned as he leaned over your body, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind. he pushed the rest of the way in, slowly inching every centimetre of his shaft into your heat, and pulling you closer and closer to him. once he was all the way inside, he nuzzled into the back of your neck, grumbling small praises into your flesh.

you sighed, squirming slightly on his cock. it filled you out nicely. he wasn’t the biggest in the world, but he knew how to use what he had. he knew how to swivel his hips just right, and rub up into those little spots inside you that made you go crazy.

he was slow to get started. billy thrusted shallowly into you, his lips moving from your neck to between your shoulder blades. he drank in every little noise you let slip. he urged you to make more by biting along the skin he could reach, squeezing your body close to his. you rolled your hips back, trying to meet his movements the best you could, but he was holding you so tightly you could barely move. he was trapping you against him, using himself as chains to keep you tied to him.

“come on, baby, we need to be faster than this or I’m going to be late… please…” you whined, once again squirming in his grasp.

billy mumbled something, sounding annoyed at having been interrupted, before pulling away from you. he held your hips, pulling out all the way, before slamming back into you roughly. you gasped at the sudden force. you crumpled against the door, whimpering, at his mercy as he pumped into you. he shifted his feet, angling himself perfectly to begin an assault right on that sweetest spot inside of you. it made you sob, pushing back into every one of his thrusts the best you could manage.

he was starting to think he was winning this game you two were playing. here you were, impaled on his cock, moaning like a whore, and going nowhere. you were covered in his marks, bruises already blossoming along your skin. you looked perfect. you looked like his pretty little plaything, one that wouldn’t leave him even if they tried.

the image only encouraged him. he leaned forward, shoving your shirt up your back, and pressing his wet lips to the skin there. he drooled along your flesh, cooling off your burning skin as he began sucking more hickeys into the empty space. he felt you squeeze at this, and it made him whimper loudly, yanking your hips back into his cock.

“b-billy… touch me. make me cum, please, please…” your pleas came out so weak he almost didn’t hear them. he pushed his head up, reaching one of his hands down to hover over your crotch, while the other went to squeeze your chest.

“you’re mine? say it, say you’re mine… my piggy, say it… say you’re all mine,” he muttered into your ear.

you groaned, “I’m yours, billy. all yours, you know that. now, please, please touch me. make me cum, please.”

he smiled against your shoulder, before biting down hard there. he began playing with you, rubbing you and touching you in just the right ways. he knew how to make you cum, he had done it so many times before. he could tell you were already so pent up too, with how tightly you kept squeezing around him every time he added a new mark to his collection.

for a moment, there was only the sound of your hips slapping against each other. the sound was wet and sloppy, and between each one he growled and groaned vague praises. you added to the symphony of sounds by moaning as he played with you, getting closer and closer to release with every whimper and hard thrust from him.

soon, you were gushing onto his hand, shaking and gripping at the door for stability. he laughed quietly at the way you crumbled, and adjusted so that he was holding you up against his body once again. he let his head come to rest in the crook of your neck while he focused hard on coming deep inside you. it didn’t take much before he was spilling into your heat, groaning loud and slowing his hips so that he didn’t die of overstimulation.

you both stood there for a moment, chests heaving and bodies hot and sticky. you sighed, tapping his hip to signal that he needed to remove himself. he whimpered, nuzzling into you, but you shook your head.

“out,” you instructed gently, and he listened. he pulled himself from you slow, gasping at the cold air hitting his cock. he stepped back, looking at the mess he had made. the hickeys, the bites, the bruises, the cum dripping down your thigh- it was a masterpiece. it almost made him hard enough to go again.

you stood up straight, pulling your pants and underwear back up without cleaning the cum from your hole. he blinked a few times at the movement, surprised. you turned around, going over to him and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“was that good enough to tie you over until i get back?” you asked. he nodded hesitantly, looking you over as you quickly smoothed out the wrinkles in your clothes, and fixed up your hair. “good. now I’m gonna go out with all of these pretty marks, and your cum deep inside of me, and everyone is gonna know i belong to you. does that sound okay?” he nodded again, and you smiled. “great! i’ll be back before you know it. love you!”

and with that, you whisked yourself out the door, and left him standing with his cock out and confusion plastered on his face.

checkmate.

[akallabeth-joie]

The Blue Castle, chapter 11

The dinner party continues, and it's anyone's game!

To be honest, we start off with a lot of boorish but (finally!) non-abusive behavior. Until Aunt Wellington brings up her stupid teapoon. [-1] Obviously, she needs to take better care of her possessions if they mean so much to her.

And then Cousin Gladys tries to shame Valancy for... not smiling at a her failed attempt at wit? [-1]

Aunt Mildred, please expand your horizons.

Then some blatant hypocrisy from Mrs. Frederick Stirling, who as far as I can tell, never performs "loving service" for anyone. Perfect timing on Valancy's part, following that with "to be free sneeze when you want".

More bad conundrums from Uncle James (-1), making the second time in as many pages that someone at this dinner party tried to cow Valancy by referencing her estate of single blessedness. F that.

"It is such a fatal mistake to try to be funny if you don't succeed" applies to all Stirling humor, except the unintentional bit with the dog and the Catholic church.

Not here for body-shaming anyone, but Aunt Mildred absolutely started it. [-1]

Mrs. Stirling finally called Valancy by her name! Probably just because the syllables can be drawn out better with "Valancy" than "Doss," but it's a start.

Benjamin Stirling, what on earth has Valancy done to warrant a spanking that every person here hasn't done first and worse to her? Also, she hasn't disrespected you. Yet. [-2 for this and the raspberry jam. Seriously. It's been decades. Cope.]

And thus we learn that "Old Dear" is kryptonite to Stirlings.

Ah, Barney Snaith. Weird how they're all obsessed with him. While Valancy is completely right, and right to be upset at their unfair nonsense, I'm not taking points for people attacking him, since the scoreboard's for how they hurt Valancy.

Still this gives us a nice encapsulation of how the Stirling's critical thinking (doesn't) work: judging guilt based on his name, physical appearance, and a lot of more-or-less mutually exclusive rumors.

Olive gets another -1 for trying to trip Valancy up (and using the wrong name).

Maybe Second Cousin Sarah Taylor is just an idiot, but I am absolutely judging Isabel for hating Barney over rumored cat ownership.

Aunt Wellington gets the -1 for trying to shame Valancy for saying the quiet part out loud, but I do want to point out the hypocrisy of everyone present, particularly Uncle Wellington, who brought up Barney and alluding to the salacious rumors first, and then blamed Valancy for contradicting them in plain language.

It seems unsporting when Valancy so neatly returns their volleys, but a final -1 each to Mrs. Stirling and Uncle James for attacking Valancy. Also, is this the first time Mrs. Stirling has actually mentioned her late husband on page?

Exit Valancy stage left like the legend she is.

I seriously enjoy everyone's consternation once Valancy leaves. She doesn't hear it, so I don't think it can really count one way or another, though I sort of want to give Uncle Herbert a point for making tentative defenses of her (calling her sensible and trying to suggest a medical explanation rather than blaming her). I think I will: after all, Valancy likes him, probably from doing stuff like this in the past, and his efforts here may well help her with the fallout from this episode. In that vein, Georgiana also gets a point for defending Valancy (or at least attempting to calm Benjamin's anger towards her).

Please welcome Aunt Alberta and Second Cousin Jane to the scoreboard. Many small changes to the order, as the pack spreads out. Our four-way tie in second place (both second cousins, Aunt Alberta and Uncle Herbert) just goes to show that not talking to Valancy much on page constitutes a viable strategy. Cousin Georgiana remains in first place, with a new high score of 2!

Mrs. Stirling: -37

Cousin Stickles: -11

Uncle Benjamin: -8

Aunt Wellington: -8

Uncle Wellington: -4

Olive: -4

Uncle James: -4

Byron Stirling: -2

Aunt Isabel: -2

Cousin Gladys: -2

Cousin Betty: -1

Aunt Mildred: -1

Aunt Alberta: 0

Uncle Herbert: 0

Second Cousin Sarah Taylor: 0

Second Cousin Jane: 0

Cousin Georgiana: 2

[disgruntledexplainer]

I have always liked this feature of his character, because it provides an odd symmetry, in that one of Rex's greatest strengths is also his greatest weakness. that is to say, Rex is a manipulative MF, but he is also fairly easy to goad. I think the best example of this is John Scarecrow, who is PERFECTLY suited to being Rex's kryptonite (aside from Feakins).

Take a look at the final fight between Rex and Crow in Mind Games (unfortunately Crow's only appearance); we see the fight start out with Rex using his regular fighting style, tight and disciplined fitting for a living weapon raised by an assassin, and "flexing" by not even using his builds for the most part to beat Crow. However, once Crow begins taunting Rex using his shape-shifting and a bit of guilt-tripping, the tides begin to turn; Rex's fighting style becomes sloppy, and he begins using his builds to compensate for this. This works until Rex loses control of his emotions entirely, and his builds deactivate. Now he's fighting with his fists again, but this time he's LOSING, and gets taken down effortlessly.

VK has also used this to a lesser extent, though not as effectively since Rex can often see straight through his BS. Even then, though, VK can use this to his advantage, such as Kleiss's arrival at the United Nations in Leader of the Pack, goading Rex into making a diplomatic faux pas JUST BY STANDING THERE SMIRKING. Rex KNEW that VK wasn't there for peaceful reasons; every instinct in his body knew that VK was lying to everyone, and VK leveraged those (CORRECT) instincts to trick him.

Rex's insight into people's emotional weaknesses is a weapon for him, but it is also a weapon that people can use against him.

Remembering that rex is a manipulative little shit and here to remind myself of that fact again. He did very much

goad Biowulf for an entire episode the second he caught onto the fact there was blood in the water, pinpointing his sore spots to the extent that within a couple of hours, Biowulf—VK’s most loyal right-hand man—was willing to betray his ‘master’, go against their mission and help Rex and Circe escape all because Rex made him doubt his position in the pack

Do that bait and switch with No-face for the data stick, plus another bluff with gatlocke re: the bomb

That alliance episode again where he was outright guilt-tripping circe during the fight with no face. That little bastard was perfectly fine but he was swooning like a trained victorian lady. Don’t forget this incident is literally a direct contributing factor to Circe finally leaving the pack so it actually worked

That one episode with Annie and Claire where rex was doing all sorts of over-engineering to get Noah some. Like it’s not a real genius idea perse. But it’s definitely manipulative.

When he fear-mongered breach into giving circe back without a fight and getting rid of quarry in one fell swoop. Like he didn’t just make the trade, this guy planned for this. He built up to it. He had the recording on hand, he was all like “uh oh, VK’s hard on failure right uwu”. Wanna save your skin? Better cut a deal with me. And he didn’t even give up the recording in the end, which means he still had blackmail on breach after the trade

Making the deal with nightshade aka jungle cat. half of it is because he’s a good person probably and didn’t actually want to have to kill an EVO without looking for an alternative, but also he pressed the exact right buttons. He wasn’t like “it’s for the good of humanity and revenge is bad”. It was literally just “here’s something we can do for you and here’s something you can do for us. Kill Van Kleiss? Bitch, what do you think I’ve been trying to do”

Mentioning Alliance again bc Rex was just a scheming little gremlin bastard for that ENTIRE EPISODE.

Enemies mine when he tricked his entire rogues gallery into trapping themselves. he knew they had a tracker on him and immediately was like. Ya know what.

HK rex gets an honorary mention for being a bigger red flag gremlin off screen than our rex could ever be

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

I might have already done a version of this, but I really like the idea of Lena saving Kara alone.

I know it deprives Alex of the honor (and honestly I'd be down to explore the ramifications of that too), but after Lena's admission of guilt this week, I feel like it's only fitting that this be the last thing that Lena fixes. Out of all of Lex's schemes, this is the one thing she goes back on her word for, crosses him just one more time, to save the woman the world needs most.

She wouldn't want to bring the others along because it's risky, and because she can't deprive Earth of any more heroes than it's  already lost. But Lena... Lena can risk herself because she's not a hero. She's just... Lena. And for now, that will be enough.

She leaves a note before she goes, and Alex comes back from a food run to find the Lexosuit gone and a scrap of paper that reads "there was never going to be a guarantee. If I don't come back, tell Kara that I never stopped looking."

Armed with only the Lexosuit thrusters and a portal watch that's keyed to the Tower's location, Lena starts looking. She hops from phantom zone to phantom zone, searching for any hint of Kara. The phantoms show her the worst timelines-- drowning with her mother... L-Corp in ruins... killing Kara with the kryptonite lodged in her chest. But she perseveres, until she reaches the remains of the anchor. In a building not too far away, she finds a man who looks familiar around the eyes.

He looks at her with resignation in his eyes and tells her to get it over with.

"Kill me," he says, "and end my misery."

Lena sees the small crest of the house of el among the folds of his robes, and suddenly understands why the man looks familiar. Retracting the faceplate of her helmet, Lena looks upon him with her own eyes.

"My name is Lena Luthor. I'm here to rescue you and your daughter."

Zor El looks at her like she's a phantom herself-- gaze glassy and devoid of comprehension. Lena kneels, and meets his eye with direct intent.

"Where is Kara Zor el?"

And that's how she learns that Kara was in the anchor when it exploded. Or at least, that's what Zor El thinks. Lena knows better.

She leaves him where he is and barricades the door herself, then sets off for the nearest ridge, the only cover for what seems like miles. It's days before she staggers upon Kara's unconscious form, her skin so pale it's nearly blue. Lena hauls Kara over her shoulders and returns to the supply room.

As soon as she sees Zor El still alive and mobile, she keys her watch to open the portal.

"I can only carry one of you," she tells him. "And the portal is a one way trip."

Her implication is clear: limp through it himself, or continue to not-die here in the phantom zone for another eternity. His choice.

Supergirl likely would have had kinder words for him, but Lena never claimed to be a hero.

Zor El stares at her, his daughter clung over her shoulders, as though he can't quite trust his own eyes. He probably doesn't. But after a long moment he pushes to his feet.

"Kara never gave up hope," he says. "She told me her friends would never stop looking for her. I thought it wouldn't matter-- no one has ever broken into the phantom zone before. I should have known better than to have doubted her."

He lifts his chin, for a moment looking like the lord he used to be.

"Thank you, Lena Luthor, for proving my daughter right."

He steps through the portal before them. Lena follows, bracing herself for the world that awaits them.

She collapses under earth's gravity the moment she steps through. The light is too bright, the sound too great after what feels like years in the phantom zone. Someone peels Kara's weight from her shoulders and someone else rolls Lena over, retracting the Lexosuit's faceplate to check her pulse.

"She's alive!" Brainy calls.

"So is Zor el!"

And then, finally-- "Kara's alive! Get the sunlamps, now!"

----

She's only been gone a week. Lena can hardly fathom it. She feels the weight of her years in the Phantom Zone in her bones, and she wears the proof of it in the grey stripe thats appeared in her hair. She can only imagine how Kara will feel.

When she wakes up.

Lena is grateful for her state of unemployment if only in that it allows her ample time to sit at Kara's bedside. Alex's examination confirmed Kara hasn't been scratched by a phantom, but beyond that they can only speculate what keeps her unconscious. Perhaps, Zor El speculates, Kara has been drawn too deep into her nightmares.

Lena decides she doesn't like him much.

She and Alex take shifts keeping Kara company, firm in their certainty that Supergirl won't wake up alone.

It's a fluke of nature that Lena is there when Kara finally stirs. Lena bolts upright from her half-doze (she hasn't fully slept since returning from the Phantom Zone, like her body no longer remembers how to after years without it), and leans in to clasp Kara's hand tightly.

Kara blinks up at her, and though her gaze is bleary, the recognition in them is stark and immediate as Kara takes in Lena's appearance. Without speaking, Kara lifts her fingers to the grey stripe of Lena's hair, and soon the puzzle clicks together.

"You found me," Kara whispers. "You saved me."

Lena smiles, her vision blurring with tears that soon drip to her cheeks when she blinks.

"About time I returned the favor."

"My father--"

"Resting. He's safe. You're both safe."

Kara looks at her, and her eyes fill with tears of her own. "You were in the Phantom Zone..."

Her guilt is plain-- she knows its agony, its emptiness, and never wanted anyone else to experience it, even to save her. Lena grips her hand tighter, leaning in until Kara can look nowhere else but Lena's eyes.

"I would go to a thousand phantom zones to find you." Lena wills her to understand that the ache of Kara's absence was far worse than anything the Phantom Zone could throw at her. "You and I have unfinished business, don't we?"

Kara chokes a laugh at Lena's small grin.

"Do we?"

Lena understands. After the Phantom Zone, their fight feels eons ago. But so does their friendship, and all that it had meant.

Lena sighs, pressing a kiss to Kara's fingers. If Kara is surprised by the gesture, she doesn't show it.

"Hi," Lena says softly. "I'm Lena."

Kara nods, understanding as only she could.

"Kara," she introduces herself anew. "Can... can we be friends?"

"Yes," Lena returns immediately, without even a moment's doubt.

"I'd like that very much."

[kaistarus]

One Bed Mix-Up

Pairing: NishinoyaXReader

Words:2.5K

Summary: Nishinoya insists he’s the world’s greatest traveler, so you decide to visit him during your spring break vacation. But due to his inability to speak foreign languages Nishinoya messes up and gets you both a room with only one bed…

A/N: How could I not find a way to write the fanfic classic with my favorite boi? The fact that even took me this long?? I’m ashamed… Seriously tho I love this fic so much lmao

Masterlist

This could not be real.

You examined the room that had been essentially what Nishinoya explained-on the small side, but an open concept that made it more than comfortable. However, you immediately froze because where you were expecting some sort of living space was instead just one bed shoved against the wall. A detail that had been conveniently left out of his description.

You side-eyed Nishinoya’s amused smile with a glare.

“You did this on purpose,” you accused.

“I swear I didn’t,” he snorted, tossing his bag onto the bed nonchalantly. “Well, it’s possible I accidentally did, but it wasn’t on purpo-”

“What do you mean you ‘accidentally’ did this?”

“I’m not very good at Italian, okay?” Nishinoya threw his hands up. “I called last minute and there were so many words,” he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the bed. “I guess ‘full’ meant bed size and not a room ‘full’ of beds, huh?”

“I feel like numbers would’ve been a better indicator,” you mumbled, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“In hindsight, probably, but here we are.” He fell back onto the bed. “I’d go to talk to them, but it’s late and I don’t think I know enough to haggle.”

“This sucks,” you groaned, placing your bag beside him on the bed. He grinned up at you seeming unbothered by your circumstance.

“It could be worse. We could have no room at all,” he shrugged, digging through his own duffel for night supplies. “I did that once in Thailand because I tried to last minute find a place but couldn’t. Now that sucked.”

You raised your eyebrow at how casually he spoke about the situation, and he just ruffled your hair before heading toward the bathroom. Your stare lingered on the bathroom’s door before flickering toward the bed, narrowing your eyes at it and giving it a petty kick. This was a worst case scenario you had never planned for when you agreed to this trip with Nishinoya.

When you casually mentioned you were thinking about taking an actual vacation for your last spring break Nishinoya jumped on it. He eagerly told you how his travel expertise made him the best guide and after several years he could make it the cheapest trip possible. You were a little skeptical at first, but you had saved enough for a round-trip to Italy and he swore he’d pay for the majority of your food when you got there. It was the best deal you’d get.

The only problem was even after over three years of not seeing him your heart still did acrobatics when he wrapped his arms around you at the airport.

You glared at the bed that the universe had planted for your demise and huffed, grabbing Nishinoya’s bag and dropping it on the floor before climbing atop the plush mattress. His words continued to echo throughout the small room as he rambled from the bathroom, but you paid little attention as you dug through your suitcase for your own nighttime supplies.

“Does that sound like a good plan?”

You glanced over and tensed, quickly snapping your eyes back to your suitcase. Nishinoya had poked his head out of the bathroom with his hair now plastered down on his forehead which had always been your kryptonite. You cursed yourself, rubbing a fist over where your heart pounded against ribcage.

It hadn’t even been six hours since he picked you up from the airport and you were already freaking out. How were you supposed to handle the next two weeks?

“Are you even listening?” He pouted, then pointing his toothbrush to his duffel bag. “Why is my stuff on the ground?”

“‘Cause you’re sleeping on the floor.”

He was silent for a half a minute before asking with genuine confusion, “why am I sleeping on the floor?”

“Did you actually think we were sharing the bed?” You looked at his puzzled expression in disbelief. “It’s barely big enough for one of us.”

“I guess… you’re right.” He avoided your eyes and you swore his cheeks tinted pink, but he turned away and threw a thumb inside the bathroom to signal you could get ready. You left him grabbing stuff off the bed and tossing them onto the floor as you walked away with supplies cradled in your arms.

Once finished you stretched your arms high above your head while exiting the bathroom. You cocked your head to the side as you took in Nishinoya lying on the hardwood, one arm tucked under a pillow and a flimsy blanket thrown haphazardly across him as he scrolled through his phone. The sight sent an ounce of guilt coursing through you as you crawled on the bed, wondering why he left the comforter regardless of the already uneven circumstances.

He mumbled goodnight before crawling across the room to flicker off the lights and you shrunk into yourself at the lopsided grin he sent you. As you wiggled under the warmth of the comforter you grimaced at the cold that filled the room outside your cocoon. Was Nishinoya freezing on the floor?

You frowned, turning toward the window that took up a large portion of the wall beside you. The moonlight crept in and illuminated the room in a soft glow that allowed for vision despite the hour. You closed your eyes, listening to Nishinoya’s uneven breathing which informed you that he was far from sleep-not surprising given his uncomfortable position. You groaned internally as butterflies tickled your stomach like you were back in high school.

It wouldn’t be fair to force him to be miserable because you still harbored immature feelings. You slung your arm over your eyes, taking a calming breath before crawling toward the edge of the bed and peeking your eyes at him. His already open amber eyes flickered to meet yours and after several moments of contact a wicked grin spread on his lips.

“You better not move around in your sleep,” you grumbled, shuffling over as far as you could without falling off.

“No promises,” he laughed, pulling the comforter back and wasting no time wiggling underneath. Your cheeks warmed as he adjusted his pillow, shoulder pressing firmly against your back.

He could at least pretend to be uncomfortable with the situation.

Unlike him, it hadn’t taken you long to regret everything. You spent every second he’d been there counting the bricks in front of you hoping that if you bored yourself to sleep you wouldn’t keep having a heart attack everytime Nishinoya adjusted his position. 

“Can you stop freaking out?” Nishinoya asked annoyedly, you felt him roll to face your back. “You're making it hard for me to sleep.

“I’m not freaking out,” you scoffed, tightening your grip on the comforter.

“You haven’t relaxed since I got up here.” He poked your side and you jumped obnoxiously, helping prove his point further. You furrowed your brow frustratedly and pulled the comforter higher up your face.

“You’re looking too deep into nothing,” you lied. “I couldn’t care less that you’re here, Noya.”

You realized that came out meaner than you intended as the room filled with silence. You opened your mouth to correct it, but it slammed shut when you felt his forehead rest gently between your shoulder blades.

“Liar,” he said slyly.

You didn’t know how to respond because you were lying, but you didn’t think Nishinoya would ever call you on it. You sighed, glancing over your shoulder before mustering the courage to shuffle around and face his crooked grin.

“You’re making this more difficult than it has to be.” You deadpanned.

“Well, you’re acting like it’s torture.”

You rolled your eyes, but internally you wanted to scream that it practically was torture. He had no clue how long you had liked him and apparently, despite all logic, still did.

Nishinoya poked your fist that laid between you both. “I’m really glad you came,” he said, barely above a whisper.

“Me too,” you whispered. It was bizarre how much he’d changed, yet felt exactly the same. A little taller, less baby faced, but still the exact same sense of humor and goofy smile-even keeping his signature hairstyle.

You furrowed your brow, staring at the blonde strip of hair that rested on his forehead. You used to think it was dyed until seeing pictures of him post-high school, doubting his upkeep abilities without his sisters’.

Perhaps it was the late hour or the soft smile that rested on his lips, but you were filled with an usual bout of courage as you slowly lifted your hand to run your fingers through the strands laying on his forehead. His eyes widened at the contact, but he did nothing to stop you-even leaning down to give easier reach.

“I missed you,” he confessed under the cover of night and your fingers faltered.

You frowned when you met his eyes filled with sudden adoration. “Is this a scheme, Noya?”

He blinked, taken aback. “A what?”

“Like, invite me to Italy and then uh-oh one bed? How did that happen? Now I’m gonna smooth talk you while we’re in bed. ” You rolled your eyes pulling your hand back.

“I swear I’m not smart enough to come up with all of that.” He said, grabbing your hand and placing it back on his head. “I would never rely on my ability to smooth talk.”

You narrowed your eyes, “I guess that’s true.”

“I’m way better than I was in high school.” He nodded proudly, which honestly wasn’t saying much. “I mean, if we were still in high school I wouldn’t be able to handle being in this room. Especially because I was, like, in love with you.”

Time froze as those words left his mouth. Your mouth hung open as you tried to process them and when he waved his hand in front of your face you sat up, pointing an accusatory finger down at him.

“What the hell do you mean you used to like me?”

“Uh,” he pushed your hand away. “I had a crush on you? It was pretty obvious. Everyone knew about it.”

“I didn’t know about it.” You stared down at your own hands in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked up thoughtfully, “well, the last crush I had was in love with my best friend, so I wasn’t on a great streak.”

“That’s a stupid reason,” you frowned, poking his chest angrily. “I’m not Kiyoko. You had no idea what would’ve happened if-”

“Why are you so mad?” He grabbed your hand and held it tightly. “This was like four years ago.”

“Well, it was just… I sort of liked you too so that would’ve-.” You felt your face heat up as Nishinoya’s grip on your hand tightened and he shot up, as well.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Wha-you liked Kiyoko,” you poked his forehead with your freehand and he clasped that one as well. “After she started dating Tanaka you were all ‘I’m gonna travel the world’. The timing never felt right.”

“That’s stupid!”

“It makes more sense than, ‘I was on a losing streak’.”

“No, because I just figured there was no point in trying!”

“Well, I assumed you were leaving forever and didn’t want to be dead weight that-”

You were cut off by Nishinoya pulling you down to press your lips together. Your eyes widened at the sudden contact, staring at his squeezed shut eyes as you stiffly wondered what you were supposed to do. Definitely not having your eyes open like a creep, and kissing back would be a good idea too.

Just as you started getting yourself together Nishinoya pulled back with a concerned crease to his brow.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just… Was that okay?” He tilted his head, loosening his hold on your hands. You were too flustered to form a proper sentence and he took your silence as a bad sign. Panicked and without a plan you pulled your hands from his grasp to cradle his cheeks.

His eyes flickered down your lips and he leaned close; eyes drifting closed while he rubbed his nose lazily against your own, waiting for you to close the gap. The room’s silence felt deafening as you leaned the few inches forward to press your lips gently against Nishinoya’s. You felt the corners of his lips quirk upwards briefly before he wrapped his arms around your midsection to pull you closer against his chest.

Your heart reacted faster than the rest of you, leaping around your chest uncontrollably as you tried to focus on everything else: tangling your hands in his hair, matching the oddly skilled pace he managed to set, and remaining calm when he pulled you both back onto the bed. As the kiss’ languid pace grew in intensity you pulled back, catching your breath and he watched you lovingly, pressing his forehead against yours and rubbing his thumb against your cheek.

“You should visit more often,” he said with a dopey smile.

“Yeah, with all that money I have,” you deadpanned.

He pouted, wrapping his arms around your midsection to hold you impossibly closer while nuzzling his nose into the crook of your neck, “well, I should visit you more.”

“With all the money you have?” You snorted, running your fingers through his hair. He groaned against your neck, sending a vibration down your spine. Then he pulled back, his face lit up with some revelation as he smashed your cheeks together.

“You can just travel with me after you graduate,” he laughed elatedly.

You blinked once. Twice. “That’s a pretty bold suggestion.”

“You didn’t say no.”

Your cheeks warmed and a dopey smile forced its way onto your lips, “I didn’t say no…”

Another breathtaking smile covered his face and he pulled you back to his chest,nuzzling his cheek against the top of your head. “I can live with that.”

You rolled your eyes, but revelled in the warmth that filled your chest as you gripped the fabric of his t-shirt. You couldn’t believe it took all these years to work through your feelings, simultaneously with someone like Nishinoya this was probably the only way it would happen. And even if nothing came of this in the end you were more than satisfied to have these next few weeks with him.

You snuggled against him, closing your eyes with a content smile resting on your lips. Just lying with him like this? It would be more than enough.

Tags: @nathalie707

[weebsinstash]

If I were Reader in your Batman fic I’d hold a personal grudge against Poison Ivy ngl, I know Bruce is the obsessive asshole who did everything to Reader but ALSO like aphrodisiac like gas?? Damien is in the womb but I would escape Batman for the sole purpose to make Ivy catch some hands w me she knew what she was doing

Legit, depending on the incarnation, Poison Ivy can completely disregard people's personal autonomy and boundaries. She's pretty chill in, say, the Harley Quinn cartoon (we stan a sarcastic bi queen) but in other verses like Batman: Hush, she's done things like using kryptonite-coated lipstick to forcibly kiss Superman and mind-control him, doing the same to Catwoman, and actually, isn't bringing people under her thrall using seduction/pheromones a common tactic of hers? So I would totally see her setting up these kinds of "traps" with her seducing plants, hoping to catch one superhero or another. In a way, she was probably connected to her plants the entire time and knew they had been "activated"

Now, if she intended for Reader to be with Batman, who could say, but he was definitely a target of hers. And who knows, maybe she decided to watch things go down since Reader being with Bruce interrupted her original plans... nothing like reminding him what he did with a little emotional guilt tripping to throw off the dark knight and his partner and make your escape~

[dynyamight]

Hello! Could you do this one :

192 - You make me feel alive. For the first time ever, I feel like I can breathe.

Thanks ☺☺

192. You make me feel alive. For the first time ever, I feel like I can breathe.

“My, you’ve grown so tall and handsome, Katsuki! I can barely recognize you!”

Bakugou shrugs stiffly, hands deeply shoved in his pockets. “..Evenin’, Auntie.”

“Hurry, hurry!” Inko quickly beckons him inside the apartment, with frantic hand motions. “The cold air will get you sick the longer you stand out there.”

After a few tentative steps inside, and offering a mumbled pardon of intrusion, Bakugou makes a look around the small home.

God, everything looked eerily the damn same.

The miniature sofa, the kotatsu, the TV airing the local news, the rickety old dining table, in the same faded wood color just like before. The kitchen, probably looks the same, too.

Nothing new.

And, oddly enough, Bakugou was glad. Familiarity was very much needed, right now.

“Let me take your coat, dear.” Inko shushes quietly, right beside him. When Bakugou twists his head down, he looks to see her offering a soft smile.

Something in his chest clenches. “Nah, s’fine.” He coughs, struggling to meet her gaze. “..We’ll be leaving soon, anyway.”

“You know, that’s what you always told me, back when you two were kids.” Inko voices gently, “Waiting at the front door. Ready to head out, as soon as Izuku stepped out.”

“It warms my heart to see you two together.” She says, gazing at him, with that same comforting expression she used to give him long ago.

The inside of his palms are damp, sweating nervously. All he can offer is a quick nod of acknowledgment, without losing his cool in front of her.

Sure, they weren’t close before, but Inko only remembers him as that child. The one that was her son’s best friend. The one that knocked at her front door, jumping in his sneakers excitedly. The little boy who guided her son out of her home, and brought him back, safe and sound.

And, the same guy who was once the source of all of her beloved son’s distress, turmoil, and torment.

He hopes Midoriya has told her redeeming things about him, now that she knows that part. Because, there’s no way in hell he can sell himself any better.

A door to the right of the hallway opens in that instant.

With his back turned away from them, Midoriya steps out in an obnoxious All Might pajama set, barefooted.

He’s holding up two sweaters, dangling from each hand. “Mom!” He calls out towards the dining room, “Which one looks better? Yellow or red?”

“I can’t tell, Izuku.” Inko states easily, “Turn around.”

Doing a double take, Midoriya pivots in his stance, almost tripping over the long pants. “Oh, when did you get behind-?”

Midoriya’s face drops, before the shirts hit the floor.

Bakugou snorts, while Inko intently gazes at the fallen clothing. “I would think the burgundy one would look wonderful, sweetie.” She advises, regardless.

Quickly, Midoriya gathers and shoves his sweaters in his arms, and hurries back into his room, slamming the door shut. The click of a lock echoes, alongside a bunch of stressed, inaudible words.

“..You sure you don’t want me to take your coat?” Inko asks him. This time, there’s a knowing, small teasing expression on her face. “Izuku might take a while longer.”

Bakugou doesn’t wait for long, seated under the warming kotatsu. His drums his fingers on his thighs, here and there. And, the heat does get a little stuffy, while wearing black jeans and a turtleneck.

But, otherwise, it’s not intolerable. Inko had offered him plenty, during his wait; a hot mug of ginger and cinnamon tea, a small plate of cookie biscuits, and her silent, yet welcoming company. She even insisted on covering his shoulders with a large blanket, engulfing him completely.

“Anything for you.” Inko reassures him, despite having not voiced anything. “You have done so much to keep Izuku happy. It’s the least I can do.”

The overbearing politeness runs in the family, like a disease.

He feels he should thank her, or better yet, try to have a conversation with her. But, each time he builds up the internal guts to say something, the words get caught in his throat.

He wants to make sure he says the right thing to Midoriya’s mother. Unfortunately, he desperately wants her approval.

So, when Midoriya finally walks around the corner, in a nice pair of jeans and that same burgundy sweater from before, Bakugou’s relieved to say the least.

He feels saved.

“Now, the night is only getting colder, by the minute.” Inko hurriedly tells them, as the three of them walk to the front door, “This winter season has been terribly freezing! My heart can’t handle either of you catching the flu, let alone both of you! So, try to make it home not only safe, but healthy. Oh, and if you are unable to catch the last train, please let me know! I will gladly-”

“It’s okay.” Midoriya reassures her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom. We’ll be okay.”

“I know, I know. Just please-”

“Call you when we’re on our way home.” Midoriya answers easily. “Yeah, I will.”

“..You promise?”

“I promise, Mom.”

They share a sweet, long embrace, which Bakugou can’t help, but look away.

Something about their close bond, and unashamed love for each other feels intrusive for him to be a part of.

Something that he doesn’t deserve to be a part of. At least, not yet.

Instead, he solely focuses on readjusting his winter coat over his shoulders.

On their languid walk towards the metro station, a few blocks away from the apartment complex, Midoriya slips his hand in his.

“You told me 20:00, Kacchan.” He whines, however.

Bakugou rolls his eyes. “It was.” He corrects in a huff, “Until you fucking said I could drop by an hour early.”

“Wha—? When did I say that?”

“During our damn lunch break, yesterday.” Bakugou incredulously stares at him. “The hell? You were the one who came up to me and literally said it yourself. How your conference for today with the academy got cancelled. ”

For a moment too long, Midoriya stays silent, visibly mulling over the words in his head. Each quiet second makes Bakugou more internally baffled, downright shocked.

If it weren’t for Midoriya’s warm hand loosely holding onto him, he’d crackle a couple explosions, in spite.

“Oh. I did.” Midoriya breathes out laughing, bringing his other hand to his face. “I completely forgot.”

“Shitty Deku.” Bakugou grunts. “Starting the night off wrong, already?”

“Hey! Don’t go making me feel bad, Kacchan!” With pleading eyes, Midoriya looks up at him. “I didn’t mean to forget. School’s been hectic recently, and you know that.”

Those huge, bright green eyes. His kryptonite.

Bakugou clicks his tongue. “..Whatever. S’not like the wait was awful.”

“Oh god, I hope my mom wasn’t too much with you.” Midoriya messes with Bakugou’s fingers in between his, tightening and letting go of them.

“Not at all.” Bakugou lies.

Smiling, Midoriya lets out a big sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. If you two didn’t get along tonight, I might have had an aneurysm.”

“If you had to choose—” Bakugou starts.

Midoriya narrows his eyes. “Stop it.”

Bakugou scoffs, slipping out an air of mirth into it. “Obviously your mom.”

“Obviously, it would be too hard of a decision to make.” Midoriya corrects. “Hopefully that time never, ever, ever comes.”

Despite trying not to smile, Bakugou feels the traces of a smirk on the corners of his lips. “If that day ever happens, always pick Auntie.” He states easily, “Her heartbreak would be so fucking intense. Put all natural disasters to damn shame.”

With a small, slipped out laugh, Midoriya bumps their shoulders together, softened by their winter coats. “You are weirdly making sense, Kacchan.”

“Of course I’m making fucking sense. She cries over the thought of someone taking you away. Villain, or not.”

“Every mother is like that!”

“Hell, I’m damn surprised Auntie didn’t flip her shit from seeing me.” Bakugou honestly confesses finally, more to himself than to Midoriya. “Dating her one and only son, and she didn’t even freak out about it.”

And, just like that, Bakugou knows something is wrong, from the moment Midoriya stays quiet.

They continue to walk, despite the sudden tense mood between them. But, that doesn’t mean Bakugou doesn’t want to demand Midoriya to speak up, the longer he keeps his mouth shut.

But also, he doesn’t want to ruin their night, and so, he waits begrudgingly.

Right as the two are on the outskirts of the metro tunnel, Midoriya twiddles Bakugou’s fingers nervously.

“..I haven’t told her about us yet,” He admits, face morphed in guilt. “But, I mean, she could very easily guess our intentions tonight. So, maybe— I don’t know —she might know.”

Bakugou hums, allowing himself a few seconds to process that. He then breathes a long air through his nose. “..I figured.” He simply says.

“It’s not like I want to hide us.” Midoriya voices aloud, furrowing his brows. “It’s just with graduation coming up, and the academy still looking for an agency to accept me as anything, and then my father suddenly wanting to come back into our lives, she’s just been a little stressed with everything going on, including myself. And, I don’t want to potentially ruin us and-”

With a tight grip, Bakugou halts them to a sudden stop.

When Midoriya worriedly gazes at him, he offers him back a nod. “Yeah, I get it.” Bakugou firmly states.

“Kacchan, I-”

“You’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

And, he really means it.

While people bypass them, heading through the automatic doors of the metro station, they both remain standing, staring back at each other.

The first to break is Midoriya, releasing a big, tired sigh. “You’re right.” He frowns, looking away. “I’m totally ruining this date night. I’m sorry.”

Pulling his hand out of the hold, Bakugou instead brings his arms over Midoriya’s shoulders. He hugs them close. “No, you’re not.”

“I am.” Midoriya responds backs, muffled.

“We’ve been on more shit dates, Deku.” Bakugou tells him in his ear. “And, this ain’t one. It barely even began.”

“A whole year, and I—I haven’t even told her.” Midoriya shakingly admits. “I’m such a coward.”

Bakugou huffs. “You’re not. The talk ain’t easy. Hell, telling my hag and old man about us was like pulling teeth out of my damn mouth.”

“..At least you told them.”

“Listen, you went through a lot of shit, two years ago.” Bakugou reminds Midoriya, bluntly. “The running away. The dropping out. The undercover work. The public hate. Getting together after all fucking that, probably wasn’t even the best move.”

“I still remember it all.” Midoriya mumbles.

Bakugou tightens his hug. “And, since then, life’s been a total bitch to you. I fucking wish you didn’t get half the crap you have to deal with, because it runs you into a damn mess.”

“But, I—”

“So, just focus on the important shit, right now.” Bakugou breathes out, pressing his head against Midoriya’s. “Us? We can wait. No, I can wait. I’ll be right beside you, until then, and even after that.”

Lifting his arms up and around Bakugou’s back, Midoriya holds onto him, just as tight as him. “..You promise?”

Bakugou exhales a short sigh. “I promise, Izuku. We’ll be okay.”

Letting go, Midoriya gently pushes away from Bakugou’s grip, causing them to finally part, for who knows how long.

Before the secondhand embarrassment of people witnessing them sinks into his pride, Bakugou’s redirected to the watery eyes of Midoriya, as he quickly blinks them dry.

“God, when did you get so—?” Midoriya wildly moves his hands around, gesturing over at Bakugou.

On the other hand, Bakugou scrunches his nose. “The hell does that mean?”

“So supportive?” Immediately, Midoriya shakes his head. “No, you’ve been supportive, that’s not the right word. So kind? Uh, that doesn’t sound right..”

“You mean romantic.” Bakugou puts it bluntly.

A rush of red floods Midoriya’s face, matching his sweater and shoes. “Don’t say it so loud, Kacchan!”

“I wouldn’t have to, if you weren’t asking dumb ass questions!” Bakugou yells back, crossing his arms definitively. “We’re together, Deku! Of course I’m gonna tell you fucking sappy shit.”

“Shh! You are making us be a public scene!”

“Too late! We were a public scene the fucking moment we stopped in front of the damn metro like stupid lovers at the altar!”

It starts slow, with nothing, but Midoriya blinking up at him.

But then, a slipped sputter starts and a bubbling laughter erupts from Midoriya. He grabs onto Bakugou’s arm, helping him from not bending over in giggles.

“W-We really did!” Midoriya barely says, wheezing, “Lovers at an altar. A-And, you literally gave me vows!”

It takes Bakugou forcibly grabbing his idiotic, cackling boyfriend to finally move aside, and walk through the station’s entrance. He refuses to focus too much on the fire heating his face.

He’s never making outlandish, romantic gestures in public, ever again.

They missed their train, obvious from the lengthy moment they had outside. But, neither of them were upset about the ordeal. Instead, they gradly bought tickets for the next train to Tokyo, with only a thirty minute wait.

As Bakugou starts to shift comfortably in his bench seat, right beside him, Midoriya rests his head on top of his shoulder. “Thankfully, we still won’t miss the movie premiere.”

“Because your weird ass is making us leave hours before midnight.”

“For situations like these!”

Bakugou scoffs a short laugh. “I guess it’s reasonable.”

Grabbing his hand into a loose grip, Midoriya twiddles with Bakugou’s fingers once more. “Thank you. For tonight.” Midoriya whispers.

“You needed time to chill the fuck out. With the shit you’ve been facing, let tonight be the night you forget about it.” Bakugou grumbles, “Besides, I haven’t been able to steal you away, for my damn self.” He tacks on.

Midoriya smiles back at him, head comfortably slumped on his shoulder. “You make me feel alive, again. And, for the first time ever, since the start of this year,” He sighs, longingly up at Bakugou, “I feel like I can breathe.”

Bakugou brings him closer, chin tucked in his curls. “Good. I need you to breathe, at least once and a fucking while.”

Midoriya snorts. “Just at least once?”

“And, a fucking while.” Bakugou reiterates, “I’m not a monster.”

“No, you’re not.” Midoriya chuckles, bringing his legs over Bakugou’s lap. “You’re my monstrous boyfriend.”

“That’s fucking right.”

For a while, they stay just like that; close, intimate, and stuck together, without a care of the outside world. Maybe it’s from the intense conversation from earlier, but Bakugou doesn’t feel deterred to back away. Instead, he feels comfortable in holding Midoriya, and not letting go.

“You know,” Midoriya starts, “My mom wouldn’t freak out.”

Bakugou raises a brow. “..Hm?”

“About us. She wouldn’t freak or flip out like that.”

“C’mon, Deku.” Bakugou scoffs, shaking his head. “You don’t gotta lie to me, now.”

“I’m serious.” Midoriya reaffirms strongly, emphasizing his words with a tightened grasp around his hand. “She wouldn’t.”

“I’m not the type of guy you bring to your damn family. Seeing me as anyone’s partner is like fucking failing at life.”

Midoriya brings a tentative hand, cupping the side of Bakugou’s face. His fingertips are rough, yet linger there softly. “Just promise her you’ll make me happy and keep me safe.” Midoriya states easily, smiling brightly. “And, she’ll welcome you with open arms, all over again.”

[speechlessxx]

Requite - part 2 (Andy Barber x Reader)

Summary: In which the reader sticks by Andy’s side throughout Jacob’s trial and the aftermath of a life changing accident.

Warnings: I followed the book’s ending instead of the show’s ending, SPOILERS for Episode 7 and Episode 8 (and the book!), I omitted the trip to Mexico, slight CHEATING (kiss & feelings), implied age gap, 

Word Count: 2.5k

long awaited... i know! i’m sorry!

READ PART 1 HERE

“I won’t get through this without you.”

You weren’t sure why Andy told you this a day before the trial. He was asking – begging – you to stay and see the trial through.

You were rightfully reluctant. You weren’t anything to him. You were just a friend, something you had to keep reminding yourself. Perhaps you were less than that – you and Laurie weren’t even close. You didn’t know if Laurie would appreciate your presence, unsure if she knew what transpired between you and her husband. Your relationship with the Barbers started and ended with Andy, maybe with the exception of their son – even then, you weren’t close Jacob except for the occasional ride. You were simply the next-door neighbor. Nothing more… at least that’s what you told yourself.

Andy’s blue eyes were clouded. The stress and nervousness written all over his face though he tried his best to conceal that from everyone. He was the head of the household. He was their source of stability. If he collapsed (and he was almost there), then the family would topple over, too. Although his and Laurie’s marriage had been fragile for years now, they put up a united front for the sake of the cameras that constantly followed them. It hurt you, but again, it wasn’t your place to be hurt.

You had no plans to stay. You wanted to sever all ties with your old life and start over. Like you told Andy days before that incident, nothing was keeping you in Newton.

But then you stared into Andy’s pleading eyes. This man was your kryptonite. “Please…” he said. His voice was barely above a whisper as if he were afraid to be overheard though both of you were completely isolated in your backyard. “Please stay.”

So, you did.

You stayed for every gritty detail and revelation that was revealed throughout the trial. As much as you hated to admit, Jacob looked guiltier and guiltier, but you still had faith. You believed he was a good kid. How could he not be? He had an amazing father to look up to.

Then, Derek Yoo took the stand. He read out the “Job Story” that detailed a boy named Jason who murdered his bully, Brent, in the forest. You felt your jaw drop slightly as the color drained from your face when Derek finished the story. Andy had turned in his seat next to his son.

At first, you thought he was staring at Laurie, but he was staring at you – something his wife also noticed.

You didn’t know this, but your mere presence alone was a comfort to him. It was something about your smile or the way you’d chuckle lightly when Joana was able to poke holes into the prosecution’s theories. If you believed Jacob was innocent, then others would, too.

He had a panicked look on his face, desperate to find any source of reassurance from you, but you were almost certain that your expression mirrored his. Like Andy, that “Job story” made you start doubting. It was nearly a confession. It might’ve been the final nail to this coffin that Loguidice built for his son.

-=+=-

Laurie tearfully confessed to Andy that she believed that their son was guilty. Like many, the story swayed her though she had already been on the fence about her son’s innocence. She envisioned when Jacob was a young boy. She remembered when he lifted the bowling ball, ready to bash it into another child’s head. The thought that her son – the baby boy she cradled in her arms and kissed goodnight, the young man whom she loved unconditionally – was capable of such an atrocity terrified her. What had she raised? What had she loved?

Andy stared at her in disbelief. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the kitchen counter while Laurie let out everything she’d been holding in.

“He didn’t do this. I know he didn’t do this.” Andy snapped, punctuating every word. But it was a lie. Andy began doubting, too, but what kind of father would he be if he let one thing – a work of fiction – convince him that his son was a murderer? Andy raised him, held him in his arms, taught him how to walk – how to fish, told him he loved him. He couldn’t let himself believe that Jacob was guilty. That was his son.

“No, you don’t!”

“No one can sustain that level of deception!” Andy argued.

“Of course, he could!” Laurie shot back. “You of all people should know that.” She bit her lip while her eyes watered again.

Laurie wasn’t stupid. She knew. She knew the marriage was falling apart – they’ve both known for years now. She knew how her husband wandered off to her next-door neighbor’s. She knew that Andy liked comforting you – that he liked providing you help, always offering to do a favor. She had hoped it was innocent visitations – he was just checking up on the poor young woman whose husband abused her. But she always knew deep down, there was something more. Your presence at court – Andy staring through her to look at you – made it all connect.

Andy scoffed, looking down. She stared at him in silence and he refused to look at her. He wasn’t discreet about his affection for you – his concern for you. Though he’d convince himself that you were just a distraction from his failing marriage, he knew there was something more and he now knew his wife figured it out, too. “Yeah… yeah of course,” Andy said. “He learned it from me.”

“Maybe he learned it from both of us.” Laurie found herself guilty, too. She and Andy stayed together to keep face. They were the picture-perfect Barber family. And although the trial proved that they were far from that, the Barbers knew way before then.

For the first time, they finally agreed on something.

This marriage was a lie.

-=+=-

Three sharp knocks that was followed by the doorbell snapped you back to reality. You hadn’t realized you were staring at your framed wedding photo for the past hour. You hastily opened the door to reveal Andy Barber. He wore sweats and a grey top to match with a scowl on his face.

“Can I crash here tonight?” He asked. You frowned in confusion but nodded, widening the door to let him in. Andy noticed that you unpacked a few boxes. Those marked as “kitchen”, “bedroom”, “bath” had all been reopened. He didn’t fool himself to believe that you were planning to stay in Newton. You had unpacked because he had asked you to stay until the trial was over. He was grateful.

“What happened?” You asked him, handing him one of the beers your ex-husband left behind.

“Laurie and I got into a fight.” He muttered. He took a long sip from the bottle. His brows were furrowed and eyes low. Andy was clearly upset. You scolded yourself for bringing him a beer. The mixture of alcohol and anger never ended well for you.

You decided not to pry. It wasn’t your place after all.

“You know,” Andy said, taking a seat at your dining table. You joined him. “I wish we ended things a long time ago.”

“Don’t say that,” you said. “You and Laurie are a great couple.”

He chuckled humorlessly and shook his head. “We aren’t.” You weren’t sure how to respond, so you opted to keep your silence. Did that incident bring him an epiphany? Your gulped, suddenly feeling a wave of guilt. The emotion seemed to be making its rounds today. “I… I don’t know what to think of that story, honestly.” You hugged your arms around yourself as he took another swig from the bottle. You didn’t want to talk about the story. You still wanted to believe that Jacob was innocent although your faith was slowly waning. Andy narrowed his eyes at your reaction. “Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“Curl into yourself… you do that when you talk about your ex-husband.”

“I thought we were talking about you and Laurie.” You muttered, tucking a piece of hair out of your face. You’d rather not talk about your marriage or the aftermath of it.

“You’re a good distraction.” Andy shrugged.

“I won’t take offense to that.” You laughed a little and unraveled your arms from your body to pick at your thumbs.

“Don’t.” Andy smirked a little. Another sip. “I like you.”

“You’re drunk.” You waved your hand dismissively. You felt butterflies begin to flutter in your stomach and decided to ignore it. He didn’t mean that.

“Sober thoughts are drunk words, right?”

“You’re stressed.” You reasoned although you felt as if you were convincing yourself he was.

“It’s the truth…” Andy said, taking another drink. He stared straight at you. You felt like he was staring into your soul. “I like being around you.”

“I’m a good distraction?” You joked.

“No, it’s more than that.” Andy scoffed, shaking his head. He reached over and grabbed your hand. You stared at him, wide eyed, with surprise.

“Andy –“

“Laurie and I decided we’re getting a divorce.”

“What?” You thought you’d be delighted upon hearing that, but you felt dread course through you. You thought of the numerous mistresses that your husband entertained. You were in their shoes now and you hated it.

Andy licked his lips, taking another sip from the bottle. “We decided no more lying. No more pretending. After the trial – whichever way the jury leans towards – we’re over.”

“I’m sorry…” You didn’t know what else to say. You pulled your hands from his. He let you go.

“You shouldn’t feel sorry.” Andy muttered with a frown. “It’s been years in the making. We just can’t… we can’t pretend anymore.” He stared at you, but you refused to look at him, opting to stare at your hands instead.  “Wait… are you blaming yourself?” Your silence gave you away. “It wasn’t your fault, (Y/N)… We were over a long time ago. It’s finally time we admitted that to ourselves.”

“Okay…”

“I wasn’t lying about before either and forgive me if I’m wrong, but there is something here.” He was blunt. He was more straightforward than he would’ve been if he were sober. Perhaps it was a good thing.

You wrapped your arms around yourself again and shook your head, protesting. “Andy – “

“You’re gonna tell me there’s nothing. You’re gonna tell me I’m wrong, but you’re pulling away from me and curling into yourself like how you did when I asked you about your bruises.” He knew how you were. He knew you. He understood you.

“I’m just your distraction. Tomorrow, you’re gonna wake up and go back to your house.” You frowned. “I’m just convenient.”

“No, you’re not!” Andy argued. “I asked you to stay for the trial because I know Laurie and I wouldn’t be able to be there for each other. I asked you to stay because you listen to me, you understand, you comfort me when my own wife can’t. You’re not just convenient or just my distraction. Honestly, I think if I had met you first, I wouldn’t be married to my wife. I’m falling for you, (Y/N).”

“Andy…” you shook your head. It was wrong for him to say that whether he was buzzed or sober. You didn’t want to argue and his voice steadily increased in volume frightened you. The alcohol in his system and his boiling rage – whether it was from your dismissiveness or from the trial – wasn’t a good mix.

You decided to take yourself out the equation before it got out of hand and stood up from the table. You were going to go fix him a place to stay. Your guest room still had the bed and bedframe set up.

But Andy stood with you, grabbing your hand, preventing you from walking away. You said his name again, but he didn’t want to listen to you lie to yourself – lie to him. Without another word, Andy pulled you into him, pressing his lips against your own.

It was a replay of that incident except you didn’t pull away almost immediately. The soft and gentle kiss slowly heated into a passionate one. Your lips moved in sync and molded together. His beard tickled your skin but you paid it no mind, getting lost in Andy. One of his hands rested on your waist and the other on the back of your head, getting lost in your hair.

Everything about it was addicting. Frightening, even. So much so that you finally pulled away after long moments of getting lost in one another’s lips. But you didn’t untangle yourself from his arms. You simply stared up at him and he down at you. You should’ve pulled away. You should’ve told him no.

But you caved. He was your kryptonite after all.

You pulled him back down to meet your lips, igniting the fire between you both once more. In that moment, the trial, his failed marriage – everything ­– dissolved into the background. It was just you and Andy.

“I love you.” His words muffled by the kiss, but you heard it all the same.

-=+=-

“It’s not my place, Andy.” You told him as he begged you again to stay.

“I won’t get through this without you.” He said the same words that kept you in town for his son’s trial.

Your heart broke for him. It really did.

After the trial, Andy made good on his word. He and Laurie understood that their marriage was unsalvageable. Co-parenting would’ve worked for them. They were still a good team. Laurie even suggested that Andy should have full custody of Jacob and they could alternate major holidays. It was a good plan. The divorce hadn’t been finalized yet, but the decision was already made – perhaps it was made years ago and was only acknowledged now.

You and Andy decided to start over together.

No lies. No deception. Just the pure, unadulterated truth.

Andy started this new life by confiding in you that his father orchestrated Leonard Patz’s confession and suicide. Although neither of you spoke about it, the question still hung in your heads – was Jacob guilty after all?

Andy was eager to leave Newton as you were. You were thinking about moving to New York City – Jacob was excited about it – though Los Angeles and Houston were still in the conversation. You both wanted a change. Perhaps a big city would’ve been a perfect fit for your new life together.  

But then disaster struck. It was Laurie’s weekend with Jacob. There an accident… or what appeared to be one. Jacob was killed on impact. Laurie left in a coma.

And just like that, your new life was put on hold.

Andy was being summoned to court.

Loguidice was building a case that suggested that Laurie purposely murdered their son. Unsure if you could take another trial, you wanted to leave. You were prepared to leave with or without Andy.

But you were the last thing Andy had in his life. His soon-to-be ex wife was comatose, and his son was gone. Your heart broke for him.

He needed you now like how you needed him.

Andy begged you to stay.

So, you did. 

[facepalming-since-chernobyl]

This is the saddest/most pathetic/toxic pile of crap she has written for some time

This comes from a person who was drooled all over the idea of Kara being infected with RedKrytponite and having sex with Lobotomizer aka sex without CONSENT. Also dark spell my ASS - manipulating Kara for MONTHS and plotting cold revenge along with lobotomizing whole planet and EXCUSING this shit with some mental breakdown (some people don’t know what mental breakdown is?...) that didn’t happen and basing it on “extreme family abuse and betrayals” that guess what? DIDN’T HAPPEN, is sick.

No, seriously, guys imagine bashing a dude who didn’t reveal who he was for months and ignoring that Kara didn’t tell her secret for YEARS while creating a friendship with Lena. So what? Kara is abuser, they all hate her and agree SC is abusive piece of crap? COOL

Aka RachelBerry of Toxicorp fandom is butthurt because there is no romantic sc content and Karamel had sex. And Kara was glowing after. And funny thing is this person doesn’t feel uncomfortable about pics were Lena tortures and screams at Kara :) Oh well :)

Also, awful planet? We love XENOPHOBIA :)

Sure, let’s EXCUSE every person’s horrible actions with so called trauma (imagine all white dudes’ tears who shot people because someone hurt their privileged feelings). Guess what? STILL A CRIME. 

The HUGE difference is, and it pains my ass I need to say that after reading a shit produced by so called grown ass woman, that both Mon-El and Lena did wrong things, BOTH come from not good families, BOTH hurt Kara. But the FACTS ARE he came from a fucked up planet where he was privileged, but he has learnt it all was WRONG, and he fully ACCEPTED that, he felt ASHAMED of hismelf, he took the responsibility, he wanted to change his planet, he fully embraced who he was and accepted it so he could CHANGE, HE HAS NEVER INTENDED TO HURT KARA, he never hurt her physically, he never TORTURED HER. All he did after was worshipping her every step, making her happy, supporting, loving and creating whole ass Legion to keep her name and way of life ALIVE. Was he a perfect, spotless guy? NO. But he worked HARD to change himself. For her, for others but especially for HIMSELF. 

While your precious SNOWFLAKE is a grown privileged white ass woman, who is living in MODERN USA and knows all fucking NORMS. She has NEVER accepted who she is, she always EXCUSES her abusive shit and CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, she DESIRED to HURT Kara EVERY WAY POSSIBLE, she intended to expose her in front of entire planet on the happiest day in Kara’s life, she gaslighted and guilt tripped her, she manipualted her for months, she pretended to be her friend while plotting to LOBOTOMIZE her and she didn’t even acknowledge her shit or say she was sorry for what she has done to Kara. She is not ashamed, she doesn’t take responsibilty. She stopped her nonsense only because Lex wanted to use it. Without it she would have happily lobotomzied whole planet. SHE PUT KARA INTO A CAGE MADE OF KRYPTONITE AND TORTURED HER. 

And guess fucking WHAT? ALL HUMANS ARE INHERENTLY GOOD, but they choose who they want to be. Trauma and past experiences don’t EXCUSE what they do. People have FREE WILL (that Lena wanted to take from them, btw),they do what they WANT to do. And no, planing revenge for months is not a moment of being in darkness, it’s being a VILLAIN. It’s being an abuser. It’s being a horrible friend. It’s being an excuse of human being. 

Liking a horrible character is not a crime or a bad thing, but excusing every shit that character does IS horrible and means some people are not mature enough even to consume tv show aimed at teens.

And because I’m sure your drones are going to show it to you - go fuck yourself :)

[sueboohscorner]

#SupermanandLois Season 1 Episode 12 "Through the Valley of Death" Recap and Review

The episode starts with John Henry Irons at the Metropolis Institute of Technology. He’s looking for someone. A younger sister? Before we get any detail, he gets the call from Lois.

              Clark is suffering. I’ve been wondering about the red beam of light. It’s obviously being used in conjunction with the Eradicator, but it’s something else too, since Zeta-Rho used it on Edge when he was a child and Edge still appears to be himself. Red Kryptonite maybe? While thinking about this, I almost didn’t catch the important part of Edge’s monologue. They’re replacing Clark with General Zod, who in this time timeline died with Krypton and is not stuck in the Phantom Zone somewhere. Two things come to mind. One is that this plan always seemed very Zod-like, and two is that I’ve never seen Zod as a lackey to anyone before.

              Lois tries to comfort Jordan and Jonathan. She eventually gets them to go at least try to rest and then General Lane shows up. She tells him about Edge’s Fortress in the desert and then she finally cries into his shoulder.

              Kyle has to go to a special D.O.D debrief and therapy session, and then he’s going to try and go to work. Sarah thinks he should rest, but he tells her that it’ll be good to get into a routing. One of the firefighters shows up at his house to advise him to stay home, as he’s persona non grata at the moment. People need time to calm down.

              Jonathan finds Jordan brooding. Jonathan has decided that they aren’t going to sit around and do nothing. They’re going to find Clark.

              John Henry Irons shows up to talk to Lois and General Lane. She wants to organize a rescue mission. Irons just wants Superman dead. Lois storms off and General Lane assures Irons that he’s taking all necessary precautions. He just hasn’t told Lois that yet.

              Jordan hasn’t found Clark yet. He doesn’t think he can. He tried to be strong when Edge came, and it didn’t do him any good. Jonathan doesn’t allow him to wallow. They just have to keep trying.

              Irons made a rocket propelled projectile for Lex Luthor on his Earth. It drains a Kryptonian of their powers long enough for them to be killed. He is not; however, completely certain that it works. The last time he used it, he was transported to this Earth before he found out if it worked.

              Kyle, Lana, and Sarah get harassed on the way to the D.O.D. debrief. Lois is on their side, even if no one else is.

              She then talks to Lana and Kyle privately about what it felt like to be someone else. Lana doesn’t remember anything at all, but Kyle remembers bits and pieces. He couldn’t picture his family, and when he tried to fight back, he could feel this darkness pressing down on him. It hurt immensely to fight back, and he got this sense that his family would be better off if he let go.

              Clark is still fighting. At one point, he flies out of Edge’s fortress and screams for Jordan. Jordan hears him, but Edge cuts in quickly. He tells Jordan that he won’t find his father when he comes looking.

              Diggle is here!!!!! General Lane asked A.R.G.U.S. asked to deliver some tech but did not say that he was going to use it to make Irons’ Superman killing weapon. Needless to say, he’s a little ticked. Jonathan and Jordan interrupt the pow wow to talk to Lois.

              The Cushing house has been vandalized. Lana manages to talk Kyle down from doing anything more rash than cleaning up the living room.

              Jonathan and Jordan tell Lois and General Lane where Clark is and then they leave. General Lane is going to send Irons in. He doesn’t think he has any other choice.

              Lois finds Irons first and does the big no-no. She tells him everything. She needs hope and he will not give it to her.

              Meanwhile Diggle is trying to convince General Lane that killing Superman is a terrible idea.

              Lana and Sarah are trying to clean the paint off. It doesn’t budge until Kyle uses some paint thinner and “American muscle.” This causes a good old fashioned water fight, which is cute.

              Jonathan and Jordan find Lois in the newspaper office. She doesn’t know if it’s too late or not.

              Clark is getting tired and Zod comes through.

              Jonathan confronts Irons. He tells him what he saw in the videos in his van. He knows what happened on his Earth and he begs Irons not to kill his dad. There’s always another way.

              When Irons gets to the Badlands, he’s immediately confronted by Zod. They fight until Clark is knocked upside the head enough to be himself for a moment. He tells Irons to kill him, which manages to convince Irons to talk to him instead. Clark then fights so hard that he passes out. When he wakes up, he’s ok. Now they’re going after Edge with the missile they still have left.

              Zeta Rho gaslights and guilt trips Edge into doing something. He flies up into space, and possibly uses the Eradicator on himself before the missile brings him back to Earth? Clark then knocks him out because he won’t shut up.

              He comes back to the farm, kisses Lois, and hugs the boys. Irons is with him. Jonathan apologizes for hitting him with a truck. Lois invites him for dinner, but he still has business with General Lane. After all, family time is sacred.

              The Cushings have dinner all together and it’s adorable.

              Leslie Larr is still in the wind, but General Lane is confident that she’ll be captured soon. When that happens, the D.O.D. will leave

              Edge is in a Kryptonite box in a secret government facility, but he’s smirking. The big question remains. Is he still himself? If not, then who would be a bigger deal than Zod?

I’m glad they didn’t do the whole Evil Superman thing for very long, but I’m fascinated by what the contingency plan is. This isn’t over yet. 8/10.

[handlewithkara]

Trying to Un-Hate Season 3 Part 12894293nx9qn8913q

Let’s talk about the Kara centric storylines in season 3. 

Yes, Kara had a storyline in season 3. In fact, she had multiple storylines.

1.) Dealing with how to handle Mon-El is still a meaningful storyline for Kara

I have always disagreed that a storyline about a romantic relationship somehow doesn't "count" as character development. And I think Supergirl season 3 is a perfect example of this. I'm not going to claim that it was a great or exciting storyline but it was still undoubtedly a story about Kara.

This storyline told us a lot about Kara the person. How she deals with grief, with guilt, with disappointment, with frustration. How she reacts. How she gets over things. What she values.

The writers used this storyline to delve deep into Kara's background and characterization, it was used to tell us about Kara's anxiety attacks and how she felt stuck alone in a pod as a child, it was used to trigger a trip to Alex and Kara's childhood and to talk about Kara's early days on earth in the "coma" episode.

2.) Identity

If I had to sum up Kara's plot in regards to identity in season 3, I would say it's about Kara still feeling her way around and being unsure about it. I think it is best illustrated with some quotes from the season.

Kara: Kara Danvers sucks right now!  [...]  I don't like that girl, Alex.

Kara:  I am not a human.I tried to be.But I'm not. Kara Danvers was a mistake.

Kara:  the second she saw my vulnerability, she became disillusioned. I let my mask down for one second,and look what happens.

Mon-El: All you can do is be true to yourself.

Kara: Which self? 

Kara:  I just wish my day-to-day life didn't have to have a disguise.

Kara:  Out here with just you, I don't have to pretend. I can just be me.    

Mon-El:  You get to just be you here, Supergirl.

Kara: Not Supergirl. Kara Zor-El.

Kara: It just feels amazing to be normal.

Kara:  I've lost track of what I stand for.

Kara: Before we went to Argo, I just had this thought that I could be Kara Zor-El, ordinary citizen.

Kara:  Balancing Kara and being a hero, that's...That's who I am.

Kara of course starts out burying herself in her Supergirl role and wanting to suppress her Kara Danvers side. Alex tries to counterbalance this, most noticably by bringing Kara back to the Danvers' chlldhood home. In this theme is also Kara running into problems with her secret identity and this being contrasted against James desire to reveal his identity as Guardian. Next follows Kara finding out that Argo and a group of Kryptonians survived and wanting to spend some time there before the villains revealing themselves very quickly pushes her back into the fight. 

I can see why one could read the end of the season as Kara having made a definitive decision on this question, but I think considering this theme continues on into season 4, I think it's just a general ongoing story that season 3 happened to add to, just like 1 and 2 also did.

3.) Kara's Kryptonian legacy

This story thread starts subtly, dropping the first hints about Kryptonian religion in The Faithful.

Over the season it turns out that the season big bad and their motivation ties deeply into Kryptonian theology and history. We find out quite a bit about Kryptonian religious/metaphysical concepts (even if most of that is pretty lame fantasy stuff). And it even spins into a halfway interesting story about Kara's unease with using potentially dangerous Kryptonian substances (Kryptonite and the Harun-El) to fight the villain.

To me the cornerstones of this story are the Coville cult worshipping Kara as a god, Kara taking the trip back to Fort Rozz and meeting the Kryptonian witch, everything to do with spirit world, Kara reacting badly to presence of Kryptonite and them going back and forth on whether it should be used in the battle against Reign, the motivation of the masterplan villains particularly including accusing the mainline Kryptonians of suppressing them and their religion, Kara pleading with the Kryptonian council for the Harun-El, Alura taking most of the Harun-El with her at the end of the season and this spinning into the next season. 

4.) To kill or not to kill

This season sets up a very deliberate scenario. The main antagonist Reign has a side to her that is pure, that is innocent. And not just in the abstract sense. Sam Arias is a character who both we the audience and the main characters know and get a lot of exposure to.

Just as we meet the nice side of the Reign, the show also puts in some effort to sell is the danger of Reign, whether it is through Kara losing a drag out battle to her or through the people coming in from the future to tell us of the long lasting negative effects Reign and her companions will have, upping the stakes, both personally (the life of Sam, the happiness of Ruby) and globally (not just the world, the future, not just earth, but also Argo or at least Argo's soul and culture is at stake). It should be noted how the show even weaves in the death of a minor, named, "goodguy" DEO character.

This whole concept of the duality of Reign and Sam gets really delved in in the later half of the season, where the desire to stop Reign conflicts with the problem of Sam and how to handle her.

At first it's not just the question of killing or not killing, it's about killing an innocent as collateral damage to stop a great evil.  

Kara's preference towards not killing is probably tested heaviest in this season. This issue on whether or not to kill the worldkillers gets debated over and over again this season by a variety of characters and it is noteworthy for the high number of "good guy" characters who come down on the side of killing for the greater good (most notably Lena, James, Imra and Alura).

And we even see Kara herself falling prey to that mindset and then reversing time to undo it, before the season ends on the conclusion that violence is not the answer.  

~~~~~~~~

I'm not claiming that these were all great stories or that all of them were fleshed out enough for everybody's taste. Still, to me those are the storylines that reached some amount of depth and even though the quality might not be what it was in season 1 (what is ...), the impression I walk away with is still of a season that felt like it had quite a bit to say about Kara/Supergirl as a character.

[loismagic]

After reading your tags I’m dying to know your opinion on Bloe Sullivan. I can’t stand her or her jealousy/possessiveness when it comes to Lois relationship with Clark.

lmfaooooo WELL ahem *cracks knuckles* in this essay, I will- nah but she’s the absolute worst. She annoyed me from day 1. I used to watch the show back in 2004+ for a bit (casually) and then (re)watched it a few months back and my god- she IRRITATED ME SO MUCH. And that didn’t change. She has maybe done like- a few good things. Giving Lois Clark’s vows, telling Clark to ask himself what he wanted in Crossfire, and saved Lois. But that’s about it lmao This might me long so I’m going to put the rest under a cut...

I always thought she guilted Clark into liking her back in season 1, leading him to ask her to the dance and kiss her. She was jealous of Lana for just hanging around Clark, felt oddly possessive of Clark. And of course my poor sweet man just- felt like he needed to show her he cared? It was so toxic fuck. So, that will always irritate me. Her- oh Clark you have eyes for Lana but not me?? But I’m always there for you, I do it alll for you Clark can’t you see???!! And she keeps that entitled attitude for the rest of the series.

I also thought it was the dumbest thing when- just as I thought she was getting over him loll- she cornered and kissed him in the s5 finale because she thought the world was ending like no wtf.

ALSO the time she got infected by kryptonite and had the power to bring out the truth in people and THE FIRST THING SHE ASKED CLARK WAS HIS SECRET. Goddamn it Chloe this is why you never win. 

And then oh- when Lois comes and she gets that look ™ on her face during the dunk tank scene. It’s amazing because Avril is playing in the background and Clois might as well be reciting their vows in front of Smallville high. She looked like a kicked puppy (narrator: well she was a bitch so).

Then Hex comes along and honestly, side note real quick: Erica absolutely nailed playing Chloe except a more tolerable one because lol duh it's Erica. But anyway, the notion that she was so damn jealous of Lois because she got this amazing career- the one that she had been working toward since high school because the Torch was her’s™. SHE WAS THE ONE TO TELL LOIS SHE SHOULD WRITE LMAO like bitch it’s not her fault she just was so natural at it?? And she did it all without poking her nose in people’s business when it wasn’t right or ethical (ahem like all the times Chloe guilted Clark about his secret and cornered him about it, and let me note Chloe asked LOIS about what she’d do if she found out a secret about someone and thus only heeded said advice because my wonderful Lois told her she wouldn’t say anything and just be there to support... which is exactly what we saw Lois do when she found out about Clark).

phew. anyway. Hex- she might have been glad or whatever to be back to herself, but it was such an insight to her petty jealous ass. And then you have of course her jealousy come out when Clark tells her that he’s been confiding in Lois as the blur and she gets that once more kicked bitch face. 

Enter season 9 and her “stay away from her, you mean?” “Lois means something to you, something more”. I thank the lord and the sv writers for those lines forever and a day, but man, the jealousy jumped out again lmao It doesn’t matter if it was Jimmy (rip my sweet OG Clois shipper who never got to see them together and deserved more- also another side note to their convo in Crimson at the Talon when Chloe doesn’t think Clois should be set up when she so obviously saw a connection between them back in 4.03 lol).

And it doesn’t matter if she was with Oliver either (again boy deserved more and she could’ve learned a lesson from him on how to fucking let go and move on). Chloe alwayysssss hated being second fiddle to whatever other girl was in Clark’s life. It doesn’t matter when it’s LOIS her own flesh and blood who- my god I will always think that Lois never pursued anything with Clark since day 1 was because she knew of Chloe’s (obsessive unhealthy) crush with Clark. She even cleared the path for Lana too. Again, Chloe could learn a damn thing or two. Lois was the better cousin times a million and one.

Okay, I keep going off tangent but there’s just A LOT. But my point is that Chloe would always be jealous of everyone who became Clark’s #1 confidant. And when that became Lois- fuck, she couldn’t be supportive. Maybe slightly a few times, but it was- ugh you could always see it in her face, the way she said things. Like she resented her own cousin- who would literally die for her pathetic ass- because she had a better more natural connection to Clark.

Chloe will always hate not ever being good enough for Clark. When I was (re)watching Smallville, I remember how I kept thinking- my god PLEASE let her get over him already. And even when she moved onto Jimmy or Oliver, there was such a residual- possessive nature about her friendship with him. And as always, Clark was just too good to tell her off or anything.

In conclusion: Lois was the better cousin and deserved more than that hot mess. Clark deserved more than a “friend” who guilt tripped him for over a decade into liking her, choosing her, and for pretty much anything and everything because “I dO iT aLL fOr YoU ClaRk”. 

I’m so thankful for how the writers juxtaposed her toxic ass to Lois- who not once guilted Clark, didn’t pursue Clark when Chloe and Lana were remote possibilities/in the picture in some way. She didn’t make him tell her his secret, she waited until he told her, and she just accepted the whole of him without ever making him feel guilty or cornering him because she “did everything for him”. She was a mature ass adult who was selfless in her love for him. Prophecy’s ending where Lois cries and tells Clark she can’t marry him because him saving the world was more important and she couldn’t stand in the way of that... Chloe could never.

Anyway. That was a long hot mess lmao. 

[the-wonder-wall]

what is their personal kryptonite? - ( for all please )

Muse Things

Willow:

Probably people to be honest. They get guilt-tripped far too easily, can still be pretty naive, etc. Even though they've been hurt a lot they still have a desire to love and be loved and that can easily lead to getting taken advantage of and hurt again. Plus as much as people spook them, they simply won't ignore someone who's hurt or asking for help. Which could easily be a trap. If someone's calling for help they'd too easily enter secluded/dangerous areas to help (even if they're scared). And as if that wasn't enough, if someone doesn't like them, they feel the need to do things to try and get onto the person's good side. This is a huge reason why they're easy to manipulate.

Kelli:

Honestly? Herself. She'd be in such a better place if she'd just let go of shit. But that means facing that she's not the person she presents herself as. She wants to be perceived as strong and always in control, when really she has fears and weaknesses just like everyone else. Whether she likes it or not, those fears are what made her who she is, her whole personality and drug empire was created out of a desire to live no matter what cost.

Wyatt:

Wyatt is also his own kryptonite in my opinion. He is too afraid of change, specifically positive change, so when things get too good he tends to self-sabotage. After all, he can't be disappointed if he did it himself, right? He'll especially do this with romantic relationships, going as far as telling himself that he's protecting the other by keeping his distance. Even if it's unbearably painful when they do finally leave.

Trixie:

Trixie has barely deviated, so she's really still learning about herself, but she does have a tendency to bite off more than she can chew. She too easily threatens violence. She's literally 5'2 with zero combat training and will threaten to smash a bottle over your head whether you're 4'7 or 7'4. Plus she can't remember anything between the times of 9 pm to 2 am.

Neylnn:

Neylnn is pretty confident and a genuinely decent guy. He's not gonna let you push him around or manipulate him. With that said, he overworks himself. He's running his tattoo shop on his own with no one to help support him. Like he has employees, but there no one there to help him when he's stressing about keeping his business/life's work running. So his kryptonite really is his business. As much as he loves it, it often stops him from truly relaxing.

Cassandra:

She falls in love too easily, granted this wasn't always the case, but she'd been so focused on getting somewhere good in life that she never had time for relationships. Now she's 35 and often frequents sex clubs after work because she's incredibly lonely. She's not unlovable by any means, she just felt like she didn't have time for it before. She didn't want to half-ass a relationship so she stayed single. But now she has no one to share her success with and worries it'll stay that way. But so far the relationships she's tried to enter have been short lived. People thinks she's a little too clingy once they actually date her and some are only there for her money and all the gifts she showers them with. Fancy dinners, the latest technology, etc. She once bought someone a new car only to be dumped within weeks because as it turns out, that's all they really wanted from her. She loves to pamper, but she wants to be loved just as much in return.