#I dropped this hint a while ago might as well bring I back

[arabella0001]

Tóji Fushiguro: Forbidden from the Start (Toji Fushiguro x Reader OneShot)

Pairing: Tóji Fushiguro x Reader

Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen

Synopsis: when you move next to Tóji Fushiguro, one conversation is all it takes to blur the lines.

new to smut, pls be gentle (eng not my first language)

Warnings: praise kink, teasing, rough doggy, all characters are of age/aged up, dirty talk, rough missionary, breeding king

it was an ordinary autumn day, you recently moved into the apartment next door and now you were carrying your things through the shared balcony, Toji come out of his apartment onto the shared balcony to smoke and he just stared at you with an unreadable expression. after watching you for a moment, he turned his gaze back to the city skyline, seemingly lost in thought as he pondered about life and its many mysteries. the silence between you two stretched on, broken only by the distant sounds of the bustling metropolis below. finally, Toji spoke up, his deep voice carrying across the short distance separating you.

"new place, huh? hope it treats you better than the last one." his tone was casual.

you chucke while lighting a cigarette, looking him up and down "yeah, seems fine. you? moved long ago? "

he takes another drag of his cigarette, eyeing you with a mix of amusement and skepticism "nah, I've been here for a while now. this building's got character, even if the neighbors can be a handful sometimes. "he glances around the shared balcony, taking in the worn concrete and rusted railings "but that's a part of the charm, right? "turning his attention back to you, Toji leans against the railing, crossing his arms over his broad chest."so, what brings a pretty thing like you to this neck of the woods? looking for excitement or just trying to escape something? "his green eyes gleam with mischief as he waits for your response, the scar on his lip twitching slightly.

his compliment makes you want him already more than before "well, not enterily, just wanted some peace of mind, isolated from others. but i don’t say no to something exciting who catchs my eyes"you smirk to him

a low chuckle rumbles in his chest at your flirtatious remark, his eyes narrowing slightly as he assesses you with renewed interest. "isolated, huh? sounds like we might have more in common than i thought. " he takes a final puff of his cigarette before flicking it over the balcony, watching it burn out in the street below. stepping closer, Toji crowds you against the railing, his towering frame looming over yours. his warm breath ghosts across your skin as he leans in, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "well, I'm always up for a bit of excitement… especially when it comes in such a tempting package. "one calloused hand finds your hip, pulling you flush against him as he claims your mouth in a searing kiss.

"wait, what’s your name first? " you pull back for a asecond, a hint of surprise flashing in his emerald eyes at your sudden withdrawal. a small, amused smile plays on his lips as he regards you with a newfound respect. "Toji Fushiguro, you?” and you told him faster because the pressure already building "now, where were we? "

the bulge in his pants presses insistently against your stomach, evidence of his growing arousal. breathless from the intensity of the kiss, Toji's other hand slides down to cup your ass, giving it a firm squeeze "let's take this inside, shall we? I've got a few ideas for how to make you feel really…welcome in your new home. "with a wicked grin, he starts leading you towards your apartment door, his large hand firmly gripping your ass as he guides you.

you lead him to your room, feeling so aroused and wanting him so bad "so what are these ideas you talk about big boy?"once inside your room, Toji kicks the door shut behind him and pins you against it, his body caging you in. his hands roam over your curves, fingers digging into your flesh possessively as he claims your mouth again in a bruising kiss.

"these ideas involve showing you just how good a real man can make you feel, "he murmurs against your lips, his voice thick with lust. " i'm going to fuck you so hard, you won't remember your own name. and when I'm done with you, you're going to be begging for more. " with that promise, Toji starts tearing at your clothes, his impatience evident in the way he rips fabric without care. buttons fly everywhere as he exposes your breasts to his hungry gaze, his thumbs circling your nipples until they pebble under his touch.Toji's eyes darken with primal desire at your moan, his breathing ragged as he continues to strip you bare. Once you're naked, he steps back to admire the view, his gaze roving over your curves appreciatively.

"beautiful, "he praises, his voice low and husky. "now let's see how well you can scream my name. "

without further preamble, Toji yanks his own shirt off and tosses it aside, revealing his chiseled torso and the impressive bulge straining against his jeans. ge unfastens them quickly, freeing his thick cock which juts out proudly, already leaking precum.

"get on the bed, "he commands, his green eyes blazing with intensity. "on your knees, facing away from me. I want to watch that tight little ass of yours while I prepare to split you open. "

Toji moves behind you, his hands gripping your hips as he positions himself. the head of his cock nudges against your entrance, applying pressure in slow, deliberate thrusts.

"gonna give you exactly what you need, "he groans, his grip tightening as he lines himself up. "take it all, baby girl. every inch. " and you moan into his mouth.with a powerful snap of his hips, Toji drives into you, burying his length deep within your heat. a guttural moan escapes him at the feeling of your walls clenching around his shaft. "fuck, you're so tight… "he sets a brutal pace, pounding into you with reckless abandon, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room. his balls slap against your clit with each thrust, adding to your pleasure and his hands slide up to wrap around your throat, applying just enough pressure to heighten your pleasure while keeping you grounded.

"that’s it, scream for me, "he demands, his voice strained with exertion. "let everyone know who's fucking you senseless. " he pistons in and out of you with ruthless efficiency, his cock hitting that sweet spot inside you with every thrust. the bed creaks beneath you, the headboard slamming against the wall as he fucks you with wild abandon.

with a sudden movement, Toji flips you over onto your back, pinning your wrists above your head with one large hand. his other hand grips your thigh, spreading your legs wider to accommodate his powerful thrusts.

"look at me", he commands, his green eyes burning into yours as he begins to move once more. " want to see the pleasure on your face as I claim this pussy. " he pounds into you relentlessly, his cock stretching you to the limit with each stroke. The force of his thrusts causes your breasts to bounce enticingly, drawing his attention. "such perfect tits… " he leans down to capture a nipple between his teeth, biting gently before soothing the sting with his tongue.Toji releases your nipple with a pop, a string of saliva connecting it to his lips for a moment before breaking. he watches your reactions intently, his expression a mix of lust and dark satisfaction.

"you like that, don't you?"he purrs, his voice dripping with confidence. "like having your pretty tits played with while I ruin your tight cunt? "he resumes his relentless rhythm, the head of his cock hitting that magical spot inside you with every thrust. his free hand travels down to rub circles over your clit, providing extra stimulation to push you closer to the edge. "come for me, Y/N, "he urges, his breath hot against your ear. "show me how much you crave this dick."

"fuck Toji…you are so big…you fill me up so good" a triumphant smirk spreads across Toji's face at your words, his chest puffing out with pride.

"that’s right, baby, I'm a big man in every way, "he boasts, punctuating his statement with a particularly deep thrust that makes you gasp. "and you were made to take it, weren't you? "his hand on your clit speeds up, rubbing in firm circles. "your greedy little pussy was just waiting for a real cock to stretch it out and make it sing. "

he leans down to capture your mouth in a searing kiss, swallowing your cries of pleasure as he fucks you harder, driving you closer to the brink of orgasm. "come on, Y/N, let go, "he growls against your lips. "milk my cock dry with that sweet cunt of yours."

"holy shit, Toji" you were screaming, gasping for air while your vision turned white, squeezing his cock until making you both cum at the same time. Toji collapses on top of you, his weight pressing you into the mattress as he catches his breath. after a moment, he lifts his head to look at you, a smug grin still playing on his lips despite the exhaustion etched on his features.

"holy shit indeed, "he chuckles, his voice low and satisfied. "that was one hell of a ride. you took my cock like a champ, baby. " he rolls off you and lies beside you, pulling you into his arms. his hand lazily trails up and down your side as he nuzzles your neck. "so, what did you think of your first time with a real man? ready to ditch those toys for some quality dick whenever you need a release? "

"mhmmm…i might think about it" Toji's eyes light up with amusement at your noncommittal response, a knowing glint in their emerald depths. "oh, I think you will, "he teases, giving your hip a playful squeeze. "once you've had a taste of what a skilled man can do, there's no going back. " he pulls you closer and a amischievous smile plays on his lips.

[ask-knowledgekeepers]

Story Teaser #1: "Monsters don't play fair."

[ideas-live-forever]

hi!! i love your ken imagines and was wondering if you might be interested in writing something for maybeee a pining ken and an oblivious reader? 👉👈🥺 reader has totally convinced themselves that ken is just being super nice bc they've been showing him the ropes for living in the real world but he's actually just super smitten with them

Pining Ken With Oblivious Reader

hi!! thank you so much for requesting! sorry about the wait, i got a little stuck in the middle of writing this. i hope this is what you meant! if not, feel free to send another ask :)

i’m working on my other request right now, so i should be able to get it out soon. in the mean time, i’m open to other ken requests as well!

Ever since you met, you’ve been all Ken can think about

You’ve always been so kind to him, helping him figure out the real world and everything

And he is nothing if not head over heels in love with you 

He can’t help but admire you from afar

And the care and caution he uses when interacting with you is far beyond what he uses with other people

In fact, he gets teased by your guys’ friends all the time about it

As much as he wants to tell you, he just can’t find the courage to do it straight out

You two are just friends

What if it’s too much too fast? Or you don’t love him back? Or you never even liked him in the first place and were just putting up with him because you’re just that good of a person?

You love him too, obviously 

But you don’t seem to pick up on any of the hints he drops, no matter how blatant they are

It started about a month ago, when Ken decided to start being more obvious with his affection for you

His hints were pretty tame at first: an extra compliment here, a few more texts here

“You’re looking extra nice today, did you do something new with your hair?”

‘Goodnight! Have the sweetest of dreams :)’

You were flattered, sure, but in your head he was just being nice in return

He kept that pace up for a while until he couldn’t deal with it anymore

This was going agonizingly slow

So, recently, he’s been more obvious about it

He’ll bring you gifts all the time, hoping they’re meaningful enough to get his point across

It gets to the lost where you have to be more assertive with how many presents he gives you a week

“Ken, you really need to stop buying me so many things.” You scold him, though your tone is undermined by the warmth of your gaze as you look at what must be the 3rd gift box you’ve gotten in 5 days. 

“Why?” He asks, a dejected kind of look falling over his face. “Do you not like them?”

His expression and cautious words catch your attention and you let out a little smile. He’s really just the sweetest guy. ‘If only he liked me..’

“No, of course I do!” You reply, setting the present down and placing one of your (shaky) hands on his. “I’m just worried that you’re spending too much money on me.”

Miraculously, you don’t notice the way the blush rises to his cheeks or his eyes widen at your touch. Ken takes a deep breath to steady himself before stumbling through his next words.

“That’s like, impossible. You’re worth more than all my money.” He says, cringing as soon as it leaves his mouth.

A part of you, a small and repressed part of you, swoons at his statement. However, the reason i’m your mind decides that this is just another example of Ken being Ken.

You don’t see the little frown that falls back over his face when you don’t seem to get the hint.

Ken, driven by newfound motivation, starts jumping at any opportunity to hint how smitten he is with you

He’ll remember the smallest things you say and bring them up later

“The aquarium?” You inquire, looking at the building you two had just arrived at. 

Ken smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He thinks for a moment, debating whether or not to tell the truth. He decides to be totally blunt.

“Yeah. I, uh-“ He clears his throat. “You told me about that time when you were like 6 when your birthday at the aquarium got cancelled and you never really got to go back. So I just figured it could be fun or something-“

“You remembered that?” You ask again, in slight disbelief.

Ken’s a really sentimental person, you know that. But he remembers that dumb story? You must’ve told him that months ago. A blush creeps onto your cheeks.

“Of course.” He shrugs.

Obviously, you end up having a great time at the aquarium (although he got scared in the shark tunnel and you had to hold his hand)

Your one-on-one hangouts evolve from casual outings to fancy restaurants quickly

The line between hanging out and going on a date is so blurred that neither of you are quite sure which it is

Not that you’re going to bring it up

One day you go out for a walk after dinner and end up sitting on a park bench, just talking

Ken looks over at you and noticed how perfect you look in the moonlight

He’s tempted to tell you how he feels right then and there

But of course it doesn’t work out like that

“Thanks for hanging out today,” You say, brushing some of your hair out of your face.

Ken smiles in acknowledgment before clearing his throat a bit. He shifts his gaze from you, to the stars, back to you again. You can practically see his brain racing.

“No problem. It’s nice to feel so wanted.” He says softly. “I really appreciate this, by the way. That you’re willing to put so much time and care into, uh, this.”

You take a deep breath. ‘He’s just being nice. Don’t look for implications that aren’t there.’ You think to yourself. But you have to respond somehow. He’s looking at you like you handed him the world. It’s really cute.

“Of course, Ken. You know I love you,” You realize what you said quickly, eyes widening. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Ken’s never felt so disappointed in his life

He really thought that was it

He’s pretty stiff for the rest of the evening

Like everything he says is scripted

It’s really just so that he can keep it together until he gets home to think out what to do next

As soon as he drops you off, his mind starts racing

What was that?

Was he friendzoned? Was that last part a coverup? 

Regardless, he cares about you too much to potentially hurt you in any way

Even if that means backing off a little bit

So he distances himself abbot, not knowing what else to do

You realize something is off pretty quickly and walk over to his usual spot on the beach

Sure enough, he’s sitting on the sand alone, his head cradled in his hands

You approach him slowly, sitting next to him on the ground

Ken glances up as your shadow casts over him. You sit next to him, not saying anything at first. He looks… confused. There’s a glint of relief at your presence, but also a slightly guarded look that Ken never usually carries.

“Hey,” You say softly, meeting his gaze. “You okay?”

He shifts uncomfortably, his eyes betraying that he’s weighing whatever options he has in this situation in his head. Eventually, he sighs, shifting his gaze to his hands.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He says vaguely, fidgeting with his fingers. “Just trying to think I guess.”

“About?” You don’t want to press, but Ken’s almost never closed off like this. 

“You?” He says, blushing intensely. 

The two of you just sit there for a second, trying to process what effect that little comment had on the future of this conversation

He eventually works up the courage to tell you everything. From the very beginning.

He tells you what a great friend you are, and how he never wants to mess up what you already have

He starts rambling in his nervousness, trapped beneath your intense gaze

“I know you love me as a friend, and I obviously also love you as a friend. But I think I might also love you a little bit more than that, if I’m making any sense. But I totally get it if you don’t feel like that as well. I might be moving too fast. I’m sorry-“

You have to kiss him to shut him up (i know it’s cliche i’m sorry 😭)

He just stares at you after you part, his eyes wide as saucers, until a small grin sneaks onto his face

“So, is that like, an, uh-“

“An ‘I love you too’? Yes.”

You’ve never seen him smile to big

You two spend the rest of the day sitting on the beach and talking

About how you covered up your confession that day at the park

About how he thought he had to avoid you 

Hesitantly, he reaches for your hand

When you grab it back he smiles a little, turning away to hide the blush in his cheeks

[thatguywhodoesstuff]

Another Round Of J X Thad Incorrect Quotes

(I want to thank everyone for the positive reception of this post, it was really encouraging given how niche this ship is.)

———

Thad: Sometimes, I’m embarrassed to be dating J, because one time while we were in class, she yelled at the teacher and told him to shove a marker up his urethra. (Breaks down laughing)

———

J: This is a bad idea.

Thad: Then why are you coming?

J: Someone has to get your injured ass home.

———

J: (Softly) I want to kiss you.

Thad: (Turns to look at her) What?

J: I said if you die, I wont miss you!

———

J: Crushes are the worst. Whenever I’m near mine, I start acting stupid.

Thad: But you always act stupid. Wait…

J: (Sweat appears on her visor)

———

J: Relationships should be 50/50. Thad cooks me dinner, while I sit on the kitchen counter looking pretty as I supervise him.

———

Thad: You have to apologize to N, J.

J: Ugh, fine! But I have to warn you, this might make me a better, nicer person and that is NOT the person you fell in love with!

———

Thad: I want to be with you for the rest of my life.

J: Wow, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that sounds like a marriage proposal.

Thad: (Gets down on one knee) That’s because it is.

J: (Blushes aggressively)

———

Uzi: (Shyly) If I fall…

N: (Warmly) I’ll be there to catch you.

Lizzy: (Looks up from her phone) What if I fall?

V: Then I’ll fall with you.

Thad: (Turns towards J) And if I fall?

J: (Looking at a clipboard) I’ll be the one who pushed you.

———

Thad: (Infodumping about sports)

J: Ugh… Stop doing that.

Thad: (Confused) Stop doing what?

J: (Crosses her arms & looks away, lightly blushing) Saying things that make me want to kiss the hell out of you.

———

J: How… How do you ask someone out?

N: Well, first-

Uzi: Don’t listen to him, he asked me out in an underground lab cathedral.

J: …And you said yes?

Uzi: B-bite me!

(Later, after a bunch of shenanigans)

J: I’m in love with you.

Thad: Oh come on J, we called off the prank war hours ago.

J: …I know

Thad: Ah. Okay. Uh… Cool. Neat. Very cool. Cool. Cool. Coolcoolcool-

———

Thad: Could you cut me some slack, J? I’m sort of in love.

J: (Unmoved) That’s really not my problem.

Thad: (Exasperated) I’m in love with you.

J: (Blushes) Oh… Well, that kind of brings me into the loop.

———

J: My crush isn’t picking up on my hints.

Lizzy: Have you dropped any hints?

J: Well, I think about him a lot and sometimes I even think about talking to him.

Lizzy: (Gives her a look that screams “Seriously?”)

———

Thad: So… You like cats?

J: Yeah.

Thad: (Tries to impress her by slowly pushing a glass off of the table)

———

Thad: Uh… Are you trying to seduce me?

J: (Laying before Thad surrounded by candles, her tie loose and collar flared) Why, are you seducible?~

———

Thad: (Somberly) J and I are no longer dating.

J: Thad! That’s a terrible way of telling people we’re married!

Thad: (Chuckles)

———

V: Do you love Thad?

J: …Yes. I do.

V: I knew it! I told you, Uzi! You owe me 100 bucks!

Uzi: Wha-? We all love Thad! You should’ve asked if she was in love with him.

J: I thought that was implied.

Uzi: (Stares dumbfounded while handing $100 to V)

V: (Accepts the cash with a smug grin)

———

J: Goodnight to the love of my life, Thad, and fuck the rest of you.

———

N: (Trying to be supportive) Just be yourself.

J: Really? N, I have one day to win over Thad’s parents. (Turns to the rest of the group) How long did it take for you guys to like me?

Lizzy: A couple weeks.

V: Six months.

Uzi: The jury’s still out.

J: See N? “Just be yourself,” what kind of stupid advice is that!?

———

Khan: So, are you going to explain how the hell you crashed the bus?

J: Well, we were driving and there was a deer in the road, so I said “Thad, deer!”

Khan: (Casts a look at a nervous Thad, who has been silent since they made it back to the colony) …And what did Thad do?

J: …He said “Yes, honey?”

Thad: (Buries his face in his hands)

———

Thad: Do… Do you love me?

J: We are literally married.

Thad: Yeah, but as a friend or-

J: (Pulls him into a kiss) Does that answer your question?~

Thad: (Nods dreamily)

———

Uzi: (Watching the news) This sucks.

J: This is horrible.

Uzi: I know! I mean, look at today’s news.

J: What? No, it’s not that, it’s Thad.

(Uzi looks at her confused)

J: It’s just, I can’t get him out of my head and every time I look at him, I have this pain in my core, and I just know its his fault, that son of a bitch!

———

N: How is the most beautiful person in the world?

Uzi: (Blushing) I-

J: Thad is doing perfect, thanks for asking.

———

Thad: That was so hot, J.

J: I literally called the skank who just flirted with you a degenerate dog and told her I hope she gets dragged through the streets.

Thad: I am so in love with you.

———

J: My hands are cold.

Thad: Here, let me hold them.

J: (Lightly blushing) My lips are cold too.

Thad: (Covers J’s face with his hand)

———

(At 3 in the morning)

(Lizzy and V run into Thad’s room with air horns and turn on the lights)

Lizzy: Wake up sleepyhead!

Thad: (Wakes up) Ugh, dude!

(Lizzy and V laugh)

J: (Sits up from where she was sleeping behind Thad) What the fuck are you two doing?

V: (Jaw drops)

Lizzy: Wait WHAT-

(J deploys a machine gun and fires at them)

———

[idontplaytrack]

✧ Bad Rep

Olivia Benson x teen daughter reader au(sans Noah)

Warnings: typical svu episode-type of content, mentions of violence, homophobia.

In which, the squad meets reader, Captain Benson’s daughter under less than ideal circumstances.

“Benson.” With her phone held between her shoulder and ear, Olivia was looking through a case file and looking up information on her laptop. However, what she heard on the other end of the phone caused her to stop all her work.

“I’m on my way. Thank you for calling me.”

Fin was standing by her door, about to knock. “Everything okay, Liv?”

“Uh, no. I just got off the phone with y/n’s school. She got into a fight with someone.”

“Your daughter. Who’s never acted out before.” Fin stated.

“I know that, Fin.” Olivia hurriedly grabbed her coat, “It’s more than that. The school said it was because a student called her names and…hit her.”

“You want me to come with?”

“We might actually have a case.”

“We?” He asked.

“We’ll talk as we move.” Olivia sighs, rushing out of her office and hastily telling Rollins to hold down the fort for a couple hours.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you guys more when I get back.”

Fin held the elevator door open for her. She gets in, shoving her phone into her coat pocket.

Fin offers to drive and Olivia let him, knowing that she was upset so he wouldn’t let her drive anyway. “Okay, you wanna fill me in?”

“I’m betting that it’s a…hate crime.”

Took Fin a few seconds, but he got it. “Okay. y/n’s gay?”

“She came out to me a few months ago. Though she didn’t need to- I always kinda knew and I just didn’t really care. As long as she was happy, and healthy. Safe…which she isn’t, now.”

“I won’t say anything until she brings it up while we take her statement. Though, officially…”

“All clear on that, Fin. We both know how that works.” Liv exhales, leaning her head back in her seat.

————

“The guy punched me first.” You said, holding your cheek in your hand.

“I’ll need names, y/n.” Fin says.

“Names? This isn’t a police matter.”

“Ms. Allen.” Liv put her hands together as she spoke, “My daughter has never been violent with anyone. This isn’t the first time she’s gotten injured on school grounds.”

“So you’re pushing the blame on my other students?” Ms. Allen retorted.

“No one’s blindly blaming anyone. y/n who punched you?” Olivia asked.

“Jamie Morrison.” You revealed. “Today, and last month. Six weeks ago, he vandalised my locker and called me a ‘motherfucking sinner’.”

Fin was appalled, Olivia was simply at a loss for words. She had no clue what exactly went down during the previous instances, but knew that you’d gotten hurt at school.

“Did he say why?”

“What do you mean?” You bit back a scoff, “He said to leave his sister alone. All I did was go on a lunch date with his older sister Vanessa one Saturday- which she asked me out for.”

“Vanessa? The senior in your AP History class?”

“Yes, Ms. Allen. That’s her.”

“Alright.” Ms Allen nodded, “You may go, but if he does try to attack you again, report it to a teacher immediately.”

“No, no, Ms. Allen- we need to talk to the boy now.” Fin stopped her, “His sister as well.”

“Very well, then.” She sighs, calling for a staff member to get Jamie and Vanessa to the office.

“y/n, come on. I’m signing you out early.” Olivia took you by the hand to the front desk while Fin stayed behind to talk to Jamie and Vanessa Morrison. Your Mom tells you she was taking you to the doctor but you refused. But of course, she insisted and you knew she’d win. After getting checked out by a doctor and your mother learning that nothing was broken, she finally quiets down and let you drift off.

————

“Mom, please. You can go back to work, I’ll be fine.” You dropped your backpack down by the TV console after kicking your shoes off.

“I’m going to, just- wanted make sure you were settled.”

“I think I am, so please just-”

Liv got the hint, throwing her hands up in mock surrender, “Okay, I’m gonna head back to the precinct. If you want anything to eat, either call for delivery or if you want to cook - please be careful.”

“I’m alright, just have a swollen eye and cheek. I’m not dying.” You shooed her away.

She nodded, “Okay. Alright, I’m leaving. Love you, sweet girl. Get some rest.” You forced a smile and she turned to leave. The front door shut with a significant thud sound and you waited several seconds until she was out of earshot before you let the waterworks begin and curled up on the couch.

“Captain, you’re back.” Holiday noticed. Rollins looked up from the paperwork pile on her desk, “Liv. Where’s Fin?”

“Talking to a couple students at y/n’s school. She got punched earlier today and we just found out there’d been other incidents. Same student involved.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Holiday replied.

“What happened? It’s our case?” Amanda questioned.

“Yeah, and officially, I’ve got to recuse myself so let’s just wait for Fin to get back so he can fill you guys in properly because I didn’t talk to the kids- he did.”

An hour later, Fin returns to the precinct. And he immediately gave the whole squad- Liv included, everything. “y/n’s the tip of the iceberg. Vanessa’s a good kid, really likes y/n. But Jamie, the younger brother who’s in y/n homeroom, he’s had a history of violence. He’d been expelled from his old public high school in freshman year, then again the next year. Last year, he got enrolled at Willow Academy.”

“What’s his sister gotta do with this?”

“He’s been after y/n after he found out Vanessa went out on a date with her.”

“And what’s wrong with that? His sister should be able to do whatever she wants. How’s that his business.”

“Probably can’t accept his sister’s gay and likes girls. A homophobe, really.”

“Did you talk to any other students, Fin?” Liv glances at him.

“Talked to his classmates, his basketball team. All of them only had praises for him, girls said they found him cute.” Fin informed the squad, “We need to talk to his girlfriend— Nadine Skinner.”

“She wasn’t in school?”

“Don’t know. She doesn’t go to Willow Acad.” Fin shrugged, “Kid coughed up her address. Lives in midtown.”

“He’s in the system.” Holiday spoke up, “Shoplifting, assault and battery.”

“Okay, Rollins. You’re going to talk to Nadine, find out how he’s like. Then we’ll see where to go with this. “From the looks of it, its a misdemeanour.”

————

“No way he’d do that.” Nadine shook her head.

“Well, see…but he did. Multiple times over the course of the last five years. He’s violent and angry.” Rollins said.

“I’m sorry that happened to y/n but he’s never done anything to hurt me.”

Rollins was about to say something but someone came home. “Jamie.” Nadine’s eyes widened. “Hey.” He greeted, “Who’s this, babe?”

“Detective from SVU.” Nadine told him, “I can’t believe you would do something like that to that girl, Jamie.”

“It’s not worth it.”

“So you really did that?” Nadine’s mouth was agape.

“Does that matter?”

“Yeah, actually.” Nadine scoffs. “You need to go. I don’t want to be with someone like that- hurting someone innocent and claiming to be protecting your sister? Get things clear- your sister’s life isn’t your business. Who she likes doesn’t concern you as much as it does her.”

His jaw clenched as he left without saying a word.

“Do you have anymore questions, detective?”

“No, thank you for your time. If he ever comes back to bother you, call me.” Rollins handed Nadine a name card before leaving.

When Olivia returned home that evening, the house was quiet. You were asleep in your room and there was box containing half a pizza on the dining table. She’d bought your favourite banana pudding on the way home, in an attempt to lift your spirits, but she put that into the fridge and got changed before tidying up the place some.

Helping herself to a glass of red wine, she found herself in front of the TV, but it wasn’t long before you woke up. “Mom, you’re home.” You saw her sitting on the couch when you walked out from your bedroom. “Hi, baby.” She had her hand on the low of your back, “How’s the pain?”

“Bad, but I’m managing.”

Liv nodded emphatically, “I assume you already ate? I bought you banana pudding.”

“Yeah, thanks Mom.” You sat down beside her, grabbing the TV remote from the coffee table. You turned it on, subsequently squinting at the brightness of it after being in a dark room for the past…three hours. “Did you eat yet?”

“Uh, no.” She says, “I’m gonna go heat up some of that pizza you bought.”

“Mom, can I tell you something?” You interjected.

“Of course, honey.” Olivia responded as she laid out a small sheet of foil and placed two slices of the pizza on it. Sprinkling some water onto the slices, she popped them into the air fryer.

“Vanessa came by earlier to check on me. She brought the pizza, though I was about to order the same thing.”

“That’s okay. Very nice of her to do that.”

“I really like her, Mom. Jamie’s making it so difficult for us.” You fought pack the urge to sigh.

“We have a case against him, he has history- but it’s a misdemeanour according to the ADA.”

“I know- people at school know he has a history of violence and stuff. It’s not hard to find out when he’s the most popular guy in school having his name Googled every other day.” You revealed. “But what? Because Vanessa’s the ‘queen bee’, she can’t like someone who isn’t in her social circle?”

“Important thing is, Vanessa likes you. And you like her. And let me do my job to go after Jamie- it’s our job to make sure he takes responsibility for what he does.”

“He’s hit Vanessa before. Did she tell Fin that?”

“No…” Olivia bit her cheek, searching for her phone, “I’m text him.”

“She showed up to with scratches on her cheek and her jaw…it was bruised. She didn’t want to tell me, but eventually, she did. It happened after we went on our first date- he saw that I gave her a card and this cheap bracelet I made.” You explained, “Sorry, I didn’t mention this. It- I was out of it.”

“It’s okay, I get that.” Olivia assured right as the air fryer went off. “Babe, do you want the banana pudding now?”

“Sure.”

You spent the rest of the evening watching sitcom reruns with your Mom, something you absolutely cherished. It wasn’t very often she was home this early. “You wanna take tomorrow off?” She asked casually.

“Would be nice.” You shrugged.

————

“He’s given all the people he attacked, bad reps.” Liv says.

“We figured.” Holiday crosses her arms.

Carisi walks into the precinct, “We can charge him with simple assault. He faces up to a year of jail time, or if he takes a deal- community service and mandated anger management classes, therapy.”

“Did he take the deal?”

“Of course. He agreed to it before his attorney could say anything.”

Liv scoffs, “Okay, well. That’s the best we can do.”

“How’s y/n, Liv?” Rollins asked.

“She’s…fine? Had her stay home today.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Fin glances at her, “Alright, I’m gonna go get lunch- who wants what?” While squad chattered away, discussing about what to eat, you enter the precinct. Unannounced. “y/n.” Fin noticed, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. It’s lunch so I came to see if I could join mom.”

“Of course.” Liv saw you, “Hi, sweetie.”

The rest of the squad took care of you like you were their own. You were really grateful for them, and that your Mom had such great company at work. “Hi, y/n.” Rollins, Carisi and Holiday echoed one another.

“Hi, guys.”

“Okay, last call, y’all- lunch orders. Otherwise text them to me.” Fin announced. Carisi offered to tag along. And, off they went. Rollins suggested Chinese food, which the rest of you agreed on.

“So…Vanessa, huh?”

“Amanda.” Olivia chided.

“Yep.” You laughed lightly, “Anyway, Mom? Vanessa asked me out for lunch and a movie this weekend.”

“Go ahead. Have fun.”

“God, I miss being young.” Rollins sighs.

[oddballwriter]

"So I Went Out with This Guy"

Summary: You and Steven met on a dating app and went out on a date. It seemed nice by Steven is having doubts on if he did good or not after getting back home. It's by chance that he just happens to get his answer to his concerns placed at his lap. 

Warnings: It's mentioned that reader thought that Steven was going to ask to hook up, but that doesn't happen. Steven being a nervous man. Marc and Jake are there but they are honesty acting more as Steven's thoughts and play as no actual role in this. The reader is meant to be gender neutral, no mention of gender and pronouns used for them is they/them. 

Author’s Snip: This was inspired off of my scrolling through my insta reels and coming across a video of a girl talking about a date she just had.

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy!

"I'm not sure how well that went." Steven muttered to himself after walking through his flat's door and locking it behind him. "What's the matter? Didn't you say they were attractive?" Marc asked from the fold-in mirror. "They are. But- I don't know, I feel like the ending was a bit off." Steven explained as he walked over to the mirror to ponder with his headmate better, pausing for a moment at the last word to find the right word to use.

"Was it weird for me to ask them to come to my place on the first date? It sounded better when I thought about it. They said they admired my interests. I figured that it would be nice to have them come and see all my things." Steven anxiously rambled. "It was kind of forward." Marc admitted.

"Maybe they thought something was going to go on." Jake budded in in the reflection of the other side mirror. "What do you mean 'something'? We talked about my interests. That's something, isn't it?" Steven questioned. "No, no. You know, like, something was going to go on here." Jake hinted more clearly. Steven scoffed at the idea.

"Oh, Jake! Get your mind out of the gutter, will you? I would never do that! I wouldn't be such a brute that I'd try and have sex with someone on the first date!" Steven scolded. "Listen, I'm not saying that you would. But the dating scene isn't as great as you might be. Maybe they've seen enough first dates that that's something they expected you to ask for." Jake defended, "Maybe they were just waiting for the ball to drop.".

"Maybe..." Steven pondered. "Should I text them that I'm sorry if I made them uncomfortable?" he asked. "No. No, Steven. That would make it weirder." Marc suggested, "I mean what are you even going to say? "Sorry I didn't ask to have sex with you"? That sounds weird and out of no where." Marc questioned, bringing up a good point.

Steven sighed. He knew that the first date always felt off every once in a while. But he wasn't used to actually getting to have a first date so he just did what he knew and thought was good. And maybe it wasn't that bad to have you over and see his place since you had an interest in hearing about his hobbies and interests in Egyptian mythology. In all honesty, he liked you. He thought you were lovely and had a great personality, and would like to see you more. But that was him. For all he knew you could have decided that he just wasn't it for you.

It was a lot later in the night. Steven was on his phone scrolling through his only social media feed, which he only had because he wanted to see dumb memes and posts about his little interests. But at some point he came across a video.

It was a post you had made a few hours ago in which you were talking while doing what must have been your nightly routine before bed, starting right off the bat saying "So I went out with this guy," and continued from there.

"We matched on a dating app and had talked for a bit before setting up the actual date. I did see his whole profile for a bit when he came up and he seemed like a really cute guy, but I didn't really know anything more about him than what was there. We just messaged hi to each other and then I asked him when he was free." you explained. "So, we went to this cute little vegan place, cause he was vegan, and it was... nice." you say, with a pause between your last words. "Okay, that sounded like it wasn't. It was. It was really nice. The food was good. He was really sweet. But he was nervous, I could tell, even though he was trying not to be. He mentioned that he didn't go on dates a lot so maybe that's why." you clarify. "He was super sweet, though. He pulled out the chair for me and complimented me. Which I know is the bare minimum, but there was something about it that just..." you remark, doing a little fluttering gesture with your fingers where your stomach was.

"So while we, of course, talked while waiting for the waiter to come, wait for our food, and while having dinner about our hobbies and what we did. And we got on the topics of interests and I tell him mine. But, guys," you spoke before continuing.

"Okay so I asked him about any of his interests and he kind of goes on a tangent about his love for Egyptology and Egyptian mythos. And, listen, when a man starts going on a tangent and takes up most of the date time talking about said thing, I usually just nod along and hope that they stop and move on. But with him I actually listened because he just sounded so enthusiastic about it instead of the whole bragging attitude that most guys have." you explain. "But no. he was actually a really good talker with it and only really changed the subject when the waiter came back with our food and he decided to change the subject to something else since he'd been talking for a while." you praise.

You go on for a bit, just describing the whole date with little intervals where you would make a comment or remark. It felt a bit strange just seeing you talk about the date you were just on with him since you were sort of airing out what you thought and felt. Not really nitpicking. It seemed my like you were recording and posting just to be able to talk about it as you do all your routine.

"Now, you guys might judge me for this because I've mentioned before that I don't do hook ups on first dates. But at one point when we're waiting for the waiter to come back after we've paid the bill he asks, kind of out of no where, if I want to go to his place to see his collection of Egyptology stuff. Now, he didn't imply anything but I've had enough first dates with a handful of guys to know that when they ask you to come to their place, it's usually because they want some." you explain. "And I thought to myself, in that moment, am I down for it if it leads to that? And the answer was sure, if he wanted to." you defend.

So there was the answer. You were expecting him to try his cards at getting lucky tonight. But it did relieve him that you didn't actually feel pressured into doing it if he had and had come to the decision on your own consent beforehand.

"But no. He was nice and gentlemanly. He made me a cup of tea which was really sweet of him. And then after a while I left, and he actually waited outside with me for my ride, which, again, very gentlemanly of him. So..." you continue.

"I might text him and ask if he'd like to have a second date." you conclude.

"Let's go, hermano! You're all cleared for a second date!" Jake cheered in the back of their collective head. "Oh, thank goodness." Steven sighed in relief, "I thought I weirded them out too much." he commented.

"The only actual weird thing that happened," you voice in the video breaks through, causing everyone to stop their excitement. "...Was that when I ordered lentil soup as an appetizer for myself and my actual meal, he gave me this weird glance but stopped a literal second after he did it." you finish.

"I don't know what he has against bean soups but I guess if me and him become a thing I'll figure that out."

[celeste444spacey]

FAMOUS SP SCENARIOS: SINGER/RAPPER BF VERSION

Hi loves! I'm back with a fun post for 2024!

So like super long ago i did this poll for more famous sp scenarios and a lot of people voted for singer/rapper/rockstar bf scenarios.

And by popular demand, here you go! Take these scenarios and visualize to manifest your fun little fame life!

BUT PLEASE SERIOUSLY LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS IF YOU GUYS LOVE THESE POSTS IT MIGHT MOTIVATE MY BRAIN TO COME UP WITH MORE !!!!!!

OH and i might get super specific 🤭

and i'm writing a lot of scenarios for my girlies that are manifesting fame for themselves too! So keep in mind you might also be famous in some of these scenarios.

SINGER/RAPPER BF SCENARIOS

Your sp posts a picture of some woman's silhouette as the cover of his new single on his story and fans are quick to point out that it is actually you and trace it back to a rare image from one of your photoshoots

Your sp hires someone who looks so much like you, if not, EXACTLY like you for his music video ( the weeknd save your tears inspired)

You guys hang out at his studio one night and you guys have so much fun laughing all the freaking time and you say something super funny and your boyfriend samples it in one of his songs.

Your bf makes a whole another insta for his photography and 90% of them are just candids of you

You become his muse long before you guys even date. He drops hints about you in his songs/raps. For eg: references from your movie ( actress manifestation girlies), references from your iconic songs (singer girlies) or even just about your looks ( model girlies can use this too!)

You guys release a song together and release a music video and it goes viral everywhere and your sexual tension in the video drives everyone craaaazyyyy (señorita inspired)

You guys are nominated for the same award at an award show (beyoncé and jay z inspired)

You are at one of his concerts in the front row and while he is singing a song that's about you he brings you onto the stage and by the end of the bridge of his song you guys are both at the centre of the stage and as soon as the bridge ends he kisses you (for us attention wh0res).

He releases a song with your middle name being the title ( if u don't have a middle name, just a word everyone associates you with)

You guys write the most heartbreaking song for no freaking reason (taylor swift- joe alwyn inspired)

WELL THATS IT!

HAVE FUN AND PLEASE DO LEAVE COMMENTS CAUSE I WANNA SEE WHAT U GUYS THINK

XOXO

[maleyanderecafe]

Gentle Fall (Visual Novel)

Created by: Isa, Isa

Genre: Romance

This one was submitted to the #yanjam a while ago. It's pretty short with hints of yanderes, but I will say I really think the art looks really nice. It's very soft looking and really does remind me of a fall whether. That being said though, there's currently not a whole lot on it, only doing about two days or so. You can find more of their games and stories at @isattt.

The story starts with the MC (nicknamed "Person") going to college to study medicine. While going into the lecture hall, she ends up seeing another student there named Chester. While the two of them talk about their hobbies and lives, the other students come in. The two are paired up to work in the lab, but when the MC leaves, they realize that they've left their jacket in the lab. When going back, they find that Chester has left his notebook on the chair, and the MC decides to bring it back for him tomorrow. While studying and waiting for Chester the next day, the MC accidentally drops the notebook onto the floor, revealing a schedule. Looking at it for a bit, the notebook seems to mark times of the MC's own morning schedule, but is snatched by Chester before they can get a good look at it. The MC pretends to have not had a good look at it when Chester asks, but feels uneasy at what they've seen. During their lab, the professor reveals that Chester will be the new aid, and the two go to a cafe to get to know each other. The MC asks about the notebook, and Chester apologizes for coming off as creepy.

First off, I have to say that the artwork for this is really pretty. I like the more cozy atmosphere the game has and the general backgrounds are really well made. I am a huge fan of unique UIs and I really like how Gentle Fall's UI looks. It's pretty simple but it's gentle and it really does bring out the more softer and warm tones of what Autumn is idealized like, which I feel is a big theme of this game. It is interesting that there is a pretty strong lack of sound, but again, I'm not sure that's because of the state of the demo or if it's because that's the kind of feel that its going for. It is also fun when you can choose what personality the MC has (to a certain extent) since different responses might trigger different things that Chester might say. Platonic and Romantic routes also seem to be a fun plus to the game.

Because this is a demo, Chester as a yandere is very very minimal, mostly it seems so far that Chester has been tracking down what the MC has been doing and that's about it. From what I can tell, he's the type that is generally very soft and will do anything that the MC wants him to do, so if you play to be a bit meaner to him, he will likely sacrifice himself to you. That is at least what I'm getting from her tumblr, but it is a bit difficult to ask since currently not too much happens in the demo as of now. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, some games or characters works better with a more light yandere character, it just means that there wouldn't be as much to talk about for me when writing these recommendations. Again, not a bad thing, just something that I might need to clarify.

Anywho, Isa has another game that I will likely play in the future as well featuring the maid girl who was the cashier in the cafe. And spreading the love of glasses boys, which you go, Isa. Anyways, if you like the more lighter style of yanderes, please check it out.

[alwaysonlineau]

hi! welcome to the always online au!

for anyone who was into the hype of parkner back in late 2019/the early quarantine days, this might be a little bit familiar to you. basically, this is a social media au for marvel that i created when getting into parkner and thompsborn and when one of the main wlw ships was mj/shuri. it consisted of screenshots of (obviously fake) social media accounts (mainly twitter) of some of the marvel characters and it was mostly shitposting with a tiny hint of a plot. however, because of the mental health kick that came with quarantine, i ended up deleting the account while in a depression drop.

it’s been over 3 years and i honestly miss making this au, as it was just fun and gave me something to do, and a few days ago i realized that i still have the apps i used when i originally made this au and all of the fake tweets and messages were still on them, so… well.

basically, i decided to bring it back!

so, if you don’t remember or never saw this au when it was originally happening, you might have some questions! under the cut is a very basic q&a:

what is the always online au about?

nothing! also everything! like i said, it was entirely a shitpost account that very vaguely had a plot, but it was 100% just something i did in my free time for fun!

it’s essentially me throwing my sense of humor in a box with ships and characters that i like and then violently shaking it until something that i find funny comes out and then i would post it !!

ships and characters? which ones?

like i mentioned above, i made this during like the late 2019-2020 era of parkner hype, so, obviously, it was mainly parkner (peter parker/harley keener) BUT it also features many other marvel ships! i am going to be changing the ships up a bit to better match my current preferences. i’ll include a list of ships below this paragraph, but first, this is also going to include PLENTY of platonic/familial dynamics as well! so if you love stucky, sorry they aren’t dating in this but they are obviously besties, and there’s irondad, stuff like that, okay? i’ll try to include it all!

ships:

parkner (peter parker/harley keener)

ironhusbands (tony stark/james rhodes)

gwemj (gwen stacy/michelle jones)

peppermay (pepper potts/may parker)

sambucky (sam wilson/bucky barnes)

thompsborn (harry osborn/flash thompson)

nedbetty (ned leeds/betty brant)

thorbruce (thor/bruce banner)

and more that i will add to this list as i figure them out! suggestions are more than welcome!

characters include everyone in the above mentioned ships (obviously lol) as well as any and all marvel/mcu characters that feel relevant to include! such as:

happy hogan

shuri

t’challa

the guardians of the galaxy

matt, foggy and karen from daredevil

funny accounts for villains

norman osborn (ew)

loki (and maybe mobius? maybe include that ship too? i haven’t watched loki season 2 yet so we’ll see i guess lmao)

and more! again, i am open to suggestions!

if anyone has ideas for characters, ships, or dynamics to include, feel free to message me or send an ask!!

how often should i expect updates?

that one is kind of tricky, because i am an adult with a full time job who is also balancing hobbies and family and everything all at the same time. this is something that i’ll try to work on during my free time, and when i did this before it wasn’t hard to make updates once i figured out what i wanted to do for them, but still, my free time kind of depends on the day and the week.

i’m not going to commit to a strict schedule, but i don’t work weekends so my goal is to update every weekend! if i miss a weekend, i’ll try to get it posted during the week, and if i have a week with extra free time, i’ll do some additional posts as well.

i’ll do my best to be regular with it!!

anything else i should know?

yes! this is an ongoing creative project that i’m doing for fun, and i want it to be fun for anyone and everyone who may come across it! that means i want it to be interactive!! this is something i did before, as well.

for instance, when i was running this au in 2019/2020, someone sent an ask wanting to see harley finding out about the vulture after him and peter start dating, so i answered the ask with this:

obviously this au isn’t picking up from where the old one left off, so those tweets are not considered canon to the current always online au, BUT that’s just an example! i want people to feel free to send in asks and questions for the characters or for situations, and i will do my best to make it fit into the canon of the au!!

i think that’s it?

if anyone has any additional questions, comments, or concerns they would like me to address, feel free to send them in! i’m going to try to get the first update of this au posted today (october 17, 2023) but no promises! if not today, it WILL be up tomorrow!

once the official au is being posted, i’m also going to create a pinned post that links to this one as well as all the au updates and anything else necessary to include (like the tagging system i’m going to create and things like that) so that will be posted shortly after the first update is out! for now, thank you for reading!

i hope to see you guys always online ;)

[familylightfox]

@reflections-of-mobius asked:

There was a soft glance between emerald and hazel, a moment of doubt solidified only in that the two would be approaching this together. They breathed in, a collective soft inhale as they turned their attention towards the door of the inn. The sun's rays were high overhead, illuminating the world in bright hues.

But the two mobians couldn't help but be nervous- they had up and disappeared months ago, the only warning they'd given that they'd be back in due time... But it had been so long. Cautiously, each reached out a hand- the usual sight failing to bring chuckles to the tired couple's muzzles, this time. They jointly knocked on the inn door, waiting for it to open as soft smiles finally, finally dawned on their faces.

"Been a while!...sorry about that, guys.." Bless chuckled quietly, scratching at the back of his head with an apologetic smile. He couldn't hide his tail that had slowly begun to wag back and forth. Call him hopeful, but he'd missed the two a lot- and even seeing their faces after so much work made it all worth it.

"...hope you don't mind we dropped by?" Node tilted their head slightly, an ear flicking slightly back. "How've you guys been?" They weren't sure what to expect- and that made them just a hint nervous (who were they kidding, they were a bundle of nerves).

The two had already agreed that, if this went well... They'd have to find some way to make it up to the hybrid and his daughter- but that would be a hurdle for the future. Right now... They just wanted to reconnect, after so much time away. However the two hybrids reacted... The couple would accept it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was always an odd look given to the door whenever someone knocked. The Inn was always open to anyone and almost everyone that came to the village knew to just walk right in, but the knock was familiar. So was the energy behind it.

Volt knew that energy by heart, held it within his heart if one looked close enough, and quickly came around the counter in order to open the double doors. The instant his eyes looked upon those familiar faces, his arms were spread and both of them were pulled in for a tight hug. He took turns on who was getting the bulk of his cheek rubbing against theirs and also snuck a few kisses where he could while they spoke.

"As if I would ever be mad 'bout you comin' t' visit." Words were so easily muddled by the deep rumbling purr that had settled into his throat, but what might not have been conveyed in words, certainly were in his actions. A small gathering of tears had formed in the corner of his eyes upon being reunited with the two Mobians who held his heart.

"Bless! Node!" Harmony's call came from behind the pair, having been just making her way home from picking up supplies in the market. While she wasn't willing to dump the packages in her arms, a pep in her step allowed the teen to close the space and set it all onto the porch first.

A moment later and Volt laughed as his daughter lifted all three adults into the air to give her own hugs.

"Daddy and I missed ya so much! Where ya been? Ya gotta tell us all about whatcha been up t'!" Already her thoughts were going a mile a minute, needing to be tapped on the arm by her father's fingers to pause long enough for him to get a word in edgewise.

"Pumpkin... I'm sure they'll be more than happy t'... On their feet."

"Huh?" Emerald eyes blinked, pink suddenly crossing the powder blue muzzle. "Ooops..."

Harmony set them down, backing up with a wag of her tail while also scratching at the back of her neck. It was easy to see that she would have been more than willing to dive right back in for hugs the second she was given a chance.

[irenadel]

I've probably fucked up something, no beta we die like suicidal teenagers, set after the fateful murder/suicide of “The Only Man In The Sky", slow burn still, like really slow, now definitely fix -it, really weird fluff, there will be smut at some point, but we have to contend with Homelander being emotionally stuck at kindergartener, Homelander-has-a-friend

Chapter 1. That she, dear she, might take some pleasure of my pain Chapter 2. We sat grown quiet at the name of love Chapter 4. She rose to his requirement, dropped the playthings of her life.

Pygmalion

Chapter 3. He touched me, so I live to know that such a day, permitted so

It had been a GLORIOUS day! A day like all days should always be for Homelander. He was back in the game, back in control, back in a position to fight. And by GOD, it felt good! To be finally understood (worshiped) for who he truly was! it had been the script that was wrong all along, the fucking false humility, the groveling for approval from the people who belonged to him by rights.

But not anymore. Ninety-eight percent! And that was just the start!

But he couldn’t afford to be idle, oh no siree. He would grab his chance with both hands and ensure his new reign was here to stay. And towards that end he had been working nonstop all day, preparing for the eventual, pathetic little mutinies from his pathetic little crew. Futile of course. But young girls like Starlight needed DISCIPLINE, needed to be put in their places whenever they should start to test boundaries.

And wasn’t he just exactly in his element when dealing with unruly young things? He’d mused while perfunctorily removing his gloves and preparing at last for a long, well-earned rest in his rooms. But laying on the couch, letting his eyes slide over the empty rich furnishing, just like any other empty rich furnishing in Vought Tower, he was… discontented suddenly. Restless. Disinclined to turn any of the massive screens in his rooms on, disinclined to call any of a number of faceless underlings he could bully for a little. Not even the siren song of old comfort could convince him to maybe put on one of his old movies and let it lull him to sleep.

Drawn as if by a gravity all its own, his eyes fell upon the only cheap, ordinary thing in his room. You had given it to him a couple of days ago, before his fateful speech had aired. Just a little plastic Homelander doll which you had found somewhere in your equally cheap neighborhood. You had grown up with dolls like those, you had told him. Luchadores, you had called them, but this one had the Homelander colors and cape. You thought he would get a kick out of it.

He touched it now, feeling the badly finished plastic, flaking paint, so unlike the smooth, solid official Vought merchandise. But he smiled at it now, would have laughed to himself, except it suddenly occurred to him how he had never gone to you on a good day. Not that he needed your unbearably sentimental whining on a good day… But he could afford to bring you some small measure of his extraordinary success today. Let you bask a little in it, help you brighten your dreary little life.

Yes, he could do that, no problem. Instead of sitting here waiting for some underling to fuck up his well laid plans. Let the company handle itself a bit without him. He was entitled to a little time off! It was bound to be more interesting

***

Except it was not. You hadn’t been in your apartment when Homelander got there, even though the lights had been on. He had been so annoyed it had taken him one broken window to check the inside and half an hour of hovering sulkily outside your room before he’d gotten the barest hint of your voice wafting to him from street level.

You’d have some EXPLAINING to do! This sort of thing was just UNACCEPTABLE. It did not help his mood at all when he heard you laughing as he approached, casually sitting on the sidewalk as if you had no other responsibilities or cares in the world.

“Ladies,” he says icily as he drops to the ground in between you and your roommate, delighting in how quickly you jump to your feet at the sight of him.

You have the decency to look guilty at least, sheepish to be caught waiting outside your own building because the ELEVATOR of all things was being repaired and the two of you, helpless little creatures that you were, could not make it upstairs with your roommate’s wheelchair and the laundry. He decides then and there to put Ashley on the case and get you a phone or a beeper or something he could reach you with, because delays like this were unacceptable. She could fix the laundry and elevator situation while she was at it, he assured you as you tried to explain that no one in New York City had a live in washing machine and that elevators just get old sometimes, but he quiets you with a warning look and finds himself even more irritated at your unease. Deference, Homelander had decided, was fine. But your fear was more annoying (painful) than it was worth.

You gape comically at him when he grumpily picks up your roommate, chair and all, and leaps into the sky. And it is only when he looks back at you that some of the elation of the day returns. Because you are smiling, wide and open in unaffected wonder, curly hair coming undone in the breeze he’s left behind. He drinks it up, not having realized before how parched he’d been for it: your joy and awe of him. He can’t help but show off a little in his flying but even your roommate throwing up on midflight is not enough to ruin the moment.

***

You’ve washed his cape in your sink and hung it out to dry but you do not look delighted anymore as he explains his newest triumph, his realization! That he’d just needed to BE HIMSELF all along. That it was everyone else trying to CONTROL him that had been wrong! But your expression, again that damnable (glorious) concern of yours, does not reflect his 98 per cent back to him. Even Ashley had been better at this! You’d seen the speech! You knew how much this mattered to him! It wasn’t fair of you to sit down slowly, suddenly pale and worried, chewing on your lip, your heartbeat frantic, the cheap bar of soap you’d use on his cape still clutched in one hand (a milder oatmeal, still cheap, but more sweetly creamy and nutty, since he’d complained about the cloying vanilla you’d used before. (In the weeks to come he’ll keep this cape stuffed in a drawer unwilling to admit why to himself. The cleaner who washes it will be in the hospital for a fortnight, with a concussion and two broken ribs.)

You seem to stop for a moment as if gathering yourself… preparing yourself to LIE and Homelander doesn’t think he could take it if you did.

“Aren’t you happy for me?” he hisses behind a smile (a grimace) that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. And he would have tugged at your arm, maybe even jerked it out of place entirely if you hadn’t touched him again and held his eyes, no fear there, not quite, just that insidious concern.

“I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right. Please sit down, I don’t wanna fuck up cause I don’t know what I’m saying.”

You sound nervous and tense (like Madelyn) and he is about to be furious but you don’t move away from him. You sit him down on your ugly, beaten up couch and you hold his hand and he finds his eyes glued to the place where your hands meet, burning him like a brand, his gloves off for once, drying with his cape.

“You always wanna be happy when good things happen to a friend” — friend! you dared! the nerve of you to say it (he wants you to never stop) — “And I am. I want you to have as many happy moments as you can because… because what worries me is that you just had a,” you close your eyes and squeeze his hand and he feels it to the tip of each America-encased foot “A horrible thing happened to you. And I want you to be able to forget that for however long you can but I’m afraid.”

And if he’s done with Vought he should be done with you, all you small creatures and your damnable fears but you still don’t look afraid of him. You look at him like you understand things about himself he can’t even begin to fathom and he hates it (loves it) but lets you continue because this is what he came here for today, to hear your stupid, ignorant voice tell him it would be alright.

“I’m afraid that grief… is vast… and deceitful. And that it will sneak up on you when you are alone and I—“ you catch yourself in time. “And no one is there to grieve with you.”

And the maniac grin which has not left Homelander’s face the entire visit doesn’t vanish but it falters, it holds in a broken gasp, and re-arranges itself like a shield, because he IS happy dammit and you ARE right, friends (friends!) should be happy for one another.

“Right now,” he tells you, losing the smile to the patronizing, slightly exasperated expression of a kindergarten teacher solemnly explaining colors and shapes for the last time. He grabs your face a tad too forcefully if for nothing else then at least to escape the agonizing pressure of your own comforting hold. “I need you to be happy for me. No, no, no. I won’t hear it. I came here to celebrate and by golly that’s what I’ll do.”

He expects you to argue your point, he expects you to try (like everyone else) to tell him what to do but you just smile (tired, infinitely tired) and guide him off the couch (and he lets you giddily, ecstatically).

“Then let’s do that! Pizza or Chinese?”

Naturally it’s good, old-fashioned burgers with extra large milkshakes and fries. But you make them for him in your dingy little stove. You give him an onion and tomatoes to wash before he can think to protest though. And he feels himself grow smaller (younger) as if to accommodate the smallness of your little life and your little kitchen. It comes as a surprise to him how cozy (sheltered, soothing) it feels to be this small suddenly, to be told to do simple things to accomplish a simple task in a friendly, sweet voice. A hazy memory of putting stars and squares and circles in appropriately shaped containers surfaces briefly but even the dewy glow of that accomplishment pales in comparison to being told to get the blender from the high shelf and the herbs from the fridge, being asked if sweet potato fries are fine and if he’s ever tasted mamey or nopales before.

And he finds himself flattered by the attention, in a way no amount of gourmet chefs could ever replicate, maybe because you give him a taste of each thing the moment you realize together (together!) that his spice tolerance is not terribly high. He is thrilled to discover, in morsels offered by your tiny hands, that nopalitos (stewed cacti leaves) are slimy but good as long as the onion is pickled and not raw and that mamey is a sweet and creamy fruit that makes strange but delicious milkshakes even when the vanilla you use is the artificial overpowering stuff from supermarkets. He feels it in the pit of his stomach like the first time he flew when you wipe the foamy pink liquid with your thumb from the corner of his lips and look away guiltily, caught too nakedly crossing a boundary that has not even been stated yet. He will think about it later, in the dead of night, and be on the verge of accepting this one hunger for you but find himself too lost in all the other little ones you have sated.

Because you absently give him a sprig of cilantro to try, and when he makes a face at you, you smile and put the herb back in the fridge and tell him casually, unthinkingly, blissfully unaware of the gift you’re giving him…

“You know cilantro tastes like soap to a lot of people? It’s genetic.”

“Genetic?”

“Yeah! Maybe that’s why you never had it before, one of your parents must not have liked it.”

You’ll never know what those words do to him, or how they change the world for him, how stupidly, sentimentally he holds them to his heart. One of his parents… the first thing he knows about them that doesn’t come from a lab report, that isn’t relevant to his performance, to his powers. Cilantro tastes like soap for him and one of his parents. He is an idiot, a sentimental, weepy fool. But he pulls you into his arms and holds you there without a single word, feeling your heart beat madly against his own body, feeling you cling to him hesitantly, nervously, not understanding that it’s because you want it so much that the fear of having it is almost greater than the joy.

Because if he had known this he would have consumed you then and there. He would have had you, needed you and never been able to let you go again. But you step away from him, afraid of your own desperate want and look away trying to gloss over your embarrassment. You give him an out because he is breathing hard, bewildered and half ashamed himself. He takes the food from your hands and follows you to sit on that makeshift thing you call a living room.

He eats slowly, paying attention to every bite, fixing it in his memory, the strangeness and sweetness of it. Burgers like he’s never had before, with cacti leaves on top, fries that don’t taste quite right. And you break the tension by snorting around a mouthful of them because they really do taste weird and you laugh at yourself, freely and lightly in a way he doesn’t understand but envies deeply. They would have been better, you tell him, if you’d been allowed the full run of your spice cabinet and he snorts himself. Sure, he says, and smiles back at you, relieved he can go back to teasing you about your hippie lifestyle, with cacti leaves and the wrong kind of potatoes. He is relieved because Homelander doesn’t know what he would have done if you hadn’t laughed at yourself. He doesn’t know what he’ll do now because all he feels is that same, overwhelming urge to hold and crush and never let go he used to feel at ten, when shown any tiny morsel of attention or kindness in the lab. And he hates that part of himself, despises it for weakness, for the raw, bleeding memory of Madelyn it conjures and in a way he hates you a bit for it, for having called it forward and fed it with your presence and your small life and your odd food. But he also feels drunk on it, generous and expansive, like he wishes to give you something, something no one else can give you, something you’ll remember above all else.

And he smiles around a mouthful of delicious, weird burger, devious like a grade school prankster. Because he knows exactly what he wishes to give you, at the thought of your awed, joyous face looking up at him.

***

You play coy about it though in the end he gets you to admit it, coaxing and teasing, that you don’t want to sound QUITE so much like his typical fangirl. And it is his turn to laugh at you as he scoops you in his arms in a way that makes a lifetime of weight self-consciousness vanish. Because why would you not want what everyone else dreams of and only he has? (When he’d first joined the Seven Madelyn had auctioned a flight with the young Homelander for charity. The winner was a pretty redhead in stilettos who he proceeded to fuck in her penthouse suite. He could not recall her name but had never forgotten that first lesson). And he’d seen it in your breathless expression this evening, somehow perceiving the girl who loved rollercoasters and the terrifying fall from diving platforms. A girl who could afford Coney Island but not paragliding, a girl with pictures of dragons poised in flight on the walls of her bedroom.

You close your eyes at first and he is almost disappointed in you, but in the furrow of your brows and your shuddering breaths he sees the awe of intense concentration. Like you are trying to fix the wind and the night sky and the exhilaration in your mind. But that won’t do, he thinks, smiling wickedly. Oh no, that won’t do at all. He tosses you high above him and smiles so widely it hurts when he hears your scream turn into laughter, not of amusement but pure, unadulterated JOY. He swoops to catch you and tosses you into the open sky, this time watching your arms unfold, reaching for the low hanging clouds above you. Your arms stay outstretched as he catches you again, urging him higher, faster, above and below NYC’s gray-tinged canopy of clouds.

Inspiration strikes him and he smirks at you (trying but failing to contain his own delight).

“Want to try something else?” he shouts through the deafening roar of the wind. He can only hear your scream of assent because he IS the Homelander, though you will be too hoarse to speak in class tomorrow.

You aren’t anywhere near as strong as Maeve but when he dangles you below him, his arms supporting your own, he feels you brace yourself even as he perceives your terror in the sour-sweet quality of your perspiration and the shuddering of your quickening breath. (And if his chest swells with pride at your determination, if he holds you closer for no other purpose than to feel the warmth of your body, can he really be blamed?) Your feet hit the water of the Central Park Lake and you lose one flat in the white spray. The other is ruined beyond repair, but Homelander can see you don’t give a damn and rewards you with a tour of the lake at breakneck speed. You scream again and laugh hysterically, so happy it‘s agony. When he can stand it no more, he turns you around to face him with another toss into the air and you half think you’ll lose your dinner like your roommate did, as you feel yourself spin weightless and anchorless. But Homelander catches you, almost too late (and you suspect on purpose), gently hovering right above the surface of the water.

He was unprepared for your shivering body in his arms. You are drenched in your skirt and t-shirt and Homelander thinks you’ll stop making fun of his watertight leather after today. You still smile like a madwoman but your skin is clammy and the cool night air has turned your cheeks rosy and your lips pink, your thin t-shirt clinging to breasts that upon second glance are more than generous. Beneath the gentle light of the moon he almost finds you pretty.

The way you look at him tugs at something inside him he cannot name and he feels a strange, insistent urge to take your hair into his gloved hand and squeeze the water from it. He is distantly aware he is half-hard in his pants and that only the bulk of your skirts has kept this from you. (He will pay it no mind, the occurrence of it not being unusual in the infrequent pleasure flights he has taken before)

He takes off his cape for you and drapes it across your shoulders (naturally). Would have carried you bridal style through all of central park but you throw your remaining shoe in a trashcan and insist you are perfectly capable of walking barefoot and enjoy the grass between your toes. (And if there is a downcast tilt to your head, if you seem disappointed somehow, he will stubbornly refuse to acknowledge it, for what could be disappointing about HIM?)

So you sit together beside the lake and he is suddenly unsure of where to put his hands or where to look, a feeling that he barely recalls from his younger heroing days.

“I’ll never forget today,” you say after a while. “Thank you.”

Ah, there it is again, the pleasant thunderous warmth of your regard singing through his blood. He smiles at you, almost impossibly smug, preening (part of him poised to hear you praise him as a “good boy”). He can’t help but tease you back a little.

“You can tell all your friends that your favorite hero took you out for a midnight stroll.”

He watches you snuggle into his cape a bit and somehow it feels nearly intimate to him. He startles at your impish smile though and is caught entirely by surprise when you respond. “Oh, who said you’re my favorite?”

His own smile vanishes from his face almost instantly. You must be joking, and he informs you immediately of it, unable to keep his tone even the slightest bit casual.

“The look on your face,” you answer and then have the audacity to laugh. He can feel himself grit his teeth and clench his hands into fists and tries to force a smile that seems more like a grimace.

“Should’ve expected it from you,” he hisses back, trying to sound nonchalant, trying to roll his eyes at you. “No taste really. Can’t even make a fucking burger. It’s the Deep, isn’t it? The granola crowd loves that idiot.”

And it is much, much worse that you refuse to be cowed by his exasperation or his patronizing indulgence.

“Nope!” You say cheerfully. “Albeit 9 year old me would have LOVED talking to dolphins, I must sadly admit his whole business with Starlight just soured me on any pirate fantasies there.”

Of course! Of course you would love that little two-faced bitch Starlight! (That he feels a rush of relief at the thought of your favorite being merely that silly girl he now views as an extension of himself is best left unexamined) You really DO have the worst taste, he thinks while he stands and prepares to walk away. (Will never admit that he is hoping you will follow and you do). If you were going to go all women’s liberation on him you might as well do it right.

“Really?” He sneers, enjoying your struggle to keep pace with him. “I would have thought you’d be one of the new Queen Maeve fans. You’ve got that… alternative look about you.”

And he is pleased to hear you suck in a breath and stop, knowing the change in your scent and your breathing signals he’s managed to land a blow. But you are maddeningly apt at brushing it off, despite the hurt in your voice.

“I mean, if you got yourself a sword and a pair of gauntlets I’d be all over that. But no, my roommate is the Queen Maeve fan.”

“...is it Noir?”

He stares at you dumbfounded and you are tempted to edge him on, but decide against it

“You’re fishing now and no, Noir isn’t my favorite. I.. don’t really have a favorite. I wasn’t ever that big on superhero content. I mean I like the fictional aspect but I rarely have time to keep up with all the movies anymore and… it always gave me the creeps… a little.”

He stops in his tracks and turns on you faster than a striking snake, unable to keep the outrage from his face anymore… or the hurt.

“I’m sorry! I mean it isn’t like that! I didn’t mean it that way! What I was trying to say is… Look you’re REAL people, not just characters in a story and it felt too much like prying into someone’s life. It felt like looking at badly-written versions of yourselves… it felt like I was interrupting your private lives…”

That took him aback, mollified him a bit even. He remembered your concern for the cameras following him, your insistence that he come to your home only in the greatest of secrecy. He had found it incomprehensible but now he could clear up this terrible misunderstanding.

“You are so squeamish!” He said, clicking his tongue in exasperation. “We don’t fucking care! You know how it is, anything for the fans!” And he added, trying to keep the cajoling from his voice, trying to return to a lighter, more conspiratorial tone: “I don’t mind you admiring me. God knows you need the role model!”

You laugh with him and shake your head, bumping into him on purpose and staying there, walking side by side. The smile on his face seems more real this time, a hint of canines to it that you had learned, surfaced only when he was being extra friendly.

“Oh I hated your character! Just really despised him. Someone in the script was always trying to make him look too perfect and those sorts of characters are always… uncomfortable to watch. They are embarrassing, kinda reflective of the writer’s own moral blindspots…”

He gaped at you, a rage he had thought gone threatening to force its way out. What did YOu know about this? Why did you think he should even CARE? He had written some of those lines himself because he knew what the people wanted (what YOU wanted) better than they knew themselves. His 98 per cent should have been proof enough. He clenched his fists by his side to keep from reaching for your neck, from trying to teach you a lesson then and there (did not know why he bothered, refused to remember the deep shame of that first time he had laid hands on you). Really, the sheer ignorance in your—

“But I lied. It is you. Now that I know you personally, I like you SO MUCH better than in your movies.” You spoke completely unaware of how close you had come to destruction, leaving him speechless as you walked beside him. “You see, they took out all the good bits. Your temper and your bullheadedness. That you’re earnest and as backwards and set in your ways as you are charmingly old-fashioned. They forgot how that makes you a little bit of a dweeb sometimes and even a little twisted in some ways. How you’re arrogant and self-centered and patronizing… but you listen, really listen IF you’re interested. And you don’t know how rare that is. You’re loyal and devoted, and sometimes that comes off as needy. But that just means you’re ride or die even when maybe you shouldn’t be.”

You chewed your lip, still clutching his cape around your shoulders.

“If I were writing you…” you say, eyes fixed on the ground and your naked feet. “I would have left all of that in. I don’t know if you’re my favorite hero… but you’re certainly one of my favorite people.”

He stops in his tracks and you follow suit, not wanting to look back, certain somehow that you have overplayed your cards and truly wounded him. His voice when he speaks at last is soft, infinitely gentler than you have ever heard it be. “What would you do? If you were writing me.”

You do turn to face him then and he surprises himself as much as you by cupping your cheeks in his hands. He will never know what he looks like to you in that moment: sweet and boyish and almost heartbreakingly hopeful.

He can sense your fear in the sudden racing of your heartbeat. And however much pleasure he might have gotten from kowtowing and obeisance before, right now, he nearly prays that you will refuse to appease him.

“I’d write you scared.” You do not disappoint. “ I’d write you angry and insecure. A man burdened with enormous responsibility that he scarce knows how to bear. I think… I think the struggle would be very beautiful to see.”

He curls his lip at you, half rage, half indescribable need, the tension in his jaw revealing the emotion he is fighting so hard to contain. He doesn’t know what he wants to do to you now, but it feels disturbingly like kinship and part of him wants to crush it immediately.

“That’s not me. I’m perfect,” he says in that soft gentle voice he barely recognizes as his own. “I don’t struggle.”

You smile at him, and this time he feels almost embarrassed by that knowing, longing look of yours. He feels like he used to whenever he had not prepared for a test Vogelbaum had told him would be coming up.

“I’d write you saying that too.”

And he smiles back at you, in spite of himself, he smiles trying to downplay its importance, to make light of your face in his hands, his thumbs nearly brushing your lips.

“Better make Supersonic your favorite,” he says mockingly, hoping to laugh away the overpowering pang of need he feels all of a sudden. “I heard he’s all the rage with bratty young ladies who don’t know their place.”

He likes the blush on your cheeks and how you look away from him. Likes the tension in your body like you are stopping yourself from doing something. 

“No way. He looks so much like half my cousins, it’d be practically incest. And fool is making us all look bad by letting you guys put him in that fake ass Puerto Rican flag. He’s nearly as bad as you.”

Homelander blinks once, twice, and tilts his head, bemused.

“Come again?”

“I meeeeean… present attire notwithstanding, you don’t see me walking around draped in the Mexican flag.”

“You’re…” he takes a too careful pause, as if looking for the polite term. “Mexican-American?”

“No,” And for a second he doesn’t know how to feel (relieved) before you confidently add. “I’m Mexican, born and raised in Mexico City. I’m just studying my masters here.”

He makes a face, not quite displeased but edging there, and proceeds to argue his point.

“But… you don’t look Mexican! You have that patch of the American flag you love so much. And those John Wayne movies and the NASA pin…”

“It says ‘serial killer’ underneath that flag! And I love Westerns since I researched them for a graphic novel I wrote. AND I just fed you nopales for crying out loud!”

He feels almost betrayed.

“But you speak American so well!”

He knows immediately that he’s made a mistake somewhere, feels almost wounded when you pull away and continue walking along the lake.

“I love this country. It’s made so many things that are important to me. Books and movies and comics…the language I write in. It just… doesn’t always love me back,” you admit so quietly that if he wasn’t Homelander he might not have heard you. “I’m happy about Supersonic, it does matter, that he’s out there, looking like he does and making it big. But honestly? I’m not holding out hope for his future.”

He feels his old childish, defiant anger flare up and crosses the space between you. When he grabs your shoulders to turn you around to face him you feel alarmed, bordering on scared. But all he does is hold you painfully tight with one hand as he lifts your chin up with the other.

He makes you look directly at him before he assures you, oozing confidence, almost smiling, almost cruel.

“You are forgetting one important thing. I am the Homelander. If that kid of yours can cut it in the Seven,” he says magnanimously. “I will personally make sure he gets a fair shake.”

You know nothing of his feud with Starlight, or the debts of blood between them. You are unaware of any reason why he might have plans for Supersonic or any other supe of your shared background out there. But you DO know and remember Stormfront and how bad things were getting when they teamed up. You can’t stop the prickling of unshed tears, or how touched you feel, how weirdly grateful for his interference in an event you had, some days ago, not even given much importance to.

“No wonder you’re my favorite,” you say trying to hide your watery eyes.

[kochanski]

Okay here since we're posting fic here's a snippet of an abandoned rimster mpreg/breeding kink/whatever wip But Not The Way You Think (rated E but I just. never wrote the actual sex part oops just the leadup)

"Look at you," Rimmer said, arms crossed, eyes narrow. "Lazing about again, are we? Reading our softcore superhero pornography?"

"So what?" Lister draped the comic book over his face, letting out a sigh harsh enough to flutter the pages. "There's nothing to do, Rimmer, absolutely nothing that needs done. No reason for you to come an' bother me, alright?"

"Sure there is. We need to take inventory of the last of our supplies, for one."

"Did that yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that."

"Oh. Well, the navicomp needs to be recalibrated-"

"Again? We did that five hours ago!"

"Well, if you just keep sitting there like a bump on a log, you'll get pudgier than you already are," Rimmer snapped. "You look like you're carrying another Jim and Bexley."

Again? This was maybe the eighth time Rimmer had mentioned it in half as many days. Something was wrong with him- or, well, something was wronger than normal, Lister supposed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you need more exercise and less vindaloo."

"No, no." He sat up, carefully folding the comic back underneath his pillow. "You keep bringing it up, right, me being pregnant."

"Wh- so? It was a dramatic thing to happen, Listy, I only helped deliver them."

"The skutters delivered them. You fainted immediately."

"Well, I helped raise them."

"Yeah, okay, you spoiled them. I had to do the actual parenting."

"Oh, poor you. Having to be an adult for a whole week!"

"That's not what this is about, though, is it? You can't have empty nest syndrome, Rimmer, you don't have a parental bone in your body."

"Sure I do." Rimmer actually looked a little hurt. "I took care of our little family, didn't I? At least, as well as a dead person could."

"You told them to stick their hands up the chicken soup machine and see what happened."

"How was I supposed to know they hadn't developed sarcasm yet?" Rimmer crossed his arms. "Anyway, any child of mine would be smart enough not to jam his fist into strange nozzles."

"Any child of yours? Is this what you're on about?" Lister frowned. "You want to be a father?"

"Of course not. It's no fun to be a father, is it? So cold and aloof all the time. If I'm going to deal with the little buggers, I might as well enjoy them."

"Mother, then?" It was a joke- Lister'd meant it as a joke, he had, honest, but Rimmer was eerily silent for a few moments before letting out a forced laugh. Christ, and his dick was starting to throb at the thought of it. Smegging Power Girl and her massive tits. Smegging Rimmer.

"That's ridiculous. I'm dead, and it isn't like Arlene's around to impregnate me, anyway."

"Who needs her?"

"What?"

"Well, you don't want to be the father, I will."

"No," Rimmer laughed. "That would be something, wouldn't it? Holding me down and breeding me like a smegging woman."

"Seriously."

"Seriously what?"

"Seriously, Rimmer, you're either begging for it or you're one of Freud's favorite patients."

"You barely know who Freud is."

"I know enough," lied Lister. "Anyways, I know you, and you're dropping hints like it's laundry day and I've run out of me decent socks."

"If by decent you mean non-crawling."

"So you admit it?"

"No!" He put his hands on his hips, then crossed them in front of his chest, then rubbed his face like it could scrub the red out of his cheeks. "No, Listy, I don't want you to… to…"

"To put a baby in you. Knock you up."

"That's enough."

"Put a bun in that oven."

"It's pointless, Lister, there is no oven. I'm the wrong sex, wrong person, and I'm dead as a doornail. And, lest I have to remind you again, I am not a homosexual." What they'd gotten up to last week disproved that, but Lister wasn't about to bring it up while he was on a roll. Rimmer hadn't stormed off yet, which meant he was desperate.

"Okay, Rimmer, you're not a homo," he quickly agreed. "So we'll just have straight sex."

"What?"

"Be my girlfriend for an hour or two."

"What?"

"You heard me." Lister dug the comic book back out and pretended to read it. Yeah, the only way to get Rimmer to agree to this stuff was to sweeten it up with a thick spoonful of denial. Pretend it was incredibly normal that he'd developed a sudden pregnancy fetish after years in deep space. How long had Rimmer been sitting on that one, actually? Since Deb? Was this a long-standing fantasy of his?

Smeg, Lister was having to pretend it was incredibly normal to be this wet at the thought of Rimmer liking it.

[ambrosykim]

four years

pairing: ambrose kim x f!button (alex wiseman <3) words, rating: 932, gen, sickfic, fluff summary: inspired by this ask. alex's different approaches to rosy being sick, with a four year time difference. oh how much has changed in those four years... a/n: twc b3 is nearly here and i'm writing a mind blind fanfic, that's the hold rosy's got on me <3 but! lo and behold my second piece of fanfiction !

she's never seen rosy sick before. granted, it's only been a few months since she's been at aeon, but the cold months were in full swing, bringing cold and darkness, that settle in one's chest. (meaning, alex has already had her first round of seasonal cold, which cost her about two weeks of sniffling and more peppermint tea than she remembers ever drinking. though, after enough tea, the cold got the hint that she wasn't gonna give up and finally got lost.)

but now, it seems that rosy is currently battling a bad cold, a fact he does not hide well. she saw him on the corridor, before class, and he was already looking like someone ate the last piece of chocolate he was saving for later. (alex might be projecting her own feelings about nick stealing from her hidden chocolate stash.) he's prowling about aeon as if he's looking for his next murder victim, because that glare indicates at least, what, three people already dead? in any case, alex is not willing to risk getting caught in what would either be actual murder or, god forbid, a stern lecture about everything she's done wrong in the past week. no matter what, it would definitely not end well for her well being, be it physically or mentally.

in class, it isn't any better. here, she can't even escape; asking to go to the restroom is absolutely out of the question – she won't risk talking to him any more than she has to, in case he gets even more irritated. he's pairing them up and giving them tasks with as few actual words as possible, communicating in mostly grunts. these, alex can figure out the fastest, she quickly translates to her classmates and they end up in the formation rosy wanted them to be, without managing to anger him. alex watches him throughout the lesson; while trying to perform well is important, she wants to know how she could help him. if she told him to take a few days off to recover, would he listen to her? probably not. in the end, alex only looks at him wistfully as the class is over and she slowly exits the room, leaving rosy to combat his illness alone.

now, alex is more prepared. not only that, she's also more confident that ambrose might actually listen to her. she couldn't convince him at home, which ended up in him leaving for work in the sorry state he was in, out of – what alex suspect might have been – spite. it's true, maybe trying to restrain him by laying on top of him might not have been the best idea, but when she heard his quiet sniffling (muffled, so as to not let alex know he's sick), what else was she supposed to do? the only thing left to do now, is to actually get ambrose to come home and let alex take care of him.

she knows not to approach him in the corridors of aeon, he would definitely try not to show any weakness, lest one of his students sees them. she decides to ambush ambrose in his office, where she knows she has a better chance of seeing him without his usual mask of indifference.

the moment she opens the door to his office – without knocking of course –, he immediately tries to compose himself in his chair, as if his head wasn't in his hands just moments ago. when he catches sight of alex, he drops his hand back in one hand, while propping his elbow on his table – a pose very unsuited to ambrose, usually.

'i should've known you'd come to check on me,' he murmurs, voice hardly carrying, even in the silence of the room.

alex steps closer to the desk, careful to be as quiet as possible.

'you know i was worried about you,' she finally reaches him, 'and yet you still chose to come to work. i think it would've been weird if i didn't come to check on you.' she stand next to the desk, next to him, and slowly leans on the desk. he silently detaches his head from his hand and looks up at her from where he's sitting.

'so, please, would you finally quit the act and come home? i already know you're super tough,' alex says with a small smile, putting an exaggerated emphasis on "super", as she starts stroking ambrose's hair slowly. she can't help teasing him, even in this state, but she knows not to make him uncomfortable with her excessive jokes, especially now.

as a response, ambrose reaches out the arm not on the table, and cautiously rests it on the side of alex's thigh, trapping alex and making sure she can't get away from the desk, from him, even if she tried. (not that she would want to anyway, but he doesn't need to know that.) (he knows anyway.)

'...fine, i'll go home with you,' he murmurs while slowly moving his head forward, ending up with his forehead against alex's thigh. he makes sure to move slowly enough that alex could still continue caressing her hair, even though her ministrations are starting to leave his usually immaculate hair messy.

'just... let me rest like this for a few minutes,' he was clearly in a bad state if he needed rest just to stand up, so alex hummed in agreement, while continuing stroking his hair with her fingers.

'let me know when you're ready. we'll go home and i'll take care of you for as long as you need me to.'

[proxylynn]

MY WISH WAS ALWAYS YOURS (part #6 first half)

{Content warning: Child abuse flashback.}

[And so, after nearly a year, I pronounce this story...over. I give you my thanks for sticking with this long haul of a tale and I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I do have to thank those who voted on the ending being that Jack and Lynn survived, you've opened it up for more content later on. The adventures never have to end so long as I have ideas. But for now I cap this as the main story and it concluded on a high note. This final chapter is super long, so I apologize if there's errors (like letters missing or repeat words or my spellcheck/Grammarly missed something) do let me know of them so I can fix them. Thanks again to all. I hope you have a wonderful day or night depending on when you read this. And may our paths cross again in this fantastic creative world. ^_^]

Another set of weeks has gone by. The tumultuous storm that swelled around the factory seemed to have finally dispersed. The tension that oozed out the walls was gone. Things appeared to have seemingly returned to the norm. Maybe even better. Production was going along swimmingly. Supply was meeting demand. Sales were peak and it wasn't even the holiday season. Jack himself was out of his office more and working the floor, monitoring production, and moving more of the heavier surplus around. It is quite the bounce back to how he tended to be on good days. Shame the same couldn't be said about his shadow. Lynsie, while stoic as ever when working, seemed more detached. Gone was her usual “pleasantness” and she seemed on edge more like she was just one second away from biting someone's head off. If anything, to everyone else, she gave off the same vibes as Jack did not that long ago. Whatever was the reason for their mood shifts it only caused speculation amongst the staff.

The day is running smoothly. The line is churning out what's left of the previous batch and the new stuff is being made for testing. Jack supervises the bakers with an intense scrutiny masked by calm aloofness that does little to ease the smaller chefs. Worse on their nerves was the looming dread of eyes watching them from places they couldn't locate. Only catching glimpses of movement around the machinery one moment then up in the rafters the next. They were used to her making her rounds, patrolling the building like a hawk on the hunt for any and all issues big or small. But the way she was doing so now was like a snake, shadowy and ready to strike at the drop of a hat. She had supposedly given a member of the maintenance crew the fright of their life when appearing beside them while they were working...on the roof. The only odd takeaway was she prevented them from falling off, told them to be careful, and then removed a bird's nest from a nearby chimney. Jack didn't show signs of bother to this behavior. Not so much as batting an eye when she drops from who knows where to simply walk out the main doors and into another part of the facility.

“Um...Sir? Is something going on?”

Jack continued to watch the production line, his gaze fixed on the machinery, unfazed by the employee's question. After a moment seeing as the baker just kept standing there, he finally responded, his voice calm but carrying a hint of authority.

“No. Nothing of concern anyway. Why do you ask?”

The baker gulped nervously, clearly hesitant to bring up the issue.

“Well...”

Jack's patience was thin and he wasn't the biggest fan of hesitation.

“Spit it out!”

The baker flinched under the pressure of Jack's gaze.

“I-It just seems like something, not that I'm implying anything mind you, I can't stress that enough! But...might something be amiss?”

Jack arched an eyebrow, maintaining his composed demeanor.

“A bit above your pay grade to ask such things, don't you think?”

The baker's nervousness deepened, but they pressed on.

“I understand that sir, but Little Lynn is...”

“She's what?”

Jack's voice held a challenge as if daring the baker to attempt to finish their words. The baker hesitated for a moment, knowing that treading carefully was of utmost importance in this situation.

“She's just...not herself lately, sir.”

Jack leans down, his face getting intimidatingly close.

“Answer me this...What do you do here? What is your job?”

The baker swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Jack's scrutiny and authority bearing down on them.

“I'm a baker, sir.”

The employee replied, their voice trembling slightly.

“I make pastries, help with the production, and ensure everything runs smoothly in my area.”

Jack straightened up, still watching the production line, seemingly deep in thought.

“Exactly.”

He said as if he had made a point.

“You're a baker, and your job is to focus on your tasks. If there's a production issue, let me know. If you have concerns about your work, bring them to your supervisor. But don't waste your time and mine with idle gossip like a bunch of butter stirrers.”

The baker nodded, a flush of embarrassment coloring their cheeks.

“I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to overstep.”

Jack gives a huffing sigh, his expression returning to its usual scowl.

“Remember your place. She is a guard, my best guard. Do not question her methods when it comes to security. ...Even if it does make her look like a spider monkey hopped up on too much sugar.”

Even he had to remark that her heightened state of alertness made her look odd.

“Have I cleared that up for you?”

The baker nodded again, this time more resolutely.

“Yes, sir. I understand, and I apologize for any disrespect.”

“Good. Now get back to work. We have a schedule to keep. Pies don't bake themselves. At least, not decent ones anyway. You ever had something made by the Muffin Man?”

“The Muffin Man?”

“The Muffin Man.”

“Oh, yes, I heard of the Muffin Man, who lives in Drury Lane.”

“Yeah, that guy. His stuff sucks! Sure, he can make sentient confections, but they taste like crap. It's like, what even is the point? Why would anyone want a living gingerbread cookie if you can't eat it?! That's just poor business right there.”

The baker couldn't help but chuckle at Jack's unexpected detour into a conversation about the Muffin Man. It was a brief moment of levity in the otherwise tense atmosphere of the factory.

“I agree, sir. Living cookies are interesting, but taste should always come first in baking.”

Jack cracked a rare smile, his stern facade momentarily softening.

“I know! Taste is everything. Speaking of which, back to your station! This batch isn't finished yet. Move it!”

The baker scurried to their post, chastened by the encounter. Jack continued to oversee the production line, his earlier tension seemingly eased by the brief exchange. The factory continued to hum with activity, and the employees worked diligently, trying to put aside their concerns.

Lynsie continued her vigilant patrols elsewhere moving through the factory. She appeared to be watching over the operation with unparalleled dedication, though her demeanor remained distant and somewhat paranoid. She moved like a specter, appearing and disappearing in unexpected places as if searching for something, creating an unease that put other guards on edge.

Jack's presence on the floor seemed to have a mild calming effect on most of the staff. His mood remained a mix of sternness with the occasional moments of levity. They were accustomed to his occasional outbursts and eccentricities. He remained focused on the production, determined to maintain the factory's high standards. The employees, though still curious about Lynsie's strange behavior, knew better than to bring it up again.

However, the mystery still hung in the air. The employees exchanged worried glances and hushed conversations during their breaks, unsure of what might be causing her to act with such heightened alertness. They couldn't help but wonder if there was something more going on behind the scenes, something that Jack wasn't sharing with them. And they would be so absolutely right!

What no one knew about were the threatening letters Kitty was sending and how they cryptically hinted at her not just knowing about the Map to the Wishing Star but how she was going to take it for herself. And seeing as she had broken into the factory once before, these threats were being taken with the utmost seriousness. Security was increased, retrained, and given new orders to watch over wider areas of the building to prevent blind spots. With her greater range of movement, Lynsie took to scaling walls and rooftops not just for sight advantages but to look out for any openings that a cat would try to use.

What spurned her paranoia on more were two main reasons. The first is the fact she hadn't figured out how Kitty got in the first time, so now the pressure was on to not allow such a thing to occur again. And the second, most important urgency of all, they finally received word from the Serpent Sisters. They had the Map. They were on their way to deliver it. Soon, a life's worth of time will forever be changed. So as the factory continued to hum with activity, going about business as usual, Jack remained at the helm keeping things under control while Lynsie maintained a watchful eye over everything else, each carrying their burdens and secrets. Waiting for the Map that would change it all.

…

The sun makes its way across the sky. Colors bleed into the next shift as time passes. Soon though, color ceases to be. The vibrant heavens above darken to a seamless void of black cloudy nothingness, the ambient lantern lights of the city and vast plumes of bellowing smoke from industry block out the great celestial body that would normally be seen anywhere else. A starry expanse is a small price to pay for the people who live in this thriving boom town. The Tudor-style buildings are odd in this part of Spain, due to them being English in origin, but are a link to Jack's birthplace before he and his family settled here once they found success in this region. While it does swell with progress and many prosper, no city is without its dark side. This mainly stems back to Jack, the bringer of the city's wealth and its troubles. For his factory is a by-the-books honest business, it's also just a mere front. No one would cast a double take at a pie factory and think that shady goings-on take place. So, with criminal activity going on in the very heart of the city, it is no wonder that some of the town is a little dilapidated in seedier spots. But, despite this underline danger, it has all the charm one would expect from a city of such welcoming architecture and ambitious folks that have a savvy villain atop the social hierarchy.

It's on these cobblestone streets a small unassuming horse-drawn cart comes trotting along. Two women drive their way through aiming for the enormous factory, behind them as their cargo are many bags of plundered gold coins and one decently sized chest, crudely and not very shielded by the cart's cover. The two women driving it maintain a watchful eye on their surroundings. They exchange a few hushed words as they approach their destination. The cargo of plundered gold is a delightful bonus from their latest endeavor, the chest being the main prize and a significant haul that they know their employer waiting for them will be pleased to get his hands on.

As they come over the bridge, the sound of hooves echoes along the stone, an outside posted guard takes notice of them and calls out to those behind the walls.

“Open the gates!”

The shout is the alert one in particular has been waiting to hear. The massive doors open forth and allow the women entry before quickly shutting as nearly twenty armed guards surround them cautiously. From above, bounding down from roof to roof, Lynsie lands in front of the main building doors as the women step out of the cart. Their matching snake tattoos are as she remembers them.

“We've been expecting you two.”

“Yeah yeah. We bet you were.”

Jo Serpent blurts out much to her sister Jan's dismay.

“Ignore her. She's just excited to do this, that's all.”

Lynsie bites her tongue, refraining from exceeding her current temperament.

“Understood.”

The siblings shove the bags of gold further back and pull the chest out, each holding one side's handle. Another guard attempts to get close to take the chest but is met with Jan's dagger being pointed in his face.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hands off the merchandise. We got this.”

The guard looks to Lynsie, she merely nods as her eyes scan the area, so he backs off to let them do the delivery themselves.

“Please, right this way.”

Lynsie motions her hand and two other guards open the inner doors, she steps back to allow them to enter. Jan puts her blade away and they go inside, Lynsie following close behind as the doors close up.

“Um...Shouldn't you be leading us?”

Jan ponders.

“Shouldn't you have been more in touch with your reports? It's poor business to cut contact for so long.”

Lynsie snidely bites back.

“Whoa! What's gotten your underwear up your butt?”

Jo quips. To which Lynsie rolls her eyes.

“My temperament is none of your concern. You have more important things to worry about.”

Jan gulps and Jo gets perplexed by her sister's sudden shift.

“Hey, what does she mean by that?”

But she gets no answer.

“What does she mean by that?!”

…

Meanwhile with Jack...The old product is all but gone, the remainder being carried along conveyors to their next destination. The fresh batch has been completed and converted into the new product, aka, new pies. All that remains is a taste test to gain the seal of quality approval. The bakers set up their freshest and finest for testing. Jack adjusts his apron as he approaches what, if all has gone well, will be the last thing he has to do today before he can leave for the night and relax in a nice warm bath. Maybe have himself a drink and possibly unwind in a more intimate way if the mood strikes him. Getting to do so was such an amazing stress release, aside from the weird emotional stuff that came after, but it was tempting enough to make him consider getting her in his bed again. He shakes such thoughts from his mind for now and readies his right hand for his signature tasting move, making a fist but sticking his stained thumb up and then pointing it down as he shoves it into one of the pies. The golden buttery crust gives way with a soft satisfying crunch. He lifts his hand back up, a full plum attached to his thumb and he without any hesitation pops it into his petulant mouth, sucking it off with a loud sloppy wet lip-smacking pop, wiping the juice residue off on his smock. The juice stains look like blood.

“Hmmm...”

The bakers nervously watch as he savors the flavors that dance across his tongue, honed skills from years of doing this analyzing for any fault. His lips smack more as he downs the plum, taking in texture and aftertaste as he comes to his final decision, patting his gut in impulse.

“I pronounce this batch...”

A satisfied grin comes to him

“Delicious!”

The relief that washes over the room is such a great way for things to end for the day. For the bakers, nothing else was going to be as stressful as the testing, because had even the slightest thing been off under Jack's scrutiny, the reprimanding/threats would be soul-crushing and they'd have to start over from scratch again.

“Ship 'em out!”

The bakers heed the command with a more pleasant mood, pushing the trays of pies away for further processing. Jack reached back to undo his apron, looking forward to getting it off even more now.

“Mr. Horner...”

A voice pulls his attention as he finishes removing his apron.

“The Serpent Sisters got the goods.”

Jan motions to the glowing chest she and her sister are striding up to him, Jo not fully paying attention as she takes in the sights around her, Lynsie stalking behind them as if she expects them to do something stupid. The blue light seeping from the chest's opening line and the pink glow shooting out the key hold can only mean one thing. Excitement floods him.

“Is it? Is it?! The map to the Wishing Star!”

He's like a kid on his birthday who knows the thing they wanted was to be gifted to them. Also like said child getting their prized gift, he wants nothing else to get in the way of his enjoyment.

“Stop everything.”

This was code for...Shut the hell up because I don't want to hear a peep or heads will roll.

“You two, come with me. We must get this to the trophy room.”

He turns on his heel with an almost bounce in his step...a shame that glee is cut short by Jo chiming in.

“You know, it took a lot of murdering to get this map.”

Each word annoys the hell out of him, his temper bubbling up as this ignored his very clear orders.

“It all started...”

In a controlled snap, he turns around enough to show just how much this has him seething.

“TAKE IT TO THE TROPHY ROOM!”

His bark makes the women flinch, even Lynsie shrinks a bit on reflex. Yet once he resumes making his way to the trophy room there are no further outbursts as they follow. Jack's excitement is palpable. The glowing chest containing the map to the Wishing Star is a valuable prize beyond measure, and he can't wait to get his hands on it. His obsession with the map has led to countless schemes and secrets, and now it seems that his plans are about to come to fruition. The Serpent Sisters are equally elated, this is their golden goose of a job, and once paid they would be wealthy enough to live out the rest of their days like kings...um...queens. Lynsie remains observant, keeping tabs on things while also fighting the urge to smile. She's happy for Jack. This is the culmination of so many years of work and for him to be able to gain his heart's desire would be a long-awaited happy ending. Yet there's another reason for her to want to smile but she has to be patient. Soon. It won't be long till she witnesses karma bite these greedy goons.

As they reach the trophy room, Jack throws open the doors, revealing the grand chamber filled with the spoils of his criminal empire. The room is sparsely lit yet decently bright, the duel fireplaces on either side crackle with warm life, and two lamps on his desk are more focused for downward illumination, but the main source of the room's brilliance is the stain-glass window in the back of the room. The massive pane takes up a whole wall of the eight sides of the room, the mostly purple glass depicts Jack clad in armor wielding a magic trident while riding atop an alicorn. On the other walls are shelves and displays showcasing stolen artifacts, rare treasures, and items of historical/mythical significance. The map, however, is the crown jewel among them all. The awe of it all hits the sisters.

“Wow. Look at all the magic stuff.”

States Jan as they enter. But for Jack, this is insignificant and he waves off dismissively.

“Yes, I collect enchanted objects, magical icons, bobbles, and geegaws, and la-di-da and blah blah blah.”

Lynsie shuts the doors behind them. A sudden movement in the shadows on the floor nearly snaps her neck with how fast she looks to see what it is, but all she sees is the cage of the phoenix rock faintly and the bird itself preening its wings. She squints in suspicion before looking back to the pair of possible troublemakers in the room. Remaining at the doors to block escape.

“Check it out!”

Jo jumps onto the fidgeting carpet nailed to the floor.

“I'm walking on a magic carpet.”

She kicks at the carpet's struggling and it relents to laying flat.

“Sweet. The shrunken ship of the Lilliputians.”

Jan catches sight of a ship in a bottle on his desk...a ship in a bottle full of tiny people. They shout for aid as they often do, but she's not listening to their pleas.

“Shut up!”

Jo points up at the wall display of horns.

“Are those unicorn horns?”

“Baby unicorn horns.”

Jack corrects.

“Half as heavy, twice as sharp.”

“Savage.”

Jan adds, being impressed. Yet once more, Jack is dismissive and he groans with exasperation.

“Bah! They're trinkets! They're nothing compared to the awesome power of the magic Wishing Star. Speaking of which, make with the box, sister.”

“You got it, boss.”

Jo is eagerly ready to go into regaling their adventure.

“Like I was saying, the amount of murdering we...”

However, she once more can't read the room and annoys Jack to the point he snaps.

“MAKE WITH THE BOX!!!”

He snatches the chest from them, trying to avoid any further interruptions and ignoring of his words.

“After so many years of searching, this is my moment.”

He brings the chest to his desk and produces a key from his coat pocket, a nifty little trinket that unlocks any lock, and inserting it into the chest's lock. The moment of truth has arrived. The room holds its collective breath as Jack turns the key, the lock clicks, and the chest's lid slowly creaks open.

“With this wish, I will finally be the master of all magic!”

“Hey, Little Jack?”

In an instant, the room runs cold. Jack shuts the chest, locks it, and turns his back to it to face the sisters.

“Excuse me?”

Of course, this is Jo, unable to control herself. Her sister Jan recognizes this is bad, trying to shush and restrain her foolhardy twin to no luck.

“Could you do the thumb thing? Like in the fairy tale?”

“It wasn't a fairy tale! It was only a nursery rhyme.”

Even in his correcting snap, he couldn't hide the dejected bitterness of stating that fact. This very obvious clue goes completely over Jo's head and she makes the situation far worse than needed.

“Oh, yeah. Heh heh. The lame one.”

Now there's a difference between being stupid and being an idiot. Jo seemed to be on the “how has this moron survived this long” spectrum because she starts to do a mocking jig while reciting his rhyme.

“Little Jack Horner sat in the corner eating a Horner pie…”

This mocking does three things. The first, it makes Jan recoil in embarrassment away from her sister. The second, Jack's face gets so red with building rage that it nearly matches the purple of his clothing, flashes of his childhood coming to his mind that only fuel a flame of spite. And third, Lynsie sucker punches Jo in the back of her head and kicks out her knees, bringing her to kneel where she keeps her down with a foot on her back. The shock of such a sudden move still makes Jan jump even though she expected some form of retaliation.

“You dare mock him?”

“H-Hey, come on, relax. It was just a joke.”

She applies more force and Jo winces while struggling to not get a face full of floor.

“So let me get this straight because maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm a little messed up in the head and not understanding you right. You think you're being funny?! Well, no one's laughing, you miserable piece of-!”

*snap*

Lynsie pauses and all eyes go to Jack who had snapped his fingers. He gestures her to back off with a few flicks of his fingers and she does so with slight contempt, returning to her post blocking the door. She knows that Jack can be just as ruthless as she is, especially when his pride is wounded. Jo picks herself up as Jack gets himself composed, his face losing its fluster slowly. But he's not letting this insult slide, not on their lives he's not.

“"Little" Jack Horner didn't have ANY magic.”

He reaches into his coat and pulls out a pair of black leather gloves.

“He was a pathetic, buttered, baker's boy.”

He puts the first one on his left hand and purposely snaps it for intimidation.

“"Little" Jack is dead! I'm "BIG" Jack Horner!”

He does the same with the glove on his right hand and approaches the now nervous sisters, his hulking form obscuring the room behind him like a wall. The situation seems to dawn on them that this might get out of hand, so in a move to spare herself, Jan throws her sister to the wolves.

“Ah, Mr. Big Jack Horner, sir...I-I barely know her.”

And Jo, still unable to read the room or behaviors, thinks her sister is kidding around.

“What do you mean? We're sisters, you goof. We got matching face tattoos.”

“Zip it for once!”

Jan barks quietly before she tries to salvage the situation much to Jo's dismay.

“Sir, I'm so sorry. No disrespect was meant.”

Jo, still oblivious to the gravity of the situation...

“Yeah, come on, lighten up. We brought you the map, didn't we?”

Jan stomps on Jo's foot and Jack's eyes narrow.

“You think you can waltz in here and disrespect me to my face? And you expect me to tolerate it?!”

Jack's anger simmers beneath the surface as he contemplates how to proceed. The sisters back up a bit, cowering slightly while Lynsie eyes them, at the ready to respond. He smirks at this. But also for his amusement.

“But, maybe, I can overlook this. After all, I'm a reasonable guy. And you did bring me the map...”

His countenance shifting from angry to whimsical should be a hint that something isn't right. But for the pair, they take this as a good thing. And when he moves his attention to the shelf beside him it gets a smirk on Lynsie's lips.

“Aha! There it is!”

He reaches over and grabs a glass case containing a large golden hand, clenched in a fist with its index finger pointing up with a ring on the thumb, middle, and pinkie fingers.

“Now, about your payment...”

He palms the wide base in one hand and removes the glass cover, presenting it to the sisters with an all too innocent expression. Such a wondrous item should be enough for anyone to live off of for a lifetime. Yet...

“Hold up. You promised us our weight in gold.”

Jan recalls their original deal made so long ago by now. Jo nods to her sister's words, expecting the massive payout of their dreams.

“I did, didn't I? Ever hear of the Midas Touch?”

The tried and true method of selling something to someone that doesn't want what you have...Just make the same pitch twice but with a smile and emphasize that it's something they DO want. This trick tends to work on lesser more impulsive minds. ...Minds like Jo's.

“Ah, cool, dibs!”

Jo shoves Jan away and greedily grabs the hand with a proud chuckle like she's won a grand prize that she can keep to herself. But the second she makes contact with the hand, that's when the magic's curse activates, she recoils back as the gold takes hold of her and rapidly spreads from the tips of her hands down to the rest of her body. Turning her to solid gold.

“Oh, no! I misjudged the situation...!”

Jo's voice echoes hauntingly as it fades out, she's nothing more than a lifeless statue that embodies ignorance and hubris. Jan is mortified. She knew one day her sister's leap-before-looking approach would be her end. But she kind of had hoped it wouldn't bite her in the rear too, as now she's stuck, trapped in a room with a massive deranged man and his equally if not more dangerous guard. Her chance to morn is a small window of time that is slammed shut real quick. She's grabbed from behind, her arms restrained painfully.

“Not a very bright one, was she?”

Jack comments much to Jan's confusion.

“Why did you...?”

“Oh, don't ask stupid questions. I'm just holding up my end of the deal. You wanted your weight in gold. And she probably weighs the same as you, give or take a few pounds. Whatever.”

“But you said you'd overlook it!”

“I said MAYBE I'd overlook it. It just turns out that...NO. I won't. But hey, look at the positives. You just got paid, as promised, and your sister has never been more valuable. I'd consider that a heck of a deal.”

Jack jokes and Jan struggles in Lynsie's grip to no avail as the woman growls lowly in her ear.

“You should've seen this coming. You broke the rules.”

“What rules?”

“You are a hand for hire. You do as the employer wants and get paid accordingly. There are a set of basic standards to be held to. And you two did so poorly. Sloppy unprofessional conduct. Lack of progression contact. And gross levels of impertinence. Such impudence. You should be licking his boots and begging for your paltry life to be spared.”

“It's always the unprepared ones who end up in the worst predicaments. You have only yourself and your foolish sister to blame for this unfortunate turn of events.”

Jack re-covers the hand and puts it back on the shelf. Jan, realizing the dire situation she's in, pleads for her life.

“Please, I'll do anything you ask. Just spare me and, maybe, change my sister back, please!”

Jack contemplates Jan's plea for a moment, then bursts into malicious laughter.

“Change her back? Oh, you silly little thing. The Midas Touch doesn't work that way. Once you're gold, that's it. There's no reverse switch on this thing.”

Jan's face contorts in horror as the reality of her predicament sinks in. Her sister will spend the rest of her days as a lifeless, golden statue. Jack nods to Lynsie and she lets Jan go much to the woman's dismay.

“You're...You're letting me go?”

Jack sighs.

“Well, yeah. Our business is done. I have what I wanted and you got paid. Unless, of course...”

“No, no! This is fine!”

Jack smirks.

“Good. Now then...”

*deep wood creaking*

The sudden sound gets their attention just as part of the ceiling gives out and a bear drops in, smacking a shelf and breaking the stained-glass window, a grappling hooked rope falling after. They turn to face this crazy interruption, now seeing so much more than expected.

“Great plan, Baby. Real cat-like.”

Goldilocks chides from above before she, Papa, and Mama Bear jump down into the room to join Baby Bear. This is The Three Bears Crime Family, a small-time crime family with Goldi as the leader.

Goldilocks is a young woman with golden blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and she wears a blue dress with white sleeves and a gown made of numerous mismatched strips of fabric, she wears boots and leggings, and she carries a wooden staff with two points and has pearl-like beads tied to it. She also wears mismatching jewelry, like beads, pearls, mismatched earrings, and beaded hair-ties holding her hair up in two frilly parts somewhat resembling bear ears, and she has two locks of hair extending from the back of her head down her shoulders.

Papa Bear is the largest of the Three Bears. He is an old bear with greyish brown fur, wears a yellow knitted scarf around his neck, and has one yellow right eye while his left eye is scarred and blind. Mama Bear is smaller than her husband but still bigger than their son. She is a middle-aged bear with a warmer shade of brown fur, has a rounder face than Papa and Baby as well as more fur around her neck, wears a pink beret and two golden earrings on her right ear, as well as a single pearl earring on her left ear, and her eyes are green, and she appears to have a scar on her nose. Baby Bear is the smallest of the Three Bears, but is still quite big compared to normal adult humans. He is a young bear with lighter brown fur with a subtle shade of gold, has blue eyes, a notch in his right ear, and wears a chain necklace with a golden doorknob, a fork, and a cog.

With these four making themselves known, the hidden pair on the desk stand up to be seen holding the map from the now burgled chest. Predictably one of them is Kitty Softpaws. The other is also a talking outlaw cat...Puss in Boots.

Puss is a ginger tabby cat with green eyes and a Spanish accent. Most of his puffy coat of fur is stark orange, with more reddish-brown stripes running around his back, limbs, tail, and around his head. He has lighter yellow or creamy-white fur on his paws, his counter-shaded belly, the sides of his muzzle, his chin, and his eyebrows, as well as thin light stripes underlining his eyes. He also has a noticeable courser white guard fur throughout his coat. He has eyes distinct green eyes, the pupils of his eyes may be narrow, or huge and round when he exaggerates his cuteness. His eyelids have a noticeable dark lining, and "cat eye" style points at the outer corners of each eye. His whiskers can be twined together to form a curly "mustache". Puss wears some form of black, broad-brimmed leather hat, folded on the left side, a dull red hatband, and topped with a fluffy yellow feather. He has a black cape of leather with a silvery cat-shaped clasp. He wears a belt that holds his sword, black leather with a steel buckle. He sports his famed Corinthian leather boots, black with red lining, that cover most of his legs even when folded. He usually carries a cup-hilt rapier sword, with double quillons, varying degrees of ornamentation on the cup, and often a pommel resembling a stylized cat head with pointed ears but it seems to be missing and he instead has...a stick?

This scene is less than amusing to Jack and even more so to Lynsie who's rumbling low with growls. Seeing an opportunity, Jan picks up her sister and awkwardly moves to the door.

“Uh...Can I...go?”

His attention on more important matters, Jack couldn't care less and waves the woman off.

“Pleasure doing uh...”

Jan rushes to get out of the room and the moment she pushes on the doors Lynsie kicks her from behind with enough power that the doors rebound back to a close. This sends Jan and her statue sister hurtling out and the golden gal lands on her living sibling, pinning her down. Such a sight causes a scene for the guards in the area and they see it as a wounded lamb was just thrown out to the wolves. Them being the wolves...She won't be leaving this place.

In the trophy room, a tense standoff commences between eight individuals.

“Puss in Boots?”

Goldilocks is confused by the cat being here to which he tips his hat to them.

“Goldi. Bears.”

Kitty, as if feeling the intense glare shot her way, turns to Jack and Lynsie to give a cute little wave.

“Hola, Jack. Lynn.”

Lynsie snarls back at her and Jack rolls his eyes at the feline.

“Kitty Softpaws. My, you have a lot of nerve coming back here.”

“Please. I was the best thief you ever hired.”

“You robbed me!”

“You set me up.”

“You said you were going on some spiritual retreat.”

Goldi accuses while pointing at Kitty and she just bows her head.

“Namaste.”

“And you're supposed to be dead.”

Goldi points at Puss and he's awkward about being put on the spot.

“I got better?”

Being played a fool by these cats irritates Goldi.

“Ugh! Just give us the map.”

“And throw in a dozen pies.”

Papa Bear adds much to Goldi's puzzlement.

“Eh?”

“Ooh! Have you got any savory pies?”

Mama Bear questions and Goldi is quickly losing control of the situation.

“What?”

“Yeah, what flavors you got?”

Baby Bear chimes in as Goldi is losing it.

“N-No.”

“Can we get all of that in a bag to go?”

Mama Bear asks Jack, the latter among the others in the room is incredibly confused by this exchange. But this is enough to make Goldi snap. She grabs the bottle of the shrunken ship of the Lilliputians and swings it around at the bears much to their shock.

“Ah! Would you stop talking about blooming pies?! Focus!”

She smashes the bottle on the desk, sending the ship and its people falling out violently...killing them.

“Hand over that map, or I'll punch holes in the lot of ya.”

Goldi threatens with the broken bottle and Lynsie cracks her neck.

“Don't make threats you can't back up, brat.”

Goldi is about to respond to that when the sound of creaking comes back, this time it's from the shelf that Baby had slammed into when he crashed in. The massive piece of furniture lurches forward toward the desk, its shelves holding numerous bottles containing all sorts of magic powders and potions.

“Oh, bums.”

Mama says and Papa tries to shield his family.

“Look out! It's coming down!”

Puss and Kitty, holding the map together, dive at Jack and Lynsie to avoid the chaotic crash. The resulting calamity fills the room with colors and smoke, disorienting the larger beings in the room. But the cats are low enough to the ground to elude the effects and find a means of escape. They unpin the magic carpet and ride it, doing a quick loop before hitting Jack and Lynsie as they bust out of the room. Lynsie is tossed onto a shelf, it falling on top of her to trap her, and Jack is pushed out of the room, nearly sent trembling down the stairs. Items scatter from the calamity of the room, a trident flipping to the edge of the doorway and skidding by Jack who grabs it in frustrated rage. He aims like an expert marksman, using his other hand to mark trajectory as he hones in on the flying carpet.

“I hate talking fairy-tale animals!”

With a mighty throw, he hurls the trident like one fires an arrow and hits it from halfway across the processing room, pinning it to the rafters above but also sending the criminal kitties plummeting to one of the pie-lined conveyor belts. Surprisingly, not landing on their feet. Kitty lands on her face and Puss rolls into the fall, coming out with the map in his paws. Jack sees this and gives a loud snap of his fingers, motioning the room's guards to go after the cats. Puss takes off and Kitty gives chase for the map.

“Puss, get back here!”

“The best thief has won.”

The cocky tabby boasts momentarily before hopping on one foot as he's now holding his boot and the map is gone.

“Huh?”

“You're right...”

Puss's attention is pulled to another conveyor belt that Kitty is now on...with the map.

“She did.”

“Oh, come on!”

Puss hurriedly gets his boot back on as Jack watches the cats mess with each other while the guards pursue. Yet something gets his attention. The lack of a certain someone who should be at the forefront of this retaliation attack. His shadow, the loyal dog that would rip a throat out with her teeth for him. He turns back to the trophy room just as someone comes out. Or more accurately, multiple someone. Three bears and an agitated blonde girl bust their way through, breaking the trophy room entryway while sending Jack head over heels to the floor below.

“There! They're getting away!”

Goldi points out Kitty fighting her way across the room, effortlessly jumping from guard to guard, pulling hats over eyes, kicking boots to their faces, and ripping the mustache off one poor unlucky guy. Truly Kitty is an excellent fighter and her skills are on full display. Shame the same can't be said about Puss who seems a bit rusty to action, getting his furry beard caught in some gears in the conveyor he's on. But they don't get to go after them. Not when Papa Bear roars out and swats his family on accident as he tries to grab at his back.

“Get 'er off me! Get 'er off me!”

Lynsie pulls hard on his scarf, using it as a brace and strangling aid. He bucks around trying to knock her off like he were a rodeo bull. He then tries to slam her into a wall but she kicks him hard in the kidney and brings him down. As if to add insult to injury, this small woman takes hold of the much larger bear's arm and chucks the beast at his loved ones with frightening ease.

“Stay down.”

She deviates her hard stare to the scene before her. Puss is restrained stupidly, he's no threat. Jack is picking himself up off the floor, rubbing his head to work out the dizzying feeling in his skull. And Kitty is at the end of the room standing over countless guards she's bested. This boils her blood immensely. She takes a step, ready to book it to Kitty and wring her neck like a wet rag.

“Oi!”

A pie smacks her in the face and she casts a murderous glare at Goldi.

“Don't think you can start somethin' and not finish it.”

Lynsie snarls but ignores the adolescent, her target is Kitty and the map.

“Jack!”

He only gets the faintest glimpse of her diving at him to react, catching her for a second then launching her forward with blinding speed towards Kitty. Being dismissed so easily ticks Goldi off yet she doesn't have time to stew, she regroups the bears and aims them to the conveyors, planning to climb them.

Kitty manages to knock out the last three guards before spotting the flung woman hurtling her way. With just mere inches to spare, Kitty stabs her dagger into one of the many industrial wheels and is pulled up as Lynsie pounces, her hand nearly grasping onto Kitty's tail as she hits the wall hard.

“Nice catching up with you, Puss! Gotta go!”

Kitty ascends more of the wheels upwards, either planning on using the windows or traversing the support beams for escape. Unfortunately for her, she's still not out of trouble yet. The hit to the wall did little to stop Lynsie, having let her shoulder take most of the impact and flooded with adrenaline, she climbed after the formidable feline.

On the other side of the room, Puss manages to yank his beard free just as the bears and Goldi reach him.

“Here, kitty kitty.”

Papa taunts from the back with Goldi atop him, Mama in the middle, and Baby in front. On instinct, Puss goes for his sword, only to pull out a simple stick much to his worrying chagrin. But it's all he's got as Baby approaches.

“Is that a stick? What are you gonna do with that? ...Ow!”

Puss tosses the stick at Baby's face, hitting right between the eyes, and the sudden pain knocks him off. Puss catches the stick as it rebounds but gets his foot stuck in a pie. Mama comes in, ready with a nasty claw swipe to avenge her boy, but Puss unintentionally smacks her paw when he wobbles off balance.

“Ow! Me knuckles!”

Mama falls off and Papa stops in front of Puss who got his other foot stuck in another pie. Not able to move so well, Puss thrusts the stick to poke the big bear's nose, much to Papa's unamused displeasure.

“You shouldn't have done that, mate.”

Puss smiles awkwardly, knowing he screwed up. Goldi watches from on her adoptive father's back as he sends the pathetic pussycat flying with a powerful paw strike. Puss cartwheels through the air, his unexpected flight path being towards where Kitty and Lynsie are.

“This idiot.”

Remarks Kitty with a roll of her eyes as she sees Puss, yet this brief pause is enough for Lynsie to snatch her by the scruff of the neck. Before she can get the map from Kitty, Puss collides with them and sends the three out the window. The fall is a great one and most unfair. The lighter cats get more distance and land in the back of the cart of the Serpent Sisters. Lynsie on the other hand, hits the lower awning that just so happens to be covered in spikes like much of the building and then spills down to the ground below with a guttural roar. The sound of all this alerts the courtyard guards and they come rushing in as the cart makes a break for it out of the facility for the city. A mob of guards run out on foot while some go after them on horseback.

Battered, Lynsie picks herself up with one arm since the other dislocated from repeated heavy trauma and regrettably heads back inside the factory. Or at least she tried, as Goldi and the Bears trample over her while making their escape since the majority of the guards are either unconscious or chasing the cats. Her pride has a significant dent in it but there's much worse gripping her than that. By the time she makes it back into the main area, some of the guards begin to regain consciousness, wearily eyeing her as she limps her way towards the trophy room as a guard runs out headed for the private kitchen. The Baker's Dozen are being summoned.

From within the shambled room, Jack looks about his once proud collection of treasures with disdain. His inner sanctum in one flew swoop was broken into and wrecked in less than ten minutes. But worse of all, the map was nabbed out from under his nose. He had it in his grasp, it was his, and now not. When Lynsie limps into the room he barely looks her way, his mind running with ideas for his next move.

“You look like crap.”

He remarks and she nods.

“I feel like it too.”

She moves over to him and holds her lifeless arm up with her good hand. It takes him a moment to piece together what she's asking before he grips her shoulders and forces the bad one inward, making her wince as the joint pops back into place. He lets her go and she tests her hand with a few flexes of her fingers.

“Thanks.”

“Don't thank me. You're no good to me broken.”

She averts her eyes to the floor as he removes his gloves.

“Assemble the strongest steeds we have. We're going after them.”

“Yes, Master Jack.”

She turns to leave him as he begins to go through the scattered items.

“Lynsie...”

She stops in her tracks, turning back to face him, her expression a mixture of pain and frustration.

“You're better than this. So don't get sloppy when I need you. We can't afford any setbacks. Not now. Not with my wish on the line.”

She flinches and that dreaded feeling of disappointment started to form in her gut. She slaps herself and her eyes narrow with renewed determination.

“I swear on my life, Jack, nothing is going to stop me from getting you your wish. Nothing.”

His initial frustration at the situation begins to wane as he recognizes the resolve in her voice. He admires her dedication.

“Good girl.”

He says, a hint of a proud smile tugging at the corners of his lips. With a nod, she turns and strides out of the room. She knows the pursuit won't be easy, but she's determined to prove herself to Jack and make sure to reclaim what's rightfully his. None are aware of the storm that's about to descend upon them. This is far from over, and the showdown for the Wishing Star promises to be an epic one.

In the meantime, Jack takes a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. He knows that he can't let his emotions get the best of him. He can't afford any more mistakes. He begins to prepare, clearing space on his desk, and grabbing a comically large by normal people standards carpet bag. The bag appears rustic and slightly worn, with umbrella patterns on its exterior which also compliments the umbrella it pairs with, both nabbed away from the magic nanny Mary Poppins. The guard that initially left to alert the Baker's Dozen returns to him.

“Sir, I've done as you requested. The Baker's Dozen are assembling.”

“Excellent.”

The woman moves to stand off to the side, ready to receive her next command and watching him much to his confusion.

“What are doing?”

“Standing by and awaiting further orders, sir.”

He rolls his eyes.

“So you're going to hover around me like a vulture?”

“Sir, that's not my intent. I am merely taking post to serve as needed.”

“I don't need you.”

“But sir, you need someone to assist you. Let me prove I can do as well as Little Lynn. If not better.”

Such bold words hit him like a slap.

“You? Heh. That's quite the ego you have if you think you even come close. She's been with me for years and has proven herself countless times. And you? All of you idiots were beaten by a damn cat!”

Jack's voice dripped with malice as he berated the guard. He had little patience for insubordination, especially when it came from someone who had such gall. The guard, undeterred by Jack's scathing words, stood her ground.

“If I recall correctly, sir, so was she.”

He had to admit, this one had some guts to do this after the attack. He figures they expect him to be eager to replace Lynsie or at the very least be gunning for a better position in the wake of such vulnerability. It's too bad for this guard that Jack hates it when someone tries to manipulate him for their own gain. He comes up with a quick solution to this annoyance.

“If I were to tell you to jump, what would you do?”

The woman stands tall and proud.

“How high, sir?”

He smirks, expecting such an answer.

“Then you'd be wrong.”

She tilts her head confused.

“Sir?”

“When I say jump, Lynn doesn't question why or where or distance. She jumps. Period. She knows what I expect and does so without hesitation.”

The woman's brow frowns.

“But speaking of how high...Careful with this.”

He tosses the umbrella to her and she catches the handle, activating it to open, which pulls her upward to fly out through the hole in the ceiling. Her yells echo into the vast silence of the sky.

“She also would've been smart enough to let go before getting too high. Idiot.”

With that distraction out of the way, Jack opens the bag and begins packing any useful random items into the bottomless bag.

“I'll take this and that, oh, and these!”

He grabs the hook of Captain James Hook, Poseidon's Trident, and a bandolier belt of the Evil Queen's poison apples.

“One of those, and I got to take that.”

He gets William Tell's crossbow, already pre-loaded with baby unicorn horns, and then breaks the glass case containing a wizard's staff.

“Yes. Yes. No.”

He shoves the staff into the bag, dumps a bunch of weapons inside, and then when he comes across Cinderella's glass slipper he tosses it over his shoulder as it has no use...it shatters to bit hitting a wall. He then shoves in Excalibur, still stuck in the stone, crams the crossbow in, and gets the cage holding the phoenix to be on top as he uses it to force everything else inside. Ember feathers fly out the sides as it all disappears into the bag.

“Yes!”

He grabs the bag and brings it up the the still intact shelves as he uses his arm to scoop everything into the bag's endless maw. Bottles of potions, powder, fairies, and who knows what all tumble into the bag.

“Oh, yeah!”

He handles everything with reckless abandon, trying to get as much as he can as fast as he can. Except when it comes to the Magic Snacks Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. One is a tiny beverage with a label that says "Drink Me" and the other is a delicate cake-like cookie with a label that says "Eat Me". When it comes to these treasures, he handles them with delicate care, even humming a jolly tune as he puts them into the bag. But once he's secured them inside he goes right back to a wild way of gathering.

“And all of these!”

He drags the bag's open mouth across the mantels of his fireplaces, scooping all manner of things inside, likes small chests to more bottles to even a sorcerer's hat. He even dislodges the wall-mounted display holding the baby unicorn horns and shakes all of them off to fall into the bag with a chuckle...all fifty or more horns. No arsenal is complete without a means of tracking targets down. He comes to another shelf that holds a few miscellaneous goods, more personal kind of items like his lucky bowling ball that won him his first game against his father and a perfect game. But it's the object beside it that he's after and it's not the crystal-encased skull. No. He gets the crystal ball of the Wicked Witch of the West.

“This one is right.”

It's been quite some time since he's needed to use this item. Come to think of it, why didn't he use this before to monitor the Serpent Sisters? That would've saved him so much time and frustration! He kicks himself for such shortsightedness and bowls the orb into the bag like he's aiming for a strike against his old man.

With the trophy room pretty much emptied into his bag or broken and deemed useless, he picks up one last thing before heading out to the courtyard. As expected, when he emerges from the building where his best are ready for deployment on this grand mission. The Baker's Dozen are decked out for battle and placed a large pumpkin in the center of the area. Lynsie has four of their strongest unicorns bound in chain reins eager to run and pull whatever they're going to be latched to. And that leaves Jack to apply the finishing touch.

With a magic wand, that he had stolen from the Blue Fairy as a spiteful jab at Pinocchio, Jack slams it into the pumpkin and lets go to allow the magic to go unrestrained. A massive cloud of blue smoke erupts from the pumpkin, engulfing it, transforming it, and spreading out to ensnare the chains on the unicorns' reins. As the structure begins to grow, they climb on and bust out the gates in an intimidating flourish. As if in a twisted mockery of how Cinderella had a pumpkin become a fancy royal carriage, what was once an ordinary pumpkin is now a death-bringing tank for Jack and his crew. The tank has a blend of wooden and iron materials, almost taking the appearance of a mobile half-timbered house. There are sharp spikes on the edges, much like the other décor Jack tends to use, and is complete with a canon mounted on the top.

The bakers shout as the unicorns whinny, the loud rumble that follows from the tank's thunderous approaching treads is enough to alert the townsfolk to get the heck out of the way. This thing isn't going to stop for Hell or high water. Jack stands at the top, overlooking it all, and Lynsie sits atop the canon holding his bag. He reaches back and she opens the bag, letting him dig around till he has what he wants...the crystal ball. The magic swirls inside and it focuses on his quarry. Kitty and Puss ride in the back of the cart as a tiny dog drives it in what looks like a desert mountain range that's not too far away.

“I'll get you, my kitties, and your little dog too.”

A snicker comes from behind him.

“Something funny?”

“Just thinking that was a bit cute for a threat.”

He snorts.

“Don't patronize me. I need to focus.”

“Of course. Carry on, Master Jack.”

He knew she was just being playful to lighten the mood, which after everything that happened, a good laugh would be so nice right about now.

“Hey...Do you hear that?”

Over the sound of hooves on stone and the treads spinning with might, he doesn't seem to pick up on what she does. Suddenly it comes in fast. A scream gets louder before they see a body falling from the sky. A body in a Horner Pie Co. guard uniform slams into the ground at the edge of the city ahead of them. Despite the impressive fall, they writhe on the ground for a moment, lifting their head in "Hey I didn't die" moment of relief...Only to see the stampeding tank seconds before it runs them over. It's awkwardly quiet after the wet crunch is made. Out of nowhere, an umbrella whizzes by in the wind. Lynsie just shakes her head before giving a sharp whistle. The umbrella abruptly changes course and zooms towards them, shooting past Jack and Lynsie catches it in the bag.

“Do I even want to know?”

He merely chuckles, leaving her to dangle in not knowing as he resumes gazing into the crystal ball while the sun breaks the horizon. The chase is on. Three groups all going after the same prize and only one can have it. At least for Jack the odds are more in his favor. He's got backing him up near unlimited firepower and a loyal crew that wouldn't try to go for the wish themselves. He just has to get the map away from two pain-in-the-ass cats and some pissy orphan girl with her adoptive cockney bear family.

…

The journey is a long and arduous one. They traverse through the desert mountain range that becomes a mountainous craggy gulch. Jack maintains a magic visual on the map while the bakers steer the tank to follow the tracks left by the bears. The tracks go on for miles, Jack helping to keep the tank on the right track when the trail heads into a forestry zone, through a small village, back into more forest that eventually bleeds out to barren desert surrounded by craggy rock formations from a massive impact long ago. By the time the tank rolls up to the center where dark thrones make an imposing sight, the sky is dark with ominous thunderclouds that cover the top of the thorns, lightning striking the dark wood. This was the Dark Forest. A solid impenetrable mass of black twisted oaks and coiled brambles studded with razor-sharp thorns. Parked off to the side of a gaping cave mouth is the cart the cats used and in the dirt are the bear tracks. Not a very inviting place, but one they must enter.

“Once upon a time, a Wishing Star fell from the sky. Scorching a great woods black. The Dark Forest was born, the Wishing Star hidden at its center, filling it with new life, and the legend of a single wish locked away in the star, waiting to be granted.”

Lynsie recites from memory as they come to the cave opening, the unicorns pausing as the "cave" is more accurately a portal gateway. The magic resembling still water if said water was a wall like a black shimmering empty mirror.

“Alright, everyone. This is it...”

Jack announces, handing the orb to Lynsie as she puts it in the bag.

“This is going to be a gauntlet of pain and death. And, highly likely, some if not most of you will die. But that's nothing new to you. You're the baddest, meanest, nastiest, toughest cutthroats in all the land. Nothing gets in your way once you're on target. So, let's go get that map and make my wish come true!”

The Baker's Dozen let out a unified cheer of confidence, not deterred by the grim outlook Jack had just painted. They are loyal and battle-hardened, ready to face any challenge that comes their way. Jack nodded in approval, knowing that he could count on their unwavering dedication. The unicorns snort and paw at the ground, ready to charge through the portal. They grip the railings of the tank, bracing for what's to come before the reins are snapped and the unicorns rear up, rushing them into the magic wall.

Portal magic can be a mysterious and unpredictable thing. Case in point, they all go tumbling through a prismatic-colored void, falling but lacking a sense of movement. The panicked screams some make are heavily distorted by the technicolor pulses that propel them through the barrier.

Suddenly the darkness of the void gives way and, much to their horror, the portal opens to them dropping from the sky. Luckily, if one can call it such, the bulk of the tank hits several wide-spread trees and cushions their impact enough that there's no real damage when they touch down on the ground. The unicorns are shaken. The bakers are hyperventilating. Jack is startled by his death grip on the railing, not expecting to feel such a need, and Lynsie clutching his coat from behind with one hand, the other gripping the bag, while leg-locked around the canon as if acting as his backup tether just in case.

As they take a moment to steady their nerves and gather their senses, they take in the surroundings, finding them nothing like the name "Dark Forest" would imply. On the outside, one would expect treacherous terrains and deadly obstacles due to the impact of the cosmic shock waves caused by a magic star impacting the world. Instead, the land is an enchanting wonderland of lush grass, colorful trees, and water that sparkles with stardust. The Dark Forest is full of bright, happy colors, much to their confusion.

“Is this the afterlife?”

“With how many lives we've taken over the years? I doubt we'd land in the good place.”

“I know. I meant this is Hell. This manic pixie kaleidoscopic nightmare hurts my eyes. It must be Hell.”

He chuckles at her words as she dismounts the canon to stand at his side.

“The trees seem spaced enough to make a pathway.”

“That just makes things easier.”

He stomps his heel to get attention.

“What are we waiting for? Get this thing moving!”

The tank jerks as it once more moves, speeding along the rich flower-lined grass. The clear path this made is eerily unnatural. Is this just something the forest does? Granting a small pity on those foolish enough to enter, disguised as kindness to lull victims in deeper, before going full apocalypse? Surely that's what has to be going on. There's no unconscionable way the place known for none ever returning is this wholesome land of sunshine and rainbows. These are the thoughts of the bitter souls of the group, the ones who know never to trust a good thing when it seems too good to be true.

The arid grove of what seems to be huge purple bonsai trees ends with a literal rainbow shooting across the sky above a lush multicolored meadow or flowers on rolling hills, the path of grass winding its way through it. The unicorns are a perfect match for this mission, as strong as Belgian Draft Horses and as fast as Thoroughbreds even without their horns. They can pull and run for days if needed without breaking a sweat, with four pulling the tank, it's no wonder they were picked out of all the other beasts in the stables.

As the drive continues, a strange sense of whimsy comes to some of the bakers. The motion of the tank as it goes up and down the hills, feels somewhat like the rocking of a ship at sea. Some get in touch with their old pirate lives, songs in their hearts flare and hums hit the air, but not a word leaves their lips. They know singing is the last thing they want to do while around Jack, yet the urge is still strong.

“Brings back memories, doesn't it?”

His brow arches curiously at her.

“How so?”

“I dunno. Like riding across the land with your parents.”

He groans.

“I hated that. I was used like an organ grinder's dancing monkey to draw in customers.”

“Still, might've been a little nice. Bad memories tend to overshadow the good ones.”

“Where's this coming from?”

She sighs slowly.

“There are times I would often find myself thinking...Just how different things would've been were I able to join your family.”

A small pause passes between them. Giving it a moment of thought.

“You wouldn't be the same if you did.”

It's a blunt statement on his end but it says so much.

“True. I'd likely only be half as useful. Possibly less. And that's no good.”

In a small gesture, he pats her head like an owner does to their pet. It's enough to make her smile. These little moments. So few yet held so dear. It's these things that bring back memories. Memories of a different time.

————————————————–

Another humiliating performance, singing and dancing for attention, and yet again the crowd is abysmal. Thankfully that living doorstop pretending to be a boy is moving on after today. Maybe then they can get some customers drawn their way for once. Elizabeth does her best to calm Jack down before he can through a fit over being ignored again, while Jonathan tends to the few customers partaking in their wares. The little town they were currently stationed at has a bakery that does nothing more than make bread, so the sweet goodness that is Horner pies is a sought-after treat, which means business isn't all bad. Provided the people didn't hurl all their coin at the other wagons that is. But, recently, the Horner family has been getting some extra aid. A little helper that goes unnoticed in the crowd. When the last sale is made and they walk away from the wagon, she comes out from hiding.

“Mr. Horner! Mr. Horner! Look how much I got.”

The seven-year-old girl excitedly bounces up to the wagon, a small leather sack in each hand that jingles with the delightful sound of coins pilfered from the surrounding competing attractions. Jonathan takes the sacks and beams with fatherly pride.

“My, these are heavy.”

“Did I do good, Mr. Horner?”

“You did very good, sweetie. Such a good girl.”

He pats her head and she giggles cheerfully.

“Can Jack come out now?”

A smirk comes to the man's face.

“I don't know. Let me ask him. Boy, you going to go play with your girlfriend?”

“Stop saying that!”

Jack shouts from within the wagon, stomping over to his father in an embarrassed huff.

“She's not my girlfriend!”

Jonathan playfully rolls his eyes, enjoying this. Ever since he learned of his son's possessiveness for her, he's been teasing Jack any chance he could.

“What? She's a girl that's your friend. That makes her your girlfriend~.”

Jack's face gets redder, his right twitching.

“She's not my—!”

“Jack!”

Lynsie climbs up into the wagon and takes his hand, pulling him away from his family.

“H-Hey, cut it out!”

Elizabeth looks out the window, seeing them scamper off.

“You two stay within view!”

She shouts at the children and then sighs, giving a knowing look at her husband who just chuckles.

“What?”

“You know he doesn't like when you tease him.”

“I know.”

“Then why do you do it?”

“Because it's fun.”

She punches his arm and he laughs before offering the sacks of collected gold.

“I swear, you can be such a pain.”

She snatches the sacks, pouring the coins onto the table to begin counting.

“I also do it because he needs it.”

She looks up at her husband.

“What do you mean?”

“You and I both know he's not the easiest to get along with. He's impulsive, abrasive, and antisocial. I can blame all the wandering we do for making things hard on him, but that's just how he is. He loves attention but hates being around others. It makes me worry for him, you know? This world isn't kind. Even the strongest people need someone they can turn to when the time comes. I have you after all.”

Jonathan, master of the Horner charm, easily makes his wife melt with that line before he continues.

“I was beginning to think he'd be his own worst enemy and close himself off. Then, low and behold, he surprises us by showing up with her after throwing a tantrum.”

He watches from the wagon's stage, keeping an eye on the pair off in the distance. Jack already fuming at Lynsie and she shrinks a bit till the boy settles.

“The boy may not admit it, or even understand it, but he likes her. Heh. Still can't believe he demanded we keep her because "she belonged to him". That boy is most definitely a Horner.”

Elizabeth chuckles.

“He takes after his father.”

Jonathan smirks at her jab with pride.

“It's a shame we can't though. Poor kid could use a loving family.”

She pouts at this. Saving the neglected girl from her abusive home would be nice and they'd be gaining a daughter at the same time. But they can't afford another family member in their current state. Not to mention taking someone else's child without proper authoritative means is generally frowned upon.

“She'd be good for him. Such a soft, patient, and kind girl like that is just what that rough-around-the-edge boy needs. Strong enough to not let his harsh exterior bother her but accepting enough to just let him be himself. Finding someone like that is rarer than a needle in a haystack. And if he doesn't see why, he'll lose the one possible connection he could make in his life.”

Elizabeth listens, still focused on counting the coins but now with a sad contemplative expression.

“Have you told him we're moving on to another town soon?”

The amusement in his face fades.

“No...”

That surprises her.

“I haven't had the heart to ruin this for them.”

He sighs somberly.

“I...I don't want their last few days together to be sad ones.”

Out into the grass, Lynsie pulls Jack till they're a good distance away, letting him go and getting flicked on the forehead by him, making her yelp at the sting.

“I was telling you to stop, Lynn! How dumb are you to not listen?!”

“I'm sorry...”

“You're always sorry. I thought I told you to knock it off with the apologizing?”

She takes a step back, her eyes downcast as she nervously fidgets with the hem of her dress.

“Please don't be mad.”

“Why not? You dragged me out here! And for what?”

“You were getting upset...”

Her voice cracks a little and it gets to him.

“So I thought bringing you over here would make it better. That way, you would be okay.”

Letting himself calm down, he could see her simple logic and how it wasn't a bad idea. Still, he doesn't like being touched so he's not feeling too bad about it. With a sigh, he runs a hand through his hair to center himself.

“Whatever. Just...Just don't grab me like that again, okay?”

She nods, relieved that he's not as angry as he initially seemed.

“Okay. I promise.”

He grumbles but lets it go, looking around to make sure they're still within view of his family. He huffs as he sits down on the grass, staring off into the sky. She tentatively sits beside him, careful not to invade his personal space. After a moment of awkward silence, she decides to break it.

“Um...Jack...Can I ask you something?”

He glances at her.

“Sure, I guess. What is it?”

“What's it like?”

“What's what like?”

“Being cared for.”

That caught him for a moment. She hadn't revealed too much about her home life, keeping tight-lipped when it came to some stuff, but he's not stupid. It doesn't take a genius to tell her mom is beating her and is the reason she steals for food. It's no wonder she clings to him even when he can be a jerk. Still, it's not something he gave thought to before. He just figured all parents were like his...till he met her that is. He guessed he was lucky there.

“It's okay.”

“You have good parents. They're really nice. Even to me.”

“Well, you do help us out. So it's a given.”

She looks at him funny.

“So...If I keep helping, your parents will stay nice to me?”

“I mean, I guess.”

“And if I'm helpful, you'll be my friend?”

He hesitates for a moment, looking at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity. The simplicity of her questions catches him off guard, and he finds himself grappling with the notion of friendship in a way he hadn't before.

“Maybe.”

He responds, shrugging nonchalantly. Her eyes light up and she smiles brightly, the sun catching them just right to make them shine.

“Really? You mean it?”

He rolls his eyes, trying to maintain his cool demeanor.

“Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy about it. You're just lucky you're useful. ...And I suppose you're not too annoying.”

She giggles, clearly delighted by the affirmation. He, though gruff on the outside, feels a warmth within him—a sense of something that he hadn't felt until this moment. It makes him feel weird. He doesn't like it.

“But don't go telling everyone we're friends.”

She nods, her smile unwavering as she motions zipping her lips.

The two sit in companionable silence for a while, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky. Jack finds himself lost in thought, contemplating her question about being cared for. Her innocent inquiry brings a new perspective to his own experiences. He finally speaks after some time, his tone more thoughtful than usual.

“Being cared for is like...I don't know. It's just normal, I guess. My parents take care of me, so I help out with making and selling pies. I think that's just what families do. Help each other because they care. I know my parents can still annoy me and I probably do the same to them. I...I'm not easy to deal with. But they still try. Maybe...Maybe one day I can make it up to them. Do something to show that I appreciated everything they did for me. I suppose...That's what being cared for is like.”

She rests her chin on her knees absorbing his words and admiring such a thoughtful answer from him, looking out into the distance she wasn't expecting him to say something like that, then again she wasn't sure what to expect. All it really did was make her feel more down about her own family situation.

“I wish I had that. I don't know my Papa. Mama isn't very nice. My brothers and sisters aren't any better. You're lucky, Jack. You have a very good family. I'm just glad I get to be around you. So now...Now I know what it's like. To be around people that don't hurt each other. ...That don't hurt me.”

Her voice weakens as her eyes well with moisture and he frowns slightly, a rare display of empathy crossing his features. Seeing her being vulnerable like this is weird. Because even though she's covered in bruises and scars, just a mess you'd think was living in the woods, she always held a strength in her that can be seen in her eyes. Yet right now...she looks truly weak. Defeated.

“You know, you don't have to take it.”

She glances at him from the corner of her eye.

“If I were you, I wouldn't take any of it. You're not a dog. A dog doesn't get a choice. So stop rolling over and letting it happen. Do something about it! Or don't. It's up to you. It's no skin off my nose if something bad happens to you. It's your life. Your choice. Live how you want to live.”

She turns to face him, a mix of gratitude and sadness in her eyes. It makes him uncomfortable. He scoffs, trying to deflect the sincerity of the moment.

“Don't look at me like that. You're making it weird.”

She just giggles, finding his fluster cute. It only bugs him more and he shoves her.

“Knock it off. I don't want them thinking weird stuff.”

He looks back at his family's wagon and she tilts her head, confused.

“Weird stuff? Like what?”

He bites his thumb, struggling to find the right words.

“Forget it. It's nothing.”

“Is this about the stuff your papa says?”

He scowls at her, cheeks reddening.

“Just drop it.”

Picking up on his agitation, she moves closer and he flinches.

“W-What are you doing?”

“You don't have to bottle it up. But I won't make you talk if you don't want to. I just want you to know I'll listen. I always will.”

He shifts uncomfortably, not used to someone offering him an open ear without judgment. He glares at the grass beneath him, a mixture of frustration and vulnerability swirling within him. She, undeterred, patiently waits for him to speak or not, respecting his silence. After a moment of internal struggle, he grumbles.

“You really are weird. You know that?”

She remains silent and maintains her gaze, her eyes reflecting a genuine concern that both surprises and unnerves him. He's not accustomed to someone caring about him beyond the superficial interactions he's used to. Despite his attempt to push her away, a part of him is intrigued by her persistence.

“Like, you don't have to come see us. You don't have to do anything that you do when it comes to us.”

He looks at her, his expression softening a bit but seeming off.

“What I don't get is...Why?”

She tilts her head, contemplating the question before answering with a small smile.

“Because...You were nice to me.”

The simplicity of her response freezes his mind out of thought, leaving him momentarily speechless. People attributing kindness to him is unheard of and her straightforward acknowledgment touches a part of him that he doesn't understand. He scoffs, attempting to mask his discomfort. It's a rare glimpse behind that tough exterior of his, a crack in his personal armor that only she seems to be able to create.

“Nice to you? I'm not nice to anyone. I just...tolerate you. That's all.”

She just smiles more, unfazed by his attempt at deflection.

“That's fine. As long as I get to help you, then I'm happy.”

————————————————–

Funny how so much and yet so little has changed since then.

“You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?”

Jack asks, removing his hand from her head and noticing she tried to lean back into it.

“A little, I suppose. Though, I can't help but have his feeling like something's off.”

“Like what?”

“Not sure. We're in the Dark Forest for crying out loud. Everything is way too peaceful. It's unsettling.”

“I hate to agree with you, especially since I'd prefer things remain easy peasy, but you make a point.”

“Mr. Horner!”

Ben Yay gets their attention as he climbs up to the top and points out far ahead.

“Over there, can you see it?”

Jack and Lynsie squint, focusing as best they can as the tank goes uphill. In the distance, distinguishable from all the bright warm colors, they barely spy a splotch of dark brown as it goes over a hill of its own. This could only mean one thing...Bears.

Lynsie growls at this, while she'd rather vent her blood lust on Kitty, she did have beef with Goldilocks for also busting into the factory. So a tussle with them would be a good warm-up for the real fun to come. Jack looks at her with a smirk. He could see it in her eyes, that killer edge that was always restrained till the moment was just right. He'd get his moment to enjoy it soon enough. But for now, he had other plans on his mind. Now was his turn for a bit of fun and payback.

“I'll be taking this, thank you.”

He snatches the bag from her hands. It has her looking at him expectantly.

“Be a good girl and speed this thing up.”

“Yes, Master Jack.”

A devilish smirk comes to her as she vaults over the top railing, nearly hitting a few of the bakers as she then leaps off the lower railing to bound and land on the back of the aqua unicorn in the front right side. This seems odd to the bakers till they look up and manage to get out of the way in time as Jack hops down to the lower part with them, making things just slightly crowded till they move around more. From her mount on the unicorn, Lynsie squeezes with her legs to make it go faster, this causes it to pull ahead of the others, and in turn, the other three speed up to match it. This nifty speed-up does the trick. The tank gains ground and does so at a rate that soon makes closing in on the bears as easy as pie.

The bear family gallop with great haste, given how bears of their kind can hit speeds of thirty-five to forty miles an hour, they're making excellent progress considering their only means of direction has been Baby Bear's keen scent tracking. Even now as they run, he has his nose on the job and sniffing the air.

“Oh! We're getting really close. I can smell two cats, a dog, and...”

A sudden fruit smell hits his senses. One that is far too sugary to be natural. But it's a scent he knows.

“Pie?”

The bears and Goldi look back to see the charging tank barreling towards them rapidly.

“Well, if it isn't the idiots who tried to steal from me.”

Jack says with a sneer.

“Hey, he remembered us.”

Baby remarks in astonishment much to Goldi's chagrin. As the tank's approach continues, Jack opens his bag, digging around before he gets his hands on something. Holding the bag for Jack on his left is Sir Thomas Brady Fingers and standing on his right doing the same is Rhu-Barb. Jack, arms deep in the bag, grips a sword handle and pulls to bring it out. A holy light shining down.

“Behold, Excali-...”

He pulls but the sword is jammed. The light dims in a flicker as he tries again to get it out.

“Excali-...”

It gets stuck again and he gets frustrated. Trying one more time, he hikes a leg up to place it down somewhere higher for extra leverage. This place, however, just so happens to be the side of Sir Thomas's face. With some grunts of effort, Jack pulls the sword out and holds it aloft with one hand, a mighty impressive feat considering this is a two-handed broad sword with a giant stone stuck on the tip.

“Excalibur!”

The blessed light shines on the blade before it dissipates.

“Yeah, I couldn't get this rock off of it, but still pretty cool, right?”

The display is still mighty impressive to the bakers and they give gestures of approval and awe. The tank speeds on as Jack positions himself on the outside of the railing while Sir Thomas, Rhu-Barb, and Jerry Cobbler hold him by his coat to prevent him from falling off, using their combined weight to counterbalance him.

“He's gaining on us!”

Mama Bear exclaims, the distance being closed quickly.

“Okay, little left.”

Jack orders while looking down the sword like an aiming sight. Lynsie tugs on the unicorn's straps and gets the animals to move as directed.

“That's it!”

Jack grins and slings the sword over his right shoulder, ready to swing the weapon like a massive club.

“Go faster!”

Goldi urges as the tank pulls up to run alongside them, the unicorns blocking off Mama Bear whose fur stands on end seeing the fire in the eyes of Lynsie. But this is nothing. Jack is now dead center with Papa Bear who's running up the middle with Goldi on his back.

“Whoa, he's up me back door...”

Like a barbarian aiming to slay whatever beast in his path, Jack swings the sword with so much force that when the stone hits Papa Bear, not only does it send the great bear hurtling into his family, but it breaks half of the stone off Excalibur enough to see the tip of the blade once more. The collision has Goldi and the bears sent rolling down the hills, disappearing into the dense forest of trees below. Jack laughs with delightful glee at this, one less obstacle in his way to his wish and he got to have fun doing so. Bonus!

With this taken care of, he discards Excalibur much to some dismay, climbing back over the railing to take his place at the forefront and reclaims his bag. The hills stretch on what feels like endlessly. Up and down, the same array of brightly colored flowers arranged in the same rows repeated infinitely. It's rather nauseating to endure for so long. So when the pattern finally is broken by the sight of a huge valley in deep blue, it's like a wave of relief washes over them. Spurned on by this new development, the tank charges ahead aggressively, mowing down flowers under the remorseless treads. As they breach into the sea of blue posies, things seem fine, the flowers are nothing compared to the strength of the tank. But once they reach the middle of the valley things change. The small flowers begin getting bigger. The blossoms turn their bulbs toward them as if staring in acknowledgment of their presence. And a massive wall of the thorny mega-flora shoots out of the ground to block them. Lynsie yanks hard on the rein straps, forcing an emergency stop that has them skidding slightly to an abrupt halt. The unicorns whinny, unsettled by the posies, and she eases them with some pets. Jack looks at this inconvenience and is unimpressed. A bunch of flowers? Really? This is the best the Dark Forest can do? What a joke.

“Well...?”

He eyes his, for some reason prone, minions.

“Start chopping!”

He barks and the bakers flinch back to being in the moment.

“On it! You don't have to tell me twice.”

Jerry says as he dismounts the tank, the other bakers following suit. This was their chance to do something after riding for so long. And it's just a bunch of flowers. Sure they're huge flowers. But they are battle-hardened brutes, they have fought and killed way tougher things. This was going to be a cakewalk with how easy it was. Their confidence and pride are at an all-time high. Jerry struts up to a posy, his battle axe that was made from an incredibly sharp cheese grater held up like he's about to cut the thing down like he's Paul Bunyan.

“I'm gonna chop the heck out of this Ficus lyrata-!”

The posy he was about to swing into brings its blossom head down and engulfs him completely. The flower pulls back up to resume its stance and reveals Jerry once more, only now he is very much dead. Reduced to a mere skeleton, still in his swinging pose, but his axe is now missing. This is quite a shock to all.

“Jerry, no!”

Betsy Crocker exclaims, breaking down on her knees in mournful horror. The killer posy, as if to make a point, spits the axe out and sends it flying at the tank, lodging it within mere inches from where Jack stands...making him flinch. This is the turning point at which the Dark Forest goes from alluringly sweet and gentle to downright demonic. The posies go on the attack, revealing in their blooms maws lined with rows of sharp teeth like a shark, the bakers being their primary targets due to them initiating things and brandishing weapons. One of them, Crustina, leaps to get back onto the tank only for a posy to swoop under and snatch her lower half in its jaws. She doesn't make it to the tank but she does get close enough to grab Jack's arm.

“Avenge me, Jack!”

She knows how he'll react, it's to be expected when in the service of Jack Horner, so when he jerks his arm away and casts her aside to fend for herself she isn't surprised. She merely grabs onto the railing and uses her giant meat cleaver to hack away at the flower that's attempting to swallow her alive.

“Die, die, die!”

She yells at the plant, her blade chipping away at the petals of the hungry blossom as its mouth inches higher up her torso. It's at this point that Lynsie has seen enough to assess what to do and springs into defensive countermeasures. She bounds up to Jack, recovering Jerry's axe, using it to cleave the stalk under the bulb consuming Crustina and rescuing the poor woman.

“Get in the tank!”

But Jack is a bit too overwhelmed to heed Lynsie's words and snaps back at her.

“Don't tell me what to do!”

She's about to speak up again when vines begin to slither up and she leaps away to avoid while going after another distressed baker. Unsettled, Jack turns away from the sight, only to see Rhu-Barb atop the tank's high-point with thorn-laced vines ensnaring her as she uses her oversized cake beater which functions like a minigun mixed with a chainsaw to fend them off...it doesn't work. She's snagged faster than a rabbit in a hunter's snare trap, ironically saving her from a posy that was coming up behind her intending to munch her up.

“Nope.”

This is too much for Jack and he vaults over the side, bag in hand, just narrowly avoiding a posy swooping down after him. Once nestled beside the treads, he notices the unicorns appear to be spared from all the chaos, so he concludes he'll be safe while near them. He pops the bag open and starts digging. Refusing to sit this out when he's got an unlimited mystical arsenal at his fingertips.

“Time to bring out the big guns!”

He knows there's something in this treasure trove of collected curiosities that he can use to end this predatory posy problem. Meanwhile, in the background, Lynsie darts around with the axe and aids the bakers within the proximity of the tank, such as Stevia when she gets stuck in the gullet of a posy. One by one, Jack pulls random items from the bag. A sentient broom, taken from a sorcerer's apprentice, it scampers off aimlessly and gets eaten by a posy. A spinning wheel with a spindle of spun gold, taken from Rumpelstiltskin of all people, is tossed to the wayside.

“Guess I overpacked.”

He chuckles to himself, finding some humor in this stressful situation. The next thing he's able to grab is the "Drink Me" bottle and the "Eat Me" cookie.

“Magic snacks. Save those for later.”

He puts them back with care and keeps rummaging around till he bumps into something promising.

“Ah ha! Pay dirt!”

He pulls out a rather large bottle that's casting an eerie glow. He yanks the cork out and dumps the contents into his palm. What falls into his hand is a bug, an overgrown ominous insect that is glowing to the point it's a little blinding. But he's sure he's got the thing he needs for this scenario. He points the bug towards a few of the posies that are currently trying to eat some of the bakers.

“All right, magical locust, defoliate! Fly and feast! Eat those flowers!”

At the command, the bug...stands up? The glow is gone and now things don't seem right, at least, not from Jack's point of view.

“I-I'm not a magic locust. Why, I'm not a locust at all.”

This is true.

“What are you then? Some sort of demon grasshopper? A deadly fairy? Put a spell on the forest then.”

Close, but wrong again. It's not a locust or grasshopper. It's a cricket. A big light green humble cricket that has six spiny limbs with two being used as arms with green fingerless gloves and four being used as legs that have brown shoes on. A small brown plaid flat cap sits between its two long antennae and its two large innocent blue ping-pong ball eyes. A yellow dickey holds a tiny purple bowtie and looks remarkably sharp with his pair of brown plaid overalls, matching his cap, it's wings twitch occasionally.

“I-I don't cast spells.”

The bug and Jack are just confused at this point.

“Well, what DO you do?”

“Well, I-I-I judge you. I sit on your shoulder and judge your actions and the quality of your character.”

The bug flies up and perches on Jack's shoulder.

“I'm your conscience.”

That's when it dawns on Jack.

“I really DID overpack.”

As if to remind Jack that there is a tense messed up situation around him, Butter Scott is smacked into the tank and is jammed into the railing space.

“Whoa!”

A posy chomps down on Butter's lower half and pulls relentlessly. Butter attempts to hold the railing.

“Help me, Jack! Help!”

But, of course, a simple man is no match to the power of these posies, and with a mighty hard pull, Butter is thrown across the field screaming his lungs out. A sight that worries the cricket. However, it worries more as Jack turns his back to the scene and resumes digging into his magic bag

“Aren't you gonna help him, Jack? You're losing a lot of men.”

Not true. Yes, it all looks bad...very bad...Yet Lynsie is running around and keeping the casualties from getting worse. But despite this, much to this ethical bug's dismay, Jack is as calm and disconnected as can be. This is nothing but a minor inconvenience after all.

“I'm not really stressing about the manpower. I've got a bottomless bag of magic weapons. These babies are gonna get me that wish even after the whole team is dead and gone.”

He giggles as he explains, even ducking with fluid ease as a boot whizzes by and stepping back when a bootless Pete Cobbler soon is hurled but then is tackled out of the air by Lynsie who then goes after the problematic posy that threw him. This bugs the bug and it attempts to explain why this is so not okay.

“Now, now, Jack, as your conscience, I...”

Its words are cut off by the squawks of the phoenix as Jack pulls it out of the bag, a proud smirk on his face at the bug's astonishment.

“Oh, my word! It's the noble phoenix. She's the symbol of rebirth and the eternal...Oh, God!”

While the bug was distracted glorifying the phoenix, Jack had gripped the majestic bird like it were a musket and begun to stretch the bird's neck to force its flame breath to spew out, much to Jack's enjoyment and the bird's pain.

“Pretty boss flamethrower, right?”

Jack uses the phoenix to fight back against the ravenous posies, searing them in intense magical heat.

“I really have my work cut out for me on this one.”

The bug watches in reluctant disbelief as Jack brings hell upon these demonic flowers. The feral flora screech in anguish, writhing in agony as they burn. The bakers are dropped, they aren't a priority when, you know, being set on fire and burning to death! But this does save them...though some do get burned.

“Don't be near where I'm flame-throwing.”

With the posies no longer attacking due to the phoenix's fire, the bakers recover and slowly begin to regroup. Lynsie takes count of those that remain, eleven out of thirteen seem to still be here until Butter drags himself back from his far-flung adventure to make it twelve. The only death is Jerry. She'd prefer zero casualties but one is better than more. With the axe casually over her shoulder, she collects the bag as she comes to Jack's side and watches him gleefully show these flowers who is boss.

“Well, this was a fun little ring around the roses. Wouldn't you agree?”

“Oh yeah. I'm having a blast!”

She chuckles before going silent in a double-take noticing the bug on his shoulder.

“Uh...What is that?”

“Yeah, apparently this is a thing now.”

The bug bows and tips its hat.

“Gimini Stewart's the name, ma'am. It's nice to meet you.”

She smiles at it.

“How polite.”

She gives it a nod and then looks at the phoenix, a feeling of remorse comes to her seeing its tears.

“Master Jack, this isn't right.”

Jack cocks his brow. This gives the bug some hope.

“Oh, thank goodness! Yes, explain to him this isn't a good thing to do.”

As if ignoring the bug entirely Jack turns his head to give her his attention.

“Oh yeah? And why's that?”

“Because...You should be doing this while on the tank.”

The bug's jaw slacks.

“That way, we can continue our journey while fending them off.”

This is logical thinking. But the bug is displeased.

“No! That is a...”

“Great idea!”

The bug is dumbfounded as Jack backs up to the tank's side and, with her providing herself as a step, climbs up on the treads before being aided over the railing. With a whistle from Lynsie, the bakers gather back onto the tank and she snaps the reins. The unicorns bray, backing up some, nervous about being ushered to charge at fire. But another hard snap forces them to obey. They rush forward through the burning wall of posies. The speed at which they move spares them from getting burned, at most it feels like they're being hit with oven-roasting heat. The phoenix's fire burns with enough intensity that, as they trample their way through, the stems split into embers.

In only mere moments, the lush valley of beautiful blue flowers is cast in a sea of scalding golden death.

After some distance, much like when they entered but in reverse, the growth of the flowers recedes by getting smaller and smaller till they are more recognizably normal size. It's during this foliage reduction that Jack eases off on the phoenix, letting it go altogether once things are okay. The scared bird gives a harsh peck to Jack's head in retaliation before it takes off. Lynsie keeps an eye on the bird till it disappears from her sight. She did so enjoy the phoenix's presence in the trophy room. Alas, she mutters a silent farewell to the phoenix she called “Ember” and gets her attention back on the path.

There's a canyon area up ahead but it's proceeded by what looks like a small forest. A small yet thick forest of brambles. The path seems to continue like normal but there are some hindrances to make things difficult to follow. A thin dense fog coats the ground to give an ominous look to the dark greenery. Rambling thorns, roots, and vines are interwoven into the surroundings at the edge of the valley. The larger-than-life vines look threatening, hollow tortured faces form between the thorns, and the sounds they make as the wind passes through them either come off as horrid shirks or wailing moans. This doesn't seem like much compared to the last thing they dealt with. So, not concerned about this in the slightest, Jack moves to enter the inside of the tank with his magic bag clutched tightly.

“You got this handled, right?”

Lynsie gives Jack a thumbs up.

“Good girl.”

With a slam of the door, the bakers look to Lynsie and she rubs her faintly flushed face, not wanting to seem affected by his praise in front of them.

“Okay, you lot. No foolishness this time. We're not taking chances here. Not when we have a freaking tank with a working canon. I mean, come on. It just makes sense.”

Considering what happened last time, this is viewed as a smart move.

“Tommy! Pete! Man the canon and clear our way. We have a map to get.”

Tommy Lee Scones and Pete Cobbler climb to the top, they position the canon forward, and then as Tommy braces the canon Tommy pulls the firing cord. Out of the canon shots a huge cast iron pumpkin seed. It blasts through the vines and roots like a rail spike splitting timber. The sound of crashing goes on for quite some time.

“It's all hollow.”

Cinnaman remarks.

“If it's all hollow, then it's all dead. And if it's all dead, then we can smash on through!”

Stevia exclaims.

“Keep firing!”

Lynsie orders and they continue to unload blast after blast. After a good number of shots, Lynsie lifts the axe as a sign to cease firing. The forest settles. Light breaches the darkness, the fog thinning more. With this in mind, Lynsie points the axe forward.

“Onward. For the glory of Jack Horner!”

A roar of cheers comes from the bakers and they set off into the cleared way they've made. Meanwhile, inside the tank, Jack sighs with relief and plops down on the surprisingly cushier interior. Despite the rough and tough exterior, the inside is that of lavish comfort. The walls and ceiling are lined in red plush cushions, gold molding outlines the cornering, a wraparound magenta sofa encompasses the area except where the door is, thick carpeting on the floor, a gem above provides soft light, and porthole windows on four sides. Gimini flutters down to perch on Jack's knee.

“Are you really going to sit back and relax while your crew faces danger out there?”

Gimini asks, his tiny cricket voice tinged with disapproval. Jack merely lounges back indifferently, a smirk on his face not perturbed in the slightest.

“Of course. They can handle it. They're the best at what they do.”

Gimini can't help but shake his head at Jack's cavalier attitude.

“But as their leader, shouldn't you be out there with them?”

Jack leans forward, placing his hand under Gimini and lifting the cricket closer to his face.

“Listen, you worry too much. Just relax and enjoy the ride. They got this covered.”

Gimini sighs, realizing that reasoning with Jack might be futile.

“I just hope you won't come to regret your decisions later.”

Back outside the tank, Lynsie and the bakers continue their journey through the peculiar forest. Their eyes peeled for any slight change or movement, knowing that appearances can be deceiving in the Dark Forest. As they traverse deeper, the path becomes narrower, and the thorns and brambles grow thicker, creating an even more daunting obstacle. But this hindrance is nothing when they have a tank and relentless determination on their side. The tank's cannon roars to life again, blasting through a particularly dense thicket of thorns, and a path opens up ahead. The bakers cheer, appreciating the firepower of the tank. They continue their journey, pushing through the enchanted forest. As they navigate the labyrinth of trees, the distant smell and sound of water reaches their senses. There must be a river cutting through the canyon. Using this, they follow the sound, making it an invisible guide to usher them out. Light begins to shine through more naturally and stone breaks up the plant life. As they approach the forest edge the canyon becomes clear, large solid dusty red rock is too much to gauge how long it goes on, but it's tight and narrow. The tank finds a opening and carefully enters this new area.

Inside the tank, Gimini watches the bakers through the porthole windows, observing their progress.

“They're a tough bunch.”

Jack remarks with a hint of pride in his voice. Gimini nods, conceding.

“Yes, they are. But they're also risking their lives for you.”

Jack leans back in his plush seat.

“You say that like they don't know that.”

Gimini flies back over to him.

“Now, Jack, while it's good to have faith in your friends...”

“They're not my friends.”

Gimini gives Jack a puzzled look.

“Surely that can't completely be the case. How can you not consider any of them friends?”

Jack leans closer to Gimini, his voice lowering as he speaks.

“They're tools, a means to an end. Loyalty is just a byproduct of their usefulness.”

“Well, what about her?”

Jack cocks his brow quizzically so Gimini flies over to a porthole window and opens the covering, pointing to Lynsie through the glass. It takes a moment to register who the bug means by "her" and for a moment, he seems lost in thought.

“What about her?”

“Come on, Jack, I'll admit I couldn't see much in that bottle I was in. But I could see enough to know you see her differently.”

This has Jack glare.

“Different? How? In what way? Because do tell, I'd love to hear what you think.”

His sarcasm is so thick it makes molasses seem like sugar water. Gimini doesn't seem perturbed by Jack's sarcasm and maintains a thoughtful expression. He's a persistent little bug, and he's determined to get through to Jack.

“Well...I think there's a bit more trust and respect given to her than you give the others.”

Jack just rolls his eyes.

“And what gives you that brilliant idea? She's my personal guard. Of course I trust her. I wouldn't have someone guard me that I couldn't. I don't need anyone analyzing me or my motives, let alone, some bug that thinks it's a psychotherapist!”

Gimini hovers closer to Jack, his eyes filled with curiosity.

“You seem a tad defensive.”

“I am not defensive!”

Tapping on the window gets their attention. From the outside, Lynsie motions if Jack is okay. Seems his shout was a bit louder than he intended. Jack just waves her off and with a nod she moves away from the window. Not wanting any more of that, he scoots over enough to close the window's covering once more. Gimini seizes this opportunity.

“Sure was nice of her to check in on you.”

“That's part of her job. You read too much into things.”

“Then how about you tell me how you see things? What does she mean to you?”

Jack remains defensive, crossing his arms.

“Mean to me? You ask that like I care about her. Which I don't!”

Gimini knows this is a tricky thing to navigate, but he keeps pushing by using something Jack can't deny. He saw what went down in the trophy room.

“So do you normally punish others that devalue her?”

Jack grumbles under his breath and his expression tightens, but he doesn't respond. Gimini hovers over and lands on Jack's shoulder.

“You've seen it, haven't you? There's admiration in her eyes—the dedication and loyalty in her actions. You may want to deny it, but I believe she's more than just a personal guard to you. She's a partner. A confidante. Someone you can rely on. And deep down, you value her presence more than you let on.”

Jack scowls and he's clearly uncomfortable with this line of conversation. He mutters something as if talking to himself but it's lost on his breath.

“You don't know anything about me, bug. I've survived in this world by using people as I see fit. Loyalty and trust? Those are just tools, I wield them like no other. Emotions are a weakness, and I won't let them cloud my judgment.”

Gimini remains undeterred, his tiny cricket body radiating a sense of determination.

“But Jack, feelings aren't a weakness. They're a strength. Opening up to someone and forming a genuine connection can make you stronger. Why, there's nothing more powerful in this great big world than the power of-...”

“Don't even think about saying "friendship" or I swear...”

“You really shouldn't swear. No one likes a potty mouth.”

Jack glares at Gimini, clearly annoyed with the bug.

“You're an irritating little bug, you know that? Trying to get into my head like you're my damn shrink or something.”

Gimini chuckles softly.

“Well, that's part of my job as your conscience, isn't it? To be the embodiment of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good whether one wants to acknowledge it or not.”

“Look, you can call yourself "my conscience" or whatever, but you're not. So knock it off!”

Gimini remains calm, undeterred by Jack's defensiveness.

“I-I-I'm here to guide you, Jack. I know you have a goal, but remember, the journey is just as important as the destination. Don't forget the people who stand by your side, even if it's just for their usefulness. Sometimes, true friendships can emerge from unexpected places.”

Jack rolls his eyes once more and mutters under his breath.

“I don't need any life lessons from a cricket.”

Jack lets out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair to compose himself into his normal state of mind. Gimini frowns but doesn't push the matter further. He realizes that he might have pushed too much on this kind of thing and done so too soon. It would be futile to try anything further...For now at least. So instead, he switches his focus. If Jack isn't going to open up about himself, then maybe his shadow will.

Back outside, the tank makes its way deeper into the narrow canyon, the bakers maintaining their readiness, on their toes expecting the unknown unexpected challenges that could be thrown their way at any moment. The high sheer walls on both sides make them feel trapped, and the path ahead is becoming even narrower, the evening sun shining and making the passage of time more evident.

“The sun is going down. That's not good.”

Nutmegan remarks and she has a point. Navigating this place in the dark would be a nightmare. And who knows what might come creeping out at night. Lynsie takes a moment to assess the situation, having the tank slow down temporarily. Using the axe as a climbing aid, she leaps up to scale the rock of a lower ledge and then making her way up to the edge of a cliff.

She surveys for anything useful. Anything at all. From this vantage point, she can see the river down below, it's like a snake slithering through to break up the rock with enchanted dark water. Glowing flowering moss lines the stone, creating a somewhat romantic look as the ribbons of sparkling star-laced magic drift in the flow. But something catches her attention. Something is floating in the gentle stream. What appears to be a large hunk of tree bark, moss glowing under, being ridden like a boat by two cats and a small mangy dog. The map with them.

This discovery gets her adrenaline going into overdrive. Her sight follows the river's path to see if there's a bank or shore they could rush to, a possible point of advantage for an ambush. And there, to her luck, she sees one. Quickly she bounds her way back to the tank, leaping off the rock, hooking the axe into the wall then kicking off to land on the canon.

“Give me the reins. Now!”

They hesitate for a moment before giving her the straps. With a harsh crack, the tank jerks as it resumes speeding through the narrow path that seems to wind its way through the canyon. This sudden motion gets Jack's attention and he pokes his head out from the inside of the tank, taking note of the intensity.

“What's going on?”

“Map spotted, Mr. Horner.”

Terror-misu informs, honestly it was a guess but there weren't many other things they'd guess of as to why Lynsie was practically foaming at the mouth, and that gets his attention.

“Oh, heck yeah!”

He emerges with the magic bag and climbs to the top of the tank, wanting the best view for this spectacle. With a maddening drive eating at her, Lynsie steers the unicorns through the twists and turns of the path. The tank treads grind against the rocky canyon floor, churning up dirt and whatever else that gets caught up under it as it speeds down the narrow passage. Her attention is dangerously split. She's focused on driving but her eyes dart away to the side whenever there's an opening in the rock. This has the spikes on the outer edge of the treads scrape against the walls, sparks flying each time. This doesn't go on for more than a few times till Jack has to step in, grabbing her arm to ground her.

“While I appreciate the effort, I'd appreciate it more if you'd pay attention to what you're doing.”

His tone dips into one of warning and he can feel the shiver that rattles her spine. Even now, after so much has transpired, she still fears the slightest inclination of disappointing him. Gimini watches from Jack's shoulder as she slacks the reins and the tank slows to a less reckless pace. Jack releases her arm and she shrinks inwardly on herself. This interaction has Gimini scratching his head. Perhaps there is more to this than he's witnessed. Such thoughts are broken when she pulls the reins to make the unicorns stop.

“What is it?”

Jack questions before he recognizes the look she has, that hyper-focused staring off into space look.

“Is she okay?”

Jack hushes the cricket. Her ears move faintly before her eyes widen. To Jack, this means she's zoned in on the sound.

“Fetch.”

The command has her launch off the tank like a shot fired at the start of a race.

“Follow her.”

Rhu-Barb grabs the reins and snaps them, getting the unicorns going again, tailing behind the surprisingly speedy woman. She rounds a sharp turn and disappears for a while. The only clue they have before they get closer is the faint sound of yapping which sharply turns into a startled yelp. As they round the corner, she comes back, jumping onboard but now she's got a tiny dog in her clutches or what seems like a dog, because some of them think it's a large rat. This small merle chihuahua is wearing a tattered dingy sock as a sweater. It has fur in two shades of brown, one darker and the other lighter, black and white. It has large turquoise eyes and in its mouth is a stick. Jack takes one look at this mongrel and is suddenly filled with the desire to chuck it into the bin. But this urge is held back because he's seen this furry thing before in the crystal ball with the criminal cats. So the map is nearby.

“Good girl.”

A small smile comes to her as the tank draws closer to where she nabbed the dog, that's when they can hear voices.

…

“Perro! Where did that crazy dog go?”

Puss ponders while looking for the Perrito. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to throw a stick around a dog. Because that pup zeroed in on it in instinct, bound off their boat, and disappeared behind a wall of foliage. This forced Puss and Kitty to dock on the river's shoreline to look for him.

“I think you like him.”

Kitty teases in a singsongy tone, noticing how Puss had gotten worried for the dog he supposedly doesn't like, and Puss gets defensive about it.

“No. No, I don't.”

Kitty sees through him like he's glass, so she keeps teasing.

“I think you're ready to name him.”

Puss, to change the subject and not seem like he's gotten attached, decides it's okay to be dismissive.

“No, I just need his easy path to get my wish.”

He gazes longingly at the map and she takes hold of it with him, reminding him he's not the one with a wish.

“You mean my wish.”

“You mean MY wish!”

A third voice enters the mix and it is here that things get tense.

Parting the curtain of leaves and flowers are unicorns that are followed by the massive tank that stops to unload eleven of the twelve bakers. Sitting smugly at the top on the railing is Jack, at his side is Lynsie who is holding aloft Perrito, and below them is Tommy holding up the magic bag above his head.

“Sorry.”

Perrito mutters, stick still held tight in his mouth.

“The Baker's Dozen.”

Puss recognizes this is a bad situation. He's only got a tiny dagger that Kitty gave him and no extra lives to fall back on. Kitty's got her weapon and who knows how many lives. The two of them are vastly outnumbered, outgunned, and have a friend who's being held hostage. This is very bad for them.

“Let him go.”

But despite the danger, Kitty stands her ground and points her blade as she demands the dog's release. This is rather amusing to Jack, he knows he's holding all the cards so he plays along for laughs.

“Oh, I don't know. I might keep him. Would you like a treat?”

He reaches into the magic bag and Kitty, as she is often to do, gives him sass which she knows he hates.

“Nice granny bag, "Little" Jack.”

The usage of his old moniker does a few things that Gimini takes notice of. The first thing it does is kill all pleasantness from Jack, his seriousness comes back hard.

“It's not a granny bag! It is a magic nanny bag.”

Jack pulls his hand out of the bag, only now he's holding the loaded crossbow and he points it at the dog.

“Now, make with the map, or we'll see what the unicorn horn really does.”

As bad as this is, it only gets worse, Lynsie moves the dog closer for shooting ease. This is when Gimini notices the second part of the effects of calling Jack "little", all remorse is gone to the point it crosses the forbidden sin. Perrito whimpers and drops the stick, making a sad worried puppy face.

“Y-Y-You're not gonna shoot a puppy, are you, Jack?”

Gimini chimes in, the voice of reason. Surely no one, not even the most wicked of souls, would do this.

“Yeah, in the face. Why?”

But that's where Gimini is wrong. So very wrong. Jack moves the crossbow even closer the the dog, pressing the wood to the pup's forehead to emphasize that this is no bluff. He will, as a matter of fact, shoot this dog point blank in the face and not even so much as bat an eye about it like it's nothing.

This is without a doubt a messed up situation. A very tense and stressful one at that. One that requires careful handling and a delicate grace to avoid all negative consequences. Good thing that no one is paying attention to anything else because sudden yelling goes unnoticed till, out of absolutely nowhere, Rhu-Barb slams into the side of the tank with enough force to jostle it.

“What the...?!”

Eyes follow the flung trajectory of Rhu-Barb's path and they see the ones responsible. It would seem that due to the advancements Jack's team had made, burning the posies and blasting through the brambles, it had allowed for Goldilocks and the bears to catch up to everyone else. They do still look as though they've gone through a bit of a thrashing on their way to this point but surely it wasn't as bad as it could've been. And somehow, without anyone noticing, they had grabbed two of the Baker's Dozen, now just holding Sir Thomas as a hostage/projectile.

“Give us the map, or else the baker man gets it.”

Goldi demands.

“Yeah!”

Baby Bear adds while clutching a nervous Sir Thomas.

“Hold up...”

Lynsie looks the scene over.

“How the heck did you grab them?”

Goldi rolls her eyes.

“Does that really matter?”

“Yes! You're like a good sixty feet away and up on a ledge. Explain how you took our men when they were standing right here a second ago without anyone seeing that. What are you? Schrödinger's bear?!”

Unfortunately for Lynsie or any other who also wanted to understand this illogical inconsistency, Jack changes the subject to make things clear to Goldi in the only way he knows how when talking to someone he considers beneath him...blunt mockery.

“I don't even have the map, Little Bo-Creep.”

Not the response she wanted and hating how, once again, she's being dismissed as nothing, Goldi gives Baby Bear the signal and he sends Sir Thomas hurtling into the tank. The impact of Sir Thomas is so hard that it not only shakes those on it but Jack is jostled so much that he ends up wobbling the crossbow away from the dog and hits Lynsie squarely between her eyes with the blunt front end or the weapon, sending her over the side and the dog is released from her grip. He also ends up kicking Tommy in the back of the head and the man is sent over the unicorns, head over heel, while the bag remains on the tank.

“Stop throwing my men at me!”

Jack shouts in annoyance as Perrito makes a break for it, climbing down off the tank to get back to Puss and Kitty. Except, the poor doggo has to now get by the bakers who are quick to try to grab him to reclaim hostage rights. But the tiny pup is a wily one, dodging through legs and avoiding grasping hands like a champ. Wondering why this dog is important, Baby Bear gets a good look at the cats and makes the connection.

“Puss in Boots has the map!”

“Let's get him!”

Taking charge, Papa leads his family down the slope and rushes for the cats. Seeing this, the bakers forget about the dog and gun it for the cats as well. Now facing even worse odds than before, Puss gulps. Kitty, being there for her former partner and romantic interest, is ready to make him feel better.

“I've got a plan.”

Puss's eyes widen with hope.

“First one to the dog gets the wish!”

She gives Puss a playful shove and runs into the fray, blade in paw. The hope in Puss's eyes shatters.

“What? Oh, come on!”

Tucking the map under his belt, he reluctantly grips the tiny dagger at his side and follows after her. Aiming to get the dog, get her, and get the heck out of this mess before something else threatens his last life.

The maddening chaos is quick the unfold once everyone is clashing. Similarly to the attack at the pie factory, Kitty's prowess is a sight to behold, she avoids Terror-misu's meat cleavers and grabs the woman by the mouth, spinning her with her own momentum and then flinging her back like the woman was weightless. Unfortunately for Puss, she's flung his way and nearly cuts his life abruptly short, how lucky he is to have cat reflexes.

The once calm grounds are a battlefield. Small teams of about three to four bakers each deal with the bears, though some break away when cats get close. The dog, being so small and not a threat, is able to take cover behind some of the larger stone pillars. Slowly regaining consciousness on the ground, Lynsie stirs to a sharp face pain and seeing all hell has broken out. She looks up to see Jack aiming with the crossbow, pointing at a target in the chaotic crowd. Forgoing the pain and danger, she joins the battle without the axe, one target locked in her mind.

Papa Bear is swarmed by Nutmegan, Crustina, Cinnaman, and Sir Thomas due to being a huge threat. Mama Bear is also taken seriously with Stevia, Ben Yay, and Butter Scott. Baby Bear tag teams with Goldi against Terror-Misu, Pete, Betsy, and Rhu-Barb who try to keep the pair in one place. Kitty bounds around till she makes it over to some rocks, bending down to comfort the frightened Perrito.

“You okay, dog?”

It nods its head before gasping as Kitty is kicked harshly in her side and sent flying into a boulder.

“We have unfinished business, Miss Softpaws.”

Lynsie continues her assault on Kitty, pummeling the pussycat till Goldi smacks the woman with her staff.

“Try to ignore me now, ya daft minger.”

Goldi gets what she wants, in this violent clash where rage is being unleashed, and it's more than she bargains for. Lynsie doesn't waste words on the girl, seeing this girl as beneath her yet still a pest that needs dealing with all the same. Instead, she figures to kill two birds with one stone and uses Kitty as a living shield of sorts while going after Goldi. So every time Goldi uses her staff or hurls a kick, Lynsie uses Kitty to take the hit.

“Ow! Will you knock it off and hit her?!”

Kitty rightfully complains as Goldi's offensive maneuvers do nothing but hit her.

“What do you think I'm trying to do?”

Goldi makes a jab at Lynsie but the woman snatches her staff with her free hand and pulls the younger girl close enough for a devastating head bash, resulting in Goldi going down as Lynsie snarls sharply, her nose breaking from the earlier smack with the crossbow. Kitty uses this moment to reach around and grab hold of her wrist, gaining the leverage to swing upward enough to kick her already busted nose. The loud crunch is almost drowned out by her roar, the shock to her system makes her nerves flicker and her grip wanes enough for Kitty to yank herself free.

As Lynsie is blinded by pain and murderous rage, she can't see that there's a response to her roar. Mama Bear, having heard the sound and seeing her darling daughter on the ground, charges in with the parental might of a hurricane. She tackles Lynsie into some standing rocks and the structure gives way under the impact. Mama Bear gets away as the rocks come down but Lynsie isn't so lucky, in her current state, she gets buried under the heavy stone debris and the only indicator of her being there is that of her gloved hand protruding from under the rubble...motionless.

Meanwhile, Puss struggles to just doge his way around attacks. Cinnaman breaks away from his group to go after the cat, he comes in swinging at him with a giant rolling pin studded with nails, making the tabby leap up with a yowl, this sets up Sir Thomas to come in with his fencing sword and spiked oven mitt gauntlet to land an easy blow. But that's when Baby Bear comes in to do the same thing and only Sir Thomas takes the hit, sending him skyward. With a fairly decent opening made, Jack sees his chance to shoot Puss and looks through the aiming sight on the weapon.

“Steady...”

Jack fires, launching a baby unicorn horn right for Puss...However...It is at this same time that Pete comes barreling in with his giant meat tenderizer war hammer and attempts to smash Puss to a pulp. Puss just barely slides under Pete to avoid the crushing blow and narrowly takes the horn to the face yet his reflexes once again save him, but poor Peter ends up with being shot instead. The horn finds itself embedded deep in his rump. A brief moment strikes Pete as he seems completely fine...until he isn't.

*party whistles blare and noisemaker honks*

Pete explodes. No blood or guts, thank goodness. But instead, he explodes in a surprisingly powerful puff of colorful smoke, streamers, glitter, and confetti. Leaving only his clothing as proof he once was. Being caught in the unexpected blast, Puss spits a mouthful of confetti and is frankly disturbed by this.

“What?!”

One who took great glee in this morbid discovery was Jack, who laughs joyfully while cocking another horn into the crossbow's bolt chamber to be ready for more magical death.

“So that's what they do. Cool.”

Gimini, understandably, doesn't share in this enthusiasm.

“No! Not cool!”

Jack pays no heed to Gimini's concern, he takes aim and fires again. And, again, a poor baker gets in the way of his shot at Puss. This time it's Betsy who had run up with her dagger-like carving fork to nab the traumatized tabby but gets a horn in her right shoulder blade.

“Ah, you shot me!”

*party whistles blares and noisemaker honks*

Like Pete, Betsy combusts into a colorful and haunting celebration display, with nothing left of her but clothing. All the smoke and glitter start getting to Puss, triggering him into a sneezing fit. Jack so far is two for two on blocked shots and his annoyance is starting to increase.

“Ah, the sight's off.”

He cocks another horn for the ready and adjusts his aim as he lines up for this third shot. Puss is a perfect target now. His sneezing fit keeps him still long enough for him to be grabbed by Tommy who seems to have a snap ball strainer spoon fashioned to be a morning star mace.

“I got him, Mr. Horner!”

Too bad for Tommy that Jack had already fired the horn and it stabbed right into his back.

“My bad!”

Jack calls out.

“Oh, no...”

Puss braces for the impact but being right next to an explosion, even ones that are party bombs, doesn't mean there aren't side effects.

*party whistles blares and noisemaker honks*

Puss is hurtled through the air, his ears ringing from the blast, hitting the ground back near the river bank and tumbles over himself for a bit before coming to a stop. The map had dislodged from his belt in the blast and landed in the open for anyone to take. As his senses come back to him, Puss goes to recollect the map but something stops him. Something only he hears. A sound that makes his fur stand on end and his heart speeds up in fright.

A whistle.

Puss turns to see the WOLF, standing on the river's far bank. The Wolf locks eyes with Puss and draws his sickles. Panic strikes. Fear engulfs Puss. And, following a need to live, Puss turns tail. Fleeing the scene entirely. This gets the notice of the dog who runs after Puss in concern.

“Puss, wait!”

Kitty manages to get to the map but sees the dog running away.

“Perro?”

Kitty pauses for a second too long and gets absolutely walloped by Goldi who snags the map from her.

“Thanks for the map, Softpaws.”

Goldi opens the map, getting a look at what could be on it, only for the magic roll of shiny black paper with its edges bordered in gold to tap into her and alter the path to the Star. As the map does, it makes a personalized path for the one that holds it. So now that Goldi holds it, Perrito's path dissipates to become her own, and this change has real effects on the landscape. The environment morphs to match the map, the landscape begins to warp and shift. The rock of the canyon rumbles and cracks as it starts to split the groups up. Goldi and the bears climb up to the elevating land, literally having the high ground.

“No, no, no!”

Jack, having climbed down to get the bag and reloaded the crossbow, angrily begins shooting with the hopes of at least hitting one of them in spite.

“No!”

Kitty, being isolated on a pillar of stone, can't believe what's happening. As if to kick the others while they're down, Baby Bear gloats over them while Jack is still shooting at them.

“Oi! You've just been crimed by The Three Bears Crime Family.”

The rest of the family even gets in on it.

“Yeah!”

“So long, you plonkers!”

They take off into a pine forest that sprung up behind them. Kitty, understandably, is pissed!

“!Los voy hacer a todos alfombras de baño! Ugh! Puss, where are you?!” (I'm going to make them all into bath mats!)

As Kitty storms off, leaping down to follow where she saw the dog run off, the bakers regroup and recover. Jack scowls, leering at how the map has once more slipped out of his grasp. And what does he have to show for the effort of this confrontation? Not a damn thing! Hell, he lost three perfectly useful goons that could've died doing something other than getting in the way of his damn shots! Every single time! Curse them! Ruining his clean aim and making him look like he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. They deserved it. Oh well. At least nothing important was broken or lost. Wait…Where is…?

“Mr. Horner!”

Nutmegan draws their attention to the hand under the mounds of rocks.

“Don't just stand there. Get her out!”

This goes without saying. They scramble to remove the rock, some using their weapons, though this would've likely gone a bit faster if the three of the physically strongest bakers weren't currently clusters of party favors slowly spreading out on the ground into one big colorful mess that will get lost in the wind like cremated ashes. As more of Lynsie is uncovered from the rocks, the more unnerving it looks. Not saying she's left as a battered heap of mangled bits, no. In fact, her body seems fine. Give or take the way she was bent and the small dribble of blood coming from her nose. No, the unsettling part is how her eyes were wide open and fully dilated in a dead stare.

“Don't touch her!”

Jack climbs down and approaches.

“Everyone, back on the tank and turn it around. We're going after that snot-nosed little shit and her family of cheap throw rugs!”

The bakers don't question him but do keep watching as he kneels over her body. Gimini eyes the scene as Jack picks her up by the back of her uniform, holding her up at eye level while his other hand comes up to feel around her neck and tilts her face to look at him.

“Is she...?”

Gimini begins to inquire.

“She's not dead if that's what you're wondering.”

Gimini sighs with relief.

“Thank goodness.”

“You say that like she's allowed to die.”

Gimini looks at Jack funny as he heads back to the tank with her. The bakers, now fully back on the tank, watch the scene unfold with mixed confusion. This is the kind of thing they both expected and didn't expect. Jack doesn't care about the lives of his subordinates, not casting a glance or remark about the four that have died so far in this adventure. Yet when it comes to her, it's different, it's almost personal when it comes to his little shadow. Jack enters the tank, depositing Lynsie on one of the plush seats, leaning out the door to grab the bag and instruct the bakers to get the tank moving again. The tank begins to get going, turning around and heading onward to find a way to cross into the new land Goldi had made, hoping there's still some land connecting to it and leaving the chaos behind.

Inside the tank, Jack sits Lynsie up and examines her more closely. He checks her over for injuries and looks at her face, his expression unreadable. Gimini hovers nearby, watching the scene unfold.

“She's not looking so well.”

Jack remains stoic, not giving away much through expression what he's thinking.

“She's fine.”

Gimini persists.

“Now, Jack, you shouldn't dismiss her well-being. This doesn't look natural. She needs aid.”

Jack just rolls his eyes and focuses on her, holding her head in his palms.

“Look at you. Took a bit of a beating, didn't you? Damn woman, you're always such a pain in the ass.”

He puts his thumbs on the sides of her nose.

“Hey, bug, you're not squeamish are you?”

“Well...Not that I know of.”

“Great!”

Without hesitation, he uses his thumbs to push the cartilage and bone back into place. The sound is stomach churning and Gimini cringes hard.

“There. All better. Minus the nasty bruise that's gonna form later. Oh well.”

“So...So she's okay?”

Gimini asks trying to keep from gagging.

“What? Like I said before she's fine. This is just what happens sometimes. It's like a defense mechanism or whatever. She detaches under moments of extreme stress. She just needs to wake up.”

He meets her far-off gaze with his own.

————————————————–

A loud crack of thunder rumbles through the sky as a downpour lets loose. The evening adds a gloom to the storm but it's not the only reason for one soul. Standing alone in the now vacant field is little Lynsie, tears blending in with the falling rain. Most of the traveling wagons have left to find business elsewhere, as is the way of things, and more will come to take their temporary place. She knows this. Only this time it was different.

She got attached.

The Horners were like most vendors that have stopped by her small town, setting up shop for a bit to sell goods and make a name for themselves so they can start up a proper business. They were never going to stick around. But unlike most, they didn't see her like some street rat. Even if Jack could be abrasive and condescending, he still treated her like she was a peer. His parents showed her care and genuine decency, things she lacks from her own family. It's no wonder she would develop attachment.

And it stands to reason why their wagon being gone hurts her so much.

She stands there, somberly. Silently crying long into the wee hours till the sun's light was no more. Eventually and reluctantly, she leaves the field, making the dreadful trek back home. She walks away from the town. Away from the dim lantern light and into the neighboring thicket at the edge of the town's border. There stands one giant boot that has been lazily reconstructed into a makeshift house. Based on how it looks, none would think a family of nearly twenty was living inside. A dim candle glows in the window and it doesn't mean anything good. She and her siblings aren't allowed to leave the house, so they tend to sneak out to scrape by before coming back ahead of their mother. But she was out too late. Her mother knows. This isn't going to end well. So with a heavy and frightened heart, she knocks on the door. The door opens slowly with an ominous creak before a much older hand grabs the disheveled child and yanks her inside and the door slams shut.

“You wretched brat!”

The Old Woman shouts in the face of this tiny soaked-to-the-bone child.

“What were you doing outside?!”

She doesn't allow her to answer, being thrown against a wall kind of has the effect of knocking the wind out of her lungs and stunting thought.

“Spoiled little urchin! Is this the thanks I get for giving birth to you? For having a roof for you to sleep under? For everything I went through?!”

Lynsie cowers against the wall, her wet clothes clinging to her frail frame. The room smells of dampness and decay, a stark contrast to the fresh petrichor lingering on her from the rain outside. The dim light casts eerie shadows on the walls. Her mother's anger reverberates through the cramped space like the thunder outside.

The Old Woman towers over Lynsie, her face contorted with rage. Her eyes are wells of resentment and disappointment. Lynsie has heard these accusations before, a record of grievances that her mother never hesitates to remind her of. But tonight, the storm outside mirrors the tempest within their makeshift home. She strikes her daughter's cheek with the stinging force of her palm, her nails clawing and cutting enough to draw blood in the swipe. Tears mix with raindrops on the young girl's face. Her mother's wrath is a remorseless storm.

“You think you can defy me? You're nothing. A burden. You will learn your place!”

Lynsie's siblings huddle around corners to watch, their eyes mixed with fear and relief. Relief that their mother will be too focused on her favorite punching bag to go after them for anything they might have done. The older ones keep the younger ones back but don't shield them from the sight. They must learn and learn quickly how to survive in this hell. The Old Woman turns her attention to them, her anger undiminished.

“You all think you can undermine me, sneak away, and think I won't notice? I am your mother! I know every naughty thing you do!”

She advances on Lynsie again, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up. The room feels like a prison, the air thick with tension and despair. The storm outside rages on, a symphony of chaos that mirrors the turmoil within the makeshift house.

“Bad children must know their place.”

Lynsie doesn't dare speak but she winces as her mother's grip tightens, dragging her across the floor. The Old Woman shoves her into a small room, one of the few that have doors attached but she leaves it open. She wants the others to see this.

“You're such a disappointment.”

The Old Woman snarls; a twisted sense of satisfaction in her eyes. She reaches for a worn leather strap hanging on a rusty nail. It's a tool of punishment, a cruel reminder of the power the Old Woman holds over her children. Lynsie's breath catches, knowing all too well what is to come.

“I'm going to remind you who is in charge here.”

The room seems to close in around Lynsie as her mother cracks the strap like a whip, she flinches instinctively. Like a frightened animal, her face conveys her distress, a silent plea for mercy that she knows will not be granted. Her mother lunges, gripping her dress and yanking it over the little girl's head, exposing her back...and so many gashed in slashes.

The first lash cuts through the air, Lynsie covering her face as the strike hits her back with a searing pain. She bites her lip to stifle a cry, refusing to give her mother the satisfaction of hearing her anguish. The strap strikes again and again, each blow fueled by the Old Woman's pent-up anger and resentment.

Lynsie's mind retreats to a place of distant numbness, her body absorbing the punishment like a vessel battered by the storm outside. The sounds of the whipping merges with the thunder outside, creating a dissonant melody of suffering. Blow after blow, the leather tears into tender flesh, each strike fueled by a toxic mixture of anger and enjoyment. The other kids can only watch in resignation. They know this routine all too well—the anger, the violence, the blood, and the ruin before it happens all over again.

As the Old Woman exhausts her fury, her breath heavy with exertion as she drops the strap with a disdainful toss. Lynsie lies lifelessly on the floor, aching and broken. Blood seeping out the gashes in her back. The room is filled with a heavy silence shattered only by the rain's persistent drumming on the makeshift shelter.

The Old Woman stands over Lynsie, her chest heaving.

“Maybe one day you'll learn to behave and stop being such a bad girl.”

She practically spits out, before turning to her other children.

“And as for the rest of you...If you don't want to end up like her, then you best remember this. This is what happens when you defy your mother.”

With that, she leaves Lynsie in the room and locks her in. The sound of rain soon is all she hears. The house goes silent now that their mother has asserted her command. A small voice in Lynsie's mind whispers a desperate plea for escape. The memory of the Horners lingers in her heart like a flickering candle in the wind.

“If I were you, I wouldn't take any of it. You're not a dog. A dog doesn't get a choice. So stop rolling over and letting it happen. Do something about it! Or don't. It's up to you. It's no skin off my nose if something bad happens to you. It's your life. Your choice. Live how you want to live.”

Jack's words strike a cord much harder than her mother can hit. The thought of a different life, one where she is valued and cared for, where she is treated with kindness and respect, it fuels a fiery spark of defiance within her.

She makes her choice.

————————————————–

“Snap out of it, Lynsie. Don't ignore me.”

Hearing Jack's voice causes her empty dilated eyes to suddenly constrict in focus and she blinks, making Gimini jump in surprise. He lets her face go and sits back, adopting his usual nonchalant demeanor as she pops her neck, along with other joints. She rubs her face, wiping away the blood, only to wince and snarl at the pain. Jack just chuckles at her as she gets her barrings back, taking note of how she's no longer outside.

“What happened while I was out?”

“We're down three more men and the map was taken by those woodland bumpkins. So now the terrain is different.”

She groans.

“This is so bloody tedious.”

[To be continued in the second half.]

[witchywriterlythings]

Something This Way Comes

Chapter Six: I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

Once I wrapped my mind around the fact that the Latin teacher I had been afraid of for a few weeks was actually working for the camp my mom wanted me to go to and was actually half horse, we started a tour. But after doing pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front, so I made sure to keep up. 

A lot of the campers we passed stared at me and I self consciously tugged my hair to cover the back of my neck. I wasn’t sure why some of my more animinalistc traits had faded, but I didn’t want them suddenly reappearing and getting me caught. 

It was also interesting to see how much bigger the other satyrs were compared to Grover, especially since a lot of them had visible horns despite all of them sharing curly hair that would have covered anything less than a few inches. The kids they were chatting with seemed to be older than me, maybe eighth grade or high school? It was intimidating to see so many people bigger than me. I didn’t like it and neither did my instincts. 

To take my mind off the other demigods, I turned back to look at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized—four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weathervane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched.

 "What's up there?" I asked curiously, my eyes flickering to look at him.

He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. Interesting. "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?"

"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."

I got the feeling he was being truthful, but I was also sure something had moved that curtain. Something dead, maybe? I shuddered at the thought. 

Chiron showed me around the strawberry fields and explained how it was a source of income for the camp that allowed them to get supplies from the mortal world. "Children of Demeter and the satyrs typically tend to the plants, and of course Mr. D’s presence is a boon for them as well. While not as receptive as grapes, they do make a fairly good strawberry wine we also sell." He frowned down at me with a look. "While you may have some strawberries if you help with the plants, none of the campers are permitted any wine." 

I wanted to scoff at him, but it wasn’t as if he knew how much I hated alcohol. Gabe liked to force me to drink his beers when I gave them to him too warm and try to get me in trouble with my mom. But he was also in charge of a lot of teenagers and kids, so I wasn’t surprised he was worried. "Of course, sir." 

Looking at the satyrs made me think of poor Grover and what he might be facing in the house, so I tried to get Chiron to tell me what was happening. He was quick to explain why the god was so disappointed in him and despite my growing anger over anyone thinking less of Grover for any reason, I couldn’t deny that I was the one to bring him over the property line. And it always did seem to come down to technicalities with people, didn’t it. 

I started picking at my nails since I would be repainting them as soon as I found my stuff anyway. "He’ll get a second chance, right?" 

Chiron winced and the barest hint of lemon wafted off him. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age... ."

I frowned as I tried to remember anything Grover said about his birthday, but despite me nagging him to try and figure it out, all I got was that it was in the summer so we couldn’t celebrate it. "How old is he?"

"Oh, twenty-eight," Chiron said as if that wasn’t a bombshell he just dropped. 

 "What! And he's in sixth grade?"

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."

 "But...shouldn’t he be an eighth grader, at least?"

"Yes," Chiron agreed. "But at any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career..."

"He shouldn’t have to," I said. "It’s not fair. What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"

Chiron looked away quickly and I knew I wasn’t going to get a straight answer out of him. I wanted to stomp my foot in frustration, but the last time I did that I was five and caused the ground to shake a little. "Let's move along, shall we?"

I might have let the subject drop if he hadn’t talked about my mom when he was explaining Grovers "failures". He’d almost intentionally avoided saying she died, just that she was gone. A bit of hope started building up in my head as I thought about it more, lapping at my self control. "Chiron," I said. "If everything in the myths are real…"

"Yes, child?"

I ignored him calling me a child instead of my name, at least it was better than ‘boy’. "Does that mean the Underworld is real, too? "

Chiron's expression told me to drop it, but he sighed. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now...until we know more...I would urge you to put that out of your mind."

 "What do you mean, 'until we know more'?" 

"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."

And I didn’t get a straight answer out of him for the rest of the tour. I could feel a growl of frustration building up in my throat but I kept shoving it down. He showed me the armory but didn’t explain any of the weapons, just asked if I had any of my own. When I asked if my mother’s dagger was found, he frowned and said no before moving on to the the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.

 "Sword and spear fights?" I asked.

"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."

I had to curl my hands into fists and do the breathing exercises my mom taught me before I lost control. Already I could feel the back of my neck itching and my nails sharpening into points. But the pain, the blood, it helped me focus.

Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory, so I assumed it was for the sooty god’s children. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass, for she of the grain. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at, with its opposite in number eight shining in silver for the twins. In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined fire pit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.

I was going to ignore her, but the second we got close enough I could smell roasted pork and suddenly I was back to being small, when the heat would go out in the apartment and my mom would bundle us in blankets around a fire, sharing hot cocoa and hotdogs. I froze where I stood as I fought back tears over the memory, watching as soft brown eyes raised to meet mine. 

The goddess smiled softly at me, a bit of surprise on her face like she didn’t think I would notice her. She put a finger to her lips before giving me a little wave and turning back to tend to the flames. 

Chiron was still explaining the cabins and didn’t seem to notice, so I did as she bid and focused back on the conversation. At the same time I felt like something had been knocked loose in my chest, I felt a little bit more settled and sent her a silent thank you. 

"We haven't seen any other centaurs," I observed.

"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here."

 "You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..."

He smiled down at me. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am." Before I could ask anymore questions about that, like how it was possible for him to still be alive, or why his brothers would be at a sporting event of all places, he turned to face one of the last cabins. "Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

While she didn’t look overly happy to see me, in fact it was like she was still thinking about how much I drooled, I couldn’t help smiling. She was interesting and I couldn’t wait to find out how to make her my friend, so I tried looking at what she was reading to start a conversion but she pulled it to her chest before I could. There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns on the back, like those in an architecture book.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have a masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

 She raised her chin slightly like she was happy to be given a task, but also scrunched her nose slightly like she didn’t like that it involved me. "Yes, sir."

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, this was the one that threw me the most. It didn’t look specifically tied to any of the gods and in fact, looked more like where they would put anyone who didn’y fit. The paint was peeling, there were a few roof tiles missing, and the only sign that it was tied to a good was the caduceus thing above the doorway.

"Why…?" I tried to ask, but I was shooed inside before I could finish. I really didn’t want to intrude on a god’s space unless I was their kid, but it seemed I wasn’t the only one who was a misfit. It was clear there were too many kids for one cabin, with sleeping bags all over the floor without any space between them, even some under the bunk bends, and hammocks hanging in the available air space. Quite a few of them shared similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers. But even more looked almost nothing a like. No matter what they looked like, I could tell they were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on." She even made a shooing motion with her hands. The second I was inside, she moved in beside me and announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked. I was pretty sure it was one of the traveler’s kids in a hammock, maybe a year or two older than me. 

I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined." Was it because they didn’t know who my dad was? 

Everybody groaned.

One of the oldest guys stepped forward and instantly I wanted to take a step away from him. Despite his friendly demeanor and the way the rest of them seemed to turn to him instantly, the feeling I got from him was dangerous. "Calm down, we can make room." He sent me a charming smile that I didn’t return, but he didn’t seem phased. "You can have that spot on the floor over there." 

I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, since they hadn’t given me my stuff from the car back. Or did they even go retrieve it after the fight? "Thanks." I knew my voice was short, but I couldn’t help it. I felt like there were ants crawling around under my skin and no one would tell me anything. If I didn’t get some aggression out soon, I was going to explode. 

As if by some miracle she knew what I needed, Annabeth reached out and grabbed my wrist.  "Come on," she told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court." Instead of the empathy I was hoping for, she whirled around to glare at me once we were a few feet away from the closed door. "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What did I do?"

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

 "What's your problem?" I knew I shouldn;t be snapping like this, but it was either words or claws and I knew which one I had to choose. "All I know is, I killed the bull—"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth snapped back, as if she had any reason to be mad at me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To what? Get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

I bared my teeth at her in a snarl and she just raised an eyebrow at me like she was unimpressed. Later I would be happy about that, that she didn’t run away. But not right then. "You want the chance to watch your mom get murdered? Good for you! I didn’t!" 

She actually flinched at that and this puffed up act of hers dropped a little with her shoulders. "I’m sorry about your mom, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…" she trailed off awkwardly and shuffled a little. 

I refused to tell her it was okay, because it really wasn’t, but I forced myself to relax and give her a more neutral face to look at. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together?"

"You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent." She stared at me, as if waiting for me to understand something instead of actually explaining what she meant. I remained stubborn until she finally sighed and said, "you wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us. You couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"What does that have to do with why the cabins are overcrowded? I know about the gods but—"

—"Well! A newbie!" a husky voice cut in and I actually growled in frustration. When I turned, I realized there were four older girls coming our way who had to have at least four inches on me and I once again hated being so short. All of them were wearing camo jackets with their hair tied back and had the same glare, which I wasn’t sure what I did to deserve. The leader grinned at me in a way that reminded me of Nancy Bobofit. 

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares." The way she said the other girl's name was like a warning. 

I blinked at them while I tried my hardest not to let my eyes water from the overwhelming smell of iron and blood coming off them. I had never been around so many threats before, but at least these four didn’t set me off as much as some of the others. "That explains the smell." 

Wait, did I say that outloud? Shit. 

"You’re dead, punk. Come on, we got an initiation for newbies." Somehow, the blood in the air got even worse as she glared at me and I snarled right back at the threat. 

Annabeth tried to step between us, but she was shoved to the side. 

"Stay out of it, Wise Girl," Clarisse snapped and I decided right then and there I was going to ruin her day. 

They brought me to the girl’s bathroom by the back of my neck. I put up a bit of a fight, just  so they didn’t realize what a mistake they were making, but inside I could feel the water rushing through the pipes and I couldn’t wait to use it. 

To give credit when due, one of the Ares girls ran ahead to make sure no one was in there before dragging me inside, but that might have been so there were no witnesses. Not like there weren’t campers turning to  snicker at me while they dragged me there, but still. I never said they were smart. 

Annabeth even followed along, even going as far as to stand in the corner by the showers to watch through her fingers.

Clarisse barely got me into one of the stalls before I let go of the control I had been carefully maintaining this whole time and my powers tugged behind my stomach. I could hear the pipes rumbling around us and the fist in my hair loosened as the daughter of war started to realize what a mistake she’d made. 

A vindictive part of me, the angry part that I assume came from my fathers, hoped she had opened her mouth in shock and was gurgling behind me. The part that was my mom and recently, Grover, squashed that hope and took over to make sure the water wasn’t reacting to my thoughts. I turned around on my knees to watch as Clarisse scrambled back, slipping and sliding, towards her friends. Too bad the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.

I turned wide eyes to Annabeth, who hadn’t been spared by the showers but was at least still in the same spot. I was too drained from that to remember to let myself get wet, and let the exhaustion show on my face. 

Annabeth looked around us and then narrowed her eyes at me. "How did you ..."

If I didn’t answer, it wasn’t lying, right?  

When we walked out the door, the first thing we saw was  Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead." 

I knew she hated me and thatI should have let it go, "don’t make waves" and all. But I never could control my motor mouth and said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

Her friends had to hold her back and I felt smug at the slightly impressed looks of the other campers. She had to be dragged toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.

Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her, but at least she didn’t smell like sewage. She’d only been hit by the showers even if it might have been a bit cold. 

"What?" I asked, hoping that she only had an ideas of what I was. "What are you thinking?"

An invite to join her team for capture the flag was not what I had in mind, but I took it. 

<Prev Master Post Next>

[alba8688]

Love hurts

Chapter 56

Word count :3501

Warnings:mentions of blood ,labor ,c-section

October 4

Finally October Dani thought .She couldn't take being pregnant anymore the baby kept kicking and pressing on her bladder making her pee 100 times a day .She might be exaggerating a little .

Little baby girl Munson was due two days ago and she didn't want to come out yet .Dani did everything they told her to do and took walks in the afternoon since she turned 7 months .Eddie and her went to the Metallica concert and change there sits to the VIP but not in the front row due to Dani being pregnant .Dani decided to get the the sits a little bit to the top for the reason that she wanted to walk a bit more

To help with the pregnancy.But she eventually regretted so much .But other than that Eddie had so much fun watching his favorite band live for the time first time ever .

They took a lot of pictures .It was a memorable day.

But now it was back to reality .

On a follow up appointment The doctor even recommend having sex to make the baby come faster .By the way Eddie enjoyed that part,Dani not too much because Eddie kept talking during sex .

Flashback

"Shit baby, so fucking tight ." Dani was laying down on her side and her back to Eddie while He thrusted slowly, being careful he wouldn't poke the baby .

"I'm not hurting the baby right?"he asked continuing his movements

"Baby for the millionth time no you're not ." Dani answered annoyed ,it is not that she wasn't enjoying the sex it was just the fact that Eddie kept bringing up the baby while they were having sex.

The baby was perfectly fine inside of her, not wanting to get out anytime soon.

"Ok." Eddie answered, starting to thrust faster into Dani making her a moaning mess before Eddie ruined it once again.

"Shit ,am I hurting you baby?" He asked worriedly When he heard Dani moaning.Confusing it with sounds of pain,Which sounded nothing like pain sounds.

"No you're not just keep doing your thing!!" Dani didn't mean to shout but she was getting annoyed by all the questions, she knew Eddie worried for the baby and so did she .But right now she was fine he had nothing to worry about.

"Ok."Eddie answered with a hint of sadness in his voice .Yeah the poor metalhead felt his heart breaking with the way Dani had talked to him,

Dani felt awful afterwards because of the way she reacted but she didn't mean it she never meant to hurt Eddie that was never her intention.

"I'm sorry . '' Dani told Eddie after they had finished and both were laying down in bed naked wrapped with each other .

"It's ok ." Eddie kissed the top of her head.He wasn't going to lie it did hurt his feelings but he just wanted to be careful and not hurt his daughter because his stupid friends had told him that he could poke the babies head when they had sex .

Even though he researched it and said it wasn't true, he still worried .

"I love you so much Ed's ." Dani whispers scooting closer to Eddie resting her head on his chest.

"I love you too Baby ." Eddie pecked her temple and wrapped his arm around her waist .

End of flashback

So since then they have been having amazing sex every single day with Eddie asking Dani if she was ok every damn time.

One morning after Eddie had left to school ,(yes his first year of college ).Dani and her mom went to drop off Nate to school his first year in a real school not being homeschooled.Dani was in tears when she dropped him off .Eddie wanted to be there but that morning his class started early so Eddie asked Dani to take pictures and videos and Dani did all of that maybe she took a little too much pictures .

When she got home she sent the pictures and videos to Liam and Eddie .

She even posted them on her social media tagging everyone she knew well only close family members and friends.

So after that she got ready for her zoom meeting with Liam and the rest of company for their app.She sat down on the couch with her coffee in one hand and the laptop place on her lap .She felt a sharp pain in her stomach then she had the sudden urge to pee so she excuse herself from the meeting and the moment she stood up she felt water dripping down her legs .

"Holy shit !!" She gasped looking down at her legs .

"Dani what's wrong ?" She heard Liam ask from the computer but Dani didn't respond. Because suddenly started feeling a throbbing pain in her stomach she knew they were contractions. But the pain was unbearable. She knew something wasn't right. She felt it in her gut because with Nate her pregnancy went smoothly.When Dani didn't come back to the zoom meeting after 10 minutes Liam called again for Dani but he didn't get no response because She was panicking and she didn't know if it was ok for her to drive with the amount of pain she was in right now .

When the pain got worse She tried to do the breathing exercises like she had practiced with Eddie. They were supposed to help her..

But they weren helping at all right now. She was in too much pain and she was panicking so much.That she was actually crying. She tried to sit back on the couch to tell Liam her water broke and turn off the computer but she couldn't and fell to the ground .

She reached for her phone to call Eddie but he didn't answer. It would send her straight to voicemail so she managed to leave a voicemail .

"Eddie my water broke .." and she couldn't continue talking because she got a contraction, an awful one making her scream in pain.

the pain was unbearable ,maybe it was the fact that when she had Nate she went into the hospital fast as soon as her water broke Liam drove her to the hospital that was five minutes from there apartment in chicago and she had the epidural but now it was taking her longer to get to the hospital because of the pain she was in .

She couldn't even stand up, her legs were shaky making her unable to stand up straight so she stayed on the floor dialing Eddie's numbers as many times as possible.

After several unanswered calls from Eddie she called her mom but there was no answer either .She was about to call Steve when the door burst open .

"Dani." She didn't even bother checking who it was because she recognized his voice already .

Liam ran to Dani who was crawled up in a ball in the ground with her phone in her hand.Liam had never been so scared in his life but the way Dani was shaking and how pale she looked was worrying him.She was almost losing consciousness.

"Holy shit Dani !!" Liam picked up Dani bridal styled and carried her to his car sitting her gently in the front seat driving her to the hospital .The whole drive over to the hospital Dani kept calling Eddie ,she wanted him to be there for when his daughter was born.She kept losing conscious and when she would wake up she would dial eddie’s number.Dani started crying after so many failed calls she needed Eddie right now so much more than anything she needed him to hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be fine.She started crying even more now the pain was unbearable if it was bad home she was at the trailer it got 10x worser..

"Fuck !!" Dani groaned, closing her eyes trying to control her pain.

"Everything is going to be ok ." She heard Liam say trying to soothe her pain but she didn't know if anything would help her .She just needed Eddie to be here with her.

"We are here ." Liam picked up Dani slowly walking into the hospital.Dani just felt like she was floating and started feeling super sleepy her eyes where getting super heavy and .All Dani heard was that Liam tell someone that she was in labor and how far were the contractions but Dani wasn't keeping count but they were so close together .

"Danielle Henderson?" She heard someone ask Liam .Then she heard Liam arguing with some doctors and nurses but Dani couldn't understand what was happening around her. She was in so much pain and she couldn't understand why the doctors weren't helping her. She just wanted to feel better.

"What do you mean you can accept her ?" Liam yelled at the doctors in Hawkins hospital..He felt so much anger how can they denied the services to Dani .She was about to give birth.How can they be so cruel.

"Sorry sir but she can't be in this hospital. We don't accept criminals especially if that baby came from the sin ." Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing .How can the people of this town be such assholes .

"You'll be hearing from our lawyers !!" Was the last thing Liam Told the doctor before heading back to the car with Dani in his hands .Liam looked down at Dani who was now Sweating so much .He touched her forehead with the back of his hand when he sat her down in the front seat.

"Dani, you're burning up ." He said softly ,he hurried and put her seatbelt on .But when he closed the door to his car he panicked when he saw blood in his hands .

Meanwhile Eddie was in his mornings classes he felt a weird feeling in his chest he couldn't understand what it was but it was an uncomfortable feeling .

But he knew if something was wrong Dani would call him.So he didn't worry much .But when he got out of his first two classes Eddie checked his phone to see if he had any missed calls .But the blood drained from his face when saw he had his phone off .

He ran to his car to connect it to the charger .

He tried turning it on but the phone was dead .

"Come on you piece of crap !!" Eddie pressed the side button to turn on his phone .

"Finally." He said when his phone turned on .Thats when he saw the missed calls from Liam and a voicemail from Dani ..

First he listens to Dani's voicemail that was sent two hours ago "Eddie, my water broke ."Then followed by the sounds of Dani's screaming in pain .

He dialed Dani's phone but she didn't answer so then he dialed Liam's phone .It rang a few times before he answered.

"Hello ." He answered "I brought Dani to the hospital '' Eddie's heart skipped a beat hearing the words Liam was telling him.

Did something happen to Dani?

Was the baby ok?

A Lot of things ran through his head,he wanted to stay positive but that little devil on his shoulder kept telling him everything isn't ok.That he was never going to get his happily ever after.but Eddie wasnt about to give up

He was going to stay positive and be strong for Nate.

"Liam, I'm heading to the hospital ." Eddie told Liam.and just as he was about to hang up the phone he heard Liam's voice break.

"What's wrong ?" Eddie panicked,hurriedly he put his seatbelt on and turned on the car putting it in reverse to get out of the parking lot .

"T-the baby is stuck and is losing too much fluid or some shit they need to do a C-section but Dani is unconscious t-they need the father or the mother of Dani to make the decision." Eddie felt his heart break ,if he had his phone on him he could have been there with Dani to take her to the hospital .But he didn't, he forgot to charge it last night after the crazy sex they had.

"I'm going ." Eddie managed to say through tears .He was really trying to hold it together he didn't want to break down he couldn't he had to be strong for Nate.He couldn't let Nate see him cry.

"We are in Indianapolis. The hospital in Hawkins didn't want to accept her there so I drove as fast as I could ."

"Fuck!!" Eddie shouted hitting the steering wheel

"I'm going ." Eddie hung up and drove as fast as he could, not caring about the stop lights and praying that he wouldn't be stopped.

Liam sat on the chair next to Dani holding her hand .Her fever had gone down but he was still worried because she was still unconscious.

The baby's heartbeat sounded good and so did Dani's .The doctor said that everything seemed fine and she was stable but the only thing was that the sack where the baby was ,was losing too much fluid.

But now Liam just waited next to Dani for either Mrs.Henderson or Eddie to get here to approve the C-section.

Liam had told the doctors in this hospital what had happened at Hawkins and they told him that if they had given her medical attention Dani wouldn't have gotten this bad .

And now for sure Liam was suing the hospital .He couldn't stand Eddie but now he hated him more because of him Dani was going through hell for choosing to be involved with someone that was her student but right now it wasn't the time to argue with anyone .

After what seemed like hours the door to Dani's room opened .

"How is she ?"Liam turned to face Eddie ,Who looked like he ran a marathon.Well he didn't but he ran up the stairs because the elevators were taking too long .Liam stared at Eddie he hated his guts because of him Dani was suffering because she chose him.

"She is stable and so is the baby ." Liam told Eddie.

Eddie walked slowly towards Dani who was laying down in bed unconscious.The only sounds were the sounds of her breathing and the baby's heartbeat.

"I'll go tell the doctor you're here :" Liam stood up to leave Eddie alone with Dani ,he still couldn't understand why they didn't give Dani medical attention back in Hawkins .

"Eddie ." Dani said softly, her eyes still closed .

She was still unconscious when he got there but she somehow heard his voice from far away thinking that she might be dreaming but when she felt his hand touch her hand she knew she wasn't .She knew Eddie was there next to her .

"I'm here sweetheart ." Eddie grabbed Dani's hand and placed a kiss on it .

"You're here ." She smiled weakly no matter how she was feeling she managed to smile because Eddie was here with her finally and he was going to be able to see his daughter be born .

"Mr.Munson ." Eddie didn't even turn around to acknowledge the doctor .He was too lost in Danis' smile, always making him melt ,that smile that makes him fall for her every damn time.

"Yeah ." Eddie responded not looking at the Doctor but smiling at Dani.

"I'm gonna be your wife's doctor. Her Doctor is out on vacation but I promise I will take good care of her ."

"What's going on?" Dani asked looking around her, she hadn't realized she was in the hospital yet she thought she was still in Liam's car .She didn't know how bad she had bled she didn't know she was denied services at Hawkins well in a way she knew because they had told her that back a few months that she couldn't have here baby in Hawkins she never told Eddie not anyone.

"Miss.Henderson .hi how are you feeling ?" The doctor asked Dani looking at the screen monitor checking her vitals and writing everything down on his tablet..

"How's my daughter ?" Was the first thing Dani asked .

"She is doing good but unfortunately the little one decided to turn at the last minute, so instead of being with her head down she flipped herself sideways ." The doctor explained to Dani also telling her that she had dilated 6 but it was going to be hard to give birth naturally how the baby was so they have to do a C-section which Dani and Eddie agreed to .

They wanted whatever was best for their daughter.

After an hour or so the whole gang arrived with Steve and Mrs .Henderson but Eddie and Dani were already in the surgery room. They had been there for 30 minutes already and Liam was getting anxious .

He didn't care if the baby wasn't his; he had grown attached to the little girl whose name was yet to be undecided.

"How long have they been there ?" Steve asked Liam getting him out of his thoughts ,Steve was still wearing his family video vest .Because he and Robin rushed over To the hospital when Eddie gave them the call they even closed family video without letting Keith know .

"Like 35 minutes ." Liam looks at his watch,it hasn't been that long but it felt like hours of him waiting in the waiting room.

"Ok thanks man." Steve goes and informs the kids and Mrs.Henderson meanwhile Eddie is dying of nervousness watching the doctor cut Dani's stomach .He wasn't supposed to be looking , nurses had already told him 3 times that he needed to stay seated next to Dani.But you know Eddie he doesn’t like following the rules plus he was worried about Dani.

"C-can she feel?" He stuttered, not taking his eyes from where they were cutting .He winced when blood came out from the cut and closed his eyes trying to maintain his cool.He didn't want to faint he wanted to be strong for Dani.But how can he be strong when his poor fiancee was being open from her stomach.

"No she doesn't ,but sir can you stay next to her please ." One of the nurses told Eddie once again and this time he took his seat because he couldn't stand watching what they were doing to Dani.He promised himself that when Dani was released from the hospital he would take her to Target and to starbucks and even buy her whatever she wanted.

She deserves to be spoiled after everything she is going through.

"O-ok." Eddie stuttered going back to be next to Dani who had her eyes open looking at Eddie with a big smile on her face .

"You're so handsome ." Dani coo ,she was really drugged with all the pain med they had given her and just looking at Eddie made her feel so in love .

"Yeah." Eddie blushed, leaning down to peck her lips .."I love you Dani ."

"Shhh,they can hear you Eddie, I'm your teacher ." Dani looked around as if someone was going to hear them confessing their love to each other ."I don't care, I want the whole world to know I love you Miss.Henderson ." He wiggled his brows making her giggled.All Eddie was trying to do was to distract her from any pain she was .But Dani wasn't any pain .Yeah she felt the doctor's cutting but no pain it was just a weird sensation everything was numb from her stomach down .

Dani and Eddie were so lost in their own little bubble that they didn't realize the baby was out until they heard the small cries of their daughter

Eddie's head snapped out to the sound of the baby crying and in that moment that he saw his daughter for the first time he knew he had fallen in love once again with his little baby girl .

"Dad, you want to cut the cord ?" The doctor asks Eddie, who was in his own head already imagining his daughter going to preschool, her first steps and her first words.

"Y-yeah ." Eddie pecked Dani's lip before taking the scissors from the nurse and started cutting exactly where they told him .

The little baby girl was beautiful. She had Dani's eyes and Eddie's curls; they aren't that noticeable yet but her head was full of hair .

Eddie watched the nurses clean his daughter ,he was afraid they might drop her with the way they grabbed her, he just wanted to take her away from them and protect her with all his life .

"Here you go ." One of the nurses approached Eddie gently passing the little baby girl who was asleep wrapped in a pink blanket .

"Sweetheart, meet our little princess." Eddie's voice broke when he felt the tiny little hands of his daughter hold his finger .

"She is beautiful ." Dani was already crying. She wanted to hold her but she felt so weak and tired .Her eyes were closing slowly. She wanted to stay awake but her eyes were winning the battle .

The last thing she saw was her daughter holding Eddie's finger and Eddie

calling her name .

"Dani."

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