#I know I’ve dealt with creepy guys at work or at school and I didn’t say anything

[lookstairs]

I think one of the most realistic parts about Baby Reindeer (2024) is how much Donny downplays the abuse he faces

I know everyone wants to hate on him for being “stupid” and blame him for everything that happened because yes from an outsiders perspective he made questionable choices but isn’t that what HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DO?

I know so many people who’ve “played nice” or tried to downplay abusive behavior. You try and tell yourself “It wasn’t that bad”, or that it was just some crazy experience that should be forgotten. It seems so much easier to stay silent and just try to move on.

You don’t wanna start problems

You don’t wanna be mean

You don’t wanna be the bad guy

[enhyupn]

⧉ enhypen as your classmate that has a crush on you! ᝢ ∷

pairings: ot7 enhypen members x gn!reader

warnings: swearing, mentions of violence in jay’s one

genre: pure fluff + high school!au

a/n this also. Was in my drafts 💭 i was contemplating if i should post this or not but here i am 😫 i Post too much sorry everyone iJust have no life outside of school 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

⌗ heeseung

heeseung is definitely the type of person that tries to talk to the person he sits beside all the time

he nudges you all the time and whispers your name whenever he wants your attention

and the fact he had a huge crush on you also added to it

enhypen always have to listen to him since he never ever stops talking about you. like ever.

“oh my god you will never know what y/n told me when i—” and suddenly he’s cut off by the rest of them yelling “we know!”

you never snap at him because you kinda... enjoy the attention

maybe thats how you knew you kinda liked him too, since you could never let sunoo get away with this if he ever called for your name in class

your relationship only stopped there for a while, since the two of you lowkey scared of each other

“no i feel like y/n’s gonna snap at you one day, like completely just punch you in the face” jay once told him and ever since, he’s never looked at you the same

you think heeseung’s just intimidating, the amount of times you’ve jumped in your seat whenever he’s called your name is numerous

although, one day you fell asleep in class due to the fact you left your english essay last minute the night before

heeseung, noticing you drooling on the table, wrote down the notes for you

he handed them to you after class and you were so touched that you couldn’t stop telling sunoo about it

“his hand writing’s so neat and—” “i get it, you can shut up now!”

you even told heeseung his hand writing was the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen for a week straight

he was happy of course, but honestly unsure how he was supposed to reply to the compliment

he figured out by himself that all he needed to do was ask you if you wanted him to write your name

“heeseung, i mean it! i can’t get over how you write ‘the’, it’s just so— so neat!” “oh really? let me write your name out”

being the smooth guy that he was, wrote down his number instead of your name

and you being the oblivious person you were, ended up being utterly confused

“heeseung i think—” “I WROTE MY NUMBER ON PURPOSE”

you never really got over the shock, nonetheless still took his number and texted him that night

you ended that night by kicking your feet in the air with your face feeling like it was on fire

oh, you also ended up planning a date with heeseung on saturday, not a big deal

it was actually the biggest deal ever

the rest of the head canons are under the cut!

⌗ jay

jay was 100% the type to tease someone when he had a crush to get their attention

he wanted all your attention and the way he got that was through telling you your portrait of a dog looked stupid

well yeah, it did but he didn’t need to point it out

everyone in your art class knew jay had a raging crush on you

he just didn’t know how to express it

his friend jake told him the way into your heart was talking about a mutual interest

jake was, sort of, right about his advice. well, until you and jay started bickering about a character you loved but he oh so hated

“mabel in gravity falls was annoying and weird” “jay if you say that one more time i will shove this paint brush down your throat”

jake, who was trying to play cupid, could not understand why he was so bad at this

i mean jay had no problem getting girls to like him but you? did you genuinely hate jay or something?

“no jake i don’t hate jay” well that answered his question

“he’s just weird” “weird? i’m weird?” “yeah do i need to repeat it again? park jay is weird” you two were a match made in heaven

jay didn’t know when but he had a revelation, maybe this wasn’t the approach he should take to get your attention

after that, he started to be extremely nice to you

it definitely scared you

“d-did i do anything?” “what no? i’m just saying your painting looks beautiful y/n” “oh no something’s definitely going to happen”

he was finally tired of trying so hard while ending up with nothing achieved

jake, being the one out of the two who had the most realistic ideas, decided to give him one more tip

“do you think it’ll work?” “it’s fool proof”

the tip was simply him asking you out to the movies, something that was a little too forward for jay

“no i don’t think it’ll work jake” “jay i swear to god you are going to end up single For the Rest of your Life”

it took... many attempts... and many insults towards you for him to even get the first line out

“Y/NPLEASEGOTOTHEMOVIESWITHME” “the movies? sure” “wait, really? i meant it in a romantic way by the way” “oh? sure i’m free on friday”

turns out you were into him too i mean it was kinda obvious from the way you dealt with those insults

even when you started dating after that date, the insults never stopped

it just now targeted jake, who really is just asking for it at this point from the amount of times he’s asked for credit for ‘getting both of you together’

he was never getting that credit

⌗ jake

jake would leave secret love letters in your locker every time he walked past it

i mean the action wasn’t as secret as he thought it was due to the fact you knew he was the one leaving those letters

for god’s sake the boy was literally in almost all your classes, you were walking the same way as him when he slipped those letters in???

you still were very grateful for them

without them, i think you would of not coped with school

they were all incredibly detailed and even had little doodles drawn around them

you once had remembered he mentioned that he wrote these in the morning before school started during first period

he also told you he was really really shy you found it incredibly cute

the only way he could speak to you without melting was through these letters

somehow you decided that the best thing to do was put replies in his lockers too

his first reaction was complete embarrassment, the fact you knew who he was had his face heating up like nothing else

but he soon realised you didn’t think it was weird or creepy, you actually looked forward to his letters every school day

he mustered up so much courage after that to talk to you in person, to personally thank you

“THANK YOU Y/N!” “NO IT’S FINE JAKE YOU DON’T HAVE TO BOW”

he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck before pulling something out from his back pocket

the final letter in his series of love letters showing up in his hands

“open it” his shy smile making your brain Melt in endearment

the letter contained the usual, the hello y/n! and the usual chatter about his day

what you didn’t expect was the fact he had asked you out at the bottom of the letter

“y/n i’ve liked you for a while now, will you go out with me?” you read out loud before realising what you had just read. “OH MY GOD YOU ASKED ME OUT?”

you pull him into a tight hug, something that jake heated up at

“is this a yes?” “are you seriously asking that right now? of course we are”

you two became the most sickly sweet couple ever

plus the fact you still placed letters in each other’s lockers made enhypen gag (in an affectionate way)

they were just jealous nobody was putting letters in their lockers

⌗ sunghoon

sunghoon always seemed to be there whenever you needed help

especially since you two helped out at the library together every wednesday

he looked forward to it every week, you could tell from the fact ever tuesday he’d remind his friends that the next day he was seeing you again

“tomorrow’s wednesday you know what that means” “yes sunghoon we know, you’re seeing y/n tomorrow”

whenever he’s finished his work (which he does at an incredibly fast pace) he always seems to end up trailing you

constantly asking if you need help, desperate to do something

you find it endearing, always ending up chuckling at his whiney words

“y/n! do you need any help i’m finished” “not at the moment but if you wanna chat i can!”

out of all the enhypen members i feel like sunghoon would have the softest feelings for his crush

like even outside of your assigned library work, he’d constantly check up on you during lunch

“here y/n! it’s a packet of those gummies you like” “how sweet that you remembered! thanks for them”

you, even with sunghoon’s constant affection, couldn’t realise he had a crush on you

you thought that he was like that with everyone, you didn’t think that you were particularly special to get any type of unique treatment from park sunghoon

it wasn’t until your classmate asked you if you and sunghoon were dating

“hey are you and sunghoon dating?” “ummmm no why” “oh my friend wanted to know, they like him that’s why”

that didn’t sit well with you.

you thought long and hard about it but there was literally no reason for you to be bothered about it

i mean? you didn’t like him like that right

wrong

you decided to ask his dearest friend heeseung for help

“heeseung what do i do why do i feel like this” “i don’t know ask sunghoon” “...you aren’t helping”

heeseung being the big blabber mouth he is, told sunghoon all of this

“y/n won’t shut up about you” “really? you’re telling me the truth right? please don’t lie to me”

from many many uplifting comments from his friends, sunghoon was able to talk to you without mentioning the library

“so... what did you do in art class today?” “oh? i don’t do art” i mean at least he tried

after a few attempts he finally hit the nail on the head, securing his place as one of your friend... not the position he was aiming for but at least it was something

that’s when he prepared himself for the final boss (that’s what heeseung called the plan)

interrupting the conversation you both had on what disney show was the best, he popped the big question

“no but mulan was pretty good too also do you wanna go on a date with me” “oh sure! that was really random though”

i mean his timing was incredibly terrible but you were over the moon

even with the calm messages the both of you had sent, the two of you were screaming at your screen, unable to contain any composure

i mean it’s sunghoon... even if he handed you a piece of trash to as his way of asking you out you’d still say yes

⌗ sunoo

no but sunoo definitely asks your friend what your favourite song is and puts it on his story so you can slide up and be like “omg!! i love this song”

OH he also texts you randomly at 11:11 and 22:22 so you think it’s a sign

he so so so desperately wants your attention all the time

he goes up to you at lunch even when you’re with all your friends and makes conversation with you making you forget all about your friends

he sits in front of you in maths! so he knows how bad you are at the subject, he can hear your muttering about how you got a question wrong every morning but don’t Worry! he finds it adorable for some reason

at first he started to pretend he wouldn’t understand a question so he could find a way to talk to you

“hey y/n! what’s six times five again” “are you serious?”

he’s actually kinda good at maths so you’re always confused on how he doesn’t understand basic multiplication but can get 90% on the algebra test

he loves, and i mean loves, talking to you during class

even if the teacher scolds him he doesn’t care, it’s simply the highlight of his day

he gets so pouty and jealous when you excuse him in the middle of a conversation to talk to someone else

he gets jealous especially whenever you talk to his friends instead of him

“hey ni-ki! what did you get for number five?” “oh i got—” “I GOT TWELVE FOR THAT ONE Y/N!”

you kinda adore it not gonna lie

at one point your teacher got incredibly fed up with you two talking class

so! sunoo resorted to passing notes to you

‘y/n did you hear? oh my god, jihan from the maths class beside us told me that yeojin from the year above us got suspended because she started fighting the teacher over her phone. can you believe that? i mean i would of done the same thing’

it was quite clear sunoo talked a lot even through notes too

i mean as if you didn’t reply with the same energy

‘I HEARD THAT TOO!! gowon from her class told me, plus! intak said he saw the whole thing too... omg honestly i think yeojin’s so cool for doing that. maybe i should fight our maths teacher if they try and yell at us for talking again?’

they were one of the many things sunoo loves you for <3

one day ni-ki, being the number one shipper of you two, decides to play Cupid on the two of you

he drew out a note that looked too similarly to a middle school confession text and placed it on sunoo’s desk

“do you like me y/n... tick one. yes. no.” “do you like it?” “what the fuck is this”

i mean sunoo Took it anyways, he knew you’d find it funny too

as usual, you prepared yourself for a long class of sliding notes to each other

you looked forward to it, you found it as a source of entertainment and you liked talking to sunoo anyways

“pssst, y/n!” “thanks— wait did you give me the right one?”

after many whisper shouts and glares from your teacher, he finally convinced you that they were the real deal

obviously. You chose yes

that’s how you landed a date with sunoo to a picnic at han river

sunoo and you were. Kinda.... thankful for ni-ki

you two just never wanted to admit his stupid cupid-ry worked

⌗ jungwon

definitely the type to ask you “what homework did we get?” so he can start a conversation with you

replies to your private story with like “omg that’s so funny” or like “PLSSSSS me too”

you do exactly the same with his ps honestly

he always talks to you before class and you have heated discussions about the homework the night before

YOU ALWAYS ALWAYS end up sitting beside him in every class you have together

like it’s not even on purpose anymore (it’s actually fate)

always lends you pens and pencils when you forget them

he also never Asks for them back so you Have like a stash of them at home beside your bed because you always forget to give them back to him

you and jungwon are the kids in pe class that walk around the track gossiping

“jake told me that half of the soccer team aren’t getting along these days because they all like the same person” “no way really? what about their team work, isn’t there some sort of huge match next week?”

the gossip only stays between you two but only ever during pe

you two talk about more, interesting things outside of pe

since you two are in basically every class together, you walk with him everywhere

once when you were about to trip over, jungwon caught you and when you realised you were in his arms, you just blankly stared at him for a good five seconds

once you got off of him your face started to heat up so fast jungwon’s too

every time you have homework due and you didn’t do it he lends you his word

“y/n take this! it’s the french homework from last class” “thanks so much jungwon!”

the real story starts with when you and him were practicing speaking french in the library

you, being terrible at french, needed some sort of help with this

jungwon decided that, even though he completely sucks at french, he should tutor you!

and there you were, ten reasons why i hate you style, in the library struggling on how to pronounce beaucoup

“bow-cewp” “good job y/n!” “jungwon i know for a fact that you don’t know if i’m saying this right”

you stuck up with it because, well because he’s jungwon

“je t'aime you”

i mean you were Terrible. at french but even the stupidest person in the world could figure that out

“i like you too jungwon, now help me with question six” “YOU COULD UNDERSTAND THAT?” “i had a paris phase when i was younger of course i did”

turns out the Parisian style bakery across the street is the perfect date on an afternoon after school

what was even more perfect was that you got 85% on your test with the help of your boyfriend

⌗ ni-ki

he was your partner in cookery class, the both of you had no cooking skills in your bones but you still made it work

you were in the class since your family constantly nagged at you for being terrible in the kitchen

while ni-ki enrolled because he needed the something to show his friends after school

ni-ki thinks he fell for you at first sight

you were baking cookies as your first task and you basically saved him by reminding him to put on oven gloves before getting the cookies out

“that’s the bare minimum” jay tells him. “i don’t care... you wouldn’t know what love feels like”

he looks forward to cooking class because if you every week

he even has it scheduled on his calendar

honestly it’s kind of a miracle the food you two make is some sort of eatable

he always asks you for help even if it’s the simplest thing ever

“y/n? which one is a cup?” “the one that literally says one cup?”

you don’t care though since you think it’s cute

you always end up doing most of the cooking and chopping whil ni-ki just washes the dishes and watches the pot boil which eagerly waits for the food to finish

you’ve met all of enhypen before since ni-ki likes them to gather around your creations and take pictures of them together

when enhypen first collected him from cookery class, they asked him which one of your classmates were you

he literally shyly pointed at you as he hid his face with his hair

“them” “huh? ni-ki who are you pointing at” “them, beside the fridge”

your final exam was to decorate and bake a cake

it’s safe to say from the many burnt cakes you and ni-ki have done, you two were in trouble

you both wanted that passing grade so you practiced almost everyday after classes the week before

he was in charge of the icing, apparently according to him it was his specialty

“look y/n!” “how cute! a little unreadable but very cute”

finally. the Day of the exam came

you both had to prepare and bake the cake together under two hours

you were lucky that you both weighed the ingredients before you arrived

it was definitely. The most stressful two hours you two had ever felt

it also didn’t help that ni-ki shooed you away when he was icing the cake

by the end of it, your face was Dusted with flour while ni-ki’s apron had butter and frosting stains all over it

you were instructed by ni-ki and even your teacher, to stand where the fridge was, out of your sight to see what he was doing to the cake

you were hazily scrolling through your phone when jungwon snapped you back into reality

turns out jungwon was outside the room the whole exam because ni-ki told him he needed support and having him there comforted him

almost instantly after your jungwon interaction, ni-ki called you from your table, excitedly waving his arms in the air

“y/n! y/n! i’m finished!” “perfect! let me—”

your eyes widened realising his cake didn’t say anything like ‘happy birthday’ like you two had planned

instead the icing spelt out a prettily written out ‘y/n, will you go on a date with me?’

your eyes seemed to water at the gesture, unsure why you got so emotional at icing

“n-ni-ki... that’s so c-cute” “why are you crying? oh my god you hate me don’t you?”

it took you ten minutes to stop sobbing (happy tears) and you gladly accepted his proposal

so now you got a Good grade and an amazing boyfriend that can... sort of! Cook

while eating the cake you were reminded with something, remembering some words from earlier

wait did mr lee know about this?

[stina-is-a-punk-rocker]

jacqueline wilson’s ‘love lessons’

tw: abuse, pedophilia, characters making Bad Decisions, long unnecessary spiel about my childhood like I’m running a recipe blog

It’s funny how loads of the authors who helped shaped me into the vaguely humanoid being I am today have names beginning with the letter ‘J’; Judy Blume, Jeff Kinney, John Green, J.K. Rowling (yikes, I know) … and Jacqueline Wilson.

I’ve never owned a Jacqueline Wilson book of my own; they were always borrowed from a friend, or from a friend of a friend, or from a friend of a cousin- you get the gist. Her books, for me, come with an entire aesthetic: something reminiscent of yard sales, and reading under the covers with a flashlight, and being lulled into a false sense of security by the deceptively innocent Nick Sharratt illustration on the cover until someone’s best friend gets mowed over.

So I knew what I was getting into when I picked up Love Lessons. I knew this was going to be Fucked Up; and boy, was I right.

(Here’s the part where I warn you about spoilers.)

From an abusive dad to creepy child predator teachers to slut-shaming and victim blaming, this book has it all.

The main character is Prudence ‘Prue’ King, who is homeschooled at the beginning of the book, along with her sister, Grace. Their parents remain rooted in the early twentieth century, and are very strict about- well, everything. No TV, no computers, not a single mobile phone in the house; their clothing worse than the orphans’ from Annie; and their father remains distinctly distrustful of modern institutions like the school and the hospital; and so on, and so forth.

Daddy King suffers a stroke, and has to be taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, Mrs. King (a floppy, spineless woman who lives in fear and awe of her, frankly horrid, husband) sends the girls to school, behind the then invalid Mr. King’s back. Cue Prue and Grace being the freakshows of the school, with their strange clothing and overbearing mother.

Grace manages to make friends, but Prue remains alone. The kids are dicks, the teachers are dicks… well, all of them but one. And that’s the art teacher, Mr. Raxberry (I just couldn’t get over that name; it seems like something you’d name a mythical plant from Pixie Hollow or some shit. I’m assuming it isn’t an actual name, since the spelling & grammar check on my computer doesn’t seem to recognize it), or Rax, as he’s called.

Oh, yeah; Prudence’s favorite subject in school is art, and she’s a whiz at it. This is relevant, because reasons.

And here’s where stuff gets murky. Prue develops a crush on Rax- which is perfectly normal. I’m definitely no stranger to it; I’ve had crushes on my teachers, my mum admitted she used to think one of her professors was cute. And yeah, as I grew older, I grew out of those crushes and now have a markedly more refined taste in men (unless he’s 5’ 7’’, born in ’97 and named Bang Chan, I don’t want him); and my mum married my dad, so I’m assuming she did, too. Admittedly, now that my dad teaches at a university, it’s icky to think that there might be students who have crushes on him- but I digress.

My point is, loads of us have liked our teachers. But I doubt the majority of us have acted on it.

And Prue actively showing her interest in Rax isn’t the worst part. That’s a spot reserved for Rax reciprocating her feelings.

Guess Ezra Fitz and Ms. Grundy (yes, I watched Riverdale; please don’t cancel me) have a new addition to the Creep Club.

The age of consent in the UK is 16, if I’m not mistaken. Prue is 14. She’s just barely become a teenager, and she’s being preyed upon.

Because that is what Rax is. He’s a predator; he preys upon this vulnerable girl who’s never been in a relationship before- hell, she’s never even had friends- her father’s abusive, so she obviously doesn’t have the best experience when it comes to men- she’s unpopular at school, with the students and staff alike- and he lures her in. I don’t care how bloody nice he is to Sarah, or what a good dad he is (well, he’s really not, seeing as he cheated on the mother of his children WITH A BLOODY FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD)- the guy’s a fucking pedophile.

I was staunchly stuck at a yellow light with him; like, sure, maybe Prue thinks he’s flirting with her- maybe she’s looking at this all wrong, she doesn’t know how relationships work- see, he drew a picture of Sarah, too, in his secret notebook- Prue’s just reading into this too much- up until he says he loves her.

Dude. Humbert fucking Humbert. She’s fourteen, for Christ’s sake, and you’re married. You have two children. She’s a child. She’s probably closer to your son’s age than she is to yours.

(This is the part where I bury my head in my pillow. And scream. Extensively, and with passion.)

The book does make some genuinely good commentary on slut-shaming and victim blaming and abusive parenting. And on one hand, I can see why so many people find issue with the romanticization of the when I kissed the teacher trope- but I can defend it, too.

The book is in Prue’s perspective. She thinks she’s in love with Rax, so obviously, she’s not going to throw in some valuable moral at the end- because she’s too young and inexperienced to think otherwise. And sadly, there are loads of instances of child abuse that go unreported because the victims just don’t know better.

What I have issue with is how the school dealt with it, ultimately. Prudence, a child, has to deal with the consequences of the actions of a literal child predator. Sure, Rax ‘clears his name’ by cooking up some bullshit story about how it was only a crush and he didn’t encourage it, but you’d think other adults would know better and, oh, I dunno- dig deeper into it, instead of blaming it on a child?

“She says you told Mr. Raxberry you loved him and he held you in his arms and fondled you.”

Which Prudence denies, because, again, she doesn’t know better. She then goes on to say that they did nothing wrong. To which the adult speaking to her, in this case, the principal, Miss Wilmott, goes on to say:

“I’m not sure that’s entirely true… I feel that there are some aspects of your friendship that could be considered inappropriate.”

FYI, lady, he kissed her- multiple times (not that kissing her once makes him any more redeemable), and told her he loved her, and admitted to fantasizing about running away with her and leaving his family behind. Fun fact: do you know Prudence is underage?

You’d think that Miss Wilmott would maybe give this whole fiasco a favorable ending, but it turns out she listens to school gossip;

“I haven’t been at all happy with your attitude. You don’t seem to understand how to behave in school. I’ve heard tales of unsuitable underwear and then a silly romance with one of the boys in your class. I feel that in the space of a few short weeks you’ve made rather a bad name for yourself… I don’t know whether you intend to be deliberately insolent but you certainly come across as an unpleasantly opinionated and arrogant girl… I can’t help feeling that you’ll be much better off elsewhere. I shall try hard to engineer a suitable transfer to another school.”

And then she comes out with this gem:

“If you won’t leave, then I shall have to ensure that Mr. Raxberry finds another position.”

“No, you can’t do that! He’s a brilliant teacher.”

“You should have thought of that before you started acting in this ridiculous and precocious manner. If I were another kind of headteacher, I would have Mr. Raxberry instantly suspended. There could even be a court case. He would not only lose his job, he could find himself in very serious trouble. Did you ever stop to think about that?”

Girlboss, gaslight and gatekeep. The fucking trifecta.

Also, by ‘another kind of headteacher’, does she mean the kind of headteacher WHO DOESN’T LET CHILD PREDATORS ROAM FREELY WITHIN THEIR HALLS?

This bitch is out here blaming a child, a literal child, for the crimes of an adult man.

The only time Prue seems aware of the fact that Mr. Raxberry is actually a very shit person is her immediate thoughts that follow after she tells Miss Wilmott she’ll take the fall;

I so wanted to save darling Rax- and yet why hadn’t he wanted to save me? Had he told Miss Wilmott it was all my fault, that I’d got a ridiculous crush on him, that I’d made ludicrous advances to him? … I wanted to tell this horrible, patronizing woman how hungrily he’d kissed me, but I couldn’t do it. I loved him. I had to help him.

NO, SWEETHEART; YOU MOST DEFINITELY DO NOT.

And maybe I’m going overboard with all these excerpts, but here’s what Rax has to tell Prue, after school, following her expulsion:

“I let her think the worst of you, the best of me, just to save my skin. I said it was ridiculous talking about a love affair between us. I said you simply had a crush on me, and that I was just trying to be kind… You were brave enough to stand up to me and force me to acknowledge the truth… I love you… That’s why I had to take a risk and see you this one last time. I didn’t want you to think I didn’t care… Every night when I close my eyes, I’ll think of us together in this car and how badly I wanted to drive off with you. I’ll imagine us walking hand in hand at the water’s edge… I wish I wasn’t such a coward.”

(I burrow into the pillow further. I’m trying to suffocate myself.)

And that’s where I think Wilson went wrong. Sure, Prudence getting expelled for something that was completely out of her hands is unfair, and horrible, but it’s real. That shit can happen.

What’s bad is showing Rax in a positive light after all that. If only Wilson had written Rax to not be the Romeo he thinks he is. Make him ignore Prudence, throw her under the bus in front of her face, instead of this star-crossed lovers bullshit it’s made out to be. Show your younger audience that Rax is not a good man. I’ve got a little over two weeks left for my twentieth; I can see why this is unacceptable. But I was a little younger than Prue when I watched Pretty Little Liars, and my only gripe with Aria dating Ezra was that Noel Kahn was so much cuter.

It shows when you scroll down the Goodreads reviews; you’ve got adults giving it one or two stars, and teenagers giving it four or five, with their biggest complaints being, “but Toby was cuter!!!”

Other non-pedophilia related complaints regarding the book include: Prudence being unlikable- which I didn’t really notice, considering she reacted to some people way better than I would’ve, even at 19 (which probably says a lot more about me than it does about Prue, but oh well). Still, Prudence obviously isn’t the most prudent of people- and again, she’s fourteen. Look me in eye and tell me you weren’t an arsehole at that age (unless you’re fourteen now, in which case, I assure you that you’ll look back on yourself someday and go ‘wtf was I thinking’). Bringing up Toby’s dyslexia in an argument was low, though.

There were people who thought the Kings’ almost-Amish lifestyle was exaggerated and unrealistic, but I assure you, it may very well be real. There are 8 billion people on the world- it’s fair to assume that several of them are complete weirdos.

Grace was a sweet character, and I adored her with every fiber of my being. As were her friends Iggy and Figgy. Honestly, I would’ve loved a book about Iggy, Figgy and Piggy’s (mis)adventures too.

[otptings]

Moonlight

♤Idol; Johnny Suh ♤Genre; Mafia!Johnny, Angst

♤Word Count; 2.6k+ ♤Warnings; assault, injury, panic attacks, implied sexual assault/rape ♤Synopsis; Doesn’t the moonlight look beautiful tonight?

Part 1 , Part 3

Upon waking you realize you were alone.

Glancing around you quickly realized that you weren’t home, or in a hospital. You were in a regular house, a regular room at that. Moving your arms around you realized that the ache had significantly subsided since the first time you woke. Slowly you sat up, lifting your arms up and seeing the scraps all along your arms, now blooming in purple and yellow. Healing bruises.

Footsteps could be heard walking along the hall, but none of them stopped at your door, just walked past and disappeared the further they got away.

Looking down you realized that you weren’t in your work clothes, you were in a grey shirt, way too big to be your own. Where were you? Why weren’t you at home?

What happened?

Tears started to well in your eyes, as you started to remember bits and pieces of the night. The moon light shining brightly over everything, the reflection in your phone mirror, being pressed against the brick wall.

Silver knife glinting in the star light, stained with blood after he cut you.

You thought that you had died.

Ignoring the pain you pulled your knees toward your chest, holding them tightly as your memories started to piece themselves back together. You were attacked. You were chosen to be attacked. Someone specifically had chased after you, and learned your schedule to find you.

Had they gotten anyone else? Had they gotten the rest of your family? Where was your family?

It seemed the harsher your breaths came, the footsteps started to realize something was wrong. Panic started to flood your body, causing you to whimper as the memories of the attack raced through your mind. You covered your ears as his voice seemed to flood your head, the words and curses he screamed at you.

The door opened but you were too far gone to realize it, so deep into your own head that you hadn’t realized someone had sat down beside you. Grabbing your arm, causing you to flinch away from them as the fat teardrops rolled down your cheeks.

“Baby.” You lifted your head up, being met with the concerned eyes of Johnny. Relief started to inch in beside the panic at the sight of your boyfriend sitting before you.

Thank god you sent your location to him.

“Love, relax for me. You’re going to be sick if you keep panicking.” Johnny pulled you towards him, and you willingly went along it, climbing onto his lap as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Love, can you follow my breaths?” You slowly nodded your head before placing your head on his chest, listening to his calming heartbeat thudding beside your ear. Your shaking started to reside, as your sobs quieted, Johnny rubbing your back soothingly and whispering sweet nothings to you. As your sobs turned to weak whimpers Johnny tilted your head up, cupping both of your cheeks while he wiped away your tears.

“You gotta do a check up? Are you up for it? It’s only Doyoung, but if you aren’t feeling good he can do it later.”  If you pushed it back, who knows what other facts about your injuries you could be missing.

“I’m okay. I promise.” Johnny sighed, placing a kiss on your forehead before turning his head and gesturing for someone to come further into the room.  Looking up you realized that Doyoung was standing in the doorway, witnessing the moment between you and Johnny if his awkward facial expression was anything to go by.

However, upon seeing another one of your Neos safe and out of harm's way tears pricked at your eyes again.

“Doyoung.” You reached your arms out to him, and for once he willingly gave you a hug, placing a kiss on your cheek. Doyoung would rather lose an arm and leg than do skinship, but I guess this occasion calls for an exception.

“Grateful you're okay short stack.” Doyoung murmured into your hair, before doing his brief check up.

“Most of her cuts were superficial, besides the one on her stomach. Keep cleaning them, and changing the dressing twice every day. She’ll also have a wicked headache because of her concussion, and her bruises might be a little tender. But she’s healthy, and everything will heal properly within 2-3 weeks.”

Doyoung turned to you, a smile on his face for the first time since he entered the room. “You’ll be fine short stack, but you need to be careful because you’re still injured pretty badly.”

“I’ll tell the boys to give you a few hours, they missed you a lot short stack. Especially the Dreamies. Take it easy, short stack and we’re all really glad you’re back.” Doyoung nodded his head before turning on his heels, and closing the door quietly behind him to mark his exit.

Turning towards Johnny you placed your hands on your lap, ignoring the slight pulsating in the back of your head. “Where am I? I know this isn’t your apartment.”

“This is a spare room at base. I couldn’t take you back to my house. We had to find out if the guy was affiliated or not.” Johnny loosely gestured to the room, and didn’t specify exactly who but you knew.

He wanted to know if the guy who attacked you was gang affiliated.

“I know he was gang affiliated.” Johnny turned to you, slightly surprised to hear. “He mentioned you a few times, not by name. He also had a tattoo on his bicep that I saw when his shirt sleeve flew up.” Johnny sighed before grabbing both of your hands, placing a kiss on your knuckles that would’ve been seen as sweet if you were anywhere else.

“Smart girl,” You knew that wasn’t the end of his sentence, you could tell that he was holding himself back.

“Johnny, what aren’t you telling me? I can take it.”

“I have to send you away. You’ll be going back to Chicago with the Dreamies.” You shook your head viciously, pulling your hands away from Johnny and clasping them together across your chest.

He was going to send you away? Would you be safe in Chicago? Why were you being sent away?

“You can’t send me away. Why would you do that?” For the umpteenth time in the 30 minutes since you’ve been awake tears are prickling at your eyes.

“I am more useful to the team here than I am in Chicago. Who would you turn to when the rest of the boys can’t figure out the codes? Hell, I even helped Doyoung stitch you guys up after missions. There is no reason for you to send me away.” Johnny reached out for you but you kept your hand away as it’d burn you to make contact with him.  “This isn’t the first time I’ve been attacked. It won’t be the last time either. I can help you so much better when I’m actually here with you.”

“This isn’t who we usually deal with. It’s Seventeen.” You froze after hearing the name.

Seventeen was a ruthless gang. They always hung around your middle and high school growing up, most of them being older than you and always having the excuse of the youngest members to stay around. Every last one of them were dicks, bullying everyone who they deemed to be less than them.

Except for Chan. Chan was actually sweet to you, being in the same grade as you due to his own awful attendance. Despite all of his callous members he seemed to actually have a soul, and always cared about the people around him. He was only a few years older than you, but made sure to always protect you from the rest of the members. He was like your older brother, and you were thankful for him being there.

That is until you turned 17, and he allowed the boys to take you.

He tried to convince you to join him, offering to have you be his right hand. After you refused he stopped protecting you, giving the boys active permission to do whatever they wanted with you. You were kept there to be Seventeen’s play thing, for them to ‘toy’ with until another group raided the warehouse they were hiding you in.

That’s how you met the Neos. They saved your life. No one knows how long Chan would’ve kept you hidden there if Seventeen wouldn’t have pissed off the Neos.

They’re back.

It’s been years since then. After the Neos raided them Seventeen went off of the grid, supposedly leaving the city to relocate.

You never healed from it. How could you heal from your bestfriend kidnapping you, allowing you to be played with and injured at the hands of his other group mates. You spent years constantly looking over your shoulder, waking up from the nightmares that steadily plagued you night after night. Johnny stood by your side through it all, keeping a Neo by your side at all times so that you weren’t truly alone. All that progress was gone.

Was Dino after you exclusively? Had he never recovered from you escaping? Was he going to go after the rest of the Neos?

Would he attack the rest of your family?

“Breath princess. Breath.” Your thoughts continued to swirl around in your mind, panic intermingling with the questions you had.

If Dino was willing to have someone attack you in public, what would happen if you weren’t protected again? You got lucky this first attack, but what happened if luck wasn’t on your side next time? What if he kidnapped you again?

He’d kill you.

“Baby, look at me. Follow my breathing.” Johnny pulled you back onto his lap, holding you tightly against his chest. You tried to listen to his sweet words of reassurance, but the overwhelming sense of dread just continued to hover. If they were back what would happen to the rest of the Neos? To Johnny?

They must think of you as a liability, forcing them to risk their lives uselessly. They saved you twice, would they be willinging to save me again? You’re a loose end to Seventeen, and they won’t stop until you’re dead.

“Who?” You struggled to get your words out, but you needed to know. Needed to know who had attacked you, and led the rest of the boys to Seventeen.

“Mingyu, he’s dead. The Neos dealt with him already.”  Now they were working with one less person. That’s why Johnny was willing to lose the Dreamies just to protect you.

The fact that Seventeen sent Mingyu, one of their most feared assassins after you, definitely meant that they wanted you dead.

“You’re not sending all of the Dreamies. Right? You can’t lose all seven of them.” Johnny shook his head.

“Donghyuck and Mark will stay here. With 127. I’m not that reckless, I know what I’m doing.” You sighed out of relief hearing Johnny had planned his attack through. He wasn’t being cocky, actually being logical about the situation.

You could relax a little, but you knew now that you and the Dreamies really had to leave the city. You had to be safe, and Johnny wouldn’t fight you on this matter.

“When do I have to leave?”

“Next Friday. Until then you’re going to stay here. Your clothes are already here, along with your new phone. We had to make sure you’re not being tracked.“ You sighed, before nodding your head solemnly looking down at your hands. There was no use fighting Johnny on a matter like this, he would do anything to keep you safe.

“Can I see the Dreamies? Please?” Muttering a quiet yeah, Johnny left the room. You rubbed your eyes while everything seemed to be catching up to you. You didn’t even know how long you were out, and you were now getting sent away. To protect you. To keep you safe.

Despite the anxious feeling that seemed to be growing again you couldn’t help the smile that tugged at your lips when you heard the stampede of footsteps coming down the hall. As the door burst open the first person you saw was Jisung, a blush spreading over his cheeks as his dark purple hair flew every which way.

“SHORT STACK!” You may have seen Jisung first, but Chenle was always going to let his presence known with the loud screech that he let out. All of the boys started to pile into the room, fixing themselves on the edges of your bed, except for Mark and Jeno. They stood beside your bed, not wanting to accidentally hurt you or injure you. Jaemin was on the opposite end of the spectrum, placing his head on your lap and wrapping his arms around your waist. A laugh bubbled out of you before you could help it, content to be back with your Dreamies.

“Chenle why are you so loud?” Jisung flinched, holding his ears as Chenle excitedly tried to tell you something that happened while you were out.

“Haechan I swear to god if you push me off the bed I will drown you in the sink.” Renjun muttered angrily while holding on tightly to Haechan’s arm in a last ditch effort to not fall off.

“Jaemin, why are you the only one cuddling her?” Jeno asked, laughing under his breath at Jaemin who just pouted and snuggled further against you.

“I missed you. I’m not letting her go.” Mark smacked Renjun and Haechan to stop them from fighting, causing Renjun to give a dirty look as Haechan stuck his tongue out at him.

“Stop it.” The room went silent at Mark, got serious for once, shocking everyone including you.

“She just woke up guys, give her a little bit of a rest.” The rest of the Dreamies muttered apologies, before sitting on their respective corners on the bed.

“It’s okay Mark. I’m fine.” Mark looked at you hesitantly as you held your arms out to him, nervous to hurt you. “Please? I want a hug?” Mark reluctantly walked over to you, wrapping his arms around you gently as if you were fragile and were going to break at any moment. Pulling away Mark gave me a onceover before visibly tensing up again.

“Has he, like, already told you dude?” Now it's Jeno's turn to smack the back of Mark’s head while Haechan whispers quietly about Canada. You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded, the mood now sobered up as you mentioned his plans.

“We’re going to his old family home at least? That’d be fun to explore.” Renjun chimed in, trying to bring it back into a positive light.

“Yea it’s like a week long vacation. We get to leave the boring ass city at least.” Jisung agreed, eyes bright at the thought of leaving the city for the first time.

“As fun as that sounds, remember we have to stay in the house. No sight seeing, this is still a mission.” Jeno spoke up, Jisung looked down ashamed to have thought so eagerly about this trip that was only there to keep you safe. Chenle rubbed his back soothingly while Jaemin pulled you back into your chest, gingerly rubbing up and down your arms to not hit your bruises. Mark and Renjun shared a look over their heads, a silent agreement that you knew nothing about.

“It’ll be okay. We’ll still have each other, Mark and Haechan will be protecting all of us here.” You leaned further into Jaemin’s chest, praying that he was right.

Everything will be okay, as long as we have eachother.

[k-llama-llama]

FanCam-ed

Seventeen AU: 14th member

Rei x Seventeen

Rei during the Aju Nice promotions - the first time she had to deal with criticism. 

Rei is not a permanent addition so if you have requests let me know…but she’s just an idea I had. She is NOT cannon with the rest of my AUs.

A/N: bonus post for you all today….ALSO CHECK OUT MY PATREON FOR ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE CONTENT AND EARLY ACCESS (patreon.com/kllamallama)

Requests are OPEN!!!

Masterlist and other Follow Me links in bio!

“Where are they going to put your mic pack?” Vernon asked.

“I think the stylist said they would put a belt around my waist.” Rei answered. “There isn’t really anywhere on my skirt.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” Vernon looked over her outfit once.

They were promoting Aju Nice, and Rei was being reminded of how horrible it was to promote in skirts. It was just a standard little white skirt, and she did have safety shorts underneath, but it was a big change from how she normally dressed.

Though she’d recorded the music video in a skirt, she hadn’t actually considered what it would be like performing in a skirt. The dance moves were a little more...mature than she was used to, and there were lots of spinning and jumps.

But she had safety shorts on, so it would be fine.

----time jump----

“My face mask is sliding off!” Rei cried, tilting her head back to try and fight gravity.

“I’ve got it.” Jeonghan pulled it back on, inadvertently dragging the slime through her mouth. “You need to stop moving around.”

“I need to play Robot Unicorn.” Rei countered. “I worked hard today and I want to be able to relax without eating my own facemask.”

“Well that’s your own problem. The mask can’t work if you keep wiggling.”

“Urgh, fine.” Rei scooted away from him, moving to the other side of the bed. She still lifted her phone to her face, but opted for checking twitter instead of the aggressive gaming. 

A lot of Carats were talking about their performance today, complimenting the choreography and the entire album.

Rei smiled, as much as she could with the mask on her face. She was so happy that fans were liking it. She’d worked so hard on learning the choreography and the vocal parts, and she’d been nervous that fans wouldn’t like it. 

Out of curiosity, she typed in Seventeen Rei, just to see if people were liking her role.

The first few comments made her smile.

Baby Rei is so cute! Our pretty girl is all grown up!

But as she kept scrolling, other comments started to come to her attention.

Is anyone else uncomfortable with her outfit? Why do they have a minor dressed like that, dancing like that? Were they really okay with Rei pretending to a love interest? She’s a kid.

And then one in particular drew her eye.

This fancam is going viral! Check it out! Against her better judgement, she clicked the link. It took her right to a fancam on naver, and her heart sank as she watched it.

At first it just looked like a fancam of her coming out of a spin move, but then it played in slow motion, and then it zoomed in. Showing a clear, slow-motion view up her skirt. Sure, she was wearing safety shorts, but they were small, and they didn’t hide much. 

Rei felt sick to her stomach, starting to read through the comments.

“What are you looking at?” Jeonghan sat up, pulling his mask off. “Is that from our....wait, what are you reading?”

He took the phone from her hand, scrolling quickly. When he reached the top, he saw the fancam and froze.

“Don’t look at it.” Rei pushed the phone down. “It’s just...”

“Cheol!” Jeonghan hopped up from the bed, taking the phone with her.

“Oppa! It’s nothing!” Rei hopped up, pulling the face mask off of her face. “You don’t need to.”

“Look at this.” Jeonghan shoved the phone in Seungcheol’s face.

“What is that-” Seungcheol looked away quickly, before realizing what it was. “Wait, is that....is that from today?”

“Yes! And it’s-”

“Hey guys, have you seen that-” Chan walked into the room, examining their faces. “I guess you have.”

“How did you know?” Rei cried.

Chan swallowed. “A guy from school sent it to me.”

“We need to call the company.” Seungcheol said, before looking at Rei. “Don’t worry, Rei, we’ll take care of this.”

“We don’t need to make a big deal.” Rei insisted. “I really don’t mind.”

Jeonghan patted her shoulder. “I know you’re lying. But we need to take care of it. And some of those comments are disgusting.”

“Some of them seem like legitimate threats.” Seungcheol said.

“We’ll see about changing your wardrobe for tomorrow too.” Jeonghan told her.

Rei clenched her jaw, and then snatched her phone from Seungcheol’s hand and stormed out of the room.

They heard the front door slam behind her.

Seungcheol moved to follow her.

“She’s probably just going to the fire escape.” Chan said quietly. “Maybe give her a minute.”

Rei sat outside on the fire escape, dangling her feet over the sides. She wasn’t sure why it was bothering her so much, but she really didn’t want the boys to make a big deal of it. And watching Jeonghan and Cheol freak out about it just made everything worse.

“Rei?” Jihoon’s voice interrupted her moping.

Rei turned to look at him as he stepped out onto the fire escape. “Go away.”

“No.” He sat down beside her, and she looked down at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze. “You want to talk about it?”

Picking at her fingernails, she sighed. “Did they call the company?”

“Yeah.”

“And what are they going to do about it?”

“I’m not sure.” Jihoon scooted closer. “But why are you sitting out here?”

Rei crossed her arms, resting them on the railing. “I just wish they wouldn’t make a big fuss out of it.”

“It’s worth making a big fuss over, Rei. It’s wrong.”

“Isn’t that why female idols wear short skirts?” She asked. 

“So they look cute, maybe. But not so creepy guys can take videos of them, spread them on line and say disgusting things.” Jihoon leaned his head on the railing so he could get a peek of her face. “You read some of the comments?”

“Yeah.” She frowned.

“What they said wasn’t okay, Rei. It’s important that when people say gross things like that, when they talk about doing things to you or coming to our house, we take things seriously.”

“I just don’t want it to be a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to us. You’re a minor. And besides,” He poked her stomach. “We love you. Of course we’re going to stand up for you.”

“But if the company says something, people are going to talk about that instead of the comeback.” She looked up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“You worked so hard on this album. Everyone did. And now I’m ruining it.” She looked away, tears pooling in her eyes.

“Aw, Rei. No.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. “You aren’t ruining anything.”

“I am. All people are going to talk about is me and my stupid skirt and that stupid fancam. I ruin everything.”

“No, you don’t.” Jihoon said with certainty, stroking her hair. “Sometimes people just....focus on the wrong things. We really don’t mind. We’d rather this get dealt with properly than people keep saying stuff like that about you. Because we love you.”

“Even if I ruin the comeback?”

“Even if you ruin the comeback.” He confirmed, rubbing her arm. “So you’re okay? You’ll come back inside and we can all figure this out together?”

“I guess so.” She hugged his waist, before letting out a little giggle.

“What?” He looked down at her, happy that she was smiling.

“Nothing, it’s just,” She laughed again, looking up at him. “You used to put up a fight about hugging me.”

He snorted. “Yeah, well I got used to it. Come on, let’s go deal with our problems.”

He stood, reaching down and pulling her to her feet easily.

Looking down, he clicked his tongue. “No shoes?”

Rei shrugged. “I was being dramatic.”

“You’re good at that.” He nodded. “Let’s go. You need socks before your toes freeze off.”

“You know, I really don’t think I need all of my toes. My pinky toe is kind of wonky already so I could-”

“Rei!”

“Right, I’m going.”

[sorio99]

Deltarune Chapter 2: Live Thoughts

So, since the new chapter of Deltarune came out, I've played it all the way through, so, here are my thoughts as I had them. Basically a live-blog, but, not live anymore, I wrote these in my notes app before.

NOTE: Obviously there are going to be ALL THE SPOILERS for Deltarune Chapter 2 in this, as well as Chapter 1. Reader discretion is advised.

Wow, okay, so I was wrong about it being immediately explained.

Various descriptions have changed, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the change to a new game, or the one to a new chapter.

I feel like Berdly is definitely a m’lady guy.

Okay, so, we’re not skipping class this time.

I really wish we could call Toriel and tell her we’re gonna be late again, but I couldn’t see an option for that. Maybe Kris told her on the ride to school.

Okay, so, Noelle is definitely adorable, and a huge lesbian.

Susie seems lovestruck too, kinda.

SHE HAD CHALK, AND SHE DIDN’T TELL ALPHYS BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT SHE AND SUSIE COULD GO GET IT TOGETHER OH MY GOD

Okay, honestly wasn’t expecting the closet to work again.

Fricking LOVE the new transition.

Okay, so, Ralsei knows about, the real world? How, why, and what?

Oh, that, makes, a little sense? But also, if we hadn’t brought the toys over to the closet then, would they all be, dead?

AND WHAT IS RALSEI IN THIS CONTEXT?!?!

Okay, but I love the new town.

Holy shit, save points have storage, AND a spare list? Hell yeah.

So, we’re all level 2 now. I guess they moved from EXP based (or, execution point based?) to Milestone.

Love the basement for bad guys, with K. Round standing guard.

Bitch said “Child abusers live in Hamster Cage”.

Wait, he uses the hamster wheel?

I don’t know if I believe the king about his “bluff” or not. I think not, but, I don’t know.

I can see the “Susie moves to Ralsei’s castle to escape her abusive home” fic already.

RALSEI GAVE KRIS A TRASHCAN, AND SAID IT WAS FOR THE MANUAL IF HE GIVES US ANOTHER ONE OH MY GOD IM SO SORRY MY SWEET FLUFFY BOY

And of course, the moss call-back.

Oh god, Susie just said “My own room, huh.” and my heart is ready to shatter.

This girl has one actual food item in her fridge, and it’s just salsa

Oh, scratch that, there’s ice, crumbs, and jawbreakers in there too?

Oh, okay, Ralsei did give her actual food.

Entering Lancer’s room gives the cartoon Splat sound effect from Chapter 1, and his bedroom is identical to Chapter 1.

Perfect.

And the sound effect, plays in reverse when leaving? Okay.

So, explore until we’re ready to leave, huh? Seems, suspicious.

Oh my god, I just realized, the LightCandy is literally the chalk Noelle gave Susie. What the fuck.

So, for giving the Top back his cake, we get regenerating SpinCake that heals everyone for 140. Nice.

Battle challenges, huh? This should be interesting.

So, we can get a ClubsSandwich, $100, or…Jigsaw Joe’s entire life savings. Okay.

Aw, Clover has separate heads in their dialogue box!

Just realized this “dojo” also has their bed. Odd.

Alright, let’s take these challenges!

Oh, so if we act with Kris, than spare with Ralsei or Susie…got it!

He has a mercy meter. There’s a mercy meter now. I love this.

Oh, of course his life savings is exactly one dollar.

I can already tell the Graze challenges are gonna be the biggest bitches.

Okay, so, being able to rematch bosses, with different gimmicks and attacks, but based on the same logic? Always amazing.

I love the little cut-ins from the other characters with certain lines, like Susie and Lancer revealing “for a price” means zero dollars.

“Cookie and Wife”?

The Blacksmith runs a bakery where he can fuse items…okay.

Imma get a Silver Card.

What the fuck, Mr. Society?

Okay, so, we’re “leaving” through the way we came in, so “surely” we’re going back “home” to the “real world” and our “family”. Sure.

LANCER was added to your key items.

Oh was he now?

And so was Rouxls, “even though no one wanted that.”

Oh, we, actually went back to the light world. Huh. Actually wasn’t expecting that.

Jack of Spades, and the Rules Card. Makes sense.

Still LV 1 here, thankfully. No murder yet.

Okay, thankfully I can call Toriel now.

…Undyne, what the fuck?

Also? This, car horn music, I guess? Is, um…interesting.

Oh, the, computer lab. Where Toby was in Chapter 1. Okay. Makes sense.

“Guess this means we can’t start our project.” I’d say the biggest obstacle is more that we have no clue what the hell this project is supposed to be.

Hmm, we could use the computer at my house, or we could have a fun Toby Fox adventure…

My house!

I knew Susie wouldn’t allow it, also, you always wanna jump in big pits? That’s, worrying.

Computer lab time!

So, computer themed, maybe?

Rouxls jumped out, apparently. According to Lancer.

Okay, this build up is creepy, where’s the fluffy boy?!

Who is SHE?!

Was

Was that Noelle’s chatter sound?

Asking for help?

OH MY GOD

ITS THE REINDEER LESBIAN

SHES BEEN TAKEN

NOOOO

And, I suppose, this must be, our queen.

Q5U4EX7YY2E9N. Sure. I’ll stick with Queen, yeah.

Oh, she’s a computer! That…that’s probably not, great?

Oh, those plugs are bad, brainwashers. Okay.

Okay, they’re both tired…but Ralsei isn’t here. Fuck.

Aiming at moving targets is hard.

2 Werewires spared, only 4 to go, I guess!

RALSEI IS BACK, YAY!

Fun Gang, back together, working to save Susie’s soon-to-be-girlfriend!

Rhythm game to start a new bumping song. Nice.

Might live blog less from here, since, you know, the game is starting proper.

God, I love Deltarune’s look and sound, it’s so clean? And expressive, and AAAGH, I just love it!

I love angry Ralsei.

First lose control laughing moment: Kris and Susie squishing Ralsei like a toothpaste tube, to play an arcade game.

Did, did I just play Punch-Out inside an Undertale?

Curing computer viruses with Syringes…sure.

Sweet is the rhythm guy! Nice to meet you, Sweet! You and Toby are great at this music thing.

Hey, Susie can act now! Awesome!

Ralsei too, because of bullying! Yay!

Now the whole gang’s dancing!

(This is where I took my first real break, to process stuff and relax, and also to sleep)

In between thought: it’s kinda interesting that, in Chapter 1, Susie basically had to be forced to care about Kris, Ralsei, and Susie, but as soon as Noelle is in the slightest bit of danger, she’s immediately like, “We have to save her or die trying”, huh?

“Reverse diss-tracks, where the vocalist puts themselves down and praises Queen…or noise music.” That’s some, interesting taste in music.

“All our songs are only 4 seconds long!” Damn, so you’re, like, Vine musicians?

So, the Knight is opening alternate fountains, that create dark worlds out of, more mundane places? Interesting…

So, someone new is leading the rebels. This, can’t go well.

Smorgasbord 2.

Oooh, a TP raising Item! Nice!

Oh, the guy who was already working for Queen is a Werewire now. Okay.

66 up arrows. Hmmm, I wonder if I can retry at some point…

Oh boy. Here’s the queens…wait what?

Oh my god.

Go kart time.

Noelle, you traitor! How could you!

Oh, okay. Berdly I believe more.

Also, “beloved”.

I love how Queen apparently didn’t even ask him.

“Light Nerds” Good one, Queen.

That’s one weird Check for Berdly.

Berdly, for God’s sakes, Noelle is a lesbian, you idiot.

You know, given this villain rant, I think I hate Berdly more than I do King. And I’ve dealt with both bullies AND abusive dads.

Oh god, Roller Coaster Tycoon murder (also Berdly is dead)

Garbage! Saved by it again.

Oh, this place looks glitchy.

Also, Susie, you’re not the king of the trash pile. You’re QUEEN of the trash pile.

Oh god, please don’t tell me she’s dying.

Okay, good, she just needed fluffy boy hug.

Fork in the path, advantageous to split up, huh? But there’s three of us, and, two paths probably.

Okay, I can either go with the Fluffy boy who might secretly be evil, or the mean girl who might get lesbian scenes…hmmm…

I’m flipping a coin.

Okay, Ralsei it is!

Oh, Susie is upset at me getting to pick.

Oh, they’re going together.

Oh, this can’t be good.

If I had a nickel for every indie game with a cat themed metropolis on my pc, I’d have two nickels. You can finish the meme.

I swear I just saw Noelle on the right. Something big in the streets, hmmmm…

Okay, definitely saw Noelle that time. Shame the Poppups, popped up.

…I get it, Toby, but I’m still mad.

Blocked 10 ads…okay, I still love this game.

God, I’m already missing my party members.

Okay, so I still have Lancer, but, I’m really hoping Noelle listens to reason, because Lancer is, not.

Oh god no, don’t fight me now Queen. And please don’t join me.

Alright, nobody likes Berdly. Figured.

God they’re so dumb.

“G-got any room for another truce?” Noelle, I would do a No Mercy run for you, of course I’m going to help you.

I can’t believe “No Triple Trucies” is even an option.

Yay! Noelle in party!

“LV1 Snowcaster. Might be able to use some cool moves.” She’s got Heal Prayer, a more powerful (but more expensive) Pacify, and a damaging Ice move for only 16% TP.

I love her.

I don’t know what a sugarplum is myself, actually.

Noelle, you have a one track mind, and I like it.

Lancer, she’s not a cream, and we’re not making her a bad guy.

Oh, and she’s scared of mice, I love it!

Ah, she’s never been in battle before, let’s see how this goes.

See? That wasn’t so bad, Noelle.

Oh, she’s a natural!

“Needles aren’t scary…” Tell that to anyone under 20, Noelle.

Also, “subtle” pro-Vax message?

Oh my god, I just love her animations.

So, the virus and the syringe are fighting…hm…

Okay, so, first, Noelle’s defend animation, also perfect.

Second, so Ambyu-lance’s bullets block and destroy Virovirokun’s…hmm…

Have I mentioned how much I love Noelle? This funky little Christmas Lesbian can do no wrong.

Oh my god, she can’t even confidently say we’re friends, and hearing Kris say it makes her happy, I love her so much.

Okay, so, Queen drinks Battery Acid. Makes sense for a computer.

Kris is so done with this shit, I can tell.

I am both scared of and loving Queen.

Oh Jesus Christ Berdly what the fuck is that.

That is not greatness that is…I don’t know. I’m pretty sure even tumblr isn’t horny for you, Berdly.

Christ, he’s gonna break Queen by being an idiot and then he’ll be the Chapter boss.

Her eyes say lying. Of course.

“I Did Not Know You Had… Nipples” that’s, a good point.

…Berdly, you disturb me.

Second lost control laughing moment: Noelle’s cardboard robot face, and Queen just saying “Wow Cool Face”

Lancer, what is the “illusory nipple technique”?

Oh, of course the music bots built the statue. Berdly would never do manual labor.

Oh, and, they built the next “big” thing…hmmmm…

Why are we, flavors of tea???

Okay, that should be all the werewires for now.

The, clothing store, sold me, a useless mannequin, for $300. Of course.

I am going to touch the cheese.

Maus!

Cheese maze, purposely ruined to spare more Mices.

Hmm, Berdly talks about Noelle’s crush. $20 says he actually thinks it’s him, or maybe Kris at a stretch.

Noelle is now immune to mice! Yay!

Oh, CD Bagel, Seedy Bagel, just got that.

Okay, sacrifice pacifist run to kill Berdly…I’m tempted.

Uh, Berdly, Noelle just one shot both your allies. I’m not alone, you are.

Jokes on you, buddy, I’ve been dodging A+ for years!

“(He hit me in the face with a tornado…)” Yes, Noelle, and I have papercuts on my eyelids. He do be an asshole.

Oh good, they both made Battery Acid Pies. Now we’re in a car together. Perfect. This is exactly how I wanted things to go.

Potassium

Who is this trash man?

Spamton, huh. Oh boy.

Oh god, this song has lyrics.

Oh joy, a mini boss on my own. Just what I wanted.

Oh, new game over screen! Nice.

Anyways, I hate this guy.

Okay, just one more deal, I think. I wonder what’s next.

I’m not giving you my credit card info, dude.

Oh damnit, 1% more.

Okay, I’m very scared now.

Oh, I lost $51. That’s, fair.

Okay, back in the car.

Oh my god, Queen loves Noelle too. Perfect.

Lancer took the mixtape! Nice!

Oh, he ate it…nice!

DECEMB…

Oh god she’s a little kid.

December.

I’m so sorry, Noelle. I really hope you’re going to be okay. We’ll figure out what to do.

Queen, why does everything you have explode?

Now the prize is on my head.

Susie and Ralsei! You’re back!

She can slightly heal me now…cool!

And she taught him Sarcasm. I love them all so much.

Uh, Susie! You can have it!

Okay, so, now Susie is both gay for Noelle, and suspicious of her. Amazing.

And Noelle is turned on by the threat of being killed. Have I mentioned I love these dorks?

The gang’s all here!

Uh, just got past fireworks, and, where’s Noelle?

Oh, okay. She was just watching Fireworks.

Oooo, catching mice minigame!

Oooo, more elaborate but simpler to control mice minigame!

Oooo, bucket hole!

Also, nice gay Noelle moment noted.

Oh no, please don’t take the perfect girl away from us!

Okay, so, I don’t like Berdly, but, Acid river? Bit much…

Oh, okay. He was never in danger. I hate both of you. GIVE US BACK NOELLE

GOD DAMNIT NOT THE CAGE AGAIN.

Oh, great, now we’re captured too. Except possibly Ralsei.

She only plays mobile games. Burn her.

For once Berdly is correct.

Queen, you are dumb.

Is that the super Mario world fade?

I don’t, next question.

No looking at my Search history!

Oh, hey, we can chat in here.

LANCER TIME!

YES I MISSED YOU YOU DOPE

Lancer, never say Pants hole again, and never say you were inside it either.

Lancer, do you still not know our name?!

So this is how they lampshade the tutorial-Toriel thing, huh?

Oh no, Lancer, please don’t die in here.

Um, are there rooms for all the kids at school?

Asriel…

Puzzle time!

Plot twist: Susie is not Susan.

Berdly is dumb.

Admittedly, I did brute force that second one a bit…

Okay, now Susie has outsmarted both me AND Berdly. This is sad.

Oh god, he’s gonna cry now.

Oh, my god, that’s what December meant. That’s why Berdly cares about Noelle. That’s why…oh god.

Oh wow, Susie’s a gamer. This is incredible Lore.

Oh wow, first Lancer’s face returns, now Berdly is Anime. I love this game.

Oh my god, Ralsei in a tux. I love him.

Alright, so, Lancer needs to go back to Castle Town, and we need to get the heck to Noelle. I hope Berdly’s plan actually works…

Aw, I wanted him to stay tuxedo…

Color Cafe, huh?

Oh god, Rouxls came here. I am terrified.

I love this hype manor song!

Toby Fox, why is there so much 3D Shenanigans in this 2D Top Down RPG???

Note: from here, I end up going to the secret of this chapter. Do not read if you don’t want to be spoiled on that plotline. Skip to where I say Pancake Batter.

Okay, I’m going back, and I’m gonna find this third blue check mark.

Okay, found it, now to get back to the guy…

Yay, fireworks, again!

East treasure’s hallway leading to Basement on 1F…

Oh dear.

So there’s a secret here after all…where is…

Found it!

Okay, how to open this lock, now…hm.

Well, one thing was in the field, so, maybe in the city?

Oh Jesus it’s Spamton.

$28, not a penny more.

KeyGen, huh…

If this is as hard as Jevil, I’m gonna be pissed.

Oh, great, just Kris going in. Again. Fantastic.

Oh what the fuck.

Oh Jesus Christ I hate this build up.

Oh, and I died on the elevator. That’s fun.

Okay, so I hate this elevator. A lot.

Okay! Took like six tries, but I made it past the elevator! Now, let’s see what’s waiting for me…

EmptyDisk…hmmmmmmmm…

Maybe take that back to Scamton or whoever?

…Ralsei, Susie, what are you two doing?

Okay, trash man, you better like this.

Oh Jesus Christ.

Okay, this is not what I expected to follow Jevil’s lead. But, let’s see what happens when I turn this disk in.

Oh, nothing happened. Sure it did. Just gonna walk away then…

Oh, wouldn’t you know it, something happened!

Okay, so big puppet robot man. This is terrifying.

THANK YOU SUSIE!

Roller coaster boss! Again! Oh good!

YELLOW SOUL!

Can’t write notes, gotta kill.

Spamton, oh my god. And it’s Neo’s outfit. How the fuck did I not realize before?

Im terrified, let’s GOOOOOO!

Holy shit is that the Undertale Game Over message??????

Many tries later

Okay, I think it’s actually Ralsei and Susie talking…

Quitting the game so they can get their healing items out of storage and buy some good ones extra later

Okay, third turn, and I’ve only been hit once! Granted, it did almost 50 damage to Susie, but, still, doing better this time!

Even more death later

Did he just, attack himself?

Is he surrendering?

I…I did it! I did it in one sitting! Minus quitting so I could grab healing items that did more than 40 HP!

Oh, he killed him by freeing him…….okay.

Dealmaker, huh? Let’s see what this bad boy is…

+4 defense, +5 magic (even on Kris?), and $+30%…”and…?”

Okay, Ralsei, you get that, Susie get’s Jevilstail, and I get many questions.

Alright, now back to the actual plot!

Oh…Kris has goosebumps, and Susie’s asking if they’re okay…no. I’m saying no.

I love these two so much. Now let’s save the adorable lesbian.

Pancake Batter. Alright, we’re good.

Sorry, Noelle, got distracted.

Mouse wheel!

Tasque manager helped!

Man, this room is big and empty, with an odd exit door and screens on the north wall. Hmmmm…

Toby!

Thank you annoying dog!

Okay, I still love this music. Just wanted to say that. Anyways, PROGRESS!

We’re tea covered now. Except Susie. She’s tea filled.

Oh god, I don’t trust Berdly with Susie.

God, Knight teased.

Duck ride with Fluffy Boy.

Okay, so, puzzle time, methonk.

High Five!

More duck ride!

Ralsei, do you wanna do the kissy?

Oh boy.

Oh jeez.

Oh damn.

Rouxls.

Ralsei, you read my mind.

Oh Jesus it’s the tank from the first game.

Okay, so, we, take houses? Okay.

I can’t believe some people thought this dork was Gaster.

Wow, I beat him in like 3 and a half turns because I blocked him in.

Another God Dammit because SOMEONE didn’t pay attention to what happened to Lancer.

His head is still blue…

Hey, Camera! Peace signs and hugs!

Mostly hugs.

Yay, more Susie and Noelle time!

Oh my god, my heart is breaking.

Okay, I love these adorable girls.

Oh boy, this is, weird.

“Point and hearts come out” or “Eat moss”. The choice of a generation.

Fair point, Susie.

She likes scary things, huh.

Kinky

Have I mentioned how much I love these two? Because I do.

Susie and Noelle are best girls ever, no objections.

Oh good, Berdly, don’t ruin this completely, okay?

I fucking knew it.

Noelle, you’re going to kill him, and that’s okay with me.

Susie, stop squishing him like toothpaste!

Oh boy, I get big “final boss” energy right now…

Werewerewire?!

Okay, so I just stole from Noelle’s room.

Okay, boss time.

Shit, I should’ve healed up.

Okay, so, I died, but, I can fix that!

So, this boss is calling back to how the town’s internet has gone out, a fact I didn’t even learn until watching other content last night when I should have been sleeping, because I forgot to talk to Alphys during the brief chance I had.

Also, now both she and Ralsei have made reference to the real world outside…hmmmm…

So I guess the plot is about Google search being evil…yeah that checks out.

Bitch, did you just funny runny way?

Hmm, I’d say 50/50 odds of him being a drama Queen vs. him trying to trick Susie into caring about him.

Yep, he’s trying to score a kiss. Berdly…get a job.

Alright, let’s save Noelle, and possibly the whole town.

The “Roaring” Knight?

Oh god, the determination…who is this Knight, what is going on, and how involved are we?

Wait wait wait wait wait wait WAIT

When she described the Knight making more darkness, she said they took their blade, and showed an image of a knife. Was…was this…

HOLY SHIT IS KRIS’S NIGHT SELF THE KNIGHT?!?!

Oh. It was a giant robot. Not a statue.

Susie’s dancing!

Oh yeah, he can fly.

Resistance! Yay!

Okay, so, we sentai up in this bitch.

I wonder how the hell this story would go if we didn’t go pacifist then? Because in Chapter 1, all that really changed was how the boss was defeated in the cutscene, and like a couple details later. This is, a lot more than that.

Okay, so, three rounds of HP, punch out for her turns, just keep attacking. Got it.

Two rounds down, one to go!

Yes, eat your own Baseball, bitch!

Oh, suicide attack. Well it was just a robot.

Oh. She still has us.

Oh fuck the robot is Noelle’s mom. Fuck.

Okay, so, Queen is dead.

Oh fuck, don’t take over the world with darkness all of you, please.

The Roaring?

Oh fuck, new legend lore.

Titans, Fountains, enveloping the land in devastation. Oh jeez.

Lost eternally in an endless night…that’s not paradise. That’s hell.

QUEEN IS ALIVE?!?! AND DIDN’T KNOW ANY OF THAT?!?!

Thank you, Susie!

Okay, that’s a good ending for a second chapter, it’s dark fountain time!

Susie, please don’t turn evil.

…

And, we’re in the computer lab!

Wait, Ms. Boom? Does, does Gerson have a daughter, or wife?

Lost control laughing #3: this

I love this game so much. Time to explore town again.

Okay, Alphys does crush on Undyne still, at least.

Oops, I just let all the prisoner dogs out.

Awww, Undyne likes Alphys too!

Napstablook, I love you.

Oh shit, Asgore used to be a pig?

Oh god, this Rudy storyline is gonna be depressing all the way through, huh?

Susie, can we steal the tower of the gods?

Hey, we can actually go back to Ralsei’s dark world?!

Okay, this is gonna be interesting.

Oh thank god, we can save in the epilogue now, cool.

Oh cool, King and Queen together.

Oh my god he calls her Queenie Beanie. I love this.

So, a card and a computer fucked to make Lancer, who is a card. Okay.

Okay, so Lancer DOES know Kris’s name! Just not Ralsei’s!

New battle challenges! Yes!

Might save “Ch. 2 All-stars” for another time, though…

Perfection is the mannequin reaction.

Oh my god there’s a dedicated room for listening to music I love this

Alright, time to skedaddle back to the real world.

Okay, so Alvin is Gerson’s son, and he’s depressed. Fun.

Oh, MK and Snowy are by the creepy bunker. That’s…fun.

Okay, so, Susie scared them off after they insulted Kris, because Kris said something about the bunker…hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

Hey, Nice Cream Guy is one of the Ice-E’s employees! Nice!

Ah, PizzaPants. Never change.

Oh hey, it’s the little guy, who’s clone is a Gaster follower. And the bird guy’s still in the library, and the donut guy is still in his car…

Hey, Catty and Bratty are becoming friends again! Cool!

Omg, Sans’s store is open. Do I…go in?

Hell yes I do!

Okay, so, Grillby’s music still, but, different interior. Interesting…

Sans, a day and 2 years in this game are not equivalent. It’s a day and 3 years.

The trousle grows further away.

Oh jeez Susie’s been drinking the milk. Oh god.

Cool, Susie’s seeing Onion too!

Oh, never mind.

A song is coming from deep under the water…either Shyren is involved, or this is gonna take a turn.

See you, Su-

Oh! Hey mom! Meet Susie!

Pie for all!

Oh my god, Susie, my heart is breaking.

Okay, so Alphys and Toriel know about the chalk. That, kinda makes Susie thinking she’d get expelled for it, really depressing.

Okay, so, Toriel and Susie are gonna make Pie together, that’s cool. Still, pretty worried about, Kris.

Uh, I just ran the sink, and, uh…

WHAT THE FUCK

OKAY SO MY SOUL IS UNDER THE SINK, KRIS WHAT ARE YOU DOING WHY IS IT BLACK OUT THE WINDOW WHERE ARE YOU GOING

WHAT THE FUCK

…so we get a cute scene with Susie and Toriel, then Susie asks where Kris is and…they do this sometimes?

I’m very concerned.

Okay, Toriel is concerned too, enough to say “hell”. Even Susie is shocked.

Okay, so, they’re coming back, uh, okay, this isn’t good, right?

Stopped the faucet, opened the drawer, and…we’re back?!

Kris what the fuck are you doing

And why couldn’t we find Asgore in the town?

Okay, so, we’re all sleeping in the living room. I, guess tomorrow’s the weekend, probably? I don’t know?

Susie, doesn’t have caring parents, I guess?

Oh god, Susie wants them to come to our world, but, Lancer is a playing card, he can’t…I don’t know. I’ll say it’s “far-fetched”.

There’s a festival, apparently. This seems…suspicious.

I’d take Ralsei, so you could take Noelle.

She’s asleep.

That, might not be good, in this context.

Okay, so, we’re asleep too, I think?

Oh god, Toriel’s tires are slashed, that can not be good, in any way.

Okay, night time, Toriel and Susie are asleep…now what are you doing, Kris?

That, knife…

Okay, so, yep, they’re the Knight, and they just opened Darkness in their living room. This is, not, good. And, the tv’s on, and the door’s unlocked…

What the fuck is happening?

Ending credits song sounds, techno? Is this more of Don’t Forget? Or a remix? I hear the lyrics at least.

“To be continued in Chapter 3” OH IT BETTER BE, TOBY

So, yeah, that's Deltarune Chapter 2. In conclusion: this explains nothing, raises 120% more questions, and overall is still an incredible, wonderful game. I also like how each Chapter so far has been almost as long as a full play through of Undertale, and yet we're still somehow only 2 sevenths of the way through. Oh yeah, did I not mention? After completing it, it brought me to a chapter select with SEVEN DIFFERENT CHAPTERS, only two of which were available. So, you know. THAT'S FUN!

In actual conclusion, please play this game, it's free, it's amazing, and also buy the soundtrack on Bandcamp so Toby can make some kinda living.

[soyforramen]

Prompt: betty, jughead, the same hooded/masked figure keeps showing up at their door on Halloween. Creepy or funny? Your choice!

(This is so much better than trying to figure out elasticity of demand, and I absolutely cracked myself up with this, so thank you)

xxx

“Howdy neighbor!” 

Jughead gritted his teeth and nodded at Brett.  Betty elbowed him in the side, smoothly turning it into a wave. While neither of them really liked their neighbors across the street (at least it wasn’t Donna outside setting up the Halloween display), they had to pretend to be polite for a little while.

“Good morning Brett!  Already hard at work I take it.”

“Someone’s got to take back the Pumpkin King title from Southside Lane,” Brett said as he leaned on his pitchfork.  His truck was loaded up with enough hay bales and pumpkins to start a petting zoo.  “Let’s bring some pride back to this neighborhood.”

“It’s fucking September,” Jughead muttered. 

In Brett’s yard was the most benign, suburban version of Halloween.  Pumpkins carved with emojis, hay bales impaled with cartoonish, oversized bats, and gravestones with terrible puns (though Betty had to admit the, I was hoping for a pyramid was pretty amusing).  It was everything that Jughead hated about Halloween, and Betty couldn’t help but be tickled at the thought of him having to see it every morning.  

Jughead grumbled, the rain clouds over his head darkening with every second spent looking at the set up.  

“Good luck with it.  Looking good,” Betty called out.  She herded Jughead and the rest of the groceries into the car, already stifling a laugh at the rant she knew would be coming. 

Nancy Thompson let out a scream just as a knock came from the door.  Jughead and Betty glanced at each other - neither were expecting company, nor had they ordered anything.  Betty set aside her laptop and padded towards the door.  She peeked through the peephole and gasped.  

“Jughead,” she hissed.  

He glanced up and she waved him over.

“What the hell?” he whispered when he looked through the peephole.  “Is that -“

“Somebody dressed up in a Regan mask?” 

“I knew this place was upper middle class, but …”

“But why?” 

Jughead stepped away from the door and shrugged.  “Probably a bunch of high school kids playing a prank.”  

“Still…”

Betty stood on tip-toe to peer through the door.  “And, they’re gone.  I’m going to post this on Nextdoor, certainly we can’t be the only ones who’ve had Regan show up at their door.”

“Honestly zombie Regan would be the best thing that could happen this year,” Jughead said as he walked back to the couch.  

“I’d rather have zombie Nixon.  At least he was impeached,” Betty said, following him to watch Glenn fall into a deep sleep.

Xxx

One week later, and they were watching Keanu Reeves go on a face journey through Transylvania.  The door rang, and Jughead groaned.  Betty snuggled in closer to his side and they both ignored the doorbell.  Insistently, it rang again and again, only to stop suddenly.  He untangled himself from her and went to the door.

“I swear, if it’s Archie needing a ladder again … It’s Obama,” he whispered.

“What?” 

Jughead shushed her.  “I think it’s that weirdo again.  Only they’re in an Obama mask this time.”

Betty rushed towards the door and pushed him aside.  “What the hell?”

As she watched, the figure turned and walked off into the darkness of night.  She waited until the figure left, and cracked open the door.  

“Gone again.”  Jughead stepped onto front porch, Betty close behind, but they couldn’t see any sign of life.  “What did your Nextdoor people have to say.”

“You mean our neighbors?” Betty shook her head and pulled out her phone.  “No one else has seen anything, but Mr. Tate’s cat escaped again, so you might want to slow down when you turn the corner.”

“Hey guys!”  

They turned to find Archie, their next door neighbor, waving at them from his garage.  

“Do you think I could borrow your ladder?”

Xxxx

Two weeks until Halloween, and the neighborhood had exploded in festive decorations.  The Blossoms’ two story manse had exploded in gothic horror decor imported from the south of France - “Allegedly,” Jughead had snarked - while the Lodge-Andrews had gone with simple, yet tasteful hints of the season.   Along with the change in temperature had come an orange, passive-aggressive reminder about the HOA’s suggestion that every house participate in celebrating the holidays as a way to join the neighborhood in camaraderie. 

“Let’s just put out a pumpkin -“

“No, not happening,” Jughead snapped.  “I didn’t buy a house just to have some yuppie board - who aren’t even elected -“

“Just because you protested voting doesn’t mean they weren’t elected,” Betty reminded him. 

“-Trying to control how I spend my time and money, it’s, it’s…”

“Un-American?” 

“Immoral!  To take a commercial holiday like Halloween, meant to sell more candy and increase dental decay, and turn it into some requirement -“

A knock at the door and a cheery voice cut through their argument.  They both cursed when they realized who it was.  Jughead stalked off to the basement and Betty made a mental note that this was the third time he’d left her to deal with the Westen Wallis’ alone.  

“For better or worse my ass,” she muttered as she went to the door.  

“Guten Morgen, neighbors!  Donna made of her famous delectable pumpkin Tartts’ Tarts -“

“Tarts from the tart,” Betty muttered before she opened the door with a wide smile.  “Why thank you, this is ever so thoughtful.  And me without anything else to send back with you.”

Brett’s smile grew, and Betty feared for her soul.  “Actually, I don’t know if you saw the flyer -“

“Yes, about the Halloween decorations?  I just don’t know if we’ll get to it this year.  Jughead’s been so busy with school, and I’ve -“

“It’s just that it’s a traditions, you know.  And we do it for the kids,” Brett said.  Betty slowly shut the door, but he continued moving to keep eye contact.  “It’s the talk of the town, and it would -“

His words muffled and Betty walked straight to the kitchen and dumped the tarts into the trash.  

“You owe me Jones,” she yelled out on her way upstairs.

xxx

“Why doesn’t she just go outside again?” Betty asked. 

Black Christmas, while not technically a horror movie, was still on Jughead’s required October Horror-Thon, as well as on his anti-commerical-Christmas playlist.  Despite seeing it twice a year for the last fifteen years, Betty still hadn’t gotten a good answer out of him for the seemingly huge plot idiocy.

“Horror movie rules,” Jughead said through a mouthful of popcorn.  “If she goes outside, they don’t have a way to establish how big of a threat the killer is.”

“Then why doesn’t he just wait outside to kill her?”

“That’s not -“

A knock came from the door, and Betty gave him a look.  

“I dealt with your neighbor this morning.”

“You’re right, it was terrible and treacherous of me, I’m a terrible husband,” Jughead said.  He kissed Betty on the tip of her nose and she pulled him down to meet his lips.  The knock came again and they both rolled their eyes.  

“Don’t forget to put out your pumpkin,” Betty called in a sing-song voice. “Who is it this time?”

“Taft or Cleveland.  Which one had a mustache?” he asked as he turned towards her. 

“Both of them I think.”

“Do you think if I tell them we’re socio-anarchists they’ll go away?”

Betty snorted.  

He opened the door and leaned over.  “At least they left a ransom note this time.”  

Jughead closed the door and double checked the locks while he waved an orange paper at Betty.  

“Let me guess, decorations?” Betty took the paper from him and squinted at the paper.  “Does that say pumpkin or party favor?”

“Either way I refuse to participate.  Did you fast forward this?”

xxx

The day before Halloween, and Jughead braced himself for the onslaught of gaudy, irredeemable tons of plastic and paper decorations that would end up in the trash two days later.  A waste of good materials, and all for what?  A waste of a perfectly good holiday, that’s what.  

He squinted against the morning sun, throwing his school bag into the back of the car.  Seven AM came far too early when all the parents wanted to argue about last night was whether or not Halloween costumes should be allowed rather than thinking about shifting some of the football budget towards something more useful, like new textbooks.  

“Ohayogozimasu!”  Brett chirped from across the street. He looked both ways - twice - and jogged his way over to where Jughead stood.  

Jughead dropped his head and counted to ten.  He wasn’t caffeinated enough for this. 

“Hello, Brett.”

“I see you haven’t put anything out for Halloween yet.  I have some extra decorations if you want.”

Murder is not an option, Jughead thought in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Betty.  Especially when my commute is only ten minutes, the voice reminded him.

“No, thank you Brett.”

“Are you sure?  Because I know you and Betty have only been here for a few months, but we’re all really big -“

“No, thank you, Brett,” Jughead said through gritted teeth.  

Brett held up his hands and smiled that inane politician smile of his.  “Okay, but if you change your mind…”

“Goodbye, Brett,” Jughead said as he opened his door.  Safe in his now locked car, Jughead dropped his head to the steering wheel and reminded himself that they’d moved here because of Betty, for Betty’s career, and it didn’t matter how idiotic the rest of the world was, not when -

A tapping on the glass and Jughead rethought over the consequences of manslaughter.  Ten to fifteen wouldn’t be that bad.

“Yes, Brett,” he said after he’d cracked the glass.

“Just wanted to remind you that me and the missus are having a little get together tonight about Halloween candy -“

Jughead slipped the car in reverse and let it roll towards the street.  Brett jogged to catch up.

“-After all, we don’t want the children -“

It wasn’t until Bon Nuit street that Brett finally peeled off to finish his early morning jog on Stonewall street, that Jughead could breath a sigh a relief.

Xxx

“That was ad libbed,” Jughead said through a mouthful of noodles.

“What?  The dominatrix suit?” Betty asked.  She stole his wonton and he put up a fight even though they both knew he’d have given her his entire order if she asked.

“‘Jesus wept.’  Originally it was supposed to be ‘Fuck off.’”

“Good change.”

The knock at the door came again, and both residents slammed their bowls down.  Together they walked to the door and jerked it open.  George Washington, sans dentures, stared at them.  

“Well?  What do you want?” Betty asked, arms crossed.

The figure held out a sheet, and Jughead shook his head.   “No more games.”

With a growl, the figure yanked off the mask to reveal …

“Donna?” 

“Put out a damn pumpkin,” Donna snapped.  “I have been listening to Brett bitch for the last month, and if I have to listen to one more -“ she pitched up her voice and in a simpering tone said, “-Betty and Jughead I will murder everyone on this block.” 

Donna threw the paper at Jughead and stalked off into the night.  

“And put up a damn snowman in December,” she yelled.

Betty and Jughead exchanged glances.  

“No decorations?”  she asked.

He smirked.  “No decorations.”

[alley-catz-vs-daybreakers]

Only Fools Rush In

AC & DB drama track

Happy Birthday Gentaro! 🎉

Leading up to April 1st, a pair of Division leaders find them in a rather humorous mishap. However, due to a certain someone’s desire for inspiration, all six members are brought into the chaos. Meanwhile, the amused author looks on.

Kosuke: Yumeno-sensei? This is Furuhata Kosuke, you wanted to meet with me about a book cover?

Gentaro: Apologies, you seem to have the wrong person you see, for I am merely a poorly paid cosplayer. Meant to promote the recent book of a different author, titled “Tales of Genji.”

Kosuke: Yumeno-sensei, that is a book most know already know by name. Regardless, do you have any ideas for how you’d like for your cover to look?

Gentaro: I have no preference, though I would prefer it to an extravagant and bright one to catch eyes on the selves as it is different from my usual stories. A stand out story must have a stand out cover after all.

Kosuke: R-right. So may I see the overview to get an idea?

Gentaro: I am not yet done with that actually. Though I may give it to you in a few days. The first of April perhaps?

Kosuke: Yes. That works.

Gentaro: Also, about that cover.

Kosuke: Yes?

Gentaro: That was a lie. A simple design will do.

Kosuke: A-Ah. I see. . .

Gentaro: I will be off then. do enjoy the cake.

Kosuke: Wait what?!

Sever: Here you go sir. This was paid in advance.

[Door closes]

Gentaro: Now then, to see what unfolds.

Gentaro’s story: A young lady is to meet with her friend at a cafe when a stranger takes a seat beside her. He pretends to be her boyfriend as he claims he is being followed by numerous admirers. Along the way, they bond and find they went to the same school. Her friends however do not like him and in the end they must separate. Along the way, there are hints as to something must be off. Turns out, the man was indeed a highschool classmate whom she had a rush with, but one who was ostracized by her friends and moved away. Her visit to the cafe is for the last place she saw him, where he rejected her before he left.

Gentaro: Such an tragic tale, to feel the stings of love is truly a misfortune thing—

Emiko: There you are! Yumeno-sama! ~ ♡

Gentaro: Speaking of. 

Gentaro: I know not of this Yumeno you speak of young lady. I am merely a poor, homeless young man who has spent the very last sum of his money to buy these outdated clothes and some bitter coffee. 

Gentaro: Do you really not have anything better to do than disturb the unfortunate?

Emiko: Huh? Homeless? But you’re said-ooooh! You’re lying right? Sorry Yumeno-sama but cha can’t fool me! ~ ☆

Emiko: So you found me ‘cause Ramuda needed a favor right? Where is he? Is he hiding? 

Gentaro: About that, Ramuda’s not here, that was a lie. I just said that to get you here. For an informant you’re not very cautious are you? 

Emiko: Hey! I can be cautious! You just don’t seem suspicious. But why do you need me Yumeno-sama? Doooo you want me to find someone? 

Gentaro: You’re close but not quite. I actually need you to accompany someone for awhile. They’re waiting inside for you right now. Oh and take this with you, [hands slip of paper] the table number is on the back. But do not open it until you meet him.

Emiko: An escort job? I don’t think I’ve done that before, but it sounds like fun. Okay, you can leave it to me! Bye bye Yumeno-sama! ~ ♡

[walks inside the cafe as Gentaro leaves]

Emiko: Whooooa~ It feels really homey in here, so cute! 

Emiko: Hmmmm, table #6. I wonder what this guy is li—

Kosuke: ? ? ? 

Emiko: ? ? ? 

Emiko: Kosuke! [glomps him] Hello! What’s up! What’cha eating? Is it yummy? Can I have some!

Kosuke: Ah! Emiko-san! Um, yes, this is very good, and you can certainly have some if you’d like. [slides over plate]

Emiko: Really? Thank you! ~ ♡

Kosuke: Why are you here by the way? Do you have business with Ramuda-san?

Emiko: Well I actually owe Ramuda a favor, but I guess Yumeno-sama’s the one giving me a job today. What about you?

Kosuke: Ah! I had a meeting with Yumeno-sensei about a book cover of his. It seems that Ramuda-san recommended me to him.

Emiko: Cool cool! ~ ☆ Then that makes this way easier, ‘cause you’re actually my assignment today. Yumeno-sama said I have to escort you somewhere.

Kosuke: Escort. . .me? To where?

----------

Natsuki: I don’t get why you had to drag me along with you.

Haruto: Because an unknown number told me about where Ko-chan was and he might have a stalker.

Natsuki: This makes us the stalkers you numbnut.

Haruto: Dude, looks like he’s on a date with that cutesy Harajuku leader girl. . .

Natsuki: What?!

----------

Seiichi: Look I’m sure she’s fine. Emiko’s a tough girl, she can handle herself.

Hiroshi: That much is clear. But she’s not one to run off with a client without blabbing about it first. Plus whoever called us here clearly has ulterior motive, it could be them.

Seiichi: They did sound pretty sketchy, but it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with befo—

Seiichi: Dude, look at that window. That cafe over there!

Hiroshi: Yes, it’s just a cafe. What’s so special about—Is that her? With, Akihabara’s leader??

Seiichi: Wait is she on a date?!

----------

[they opened up Gentaro’s paper in suprise]

Emiko: . . .

Kosuke: . . .

Kosuke: . . . “Have an enjoyable date?”. . . Oh. . . This was a setup. . . What do we do?! I mean- you’re getting paid for this and I don’t want to be the reason you don’t get money but- why?! You’re like a sister!

Emiko: Eeeeeh?! A date! Like a date date! But you’re like my big brother! I don’t want you to have to pay for this. 💦 Plus I’ve never been on a date before! Ramuda are you in on this too?!

Kosuke: Ahhhhhhh. . . this is really bad! What do we do?! Does just hanging out here count?!

Emiko: I-I don’t know! Maybe! *turns beet red* U-umm. . . . . . . . . *goes quiet & looks down*

Kosuke: I’m not really the type to use swear words, but. . .

----------

Haruto: Hey, Natsu. I think Kosuke’s actually flirting with her. She’s blushing like crazy. (whistles) who knew Ko-chan could do such a thing.

Natsuki: You must be seeing things, besides, finish your food. We need to go, I don’t have all day.

——

Seiichi: Are they actually flirting?? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that embarrassed.

Hiroshi: Hmph, together or not that fiend better not try anything.

Seiichi: Well, if this is really the client then maybe we should stay out of it.

Hiroshi: *sighs* I suppose you’re right, but I still want to know about that number—. . . Don’t look now, but do try to hold your temper.

Seiichi: Oi what temper! What are you looking at anyways? Huh? . . . It’s the other guys from Akihabara!

Hiroshi: I thought I told you to hold your temper. 💦 Now you’ve given us away.

Natsuki: Oh look, we’re just a squad of stalkers.

Haruto: Natsu! Don’t call us that!

Seiichi: He he he, stalker squad. Not bad coming from you losers!

Hiroshi: Well that’s one way to start things off. If I may add, what exactly are you two doing here.

Natsuki: My little brother got a text telling him where Kosuke was with a photo. He got scared and came over. Judging from things though, we were all just chess pieces for someone’s amusement.

Haruto: Yeah! It was a creepy message tho!

Natsuki: And I was dragged along, though I believe that if a certain someone thought things through, he could have reasoned that Kosuke is more than capable of defending himself.

Hiroshi: Hmm. Unfortunately, I’ll have to agree with you. We got a call not too long ago from an unknown saying Emiko was helping a friend. They too sent us a picture of where she was, at this very location.

Seiichi: So does that mean someone’s stalking them both? More importantly, are they really dating?!

Hiroshi: I can hardly see that as more important, but it seems we have two mysteries to solve.

Natsuki: That implies us four working together.

Haruto: Awww! Give em a little chance!

Natsuki: Don’t you dare go a tirade about going with the flow and disregarding everything else.

Haruto: I don’t do that! Much. . .

Seiichi: *whispers* Oh great, this must be my lucky day.

Hiroshi: Enough Seiichi, it appears we have no choice. However, do try to keep your brother on a short leash, boy.

Natsuki: Same goes for you old man, except this time it’s your ward.

Haruto: Geeze Natsu, you’re real riled up.

Natsuki: Oh. I’m sorry, not my fault the geezer’s insufferable.

Hiroshi: Right back at you.

Seiichi: Tch. You guys are one to talk! Especially that barking dog of yours!

Natsuki: If you want to lump us together then either stop calling me a child, or call yourself one.

Haruto: Rude! I ain’t a dog! Though they are really nice and fun to play with. . . so. . .

Hiroshi: So the little mocking bird finally speaks. Truly an incredible sight.

Seiichi: Pfffft ha ha ha! Are you really that dumb! You know I’m trashing ya right!

Natsuki: Last time I checked, it’s not me who’s constantly stuck in rut. And also, next time, try to choose a bird species that wasn’t helpful in Darwin’s theory of evolution hm?

Haruto: Hey! Aren’t you a bit too young to go trash talking everyone? Like I dunno, wait for like a competition of somethin’ I guess. Throwing hands isn’t the only way to solve your problems kid.

[cafe doors burst open]

Emiko: Wait wait please don’t fight! What’s going on out here!

Kosuke: This is in public! Please be careful!

Alley Catz: ! ! !

DayBreakers: ! ! !

Emiko: *tearing up* Why are you guys fighting about noooooow! This is embarrassing! ~

Seiichi: Not this again! 😰 P-Please don’t cry.

Hiroshi: Y-Yes, forgive the intrusion m’lady.

Kosuke: I certainly look forward to your excuse as to why you’re practically fighting on the streets.

Natsuki: . . . Haruto

Haruto: u-um... I uhh, was scared?

Emiko: What have I told you guys about starting fights? I can tell you started it too, bullies. Bleeeeeh! *sticks out tongue*

Kosuke: How does one. . .nevermind. Scared for what.

Haruto: Your safety duh! Some creep sent a pic of you and your location. And now we come to see you on a date!

Hiroshi: Right, we’re here for that very same reason. Someone called us claiming they knew where you were and we thought you might be in danger.

Seiichi: I knew you were fine but we didn’t know you were on a date with the beanpole!

Kosuke: Wait! No! It’s not a date! I was here on business!

Natsuki: Stop letting him call you a beanpole first.

Emiko: It is not a date! At least not a real one . . . *blushes* Look I’ll explain later ok! Plus, Kosuke’s not a beanpole, he’s cute just the way he is Seiichi!

Seiichi: That’s not what I meant. 💦

Kosuke: Oh! I don’t find anything offensive in that! It’s just a nickname!

Natsuki: Where’s your pride and self presevation?

Haruto: I think we all know where that is Natsu.

Natsuki + Haruto: Nonexistent.

Kosue: *blushes* (mumbles) I’m not that bad about it. . .

Emiko: *blushes* A-anyways, go home you two! Or else. . o-or else. . . Just go! And no more stalking!

-----------

Kosuke: hm? A package? Oh! The summary! 

Kosuke: “Ruby Chocolate. Brought to a cafe, Aiko meets her first love on a whim, only to find their lives have been intertwined for years. However, her friends dissaproval will test their relationship.”

Kosuke: . . . Well, it is my job.

-----------

Emiko: Yay! Package for me! Wait, I didn’t order a book. Did I?

Emiko: “Ruby Chocolate” “Brought to a cafe, Aiko meets her first love on a whim, only to find their lives have been intertwined for years. However, her friends dissaproval will test their relationship.”

Emiko: Aww how cute. This is from. . . Yumeno-sama! *blushes* Wait a second he really did set us up!

-----------

Gentaro: *sipping tea* What a wonderful birthday present I have given myself.

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 33

So I wasn't going to include the Dark Owl but I really love the scene where Ladybug and Chat Noir basically own him. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I think the next one will be Sandboy as it's coming up to Halloween and well... creepy Adrien is perfect for Halloween... maybe even a creepy luka too haha

Edit: I forgot to add this but my friend, @naruwitch​ made a tv tropes page for this story. Here’s the link if you guys want to check it out :D

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/RiseOfAnatis?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=be721fb76b1432a698e46aa462d61073b4705567-1602716317-0-AThNvQ6RHrkR1d_p9c3BbHP3-gd4fnpISPslj-3RJQq44DLa0Xpdv9CT2D3z_GnOFOwGgbLfUmvxw-d3_g8ybdUmz_k92KhUKwVGa5P2x442DtDZU96YzHqMl-IsbGWt6d64twK7E6R0M0dgQKi_uxdKOAhQ8R3mCgFT4x64_gE7BpHLMCFPbZ2rNwiA5tyY1YkYj8mtKOgpQkhfPtaqNV8tSsugb4-Udk_utG7bqsVBy1hpf0ZnTHCHq0uRfYATiwofeWb5FuVx33pJsMfcwa8BRHQX34elWtN-C6J1eLLHBueGAcaK5m8k1OxgHMYef7Ism9X-aLJSKf4jGZYn7NChFjcG97v_OONxYASnqh-m-0gsIX_R_ncMO9z7qLs6wA

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Chapter Thirty-Three: The Dark Owl Returns

"I'm sorry that you can't come over to the Liberty tonight," Luka sighed as he walked out with Marinette. He glanced over to Mr Damocles, who was pushing the students to leave as quickly as they could. Luka let out a soft sigh. He was glad Mr Damocles was trying to be more heroic but his 'patrols' were making his life a lot harder. Mr Damocles seemed to have a talent for getting into a sticky situation. "I have quite a bit of homework to catch up on,"

 "Oh! It's not a problem. I mean I love hanging out on the liberty with you but I have to help my parents in the bakery tonight so it's cool," She smiled back, making him smile a little. "We can have a proper hangout on the weekend,"

 "Sounds good to me," He smiled, taking his helmet out of the basket and placing it on his head. He unlocked his bike and climbed on it before turning to her. "Have a good evening, Mari,"

"You too, Luka," She smiled, gently pecking his cheek before the two of them went their separate ways. Luka smiled as he cycled down to the Seine but then he remembered why he couldn't hang out with Marinette or anyone else. Thanks to Mr Damocles' out of school activities, he hadn't been able to go to band practice as often, hang out with Aurora, Jean or the others and was sleeping more. It was honestly getting ridiculous. He didn't mind that Mr Damocles was trying to be a better person. It was great in fact but what he did mind is that he was endangering himself and other people as well as taking up Anatis and Lady Noir's time. They hadn't done a proper patrol for about a week. Luckily, Hawkmoth hadn't been that active. They had only dealt with three akumas in this week. Naturally, Mr Ramier had been akumatized into Mr Pigeon again and Andre the ice cream man had been akumatized into Glaciator. He had gone after Marinette for not believing in his ice cream's magic. She had gone out with everyone to get ice cream but she had ended up dropping hers, which caused her to get upset. Knowing how Marinette was, Luka figured she wasn't actually upset over dropping her ice cream but was upset over Adrien as he had turned up with Kagami, whom he seemed to be growing closer to. She had dropped it when she saw the two of them together and he had seen her sad expression at the two of them laughing and sharing ice cream together. Not wanting to see her sad, he had offered to share his with her since he didn't have anyone with him. He was mildly annoyed that Alya had invited both of them, despite knowing that it was more a couple's activity then something friends do but he suspected it was a ploy to get Marinette to confess her feelings to Adrien. Of course, that backfired because Adrien brought Kagami but he didn't blame those two. He did have a word with Alya as Anatis later that night as he felt like her constant pressuring for Marinette to confess to Adrien was unfair and could cause Marinette to become an akuma again. That was something he did not want to face again. Luckily, Alya had realized what she had done and was wrecked with guilt but Anatis had calmed her down, explaining that he understood that she was trying to help her friend but she should take a different approach to it. Instead of pushing her into situations where she felt pressed to confess... he could think of several... she should encourage Marinette to gain the confidence she needed and not laugh at her when she failed. Something which he knew she had done in the past. While he was there, he also advised her to be careful during her filming. It seemed that she had taken his advice, both with Marinette and her blog. As Andre, well, after he had often to share his ice cream with Marinette, she told him that it was ok, that she was just going to go home and that she didn't really believe it anyway. Of course, Andre overhear her and got upset. Luka often to walk her home but she gently kissed his cheek and told him to enjoy himself then she left. He quickly made an excuse to leave and checked on her as Anatis but before they could work anything out, Andre, now Glaciator, attacked them. Luckily, he hid her and defeated him with Lady Noir's help. He later found out that Marinette had got to Andre and apologized to him. He personally didn't see why she was the one to apology. While he understood that Andre was upset at the fact that she didn't believe in his ice cream, she hadn't actually been mean about it or anything. She had only told Luka that she didn't really believe it but he suspected that's because she just wanted to go home. He personally thought that Andre turning into an akuma over her lack of belief was kind of petty. After all, all of Paris believed it so what difference would it make to have one person not believe in it? Sometimes, he just didn't understand people. As for the other akuma, that had been Adrien's bodyguard. He had literally gotten turned into a giant gorilla. He had then proceed to kidnap Adrien and Marinette, who was trying to help him escape his fans and see a film. Anatis had rescued them when Gorizilla had accidentally dropped them from a building. Once he had rescued them, he went back and defeated Gorizilla. He had almost been captured but luckily, Lady Noir turned up. It didn't take a lot to defeat the akuma after that. He sighed as he came to a stop at the Liberty. He locked up his bike and headed downstairs. Rose and Juleka were curled up in each other's arms as he walked through. He gave them a wave before heading to his room, failing to notice Juleka's raised eyebrow but she shrugged and when back to Rose. Once in his room, he locked the door as Tikki flew out.

 "Do you think Mr Damocles will go out again?" She asked, yawning. He guessed she had just woken up from a nap.

 "I suspect as much," He sighed, checking his phone. Nothing yet but he knew better then to leave it to chance. He may be lucky but the luck only affected him and no one else. He sighed before calling on his transformation, turning into Anatis. He climbed out of the port hole and swung off into the city, towards the school. He landed on the building opposite it and frowned as he saw Mr Damocles attempting to do up his 'owl' belt. He did it up and jumped back to his feet before leaving the office. Anatis sighed to himself before he took out his yoyo and dialed Lady Noir's number. She answered straight away as Mr Damocles rushed out of the building. "Hey, the Owl is on the move,"

 "Great," She groaned, sounding just frustrated as he felt. "Any idea where he's heading?"

 "Looks like he's going towards the park," He replied, rolling his eyes. "Meet you there, Kitten?"

 "Sure. I stopped by the bakery by the way and got some very much needed snacks," She smiled, making him smile as well. "We'll have them while we keep an eye on him,"

 "Sounds great," He smiled, standing up. "See you soon,"

 She waved and he hung up before following Mr Damocles. He swung across the roofs before landing next to Lady Noir, who pointed to Mr Damocles. He was attempting to rescue a kitten that was stuck up a tree but instead of trying to call for help or rescue it in a normal way, he was attempting to climb up the tree. Anatis sighed and shook his head before jumping down, along with Lady Noir. He threw his yoyo just as Mr Damocles fell from the tree and caught him as Lady Noir caught the cat. It purred and nuzzled into her chin as she held it. 

 "Mr Owl, this is the fifth time we've come to your rescue this week," Anatis gasped, clearly annoyed before he lowered the man. Mr Damocles stood up and dusted himself down. "You're really gonna get hurt one of these days,"

 "At least, wear a helmet," Lady Noir sighed as she gave the cat to it's owners before walking over to Anatis and Mr Damocles as a news van turned up.

 "But you don't wear helmets," He argued, making Anatis face palm.

 "Because we are real superheroes with real and magical costumes," He groaned, shaking his head. "We have explained this already, Mr Owl. You know it's different for us,"

 "Yeah but ever since I was a little boy, I've dreamt of been a super hero and you did tell me to try and be a better person," He pointed out, making Anatis roll his eyes. "Which I have been I might add,"

 "Which is great but Mr Dam- Owl, if you want to be a hero then do charity work or something other then... this..." Anatis gasped, gesturing to his outfit. Mr Damocles frowned a little as a brunette woman came over to them.

 "Got a few minutes?" She asked as a camera filled them. "Mr Owl, are you planning on any more daring rescues?"

 "Please don't encourage him," Anatis groaned as she held a microphone to Mr Damocles who talked to her as Anatis shook his head. Lady Noir looked just as embarrassed.

 "And what about this... attempt?"

 "Well, thanks to some sound advice from my good friends Anatis and Lady Noir, I am certain that I will do better next time," He answered, making both heroes face palm. "I will be reviewing my weaponry and engaging in more training because wherever there's injustice, there is the Owl!!"

 He dabbed, making both Lady Noir and Anatis cringe with embarrassment before he took something out of his belt and began to shake it, creating a sort of mist.

 "Owl mist!!" He declared before running off, making Owl Noises as he did. Anatis frowned deeply as the camera followed him before it turned back to him and Lady Noir.

 "Any comments? Anatis? Lady Noir?" Clara asked as they watched him leave before they turned to the camera, clearly unsure and embarrassed by the Owl's actions. Anatis rubbed the back of his neck while Lady Noir pressed her forefingers together before grinning a little at the camera.

 "Uh... look, he's trying to help but to the kids of Paris.. or anyone... don't copy him ok? It's very dangerous," Anatis warned as Lady Noir nodded.

 "Annie's right," She agreed, nodding. "So please don't try this at home... we better go make sure he's not causing anymore trouble,"

 "Yeah," Anatis agreed, taking out his yoyo and saluting the reporter before throwing and swinging off. Lady Noir did a dramatic bow and followed him, using her baton. The two of them ran off and tailed Mr Damocles until he finally decided to go home. Both letting out a sigh of relief, they found their way to a rooftop that a nice view of the Eiffel tower. Anatis sat down and stretched as Lady Noir took out the bag of snacks she had gotten from the bakery and handed him a croissant. He smiled and took it before biting into it. "Man, I swear Tom and Sabine's bakery is the best,"

 "Yup," She grinned, hiding her blush a little as she ate her own before yawning. "Man, I'm so tired!"

 "Hmm, me too, kitten," He sighed, finishing his croissant. "Don't get me wrong I'm glad Mr Damocles is trying to follow my advice but this is getting to be a full time job,"

 "Yeah, I'm just glad that Hawkmoth hasn't akumatized anyone," She purred before looking at him. "What do you mean trying to follow your advice?"

 "Uh... well, I kind of... um..." He mumbled, rubbing his neck nervously as she folded her arms and rose an eyebrow at him.

 "You called him out, didn't you?" She asked in a serious tone, causing Anatis to look down before she grinned and snapped her fingers. "Damn, I can't believe I missed that. Well, what did he do and what did you say?"

 "Well, I learnt that he was unfairly accusing and punishing students for things they weren't doing and then letting certain students off due to be threatened or bribed?" He mumbled as she listened. She casted her mind back and realized he must be talking about the events that led up to Despair Bear since Mr Damocles wrongly accused her of tripping the fire alarm without any proof, tried to punish her for it then proceeded to punish the whole school, apart from Chloe, for it. "As for what I said... well... I kind of told him that he was creating a breeding ground for akumas and that if I didn't see an improvement, I'd inform the school board,"

 For a second, Lady Noir was silent, causing Anatis to think that maybe he had gone too far until she burst out into laughter. Instantly, he relaxed and smiled as she cackled and held her stomach as she shook with laughter.

 "Oh, man! I wish I was there!!" She grinned, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I bet his expression was one of pure terror! I would pay anything to see it!!"

 "It was pretty funny," He mumbled, making her smile before he yawned again. "Urg! We need to find a way to get him to stop been the Owl!"

 "Hmm but we don't want to do what Ryuko and Aspik did," She mumbled, making him look at her with a confused expression. "Oh, Ryuko kind of revealed his identity straight away in front of almost everyone and well, she wasn't exactly kind about telling him off for endangering himself. Naturally that led to him becoming the Dark Owl but once he was back to normal, he didn't bring out his owl suit until you turned up. I'm afraid you re-inspired him,"

 "Oh dear but still Ryuko could have handled that better," He mused, shaking his head. "Maybe we could scare him,"

 "Or you could just rant at him," She grinned, making him laugh. "Well, hopefully he won't be active tomorrow,"

 "Yeah, we can only hope," He sighed, frowning. He had to be in the park tomorrow afternoon to help Nino with his latest filming project. Marinette would be there too as she was making the costumes as well as starring in it. Nino was making a film based on the exploits of himself and Lady Noir but he had decided to change a few things. For one, he was making the hero of the ladybug a female and instead of there been Lady Noir, there was Chat Noir, which Adrien had agreed to play. Alya was going to be the main villain. "Anyway, I think we can call it a night,"

 "Sounds like a plan to me," Lady Noir agreed as she yawned. "I'm knackered,"

 "Bedtime for the kitty I think," He smirked, stroking her chin. She began to purr and nuzzle his hand, making him chuckle before he pulled away and jumped up, walking over to the edge of the building as she got up. He turned to look at her as she stretched. "Good night, Kitten,"

 "Night, Bug a boo," She grinned, blowing him a kiss before she ran off into the night. Anatis shook his head and allowed him to drop from the edge before throwing his yoyo and swinging through the city til he came to the Liberty. He quietly landed on the roof and climbed down, slipping through the port hole that led to his room. He dropped the transformation and caught Tikki, handing her a cookie. She thanked him and began to eat it as he changed into his PJs and climbed into his bed, placing his hands behind his head as he yawned. Once she had finished her cookie, she flew over and landed on his pillow just abve his head, making him look up at her before he yawned. 

 "Been a long day huh?" Tikki asked as he nodded.

 "Mr Damocles is becoming a full time job," He mumbled before turning over and curling up on his pillow. "Good night, Tikki,"

 "Good night, Luka,"

 ~Next Morning~

 "Alya! You need to sound more realistic!!" Nino groaned as Luka sat on the bench, watching. Nino had convinced Marinette to take the role of 'Ladybug' as he insisted she would be perfect for the role of the hero of creativity. She wore a one piece suit that was red with black spots. Her boots blended in with it and her mask matched the suit. Her hair was still in her classic pigtail look and the only thing that remotely looked like anything Anatis had was the yoyo she had. Chat Noir on the other hand was interesting. Adrien was playing him and he had a full black outfit. He had gloves on that had claws worked into the fingers and black cat ears on top of his hair, which had been styled to be more wild and untamed. He had black boots on and a belt around his waist, that doubled up as a tail. He had a black mask over his face and he was wearing contact lens that made his eyes apart cat like. Both 'heroes' looked good and Alya looked awesome as Marinette had recreated her Lady Wifi costume. The problem was she wasn't very good at acting villainous. "You're meant to be an akuma and you've just taken Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous! You need to be victorious!"

 "Ok, ok, I get it," Alya replied before taking her place and holding a box. Nino counted down before he began filming. Alya did an evil laugh before turning to Marinette and Adrien. "Give up, Ladybug and Chat Noir! I, Lady Wifi, have your miraculous!! No one can save you now!!"

 "Oh no, my earrings!" Marinette gasped as she held her ears. 

 "Nooo!! We're doomed!!" Adrien howled as Alya laughed evilly but before anyone could do anything else, Mr Damocles ran towards them and jumped on the bench in his full owl costume. 

 "Oh, no," Luka gasped as he saw him. He jumped up to stop him but before he could, Mr Damocles jumped into action. "Mr Owl, it's not-"

 "Whoo whoo!!" He gasped, making everyone look at him before he pointed his grapple gun towards Alya. "Owl Talon! Whoo, whoo!"

 He fired it towards Alya but luckily, it missed her and bounced off several things before getting caught on a rubbish truck. Luka flinched as Mr Damocles was then dragged off by it and crashed into a bin. Instantly, Marinette and Adrien ran over to see if he was ok.

 "Mr Damocles! Are you ok?!" She gasped, kneeling down as she rested a hand on his arm. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

 "I'm not Mr Damocles! I'm the Owl!" He gasped, brushing her hand away and standing up. He blinked as he took them in before narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?! Why have you got Anatis' miraculous?!"

 "Uh... Mr Da- I mean... Mr Owl... we were just doing a film based on Anatis and Lady Noir," Adrien explained, taking off his mask as Marinette took off hers. "Nino wanted to make it for a film contest he's entering. He changed the roles a little so I'm playing Chat Noir instead of Lady Noir and Marinette's playing Ladybug instead of Anatis. We were just shooting the last scene,"

 "But... Lady Wifi..." He gasped as Alya walked over. She wiped off a bit of her make up. "You mean... it wasn't real? There was no danger?"

 "No, we're all ok," Marinette tried to reassure but Mr Damocles saw that everyone had seen his failure and before she could try and reassure him, he had rushed off, clearly embarrassed by his mistake. Luka frowned as he walked over. Marinette let out a sigh as Nino walked over as well. "I hope he'll be ok,"

 "Well, he ruined the shot so now we have to do it again," Nino sighed, pinching his nose before turning to Adrien and Marinette. "And could you two try to act more natural?!"

 ~Later That Evening~

 Luka hummed to himself as he re-tuned his guitar. He had to change it's strings and give it a dust down. He fiddled with the pegs, strumming the strings and listening carefully to make sure they were the right notes. He was tuning this model into a open E pitch but he usually used a standard E pitch or drop D. However, he just wanted to experiment with the different sound. Tikki was watching Clara Nightingale's latest single and was dancing to it, making him smile when he looked up to grab a drink. He took a swing before returning his attention to his guitar, gently strumming it as he began to play.

 "Civilians of Paris, listen to me very careful," A voice came through his computer, making him look up as that was definitely not Clara Nightingale. Tikki looked shocked as he looked at the TV, frowning. He instantly recognized him as the Dark Owl, meaning Mr Damocles had been akumatized again. The Dark Owl pointed to the remote in his hand, making Luka frown as he watched. "With one slight movement, I can release the rope holding up the city bus with all of these animals inside with come crushing down on my two hostages,"

 The camera switched to the Eiffel Tower, showing the animal bus and directly underneath it was Juleka, Adrien, Alya and Nino. They were tied to a pole and looked terrified. Luka instantly jumped up and grabbed his phone, ignoring the rest of the broadcast. He dialed Juleka's number but it went straight to voicemail. He frowned and hung up before phoning Rose, letting out a breathe of relief when she answered.

 "Rose, is-"

 "Luka! It's awful!" She gasped, sounding distressed. "He came and grabbed her!! I tried to stop him-"

 "Rose, listen to me. Take deep breathes and don't panic ok?" He reassured. "I'm going to contact Anatis and he'll save them,"

 "O-Ok," She sniffed before he hung up. He turned to Tikki but heard the sound of someone walking on the deck. He gestured for Tikki to hide in his pocket before he rushed up to the deck.

 "Mum?! Jule-" He shouted, thinking it was her but to his horror, he found the Dark Owl in front of him. For a second, he was sure Dark Owl had worked out he was Anatis but not even Marinette knew that or his family. He backed up as Dark Owl walked over to him.

 "Young man, I require you to join your friends. I'm aware that you are connected to the hero Anatis and I swear on my honor as a hero, if Anatis and Lady Noir, surrender their miraculous then no harm will come to you and your friends," He stated as if that would make Luka go with him or remain calm. Luka glanced around, looking for a way to escape. His luck vision lit up the fog machine they used for their concerns. His vision also lit up a basket ball. He grabbed it and threw it straight at the Dark Owl, hitting him in his face before he jumped over to the fog machine and turned it at full. Within seconds, the fog covered at the deck, obscuring the Dark Owl's vision. Luka jumped down into the cabin and ran straight for his mum's room, locking the door as he heard the Dark Owl following. He opened the port hole and climbed out of it before jumping and rolling onto the ground before bolting out of there as fast as he could.

 "Tikki, we need to save my friends,"

 "The rest of the broadcast warned that he rigged the Effiel Tower with Liquid Nitrogen bombs, if anyone tries to infer, they would trigger and freeze the tower which in turn would make it extremely fragile as glass and it will collapse-"

 "I get the idea. He's taken all the kids that were there when he was exposed... that explains why he wants to add me to the mix but that means he's proply gonna go after Marinette," He mumbled, jumping up and climbing over a wall. He looked around and frowned, not seeing him anywhere. "He appears not to be- never mind,"

 He could see the Dark Owl, gliding above before he ran as fast as he could, diving out the way when the Dark Owl tried to grab and running into one of the parks, disappearing into the green. The Dark Owl landed on the ground, making Luka hold his breathe as he hid in the bushes.

 "Mr Couffaine, come out. I only need you to lure Anatis and Lady Noir to me," He growled but stopped when he noticed the sun was going down. "Very well, Mr Couffaine. Your friends will still lure those heroes to me,"

 To his surprise, the Dark Owl left but he gave it a few minutes to be certain before letting out a sigh of relief as Tikki peeked out of his pocket. He quickly sent a warning to Marinette before turning to Tikki.

 "Ok, Tikki, time to rescue my friends," He muttered, swiping his earrings. "Tikki! Spots on!!"

 He transformed into Anatis before throwing his yoyo and pulling himself onto the roofs of Paris. He took his yoyo and saw Dark Owl was broadcasting again. He clicked on it and watched it.

 "Anatis, Lady Noir, the only way to save these children is for you to surrender your miraculous to me and you only have ten minutes!" He declared, pressing the button. Anatis frowned deeply. "Follow the Owl Signal,"

 He stopped playing the broadcast and called Lady Noir. Instantly, she answered. 

 "Dark Owl-"

 "Is back. I know and he has captured most of the kids that were making that film. Luckily he doesn't have Luka or Marinette but he could go after them,"

 "He already did with Luka but he got away and contacted me. I got him to hide in the underground and it seems Dark Owl is just going ahead with his plan without him," He declared as Lady Noir hummed in agreement.

 "I've already scoped out the tower and it's definitely rigged but it looks like Marinette isn't there either," She sighed, making him frown. He was relieved that Marinette was safe but there was no real way to save the others. "Think we can just find his akuma and free them that way,"

 "Chances are the akuma is in the same place as before but even with my speed, getting to it would take more then ten minutes and we only have about 8 minutes to stop the countdown," He sighed, frowning as the Owl Signal appeared in the sky. "Our best course of action for now is to get that remote and stop the countdown. Once the children are safe then we can go after his akuma,"

 "Makes sense," Lady Noir agreed. "The Owl Signal appears to be pointing towards the stadium. Meet you there?"

 "Yeah," He agreed before hanging up and swing over to there. He landed on a building nearby and narrowed his eyes as Lady Noir landed next to him. "It seems like Mr Damocles is holding a bit of a grudge,"

 "I get that he was humiliated but holding them captive is too far," She mumbled, getting a nod of him. "What's the plan?"

 "I'm going to distract him while you sneak up on him. Try and get the detonator," He replied, getting a nod of her.

 "Good plan," She grinned before pressing her baton. A small ear piece dropped out into her palm and she placed it in her ear. "Let's stay in touch,"

 "Good thinking, Kitten," He smiled, pressing one of the spots on his yoyo. It lifted, allowing him to pick it up and place it inside his ear. He nodded to her before they went off in their separate directions. Anatis landed on the grass and spun his yoyo around as he looked around the darkened arena. He was on high alert, ready to attack if he needed to. "Mr Damocles?"

 "I am not Mr Damocles!!" The Dark Own shouted as the light of the stadium turned on. Anatis frowned a little as he saw him stood on the edge. "I'm the Dark Owl,"

 "Ok, Ok, I get it," Anatis muttered, putting his yoyo down and holding up his hands. "Look, why don't we talk about this? I'm sure we can come to a peaceful conclusion without getting anyone hurt,"

 "Where's Lady Noir?" The Dark Owl asked, glancing to the side as Lady Noir spoke through the communication device.

 "Grapple Iron, Boomerangs, utility belt. Damn Annie he has everything," She gasped. "Maybe we're lucky and the akuma is in one of his weapons,"

 "The last time it was in his computer back at the school but I guess it could be different this time. Still, we need to focus on getting the detonator," Anatis replied before holding up his hands. "Lady Noir will be here soon, I'm sure of it,"

 "In that case then, you can be the first to place your miraculous in the box located in the middle of the stadium," He declared, making Anatis look over at the crate before he held up the detonator. "Or..."

 "Boom! Ok, I get it," He replied, walking over. "Try and get it off him,"

 "I'm on it," She replied, jumping up and throwing her baton at him, knocking the detonator out of the Dark Owl's hand. Anatis ran up and jumped, catching the detonator. He was about to hit the button to stop when he heard a yell. Looking up, he saw Lady Noir flying towards him. He held out his arms to catch her but she crashed into him, causing him to drop the detonator. The Dark Owl caught it and grinned as he looked it.

 "Oh, look. Time flies," He grinned before throwing it. "This is your last chance to save those poor helpless children!!"

 "Heroes don't take hostages!" Anatis growled, glaring at him as he helped Lady Noir up.

 "Then give me your miraculous. Otherwise you're too blame," He declared before firing his grapple hook at them. It wrapped around the two heroes, tying them together and causing them to fall over. Anatis rolled them to the side as the Dark Owl tried to punch them before Lady Noir used her cataclysm to break it. The two of them jumped up and took a fighting stance as Dark Owl glared at them. "It's the end of the line for you,"

 The two of them charged at him with Lady Noir diving at him with her baton. He blocked it with his arms but Anatis took the chance to wrap his yoyo around his ankle and slide underneath him. Dark Owl went to charge at Lady Noir but Anatis pulled him back and threw him. However, he landed on his feet and smirked.

 "There's no way for you to win, Anatis,"

 "We'll see about that," Anatis growled back before throwing his yoyo up in the air. "Lucky Charm!!"

 A fountain pen appeared, causing Anatis to frown as he caught it. Lady Noir jumped up on the crate and picked up the detonator as Anatis tried to look around yet nothing lit up. He gasped when he saw Dark Owl throwing boomerangs towards and jumped in front of her, using his yoyo to deflect them.

 "Activate the hatch, Albert," The Dark Owl ordered, causing Anatis to give him a confused look before they both suddenly fell into the crate. The trap door closed, sealing them inside as they heard him declaring himself as the guardian of Paris before laughing. Anatis got up and helped Lady Noir to her feet as she tried to push the button to stop the countdown.

 "No, no!" She gasped before looking at him. "Annie, it's not stopping!!"

 "What?!" He gasped, taking off her and pressing the button. It did nothing. "No, no... stop!! Come on!!"

 He repeatedly pressed the button as the room began to fill up with a thick liquid, making Lady Noir to frown as she took a bit on her finger and sniffed it before licking it. She gasped as she realized it was cream.

 "Oh no!" Anatis gasped, causing her attention to turn to him. He looked extremely worried as the TV inside with them switched on, showing the hostages and the bus.

 "Time's up! Albert, drop the bus!!" The Dark Owl declared, causing the bus to be released. Lady Noir covered her mouth in shock as Anatis looked on in horror. The bus plummeted towards the hostages, causing them to scream but then it disappeared in a blue light as the Dark Owl laughed evilly. "You knaves! It was a hologram all along... or at least the bus is. Really, do you think I'd hurt school children?"

 "Bastard!!" Anatis shouted, slamming his fist against the walls.

 "Temper, temper, Anatis. You really should save your breathe as this next trap is very real," The Dark Owl laughed, making Anatis notice the cream. "The room you're in is filling up with whipped cream, which is too thick to swim in but too thin to float on. You're going to drown softly but surely... unless you give me your miraculous that is,"

 Anatis frowned and began to look around as Lady Noir started to bang on the walls. The TV lit up, followed by the pen and then her miraculous. He unscrewed the pen and took out the ink cartridge as a slot opened for the miraculous to be put in before walking over to the camera and using the ink to black it out. Lady Noir turned to him as she hugged herself, looking small and frightened. Dark Owl shouted something about not seeing them didn't matter and basically taking the miraculous of their dead bodies but Anatis ignored that and moved over to Lady Noir.

 "He's right, Annie," She mumbled, looking close to tears. "We're done for,"

 "Not yet, Kitten," He smiled, gently placing a small kiss on her forehead before gently smiling at her. "You trust me right?"

 "More then anything else," She smiled but she still looked frightened, even as he winked at her.

 "Alright, Dark Owl, you win!!" He shouted before leaning closer to her. "Close your eyes and no peeking,"

 "Annie, no... we can't do this," She gasped but he gently took her hand.

 "Trust me," He smiled, causing her to nod then she closed her eyes. Anatis closed his and took a deep breathe. "Spots off,"

 "Claws in," She whispered at the same time. The two of them powered down, causing their kwamis to appear. Plagg gasped in surprise as Tikki stared at Marinette in shock. Marinette carefully took of her ring and held out her hand. She gasped softly as she felt Luka touch her hand, expecting him to take her ring but to her surprise, he closed her palm before he leaned in.

 "The lucky charm lit up your miraculous but not because we're surrendering but because I think we needed your civilian form. You must have something on you that could help," He whispered in her ear, making her blush before her mind flicked back to the film she was making with Nino. She still had the fake miraculous on her. 

 "Of course!" She gasped, reaching into her purse. "Annie, I have just the thing,"

 "Excellent," He replied as she pulled the box out. She took the fake miraculous out and placed them into his hand. He carefully moved over to the slot and placed them in. He heard it close before he made his way back over to Lady Noir. He heard the Dark Owl declare himself as the only hero in Paris and then heard the cream been drained. He smirked a little before taking out a cookie for Tikki. "Tikki? You good?"

 "Yes, Plagg is too," She replied, making Anatis smile before both him and Lady Noir called on their transformations quietly. Lady Noir smirked and summoned her cataclysm, slamming her hand on the crate and turning it to dust as Dark Owl stared at them in surprise.

 "What?!" He gasped before glaring at them. "But that's impossible! How did you do it?!"

 "What did you expect?" Anatis asked, making Dark Owl glare at him. "A superhero never reveals his secret. I thought you'd know better,"

 "Yeah, you see Annie here thought of everything," Lady Noir grinned as she rested her arm against Anatis's shoulder as he stood there with his arms close. "He has a plan A, a plan B and all the alphabet to Z. I mean did you really think we would give you our miraculous, Dark Owl?"

 "We're superheroes after all. We never surrender," Anatis grinned, taking out his yoyo as Lady Noir took out her baton. "After all, we're Anatis-"

 "And Lady Noir!" She grinned before taking a bow before she looked up and winked at him. "I hope Hawkmoth liked his new toys,"

 "Why you?!" He growled, taking out his boomerangs before throwing them. "Boomerang trajectory control, Albert!"

 "Who is he talking to?!" Lady Noir gasped as they blocked them.

 "I'm guessing his computer. It's where the akuma was last time," Anatis replied, knocking back a few. "Cover me! Even if I know where his akuma is, I'm still gonna need a... Lucky Charm!"

 He threw up his yoyo as Lady Noir went toe to toe with Dark Owl. He caught the comic as she was knocked back.

 "Are you certain it's in his computer?" She asked as he examined it before looking around, trying to figure out how to use it. He even flicked through the pages to see if anything stood out. 

 "Yes," He replied, tapping one of the pages. "Even in the comic, Knightowl doesn't work alone. He has Sparrow but also his butler, Albert,"

 Lady Noir pinned him down as Anatis rolled up the comic and tucked it into his belt.

 "Lady Noir, keep him busy. I'm gonna go and destroy his akumatized object," He declared, throwing his yoyo and swinging off. He ran as fast as he could across the roofs before jumping down and throwing his yoyo. He heard the Dark Owl behind him as Lady Noir tried to slow him down but he threw her off and dived towards him. Anatis jumped towards the school and landed on the window, opening it. As soon as he did, an alarm glared as he took out the comic. The Dark Owl landed behind him, grabbing him as his luck vision lit up certain objects. He dropped the comic book and kicked it into the statue of Knightowl as the Dark Owl took off his earring. His outfit began to disappear as the statue wobbled before it fell, creating a chain reaction that caused the lamp to smash into the computer, knocking it off the desk. The Dark Owl let go of Anatis, allowing him to catch his earring and put it back on as the computer crashed to the floor, breaking and freeing the akuma. He opened his yoyo and captured the butterfly before releasing the purified version. He picked up the comic book and threw it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!!"

 The comic burst into the magical swarm and spreaded around the room, restoring it before it flew out the window around the Eiffel Tower. Anatis smiled as Lady Noir landed next to him before the two of them pressed their fists together as Dark Owl turned back into Mr Damocles.

 "Lady Noir? Anatis? What are you doing in my office?" He asked, confused before realization crept on his face. "I was akumatized again wasn't I?"

 "Yes... look, Mr Damocles, I get you want to be a hero but been a hero doesn't necessarily mean that you have to what we do," Anatis stated, sighing as Mr Damocles frowned. "I am really glad you followed my advice but maybe you could try and help people in a less dangerous way,"

 "Like helping the homeless?" Lady Noir suggested, making Anatis nod. "We're not saying don't help people... it's great that you want to help but we have enough on our plate... we can't keep rescuing you, Mr Owl,"

 "I know... I just really want to do good..." He sighed, looking down. "I want to be a hero,"

 "Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, Mr Damocles," Anatis stated, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. "You don't have to be like me to be a hero,"

 "You're right as usual, Anatis," He smiled, shaking his hand. "I will be my own hero,"

 (***)

 "Hey, Annie," Lady Noir grinned, joining Anatis as he sat on the roof, keeping an eye on Mr Damocles. He was currently taking a selfie with Kim, Alix and Max. "Babysitting huh?"

 "Nope," He grinned. "I was on patrol and happened to see him. Thought I'd see how he's doing. You know he's been tending gardens, volunteering at soup kitchens, feeding animals... he's ready spread his wings,"

 "I'm glad," She grinned. "He's his own hero,"

 "Exactly," Anatis grinned. "And it means we have more free time,"

 "Yeah... sooo wanna go to the movies?" She grinned playfully. Anatis laughed and got up.

 "Sorry," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I promised a friend I'd hang out with her as soon as I could,"

 "No worries," She grinned, stretching. "See ya later?"

 "Of course, Kitten," He grinned before swinging off. He found an alleyway and called off his transformation, catching Tikki and giving her a cookie before walking towards the bakery. He took out his phone as it buzzed, making him smile as he saw it was Marinette. He pushed open the door to the bakery and greeted Sabine, who smiled softly at him.

 "Hello, Luka," She smiled. "Marinette's upstairs,"

 "Thank you, Mrs Cheng," He smiled back before going upstairs and to her room. He knocked on the trapdoor before he climbed inside. Marinette was setting up a game before she handed him a controller. "You know I'm not brilliant at these,"

 "No worries," She grinned, making him sit down before she sat next to him. "The point isn't to be good, Lu. It's meant to be fun,"

 "Lu?" He asked, making her look at him with worry.

 "Y-Yeah... do you mind?" She asked, making him smile.

 "Nope," He grinned. "I like it... Melody..."

 "Melody?" She questioned, blushing as Tikki joined Plagg, who was happily chomping on cheese.

 "I can't believe Marinette is your holder, Plagg," She muttered, making him look at her.

 "What's the big deal, Sugar cube?" He asked, making her shake her head before she looked at Luka and Marinette as they played the game. Naturally, Marinette won and happily called out, making Luka laugh. Plagg followed her line of sight before his eyes went wide. "No..."

 "Yes,"

 "Seriously?" He sniggered, making Tikki roll his eyes. "Boat kid is in love with Doll face eh? I wonder if they realize they are in a love square,"

 "Wait? What do you mean a love square?" Tikki asked, making Plagg gulp. "Is Marinette in love with him?"

 "Uhhh...."

----------------------------------------------

Next Chapter: https://ultra-sassyduck.tumblr.com/post/634367165279223808/miraculous-rise-of-anatis-34

[spaceskam]

no voice

warning: anxiety, selective mutism, implied child abuse

ao3

Alex Manes didn’t speak.

Michael watched him from afar for the entirety of middle school and high school. He’d seen people like and prod him to get him to speak. He’d seen people make fun of him and teachers dock his grade for refusing to speak. He’d even seen Alex’s father drag him out of detention, scolding all the way. No, Alex didn’t speak, but Michael seemed to be the only one who didn’t mind.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Alex had friends. Liz Ortecho and Maria DeLuca hung around him, never forcing him to talk yet managing to include him anyway. Perhaps it was creepy that Michael had noticed all these things, but Alex was too interesting not to pay attention to.

It was only when Michael became increasingly aware that he was running out of time with graduation approaching in just a few months that he realized he needed to do something. He needed to at least try to get to know Alex or he’d regret it for the rest of his life.

“Hey,” Michael said, standing beside Maria, Liz, and Alex’s lunch table. They looked up to him with various stages of confusion on their faces. “Uh… Can I sit with you guys?”

They all looked between each other, clearly trying to come up with the nicest way to say ‘I’d rather stab myself in the jugular’. They came up with nothing which is how Michael ended up sitting with them for lunch.

The first half was completely silent which was awkward as hell. Michael realized that he’d bombarded them with his presence, so it was probably his duty to create conversation. He looked between the three unfairly attractive group of people and tried to think of something to talk about. Before he could come up with anything, they all looked at him simultaneously as if they’d shared a goddamn mental conversation.

“Okay, I’ve decided that there are only three reasons you could be sitting with us. You’re either here to hit on one of us, to ask for tutoring, or because you were dared. Which is it?” Maria said bluntly. Michael’s eyes widened and had to wonder how many times that had happened that they had a list. And, more importantly, he was embarrassed that he fucking fell into that list. Not that he could admit that. He wanted to hit on Alex, but he had no idea if Alex was gay, straight, or something else entirely and he had no intention of outing anyone. It didn’t help that Alex didn’t actually speak so he couldn’t even find out. Maybe this was a bad idea…

“Ever think I’m just trying to make friends?” Michael tried. 

“Four months before we graduate? Try again,” Maria said. He glared at her for a second before remembering she didn’t actually deserve to be glared at. Michael sighed and looked to Alex. As always, his face was expressionless and he was looking down at his untouched plate. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were in his lap. It didn’t take a genius to see that Michael’s presence was making him uncomfortable. Great. Way to fucking go. 

“Fine, I-I need help with calculus,” Michael lied, “But it’s fine, I’ll figure it out.”

Michael started to get up and take the loss, but Liz stopped him. “Wait.”

“No, seriously, I’m not trying to impose myself,” he said. That was the truth. He’d spent years trying to get the courage to speak to Alex and, when he finally tried, he made him uncomfortable. He just wanted to go slam his head into a locker‒was that so hard to ask?

“Look, Alex and I study calc every Thursday at The Crashdown after school. If you show up, I won’t not help you,” Liz said. Michael looked at her and then to Alex who didn’t seem to have any opinion on the matter. Michael took a deep breath and decided he’d try one more time.

“Okay.”

-

Rule one to asking for math help: you have to actually act like you don’t know what you’re doing.

“You don’t actually need help,” Liz pointed out about fifteen minutes into their study session. Michael stared at her blankly and it occurred to him that he hadn’t actually tried to pretend he was confused. Again, as always, Alex wasn’t apart of the conversation. Michael wanted to know how he communicated. So far, he hadn’t figured it out.

“Um,” Michael said. He couldn’t come up with a good excuse anymore, so he instead said nothing.

“Look,” Liz sighed, “You can study with us still. I don’t mind. Just don’t lie.”

“Okay, I won’t,” Michael promised. She stared at him for a minute. 

“Right, I’ll be right back, you good, Alex?” Liz asked. Alex made no move to respond, but she touched his shoulder for a few seconds and seemed to get an answer from that. She got up and disappeared into the back.

This was Michael’s chance.

“So…” he started. Alex’s eyes stayed on the book in front of him, showing his work with the complex equations. Michael didn’t know how to go about this. He decided to go full stupid and speak his mind. “The real reason I’m here is because I want to get to know you.” Alex stopped writing. “You can kick me if I go too far or say too much, but I’ve been wanting to get to know you for a long time. I look at you and… I don’t know, maybe I’m just superficial, but you’re gorgeous.”

Michael could see Alex get tense and he could see the way he clutched his pencil. His nails dug into his palm. He’d fucked up.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” Michael said, very quickly trying to gather his things so he didn’t make it worse. But then Alex looked up at him. He didn’t hold eye contact or even really make it in the first place, but it was something. Alex Manes didn’t do that. Michael didn’t know how to take it. “Can I give you my number? If you don’t want to use it, I understand, I won’t be mad, but… Can I?”

Alex’s movements were so subtle and controlled. It was hard to fully grasp. However, his phone ended up on the table between them. Michael blinked a few times before he very quickly gave the man his number. Maybe he wouldn’t ever use it, but he got further than he thought he would.

Liz sat back down after a minute with a tray of fries and Alex went back to putting his phone in his lap. Michael was on cloud nine, unable to hide his smile as he looked to Liz. She raised her eyebrow as she looked at him.

“Why are you smiley over calculus?” Liz asked. Michael tried to dial it back, but he found that literally impossible. Alex stole one look at him and it made it worse.

“I’m just… really happy I finally got down the application of triple integrals,” Michael said. She eyed him skeptically but didn’t press.

Alex ignored him for the rest of the night and it was still enough to make him skip all the way home.

-

“Hey, Mom, can I ask you a question?”

Michael watched his mother take the time to dry her hands from doing breakfast dishes and sit beside him before asking him to continue, her eyes wide with interest.

“Have you ever dealt with, like, kids that didn’t speak? Like that all?” Michael asked. Her head tilted to the side, her corkscrew curls squishing against her shoulder. 

“Like mutism? Sure, a few times,” she answered.

“Do you know what causes it? Or do they just not like to? How do you talk to them or get them to talk or even just, like, communicate?” Michael asked. 

“Whoa, slow down,” she laughed, her hand covering his, “Where’s all this coming from?”

Michael sighed, trying to think of the best way to say ‘I like a boy and he doesn’t speak and I gave him my number two days ago and he hasn’t texted me’. Of course, there wasn’t a best way to say that, so he just settled for half of the story. 

“There’s a guy at school who doesn’t speak and I don’t know how to go about it without being rude,” Michael said. Her mouth formed an ‘o’ shape as she nodded.

Ingrid Guerin was a social worker assigned to Michael when he was just three years old. She had gone to college and gotten a degree to teach children with special needs, but decided that she wanted to become a social worker with “problem” children instead. By the time Michael was three, he’d already been labeled a problem child and got passed onto her. According to her stories, he was sweet to her and couldn’t figure out where the problems laid until she would get frantic calls at four in the morning because he was screaming at the top of his lungs and drawing on furniture and fighting anyone who got near him. 

She watched him get passed from family to family, each one only being able to handle him for about six months before they wanted him gone. She was the only real constant in his life and the only one who seemed to understand that he just needed affection that people refused to give him. According to her stories that she told him very regularly, though, when he was eight years old, he accidentally called her ‘mama’ and she decided she couldn’t stand watching him be rejected anymore. Within a few months, she moved out of his jurisdiction and became his foster mom until she could adopt him three years later. She was his favorite person in the world.

“Well, I can’t tell you exactly where it stems because there’s a lot of different reasons someone becomes mute. Most of the time, though, they’re just born that way. Genetic social anxiety can show its face really young which can cause selective mutism and it takes a lot of therapy to even become manageable. But then there’s stuff like traumatic mutism which is something different, but it can overlap occasionally if someone who has selective mutism has repeatedly negative reinforcement about it. But, obviously, everyone is different and I don’t know this kid, so it could be a number of things,” she tried. Michael scrunched up his nose and accepted that the answer was a long, detailed ‘I don’t know’.

“How do I talk to him?”

“Um,” his mom said, humming to herself as she tapped against the back of his hand, “Maybe you don’t? Most of the children I’ve met who don’t speak take best to when there’s absolutely no pressure. Just… If you do talk, don’t make it feel like he has any obligation to speak back. So he knows you’re just trying to be nice. But it’s a very, very tricky thing.”

“He has two friends. I don’t know if he speaks to them or not, but he hangs out with them,” Michael said.

“Well, sometimes people with mutism can still speak to people they’re extremely comfortable with, even if it’s just in whispers. And, honestly, that’s what it is at the end of the day. It’s about comfort. It causes major anxiety for these people to even walk out of their house and be around other people. It can be paralyzing. They’re probably people he feels the most comfortable with,” she explained. Michael nodded slowly as he tried to think of ways to make Alex Manes feel comfortable with him.

“And… how do I do that?” he asked. His mom smiled and shook her head.

“I don’t know, babe, that’s something you have to find out,” she told him. He groaned.

“What’s the point of having a mom who knows this stuff if she can’t help me?” 

She grinned and ruffled his head, smacking a kiss to his head before hopping off the bar stool. “Because I feed you. Now get to school.”

He couldn’t help but smile and listen. 

“Love you, Mama!”

“Love you too, Mikey!”

-

“So, I was thinking about you and I think you would like this movie I watched.”

Alex very slightly looked up at Michael as he sat across from him in the empty Calculus room, but it was enough to show that he was paying attention so Michael took it as a win. On his trek to school, he decided that he would simply pay very close attention to Alex’s body language to see when he should go away.

“Well, I’m assuming you would like it. I like it, so I hope you would. It’s called In The Mood For Love. It’s a movie from Hong Kong so it’s, like, not in English, but I bet you might like it. And if I’m talking too much or you want me to leave, don’t be afraid to kick me,” Michael said. He was absolutely hallucinating, but it seemed like Alex’s blank face was a little closer to a smile than it was a frown and wasn’t that just beautiful? “So it’s about this woman and her husband who live right next door to another couple, right, and the woman finds out her husband is cheating on her and then the man next door finds out his wife is cheating on him. Then they find out their spouses are cheating together! It’s batshit.”

Michael spent the next ten minutes explaining the plot to the movie with no expectation for Alex to jump in, just to inform. At some point, Alex began to look up at him. Not in the eye or anything, but his face was turned towards him like he didn’t want to stop. Michael didn’t even know how to respond, so he started to drag the plot of the movie out even longer. 

Eventually, though, students began to filter in and he had to stop. It was a damn shame. He was feeling awfully confident.

“Anyway, so, I don’t do it any justice. The cinematography is literally gorgeous. If you ever wanted to, like, come over and watch it, you could,” Michael offered, his body involuntarily moving forward whenever Alex looked down again, “Or-or not. I could just explain movies to you every day. I watch a lot of movies.”

Alex didn’t say anything, not like Michael was expecting him too. To take away any pressure he might’ve given, he stood up.

“You have my number. And you can still kick me whenever,” Michael promised before going to his own seat.

The class went by with him stealing glances over at Alex the entire time. It was hard not to look at him. Alex was fucking gorgeous. He had dark hair and dark eyes and wore all black which was lovely on its own, but he had the face of a fucking god which was unfair. Michael remembered being totally starstruck the first time he saw him back in middle school. It only got harder to deny with each year.

Michael sat with them at lunch again and Alex wasn’t nearly as slumped over. Win.

-

The locker slammed shut.

Michael jumped and looked over to the culprit, eyes wide as Maria just glared at him. He didn’t know why, but that glare made him feel guilty for everything wrong he’d ever done in his entire life. He wasn’t sure exactly what those wrong things were and yet, here he was, about to apologize for them.

“I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, but if this is some kind of joke to fuck with Alex’s feelings, you need to stop right now,” she said sharply. Michael blinked a few times in confusion, but soon understood what she was saying. He hadn’t done much. Alex hadn’t even texted him or anything, but they always got to Calc early and Michael would talk to him about whatever was on his mind and Alex would listen like he was sitting at a live podcast. Michael thought it was unbearably cute. So cute, he even loaned him his Big Eden DVD.

“I’m not trying to hurt his feelings. I like talking to him,” Michael insisted. Maria pursed his lips.

“What’s the endgame here?” she asked, “Alex is… Alex is my best friend and I’m not going to let him get hurt by some fucking guy who is forcing himself into his life who just wants to mess with him. He told me you gave him your number, what’s that about?”

Michael held his breath, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say. He didn’t want to say too much and he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. Whatever he told her, she was going to relay back to Alex. He knew that. 

“I like Alex,” Michael admitted, “I might not know him that well, but… I really want to.”

Maria narrowed her eyes at him, “You like like him?”

“Yeah.”

Maria stayed still for a while, eyeing him and judging him. He let her.

“What do you get out of this, huh? He’s not going to speak to you,” Maria said. Michael shrugged.

“Yeah, but he can text me and I can get to know him that way,” Michael said, “Look, I know you’re just being protective. I get that. But… I like him.”

Maria swallowed slowly, furrowing her eyebrows. “Why do I feel like you have an ulterior motive?”

“Because you don’t want him to get hurt,” Michael filled in, “But I won’t hurt him.”

“If you do, I will not hesitate to push you off a cliff,” she said. Michael smiled at her as sincerely as possible despite the fact that she was concerningly serious.

“Deal.”

She stared at him for a few seconds longer before pulling a Sharpie from her backpack and grabbing his arm. He watched as she scribbled a number on his skin.

“He isn’t going to text you first,” she said. Maria gave him one last look before turning and walking away. Michael could hear her badass theme music in his head.

Score.

-

Michael: Hey :)

“The smiley face was too much, I shouldn’t have added a smiley face.”

“I genuinely don’t think the smiley face has anything to do with it.”

Michael gave an appalled look to Isobel who sat on his couch while he paced back and forth. Max was passed out on the recliner, balled up around a pillow as if to make himself smaller. He’d clearly spent the night reading and was now spending his Saturday sleeping. They were now politely whispering around him about Michael’s crisis.

“So you’re saying he just doesn’t want to talk to me at all?” Michael asked.

“I’m saying that maybe he’s pacing right now in front of Maria and Liz to help him figure out how to respond,” she said, scooting forward, “I mean, you texted him at, what, 10:30 last night? He might’ve been asleep and then by the time he woke up it was hours after you sent it and now he’s not sure if he should respond.”

“Okay, that’s… valid,” Michael sighed, falling onto the couch beside her, “I’m just so nervous that he isn’t into me. Like, I’m really putting myself out there, Izzy.”

“I know,” she said, draping her arm around him, “But I’m sure he does. Or, if he doesn’t, he doesn’t seem the type to be a dick.”

“Okay, but he’s got anxiety, probably, right? So, like, what if he feels bad that I’m into him and feels obligated to go out with me because of that and we have a relationship that’s just him feeling bad for being hetero.”

“Michael, you are actually overreacting now.” 

Before Michael could say anything else, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. They both froze.

Then, like the dumbass he was, Max stirred and reached for it out of habit and put it to his ear. They both snorted.

“Hello?” he asked groggily despite the fact that it wasn’t a call and it wasn’t his phone.

“Give me that, go back to sleep,” Michael said, snatching it from his hand. Max simply hummed in response and cuddled back into his pillow. “We need to ban him from night reading if he can’t do it responsibly.”

Isobel sighed, “I keep telling Mom that, but she won’t.”

They both gave quiet laughs which effectively took away some of the stress off this very stressful situation. Michael leaned back into the couch and into Isobel’s side as he opened the text. There it was in its shiny glory.

“Hey,” Isobel read aloud.

“Oh, God, he thinks I’m annoying,” Michael whined, dropping it.

“What? Where did you get that from? He just said hey!” 

“That’s what you say when you don’t want to talk.”

“Michael, you said hey.”

“With a smiley face! Which means: hey, smiley face, I want to talk to you, smiley face, no pressure though, smiley face.”

“...you need to stop watching whatever the hell you’re watching that is making you think like this.”

“Izzy.”

“Give me your phone,” she said, holding her hand out. Michael almost said no, but she had that no-nonsense look on her face and he learned quite young to never disobey that look. He handed over the phone.

He watched her with a horrific level of nerves as she typed away for a few seconds. When she handed it out, he looked with wide eyes to see what she sent.

Michael: this is now where I request your opinion on Big Eden 

“What if he thinks that’s mean and pressuring?” Michael asked, worry in his tone. Isobel rolled her eyes.

“He won’t. He’s got all the time in the world to answer, no stress.”

Michael sighed and tried not to look too completely terrified whenever Alex didn’t immediately respond. After about ten minutes, Isobel took the phone away and put it on the coffee table so he wouldn’t stare at it until he got a response.

“Stop looking so defeated, it’s gonna be fine,” she assured him, “I don’t even get why you’re so bad at this. You talk to girls all the time.”

“But this feels important.”

“Why?” she asked.

Michael tried to come up with a valid answer as to why it felt like a life or death situation with every encounter, but couldn’t. There was just something about this guy that felt real even if they’d never actually had a two-way conversation. Him simply sitting and listening to Michael speak in a classroom felt like a bigger, more intimate moment that getting felt up in the back of a truck in an abandoned Walgreens parking lot. He just… didn’t know how to say that out loud without sounding insane.

“I don’t know,” Michael said instead. He said it just as his phone buzzed. Michael nearly fell off the couch to grab it.

He opened it to a long, essay-worthy response from Alex. He smiled so wide it hurt.

“Oh boy, you’re a goner,” Isobel sighed. 

Michael melted into the couch to respond.

-

Michael: i saw this movie today

Alex: do you ever go a day where you DON’T see a movie?

Michael: hardly

Michael: it’s called Camp

Alex: what’s it about?

Michael: basically it’s a theatre camp and it was kinda long and kinda boring and the “main romance” was about cheating and the guy was a TOOOL but there were subplots of a boy discovering his sexuality via a gorgeous dream scene and acceptance and a girl who poisoned another girl to steal her role in a show

Alex: how’d you find it?

Michael: googled robin de jesus

Alex: who is that

Michael: WHHHHYYYY ARE YOU SO UNCULTURED 

Michael: sorry i’m passionate about my broadway babies

Alex: lol I know :) maybe I should watch it

Michael: you should

 Michael: ALEX I LISTENED TO A MUSICAL AND I THINK YOU’LL LOVE IT

Michael: I MEAN IT WAS SUPER HECKIN SAD BUT

Alex: lol what is it?

Michael: Bare: A Pop Opera

Michael: important distinction from bare the musical which is similar but I have FEELINGS about some of the changes that i refuse to talk about 

Alex: lol i believe you

Alex: go on. plot please :)

Michael: OKAY so basically it’s about two bros in love at catholic school and one is super in the closet and the other one is too scared because, you know, god. And the closet bro flirts with girls and stuff even though he’s sleeping with the guy because he wants to appear straight and basically he hooks up with a girl and then regrets it and tries to go back to his boy but the boy turns him down and the girl is pregnant and everyone finds out he’s gay and he overdoses and dies on stage and the moral is that the catholic church made him so ashamed that he’d rather be dead than deal with the weight of it all

Michael: or something like that i only listened to the soundtrack and read the lacking wikipedia page on it

Michael: the songs are fantastic

Alex: OH WAIT i looked it up, i’ve heard one of the songs before. All Grown Up is some powerful shit

Michael: ISN’T IT

Alex: okay I’m listening to the first song now. Give me roughly three hours and i’ll give you a detailed response on my opinions

Michael: no no give me live reactions. I’m a slut for live reactions.

Alex: okay. The harmonies? On motherfucking point

Michael: knew it

 Alex: MICHAEL I READ THIS BOOK

Michael: oh you did? I didn’t know you could do that

Alex: shut up

Alex: it’s called Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of the Universe

Michael: by fall out boy?

Alex: alright that’s it, no more commentary 

Michael: NOOOOOO come back i’m sorry

Alex: okay okay okay adlkjfal;skjdf it’s about two boys and they meet when they’re kinda young and they grow up together and one is so firmly into the other and they spend all the time together and they’re so fiercely protective of each other, but one moves away and they write letters and the one who moved away discovers he’s gay while he’s away and basically he comes back and he’s firmly out and they go back to spending all the time together and ari is like “i’m straight” and dante is like “okaly dokaly” and it takes a hate crime (which is lame) but ari’s parents have to sit him down and they’re like “okay. I hate to break this to you. But you love him” and ari is like WHAT? NO and shit and then he has his epiphany and they make out in the back of a truck under the stars in the desert

Michael: i want to make out with someone under the stars in the back of my truck in the desert

Alex: YOU’RE MISSING THE POINT

Alex: basically it’s not explicitly stated, but ari is 100% bi (i think) and i think you’ll relate to him and michael you need to read this book i’ll give it to you tomorrow

Michael: okay I’ll read it. Maybe not as fast as you, but I will

Michael: if you make out with me under the stars in the back of my truck in the desert?

Alex: bribery is a fool’s game, Guerin

 Michael: heterosexuality is for the weak and i’m hercules 

Alex: herakles*

Michael: fuck off

Alex: what’d you do that made you feel very not heterosexual 

Michael: woke up this morning

Michael: nah, but a lady my mom knows who always tells me to date her daughter told me it again today and i looked her in the eye and said “i’d rather your son” and i think i almost gave her a stroke

Alex: my hero 

 Michael: coffee after school?

Alex: you wanna hang out after school?

Michael: i want coffee and i want to talk about aristotle and dante and i talk faster than i text

Michael: the crashdown? They make the best coffee after morning time

Alex: okay :)

 Michael: i know that it’s 2 in the morning and you’re asleep but i just watched brokeback mountain again and i’m ugly crying in bed and i felt the need to tell you how free i feel. I’m here, i’m queer, and if someone has a problem with it, they might actually get charged with a hate crime for once

Michael: not that i want to get beat up to test it

Michael: i’m just free. I’m free.

Alex: ❤️️

-

“And that’s when I accidentally found myself on Mars and had a candy bar crafted by Abe Lincoln who resides there now.”

“Fun.”

Ingrid sighed, “Michael Guerin, if you do not put that damn phone down I’m taking it away.”

That one, Michael heard. He put it down on the table gently, Alex’s message still displayed on the screen. It wasn’t his fault he’d spent the last two weeks glued to it, it was 100% Alex’s. He was just far too much fun to talk to.

“Okay, tell me about the girl,” Ingrid insisted. He blinked innocently at her. She gave him that motherly look and put her fork down. “Or boy. I know you, Michael, you don’t ever spend that much time on your phone and smiling at it like it just told you how lovely your eyes are.”

Michael felt his face turn red and he focused on his vegan pad thai instead of his mother. That was much easier to face.

“It’s nothing.”

“Oh, yeah right. C’mon, spill,” she urged, childishly kicking his shin under the table. Michael smiled helplessly. 

“It’s just some guy,” he sighed, “The guy I told you about before, the one who doesn’t speak.”

“That explains the texting,” she said.

“Mom, he’s so funny. And smart. And sweet. And, Mom,” he said, looking up to her with the most serious look on the planet, “He hates Casablanca as much as I do.”

Ingrid gasped, her hand going to her chest, “Oh my god, he’s perfect.”

“I know!” Michael exclaimed, leaning back in his seat, “I just… don’t know if he’s into me or even into guys.”

“Baby, just ask,” she said. Michael scoffed.

“It’s not that easy.”

“Why not? He knows you’re bisexual, right? Well, just ask him out,” she said because apparently, it was that easy. It was never that easy. He simply shrugged. 

“I’ll think about it.”

“Mhm,” she hummed. He still gave a small smile as he went back to his meal.

The next day, he very quickly brought this conversation to Isobel whenever he saw her in the parking lot of school. Max lurked beside them, yet out of the conversation because his book was far more important than Michael’s boy problems. 

“I think you should do it,” Isobel said. Michael looked at her like she’d lost it. “You’ve been talking to him for, what, two months?”

“Three.”

“Jesus, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“Rejection.”

“Well, that’s not that bad.”

“Maybe not to you!” 

Isobel rolled her eyes. While the idea of that weight on his shoulders was actually terrifying, Michael was eager to get some alone time with Alex. Even if it didn’t end the way Isobel thought. Plus, a movie felt like a good way to start the hanging out process. You know, hanging out that wasn’t coffee with Liz lurking around. So, he told him.

It took a while, but, just as the bell rang, he got his response.

Alex: sounds fun :)

Michael nearly screamed.

-

Michael tapped anxiously against the steering wheel as he waited outside the Crashdown. This was where they agreed to meet and then Michael would drop him off here and he would walk home. Michael had asked why he couldn’t just bring him home, but Alex insisted this would be easier.

That whole thing became a lot harder to think about whenever Alex came out of the Crashdown looking like a fucking God.

He was still wearing his typical black jeans, but he was now wearing a long-sleeved black t-shirt instead of a jacket and fucking eyeliner. Michael forgot how to breathe. It was infinitely harder to play it cool when Alex got into the passenger seat. Michael gave his steering wheel one final slap.

“Hey,” Michael said, turning to him. Alex gave him a little nod as he faced him too. Michael learned early on that when Alex made an effort to face him, it was on par with any other person greeting him with a hug. Alex just started a few steps more conservative than everyone else. He wondered when he would know when it was okay to actually touch him. “Okay, let’s go.”

The drive to the drive-in was short and filled with classic rock music that Alex seemed to enjoy. Whenever Michael would look over, Alex would have his head rested against the window and his eyes closed. That felt like the biggest bucket of trust if there ever was one.

Michael knew Alex very well. They texted all day and night about everything, but obviously, things were a little different in person. It helped to know that the person Alex was in text was inside the more contained version of him that everyone saw. Michael had a million questions he never asked about why he couldn’t just let him in in person if he could let him in over the phone.

They parked in the middle of the area because that had the best view of the screen. He figured they’d be watching in silence for the whole thing, so he wanted to have a good view. Not that that was a bad thing.

“Hey, just so you know, this movie is trash,” Michael said after a moment. Alex blinked at him with those big eyes and Michael smiled helplessly at them. “You ever seen it?” Alex shook his head slowly. “Well, I’d give you a run down, but we’re about to watch it.” Alex pulled out his phone and typed quickly before showing it to him.

Tell me anyway

Michael smiled even wider and got to telling him the plot of the movie. Even when the movie started, they ignored it in favor of Michael’s shitty retelling. They kept leaning closer as Michael spoke softer, trying not to be total assholes to people around them by being too loud.

“So, then they get the knock off Cyberman to babysit for them,” Michael said. Alex furrowed his eyebrows in confusion which was the most expressive face Michael had ever seen him make. He smiled wider. “Okay, I should’ve specified that he doesn’t always look like a Cyberman.” 

Then Alex smiled. For the first time, Alex smiled. And Michael couldn’t help himself.

“You have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen,” he said. Alex immediately looked down and Michael mentally cursed himself. “Sorry, I just… You do.”

Michael tried not to back down from his statement. Every other time he’d stood his ground and tried, it worked for him. He was going to make this work for him. Or, he was going to accept rejection with the fact that he tried.

However, the longer Alex stayed completely still, the harder it was to not offer to immediately take him home.

“I like you, Alex,” Michael said instead, hoping that total reassurance would be helpful, “I’ve liked you since I first saw you in middle school. I’ve been trying to find ways to speak to you since then and when I realized I was running out of time, I tried. Now I’m trying again. I like you. I want… I want this to be a date. I don’t care that you can’t speak. The way we communicate now works great, so don’t feel like… don’t feel like this is bad.”

Alex stayed still for even longer. Michael started counting in his head, making a deal with himself that if he got to 100, he would just take Alex home.

He got to 97 by the time Alex looked up.

“Hi,” Michael whispered. The corner of Alex’s lips twitched up just a bit, but it was enough. Michael leaned in more. “Do you like me too?” Alex gulped visibly but nodded. Michael relaxed a bit more. “Can I kiss you?” Alex’s eyes widened just a little, but he gave another tiny nod.

Michael sucked in a breath and tried not to get himself too worked up. This was only what he’d been dreaming about since he was 13 and decided boys were hot and Alex Manes was god tier. He kept it just like 13-year-old him would have, a two-second peck without any touching other than their lips. 

“Was that okay?” Michael asked softly. Alex opened his eyes, those long lashes tickling Michael’s cheek. They stared very close for a second. And then that Alex that was saved for texting conversation came out.

Alex grabbed Michael’s jaw with one hand and put the other one on the back of his head, pulling him impossibly close and kissing him senseless. It was hard to figure out where exactly Alex had learned to do that or if it was just fucking amazing instinct, but Michael very quickly decided that wasn’t important. He let Alex take the lead, let Alex make each move first. It was unexpectedly hot.

Alex was the one who grabbed Michael’s hair with purpose. It was Alex who opened his mouth and pushed his tongue past Michael’s lips. It was Alex who moved closer. Michael wanted to ask where all this confidence came from, but he was terrified that it would stop. He never wanted it to stop.

When it eventually had to pause, Alex took a deep breath with his lips still hovering over Michael’s. It was the most unfair thing that had ever happened in his life. 

“So, I take it you’re not straight?” Michael asked. Again, Alex smiled. Again, Alex kissed him.

The movie didn’t last long enough in Michael’s opinion. He eventually had to tear himself away because Alex had a curfew and an alarm to remind him of that curfew. They eventually separated completely and Michael got a gorgeous, gorgeous view of Alex’s flushed face and swollen lips.

“I want to stare at you forever," Michael said. Alex simply rolled his eyes and pulled the collar of his shirt over his nose, effectively hiding his red cheeks and his gorgeous smile. Michael leaned over and kissed the side of his head for extra measure.

On the drive back to the Crashdown, they sat closer. Somewhere along the way, Michael grabbed his hand. Alex didn't pull away. Neither of them was quite sure what this meant, but it was something. It was only shitty whenever they got to the Crashdown and Alex's father was standing there with his arms crossed.

Alex snatched his hand away and looked like a deer caught in headlights. Michael didn't know what to say. His father was clearly not happy and Alex seemed to be all too aware of it. Michael looked over at him.

"Are you okay?' Michael asked. Alex's eyes flickered towards him once more before quickly climbing out of the truck.

Michael watched as his father grabbed him by the arm and basically dragged him to their Jeep. He waited until the door was closed to start screaming at Alex as if that would prevent anyone else from hearing it. Michael heard all too perfectly the sea of ‘what the hell is wrong with you’ and ‘answer me’ and saw Alex lean his head against the window and close his eyes. This time, the closed eyes were to shield the blows of insults.

Michael watched with a heavy heart as Alex and his dad drove away.

When he looked forward, he saw Liz’s face in the window. She mouthed an exaggerated ‘I’m sorry’ to him. Michael just sighed and put his head against the steering wheel.

That’s one way to end an otherwise fantastic date.

-

Michael: i didn’t get you in trouble, did i?

Alex: nothing is your fault, i promise

Alex: my dad just kinda sucks.

Michael: but you still have your phone, so it’s not the worst?

Alex: I had fun with you tonight.

Michael: me too :)

Michael: can i ask you a question?

Michael: you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to

Alex: ok

Michael: i heard your dad yelling at you… do you speak to anyone at all ever?

Alex: liz and maria sometimes when we’re completely alone

Michael: ah

Alex: it’s a comfort thing

Michael: you’re not comfortable with me?

Michael: (sorry if that sounds mean i’m just curious)

Alex: i AM comfortable with you, but it’s more complicated than that. My brain doesn’t really listen to me. No matter how much i want to, it’s not gonna happen unless my brain decides that theres 100% no threat

Alex: i’m sorry i can’t speak to you

Michael: no worries, i think it works just fine like this :)

Alex: ❤️️

Michael: you wanna talk about your dad?

Alex: literally why would i ever want to do that

Michael: because talking about your feelings is important and shit

Alex: oh how comforting you sound

Michael: :)

Alex: my dad is a dick, what more can i say?

Michael: does he know that if he didn’t yell at you, you might one day become comfortable enough to speak to him?

Alex: he doesn’t actually care

Alex: he assumes that whatever is wrong with me is my mother’s fault and he’s still pissed at her for leaving him

Michael: why didn’t she take you with her?

Alex: idk

Michael: i’m sorry

Alex: stop apologizing

Michael: i willllllll

Alex: youuuu kissed me

Michael: i did and you kissed me back

Michael: so… what does that make us?

Alex: people who made out at a drive-in

Michael: that’s it?

Alex: is there something else?

Michael: Boyfriends.

Alex: ooh becoming official over the phone? Romantic

Michael: BE THAT WAY THEN

Alex: Wait noooooo come back

Alex: i want a boyfriend

Michael: I can go ask Max, i think he could be into it

Alex: :(

Michael: fiiiiine i’ll go ask myself, i’m sure i’ll be into it

Michael: update: i am, we’re boyfriends now

Alex: :)

-

“Hey, Mom, can someone give consent if they don’t speak?”

“What the hell did you do?”

Michael rolled his eyes as he sat at the barstool. Ingrid had turned away from the pan on the stove to look at him a no-nonsense look on her face. He just flashed a big smile.

“Nothing, that’s why I asked,” he said. She let out a heavy breath and placed her hand over her heart.

“Don’t scare me like that,” she told him. He twisted in the barstool a little.

He and Alex had been successfully going out for nearly a month now. Graduation was coming up, he was set to go to UNM, Alex had a job lined up with one of his mom’s friends in that area, and life was just really fucking good. He was proud of himself for even getting that far in anything. To think he was just a fucking problem child for so long.

“Well, it is a serious question,” Michael said, “Like, can someone give consent if they don’t speak?”

“It’s very adult of you to come to me about this,” she told him, moving the pot off the stove to come closer. He smiled and shrugged.

Really it was because he didn’t know what else to do. That wasn’t exactly something he could Google, he couldn’t ask any of Alex’s friends, and he was scared to even talk to Alex about it in fear that he might take it the wrong way. That left his mom.

The last few times they’d hung out, it’d gotten pretty hot and heavy and Michael had to stop. It was really fucking hard, but he did it and Alex never seemed to have any offended or thankful opinion on the matter. He was still just flirtatious as fuck over the phone and shy in person until their eyes were closed.

“Does Alex know that you’re asking me about this?” his mom asked. Michael pursed his lips and shook his head.

“No, but I felt it was better to be prepared.”

“Well, listen, it’s hard for me to give advice in this situation because I’m biased. You’re my baby and my heart wants me to tell you absolutely not and give you a chastity belt,” she said, reaching over to pat his hair. He rolled his eyes again. “But you really just have to ask him. His lack of speaking doesn’t make him any less of an 18-year-old. He’s a very smart boy from what I understand, he can make that decision on his own.”

“Okay, but it’s a comfort thing, so, if he still can’t speak to me, then it means he’s not 100% comfortable with me, right? So what if he feels like I’m pressuring him? Because I don’t want to do that,” Michael explained. Ingrid smiled and sighed, her shoulders dropping. She looked proud of him. That was a lot to take.

“If you’re unsure, then just wait. There’s no rush,” she promised him.

Michael nodded. No rush. 

-

“Cheers!”

“That better not be alcohol!”

“Papi, it’s not!”

The small group in the back of the Crashdown laughed at the father and daughter interaction, all except Liz who rolled her eyes at the accusation.

“He served us, you’d think he’d know it’s not alcohol,” she grumbled, earning another round of chuckling. 

Michael looked over to Alex and gave him an extra clink to his glass. They were now officially no longer high school students. Three hours before, they’d walked the stage and got their diplomas (all except Alex who opted out of walking like the lucky bastard he was). It was just too surreal.

“I gotta hand it to you,” Maria said, tipping her head in Michael’s direction. Liz and Max were wrapped up in a conversation and Isobel had Alex wrapped up in a vine compilation, leaving them basically alone in their exchange. “I really thought I was gonna kick your ass.”

“I told you I had no intention to hurt him,” Michael insisted. Maria smiled and took a sip of her drink.

“I’m glad you didn’t. He’s happy,” Maria said. Alex looked up at that moment with eyes that said ‘I can hear you’. They both just stuck their tongues out at him. It reminded Michael of when Alex had insisted that he and Maria were far too similar to tolerate in the same room at the same time.

Still, Michael threw his arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Aw, and to think this is all my doing,” Isobel cooed.

“Your doing? I’m the one who gave Michael his number,” Maria pointed out.

“Excuse you both, I’m the one who pined for years and eventually grew a pair, so my doing,” Michael insisted. Alex turned his face into Michael’s shoulder before a smile became apparent. Michael squeezed his hand beneath the table.

Eventually, it got late and they could only party on a Wednesday night in the back of Liz’s dad’s restaurant for so long. Liz and Maria went upstairs, Max and Isobel went to drive home, and that left Michael and Alex. Technically, Alex was supposed to walk home. Although he was 18, his dad was still a tyrant and he needed to stay in his good graces until they could finally go to Albuquerque and get away from him.

However, Michael had one last idea.

“Hey,” he said, “Wanna go make out in the desert in the bed of my truck finally?”

Alex grinned so wide it all but relit the sun.

Michael had driven out to the desert many times in his life, so he knew exactly where to go. He wouldn’t lie, he was feeling a bit giddy about the whole thing. Well, about life in general. He was finally going to make something of himself and he had a fucking high school sweetheart like a total loser and he couldn’t feel better about it.

“I’m so fucking excited, Alex,” he vented as they drove, Alex tucked into his side, “Life’s gonna be great up there. We’re gonna thrive.” Alex pressed a kiss to his jaw. “And, on break and shit, if you wanna come back down and stay with me, Mom won’t care. She loves you. Or if you wanna go to school ever, you could. You can do anything, seriously, this is gonna be great. God, we’re fucking adults!”

Michael pulled to a stop only a few yards away from the turquoise mines. This was his favorite fucking place. No one ever came out there which meant there was no chance of anyone catching him and Alex. And, if they did, who cared?

They both climbed into the back of the truck and basically laughed their way into each other’s embrace. Their lips met for the first time that day and Michael pulled him close, smiling helplessly. This was the beginning of their whole lives. 

“I’m so happy I talked to you,” Michael whispered somewhere in between kisses. Alex was beneath him with his hands cradling his face and his legs making room for him to lay between. “I’m so happy I met you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Alex huffed a laugh and shook his head, pulling him down for a kiss. He knew Alex didn’t actually believe that, but it didn’t stop him from telling him. He’d spilled basically his entire life story to Alex and Alex had spilled his. They both knew everything about each other. It was easily the most legit relationship Michael had ever been in. No wonder it was the one he was going to college with.

As the night dragged on, things began to feel a little more real. The kisses got slower and it was harder to think about anything other than Alex Manes and the way it felt to kiss him. Alex continuously pulled them closer, squeezing Michael’s hips with thighs and letting his hands roam. It wasn’t until his hands started to mess with the belt holding up Michael’s admittedly very expensive slacks that he pulled away.

“Do you wanna?” he asked softly, opening his eyes to see Alex’s head nod. Instead, Alex’s lips parted.

“Yes,” he breathed, his voice a little hoarse and very quiet. His eyes didn’t open, happily staying in his bubble of this moment. Michael didn’t pop it. 

He kissed him again and got to removing his shirt, trying not to show how giddy he was at hearing that voice and knowing he’d been granted access to something so fucking sacred. He wondered if this was a one-time thing or if they’d shattered into a new level of comfort. Whichever it may be, it made Michael even more excited for their future.

This really was everything.

[sachigram]

Hearts Like Ours Chapter 12

((click here to read on ao3!!!))

The thing about Izaya is, he's nothing if not adaptable. Shizuo would probably make some crass comment about parasites adapting to harsh conditions to stay alive no matter what, and Izaya really wouldn't be able to refute it. Shizuo can have his finer intellectual moments, and Izaya really would do whatever it takes to stay alive because he's too afraid of an alternative.

He sighs wearily from under the hood covering his face. He's definitely been in this situation before, and having been kidnapped again certainly gives him a headache, but otherwise he's just annoyed. It's really not the most opportune time in his life for this, but Izaya left his apartment to clear his head, and he's always done his best thinking on his toes, after all.

“One of the most unpopular men in the city, and you walk around alone after dark,” an annoyingly familiar voice says. “Unwise, Izaya-san. You've grown sloppy in your hubris.”

“Living in fear is hardly living at all, right? Not that you're particularly scary, Watanabe-san. I was speaking metaphorically,” Izaya responds breezily. The noise of someone approaching him has him bracing himself for impact, and he isn't surprised when he's punched across the face.

“We should have gagged you, too.”

Izaya could point out they could have done a lot of things differently. They could have knocked him unconscious so he didn't know exactly how far he had been taken, could have been more subtle in their approach, could have announced their plans less...theatrically. Izaya isn't used to dealing with amateurs so seriously; it's not something he lowers himself to, but Junichi forced Izaya into this, and Izaya isn't one to play his cards until he's got a winning hand. He smiles.

“Why would you gag me when you want so desperately to hear what I've got to say?” Izaya asks. “You might as well take off the bag over my head, too. I hardly care where we are.”

“Might as well let you look at my face before I kill you,” Junichi agrees. He inhales, probably smoking a cigarette, from the sounds of it, and it reminds Izaya of Shizuo, even more so when he smells the scent wafting over him. Izaya blinks when the bag is removed, his eyes sensitive. He gets a good look at Junichi for the first time in a long while.

Junichi is on the shorter side, not that Izaya considers himself tall. What Junichi lacks in height, he makes up for in muscle, and on his arms and likely his torso are typical winding tattoos usually found on Yakuza members. Junichi might have been considered attractive at one point in time, but age hasn't been kind to him, and his hairline is receding almost comically. The lines on his face are even worse than the last time Izaya saw him, but then again Junichi has been through a great ordeal thanks to Izaya himself.

“You're looking well, Izaya-san,” Junichi says with a grin. He puts his thumb under Izaya's chin, swiping at the blood dribbling from Izaya's busted lip.

“Yeah? You look like shit,” Izaya says, still smiling, and Junichi laughs.

“So will you very soon. A pretty face won't do you much good here. None of my boys swing that way. Unlike you, right? You've been fucking around with that bartender.”

“He lost that job a long time ago, actually. I got him fired from it because it was funny. The two of us aren't exactly friends.”

“Trying to protect him, huh? Good plan, but it won't work. He's hardly left your side these last few months. You're really going to tell me he's been staying at your place and hasn't had his way with you yet?” Junichi crosses his arms and looks down, one of his bushy eyebrows raised in disbelief. “You've got a reputation for being a slut.”

“Oh, have I?” Izaya asks. In all honesty, sex has always bored him. It wasn't required to get what he wanted in his line of work, but he never said anything against the rumors that circulated around him. He's spent a lot of time behind closed doors with many higher ups, and if people thought he was being fucked, why did it matter? If anything it cemented him as someone powerful, someone who was important to the Awakusu-Kai and various other factions, even lowly color gangs rising by the day. Izaya never cared what they said about him so long as they knew he wasn't easily expendable.

“Yeah. You do. Gotta say, I do see the appeal in stuffing your mouth, but unfortunately I don't want your last moments to be enjoyable.” Junichi takes another drag on his cigarette and smiles before he reaches down and rubs the cigarette out against Izaya's hand. Izaya doesn't give him the satisfaction of flinching.

“A missed opportunity for you, I'm sure. I'm good with my tongue,” Izaya says, focusing on his anger and refusing to yield to the pain. This is nothing. He's been through worse and he'll go through worse still. He thinks briefly of the monster-like version of Shizuo with dead eyes that's been haunting his dreams, and he laughs because that version of Shizuo is so ridiculously inaccurate that Izaya can't believe he was ever frightened.

The human mind is funny like that.

His laughter earns him another punch, but all in all, it was worth it.

“So,” Izaya says, licking at the blood on his lip. His right eye will likely be swollen shut later, but he'll deal with that once it happens. “You decided to snatch me up and bring me to your...hovel. What's next? Are you going to reveal your tragic backstory and try to make me feel contrite for my actions? Because honestly, you've been pathetic until now, and I'd like to add more dimension to you for my own sake. Nothing in life is worse than being bored.”

“You really don't know how to shut up, do you?” Junichi leans down, putting his hands on the chair Izaya is tied to. He looks into Izaya's eyes, and the crazed glint is obvious, but Izaya is anything but afraid of him. “You think this is boring? I've got five guys outside this door who could tear you limb from limb without lifting a finger. I've got copies of your precious files from your personal desktop. I've got your sisters' school schedules and your little boyfriend is being paid a visit from some of my boys as we speak.”

“I'd be more concerned about these boys of yours, if I were you. Not just because of who you sent them after, but because referring to them as your boys is very creepy.”

Junichi glares at him, scrutinizing Izaya's face as if he's trying to decipher whether Izaya is truly afraid or not.

“Are you really this angry at me for getting you arrested? I've done it to Shizu-chan and he just tried to kill me outright, none of these silly games. Or is this about your nephew's death? You realize I wasn't even here when it happened. How could I have been involved?” Izaya asks. If Junichi truly wants to kill him, stalling for more time will be in vain, but Izaya doesn't think that's the case. Extremists always have a manifesto of some sort, and Izaya is literally a captive audience.

“You're always involved,” Junichi hisses. He pushes away from the chair and turns his back to Izaya, lighting another cigarette.  

“People assume I'm always involved, you mean. So you didn't get to blow up a building, so what? As if I'd go along with something like that. I don't like plans with no point to them, and if you truly knew me at all, you'd know the only side I'm on is my own, therefore betraying anyone is impossible.”

“You were involved!” Junichi snaps, whirling back around to face him. “I know you were! He died after I got out of going to prison, and you thought I hadn't suffered enough. You're involved with every gang in this city, and you think I believe you didn't send them after Ryu?”

“This paternal love of yours is truly sickening. As if you cared about that boy before he died. He only got involved with your schemes to impress you, and you never noticed him until he died for it. But it's easier to blame me, right? You can't own up to your own failures, and now—“ Izaya is struck once more, this time hard enough that he sees stars. Not good. He needs to stay conscious.

“Shut the fuck up, Izaya-san. Whatever you say now doesn't matter, don't you get it yet? I'm gonna make you suffer the way I have. You're going to lose everyone you care about and I'm gonna make you watch it happen.”

So this was the plan all along, then. Well. Izaya has to say, starting with Shinra was the obvious choice, because Shinra is a weak moron. But Junichi didn't include Celty, who defies all logic, into his plan, and of course Celty was the first person Shinra called after being stabbed. An incredibly powerful fairy bodyguard would scare anyone away from finishing the job.

As for his sisters, Izaya knows they've got their own means of protection. He keeps tabs on them at all times, and he has them trailed often, sometimes just for his own enjoyment because he knows they hate it. They also can hold their own in any fight. Izaya receives phone calls often from the academy because Mairu has been caught fighting and “terrorizing” other students. It makes him incredibly proud, though he's lectured her repeatedly on not being caught.

“If they're telling on you, you're not threatening them enough.” That's what he told her. She just rolled her eyes and told him he was a shitty brother.

And Shizuo... The idea that he could be done in by anyone in relation to this is laughable. Izaya is almost positive someone could drop a bomb directly on Shizuo, and he would survive just for the hell of it, not even knowing he almost died.

“Your plans could use a little polishing,” Izaya says after he spits out a mouthful of blood. “Then again, you haven't paid me to make them for you.”

Junichi merely grins at him, shaking his head.

“Bruised and bloody is a good look for you, Izaya-san.”

“Ah. I'll consider wearing it more often.”

Izaya watches Junichi pace around the room, likely waiting on a phone confirmation that Shizuo has been dealt with. Are they trying to kidnap him? Shoot him outright? Shizuo has been shot before and it barely fazed him, but if there are a lot of men, all with guns...? Izaya's stomach drops a bit. He doesn't want anything to happen to Shizuo because of this game he's been playing with Junichi. It's time to do something.

“So, you want me to suffer. The plan was to get rid of Shinra, set fire to my things, and then kill my sisters? But Shizu-chan was a wildcard here. You didn't expect him to be around, just like you didn't expect Celty to be there with Shinra. You're sloppy. Anyone who has ever spoken to Shinra knows about Celty, and as for Shizu-chan, I don't blame you there.” Izaya shrugs as best as he can. “He's always a wildcard. He messes up plans all the time.

“But even so, you haven't counted on so many things, like who exactly you're messing with here. Don't you know how dangerous it is to underestimate your opponents? Especially one so out of your league. I worried I was doing so to you, but then I remembered how stupid you are, and being here with you now has only solidified my suspicions. You're pathetically basic, Watanabe-san. Laughably so.”

“Oh yeah?” Junichi laughs, his grin wide and leering. His crazed eyes settle on Izaya. “And what have you got in store for me, Izaya-san? From your place tied up in that chair, it seems like you've been beaten already.”

“For starters, Shinra does business with the most dangerous men in this city, and he's made himself an asset for them. Shiki-san, in particular, found it in poor taste. I went directly to him upon my return and we negotiated some terms in dealing with you.”

“Bullshit. One of my guys was in that club when you sat with Shiki-san. He dismissed you. Heh, he called you a brat. I agreed with that.”

“As if that was our first meeting. We knew you had eyes on us, and I wanted you to believe Shiki-san didn't give a damn what happened to me. And truthfully, maybe he doesn't. But he likes my information, and he likes having Shinra around to tend to the injured, so it was bullheaded of you to overlook.”

“Where is he, then? If he's so invested in this, why the fuck isn't he here to save you and stop me?”

“Something else,” Izaya continues, “your little fire in my apartment. I had my secretary back up all my files onto her personal computer once I realized you were tragically obsessed with me. I kept the old, unimportant ones for you to peruse, and I allowed the fire to be set. I was on the couch, after all. Really, did you think I would be asleep with my door unlocked? Shizu-chan always forgets to lock it, because he's not used to being stalked. It's how I always got into his place before!”

It's clear Junichi doesn't buy it.

“So you were awake and you laid there while your things burned? You expect me to believe that?”

“I don't care if you do or not. It served its purpose, which was you thinking you had the upper hand, and as an added bonus, it made Shizu-chan more protective. With him hanging around, you'd hardly have the gall to attack me physically.” Izaya grins widely, remembering how it felt to be picked up and held tenderly by Shizuo that first time. He felt invincible.

“You're out of your mind, Izaya-san. I knew that already of course, but I don't know which is worse, you actually allowing all these things to happen to yourself, or you being desperate enough to lie about it to have me believe you're some untouchable god. I think you're a liar, and I think you're crazy enough to believe your own bullshit half the time.” Junichi moves closer, his hand reaching into his pocket. “Should have done this from the beginning. I'm gonna gag you so I don't have to listen to you anymore. Whatever it is you think, Izaya-san, you're still here, helpless. You've lost.”

Izaya can't help it. He laughs. Of all the ridiculous concepts, all the things he's gotten himself into, this takes the cake. He was just so bored before, and Junichi really is fun to mess with. But like all his toys, Izaya is tired of him now.

Oh well. Not everyone can occupy him like Shizuo. It's too much to ask of anyone.

“About that,” Izaya says, his arm stretched out in front of himself in an instant, the gleam of a knife at Junichi's throat, “next time you kidnap someone, maybe disarm them properly. And don't use rope, you has-been. Don't you know they're a relic?”

Junichi's face goes through a myriad of expressions, settling on fury. Izaya keeps the knife at Junichi's throat, reaching down with his other hand and cutting the ropes that bind him to the chair and the rope around his ankles.

“I've been kidnapped before, you know? Is this your first time holding someone captive?” Izaya laughs as he stands up, his back popping from his prior position. “How cute. Unfortunately, I'm the more experienced party here, so let me take the lead, ne?”

“So you were just fucking with me?” Junichi asks. He seems lost for a moment before his narrow. “You won't kill me. You don't have the balls.”

Izaya doesn't dignify that with an answer. He throws his knife directly down into Junichi's foot, another in his hand as soon as the first one left it. Junichi doubles over in pain, blood pouring from his injury, and when he looks up again, his eyes are full of malice.

“I told you already that you were beneath me,” Izaya says, leaning down to better look Junichi in the face. “You wanted to lecture me about hubris and not getting involved in things I don't understand, but here you are, at my feet where you belong.”

“I'm going to kill you,” Junichi hisses at him, spitting at Izaya's feet. “You hear me? If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to make that pretty face of yours twist in agony. You'll beg me for forgiveness as I take everything away from you, and my face will be the last thing you see.”

“A fate worse than death, truly, having to look at you in my final moments.” Izaya shrugs. “You really are cruel. I'll keep your threat in mind.”

“FUCK you!”

Izaya winces, narrowing his eyes. “Ah. I hate being yelled at.”

From his peripheral, he sees the door in the corner opening, some of Junichi's thugs gazing inside from all the racket. One of them lifts a gun, pointing it at Izaya while the rest of them trip over themselves trying to get inside and help their boss. Izaya runs for it, finding a pillar to duck behind. Where is he? An abandoned building? He looks around, thinking of how far he was driven, what around this area could be used as a hideout. He didn't see which direction they drove off in, but from the distance he supposes he's either in the old hospital scheduled to be demolished in a few weeks, or the local school that was recently shut down because a newer, better version was built instead a few blocks over. From the look of things, it's likely the hospital, as it seems unkempt and like it hasn't been cleaned in ages, and his suspicions are confirmed when he looks up at the pillar he's hiding behind, a sign above his head saying which direction the cardiovascular ward is in and which direction leads to the lobby.

“What to do...” Izaya muses to himself. He can keep running, try to make it out, but there are likely more men stationed at every exit. Jumping from the window could work, but he'd really rather refrain from keeping this charade going any longer. Still, he's outnumbered, and Izaya is quick on his feet, but not much use in an actual fight.

As he's deliberating, he hears a wrenching noise, and then some confused screaming. He blinks, gripping his knife tightly before he's peering out from behind the pillar. It's suddenly eerily silent, and it puts him on edge.

The sight he's greeted with is as comical as it is bizarre. Celty stands with her scythe drawn, some shadows binding the arms and legs of the men who were chasing him. At her feet is Junichi, who is being stared down by Shizuo, who is holding a door above him, threatening to crash down over Junichi's head. Behind them is...Shinra?

“Where the fuck is Izaya?! Tell me before I bash your fucking brains in!” Shizuo roars.

“He's over there! Over there!” Junichi is practically sobbing, pointing in Izaya's direction. “I barely touched him!”

“You expect me to believe you? HAH?! You send some goons after me to shoot at me, and you think I'll believe a goddamn word you say?!”

“Shizu-chan!” Izaya calls, stepping out so Shizuo can see him. He gets a good look at Shizuo, who appears to be bleeding profusely from his abdomen.

“Izaya!” Shizuo tosses the door down and leaves Celty to deal with Junichi as he sprints to where Izaya is. His relieved expression shifts to anger as he looks Izaya over. “He did this to you?”

“Did...? Oh.” Izaya remembers his own injuries. “I'm fine. Did you get shot?”

“Yeah. Real pain in the ass. Some guys showed up outside your building and shot at me. I beat their faces in and got this location from one of them before he passed out. I figured you were in danger.” Shizuo reaches out, fingers the bruises on Izaya's face, his eyes hard. “You're okay?”

“I'm not the one bleeding everywhere.” Izaya looks over to Shinra and Celty. “You really brought the whole cavalry. All for me? I'm touched.”

“I'm pissed the fuck off,” Shizuo growls. “Why do you have to get into shit like this all the time?”

“Isn't it fun to never be bored, Shizu-chan?” Izaya asks playfully, and he matches Shizuo's intensity when their lips clash together, Shizuo lifting him easily and devouring his mouth in a hungry, almost sinful way.

“You crazy bastard. Fuck you, making me worry. I'd kick your ass if I thought it'd do any good,” Shizuo huffs between kisses.

“You still could. Who knows, maybe I'd be into it?” Izaya smirks against Shizuo's mouth when Shizuo growls at him in warning.

“Oh, look! I knew it, Celty! They're a real pair of lovebirds now!” Shinra announces in a chipper voice. Izaya and Shizuo separate to glare at him. Celty is politely looking away, her posture seemingly bashful.

“Why are you here, Shinra? What good are you in a situation like this?” Izaya asks. He reaches his hand out to curl into Shizuo's hair, tugging lightly, and Shizuo hums at the contact.

“Every team needs a doctor!” Shinra says, flailing his arms a bit. “Besides, Shizuo-kun asked Celty and I both for help in dealing with you!”

“It was really more of your knowledge of where Junichi-san was,” Shizuo grumbles at him, carrying Izaya over. He kicks at Junichi's tied up body, rolling him over so they can look into his wide eyes. “What do we do with him now?”

“Hand him over to Shiki-san. He can deal with the dirty work.” Izaya hops out of Shizuo's arms and leers at Junichi. “I wasn't lying when I said Shiki-san had plans for you. You've really made him angry. Our agreement was that I'd lure you out, and here you are.”

“Izaya-kun, please don't tell me you've planned all this,” Shinra says with a frown. “Of course, I'd expect nothing less from you, but I really thought you'd learned at least one lesson about meddling in affairs.”

“I didn't plan any of it,” Izaya says breezily. “I'm just an informant, Shinra. I don't know why you paint me as some sort of mastermind. Look at my face! It's bruised and bloody. What mastermind lets themselves get beaten up?”

Shizuo is glaring at him openly, his expression saying exactly what he thinks of that explanation.

“Would you believe that I only planned a little of it?” Izaya amends.

“Don't do stuff like this by yourself anymore,” Shizuo says. “You could've died.”

“Ah, Shizu-chan, are you my partner in crime now?” Izaya taunts.

“Something like that. If I have to be.”

“Ahaha, Izaya-kun! Your face is priceless!” Shinra laughs until he doubles over from Celty's fist meeting his side.

Sorry about him.

Izaya glances at the typed message before returning Shizuo's steady gaze. Somehow, he has someone who cares this much about him and his antics, so much so that Shizuo roped Celty and Shinra into saving Izaya, who really isn't used to being saved. He could have gotten out of this alone, but having others is...easier.

“I'll tone down the theatrics, alright?” Izaya says, finally looking away from Shizuo's dark eyes.

“Damn straight. This could've been over months ago if you'd just told me where the crazy fucker was,” Shizuo says.

“There's no fun in that, Shizu-chan. You've got no eye for the finer details.”

“I'll leave those to you.”

Izaya laughs, shaking his head. He doesn't hesitate in taking Shizuo's hand when it nudges against his own.

“What a team we'll make, then.”

[iambicbrose]

Away From It (Part 1 of the “Here I Am And I Stand So Tall” Series)

Hey there folks, to some of our newer readers, welcome! To give you a bit of background in this, this series is going to span multiple different fandoms, you can read it all, or only decide which ones to read if you'd like. (Don't worry, at the end, Steven gives us a big ole recap so you can catch up on what you missed.) In these authors notes, you will see me refer to 'we' or 'us' fairly frequently. That's because this is a shared account between two authors. This is Kas currently typing up this author's note (Hi, that's me! ^^) and my partner (rp partner, romantic partner, life partner) will typically go by either Nomi or Kit. Don't worry, they're the same person. These fics are written by us collaboratively, so to keep our own works pages clear, we put them on their own account.

To our older readers, I'm sorry. I know it's been a while and we haven't updated much, but we're here with a new series that's already completed!

Feel free to read the whole series, or only some parts of it. Steven will give a recap at the end, so you'll be able to know what you missed! Thanks for giving us a chance, and happy reading! ~Kas

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Summary:  Steven Universe has dealt with a lot over the past few years, but now it's time that he find himself, and somewhere to call his home. His first stop on his road trip brings him to what seems to be a cute little forest town over on the West Coast called Gravity Falls. The locals seem just a little odd, but the scenery is beautiful, and the food ain't half bad either! What could go wrong?

Fandom: Steven Universe, Gravity Falls 

Relationship: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe

Characters: Dipper Pines, Mabel Pines, Stan Pines, Ford Pines, Wendy Corduroy, Bill Cipher, Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, Lion (Steven Universe)

Rating: Teen Audiences

Word Count: 8,598

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                                     Read the story on AO3!

                                                    ⁂

Rolling into town, Steven looked around. There it was! He'd heard about the cute little bed and breakfast that this place had. He could spend a week or two here easy. Seemed like a cute little town with a nice, quiet forest backdrop.

Parking his car, he got out and headed into the building. Jealous Grapes Bed and Breakfast. Well that sounded pretty darn cute! There was a girl at the counter, but she looked a lot more interested in her phone, than in anything else. Still, Steven put on a smile and walked up to the counter. “Hi there! Do you have any rooms available?”

The girl finally looked up, looked him over, and then turned her head. “ Mom! Dad! You got a customer! ” Then she was back down to looking at her phone again. Huh. Alright. Reminded him a bit of Lars.

He heard whispering from a back room before a woman was poking herself out. “Well hello there! We don’t get many visitors outside of tourist season!”

Steven laughed quietly, smiling at her, “Oh, yeah. I’m, uh, not in school, so I’m just road-tripping around.”

The woman cooed, “Well, isn’t that sweet! We’ve got a great room available upstairs. How long are you lookin’ to stay, dear?”

“Probably a week? Maybe two?” She was really nice. That was sweet. Although something seemed just a little… off. But Steven must have been imagining it. Come on! After everything in his life, nothing could top the whole gem empire thing.

They sorted out his stay and payment, and Steven shot her a grin again. “Thanks for this,” he told her. Well, he better head back to his car and grab his suitcase.

Getting back out onto the street, Steven opened his car door and grabbed his suitcase out of the backseat. He shut the door and turned around to the sidewalk- Woah! Steven accidentally bumped into a little guy, immediately stepping back. “Woah, sorry about that. You alright?”

The kid seemed to take a minute to get his balance. “Aw, shucks, I’m peachy keen! Don’t you worry about lil’ ole me!” What was that accent? That was adorable!

“Aw,” Steven gushed, laughing and ruffling his cute little pompadour. “Sorry again. You have a great day!” With a nod to himself, he carried his suitcase back inside and carried it up to the room he’d rented. The people here in this town just all seemed so… So nice and dandy. He could really stay here for a good week. It would be nice, and Connie was supposed to be flying out to visit that nearby college!

Speaking of Connie, Steven set his suitcase down and grabbed his phone out of his jacket pocket, dialing her up. Good thing spring break just started. It didn’t take long for her to pick up. “ Hey, Steven! You settling in? ”

“Yeah,” he told her, moving his phone so she could see the room. “This place is pretty cute. I’m in that Gravity Falls town. So far, people here seem pretty nice!”

Connie laughed at him, “ People always seem nice to you. But your room does look pretty cute and cozy. I’ll be out there in two days, and we can go check out that college. Can you believe there’s a college with a supernatural degree program? Honestly, I’m kinda thinking about minoring in it, if I decide to go there. Hm, maybe a double minor… ”

He chuckled, “Maybe don’t totally overload yourself just yet? Decide if you even wanna go to this school or not, y’know? But no, there was this kid out on the street, and he was so cute with this little pompadour, and this most adorable accent, and even this little suit! Oh, if you’d seen him, you would have said the same thing, Connie.” Glancing to the nightstand, his eyebrows rose. “Oh, hey a travel brochure!”

“ Okay, ” Connie sighed, giggling and brushing her hair back in that cute way she did. “ You’re right, that does sound cute. And a travel brochure is great! Do they have any cute tourist-y things to do? ”

“Probably. The lady downstairs said that they don’t often get people outside of the ‘the tourist season.’ I’m happy to give them some business, if that’s the case!” Steven laid down on the bed, unfolding the brochure. “They have a lumberjack kind of diner, that sounds pretty great. And hey, this sounds cool. ‘The Mystery Shack.’ I’ll check it out later!” Huh. 

“ The Mystery Shack? That does sound cool! ” Connie laughed, smiling at him through the phone. “ Maybe you’ll have to pick me up a souvenir. ”

"Or you can pick yourself up one in a few days when you visit the school," he pointed out to her. This place sounded pretty neat. Maybe this would be a nice place to settle down.

“ Aw, but then it wouldn’t be something that you picked out for me, ” Connie pouted, Steven already feeling himself waver.

"Okay, alright, fine," he finally huffed, smiling at her. "I'll get you something nice."

“ Thank you, Steven, ” Connie laughed, smile bright and beautiful. “ Alright, I’ll let you get settled in. Don’t try to do everything in one day while you’re there! ”

"I'll do my best. Love you, Connie." He waved at her, smiling as he sat himself back up.

Connie’s cheeks flushed as she smiled brightly before murmuring a soft, “ I love you, too. ” Beaming, Steven hung up the phone before looking back at the brochure. Mystery Shack. Sounded cool, at least!

It was later in the day, after a bit of relaxing and napping, that Steven finally drove down to check out the Mystery Shack. It seemed a little old and worn, but there were plenty of people exploring, it seemed. Seemed like a few teenagers were having some fun throwing… toilet paper at each other. That kid from earlier, too. Alright, then. He looked up at the sign. Aw. Poor thing looked like it needed some tender love and care.

Making his way through the war they seemed to be having, Steven got to the entrance and stepped inside. It was honestly pretty incredible! It seemed like a museum to a bunch of old, weird stuff that was half-creepy and half-cool to look at. He had a feeling Connie would love to inspect some of the stuff out on the shelves.

Reading the sign, Steven hummed, "Huh." Gift shop. Perfect! He was shopping for a gift! Peering around the shelves, he looked over when the bell on the door rang. The guys from outside were coming in now. And they felt… cautious. Wary. Hm. He hoped that wasn’t because of him.

“Tours aren’t for another few days,” a teen at the counter called out, flipping through a magazine.

"Oh, that's alright. I'm just looking around right now," he told her, looking over- "Oh, wow, your hair is really pretty! Is that natural?" The girl looked up at him, giving him a very serious stare before she smiled. That was good, right? Although, it looked more like a smirk, then anything.

“Yeah, it is, actually. Feel free to look around, just be warned that the prices are pretty high for everything.”

"Alright, thanks." Steven hummed to the quiet music playing- Oh, that was perfect! A cute little snow globe! Connie would love it! He walked over to the counter with it, setting it down gently. The song changed and he looked over at the radio with a grin. "Hey, Sadie Killer and the Suspects!"

“You know Sadie Killer? Seriously?” The teen gave him a bit of an odd look before rolling her eyes. “Let me guess, you have a friend or a sibling that never shuts up about it, right?”

"No, I know those guys! You know, they started out with the other guys just having a jam sess in Sadie's room. My Dad managed them."

“Your dad managed them?” She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

"Yeah, Sadie's a really good friend. We all kinda grew up together, she worked at the Big Donut and I got snacks there, like, every other day," he told her with a grin. "Her and Shep's newer music is really sweet. So, how much for the snow globe?"

Steven waited until the girl laughed - laughter was good, right? - before ringing him up. “Hm. Just for that story, three bucks.”

"Hey, cool!" He grinned, grabbing out his wallet. "Y'know, I've got plenty more where that came from."

“Oh yeah? How many stories and how much time you got?”

Steven gave an easy shrug, “I don’t really have plans. Y’know her ex died and got resurrected out in space?”

“Really?” There was that smile again. “And how exactly did her ex die and then get ‘resurrected?’”

There was a snort from behind him, Steven startling and looking to see a younger teenager who was probably thirteen or fourteen. “Wendy, don’t encourage the crazies. That’s Stan’s job.”

With a bit of a huff, Steven grabbed out his phone. He’d find a picture of them. “He was saving these guys from getting shattered — basically killed — cause he’s human, and the shattering robonoids weren’t tracking humans. My tears brought him back to life, though,” he said, showing her a picture. “See, there’s me, and Sadie, and that’s Lars.” 

“Whoa. That’s a heck of a photoshop job. He actually does look pink,” the girl - Wendy - laughed. “Dude, Dipper, you gotta check this out.”

“I get it from my mom,” Steven said, glancing to the other kid, ‘Dipper’ as he walked over, squinting at the photo and looking back up at Steven.

“So, your tears can bring people back to life, huh?” Wendy grinned, looking down to Dipper. “Still got that zombie spell?”

Steven rose an eyebrow. “Zombie spell?” Okay, he was definitely missing something here.

“It’s nothing,” Dipper waved off. “And no. Mabel blood-oathed me to never use that spell again.”

Huh. Alright then. He handed over the money, “So, when’s that tour thing? You said in a couple days.”

“Yeah, should be like three days? You’d probably enjoy it.”

“Sounds cool.” Brochure! Oh man, this was so going in his road trip scrapbook. “My girlfriend would definitely get a kick out of this place. Is any of this stuff for real?”

“Depends on who you ask.” Wendy shrugged, looking back down to her magazine. “Everything in this shop? Probably not very ‘for real.’” Aw man. That was kind of a let down.

“Well, guess I’ll be back in a few days,” he said, picking up the snow globe with a smile. Connie was gonna love it! It was just adorable! 

“Make sure to bring more crazy stories! We love those here.”

“Speak for yourself,” Dipper grumbled.

“Crazy,” Steven muttered to himself as he left. “My stories aren’t crazy. I dismantled an empire, thank you very much!” 

Honestly. Next time he would just call Sadie up to prove his point! Right now, though, he was kind of hungry and that small diner had looked really good.

☆

Not only had the diner looked good, but their food had been delicious, too! It was really nice to get away from everything for a while. Getting back to his room, Steven thought, considering, before finally pulling out his phone and dialing the gems. It didn’t take long before Pearl was answering, “ Steven?! Is that you! ”

Steven couldn’t help his laugh, laying down on the bed. “Hey, guys.” There was immediately more shouting in the background, Steven making out Amethyst’s voice before it was bright and clear.

“ Hey there, dude! How’s everything going on wherever you are? ”

“Everything’s pretty good right now, if a little weird. I’m all the way in Oregon right now!”

There was a struggle over the phone, and then Pearl’s voice, “ Oregon? My, that is quite a ways - although I’ve heard it’s absolutely gorgeous over there. ”

“Yeah, the forests around here are amazing. I’m gonna stay out here a little while, probably go on a hike or two. Connie’s gonna visit a college out here, then I’ll head up to Cascadia after.” He leaned over, picking up the snow globe. “Lookit this! I got it for Connie! You think she’ll like it?”

“ I think she’ll adore it, Steven, ” Pearl smiled at him. Then her smile twitched. “ Where exactly are you at right now? ”

“Some cute little town called Gravity Falls.” Pearl’s face fell and Garnet snatched the phone, looking at him seriously. 

“ Steven. Be cautious. Strange things happen in Gravity Falls. ”

Huh. Well, Steven had already kinda picked up on that, but… “Garnet, I’m a half-human half-alien being that spent two years in space using my magical belly button to liberate aliens.”

Garnet was silent for a moment, finally nodding. “ True, but if you hear the name Bill Cipher then please leave as soon as you can. And I’m not saying that as a gem. ”

Normally, he would think the gems were overreacting like they always did, but… “Alright. Cipher. Fine.”

“ Thank you. ” Oh, jeez, Garnet actually slumped. “ I won’t delve too far into it, but think Yellow, except crazier, more violent, and absolutely murderous - with infinite power. ”

“...Alright, okay, fine. I’ll be careful and junk. I just wanted to update you guys and everything.” Garnet went off the screen and Amethyst was back on it. 

“ Thanks for the update! We love you a bunch, dude, so make sure to call us whenever you can- Hey! It’s my turn with the phone-! ”

Pearl, this time, smiling warmly at him. “ It was great to hear from you Steven, and everyone here is safe, sound, and going about their lives. ” He smiled back at them.

“I know. I love you guys.”

They all said their goodbyes, and Steven texted Connie goodnight before plugging his phone in and rolling over. Hm, seemed like a good time if any to sleep. He had a feeling he’d need a lot of sleep for all the traveling he had ahead of him.

☆

It was official. Steven loved hiking and would never say a bad word against it. It reminded him a lot of when he trained with Jasper only greener and calmer and he was less likely to get a rock thrown at him. He took a deep breath in and held it before letting it go. The air felt so nice. He could tell there was just a hint of the sea air he was used to in Beach City, but this air somehow felt cleaner. Steven decided right then and there he was gonna hike a lot more as an Adult.

Plus the woods were so gorgeous? It was a type of forest Steven had never seen before, but it was just so beautiful. Connie would probably love at least looking around some of the forest before she had to go back. Maybe they could- Hello, that was weird. Was that a statue? Out in the middle of the woods?

Steven frowned, walking closer. Looked like… a triangle with an eye, and a top hat? Wow, that was probably the weirdest thing about this place. And he had a hand sticking out. Like he was trying to… shake someone’s hand. 

Staring at the statue a good, solid moment, Steven took a step back. After all the crazy in his life, he had learned to at least try to listen to his instincts, and right now? Right now they were screaming at him to run. Steven took a few steps back, still staring at the statues. “Okay. Right. Note to self. Never touch creepy statues half-buried in a deep wood.” He wasn’t sure what he felt, but he felt… power. He needed to turn right around and leave. 

Thankfully it didn’t take him long until he was well away from the area and the creepy statue that was probably evil in some way. Steven shivered, shaking himself off. Okay. He would hike in different forests. Far away from whatever the heck that thing was. He looked up and oh. He was at that Mystery Shack thing again. 

That teen from yesterday - Dipper? - was out and staring right at him before blurting out a pretty loud, “Did you just come through the forest?”

“Uh…” Steven looked back at the forest. “Yeah?” He brushed himself off, “You guys know there’s some really creepy statue in there?” Oh, wow, Dipper could pale as quickly as Pearl.

“Did you touch it? Did you shake it’s hand? Tell me you didn’t shake it’s hand.” Ah, right, cool. Glad his instincts were right, then.

He shook his head. “No way. That thing was giving me way too many creepy vibes.” Turning, Steven glanced to the forest again. He didn’t use the word lightly, but… “Is that thing evil?” 

“Wha- Aha, evil? I mean, pft, c’mon. A statue can’t be evil. ” Uh huh. “But, uh, just don’t touch it, okay? It’s like… a landmark. Or something.”

Steven looked at him before finally shrugging. “Trust me, I’m staying away from whatever that thing is. I know to be careful around big, powerful, evil stuff.”

“Uh… huh.” Dipper stared at him for a long moment and then narrowed his eyes. “Where’d you say you were from?”

“Oh, I’m from Beach City, over in Delmarva.”

“Wait- Beach City as in Keep Beach City Weird?” Keep- Oh! Steven would have to tell Ronaldo that there was a fan of his in Gravity Falls.

“Wow, I didn’t know that anyone outside of Beach City followed Ronaldo’s blog,” Steven chuckled goodnaturedly. “Yeah, the very same Beach City. Small world.”

“Hang on. You said your name was Steven. ” Dipper looked like he wanted to either back away or laugh. “Like… Steven Universe?”

“Oh yeah, Ronaldo put me on that blog too, huh?” Steven stuck his tongue out at that. “Yep, the one and only.”

“Oh, uh, cool. So, yeah, uh, enjoy your walk or whatever, I’m just gonna… go.” What a weird kid.

That sister of his stuck around, still sitting out on the deck. Steven smiled at her, waving before he turned and started to whistle. Guess he better make his way back to town. Beyond the weird statue thing, Gravity Falls was looking like a great place to stay.

☆

Steven was happily wandering around town when he heard the sound of a familiar portal tearing its way into existence behind him. He turned and beamed as Connie and Lion landed. “Connie!” The minute she slipped down off Lion with her backpack, he was wrapping her in a hug.

Connie was laughing and hugging him back at once, kissing at his cheek, “Miss me that much?”

He chuckled, holding tight onto her hand even when they pulled out of the hug.. “Always. Oh! Come on, I can grab that gift I bought for you!”

“You actually bought me something?” Connie beamed, letting Steven pull her along and holding back just as tightly. “What’d you get?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see! Come on, Lion. What time is your college tour at?”

“Two o’clock,” Connie said, leaning against him with a happy, soft sigh. “So, what first, Mr. Road Trip expert?”

“Well, first, we’re gonna go get your gift, then we’re gonna go to your college tour, then we’re gonna go to just the cutest diner! We can probably walk around town — don’t go walking in these woods. There’s some really creepy statue in there with a bunch of power, and it’s definitely evil.”

“Evil, huh?” Connie frowned, looking towards the woods. “Hm, okay. I’ll make sure to keep it in mind. Oh, how was that Mystery Shack place? Any good?”

“The shop is really cool. I haven’t seen much there, they said there’s a tour tomorrow though, I thought you’d really have fun with that.” He grinned, pulling her to the Jealous Grapes. “There’s also this guy there, younger than us, he follows Ronaldo’s blog! How weird is that?”

“Really? Wow. Ronaldo is gonna love hearing about that. Any idea how much the tour is going to cost?”

"Oh yeah. I guess I didn't ask." He shrugged, grinning at her as he brought her up to his room. "Okay… Close your eyes!"

“Alght, alright, I’m closing,” Connie laughed, eyes indeed shut as she gave him a smile. Steven walked over to the night stand, picking up the snow globe before bringing it over to her with a beaming smile.

“Okay. You can open.” Steven watched as Connie opened her eyes, looking to the snow globe with a confused look before bursting into laughter and jumping into Steven’s arms. "Woah- Wow! I didn't know you'd like it that much!" He laughed, easily catching her in his arms. 

“It’s perfect,” Connie giggled, burrowing against him before pulling back to give him a short, sweet kiss. “I love it.”

“Well, it’s yours now,” he told her, blushing maybe a little. “So, let’s go tour that college!” Conniei laughed, finally pulling away to set the snow globe down before grabbing Steven’s hand.

“That sounds perfect.”

It didn’t take too long for them to get through the tour of the college, Connie carrying out brochures and contact numbers and still chatting about the programs as they headed back into town. He led her into the diner, still holding one hand. “Yeah, that one sounds really cool if you decide to do it. I had dinner at this place yesterday. Connie, their food is so good. ”

“High endorsement,” Connie said, hiding a laugh. “I suppose we’ll see just how impressive it is after I’m done.”

“So you’re at least narrowing down your search, right?” It seemed like Connie was looking at every college in the country. The two of them sat in a booth, Steven thanking the nice old waitress that gave them their menus.

“I’m starting to, at least,” Connie sighed, setting her brochures aside and tangling her feet with Steven’s as she opened her menu. “I don’t know… There’s a lot more choices than I thought there would be.”

He flushed a bit, glancing at her over his own menu. “Well, I hope you figure it out soon. You’ve only been studying for the last year,” Steven teased her gently. 

“You hush,” Connie hugged, ducking down behind her menu to hide a grin. “What about you? How’s the traveling going so far?”

“Pretty good so far. I’m still keeping in touch with the gems, and with Dad, but it also feels pretty good to have Beach City in the rear view, you know? I’m starting to move through everything that happened.”

“That’s great to hear, Steven,” Connie said, reaching out to squeeze his hand with a soft smile. “Also, any reason why a kid would be switching booths to try and get closer to us?”

Steven frowned, sitting up a bit. “A kid? I-” Wait a minute. If this kid read stuff like Ronaldo’s blog… “Kinda short? Brown hair, with the weird wintery looking hat?”

“Yup,” Connie nodded, grin starting to widen. “You’ve only been here a day and a half, right? And you’re already getting attention?”

“He said that he read Ronaldo’s blog. Ronaldo’s mentioned me on his blog like once or twice, so I guess I’m a little bit known, ” Steven said with a roll of his eyes. “That guy was actually the one that basically told me the statue in the forest was evil.”

“Oh, so a kid who knows about weird stuff and, considering Ronaldo, you’re probably the weirdest thing in town right now.” Connie paused, lightly nudging him under the table. “Weird in a good way. A good weird.”

Steven snickered, “Gee, thanks, I guess? Does that make me famous, or something?” 

“Maybe it does,” Connie laughed. “Alright, what’s good here?”

“Oh! I tried the Big American burger last night, that was pretty good. I think I’m gonna go for some Cheesy Greasy Fries, though. Those sound so good.”

“Hm… I think I’ll try the burger and then steal some of your fries as needed!”

“Wh- Mabel! ” Before Steven said anything to respond to Connie, he heard the small shout and looked over to see Dipper’s sister pulling him over to a booth. Huh. Alright, then.

“Well, guess it wouldn’t be my life if it wasn’t a little weird.”

Connie laughed, giving him a bright grin, “What’s life without a little weird, right?”

After a nice meal at the diner, Steven took Connie back to his room at the bed and breakfast. “I’m so glad you’re spending the night out here, Connie. It’s really nice out here. The air is just different, you know?”

“I get it,” Connie laughed, sitting down on the bed before collapsing backwards. Lion had parked himself on the rug in the room, stretched out with a happy face. “And of course. I’m always happy to spend the night.”

It felt natural, the two of them changing into their pajamas before they slipped into bed, Connie curling around Steven’s back. He smiled at the warmth, settling down properly. It was nice. “G’night, Connie.”

“Night, Steven,” Connie said softly, curling more around him before giving a soft little sigh that had Steven relaxing the rest of the way.

☆

It didn’t take long after waking up before Steven was dragging Connie out for breakfast, then pulling her along to the Mystery Shack. He wanted to see what this ‘tour’ thing was all about, after all! Connie was happy to follow after and point things out, making comments and future plans for both of them and it was… it was great. “Oh! Is this it?”

“Yeah, this is it. I think it’s pretty neat.” He was glad she liked it so much! But he didn’t get why those two were always hanging around this place. Maybe they knew the owner or something?

“It could definitely use a fresh coat of paint in some places.” Connie pulled him towards the entrance, looking around. “Hm. Seems a bit like a tourist trap.”

“A tourist trap? What’s that?” Sounded not good, really.

Connie paused, thinking for a moment. “It’s a place that’s typically filled with weird or fake things with overpriced gift shops to make money off tourists that are passing through.”

Steven thought it over. “Huh. Well, at least it’ll still be fun.”

“You know what? You’re right. If nothing else it’ll be an experience,” Connie laughed.

"And we're all about that, aren't we?"

They entered, and Steven grinned at the girl at the counter. "So, there a tour today?"

Wendy looked over her magazine, staring at them for a moment before grinning, “Yeah. You guys interested in hopping in, I take it?”

"Sounds fun, at least," he told her with a grin as Connie looked around. He knew she'd dig this place. And the twins were inside again- Huh. The sister —  Mabel —  had a rainbow sticker on her cheek. That was cute! He smiled and waved at them. 

Mabel waved back enthusiastically, Dipper giving him a suspicious look, and, alright. Probably thought he was some type of threat somehow. No big deal, Steven would just prove he was here to visit and have a nice time. In fact… Steven walked over, still smiling as he put his hand out. "I don't think I properly introduced myself before. Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe."

Mabel was squealing and jumping forward at once, shaking his hand eagerly, “Your name is so great! Hi! I’m Mabel and this is my twin brother Dipper. We’re Pineses and our Grunkles own the place.”

Steven tilted his head. "Your Grunkles?" Alright, that was a new one he'd never heard of.

“Great Uncles-”

“Hang on,” Dipper cut in. “ Diamond? Like… the Diamonds from the blog?”

Steven immediately winced, scratching at the back of my head. "Yeah… Best way to explain it is they're basically my aunts. Mom's side."

“Ooh, what’s Diamond mean?” Mabel looked between them, grinning widely. “Sounds sparkly. ”

"Oh, my mom, she was Pink Diamond — a matriarch of the Gem Empire back on Homeworld." He lifted his shirt to show her his gem. "She and I can't both exist, so she passed her gem on to me."

Dipper just stared at him while Mabel only gave him a soft smile, “Sorry to hear about your mom, but at least you’re here, right?”

Aw… Aw, and he could tell she was being genuine, and that was so sweet! "Thanks," he told her with a smile.

Connie was at his side, holding up her watch- Her watch? "If my count is right, that took thirty-seven seconds."

“Thirty-seven seconds?” Steven blinked at Connie and what was that supposed to mean?

"From the moment of introduction to the moment of friendship," Connie told him with a grin. "Lapis was right, you are getting rusty."1

Mabel gav a bright laugh, beaming at them both. “I like you two! Are you staying here long?”

"Not for long," Connie said with a shake of her head. "I was just checking out a college nearby."

"I'm just staying a few more days. I'm trying to see all thirty-nine states right now."

“Ooh, a road trip!”

“The college nearby? I’ve heard good things about that,” Dipper chimed in. “My uncle might know more. Which program were you looking at?”

"Well, I'm probably looking at a political science major, but this one was interesting with that supernatural degree program, so I might double minor in that and sociology if I decide in this school."

“Really?” Huh. It might’ve taken even less time for Connie to make friends with Dipper. Steven must’ve been rubbing off on her. “You should talk to my uncle, he’s all about that kind of stuff.”

"Hm. I might just take you up on that." She smiled, holding her hand out. "Connie Maheswaran. The idiot with the gem is my boyfriend."

"Hey," Steven said with a frown, which immediately fell away when Connie gave him that sweet smile of hers.

“Nice to meet you,” Dipper said, shaking her hand. “You guys really want to go on the tour, though? It’s kind of lame.”

"It sounds like it could be funny if nothing else," Connie said with a shrug. "I'm on spring break, and I'm ahead enough on my school work I can slack off a couple days."

“Your guys’ loss,” Dipper shrugged. “There should be a tour starting in ten minutes or something?”

Steven turned to Connie with a smile, opening his mouth to speak before… he heard the radio. He gently moved her to the side, walking closer and listening. " ...I can take a stand. I can make an effort, if I only understand that I… I can make a change. "

No way. "She stole my song?!" That was definitely Sadie- She stole his song! Why did she steal his song?!

“Steven Universe, huh?” Wendy grinned down at him. “Song started with her saying it was cover and then doing a shout out to a Steven Universe who originally created the song. Looks like you were telling the truth, dude.”

"That's my song I sang in the middle of the big climactic injector battle- Hang on," he huffed, stepping away and pulling up his phone, dialing and holding it to his ear. "Dad?"

“ Hey, kiddo! What’s up? How are things going? ”

"Why am I just now hearing Sadie on the radio with my song? It's great and everything, her voice is perfect, but what in the stars?! "

“ Your- Oh! Oh. ” His dad’s voice went from understanding to regretful and why regretful. “ So, uh, hey, Schtu-ball, there might have been something I forget to ask you. ”

" Dad! That was my emotional self-realization near-death-experience song with Spinel!"

“ So should I have Sadie pull it from the set? ”

" No don't have her pull it from the set, did you hear how great she makes it sound? It perfectly fits her new vibe with Shep!"

There was a laugh over the phone, Greg saying a soft, “ Okay. If it ever happens again I’ll be sure to check in with you first, though. Sorry for not telling you sooner, kiddo. ”

"You're still in big trouble, Mister. Give Shep and Sadie my love, though." 

“ You know I will. Talk to you soon, Steven. ”

"Bye Dad," Steven sighed, rolling his eyes to Connie with a smile. "Love you." He hung up the phone, looking back at her. "He forgot."

Connie laughed, shaking her head with a grin, “Of course he forgot. She really does sound good, though.”

"Right? Gosh, she's amazing. She deserves, like, everything. " 

Connie smiled at him, grabbing his hand. “Alright, alright, enough gushing. We have a tour to get through, after all.”

Once their 'tour' started, Steven immediately had his camera out. "Aw, Connie, lookit this! Perfect scrapbookortunity!" 

There was a loud, loud gasp, Steven looking over to where Mabel was beaming. “You use scrapbookortunity, too?” Oh- Oh! Someone else who got it!

Steven beamed at her. "I thought I was the only one!" Someone else that used his word!

“I thought I was the only one,” Mabel squealed, jumping forward and taking out her phone. “Scapbookortunity for new friends!”

“ Aw! ” Steven grinned, posing for her picture. It was the most adorable thing! As soon as the picture was over, Steven watched Dipper walk over to Connie.

“You have one too, huh?”

Connie snorted, “ Oh yeah.” She was looking at one of the ‘monsters’ in a plastic case. “So, I’d bet anything that for every three fake things in here, one thing is real.”

“Something like that,” Dipper smirked, giving a shrug. “Guess you’ll just have to take the tour and find out.”

Steven turned to the counter. “So, how much for a tour for two?”

Wendy hummed, looking at the ceiling for a moment and then grinning. “Twenty for both of you.”

“Cool!” Steven dug through his wallet, pulling out a twenty and handing it over to her. 

Wendy stashed it in the cash register and then raised her voice, “Yo, Soos! Got two kids for a tour, here!”

Steven frowned at that, looking down at himself. “I’m seventeen.”

Wendy shrugged, raising her voice again, “Soos! Correction, you get a couple teens to show around!” Connie giggled at his side, but it wasn’t funny! He’d looked like he was eight for six years! He was finally grown! He deserved to at least be acknowledged as a teenager!

“Coming!” Barely seconds later and a man was sliding into the room, looking at him and Connie before sighing in… relief? “You two here for the tour?”

“Yeah, totally,” Steven said with a grin, wrapping his arm around Connie’s.

“Great! Then follow Mr. Mystery - that’s me - right this way and let’s get this tour started! Be warned, though, everything that you’re about to see has the complete possibility of being real. ” The complete possibility? So some of it wasn’t real? That was kind of a let down. 

Steven didn’t have too much to be disappointed about, though, because even if some of it was fake a lot of it did look really neat. Plus Steven loved hearing Connie’s little mutters and giggles and explanations on things. “You know,” Steven said with a laugh, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “We were right. Even if none of it’s real, it’s still pretty fun.” 

“I wouldn’t say none of it is real,” Connie mused, taking a picture of one of the items. “But you’re right, this is fun.”

“Hey, what’s this thing?” Whatever it was, it looked broken. Why would they put something in one of the cases and show it off if it was broken? “Memory Gun?” 

“That’s the infamous memory gun! One shot of it and your entire memory can be erased!” Oh, wow. That seemed dangerous - and reminded him of the Rejuvenator. “We keep it here in honor of the great Stan Pines and the sacrifice he made for all of Gravity Falls.”

“Jeez, Soos,” a man huffed behind them, causing Steven to spin around and summon his shield- Oh. Human. Letting his shield disappear, he smiled nervously at the others who were now staring at him. The older man, for his part, seemed to stare before looking to Soos, “Stop ending with that story. It’s weird. If you got to do it at least put up a donation jar or something.”

“Yes sir, Mr. Pines, sir!” Steven frowned, looking back at the Memory Gun.

“...Sacrifice?”

“Don’t worry about it, kid.” Uh huh. “What you should be worrying about is visiting our wonderful gift shop!”

“Uh… I already have. Thanks.” Alright. Kinda weird. Wait a minute. Another set of twins? Jeez. Was it just really common in this area or something? Maybe it was a family thing?

“Stan! Did you find the cause of these levels?” Stan’s probable twin asked, staring down at something in his hands.

“Oh yeah,” he snorted,  nodding and still looking at Steven. “Definitely found it.” What was that supposed to mean?

Before he could ask the other man was coming over, the device in his hands beeping before he was looking at Steven, “Hm, I haven’t seen levels like this since Weirdmaggaden.”

Connie stepped in front of Steven, her arms crossed. “Can we help you, sir?”

“Oh, yes. I’m a scientist who studies beings who give off ‘weird’ energy and, according to my readings, your companion is giving off enough readings to register quite high on the scale.” Connie didn’t say anything, but she drummed her fingers against her arm. Why was she so upset? Steven didn’t get it. He thought she liked scientists!

“Uh… ‘weird energy?’”

“Oh, yes! It all pertains to the Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness, something I discovered quite some time ago, now.” Uh… huh?

Steven blinked, shaking his head. “The Theory of what now?” Oh man… This sounded a lot more like Connie’s kind of department.

“Excuse me,” Connie said, narrowing her eyes further. “I’ve never heard anything about a ‘Theory of Grand Unified Weirdness.’”

"'Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness,'" he corrected, looking proud. "It's unlikely you would, my dear. It's my own theory. Gravity Falls is an epicenter for weird happenings, of course. Weird always attracts weird," he said, holding up a hand- Woah. Six fingers. That was cool. 

“Alright, but all I’m hearing right now is that you’re accusing my boyfriend of being… weird, which, alright, he is a little, but not, like, scientifically- Well.”

“But he is!” He showed them some machine with some needle thing like in those ghost hunter shows, and the closer it got to Steven, the more haywire it got. Cool. Maybe?

Stan stood behind him, rolling his eyes. “He was dropped on his head as a kid.”

“Makes sense,” Connie muttered, staring at the device. “So it detects… ‘weirdness’? In what way? What qualifies as weird?”

“Well, a good blanket starting point would be to say anything considered supernatural or otherworldly. Anything that is not a common human experience.”

“Oh. Is that all?” Connie looked to Steven with a small grin, and, yeah, he guessed it would go off around him in that case. “Okay. That’s fine, then.”

Steven grinned, shrugging. “Yeah, easiest way to put it is I’m half-alien.” The others all stared at him, Dipper the first one to speak.

“So that explains it.”

“Yep, that’s Mom’s side,” he sighed. “It’s… really complicated,” Steven finally settled on, taking a picture of one of the displays. 

“He’s harmless, though,” Connie said, leaning over to look at the picture Steven had taken. “Oh, that’s a good one.”

“Wha- Harmless?! I dismantled a malevolent dictatorship, thank you very much!”

“Mhm. Of course.” Connie distracted him by giving him a soft kiss to the cheek, and, alright, it was hard to even pretend to be upset when she did that.

The tour, unfortunately, didn’t last much longer after that, and Steven and Connie were stepping outside to enjoy a bit of the sun before Connie had to head back home. It was nice, though, to be able to go on cute dates and stuff with her without worrying about the gems, or parents hanging around.

“This was actually really fun,” Connie sighed softly, leaning into his side with a soft hum. “Today was wonderful, Steven.”

“Aw, well, jeez, you know. You’re always worth it,” he told her, squeezing her hand. He glanced over to the twins walking with them, then he felt Connie’s hand slip out of his? She was pulling away? What the- He turned towards her to ask what was wrong.

Connie was surrounded by weird little things trying to pull her away, Connie looking weirded out before she was reaching for her sword, “Alright, just what do you think you’re doing?!”

They were immediately backing away. “Woah! That’s a- That’s a pretty sharp sword you got there!”

Mabel was the one to step forward. “ What are you guys doing?! We’ve talked about this!”

“Where… were you hiding that?” Dipper asked Connie hesitantly.

“Under my shirt, of course,” Connie rolled her eyes. “It’s not as if I can just carry it around in public.” Steven watched Mabel shout at the little… things before Connie looked at her. “Don’t worry. I think my method is a lot more… effective,” she said, brandishing her sword before she started to swing it. She wasn’t even hitting them, but it was definitely enough to scare them.

It was barely a few minutes before they were all scampering off, Dipper giving a laugh, “More effective than anything else we’ve tried. Sorry about them. They’re… really dumb.”

“What were they even doing? What did they want? ” 

“A queen,” Dipper rolled his eyes. “They usually go after Mabel when they’re here, though.”

“A… queen.”

Connie laughed. “Wow. I almost feel flattered!”

Before they could continue their conversation, Steven’s pocket was beeping… “Oh jeez,” he sighed. “‘Scuse me, I gotta take this,” he said, stepping away and pulling out his phone. “Hey guys, what’s up?”

“ Steven! We were told you were going on a ‘road trip’ and we wanted to check in with you! ”

“Oh. Who told you?” Whoops, that sounded rude. “I mean, yeah. Everything’s going great. I’m actually across the country from Beach City, right now,” he laughed a bit.

“ We just wanted to make sure everything was going well and you were having fun, ” Blue said softly, smiling. “ It’s good to hear you laugh, as well. ”

Steven grinned at them, “Aw, jeez, Blue…” They were really making an effort, and he really appreciated it. “Yeah, it’s really nice to be exploring what else Earth has to offer, you know? I never really realized it when I was a kid, but there’s a whole world outside of Beach City!”

“ Of course there is, ” Yellow laughed. “And we’re happy to show you around other planets if you ever want to extend your trip to outside your own world. ”

“I know. But for right now, I’m fine staying a little closer to home. Thanks for checking in, though.”

“Of course. We’ll call again soon. Take care, Steven, and stay safe.”

Steven grinned at them. “I will. Thanks, guys. I love you.”

The call ended with a loud, “ We love you too! ” It really was kind of sweet of them to check on him - even if he was still trying to figure out how they even knew about the trip.

Putting his Communicator away, he turned around, walking back over to them. “Hey. Sorry about that. Family, y’know?”

“Oh, definitely,” Mabel nodded, Dipper only staring at Steven for a long moment before shaking his head. 

“Still better than Bill, I guess.”

Steven flinched, just stopping himself from throwing a shield up. “Bill… who?” Dipper froze, staring at him for a long moment.

“Just… someone who we had to deal with last summer. A real jerk that we finally took care of.” Uh huh. Except Steven could feel Dipper’s fear at just mentioning the name.

Connie was frowning at him, tilting her head. “Steven?”

“Took care of… So like… Not a problem anymore? At all? Whatsoever?”

This time it was Mable and Dipper to share a look, Mabel finally looking back with a teasing grin, “Just don’t go shaking any hands of stone statues in the forest and we’re all good!”

“Oh stars,” he murmured quietly. Alright. Maybe Garnet had had a point. Who knew there were places like Beach City? But… Not just like Beach City. That thing had been evil. 

“Steven?” Connie gave him a small nudge, voice quiet. “You okay?”

“Garnet… mentioned something about all that,” he told her. “Said if I heard the name to run the other way.”

“Oh. That’s, uh… that’s probably not good.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “Come on, Lion should probably be taking you home. Isn’t there some time difference something or something?” 

“Something like that,” Connie laughed, squeezing Steven’s hand. “Fine, fine, I should be getting home. We still on for that weekend I’m going to spend with you at the end of the month?”

“Of course we are,” Steven told her, pulling her in for a tight hug, and kissing her cheek as Lion stood, drawing attention to himself.

“ You have a pink lion?!”

Steven looked at Mabel, laughing. “Inherited.” 

“He’s so cute and fluffy! ” Mabel squealed, reaching a hand out towards Lion. “Here, kitty kitty.” Lion looked over, blinking at her lazily before yawning and stretching himself out. Mabel, undeterred, only cooed as Connie laughed.

Connie climbed up onto Lion, Steven walking over and petting his mane, laying his head against Lion’s. “Hey, bud.”

Lion gave a happy rumbling noise, pushing against Steven and near knocking him over. “Lion misses you the most,” Connie chuckled.

“Aw, I miss you too, buddy.” Steven reached up, squeezing Connie’s hand. “Tell your parents I said hi.”

“Of course,” Connie smiled, squeezing his hand back. “See you soon, Steven.”

"Love you," he told her, Lion running around the small clearing before roaring out a portal, the two of them traveling through.

“Aw,” Mabel whined, frowning heavily. “I forgot to take a picture of your lion.”

"Oh, that's alright. I've got tons of pictures of Lion. I can send them to you, if you want," he told her with a grin. "If you're okay with me having your number." 

“Of course!” Mabel was holding  out her phone at once with a wide grin. “Be prepared, though, because I send my friends bunches of pictures!”

"Aw, shoot, I love pictures!" Steven input himself as a contact. "If things were a little less weird out here, I'd consider this as more of a permanent thing. I'm going cross country, trying to see everywhere before I decide where to settle down."

“Huh. That sounds kind of cool,” Dipper said, looking at him for a moment before handing his phone over to Steven as well. “This way I can send you any weird stuff Ronaldo might like.”

"Oh, sure- I don't talk to him all that much, but I can get the message passed on. There was this incident a couple years ago where he tried to be a Crystal Gem…" It still made him cringe to think about. 

“I think I know just enough to know that’s bad,” Dipper snorted, shaking his head. “How much longer are you here?”

"Probably a couple days. I'm planning on heading up to Cascadia after this. You ever been?"

“No, but I’ve been wanting to go.” Dipper took his phone back, Steven feeling his own phone buzz a moment later. “Feel free to send Mabel pictures, though. She loves pictures of anything, basically.”

"So, you're into otherworldly stuff, right?" Steven grinned, sending him a few pictures of his intergalactic travels. 

Dipper looked down at his phone, eyes widening before Steven saw him starting to save every picture sent. “So, if you want to send me more pictures, that’s cool too.” Steven laughed.

"Yeah, there are perks to having aunts like mine." Some of those perks involved pictures from space. 

“Hey! If you’re staying a few days then we should hang out some more!” Mabel beamed, near bouncing. “We can show you all the cool stuff in Gravity Falls!”

"Okay… Cool stuff like what?" he asked, looking between the two of them. Hopefully they had similar ideas of cool.

“I mean, you already saw the gnomes, but I promise there’s way cooler things that won’t try to kidnap your girlfriend.”

Steven laughed. “Yeah, she’s all the way in Delmarva by now, I hope they don’t try to kidnap her.”

“Wait- That lion managed to teleport them all the way to Delmarva? ” Dipper stared, shaking his head. “That is… wow.”

“Yeah. He’s teleported us to my mom’s base up on the Moon.”

“ He’s able to go to the moon and take you with?! ” 

Mabel groaned, looking up as if giving up on life. “Great, now you made Dipper go into his crazy conspiracy mode.”

Okay… But Steven got to have a little fun. “Yeah. And you haven’t even seen inside his mane.”

“What… What’s inside his mane?” Okay, yeah, this road trip had definitely been a great idea.

Snorting, Steven stuck his hands in his jacket as he followed them. “Just a pocket dimension full of pink grass, some stuff my mom left behind, and two trees representing him and a human I accidentally resurrected when I was fourteen.”

He counted five seconds before he had a twin on either side and almost hanging off of him, Mabel asking loudly about the pink grass and trees and Dipper almost yelling, “You brought back someone from the dead?! ”

Steven couldn’t help but to smirk. “I told you so.”

“You- But- I didn’t- You gotta tell us everything. ”

✩

It was a week and a half before Steven was finally ready to leave Gravity Falls - although it had been a fun week and a half. Dipper and Mabel had been fun to hang around, and learning about Gravity Falls had been fun in it’s own way - weird, but fun.

“Thanks for everything,” he told them, drawing Mabel into a hug. “This is all totally going in my road trip scrapbook.”

“It had better!” Mabel hugged him back just as tightly. “And I hope you find what you’re looking for on your road trip.”

“Yeah, so do I.” Once Mabel let go of him, he smiled at Dipper. “Come on.”

“I mean, we can just fist bump, or whatever,” Dipper muttered, Steven keeping his arms open before Dipper was sighing and moving to hug him.

“Sorry. I’m a hugger.” He hugged Dipper extra tightly. He was a good kid. Just had to stop using his big brain so much of the time.

“You and Mabel both,” Dipper complained, hugging him back after a long moment. “Make sure to text us every now and then.”

“I will. I promise. I’ll even make sure to text you guys if I run into anything else ‘weird.’” Which, if their uncle was right, he would. Weird definitely attracted weird.

“We’ll send you pictures too!” Mabel beamed, darting in to give him one last hug. “And don’t worry so much.”

He smiled, hugging her back. “Thanks. Being out here actually really helped me realize something about myself.”

“Really?” Mabel beamed, pulling back to look up at him. “What was it?”

“For as strange and messed up as my life might be… It could always be a heck of a lot worse.” The both of them burst into laughter, and, yeah. This had been a good idea. "I better head out. I'm supposed to meet up with Lars soon."

“Have fun!”

“Try to find stuff not as weird so you can actually relax.”

Smiling, Steven waved at them, walking back to his car. Time to put Gravity Falls in his rearview, and start a new journey.

[taylorsmiththeauthor]

St. Marys Mysteries

So this is based off of this tiktok by @.swaggie._.maggie_.  I really liked their animated video and so I’m thinking of writing a little short story series about the videos. The first one is called Cards With Skully and Lily!

Stefan knew exactly where it all went weird.

When he first moved to the town of St. Marys, Stefan didn’t expect much. It was a quaint, quiet little town that boasted ancient-looking buildings that were built from local limestone. It seemed nice, boring even.

Stefan could live with boring.

Stefan and his family moved in the summer leading up to his grade 11 year. It was about a week after they finished unpacking that Stefan first met Lily.

Well, met was a loose term for it. He was walking his dog in the park near his house when he saw a girl about his age, playing solitaire at a picnic table. She seemed rather focused on her game, so Stefan left her to it.

The next day, she was there again, still playing her game. She looked up at him but when Stefan waved, she only narrowed her eyes.

It wasn’t until the third day that she actually called out to him.

“Hey!” She said, not moving from her seat as she waved him over, “Hey! C’mere!”

After a moment of hesitation, Stefan gently pulled his husky in her direction, walking over to the table. She watched him the entire time, with a look of...amusement?

“You’re new here,” she declared, “You moved in on Fredonia, right? The big house right in the centre?”

Okay, Stefan thought as he tied his dog’s leash to the table, She’s kinda creepy.

“Uh, yeah. How did you know?”

“I live in the house right behind you,” she informed him as she shuffled her cards with a surprising amount of expertise, “My bedroom faces your house. I thought I recognized you in the park the other day.” Then she stuck out her hand with a grin, “You can call me Lily. May I have your name?”

“My name is Stefan.”

“Bzzzt!” Lily suddenly said, pulling her hand back before Stefan could properly shake it, “Lesson Number One of the forest – never give anyone your name. Don’t you know that names are powerful things?”

“Uh...no?” Stefan said warily, starting to regret his decision to sit down with the strange girl.

Lily sighed impatiently, “Man, you got a lot to learn. You have a nickname?”

“My friends used to call me Steff,” he offered.

“Use that,” Lily suggested, “And never give someone your name. Say, ‘you may call me’, that way you don’t give anyone anything. Now, let’s try again – Hey, you can call me Lily. May I have your name?” Once again, Lily stuck her hand out over the table.

“Um, you may call me Steff?”

“Much better,” Lily said with a smile as she let him shake her hand, “So, Steff, you up for a game of cards?”

“Sure,” Steff said, since he didn’t really have anything else to do. While Lily was weird, she was the only kid his age who bothered to approach him. Stefan was a little shy, so he had trouble making friends outside of school. If Lily wanted to be his friend, he wasn’t about to turn her down, “What game?”

“Let’s do something simple,” Lily suggested as she began shuffling the cards again, “How about Crazy Eights?”

“Okay.”

Lily dealt the cards, and they began to play.

“So,” she said cheerfully, “Where are you from?”

“Niagara Falls.”

“Why’d you move?”

“Mom’s actually from here,” Stefan explained, “And she got a teaching job. Dad’s a writer, so he can go wherever. He was getting tired of the big city anyways, so we moved out here.”

“Don’t you miss your friends?”

Stefan shrugged, “A little. We’ll text and stuff, but I guess I’ll make new friends.”

“So you’re not really that close with anyone, huh?”

“That’s a little personal,” Stefan complained.

“Well, I can tell you about myself if you’d like. My dad has lived here his whole life, he’s the music teacher at our school. Mom is from Korea and she’s a biologist. There’s a research facility outside of town – she works there. I’m an only child, and I don’t have very many friends because people think I’m a little weird, but I’m funny so it makes up for it. Now, what’s your dog’s name?”

“Her name – I mean, you can call her Gert.”

“I see you’re learning,” Lily said with a sly smile, “And Gert seems really cute, can I pet her? Last card, by the way.”

“Oh, uh yeah. And pick-up two.”

“Dang.” Lily picked up two cards before reaching down and petting Stefan’s siberian husky.

“So, you come to the park every day?” Stefan asked, “Just to play cards by yourself?”

“Oh, I’m not by myself for long,” Lily replied, “People will sometimes join me. Skully usually joins me right about now, but he’s not big on meeting new people. He’s shy, you see. Also kinda suspicious – not a trusting guy.”

“Okay.” Stefan just assumed that Lily meant one of the locals, perhaps some old guy that she played cards with when he came to feed the pigeons. 

After that, the two of them chatted idly about the town, about what sorta stuff people did. After an hour or so, Stefan had to go back home.

For the next few days, Stefan would go through the park and stop to play card games with Lily for a little bit before heading back home. He usually brought Gert with him, but not always.

About a week into their regular meetups, Stefan finished his first round with Lily and she smiled at him.

“You know, I think Skully’s ready to meet you,” Lily said as she shuffled again, “He’s seen us playing a bit, and he thinks you seem pretty chill.”

“He’s been watching us?” Stefan asked, twisting around to see if anyone was near them. There were a handful of people, but no one seemed to be looking at them, instead minding their own business.

“Yeah,” Lily replied easily, “Don’t worry about it – he’s just worried about me. Remember, he doesn’t trust people that easily. But he seems to like you, so he’s gonna join us for a game of cards.”

“Oh, okay. Is Skully like, your grandpa or something?”

Lily laughed at that, “No, he’s a little too old to be my grandpa.”

Before Stefan could ask anything more, Gert lifted her head and her ears pricked forward. She stared at the spot beside Lily, as if there was something there.

Stefan turned to see what she was looking at. Between one blink and the next, a skeleton suddenly appeared.

It took a moment for Stefan to understand what was in front of him. The skeleton looked too cartoonish to be real, or like something that was in a biology classroom. But then it seemed to grin at him and spoke.

“It’s lovely to meet you, I’m Skully.”

Stefan shrieked in surprise and leaned back quickly, toppling out of his seat and landing in the dirt with an oof. Gert barked at Skully before coming to lick at Stefan’s face.

Both Skully and Lily laughed at him, Skully’s jaw clacking.

“I’m sorry,” Skully said after a moment, standing up and coming around to offer a hand to Stefan, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

After a moment, Stefan reached out and took Skully’s hand. It felt weird, like a sponge had become rock-hard. Skully helped Stefan up before moving back to his spot beside Lily.

“How do you boys feel about a game of Go Fish?” Lily offered as Stefan sat back down. 

“It’s been a while since we’ve played that,” Skully said, “It would be nice to play it again.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Stefan rested one of his hands on Gert’s head. Partially because it helped to ground him and reminded him that everything around him was real. The other reason was because Gert was salivating at the pile of bones that was Skully.

The three of them played a couple of rounds while Skully and Lily chatted with each other. Stefan was still trying to figure out what to say, or whether what was in front of him was really not a dream.

Finally, when Lily was reshuffling the cards, Stefan spoke.

“So…” he began carefully, “How uh. How did the two of you meet?”

“Oh, I’ve been wandering this old park since it was created!” Skully replied, “Once I died, I couldn’t bring myself to stop, it’s just so lovely. I met Lily here a few years ago – the first girl in about a century to actually see me. Naturally I was intrigued, so I joined her for a game of cards. We’ve been playing ever since.”

“Hold on – what do you mean she was the first person who could see you? I can see you now.”

“That’s because I want you too,” Skully explained, “Good thing about being a ghost is I can pick and choose who gets to see me. Unless, of course, someone is born with the Sight.” At this he turned pointedly to look at Lily, who grinned at him.

“Yeah, I see everything, whether the spirits want it or not.”

“You see everything because you’re nosy, young lady,” Skully teased.

“I’m not nosy! Just curious!” Lily protested.

As the two of them playfully bickered, Stefan slowly began to realize just what he’d gotten himself into.

His only friend in the entire town was a witch who could see spirits.

Stefan’s summer was sure to be anything but quaint and quiet.

[ttooccaa]

The impeccable timing of everything - Chapter 4

4/5

I forgot again, this has been out for like 4 months

Rating: Teen

Ao3 link

Hollywood

November 25, 16:15 PDT

Oracle had gone through all the data brought to her by team Beta. She obviously looked like she hadn’t slept, though that seemed to be the general theme in the room filled with tired and groggy teens.

The Outsiders were called as soon as Barbara was done, the whole team was once again in their HQ looking up at the large screen with the former Batgirl explaining her findings on it.

All of them were concentrated on her, but the exhaustion from the non stop missions was catching up with them.

Ed audibly sighed and looked at Bart who was standing next to him, at least he looked like he’d gotten some sleep. Ed was glad, he’d been preoccupied with the new additions to the center, especially the two little gingers…

Bart’s gaze drifted to Ed, who looked like he’d seen better times, Ed’s always had this feeling of sunshine around him, but know it looked like they were a few clouds in the sky, “the sky” was still beautiful just a tad dimmer than usual. He gently nudged the other teen and gave him a reassuring smile. Ed quickly returned it.

“Let’s start.” Beast boy announced, his green skin slightly paler than usual. All eyes looked up at Barbara.

She pushed her round glasses up “The good news is that the end is nigh, we know where the base of operation is.”

That quickly caught all of the Outsiders’ attention.

The ginger smiled and a map of the America showed up and started zooming in…

“Metropolis?” Virgil said out loud.

“Kinda risky doing such a thing on Supe’s turf.” Jaime added.

“Indeed it is, but the outskirts of Metropolis offer a wide range of huge storage spaces and underground tunnels left over from past events.” Barbara was quick to explain.

Ed spoke up “We don’t have any guarantee that the thing is even still operating, we know they are shutting down everything and probably repositioning, everything might be gone by now.”

Oracle nodded “That is true, but when we take into account all the things that are possibly there, repositioning will take a lot of time, especially since they want to do it without raising any suspicion.”

The others agreed with her and she continued on “Also there were more catalogues with metas in them, again we are still working on connecting them to possible missing people.”

“I am guessing it’s hard because they were probably in similar situations like Kate, Wayne and Kole?” Ed asked, though it was more of a statement.

Barbara nodded, her expression saddened, but she quickly continued “What about the new four, Ed? I’ve got some basic info on them in here, but that’s about it.”

The peer counselor shrugged “I haven’t talked a lot with them, but their names are Raelene Sharp.” A picture of a girl with bright blue eyes and a short, messy bob appeared on the screen. “Miriam Delgado.” Her picture showed up as well, she had raven black hair, her sclera was also black, while her eyes white. “And at the end, the twins. They only speak Spanish, when I asked them about anything regarding their life, I got no answer, they said they don’t remember anything. I tried looking up any info regarding them, but there was none. Like they had never existed, at least Raelene and Miriam both had social medias, Miriam was also registered in a couple foster homes in Brazil, and Raelene had a record with some minor offences. But those two, absolutely nothing.”

“Afraid to say the same, Ed. I looked up deeper, but again came back empty handed, Intergang also knew nothing, not even their names.” Barbara shot back.

Ed sighed, looking even more tired then before. Bart placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and the teleporter leaned into it.

Ed sighed “Anyways, that is all to be dealt with later. What do we do now?” He turned the question towards Garfield.

“Now.” Garfield announced “We make a plan of attack.” He looked at Ed “You’re in this time?”

The aforementioned teen nodded “We’ll most likely need all hands on deck for this one.”

Garfield smiled, but his expression turned serious “Okay, team, let’s get this show on the road!”

Taos

November 25, 20:00 MST

Ed sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day, before the meeting with the Outsiders he’d dealt with the four new arrivals and had even managed to squeeze in a quick training session with Kate, Kole and Wayne. Their destructive behaviour was still there, but definitely not as rampant as before.

Garfield had laid down the plan and they’ve discussed it until everything was smoothed out and it was supposed to go without a hitch, though he couldn’t help but think of a certain quote he’d heard somewhere “Make the plan; Execute the plan; Expect the plan to go off the rails; Throw away the plan.” Everything always seemed to end like that, one way or another.

As weird as it may sound, he was kind of excited for the mission… Of course, the idea that they might be taking down Intergang was thrilling, but another part of him was even more excited at the prospect of spending more time with Bart. Even though they had to be professional, time with Bart was always a good time. Lately it felt like they could never see each other, so even though they were going to be taking down an intergalactic human trafficking ring, he was still excited.

He got up from where he was staring at his laptop’s screen and teleported in front of the doors of the multipurpose room, Neut had texted him that he was there with the four new additions to the center. He pushed the door open and was quickly greeted by a blur of white and red almost tripping him. The blur were the teens, they were also speedsters, though only if they were touching. The looked at him with wide eyes and he in return offered them a kind smile.

They were obviously excited to see him, since they could best speak with him. From the brief conversations he’s had with the twins, he concluded that they must be from Mexico, due to the way they spoke. While their conversations weren’t perfect, again thanks to the differencces between Rioplatense spanish and Mexican spanish, they were still better than the ones with Neut, who’d only taken spanish in highschool.

“How are you guys doing?” He asked the gingers, whose hands were linked.

They both grinned at him, their smiles were almost identical, but one of them was missing a tooth. They spoke in unison “We are having fun!”

‘Kinda creepy.’ Ed thought, but quickly banished it away, he offered his hand to them ‘Why don’t we go see what the others are doing?’ One of them took it, while the other continued to hold hands with his brother.

They walked over to Neut and the two girls sitting on one of the couches, well Nathan and Miriam were sitting, Raelene was standing of to the side, he could guess why based on the two gashes left in the couch cushions. Though the sharp spikes that were on her shoulders when she got here were gone.

“Oh, Ed, I see you’ve managed to get them to stop for a bit, I swear those two have seen the whole center at least three times by now.” Neut said.

Ed looked down on them, a gentle smile on his face. He slowly let go of the kid’s hand and prompted them to sit down, then he turned towards Miriam and Raelene “How are you two doing?”

Miriam shrugged, her curls covering her face “As good as anyone who was human trafficked, I suppose.”

The other girl pointed at the couch “Sorry about that.”

Ed sighed “No worries, things like that… happen all the time.” ‘Have to add that one to the list as well.’

He pointed at her shoulders with his chin “I see the spikes are gone.”

She put her right hand on her left shoulder “Yeah, it happens from time to time… I still can’t control it.”

Ed smiled reassuringly at her “That is more than okay, it’s what we’re here for.”

She smiled, but also rolled her eyes in an endearing way.

“Anyways, I know we already met each other, but there wasn’t an official introduction, my name’s Ed, I’m a peer counselor here.” He extended his hand towards the girl with bright blue eyes and short hair.

Raelene took it “Well, my name’s Raelene, but you can call me Rae.”

“I’m Miriam, Miri also works.”

Ed nodded at her and turned towards the twins, he quickly did the same introduction, but neither of the twins could tell him their names. They were a bit distressed at that, but the Argentinian was quick at reassuring them.

He turned towards the others “Well, they can’t just stay nameless…”

Rae leaned so she was at eye level with the twins, she pointed at one “Ginger 1.” Then she pointed at the other “Ginger 2.” The twins actually looked offended at that.

Miri laughed “Something tells me they didn’t like those.”

Rae rolled her eyes in retaliation, putting her hands on her hips and leaning back.

“Maybe they could be nicknames? Based on something?” Ed mused.

“Like their powers?” Miri supplied.

“Okay then, Sonic and other Sonic!” The Brazilian concluded. Rae had the audacity to snort at that. The twins looked like it had caught their attention.

Miriam saw that and continued “What? You want to be called Sonic?” She touched the kid’s nose while talking in the most obnoxious, cutesy voice possible.

Neut interjected “We’re not calling them Sonic.”

Miriam pouted “Spolisport.”

Neut thought for a second “The idea with the powers wasn’t bad though… their powers work only when they touch, like they attract each other… like a magnet! What about Mas and Menos?” He looked so proud.

The other teens were silent, until Ed spoke up “Good thing you took spanish in high school eh? But anyways, I like it.” The others nodded “Well let’s see if they like it as well.” He turned towards the twins, explaining what they’ve decided, both of them grinned and quickly proclaimed which one was Menos and which one was Mas.

Ed grinned at them.

Afterwards Miriam started communicating with the newly nicknamed twins, by waving her arms excitedly, she was Brazilian, but they could still “talk” by using one or two words. The gingers seemed entertained enough, until she looked like she was deep in thought, then a second later instead of Miriam, there was an exact copy of one of the twins, except his eyes were black. Both of the gingers looked shocked and started talking in rapid spanish. Their copy turned towards the others “You can call me Igualidad!” He proudly announced, then laughed and transformed back into Miriam.

“Damn, that was awesome.” Said Neut.

Ed silently nodded in agreement, while Miriam blushed.

Rae interjected “Except the lame joke.”

Miriam stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

The Argentinian started talking once again “Have you guys met any other residences of the center?”

“Yeah, a few, though we still haven’t seen the three who were also caught by Intergang.” Raelene supplied.

Ed smiled brightly “Well, that’s perfect, because I was just going to ask you if you want to join me, Kole, Kate and Wayne, those are the names of the others kidnapped by Intergang, for a quick training session.”

Miriam looked sceptical “Training? Like fighting?”

“No! We just learn how to better control and deal with our powers, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, if not then you can just watch, see what’s it like.” Ed explained.

The Brazilian still didn’t look convinced, but nodded regardless.

Ed thought for a second “Want to teleport there?”

That definitely caught the others interest. He also asked the twins which looked more than excited.

He extended his hand and the others took it, some more reluctant than others.

He grinned “Hold on.” Then a gold light engulfed them.

Hollywood

November 26, 9:24 PDT

The Outsiders were done training, today was the day they attack Intergang’s main base of operation. All of the heroes were excited, but also kind of nervous. That sort of nervousness never went away, no matter how many mission there were. It mostly turned into acceptance and confidence, that no matter what they’ll be able to pull trough.

Cassie and Tera made a finishing move and took down the last “threat”, afterwards the simulation cleared out and the young heroes were back in their regular training grounds.

Tera and Wonder girl high fived, while Gregor from where he was staring outside the protective glass,  gave his little sister a look filled proudness and maybe a little fear. She grinned at him.

“Good work everybody!” Their leader, Garfield, excitedly said.

The other nodded, that was their cue that it was time to hit the showers and relax a bit. The walk to the dressing room was short and allowed the heroes to unwind a bit, so neither Bart, nor Ed were using their respective powers.

Ed nudged Bart with his elbow “I’d forgotten how awesome you were.”

Bart blushed a bit, but grinned “That’s what happens when you sit out on missions! You should come, if only to watch me!” Bart announced, then quickly struck a strongman pose.

Ed chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind, amigo.” He winked at the end.

They continued their short walk to the dressing rooms, maybe just a tiny bit closer than necessary.

Metropolis

November 27, 2:45 EDT

The Outsiders were currently in the Bio-ship, right above where Intergang’s base was supposed to be. They had been monitoring the site since it’s discovery, so they knew that it was still active. Even though it was Metropolis, Superman wouldn’t be joining them due to some of the restrictions the League still had. If he came they would have to announce it to the police and they couldn’t risk anybody knowing they were coming.

Beast boy turned towards his team “Everybody ready?”

They all nodded, determined.

“Okay then, now let’s just hope nothing goes wrong!” Garfield announced, truly a revolutionary when it came to speeches.

Something went wrong.

Well, to be exact not more wrong then usual, there were just a lot more people, than they had anticipated. Ugly had also grabbed one of the metas, saying he’ll kill them if the Outsiders didn’t do as they were told. While dealing with that and also saving the other metas and not trying to get shot with alien technology. Bart and Ed had ended up being captured… well kinda. They were helping a few metas escape from what they thought was a broken cell. Turns out it wasn’t and both of them were suddenly stuck it in, it was especially designed so that powers didn’t work inside out if it, they were sure Barbara would figure it out later.

Ed quickly contacted the others, explaining to them the situation, they said that they’ll get to them as soon as possible. Ed sighed “Well that blows.”

“I know right! I should be out there kicking names and taking ass!... wait.” Kid looked like he was contemplating his whole existence.

Ed laughed “Are you sure about that, amigo?” Bart was glad that his dumb joke had worked.

The Argentinian walked around their decently sized cell and looked around “Nope, no way of getting out. Awesome…”

“Guess we’re playing the waiting game.”

“Yup.” Ed slid down the green, transparent walls and sat on the floor. Kid flash sat on the opposite end, facing Ed.

Bart started talking “So how’s it going at the center?”

“Pretty good actually, the Intergang seven are getting along pretty well, I’m also arranging for somebody to teach Mas and Menos English.”

“Mas and Menos?” Bart questioned.

“The speedster twins.” Ed clarified.

Bart raised an eyebrow “We, speedsters, are quickly growing in number, eh?.”

Ed grinned “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re just not that special.”

The other teen smirked “I was thinking in more of taking over the world kind of way, but sure continue being ignorant, it’ll be your downfall.” He declared, unnecessarily dramatic.

Ed snorted “What? I thought we were amigos, but you’re just gonna toss me away when you take over the world?” Faking hurt, he clutched his chest.

Bart pit his finger on his chin thinking deeply about it, then looked Ed in the eyes “Maybe I’ll keep you, you can be my personal zeta tube.”

“Oh being turned into a transportation device, what joy that’ll be.” Ed said, his tone sarcastic and flat.

“Be grateful, peasant.” Bart used his best high and mighty voice. Soon after both of them burst into laughter.

Ed was the first to recover “I missed just being able to talk with you.”

Bart smiled “Yeah, me too, who knew the only place where we would be able to talk would a cell.”

Ed ran a hand trough his curls, playing with one “Yeah, but hey, if everything goes okey today, we will hang out… I mean we talked about it.” He had a slight blush.

Suddenly a huge explosion was heard from close by, catching both their attentions, they waited a beat, two, but nothing, so they just relaxed back against their respective walls.

“Yeah, of course, let’s just hope this isn’t the last time we talk like this.” Bart said.

“If it is, then better make it count.” The sentence slipped before Ed could do anything about it.

That quickly caught Bart’s interest “Is there something you want to say?”

Ed blushed even harder than before and looked away from Bart “Uhmm, maybe… do you?”

Now it was Bart’s then to blush “Maybe.” He looked up at the top of the cage.

Ed looked him straight in the eyes and opened his mouth as if to say something, but Bart cut him off, without knowing. “You’re like one of the coolest people I know and uh… Geez, and I really, really like you!” Bart had shut his eyes after his confession, but after hearing nothing for a few moments opened them and  looked at Ed.

Ed looked as if he was trying to decipher what Bart had said “I’m gonna be straight with you, even without your powers you still talk super fast.”

Bart chuckled at that, then took a deep breath “Take two.” This time he relaxed more and said it slowly, only praying that it all goes smoothly, instead of awkward “I like you.” He looked Ed in the eyes, they were wide and surprised.

Ed sighed “Please tell me you mean as a boyfriend and not as a friend?” His eyes were pleading.

Bart laughed “Yeah, as a boyfriend.” He grinned.

“Oh thank God! I like you too like a lot… a lot.” Ed looked at the ground, his blush brighter than ever.

Bart also blushed, but grinned. Ed got up and moved next to Bart. After a few moments of silence the Argentinian spoke up “Damn, are we really going to tell people we got together in a prison cell in the base of human traffickers?”

Bart wholeheartedly laughed at that one, then grinned “Well I guess that’s just the life of a superhero.” Then he pretended to put on sunglasses.

Ed rolled his eyes at him, god, he loved this dork, then a thought quickly struck him “So… umm, want to make that hang out… a date?”

Bart looked surprised at that, but quickly answered a second later “Hell yeah!” Both of them looked in each other’s eyes, blushing hard, but grinning like morons and bursting at the seems with giddiness.

An explosion broke their moment, they turned towards it’s source, it was Cyborg who had lovingly blown a hole in one of the walls close by. Both of the trapped heroes quickly got up and enthusiastically waved at him. Victor walked over to the control panel of the cell and in a few seconds, they were free.

“Freedom!” Kid Flash yelled.

“You were in there for like 15 minutes.” Vic pointed out.

“More than enough.” The brunette deadpanned.

“How’s it going out there?” Ed inquired.

“Don’t worry guys, you’re just in time, things are getting real Ugly out there, if you know what I mean?” Victor grinned at his own joke.

Ed smirked “Yeah I think we got it.”

“Then what are we doing standing here chatting?” Kid Flash quickly ran off.

Victor and Ed shared a look, then Ed shrugged and teleported.

“Geez, couldn’t you wait for a second.” Cyborg muttered under his breath.

Hollywood

November 27, 1:57 PDT

The Outsiders had just returned back to HQ, the whole mission had been exhausting, but totally worth it. Though none of them had yet to take a proper look at all the info they’ve gathered they knew a few things for sure, Ugly was once again in police custody and all of the metas that had been kept in Metropolis were also safe. Both the center and the authorities were working on contacting their families, if they had any.

The young heroes were already having a meeting, apparently Barbara had something she wanted to share with them.

“Good job out there!” Oracle congratulated them from the screen.

They thanked her.

“So, what’s the news?” Garfield asked her.

Barbara pushed up her glasses “I haven’t had the time to go through everything, but here is what I found out, first off.” A list appeared next to her “This right here contains all of Intergang’s bases and when last they were active.”

Garfield nodded “We’ll need to check all of those out, even the non-active ones, I’ll have to inform the League, that’s a lot of ground to cover.”

Barbara nodded “I also found another list, but this one contained all the locations from which they abducted metas and also their contacts!”

Ed perked up at that “That means, that we’ll be able to prove that both the foster home and juvie were responsible.”

“Most likely.” Barbara nodded.

Ed breathed a sigh of relief at that and Bart gently took his hand into his, that did not go unnoticed by Jaime and Cassie. The blonde wiggled her eyebrows up and down, while Jaime winked at the couple. Bart rolled his eyes at his nosy friends, then returned his attention once again to the meeting “Have there been any news regarding the metas in space, I know that all of our allies in space and the green lantern corp have been looking for them.”

Barbara pushes up her glasses and they caught the light for a second “There are a couple leads that are being investigated right now, but that’s about it, still nothing solid.”

Virgil crossed his arms “Man, I wish we could have gone to space.”

Garfield spoke up “Virgil…”

“Yeah, yeah I know, the others can handle it and so on…”

And just like that the meeting continued. Everything that could be discussed at the moment was and while the Outsiders knew that what they were doing was important, they were pretty relieved when it ended.

Hollywood

November 27, 6:00 PDT

Everyone had taken a shower and Beast boy had set a meeting with the League to form a new plan, all in all, a pretty successful day.

Bart and Ed were currently sitting on the stools on the balcony, enjoying the slightly cold morning breeze. The others had either gone away or were currently sleeping.

They hadn’t really talked about what had happened in the cell, but maybe they didn’t have to. They both felt good and happy and filled with excitement.

“You think the center will survive you not being there for once?”

Ed snorted at that “I’m sure it’ll all go smoothly, I mean both my dad and Neut will be there to deal with the new metas.”

“You don’t sound too sure.” Bart smiled

The other shrugged “Honestly, I should stop being such a control freak… at least for a bit… I’m too tired right now.” He smiled at the end, looking at the sun still being engulfed in mist.

Bart smiled and brought his hand across the small table, Ed quickly took it. “So, now I can call you my boyfriend right?” He asked a slight pink hue to his cheeks.

Bart’s face split into a wobbly smile “Only if I can also call you my boyfriend.”

Ed beamed at that.

Suddenly Bart was filled with a rush of energy “I can’t wait for our date!” He got up, still holding Ed’s hand and pulling him slightly.

“Yeah, me too, we’ll just have to wait for a bit… sadly patience is a virtue none of us posses.”

Bat thought for a second “Well, we can still hang out when we can, even if it’s not an official date!”

Ed smiled gently “I’d like that.”

The other teen looked Ed straight in the eyes, in that moment with the breeze gently blowing his curls and the dull shine of the sun making his skin almost glow, he truly looked absolutely breathtaking. Bart thought for a second, then lowered himself so he was leaning on his forarms across the table. He let got of Ed’s hand and instead gently cupped his cheek. The Argentinian smiled at that and leaned into the touch. Bart swallowed and slowly started moving closer to Ed. The other teen smiled and met him halfway. They both melted into the kiss.

When they parted they looked into each other’s eyes and a second later grinned like idiots. It had truly been a good mission.

[bedpissercastiel]

Castiel Likes to Watch Dean Sleep

Being best friends through high school should have prepared Dean for Castiel’s antics. It didn’t. No amount of sleep overs would have helped. Living with the guy has proven to differ quite significantly from what he expected.

The first time Dean woke up to Castiel watching him was… jarring to say the least.

Dean wakes up to his phone buzzing. He figures that it’s probably his kid brother. He turns on the lamp, but before he can pick up, the sight of his roommate and best friend sitting in their desk chair, watching him intently shocks him.

“Cas! Jesus Christ. What’s your deal man? That’s fucking creepy.”

Castiel does his oh-so-adorable but oh-so-infuriating eye-squint-head-tilt. “I’m sorry, Dean. Did I do something wrong?”

All he gets in response is a long sigh. Dean knows that Castiel has always had trouble with social cues and things of that variety, but it’s still creepy!

“Cas, buddy, you don’t just watch another guy sleep. What the hell are you even doing up so late?”

There is a moment of silence. Castiel thinks. Why is he even up so late?

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Yeah, okay, but why were you watching me sleep?”

Castiel thinks again before shrugging, “I’m not sure.”

Dean’s phone goes off again. This time he answers.

"Hey, Sam."

~

The second time both parties dealt with Castiel watching Dean sleep better.

After years of “surprise attacks” from John Winchester to keep his instincts sharp, Dean wakes up to the slightest of noises. He hears footsteps in front of his bed. One hand goes for his gun and he cracks his eyes, relaxing when he sees that it’s just Castiel pacing whilst watching him sleep again.

Dean lets out a hard sigh. “Cas why’re you watching me sleep again?”

“I find it calming,” Castiel states matter-of-factly. “I watch you sleep whenever I’m feeling… weird.”

“Weird? I feel like not watching me sleep would make you feel less weird. Just a shot in the dark, though.”

Castiel shakes his head, finally stopping pacing. Dean sits up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He gets out from under his blankets to sit at the edge of his bed. “Not that type of weird,” Castiel explains. “A nervous kind of weird.”

“Like need to pop a pill weird,” Dean asks, referring to Castiel’s anxiety medication.

He shrugs at Dean, sitting down on his own bed, facing Dean. “I suppose. There has been something gnawing at me lately, making me more weird feeling than normal.”

“Oh?”

“Dean, I think I have something to tell you,” Castiel blurts.

“Go ahead, shoot,” Dean tells Castiel, curious of what needs to be said that is making Castiel feel so nervous weird.

“I’m bisexual.”

Dean freezes. That was unexpected. He nods jerkily. In a split second decision that Dean is sure he will regret later, he says, “Huh… Me too, buddy.”

It’s Castiel’s turn to freeze now. That was unexpected. “Oh, okay. I suppose I shouldn’t have worried myself too much, then.”

“Yep, proud of you, buddy.”

“Is this when we hug,” Castiel asks.

Dean lets out a mixture of a scoff and a laugh. He stands up opening his arms. “Bring it in.”

Castiel smiles, embracing Dean for a few seconds. Dean’ feels heat growing in his cheeks, but it’s dark in their tiny apartment so Castiel can’t see. “Can we both go to sleep now?”

Castiel nods, pulling away from the hug. “That is probably smart for both of us. Goodnight, Dean.”

~

Months later, the third prominent incident occurs. Neither men have mentioned their confessions since. By now, when Dean wakes up to Castiel watching him, he just groans a, “Goodnight, Cas,” and rolls back over.

Both men have noticed their growing attraction to each other, so naturally, Castiel must stay up, pacing and watching Dean sleep.

“Goodnight, Cas,” Dean says rolling over so his back is facing Castiel.

Dean feels his bed sink down next to his legs and pushes his covers back to sit next to Castiel. “You feelin’ okay, buddy?”

“Do you remember when we… when we told each other about-”

Dean cuts him off, mildly uncomfortable talking about their late night confessions, “Yeah. I do. Why?”

“I feel as if things have changed between us,” Castiel says. “We don’t talk about it, but you’ve started avoiding me more and more. I’m sorry if you felt pressured to come out to me just because I came out to you.”

Dean scoffs out a laugh. “I’m not avoiding you. There’s not even room to avoid you in this place.”

“Dean,” Castiel sounds almost like a disappointed mother. “We’ve barely talked in the last month. We haven't made eye contact without you looking away instantly in three. You stopped forcing me to do Thursday Movie Night. I think that’s avoidance.”

“You hate movie night, that’s why I stopped. And… I’ve- I’ve been busy.”

He almost defends himself, spilling the beans that he actually loves movie night- he just gives Dean a hard time. He doesn't.

“Dean, you’ve been avoiding me. Please tell me what I’ve done.”

Dean nearly flinches at the desperate tone. He’s never heard Castiel’s voice do anything like that except one other time- When his father died. He gives in.

“Okay, say I’ve been avoiding you- Which I haven’t… This is just a hypothetical. It may or may not be because I may or may not have started feeling different about you.”

“Different? I’m sorry, Dean. Can I fix this? I’d hate for our friendship to end.”

“I-” Dean suppresses a groan.

That’s not what he means. “Not… Not like that, Cas. Can we just go to bed already? We can talk about this in the morning..”

“Then how are you feeling differently, then?”

“I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

“Dean-” Castiel doesn’t know what to say.

He knows that nothing good ever comes out of avoiding a problem- especially avoiding it for six months.

“Just drop it, okay,” Dean asks.

Castiel frowns, but nods. “Alright. I’m sorry I pushed it, Dean.”

They go to sleep, both men mildly hurt and full of disappointment.

~

The next night, Castiel is even more riled up, upset at himself, because Dean wasn’t even there when he woke up, and didn’t come home until three a.m. Castiel tried calling and texting to no avail. Dean was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Castiel paced, watching Dean sleep. He contemplated his next actions. How to fix their friendship. He acknowledged his own feelings for the other man and how he needs to push them aside if he wants to continue their friendship.

“Jesus Christ, Castiel. Go to sleep,” Dean says.

Castiel freezes. Dean never calls him by his whole name. “Dean. We really need to talk.”

“I don’t want to.” Dean brushes him off, not making a move to sit up.

“Do you want me to move out,” Castiel offers.

“Do you want to move out?”

“You know damn well that I don’t want to, nor do I want you to. Don't just repeat my words. Whatever it is that’s going on can’t be fixed if neither of us does anything.”

“What is going on?”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk.”

“I’ll bite.”

“Dean, ever since we told each other that we are bisexual, you’ve been avoiding me. That’s what’s going on. I’ve let it slide because I care about you and don’t want to fuck things up, but it’s been going on for too long. Tell me why you’ve been avoiding me.”

“Cas…”

Castiel doesn’t budge. He won’t say anything until Dean tells him why he’s been doing what he’s doing.

“Cas, I…”

He still doesn’t budge.

“Cas, ever since we had our little coming out party, I’ve realized that my feelings for you go beyond friendship.”

Castiel’s breath hitches. He blinks a few times before clearing his throat. “Oh?”

“Yeah… I figured… I figured that you’d not want to live with me anymore if you found out.”

Castiel scoffs. “Dean, you’re a fool.”

“I’m… sorry?”

“My feelings for you go beyond friendship, as well,” Castiel adds on. “You’re a fool for thinking otherwise.”

“Well, you didn’t exactly advertise it,” Dean mumbles.

Dean isn't wrong, at least he doesn't think he's wrong. Castiel on the other hand does. He thought he was being upfront with his emotions, but apparently Dean didn't see it that way.

“Dean, I took you out for dinner and got you flowers.”

“And they were very nice flowers.”

“I understood it as a date.”

That makes one of them.

“A… A what?”

Castiel cannot help but chuckle. They really aren't on the same page here.

“Dean, I asked you on a date and you agreed.

“I thought… Well... I didn’t know what I thought."

Castiel chuckles again.

This man who owns his entire heart is a total fool. Of course, it was established already, but he didn't think it went that far. Dean chuckles too, realizing that the man who owns his heart is a fool.

"We're just idiots, huh," Dean points out.

Castiel nods, "Yeah, we are. How about this. Would you like to go on a date that we both know we’re on,” Castiel offers.

“Sure, Cas,” Dean says.

Castiel can hear the smile in Dean’s voice.

Dean speaks again. “Cas, buddy, are we good?”

This time Castiel hears how unsure Dean is… scared of what answer he’ll get.

“Yes, we are. Stupid, but good.”

~

The next time Dean wakes up to Castiel watching him sleep, he’s pleasantly surprised. They’d been dating for a few weeks, and they worked out all their problems further. Things were going well.

“Hmm? What’re you doin’, Cas?”

Castiel traces his finger along the side of Dean’s face. “You’re beautiful.”

Dean smiles bashfully, “Stop it.”

“And your freckles? Fucking perfect. I’ve been counting them. I’m sure God himself crafted you.”

Dean’s grateful that they’re in the dark, for he can feel his face heating up. Before they started dating, Castiel would compliment him occasionally. Now, he takes every chance to tell Dean how beautiful he is. How good he looks that day. Anything.

“Cas,” Dean draws out the ‘a’.

“Dean,” Castiel says teasingly.

He plants a kiss on Dean’s nose.

“One more,” Dean requests.

Castiel nods, planting another kiss on his nose, but Dean shakes his head. He cups the side of Castiel’s face and kisses him, taking in his soft lips and the way they taste like watermelon Chapstick. They both roll back over, Castiel's arm drawing the other man close. He presses a kiss to the crook of Dean's neck before they both go to sleep, content with life.

Of course, Dean wakes up to Castiel watching him sleep countless more times. But none of them mattered except those five.

-

this might be super fucky tbh i fucked up big time transferring it from docs to here. but! i read it one (1) time so i think it's good

newaze,,,, here's a polished piece of trash.

uh shey helped again so thank u homeslice it means a lot

this isnt the sequel to the one time dean winchester tried something new and im very sorry i just dont want to write it right now

i dont know what else to say,,, im v hesitant ab posting this bc i dont like it at all but shey's supportive n shit so here u go uwu

tag list time

@misha-moose-dean-burger-lover, @hellfire37, @zoerayne2426

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 229: The Real Me

Previously on BnHA: Dabi fought a dude who could control ice. For like three pages. Then we cut to my boy Twice, who had located an unconscious Toga (who as you recall had her blood blown up a couple chapters back, so yeah) and was understandably freaking out about how to get her some help. To make a long and somewhat confusing story short, you know that long-haired guy who hacked Giran’s phone? Turns out he has the power to create human puppets or some shit, and he created a bunch of Twice duplicates and sent them to capture the real Twice (who you might also recall has some traumatic history involving clones of himself). Seems they want to use Twice’s quirk to create a backup clone of Re-Destro, just in case history repeats himself and he ends up kicking the bucket like his great-great granddad. Wouldn’t that be sad. Re-Destro getting murdered. Wouldn’t that just be a darn shame. Anyways so let’s see where this leads.

Today on BnHA: The Villain Flashback Arc continues with today’s installment featuring, you guessed it, more villain flashbacks! We learn more about our little buddy Twice who was apparently orphaned as a young teen and subsequently found himself alone in a cold and uncaring world. Honestly you guys, after reading this I’m amazed that he’s still as nice of a guy as he is. Anyway, so he used his quirk to clone himself because he was lonely, and the clones and him engaged in a petty crime spree or two, and then somehow or other it all led to the whole murderfest that fucked up his head so badly. Back in the present, a struggling Jin tries to escape and help Toga, so Skeptic orders his puppets to break Jin’s arms. They do so, but this has a curious side-effect that Skeptic may not have been expecting. Namely, that having that much damage dealt to him makes Twice realize that he definitely is not one of his clones, and is in fact the real deal. This appears to at least temporarily cure his split personality woes, and the chapter ends with him creating about a dozen duplicates to go fuck up the Liberation Army’s day. Hell yes.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, but aside from that there are no changes.)

hey guys, sorry I’ve been inactive all week; I’ve been sick and haven’t really had much energy. I still am sick, but I appear to have reached the stage of exhaustion where I’m all “eh, fuck it, yeah sure whatever” where it’s ironically easy to motivate myself to do stuff because I have no willpower to resist, lol

so anyway. we’re apparently not missing a beat, picking up right where we left off last week with Twice’s mask being pulled off by one of the gorilla puppets

wow and they’re just like. flinging him aside

DON’T FLING MY BOY NO!! AND GET AWAY FROM TOGA

AHHHH

shit, how creepy is that? are they cold because they’re just ~puppets~ and not actually real, living people? what a disturbing touch

now we’re cutting back to Skeptic, who’s giving the puppets orders and addressing them as various letters of the alphabet. how can he tell them the fuck apart

meanwhile Giran’s asking what they’re doing to his pal. ;_; Giran you continue to be the best

and Re-Destro’s forcibly directing his attention elsewhere, but he’s also answering his question, strangely enough

that’s a lot of detail to be giving the guy when you could have just smacked him and told him to shut up. these villains are so confusing

but I guess they’re just telling him all this to taunt him more, because now Skeptic is bragging that he learned about Jin’s psychological disorder from Giran’s client data

hey btw I don’t think I’ve said this yet, but fuck this guy so hard for taking advantage of Twice’s trauma and using it against him. what a shocker, the Meta Liberation Army of dickheads pulls another dickhead move. these guys are so classy

oh my fucking god you guys Giran is getting hotter with each fucking chapter though fffffffff

if you’d told me a month ago that this dude would be nipping at Aizawa and All Might’s heels for the title of BnHA’s most eligible bachelor I would have called you a liar and a thief, yet here we are. good lord

that said, I appreciate that he’s thinking about how hard it’ll be on poor Twice, but they also just said they’d kill Toga as well, so I imagine that part of it would be pretty hard on her too. just saying

SDLFKSDLFHK SPEAKING OF

FUCK ME YOU GUYS I ALMOST LEAPED TO MY FUCKING FEET, WHAT THE FUCK. DON’T TELL ME THEY’RE GOING TO SNAP HER NECK. HOLY SHIT

SOMEONE BETTER SAVE HER OR I’M GOING TO FLY OUT TO JAPAN AND GIVE HORIKOSHI MY STUPID COLD. THAT’LL SHOW THAT BASTARD. HAVE SOME BRONCHITIS YOU PIECE OF SHIT

AND TWICE IS WATCHING ALL PANICKED AND SCREAMING THAT HE’S GOING TO KILL HER

AT FIRST I WAS CONFUSED AND WAS LIKE, DOES HE BLAME HIMSELF FOR GETTING HER IN THIS SITUATION? BUT THEN I REMEMBERED THE CLONES AND THAT YEAH IT’S LITERALLY HIM KILLING HER THOUGH OMGGGGG

AHHH HE’S SO CONFUSED THIS IS SO CONFUSING

I’M TOO SICK TO DEAL WITH TWICE’S EXISTENTIAL CRISIS YOU GUYS, IT’S REALLY FREAKING ME OUT, HELP. THE FUCKING PANELS ARE ALL WOBBLY-LINED AND THEY KEEP ZOOMING IN ON HIS FACE AND SHOWING HIM ALL BUG-EYED SCREAMING “WHO AM I” OVER AND OVER AGAIN OH GOD

OH SHIT!?!?

ACTUAL TWICE FLASHBACKS OH SHIT?! I was not expecting this oh snap. I am so into this

anyway, so he’s thinking -- with surprising coherence -- that because of his rough appearance, people were always afraid of him growing up

but also, what was that part about him not having a family? so he was an orphan then?? Horikoshi you are aware that I already love Twice and am emotionally attached to him, yes? but like if you want to hit me with even more feels and fuck me up some more then be my guest I suppose?

anyway so whoever he’s talking to here says Jin, who is apparently sixteen here, evidently hit some dude with his motorcycle by accident. oh shit

and baby!Jin says the guy jumped out in front of him and he was obeying the speed limit and everything

and the man he’s talking to seems vaguely sympathetic but says that regardless, it’s usually the victim who ends up winning these cases, and that Jin may end up with a criminal record. “but don’t let it get to you.” oh, sure. yeah, let’s just look on the bright side here

he says that no matter how many times you stumble in life, you can always start over

well shit is it any wonder this kid ended up going the villain route and making a bunch of clones of himself to live his best life? I mean jeez, he had absolutely no one on his side and was slapped with a criminal record when he was only sixteen. that shit is rough

oh fuck me and it just keeps getting worse

well that’s nice. so make that homeless with a criminal record, then. jesus christ he was still just a kid

so apparently his parents died in a villain attack when he was in middle school, and he had no relatives. I guess the state didn’t give a fuck either, damn

I find it extraordinarily easy to empathize with, actually! that’s one of the things that makes you such a great character!

so I guess he originally ended up making a clone of himself just because he was lonely. okay wow. not only does Twice continue to be the most likable villain in the series, he’s working his way up there as one of the most likable and relatably human characters, period

look at this shit! he’s just a guy who had a run of bad luck and tried his best to cope with it in whatever ways he could. there’s nothing villainous about him, he was just someone whom nobody wanted. he had his entire future stolen out from under him in the blink of an eye and had nowhere else to turn. he just wanted some friends for fuck’s sake

and so then he and his merry band committed a bunch of petty crimes. but they just needed some cash so they could live! like, all he wanted to do was just chill out and be happy. I got your back Twice. it’s not your fault

and then the flashback just kind of cuts to him tied to the chair in the aftermath of the clone hunger games. so I guess that’s all the backstory we’re getting as far as that goes. ngl I would have really liked to see just a bit more of the lead-up to that specific event. he’s such a nice guy that it’s a bit hard to picture him just suddenly going “RAWR I’M GONNA MURDER ALL Y’ALL.” but what I’m thinking is that all of the tragedy in his past contributed to him forming his violent alter ego personality, and that one of the clones must have just snapped one day and the rest is history

anyway so now we’re cutting to his first meeting with my new boyfriend Giran

ah okay, so he’s scared because if he actually is one of the clones then just a tiny bit of damage would be enough to finally do him in

btw Giran, possibly the one good thing Re-Destro and his buds did was getting rid of that scarf and sunglasses though bud. if you decide to change up your look after all of this, I’m not going to complain. there’s a reason I thought you were just some douchebag this whole time. obviously I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge you, I realize that now of course

but seriously Giran who wears sunglasses at night indoors. I mean, idk, maybe you get migraines or something. but if not I’m just saying

regardless, questionable fashion choices aside, Giran is actually a super nice guy, a mensch if you will, and he is now casually changing Twice’s entire life in the span of a few sentences. awww

how the fuck were you planning on smoking that cigarette while wearing a paper bag over your face. ??

also, Giran on this page kinda reminds me of Sanji, if Sanji was, like, a beatnik about to throw down on open mic poetry night

anyway so that’s the end of our happy flashback, and now we’re back in the present with Twice resuming his freakout!

but in spite of his mental struggles, he’s shaking the puppet clones off and trying to dash toward Toga again omg!

up in his little tower Skeptic seems fairly surprised

in related news, fuck this guy so much. also he’s using one of his puppets as a chair, which is one of the creepiest touches Horikoshi has put in this manga to date. but also they mentioned last week that Skeptic makes the puppets out of any human-sized materials that happen to be lying around, so I kind of wonder if maybe this dude originally was a chair. the mysteries of BnHA

moving on though, yeah, Twice and Toga really do have a strong bond though, don’t they? their chemistry is as beautiful as it is strange

oh shit but they really did hit him though

FUCK YOU F AND G

FFFFF SON OF A BITCH

DLASFKJLKJ PLEASE DON’T YOU FUCKING PSYCHOPATH, I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO FUCKING DIE YOU ASSHOLE!!!

motherfucker! and we just established that he’s afraid that a broken bone will be enough to kill him if it turns out he really is a clone!

-- holy shit, but. on the other hand, if it doesn’t kill him though, that just might be enough to cure him of that particular fear once and for all. oh shit, unexpected plot twist

though in this particular situation it probably won’t make much of a difference how sane he is if he’s still got two broken arms though fuuuuuuuck

anyway... gotta click to the next page... even though I really don’t want to, sob

aaaaaaaand they’ve broken them. well shit. at least it wasn’t graphic. he’s just hunching forward and screaming and his arms are facing the wrong way, fuck

and now Skeptic is all “your legs are next,” and uh, can Twice actually hear him, though?? like, what? did I miss something here? is he piping his voice in through the shed’s convenient sound system or something?

anyway he’s telling Twice not to struggle anymore, and Twice is muttering to himself all darkly about how much that hurt

and apparently Toga’s regained consciousness now!!

wow Skeptic, okay sure, go ahead and keep talking about how you’re about to kill Toga in front of his eyes. just keep on digging yourself deeper. it’s like he doesn’t realize there’s only one page left in the chapter and things are just about reaching a tipping point and our heroes (?! I mean they are, though, for this arc at any rate) have had just about enough of his bullshit

lol I can’t take the tension omg

please do something badass please do something badass please d --

oh snap

Twiiiiiiice ;_; so it’s like I thought. they unexpectedly cured you of your identity crisis angst

anyway I guess this chapter is a longer one than usual because it’s page 15 now and we’re still going! so I will now resume my “please do something badass” chant. c’mon Twice. kick some assssssss

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

THIS TIME I REALLY DID LEAP OUT OF MY CHAIR OMG. BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

LMAO ARE ALL OF THEIR ARMS BROKEN TOO. FUCK IT, IT DOESN’T MATTER. DEKU HAS SPENT APPROXIMATELY HALF THE MANGA WITH BROKEN ARMS AND IT’S NEVER STOPPED HIM*

*forest angst aside. and anyways that all worked out in the end, so

“wounded heroes are the most dangerous.” well fuck. given that we’ve just seen an exhausted and delirious Shigaraki eradicate an entire wave of people, and a bloodied and wounded Toga straight up murder one of the Army’s leaders, I think it’s safe to say we can apply this statement to villains too. and I for one can’t wait how dangerous a wounded -- but now sane -- Twice can be. motherfucker how I am loving this glorious arc