#I use to pull the ~maybe if I DO eventually want kids I'll adopt to nah no kids thank you~ lol

[darkicedragon]

How did you feel about the ending and what was your original expectations of how you thought it was going to finish?

Your reactions were greaaaaat ahee-hee

***

Since Nimona's lived for a thousand years and not aged then that means that they're still around for each generation of Bal's kids, grandkids etc etc growing up? (if he has kids that is)

Such cat behaviour UwU - being inherited in the family for generations

Nimona encouraging the younger babies to BREAK EVERYTHING.

Nimona starts to slowly learn things from Bal as he’s teaching the babies how to grow

The babies are so used to them shifting that they just assume everyone's sibling can do this right! OwOd

Bal knowing his family are in safe hands with Nimona if he gets too old at least

Nimona starting to settle into family life… but the itch XD

Taking the babies and fam on adventures 😎 maybe exploring outside the gate and making new memories

Sigh~ I really wish we’d seen more of Nimona and Ambrosius’s relationship honestly - I get they have to focus on the mains but it still would have been nice to have at least had a scene of proper interaction qsq

Sequel? Ow|

How did you feel about the ending and what was your original expectations of how you thought it was going to finish?

I thiiink I was hoping for more, with a more overt change to the knight system, but also a lot HAD happened? The queen is gone, the director is assumedly gone, Todd is accepting of Bal, and Bal and Ambrosius may not be knights anymore? Or just on their day off. And it was too soon to see if more of the general populace had started trickling into the knight program.

(Side thought of Bal seeing a few more commoner squires in the ranks after a couple of years and he's so PROUD to see them. And also he's probably shoved towards mentoring them, since 'you have so much in common with each other'.)

Your reactions were greaaaaat ahee-hee

Glad you liked them! It's fun going through it, even it does take me. A little tiny bit longer than most people would. 🤣

Bal's kids, grandkids etc etc growing up? (if he has kids that is)

They could have all the adopted babies. >8000 Either Ambrosius' got a huge mansion or they really build up the tower. Maybe they set up an in between knight training camp thing, before the commoner kids go into the knight programme, because there's a whole bunch of jargon translation that they need and Bal's already went through that. He knows it sucks. 'No, really, the knight families care what kind of spoon you use with your dinner - don't look at my like that, Ambrosius, I spent years memorising what you're brought up with.'

And even after the kids make it into the programme, they keep coming back.

Nimona encouraging the younger babies to BREAK EVERYTHING.

OH GOD, AHAHAH. 'Oh, you want the plate? Sure.'

*smash*

'Nimona!'

'Whaaaat? She wanted it! And she should break stuff if she wants!'

The babies are so used to them shifting that they just assume everyone's sibling can do this right! OwOd

But what if the kids think they'll eventually be able to just shapeshift, and kids are just like O~O 'How old will I be when I can start shapeshifting?'

Or wondering why their dads don't shapeshift.

Nimona would keep the babies so entertained just by shifting from one form to another. :D They probably get their tail or wings pulled a lot at the start, but also the kids faceplant into their side and just 😴 Which is really cute! And Nimona's so touched that the kids want to do that and the kids feel safe but theygottashiftreallyquick. Probably shift into something bigger and furrier because uh. The first time they changed into something smaller almost (almost!!) ended in a skull thwacking off the floor.

Bal does have heart attacks when Nimona takes the kids flying even though he knows it's safe and how much weight Nimona can carry. ('I carried you in full armour!' 'I know, but...less of the dropping and potential whipslash, please?' 'Fiiiine, I'll catch them better.')

Bal knowing his family are in safe hands with Nimona if he gets too old at least

q.q Bal getting pain in his joints and he's not quite as fast as he used to be and his kids are all grown up now.

And Nimona still looks exactly like they did when they first met.

I really wish we’d seen more of Nimona and Ambrosius’s relationship honestly

SAAAAAME. 😭Ambrosius feels like a side character and he sees Nimona with his own eyes like, twice. Yeah, the film's about Nimona and Bal but. Would have liked to see more interactions with him and Nimona and Ambrosius and Bal. It's what fic is for but I would have liked more to build off of, haha.

[the-bloody-sadist]

Hello, sorry if this ask is awkward. I've come upon many of your works and they've always pulled me in. Thinking it over, I realize that I bleed my perfectionist issues into my writing and make all my characters OP or stereotypical or generally boring. How can I stop being scared of writing "human" characters? Is there a way to do that?

You don't have to answer this. You can delete this ask if I'm being weird here. Thank you for taking your time to read this, though.

From Juni.

This is not awkward in the least!!! I'm very happy to hear the questions, especially on writing! That's something I know a lot about, even if I don't believe myself capable of applying all of my knowledge in the best ways possible for some of my own works. Still, character psychology is my favorite topic.

What I would say is the most important thing (and I'm a perfectionist as well) is to realize that the more flaws a character has, the more relatable they are. The less flaws they have, the more unrealistic they are - thus unlikable or un-relatable.

To address the certain types you mentioned specifically, I'll try and use examples. For instance, if you have an OP character, the best way to make them interesting is to give them an emotional weakness. If it's Saitama from Once Punch Man, who can literally defeat any threat in a single punch, give him a friend, and then make that friend the threat, that friend the villain, whether the friend is a traitor or an unwilling participant to another villain's plans. What's he gonna do, then? Not be OP and kill him in one punch.

For OP characters, the trick is generally to make the conflict more complicated and emotional. Since I'm character-focused as a writer, the way I might do an OP character is to give him a fragile personality type. Extreme contrast to his OP-ness is interesting, it adds a direct opposite.

Opposites are the best trick to making any character complex.

If you have issues with stereotypical characters, you can use this same method. Did you make a jock character? The kind that stereotypically bullies the weak kids, has multiple girlfriends, is a player, etc? Make him a crybaby. Make him sensitive. Make him a bully of kids that remind him of himself. Maybe he can't keep girls because they expect him to be tough and cool, but then he has a breakdown over something small and they laugh at him. Cheerleader stereotype? Usually vain, obsessed with being a ringleader? Give her self-hatred so extreme that she can't even look at herself if she's not wearing layers of makeup. She hates being popular, but does it out of necessity for her own survival in the school, or else she'd be bullied, and she can't deal with that.

Typically the problem with stereotypes is that we've seen them so much (thus the label) that we no longer care about them when we see them. If you give us something that we can empathize with, relate to, or feel bad for them over, you've made progress!

Being worried about writing 'human' characters is usually a reflection of your own fear of your own flaws. You have to allow a certain amount of vulnerability with yourself when you write, including trying to let characters adopt traits from you. Almost every one of my own characters has something (many things) related to me that they deal with, whether habits or trauma types or fears or mental illnesses. That's why I'm able to write them that way! So honestly, if you're a perfectionist, try writing a character who's also perfectionist. If they want to be perfect so badly that they show none of their flaws, give them an arc where it bottles up so much that it eventually bursts out somehow.

In the end, there are quite a few ways to spice up a character. For me, I most often go to trauma. It's my passion, obviously, but it holds a lot of weight. When a character has past trauma, it shapes everything that they are in the present.

I have books I use that indicate common traits of different traumas or backstory events if I struggle with some (The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman is the best, and I recommend all of their other thesauruses as well). This helps me if I get stuck, though I've used it so much that it's old hat by now, and my own experiences most often inform my characters'.

If you want deeper thoughts on the matter, feel free to ask me any other questions you have, or take a look at the Positive and Negative Traits Thesauruses from those authors! They have sections in the beginning of all of their books that give the most excellent breakdowns of how to create a perfectly flawed character and how to make the audience care.

Thank you so much for the ask - much love to you!! <3

[itacestians-unite]

I HAVE A QUESTION!! How do you think itacest spends family events like Christmas or New years? I personally hc them to go off somewhere alone so they can be gay together (lol) but im curious to hear your hcs :o

thanks for asking!

wait are we talking in like a human au because i have some THOUGHTS

i love familial stuff i have this concept in my head where the italies + their nyos + seborga are all siblings and live at home (probably somewhere in central italy) (no seborga doesn't get a nyo version i'm sorry) (he's also the youngest he's baby)

i do have a particular fic i've been wanting to write with this dynamic but it's specifically a veneziano x nyo romano fic…… i can talk about it if anyone's interested it's just one of those "siblings sneaking around trying to make out while nearly getting caught" type fics it's my love <3

BUT ANYWAY i'll stick to regular itacest for this ask. here's just a big dump of scenarios that came to mind (TW: religious guilt)

i love love familial stuff. i'm imagining a bunch of family coming over for the holidays and doing that thing family always does where they need to have an opinion on Everything. "your room is so messy. haven't you grown out of that by now?" and of course the infamous "when are you having kids? i want grandbabies."

they're all sitting around the table for lunch when the pestering truly begins.

feliciano goes along with it even though inside, his heart is tight and he's thinking to himself "we can never have kids. we can't even adopt one. i can't have a family with lovino. it'd be taboo it'd be weird and everyone would be asking why why why"

he forces this bright smile and rambles on from his ass, implying that he just wants to flirt around with women and stay single. rome from the other end of the table goes "haha, that's my boy!"

lovino doesn't entertain any of them. you ask when he's going to have kids and he goes "try fucking never. kids are brats who scream, cry, and shit themselves all the time."

a condescending eye roll. "you must know a lot about that."

"EXCUSE ME? i don't fucking shit myself but i'm sure that's a lot more than your creped ass can say in your old age"

lovino slams his hands down on the table and makes the whole thing shake. feliciano is mortified. most everyone else is unphased, though someone snaps at lovino not to shatter any dishes during his tantrum. this is nothing out of the ordinary with them.

family members start pestering lovino about when is he gonna get a wife, how he can't get a wife with that attitude. one of them starts listing off women they know who "might be able to put up with them." he turns down every single one with a scoff.

feliciano stares quietly the entire time this is ongoing, face slowly getting flushed, the grip on his fork getting tighter, until he eventually snaps, pleasant tone contrasting with the look of irritation in his eyes, "maybe lovino is like me and doesn't want to settle down yet."

"i don't think he has the personality to get away with that."

lovino snaps back without hesitation. he's then scolded for using blasphemies at the table.

i think they also argue a lot more around religious holidays. lovino is always volatile, but the guilt he's reminded of everyday makes him especially so. he can't decide whether to run to feliciano or avoid him, leave him for feliciano's own sake and fuck off somewhere far away. pushing and pulling, kissing and rejecting. feliciano is usually good at letting things side and suppressing his anger so well he doesn't even feel it, yet with the shame raging over him and lovino's increasingly pissy mood, getting unpredictably turned down for snuggles and kisses, he can't help but snap back, all passive aggressive, and that's just makes lovino even angrier. he tells feliciano to stop being a coward and talk real shit or keep his mouth shut. feliciano insists in exasperation that he doesn't want to fight and tries to run away, but lovino blocks him.

i don't see them having hate sex (feliciano, in particular, i don't think could handle it. but i think lovino would be all for it.) but it sounds fun to write nonetheless.

back to the religion part, their relationship is incest. it's gay. it's unholy. there's nothing saving it no matter how you look at it. they go to church together, come home together, do not sleep together that night out of shame.

feliciano feels that swirling pit of guilt in his stomach and tries to go to lovino for comfort, tries placing a kiss to his lips, forgetting himself in the feeling of someone he loves.

lovino snaps, shoving him off, his own guilt gnawing at his bones. "fuck, don't touch me."

"I just want to kiss you."

"you don't need to kiss me. there's not a single goddamn reason you'd ever need to kiss me."

"but… i want to. i love you." feliciano's hands wrap loosely, hesitantly around lovino's waist.

"i said don't fucking touch me! for god's sake, feliciano. you think i want my brother's hands all over my body? you think i'm a sick bastard who's into that?"

feliciano freezes, all teary-eyed as he releases lovino, takes two steps back. "i'm sorry. i just want to forget how gross it feels in my own body right now by loving yours instead."

he turns and leaves in a hurry. lovino slams a fist against the table, unsure if he hates himself more for hurting feliciano or for loving him.

they make up, eventually, and proceed to have some of their hottest sex.

heavy breathing in a dark room, naked bodies frotting against each other, feliciano's fingers digging into lovino's shoulders, lovino squeezing feliciano's hips so hard they bruise, hushed moans between desperate, wet kisses, trying so hard to stay quiet in the dead of night. if they lose themselves in the passion, they can run away from the sin of it all.

[phantoms-lair]

ReDMC 4 snippet (Ashley finds out)

Leon breathed a sigh of relief as the last Ganados fell, then went about the annoying task of pulling the axes, machetes and pitchfork from his body. Sure he could have dodged them, but any weapon embeded in him was one that couldn't harm - he heard the click of a gun. Ashley.

Ashley stood on a corner of the room, pointing his own gun at him with trembling hands. "You're one of them." She accused.

"Rude." said Leon, putting his hands up. At this point he knew didn't have much to fear from conventional gunfire, but his gun had been modified for demon. But it was his own fault. He'd gotten used to working with people in the know and forgot how disturbing watching him fight would be to an ordinary girl. "I am one hundred percent parasite free, I'll have you know."

"Then what are you?" Her voice was still shaking, as was her arms, which compounded her own atrocious trigger discipline. He couldn't blame her though. She must have been so scared when her rescuer turned out to be another monster. And truthfully he didn't think telling her he was a demon would make her feel any better. Time for a half truth. "I'm what you get when super soldiers have kids."

"Super soldiers?" Lovely bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"My Grandfather." Leon continued, gracefully dropping to a crosslegged sitting position on the floor to look less threatening. He'd had lots of practice trying to be none threatening. "Created by this psycho named Mundus to basically conquer the world for him. Except Gramps said nuts to that, wiped out Mundus's army and got Mundus locked up for life. Met my Grandmother, and had a couple of bouncing baby boys who were capable of doing things grown men shouldn't be capable of, much less children. Grandma must have been a saint." He wished he'd had a chance to meet her, even if she wasn't his actual grandmother, Dante had made her sound like a amazing woman.

"Sadly, Mundus being locked up, not dead, came back to bite the happy young family as he sent an assassin to murder Grampa. Now Grampa was pretty much invincible in a straight fight, but against an assassin sent by the person who knew all his weaknesses? Grampa died and Grandma tried to run with the boys but the assassin eventually caught up with her too."

"Neither of the brothers were in a great place after that. Dad became a mercenary. My uncle got taken in by a bastard promising revenge and got himself killed. Dad went into a depressive funk at losing his last living relative and went on a blackout drinking bender that, nine months later, produced a new relative. Me."

They were out of history of the 'Redgrave' Family and into the carefully crafted story he and Dante had come up with. "When she found out she was pregnant, the woman went back to the bar, but Dad had only been passing through and the bartender didn't know where to find him. After birth she decided nine months with me was enough and put me up for adoption. A while later Dad passed through town again and heard he had a kid. He tracked her down, she wrung him out. But as she didn't want anything to do with me, she couldn't tell him where I was."

"Dad eventually tracked me down and saw I had been happily adopted by a nice normal family that didn't have to worry about assassins or the type of enemies mercenaries make and decided maybe I was better off without him. At least until my first day at work, which was the last day of Raccoon City's existence."

"You were there." Ashley's voice was small. She must have been a child at the time, but the destruction of Raccoon was a major thing. Kid of like what his adopted parents said the JFK assassination was like for them.

"Yeah, and it's where I had to face that I wasn't normal. I was always a little stronger, a little faster, healed up quicker. But there, with my life on the line? Normal and I parted ways permanently. It terrified me, but it let me pull more survivors out that I could have otherwise." Ada, Ben, Sherry, Claire. Without the strength of his demon side who knew if he or any of them would have survived. "Dad met me afterwards. It was like looking into the future and seeing myself in twenty years, the resemblance was that strong. But I have answers. And you do too. So can we continue this rescue, or are you going to try and kill me with my own gun?" Ashley still looked hesitant. "You could have gotten this gun from me at any time, couldn't you?" "Probably." Leon admitted. "But I don't like.. acting against other humans." Ashley raised an eyebrow. "I'm 3/4th human, That still counts." "And how human are those?" She gestured to the Ganados he's killed.

"Zero. They're the corpses of humans being manipulated by a demonic parasite." "Demonic?" "Don't tell me it doesn't fit." Honestly, like with Hunnigan, he'd rather anyone else give the 'surprise demons are real' spiel. He was trying to convince them he wasn't going to turn on them, let someone else bare that bad news. "The point it, by the time the parasite matures, the host is already dead." "And if I was infected, would you kill me?" "If you were infected with the egg or larval stage I'd move Earth and Hell to save you. As an adult- is that really what you want?" He gestured to the dead ganados, many of them with the parasite tentacled form slumped where the person's head used to be. "Is that what you really want to be your final disposition to be? Remember at that stage you're already dead and it's just the Plaga using you as a skin suit."

"I don't want any of this." Ashley screamed.

"Neither did I," said Leon quietly.

[popculturebuffet]

Art of Ducktales Review: Just Ducky

Hello everyone and welcome to an extra crunchy bonus review, as I take a look at something you knew I was going to get eventually but thanks to mom telling me I wasn't getting it for christmas, I bought way sooner than expected: The Art of Ducktales, the art book released just last week from Dark Horse, containing interviews with tons of the crew, mostly Matt and Frank as you'd expect, behind the scenes art, and more good stuff. It was 50 bucks for the standard version but was it worth it? Join me to find out This was something I was jazzed for and for good reason: My love of ducktales is well documetented on this blog having covered the major arcs for season, all of season 3 and some assorted episodes. And i'm not really slowing down as I have a Gizmoduck arc planned for sometime next year (whenever Kev wants to do it), and a review of "last Christmas!" in just a few weeks. While I plan to still pace myself I do want to have reviewed EVERY episode at some point. Ducktales was everything I coudl've hoped for, more and then more AFTER THAT, an expertly crafted show spread over three wonderful seasons that should've gotten a fourth. What we got was still great though, so naturally a book honoring that, especially from disney who RARELY makes merch for older fans of their DTVA shows, and one that's sales could impact us getting one for Owl House, was like catnip. The fact that it was written and put together by Ken Plume, the same great dude who put together the awesome Art of Venture Bros that I still use reguarly for my Venture Bros retrospective was just the cherry on top So did it live up to the hype? Welll... yes and no. The bad news is while I HOPED for some content about what episodes could've been, some new factoids about the characters already.. there wasn't much of that. What we have gotten through tumblr (and Kev sending me posts) has mostly been thorugh the supplemental book that came with the deluxe edition I didn't buy because it was 80 dollary doos. I was already pushing my budget getting this. From that we did find out Hortense and Quackmore are still alive and living on Grandma Duck's farm.. but...

Like... did they meet the kids before Della came back? Why would they go along with Donald's lies? why did they never try to patch the donald and scrooge riff?

What is their relationship with the kids? How would they react to Webby, both pre and post revelation about her being a clone now and the two of her just a hangin around donald adopted? how would they treat Daisy? why are they on a farm? These are questions we fans can answer and i'll have fun doing so, this book reignited my passion and writins for the show so I might just do that, but it's stil baffling to just drop that bomb and not fill it Out matt, and especailly in the delxue edition. We also get conformation it was Matt who clearly missed the queer subtext with Webby and Lena as not only does it never come up but he outright calls them "friends who are sisters". Maybe he dosen't care some fans ship them? maybe it's his interpretation? I dunno and as one of the co creators it's fair for him to interpret it that way.. in a sense

All in good fun of course. I do respect Matt. But I also expect my right to disagree. Anyways, we don't get any new blistering insights into the world itself. But it's MORE than made up for. While this book lacks in what we coudl've had it's a really GORGEOUS celebration of what we did get. For starters we get a LOT of in depth info on the creation of the show, it's themes, and I gained a new respect for a guy I didn't even really know existed, Seam Jimenz who was the shows art director. The stuff he pulled off for the show, the tone he set and everything he and his crew were amazing. A lot of the book is he or other people on the show detailing how they pulled off shit that came off efortless to me and making me love the show even more. From blocking an episode in an enclosed place for Last Crash of the Sunchaser, to how they ONLY used fog for Missing Links of Morshire or the castle eps as a stylistic choice, to the little bits of comic fuz you see in every background there's a lot of cool details. We also get lots of great art, from the protype designs of the kids, to Lena's own evolution, to various concept art for characters. There were a lot of good designs before the awesome ones we landed on. We also get art of incidental stuff like the posters from Terror of the Terra Firmians, the very gay cake from Night on Killmotor hill, the darkwing first darkness poster.. if your a hardcore fan of thes how like I am there's a LOT to love here. So in short, as this is a fairly short review if you love hearing the people who made this show fantastic talk about how they pulled that offf, character stuff, episode ideas and other neat little stuff, this is for you. if your hoping for more of the show.. this sadly isn't it.. but maybe it'll get us more. Either way it's a great insight into the beautiful found family this show created that gave us one of my faviorite shows of the last decade. Woo-Ooo!a

[sunny6677]

October

(A Spooky Month AU Series)

PART 6/CHAPTER 6: A Nightmare.

Summary: A 19-year old Skid ends up moving back to his old town for the sake of nostalgia. But he finds himself surrounded by familiar faces.

TWS FOR CHAPTER; NIGHTMARES, DENIAL, BLOOD, TRAUMA, MISCOMMUNICATION, GRIEF.

————

Skid would lay upon upon cushion of his bed, as sleep began to take over his mind, and the shadows of the night mercilessly taunted him as if they had been almost real living things. As he softly went into the deep shadows of slumber, he'd grumble—thoughts and flashes of horrifying faces appeared in the vision of his eyes that had been shut, this had always happened anytime he tried to sleep and had been anxious. Alas, he kept himself laying down, and faintly recalled the last few moments he ha spent here as a child.

He could recall the day before he went into the Orphanage, the day after he had fought with Pump verbally—he hadnt known then that Pump had meant it when he said he didnt want to be friends anymore, and had only hoped to himself that Pump would eventually forgive him for whatever he did. He would walk along the streets, exploring the town one last time before he had to leave until he had been "adopted", as June had put it. Innocently, his child-self had wondered if that was a word that had to do with his mom, that maybe she'd come for him once she had returned from being this thing called "dead'". Innocence was pure bliss, but a chain; and he had been its addicted prisoner.

Frank had given him several ice-creamd that day, and he had been grateful, though his stomach hurt severely as he licked and licked at the sweet material of the cold frozen cream that had been laced with milk slightly. "Take it, kid," Frank had said, "It's all yours." Skid was grateful, or at least he thought himself to be. But even so, it felt lonelier without Pump standing there to have some ice cream too. Frank had even asked where Pump had been. And in order to prevent his friend from getting into any sort of trouble or confrontation, he had just said that he felt like being alone that day.

As he wondered the streets, he had passed the gang of bullies who used to torment him and Pump—Roy, surprisingly Ross, and Robert. He was hunched over, hoping they wouldn't mess with him ths time. He had been surprised when they hadnt said anything as he walked off into the dark town, but had been dissapointed slightly when he heard Roy call out to him. As he turned around, Roy and the other two had walked up to him.

"Hey, i'm sorry for what happened to your mom, dude." Roy had said. "Yeah, dude—are you gonna be okay?" Ross had said. "I'll I'll fine," Skid had said with a forced smile, "she'll be coming back soon.. right?" Skids expression slightly faltered when all three of the boys had looked at him with a face he hadnt ever seen them look at him with before. The boys had tried to explain she wouldnt be coming back—and Skid had forced himself to remain calm the entire time they spoke of what happened. 'Dont say it. Stop saying it. I dont want to think about it!' Skid had begged inside of his mind mentally. Skid hadnt minded their comforts, yet even so, the way they looked at him—he didnt know why, but he hated it. This had been the first time he had discovered that he.. didnt like people being worried for him.

He had remembered what Kevin had said to him once he had gone to visit the candy store for the last time, and unexpectedly, he gave him that same expression people kept staring at him with. He hadnt been grumpy like he usually was, and had only calmly spoke to him as Skid hesitantly spoke to him. Kevin had asked where "the other one" had been, though Skid did not dare to answer. Alas, Kevin only pulled out a bag, and asked him how much candy he had wanted. Skid appreciated the gesture, and had only picked out a select few. He didnt think he'd ever see Kevin being so kind before, he had always been so grouchy when ir came to himself and Pump.

Streber hadnt done as much as the others had, but when the two happened to run into eachother on that day, he had knelt down and allowed Skid to talk with him about how he felt about the whole situation. Skid had begun to cry shortly, venting out his feelings and about everything that had happened. He just wanted to go home. To see his mom. Streber only looked down at him with that same face everyone else had given him, an only hugged him, muttering the most comforting things he could.

Skid had remembered leaving, waving a goodbye to everyone he had recognized, and even though he waved to Pump whom had been in the crowd, Pump did not wave back or do anything. He only stared with furrowed brows and a slight pout, the mask being completely torn off—his arms had been crossed as well. Skid could only let his expression falter, and just deal with the pain of his friend possibly never forgiving him.

For whatever he had done. He still had not known whatever he had done. Even now.

Skid began to feel himself slowly drifting into sleep, and had only finally recognized the slow, sleepy yet quick feeling of.. dreaming. His eyes opened inside of this dream he had been having, and his dream-self looked around the oddly familiar interior, only recognizing it as Junes house once he had taken a better look around.

Then, he heard a small but familiar voice speak from below him, and was met with a familiar pair of eyes sealed behind a large pumpkin mask. "You—" The small figure had cried, "You liar!" It had been quite obvious that this was Pump from the very beginning of this dream. "You lied to me! You lied to her! Your—you always have been a liar, havent you?!" Skid hadnt said anything to the small voice for a few moments, only breathing out in shock; "Pump.."

"Your—Your a meanie, Skid!" Pump cried, "You—You dont care about anything, you dont care about me, you dont care about her!" His whining voice had began to shiver up and sound as if he were on the brink of tears. "I'm—n—no, i—I do care about you, Pump!" Skid had taken notice of his body suddenly becoming smaller, his dream-self had become how he used to look when he was a child, yet he ignored it.

"Yeah, right! I bet you only care about that spooky month, and I bet you only care about that dumb dance!" Pump hadnt done the dance this time, only stomping his foot in rage. Skid hadnt known why, but his body quivered with frustration right then and there, and he began to raise his voice in its volume; "Thats not the only thing I care about, Pump! Where is this coming from?! Why cant you just give me a real answer?!"

Skid had known this hadnt been what he had said, in fact, he had known how the argument had gone back then, replaying it over and over in his mind as regret filled hia chest. Yet even so, his frustration got the best of himself in the dream, and he had yelled anyway.

His face only stopped in horror once he had noticed the shocked look on Pumps face. That look—that look that Pump stared at him with the moment their friendship shattered into pieces. "You.. you meanie! Liar, liar, liar!" His voice began to become distorted as the voices of multiple people in his life began to fill his mind, and the room began to slowly turn a bright red as he covered his ears. Though he had only stopped for a moment, and noticed the body of his mother his brain had created for his dream, red all over her body.

"Why didnt you save me, Skid?" Her voice had been louder than the others, but still, it had been distorted as if she were some sort of demon. "Why didnt you do anything to help me?"

"Mom, i.." Skid breathed out awkwardly, he began to hear a heartbeat thudding loudly—as his mother began to chant along with the others, calling him a liar in unison. Skid collapsed to his knees in the dream, feeling himself beginning to panic from the inner torment of his mind.

He screamed inside of the dream, barely hearing his voice over the distorted chanting. He screamed so loud that he had barely noticed the ominous yet large shadow figure of adult Pump that appeared in his dream, and loomed over him so, slowly consuming his body—

"Agh! Aghh!"

...

He screamed, and had woken up.

What had that dream been? It had been enough for him to begin to panic obviously. His heart was beating rapidly, and he had been hyperventilating. Clasping a hand over his chest, he mentally tried out the breathing exercises his therapist had given him, and of course, they had worked. But as he slowly managed to calm down, he could only stare at his wall, in a blank state of mind from what had happened.

He only began to let himself cry slowly.

————

"Hes still mad at you?"

That had been what Lillith had asked him once he had gotten onto the phone with her, and he only sighed in reply. "Yes.. I dont think what you said is true anymore, Lillith. He—he told me he didnt want me around, he told me he didnt need me! He told me he didnt want me.. i—I dont know what I did wrong, Lillith.." Skid desperately cried as he took the waffle he had made for himself into his mouth and slowly chewed its surface, "I dont know why he hates me.."

"Geez.." Lillith said, "Thats a long grudge.." Skid only nodded, eating his waffle as he slightly pouted in frustration and sadness. Sadness had been all he had felt since he had argued with Pump, and sadness was what he was reliant on. Lillith sighed, and only went silent for a few moments. "What do you think I should do, Lillith? I dont know why he hates me.." Skid pouted, eating his waffle in a slow and depressing way, loneliness consuming his soul whole.

"Well, i dont know exactly what to do," Lillith sighed, "but this may be a misunderstanding still. You might have to somehow get him to listen to you so you can tell him what you intended on doing, whatever it is that you planned on doing—" Skid I then cut her off without meaning to; "I try, but then he gets mad and says I dont care about him or my mom because I smiled at him.. whatever thats supposed to mean."

"Why did you smile at him?" Lilllith asked.

"..I didnt want him to be sad. He was sad about my mom being dead too, so I didnt want him to feel alone.. so I smiled at him so he wouldnt worry about me. I wanted to comfort him, but.. thats when he got mad." Skid explained, sounding almost tired as a slunched over onto the couch. Lillith went silent for a few seconds, and spoke into the phone; "This may be more of a difficult matter of miscommunication than I thought.. is he in therapy?"

"..I dont know, I didnt ask." Skid answered.

"Well.. we might have to find a way for you two to understand eachother better, that way, we can solve this once and for all. I know you may not want to, but you may have to approach him again so you two can have a serious discussion about this. I'll.. I'll even go with you, if you'd like me to." Lillith offered.

"If you want to," Skid simply sighed, "then you can I guess."

Lillith only muttered something he couldn't make out, he had tried asking her what she had said, but then suddenly, she spoke once more—"That reminds me, what was that about the dream you had last night? You never really quite explained to me what it was about."

Skid had only muttered with a hesitant tone, "It.. Its not important."

///////////////////////

E

[gnattyplayssims]

1922 Pt1 - Recovering from War

Things had been quiet on the Hoffman Farm since Elena and the kids had moved out. Imram was enjoying having time to get to know his daughter better.

"Hey you two." Lizette greeted cheerfully "Dinner's almost ready and Kailee needs to feed Clover."

Clover, was a Polish Lowland Shepherd who Imram had adopted as a hunting dog but the pup had quickly become a close companion of Aunt Maira who insisted the new dog was her special friend.

"Who's my good girl? You are! Are you ready for dinner? I'm sure you're starving!"

"H-hi Clover," Kailee held out her hand cautiously, to the large dog. "It's just me, will you let me pet you?" Clover sniffed her hand warily before giving it a gentle lick and nuzzling against her. "Look Aunt Maira, Clover wants to be my friend too!"

Later that night as the family finished up eating Lizette noticed that Mai didn't look too good. "Are you doing alright?"

"I have a bit of a headache, I may go lay down for a bit"

"Please take care of yourself! You're not as young as you used to be and sickness could be fatal"

Upstairs Imram was doing his best to hide his heaviness. He didn't like his family seeing his gloomy side that had developed since the war "Honey, what are you doing in here all alone in the dark." Lizette slipped into the bedroom quietly and crossed to the fireplace.

Lizette waited quietly as her husband struggled through his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you."

"No, Honey, it's okay, please tell me what's going on."

"It's just, sometimes when I close my eyes, I'm still there and...I just don't want to bring you there with me"

Lizette pulled her husband down into her lap and gently stroked his cheek. "Then don't, let me keep you here with me." Lizette stroked him comfortingly until his breathing steadied and eventually deepened as he drifted off to sleep. For a long time they just sat there by the fire.

Imram's family wasn't the only family in Henford trying to adjust after the war. Gideon and Cecilia were also trying to adjust since his return. Both the kids were teens now. Kinley was getting rather proficient at knitting and liked spending her time alone outside with her projects.

Meanwhile Gabriel enjoyed messing with his sister. "You ruined my dollhouse!" "Oh give me a break, you're 12 years old. Way too old to be playing with dolls. I did you a favor!" "You're so mean!" Gabriel just laughed. "Awe are you going to cry about it. Just grow up!"

Things didn't get better as the two got older. Teasing was Gabriel's favorite past-time which only made Kinley withdraw more. "Just leave me alone Gabe. Go pick on someone else."

"Why should I? You're the most fun to tease." The more Gabriel teased the more timid Kinley became

Despite still living in Britechester, Vivienne came often to visit the only family she had left. "What's happening in the city?"

"Oh so much, now that women have the right to vote things are changing fast. And the Hemman Memorial Library will be opening next week."

Visits with Vivienne were always a stark reminder to Cecilia that Henford was still stuck in the past. Things were changing for women out there but in her own home she was losing control and Gideon had changed too much. Having lost his ability to paint he had become insufferable

"Don't you dare get affectionate with me, I know what you've been doing all those late nights."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm sick Gideon and the doctor said there's only one way I could have got it."

"I can explain...it was only one time."

"I don't believe you!"

"I'll change, I promise." She hoped he meant it. Cecilia wanted to be a strong woman like Viv who could stand up for herself and live independently. But when she thought of figuring things out alone it always seemed better to stay. Maybe tomorrow things would be better.

1922 Pt2 - A Kidnapping

[leam1983]

En Famille

Walt was waiting for me in the living room, and Sarah had gone out for a few errands. I'm not sure I remember sitting on Walt's knee, but there I am anyway, pressing myself against him. He feels my need and grunts in that particular way he does when libido and tenderness combine. He pulls me in closer, kissing me the whole way.

"Come on," he whispers, "give me everything. I'm right here. You're safe."

I do as I'm asked, just not with words. We don't really need to. What feels like an eternity later, he's climbing up the proverbial hill and making increasingly heated promises. These drive me absolutely wild.

"I'll never give you cases I know you can't handle," he swears, "I'll be the best boss you've ever had, Grem. We'll share the load as a team, as a family - because that's what we are. You, me and Sarah - forever."

I use all the pet names he likes and flatter his denied paternalist streak. I call him Dad in ways both fetishistic and earnest - and he moans, calls me son. "My love," he gasps, "my boy. My son."

We're only twenty years apart, but our differences make these feel like an ocean. For all of his excess weight, he's more in control of his body than I'll ever be of mine, more physically autonomous and better put-together than I am. It's nice to have a pair of arms you can feel childlike in, one where you can abandon all pretense and admit that you do not, in fact, have your shit squared out.

I've already spoken about how Walt loves this; being the Helping Hand, the Steady Arm, the Sound Mind. Climax came and went, and he's now spent fifteen minutes holding me close, eyes closed, whispering in my ear.

Eventually, we both hear the door open. There isn't an ounce of worry in us, or in Walt specifically, as he looks up to see Sarah return. She smiles in that way she has that signals rising need, with a reddening of her cheeks and her lips turning thin.

It's been long enough, now, that Sarah sees why I'm in love with Walt. It's not just sex or base libido, love is a solid three-pronged structure between us. Walt calls it into effect by outstretching a hand while maintaining me in place with the other.

He only says one word. Daughter.

Eventually, I have to give Sarah access to Walt's midriff, and so he helps me slide off of him and helps me transfer myself to the couch. We pass liplocks between the three of us, and he soon climaxes for her as well.

"You're a beautiful young woman in every way that matters," he whispers to her. "You're the only woman I'll have ever loved like this."

She melts against him. "And I'm your daughter, too."

Walt gently squeezes us closer. "You're both mine. Daughter and son, partners, lovers, friends... You're everything I could've ever hoped for."

I sigh. "I wish the outside world didn't think this family fetish thing was creepy. I wish we could officialize that."

Walter kisses the top of my forehead. "I'd adopt you both a hundred times over if I could. I'd take your surnames and you'd take mine and each other's. We'd share absolutely everything."

I laugh. "Sounds cool, but it wouldn't be super practical. I don't think you'd like being called Walter Gremlin-Tremblay-George..."

After spending a few seconds slowly and enthusiastically kissing Sarah, he turns to me. "That's where you're wrong, love. Nothing could possibly make me happier. I'm more concerned with how we'd notarize it."

We have another long liplock. "Maybe it doesn't matter," he says. "Maybe our knowing is enough. We can share everything as it is, we don't need to wait for anyone's approval while we're here. You'll be mine in all the ways I want you to be, and Society doesn't get a say in this."

I'm writing this after our Dogpile phase, with Walt and Sarah nestled on one side of the couch and my feet resting in Walt's lap. They're both fast asleep, Walt sawing logs like there's no tomorrow and hugging our petite girl like she's a younger kid taking a nap with a trusted relative. One of his hands is clutching my left ankle in lieu of one of my hands, and his thumb his still autonomically stroking the one pad of flesh on the root of my foot that isn't tickle-prone.

I love that we start our weekends like this: by shedding the week and basking in our warmth, our closeness and our love.

[thedeviousdevilxx]

Ah damn Khadija coming out with a video that speaks directly to my soul lol

They are my favourite Youtuber.

[caramellohigh]

bunnyhybrid!jeonghan x reader

genre: (eventual) smut, (a generous amount of?) angst, fluff, hybrid!au

warning/s: very suggestive material (semi? smut? huhu idk) & lots of tension 👀

word count: 2.3k

synopsis: Minghao impulsively adopts a hybrid for you and you hate him for it. But after getting to know your new hybrid, you realized it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. You’ve gained a new friend, a companion and… perhaps more?

a/n: hello, my lovlies! Miracle Bunny is also back, yeeeeyyy *tiny hops of joy* i'll try to stay consistent and update weekly like i used to. i'm planning on releasing some new stuff so i kinda wanna finish this and NSAGB so i can focus on those > < anyhow, happy reading everyone!!! don't hesitate to send me some asks, would love to talk to y'all <333

(p.s: still a bit rusty so if this chapter sucks… i’m sorry!)

Chapter 5

Stunned, mind whirling in absolute confusion, you stand in the middle of your kitchen just dumbly staring at the wall opposite you. You were supposed to be cooking, ingredients all laid out and ready but you haven’t touched them, nor have you really moved from your spot before Jeonghan left to go to who knows where doing who knows what.

“Wow, looks like you’re cooking a fancy meal,” he had said, walking into the kitchen to grab his water bottle from the fridge. You threw him a beaming smile, “I found this recipe online and I thought you might like it. I’m making a vegan version!” He laughs in pure fondness at the way you excitedly bounce on the balls of your feet.

But your innocent smile faltered when he took a sip of water and suddenly said, “I’d rather have you for dinner though. I bet you taste just as good or maybe even better.” You blinked at him, the devious little smirk tugging at the corner of his lip making your mind go completely blank. “H-Huh?” was your dumb reply.

Jeonghan laughed, eyes wrinkling at the corners when he grins at you. “Kidding! See you later!” Then he pulled you by the waist and ever so delicately kissed the corner of your lips. You stiffened, eyes going wide, most especially when he just turned around and left as if nothing happened.

“He didn’t… That didn’t actually happen, right?” you laugh nervously, finally coming back to your senses, “I… I must be imagining things,” you try to convince yourself, finally moving from your spot. You try to continue what you were doing earlier but you can’t deny how very distracted you are. Dropping the knife before you accidentally cut yourself, you heave a deep sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose.

“Okay, fuck. Why am I being like this? Maybe… Maybe I need to get laid or something…”

As time passes, Jeonghan gets more suggestive and flirty with you. Something you always chose to brush off just because you don’t want it to get in your head. But whether you really are in dire need of a good lay or not, the hybrid really has been acting weird these days.

First, it had been his restlessness, always going out to jog or play sports and when he’s home he surprisingly works out like crazy. Practically, he just does anything to keep himself busy and active which you didn’t think much of at first.

Then you find him clingier than he normally is, always staying so close to you whether you were cooking, doing the laundry or even when you painted. He’s suddenly always craving for some type of physical affection from you and when you don’t give it to him, he gets upset.

What makes it even weirder is that there are moments when he doesn’t go near you at all, opting to lock himself in his room, only coming out when he needs to eat or go to the bathroom. It has been either or for this couple of days and you feel completely thrown out of the loop, never knowing what his temperament would be like tomorrow or the day after that.

“Yes, sir! I’ll have it ready before your restaurant opens. Don’t worry,” you smile even if your client can’t see and nod your head enthusiastically. You’re pacing back and forth, a paintbrush in one hand while the other holds your phone to your ear.

You’re in a worn button down, paint stains creating quite a unique pattern in the otherwise boring design and some loose lounge shorts. Your hair is tied up into a messy bun, exposing your neck and pretty collar bones. The fact that you’re very obviously not wearing a bra underneath is just the cherry on top of Jeonghan’s misery.

If he’s not trying so damn hard to get himself together, he would’ve been drooling by now. You look so fuckign beautiful and sexy, and hot but also very candid and adorable. He can’t, for the love of him, take his eyes off of you. It doesn’t at all help that the buttons of your shirt are done wrongly and he’s trying not to fix it or he might actually take it off of you instead.

He feels like a fucking pervert, just seeing your exposed skin and feeling hot all over, mind racing with impure thoughts. Your voice seems far away and muffled as he fights off his thoughts and urges. He builds his legos distractedly, brows in a permanent furrow, a small shake in his hands when he puts the pieces together.

He doesn’t notice that you’ve hung up and have gone back to painting. He doesn’t notice the time tick by and he doesn’t notice that he’s building the legos all wrong. What he does notice though, is your presence drawing closer to him. He swallows hard.

“God, my back hurts,” you sigh as you sit next to him on the couch. You lay your head on his shoulder, missing the way his body momentarily stiffens at the mere contact. Jeonghan squeezes the lego piece he’s holding. “Aw, poor baby,” he coos at you, “Why don’t you lie down, I’ll massage you.”

Fuck.

What is he doing?

But it’s as if he’s moving on autopilot, his brain no longer incharge of his actions when he pushes you down. His hands are itching to feel your warm skin and like the rest of him, they act on their own when they unbutton your shirt.

You up at him in panic, “J-Jeonghan?” He mentally punches himself when he hears your shaky voice calling his name. “Sorry… I just thought it’d feel better with this off.” He has no idea how saying that would make things any better but thankfully, you buy it. Blinking your nerves away, you slowly nod and undo a few more.

Jeonghan holds his breath, hungry eyes watching your hands as they expose even more of your skin. But he doesn’t get to look much longer when you flip over and lie on your stomach. Jeonghan swallows again. He tries to snap himself out of it, settling at the back of your thighs as his hands experimentally massage your bare shoulders.

You moan at the way his fingers press down on your aching muscles, not having a single clue how much it’s affecting him, how Jeonghan is literally sweating bullets trying to fight off his urges. He clamps down hard on his bottom lip, trying to contain his whimpers, his cock already hard.

You feel the warmth radiating off of him in waves and you worry if something’s wrong. Opening your eyes and turning your head, you’re about to ask him if he feels sick but you finally notice the muffled whimpering. You faintly hear him curse under his breath and then you feel it, his dick, hot and heavy on your ass.

Then... he slowly starts moving his hips, rubbing himself against you. You gasp before you can even stop yourself and he’s off of you in mere milliseconds. “S-Sorry, I forgot I have a game with the boys today. I’m gonna go shower.” And just like that, he’s gone, leaving you completely dumbfounded, wondering if you were imagining things again.

“Jeonghan!”

You’re not the most physically coordinated or sporty but the moment you see him shoving Mingyu into the ground, you’re suddenly a track and field athlete when you run over to them. “What the fuck is your problem?!” Mingyu yells, struggling against Jihoon and Seokmin. Jeonghan sees red and scoffs dramatically, “My problem? What’s my-- What the fuck is your problem, huh? You elbowed me!”

“It was an accident! I already--”

“No, fuck you!”

You and Seungkwan can barely hold Jeonghan back. He’s somehow hell bent on landing a punch on Mingyu’s face that both of your feet slip when he pushes forward. “Jeonghan, stop it! Calm d- ow!” you fall backwards when Jeonghan all but flings you and Seungkwan away, everyone freezing when they see you hit the concrete floor.

You wince in pain as you get up and when you flip your hands over, you see your palms are all scraped up. “Shit, I’m sorry…” Jeonghan immediately snaps out of his rage and rushes over to you, brows furrowing in concern. He very carefully takes your hands and brushes off the debris stuck on your wound in complete panic, “Fuck! I’m so sorry. I didn’t-- I wasn’t--”

“No, it’s okay. It’s fine,” you mumble out calmly, giving him a reassuring smile. Seungkwan is quick to let you sit on a bench. He grabs the first aid kit he keeps in his bag and he handles your little scrapes with a very gentle hand. The bunny hybrid just stands there, feeling incredibly guilty as he watches Seungkwan tend to your wounds.

His ears are permanently glued to his head and all the others look at you with the same concern too. You’re quite amused by it actually. How can they fret over something so small? You’re not even hurt that badly. “It’s just a scrape, guys. I’ll be fine,” you chuckle as you stand up and try to reach for Jeonghan’s arm. He catches your wrist before you could touch him, “I still hurt you…”

Oh, if you could, you would’ve already melted into a puddle. The way Jeonghan looks at you with his big glassy eyes, brimming with guilt and worry, makes you feel some type of way. You can’t help the giggle that bubbles past your lips. “It was only an accident. Now c’mon, make up with Mingyu.”

He opens his mouth to probably smart mouth you but he closes it and just sighs. He brings your hand up to his face and kisses the inside of your wrists, mumbling a defeated, “Okay…” He turns to the younger hybrid and immediately apologizes to which Mingyu accepts just as quickly.

His worried gaze shifts towards Jeonghan, “Are you okay, hyung? You’ve been a little off lately...” Jeonghan simply nods, smiling to make it even more believable but Mingyu, or any of his other friends, doesn’t buy it.

They look at him suspiciously, sharing a few glances, “You’re not in h--” He cuts him off with a firm shake of his head, flashing eyes holding a type of message that apparently only they can understand because you just stand there completely oblivious.

“Jeonghan, stop worrying! It’s not that bad, okay? It’ll heal in no time.” He still pouts despite your efforts and all you could do is sigh in resignation. He kept asking you if any other part of you was hurt on your way back home, he kept apologizing to you and basically did everything for you that required you to use your hands which, in that case, is everything.

His immense care and concern for you, even for something this minor is making you feel butterflies in your stomach, feel completely and so easily disarmed. Chuckling, you reach out to hug his head to your chest. He immediately fixes his position on the arm of the couch, settling you between his legs and circling his arms around your hips.

He looks up at you from that angle, chin resting on your sternum, his ridiculous pout still on his face. You smile softly and stroke his ears. “I honestly don’t know how else to assure you that I’m fine, Jeonghan.” He sighs quietly and closes his eyes. “I’m overreacting, aren’t I?” he mumbles and you giggle, scrunching your nose at him, “A little.” Finally, he cracks a smile, turning his head so he can hear your heartbeat.

“Maybe this is just me wanting your attention?” You laugh, “You have all of it, sir.” Humming in satisfaction, Jeonghan drums his fingers against your hip bones. “Maybe… more of your affection?” You laugh again, “You’re in my arms right now. What more is there?”

And suddenly, the air shifts. Jeonghan’s fingers stop moving. He unwraps his arms around you and grabs your hips instead, squeezing lightly as he looks up. Your smile gradually fades and you blink at how different his eyes are.

From your hips, his hands slowly smoothing down the side of your thighs, the intensity of his gaze keeping you still but pliable. Without a word, he urges you to straddle him and you obediently do so, your hands now on his shoulder to steady yourself.

With one hand holding onto your thigh and the other cupping the back of your neck, the beating inside your chest doubles. You're breathing a little harder, anticipating his next move. He tentatively leans in and you don’t know what came over you but you meet him halfway, pressing your lips against his own.

Jeonghan moans into the kiss, squeezing your thigh and pulling you even closer by the neck. He kisses you hard, fervently and desperately and you do the same, matching his pace perfectly as you snake your arms around his neck.

You both push into each other, wanting to feel so much more. His hands start trailing up and down your back, squeezing at your bum and cupping your breast. You whimper against his lips, running your fingers down his torso but before you can even attempt to go lower, he pulls away and presses his forehead against yours.

He gently grabs your wrists, rubbing small circles on your skin as he whispers, “Your hands…” Breathing heavily from the fiery kiss, you almost scoff at him for what he just said. You couldn’t care less about your fucking hands. Not after what just happened.

“Jeonghan–”

“I’m going to go take a shower”

With his head down, he gently lifts you off of his lap and immediately makes a beeline towards the bathroom. Stunned, you stare at the empty hallway, fingers coming up to your lips. That was definitely real. Either that or your daydreams are starting to feel terrifyingly real.

previous | next | m.list

taglist: @grassbutneo @kenmaslutty @hosh1kwon (yey!!!)

[locktobre]

I have two big multi-part questions that I can think off the top of my head, but I'll put them in two sperate asks, with this being the first: How and why is Joey immortal? How does he find out? How does *Damian* find out, and why does Joey keep him around? (I feel like I've asked the last part before, so apologies if I have DHHFHSHFH)- That PCS Anon

Birthday spoilers!

Note: This is also spoilers for After and The Tower. (I know that doesn’t sound like it makes any sense, but just trust me.)

Simply put: Joey is immortal bc of his biological parents.

To make a long story short, Reina and Robin Goodfellow (also called Puck) are elves who fled from their home planet about 11,000 years ago after a cataclysmic event. They ended up on Earth, along with another elf named Nik, not really planned but holes were opening up in reality and Puck pulled Nik and Reina into one with him, ostensibly to save their lives. They stuck together for awhile bc Earth was crazy compared to their homeworld but eventually parted ways and never saw each other again.

Now, elves are not totally immortal. They can naturally live for about 1,000 years, but can extend their lives with magic if they wish. The problem is... there is no natural magic on Earth, so they didn’t have a lot of options if they wanted to continue living. Reina turned to blood magic, essentially stealing youth and vitality from others. Puck took refuge in the metaphysical center of the planet, which does have magic, technically. And Nik honestly didn’t care to live forever but he ended up traveling north and meditating and he basically lives off of sunlight/starlight and being in tune with the universe, he’s the most chill of the 3 of them and just wants to live in peace. He ended up settling down and starting a family with a human. He and his family, eventually known as the Clausons, strive to do good in the world. (If you’re thinking, is Nik Santa? Or at least a Santa? Well... 🎅)

So, Joey has a good percentage of elf blood, which would have him living for several hundred years on its own. But since one of his great-grandfathers is a watch, that’s what makes him truly immortal, since he inherits a watch’s inability to be injured, and the fact that they don’t need to eat or sleep to stay alive. (Unlike Arsenio, Joey can eat and sleep, but he doesn’t have to.)

Joey doesn’t know anything about his biological family, because Robina gave him up specifically to hide him from Marisol, so that Marisol wouldn’t use him like she used Robina, and thus it was a closed adoption. He loves Merliah and Kylie, and doesn’t really have any interest in seeking his biological family, bc he doesn’t feel like he’s missing anything from them, and he figures that they gave him up for a reason, so they probably wouldn’t want to see him, anyway.

Damian, on the other hand, is very interested. He kind of has a complex, bc he knows he was conceived accidentally, and they wanted Joey. (Merliah had reservations about being pregnant, which is why they decided to adopt.) I don’t know how much he would ever know about this, but from my own childhood, I know sometimes you just feel things even if nobody will say it outright.

Obviously, Damian can’t exactly... bully Joey into finding out about his birth family, bc A) Joey cannot be swayed, and B) Damian is a lot smaller than him. So Damian says they should at least find out what Joey can do, bc then maybe they can kind of guess what his birth family was like, at least, bc Joey is... just a little bit odd.

It’s not that he acts out in any way, or even does anything very unusual. He’s very obedient and well-behaved. He eats his vegetables and does his chores and goes to bed when told. He’s very mellow.

To Damian, who’s full of rage, this is unfathomable, but Joey just shrugs it off. He likes to help others and do what he’s told and doesn’t really see any reason to rebel, and never has. What he can’t shrug off is the fact that he can do magic.

Of course, his grandpa on Merliah’s side is Rip, who has spent a good chunk of his life studying magic. And Rip can tell that Joey’s not a mermaid, a fairy, not part mermaid, not part fairy, not any kind of fairy or pixie or merrow or any kind of being that Rip has ever seen. So Rip is also intrigued by Joey, but Merliah and Kylie have said that Joey is not to be studied, not that Rip would ever treat his own grandkid like that, but just like, leave well enough alone and don’t poke at him, and if Joey ever wants you to help him figure himself out, he will come to you when he is ready.

Long story short, Damian pokes at Joey until he decides to ask Grandpa Rip. Joey isn’t curious about it, but Damian is, and he wants Damian to be happy (and also stop bothering him), so like, why not.

So, at that point, they start trying to figure out what exactly Joey can do. He can already breathe underwater after studying his moms’ mermaid form, and he can imitate his Uncle Odie’s fire powers exactly when he tries. And after going on like this for awhile, the question quickly becomes what CAN’T Joey do? bc elves had/have a lot of magic compared to any given fairy or mermaid, and watches are at a comparable level. It’s not nearly at Chelsea’s level (or even WBN’s, bc they are an even older, more powerful kind of elf than Reina, Puck and Nik were, plus they were sitting in one spot absorbing magic for 200,000 years), but basically more powerful than Rip has ever seen, and he spent 17 years in Fairytopia specifically seeking out the most powerful magic known to fairykind/mermaidkind in an effort to get home.

At this point, Joey changes his mind and decides he doesn’t want to continue, bc he doesn’t want to feel strange among his family, and Rip doesn’t push the issue bc he’s frankly a little scared about who or what is out there that could be that powerful, and wherever Joey came from, he doesn’t want to know about it.

Damian’s mad bc he is more curious than ever, but now Rip is on the side of hey don’t push it bc like god help us if Joey turns against us (except not in those words but just like silently thanking god that Joey is the nicest kid in the world without a malicious bone in his body).

Anyway, they kind of go back and forth like that as they grow up, with Damian always trying to figure out what Joey’s limits are, and Joey just not engaging bc he is not interested. And eventually Joey does, quite calmly, ask Damian what the hell his problem is and like can’t you just let this go already and Damian basically is like how can you say that when you have all this power and you don’t do anything with it? And Joey’s like what am I supposed to do exactly and Damian’s like you have to do something and Joey’s like fine if it will make you happy, I’ll do something with my magic. I’ll save the world or something and then you have to leave me alone. And Damian’s like sure, deal. Joey doesn’t really want to play superhero (which is an option by the time he’s grown), but he figures the right thing will call to him when the time is right, and until then, he’ll just hang out and try to convince Damian to chill the hell out.

So basically, Damian comes with him bc he was an annoying younger brother (by 5 months) until Joey said fine. (If Damian sounds like a dick, well, not all my ocs are nice lol that would be boring.) And figuring out immortality would really be a matter of time, with Joey not aging even past the age when fairies and mermaids start to age (around 125).

I think Joey might look into his biological family once his immediate family (parents, grandparents, cousins) all died, so he wouldn’t feel like he was betraying them, but that’s several hundred years in the future and I haven’t decided how that goes yet. But we’ll see!

[tranquil-space-ninja]

The Story (Sanders' Sides Human AU)

Ft. Platonic Moxiety, trans Roman, Imaginality (Remus x Patton), and Emciet (Janus x Emile)

Tw: suicide, homophobia, implied abuse, transphobia, f*g said, tra**y said, bullying, anorexia

--------------------------------------------------

Patton stared at his phone. He had a shift at the office in a few minutes, but he couldn't..... He didn't quite know what he couldn't do today, but he couldn't do it. He called in sick. Emile was very understanding. "Take as long as you need, Pat," he said. "Your mental health comes first."

"Thanks, Dr. Picani." He hung up and continued to stare at the message on his phone.

Unknown Number

Got ur number from Jan. How u doing?

It was him. After all these years, it was really him. And, paired with the fact that it was only a week till his brother's birthday.... The last two years of high school came rushing back.

Patton's phone chimed.

Ro's birthday is coming up.

Like Patton didn't compulsively write down the date in his calender every year. June 4. They would have been twenty-six.

I'm moving to ur area 4 work. I finally caught up 2 u.

Patton stared at his phone without really seeing the messages. Tears started to bluer his vision. He wiped them away, only for them to return with a vengeance. Finally, Patton just let himself sob, hoping to get everything out by the time Virgil got home.

***

Virgil waved to his friends as he walked to his front door. His dad's car was in the driveway, which was a surprise. Normally, he wouldn't be back until dinner. He slowly opened the door. "Dad," he asked. Patton gave Virgil a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hey, kiddo! How was school?"

"Okay. How are you doing? Are you sick?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Just taking a mental health day. Sit down! I made popcorn. We can watch Black Cauldron."

Virgil sighed and sat down, leaning on Patton. Patton put part of his blanket around the teen and pulled him closer. He loved his son more than anything. He would not let Virgil go through the same things he did.

***

Just as Virgil was about to go to sleep, someone knocked on his door. "Come in," he called. Patton opened the door and gave him another fake smile. He sat down on the chair beside Virgil's desk.

"Can I tell you a story," Patton asked.

"I'm a little old for bedtime stories."

"Please? It's kinda boring, but.... I'll be quick. Please?" Virgil stared at his dad. He hated the desperate look in hs eyes. It was getting closer to June, which meant he'd grow quiet and a bit withdrawn. Maybe this was to preemptively make up for it?

"Sure." Virgil laid down and looked up at Patton.

"Thanks, Virge," he said with a slightly more real, relieved smile. "Let me tell you a story about six boys growing up in Florida."

***

Logan Crofters, Roman and Remus Ryan, Janus Pine, Emile Picani, and Patton Hart. They had been best friends since kindergarten. They were all inseparable. Things got worse in middle school when Roman came out as trans. His parents refused to let him transition or cut his hair, and the other kids were less than supportive. Remus let him wear his clothes, though, and his friends all defended him when they could. And they all survived until high school.

Fast foreward to sophmore year. Logan was on the fast track to becoming valedictorian. The other kids, in addition to whispering, "Fag," and, "Tranny," at them all in the halls, taunted Logan for his intelligence. Remus and Janus got into fights often to protect the others. Patton and Emile tried to keep the group's moral up. Logan and Roman always took it all harder than the others, but they had one teacher, Mr. Sanders, who let them eat lunch in his classroom and used Roman's proper pronouns. He even congratulated Patton and Remus when they started dating. He'd always pair up Janus and Emile for group projects, just to watch them flirt.

Patton, Roman, and Remus's parents passed around a petition to get him fired the next year. It was successful. That was the year everything fell apart.

Roman and Logan couldn't handle the pressure that came with the grades and the bullying. They always said they were fine, but....

One day, Logan quit his job at the library. Said it just wasn't worth it anymore. Roman stopped eating and always brushed his friends off when they begged him to try.

They died the same night. June 4, Roman's birthday. Roman overdosed on antidepressants. Janus, Remus, Emile, and Patton read his note over and over again.

Dear Friends,

I want to start by saying this isn't your fault. Remus, you were the most amazing, supportive brother anyone could ask for. Patton, Janus, Emile, Logan, you are all wonderful and perfect, and you all deserve the world. But.... I can't do this anymore. I can't live in this body one more day or hear someone call me Rachel one more time. I just can't do it. I love you all so much. Please don't dwell on this for too long. I want you all to be happy, okay?

Mom, Dad, I'm sorry I couldn't be everything you wanted me to be. I wish I could have been as good a son as Remus was. I wish you could have loved me as much as he did.

And, Mr. Sanders, if you ever see this.... Thank you. For everything.

Adeiu, best of friends and best of men,

Roman

Logan hung himself. He didn't leave a note. His parents at least gave him a funeral. Roman's parents didn't care enough to even do that.

Luckily, Remus, Janus, Emile, and Patton had saved enough from their various jobs to have him cremated. Emile's parents insisted on helping out, which helped a lot.

The group burried Roman's urn just outside the cemetery where Logan rested. Luckily, his grave was at the edge of the gate so Roman's could be near his. Remus painted a large rock to use as a marker. They all stood by the small grave, Janus holding Emile and Patton and Remus squeezing each other's hands, until the sun rose.

Patton stayed with Remus after Janus and Emile left.

"I can't stay here anymore," Remus had whispered. "I can't stay with the people who killed my brother."

"I know," Patton whispered. "I hate our parents." He brushed back his bangs to show Remus a black eye and a bruised cheek. "If we save enough, we'll run away together," he promised. "We'll get Janus and Emile, and we'll all go to Massachusetts, and we'll get married." Remus nodded.

"I like that." He gently pulled Patton close, and they shared a long, sweet kiss.

Things didn't work out. Senior year was worse. Janus, Emile, Patton, and Remus were the gays who were friends with the two who killed themselves, and that's all anyone ever treated them as. Janus's parents took him and moved to Delaware. He and Emile stayed in touch for a few months before the lost contact. Janus and Patton still talked occasionally, though, even after high school. Emile, Patton, and Remus stuck together, but things would never be the same.

When senior year ended, Patton and Emile prepared to move to Massachusetts, but Remus wouldn't go.

"Please," Patton begged. "We found a cute apartment in Salem. We can start over. We can get jobs while Emile is at school. We can build our own lives. Please come with us." Remus shook his head.

"I can't," he said. "It's only been a year since they died. I just can't leave them yet." Patton hugged him tightly.

"Keep in touch," he asked. Remus nodded and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Over the next few years, Patton kept in touch with Remus. Every year, he said he would finally move in with him, and every year, he had an excuse not to. Eventually, they stopped talking as much, and when Patton changed his number, he forgot to tell Remus.

***

"He and Emile stayed together, though," Patton finished. "Patton became Emile's receptionist when he started practicing independently."

"What about Janus and Remus," Virgil asked.

"Janus is still in Delaware, and I guess Remus is with him." Virgil nodded. He wasn't an idiot. He knew Patton had just told him his life story. He just wasn't going to press any further than that. Maybe someday, Patton would tell him more, but it was almost the day his friends killed themselves. Patton needed time.

***

The next day, Patton went back to work. Larry and Dot were happy to see him. When their appointment was almost over, another patient entered the waiting room and walked up to Patton's desk. "Hey," he said, head tilted down. His voice was low and familiar.

"Hi! Do you have an appointment?"

"N-no. I just moved here and was hoping I could set one up."

"Okay.... Dr. Picani is with a patient right now, but-- Remus?" Remus was staring at Patton, a sad frown accepting his dull eyes. "L-like I was saying, Emile--"

"Why didn't you answer my texts?" Patton began to fiddle with a pen. "You could have just said you didn't want to see me. I get it. I probably remind you of Ro and Logan, and that's fine. I failed you and I put off moving even though I said I would, and I understand that you're mad, and it's okay. But--"

"I wanted to see you." Remus stared at Patton, who stared right back.

"What?"

"I wanted to see you, but I couldn't say it. It's just so close to Roman's birthday, and I didn't know what to do or what to tell my son--"

"You have a son?" Patton nodded, tears in his eyes.

"I adopted him five years ago. His name is Virgil. He's funny, he's dark, and strange and sarcastic, and I love him more than anything."

"Boyfriend or husband?"

"Single dad and rockin' it." Remus laughed despite the tears that were escaping his eyes. Patton laughed with him, also crying. "I'm sorry. For everything," he sobbed. Remus took his hand.

"Me too." And that's how Larry and Dot found them five minutes later.

Holding hands and crying, together again.

--------------------------------------------------

[ma-gic-gay]

For some reason, Michael had been a lot more controlled lately.

He was hiding what he felt, never really showing emotion unless it was anxiety about Brook Lynn or happiness around Willow. Sometimes, of course, he'd show emotion but not normally.

The gym was the only place he really let out all his anger, as always, but lately he'd been punching the bag harder, working out more intensely. Maybe it was because he was trying to get into shape, but Michael was already in great shape. So maybe it had something to do with the fact him and Willow were getting an annulment and he hadn't done anything to try and stop it from happening. For God's sakes, he'd suggested it, thinking Willow needed to hear she had an option.

Dante was right. He is an idiot. Suggesting that him and his wife - the woman he's in love with - get an annulment may have been the stupidest thing he's ever done, and he killed someone, kept a kid away from his dad, and did a lot of other morally questionable things in his life.

Willow knew all of this and still spoke his praises. She still told him he was a good person, that he's different than he was when he kept his little sister from his dad, or killed Claudia. She thought he was amazing for changing his life around, told him she was a different person back then too. People evolve and grow, she said, and so whatever you've done in the past, it doesn't reflect on who you are now.

They met, and then he fell. It was slow, him falling for Willow. At first, it was just a friendly face at their support group. Eventually, though, it became more than just friendship. It became a marriage, a marriage built upon love for their son and keeping him safe, a marriage built upon truth and honesty in the face of dishonesty and lies that Sasha and Chase had told them. When they got married, that was their promise. No lies, never. Lies complicate everything too much, make it easier to fall into what Chase and Sasha did.

She was way, way out of his league and he knew it too. Willow was a genuinely good person, who had always been honest and kind. Not to mention, drop dead gorgeous. So that probably had something to do with the fact Michael was skirting around the one rule of their marriage and not telling her he loved her. But she hadn't asked, so technically he wasn't lying to her, just holding back the truth.

Thinking about he suggested the annulment, Michael punches the punching bag harder. All of his anger starts to leave as he punches harder and harder.

And then Chase and Sasha walk in the gym for their workouts, talking about something. The punches hit an abrupt stop when he notices them, but the anger that just left comes back tenfold. Sasha smiles at him, but there's something off about her in general. It's probably just the breakup.

"I just realized, I forgot my phone at the Metro Court. I'm gonna go back there," Sasha says, backing away.

When she leaves, Chase is still there. "It's been a while," he breaks the silence.

"Yeah, it has been," Michael agrees, frowning at him.

"If you want, I can come back later, or we can work out together," Chase offers.

Michael ponders the offer for a minute. He either gets a workout partner or ends up keeping someone from the gym. "Yeah, sure, we can workout together."

A few minutes into their workout, Chase brings up Willow. Before that, the conversation had been all about sports and stuff like that, easy conversation. "For whatever it's worth, Michael, Sasha and I never meant to hurt you or Willow."

"Well, you did. Regardless of intent, you both cheated on people you supposedly loved," Michael says, punching the mitts harder.

"I do love her, Michael, you've got to believe me on that," Chase tells him. "That's why Sasha and I didn't want to tell either of you, we didn't want to break your hearts."

"You don't love her if you can break her heart, Chase! If you could cheat on her, if you could want another woman, you don't love or deserve Willow. She loved you with every fiber of her being, and you broke that. You broke something precious," Michael says to him, feeling a sense of relief as the words leave his mouth. "And I know that will never happen again."

Chase looks confused. "Michael, I love her so much. It kills me to see that she's not with me, to know that I broke her heart and that she's moving on with you, who I considered to be my best friend."

Huh? They've only kissed once, and Michael doesn't think Chase knows about that. "What happens with Willow and I hasn't been your business for a long time and it still isn't, but I want you to elaborate."

"You- maybe it's her that's in love with you, I don't know, but I can tell one of you is in love with each other, at least," Chase says as his phone rings. He steps away to answer it.

It's possible Willow's in love with him too? Michael had been in his head so much, maybe he didn't see what was right in front of him.

"Look, I hate to put a stop to our workout, but I've got a work thing. I'll see you later maybe," Chase leaves the gym.

Jason walks in, confused by what's going on with his nephew. "Why do you have that look on your face, Michael? What happened? Is Willow alright, Wiley? Your mom?"

"Jason, everyone's fine. It's just something Chase said about Willow and I, that's all," Michael reassures him.

"You only get that look on your face when you noticed something great or terrible happened, so what great thing happened to you?" Jason asks.

Michael smiles, "Chase said that apparently Willow's in love with me."

Confused further, Jason asks, "Are him and Willow close enough where they talk about who they're in love with now? Because the last I knew, Chase was in love with Willow and she was in love with him and you two were getting an annulment and you were in love with Sasha."

"I can't believe I forgot to tell you! Sasha, she was great, but I'm not in love with her anymore. The longer I spend thinking about Sasha and I, we weren't going to last long term. As much as I loved her, and I did, I don't feel that anymore."

Smiling at his nephew, the assassin asks, "But you and Willow?"

"We're married. I'm married to a woman who is incredibly out of my league and adopting my son. I-I love my wife, Jason. I love Willow," Michael smiles.

Jason pulls him in for a hug, saying, "I think you two make a lovely pair, especially if she makes you this happy. You're smiling wider than you have since you won custody of Wiley. Do you want my advice?"

"I'd be dead if I didn't take your advice," Michael truthfully tells his uncle. "So yes, I'll take it."

"Tell her how you feel before the annulment, Michael, please. You do this thing, I do it too, where you wait to say what you feel or you don't say it because you're afraid of what you could do if you actually said what you feel. Let down your guard and tell Willow the entire truth, nothing left unsaid between you two," Jason advises his nephew.

"When do you think I should tell her? Should I set something up like a date thing or-" Michael starts, anxiety creeping up into his voice.

"I think you need to breathe deeply for a few minutes and be calm," Jason emphasizes his breathing, "but I also think you should just tell her. Don't stress out so much or overthink it, because overthinking messes things up. If you tell her, honestly, how you feel, let her respond, you'll be okay."

"And if she doesn't love me back?" Michael asks anxiously, starting to stutter.

"I doubt she doesn't love you, Michael," Jason tries to assure him, "but if she doesn't, we'll cross that bridge when we reach it, and you're getting an annulment anyways."

Michael breathes, letting his anxiety leave. "Alright. I'm gonna go get cleaned up, I'll tell her when I get home."

"I'll leave you to it," Jason says, leaving the gym as Michael showers.

Arriving at the Quartermaine mansion, Michael can tell something's up. Opening the door, he sees Chase. In his home. Talking to Willow, who Michael can tell isn't in the mood but is also intrigued.

Chase leans in to kiss her, their lips connecting briefly as the door closes behind Michael and he doesn't, turning his head abruptly. "Hi again," Chase says awkwardly.

Calming himself, Michael asks, "Why are you in my home kissing my wife?"

Willow walks over to her husband, glancing at Chase fleetingly. "I can explain," Chase stands, eyes following Willow.

"Then please explain what inspired you to come into my house, which is very out of your way, and kiss my wife. I'm sure it'll be enlightening," Michael responds.

"I was just talking to her and realized that she loves me as much as I love her so I kissed her," Chase smiles, getting a pair of glares in return from the married couple, who don't seem to agree with what he said, especially Willow.

Michael looks at Willow, who looks visibly upset and anxious, as he says, "You tell me an hour ago you think she loves me, then you come to my house and kiss my wife, who you cheated on, by the way, and somehow think you're justified? Chase, you're playing mind games is all you're doing."

"When I said she loves you, I was wrong. I know, in my heart, that Willow and I will be together," Chase smiles again. "So I kissed her."

Anger takes over Michael as he fights for controlling it, suppressing it until he can get to the gym but he can't hold back anymore as he shouts, "Do you think, truly, that if she loved you she wouldn't tell you? You broke her heart, and yet you're justified in kissing her because you can rationalize anything, can't you, Detective?"

Willow looks at Michael, confused, as she's never seen him like this before. However, his rant continues. "When we found out you two had cheated on us, I told you that I wasn't going to let someone treat her like that ever again, and I'm still not. Everything I said to you that day was completely true, so leave my house before I do something you'll regret."

"What did I do here to make you so angry?" Chase asks calmly as Dante walks downstairs.

"You think this is just you kissing her, Chase? You broke everyone's heart, even your own, and now you're trying to escape taking any responsibility whatsoever for your actions by kissing my wife, because you can't move on!"

Dante tries to intervene, standing between the two as Michael still yells, "I can't believe you act like this now but an hour ago you were convinced that she loved me. Chase, I love Willow, and I'm her husband, so it's my job to make you realize that you need to get out of my house before I do something we'll both regret!"

Willow looks at Michael, pulling him out of his anger and into a soft face he makes around her. "You love me?" She asks, a small smile playing on her lips.

"This isn't how I intended to tell you, but yes, I love you, Willow. I had a speech to go with that too, but life doesn't always work out how it's planned," Michael says, smiling at her. "But if you don't feel that way back, then of course we'll just forge-"

She cuts off his anxious ramblings by kissing him, the pair melting into the kiss that felt perfectly right. When they pull apart, she smiles widely at him. "I love you back," as they kiss again.

"What the hell, Michael?" Chase asks, ruining the sweet moment for the two. "You're supposed to be my best friend."

"And you were supposed to leave my house," Michael's voice is at an icy level, one that could explode at any second if tempted to. "So leave before I have a guard throw you out."

Dante smiles at his little brother as he addresses Chase, "Leave dude. It's clear you're not getting her back."

"I can't believe this. Willow, you know that he's just your rebound. You don't love him, you're going to come back to me," Chase says.

Michael, unable to deal with this anymore, serves a strong right hook to Chase's head area. Jason taught him how to punch and how to take a punch when he was in high school, Michael's pretty good at it by now. "That was on purpose and assaulting a police officer!" Chase shouts at him. "You're under arrest for assaulting a police officer. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you."

"Chase, stop! Don't arrest him because you're mad at me," Willow pleads, looking upset. "Please."

Looking at Willow, Chase takes Michael and handcuffs him. "No."

The ride to the police station is absolutely silent, Michael angry and happy at the same time about Willow loving him back but him being arrested for punching Chase.

When he's being processed, Michael's allowed to make his two phone calls they allow and calls Willow. "Michael? Are you okay, did Chase hurt you? Have they detained you yet, or processed you fully?" She anxiously asks, sounding just like any wife would when her husband gets arrested. Michael can't help but chuckle quietly. "Why are you laughing?"

"Willow, I'm fine. I need to be bailed out, but I'm absolutely fine. No one hurt me and I'm being processed again but I'm not injured except for my ego. You sound so much like my mom everytime my dad or Jason gets arrested right now, it's funny."

"It's stressful having your husband in jail for punching a cop!" Willow laughs back. "How much is bail?"

"Bail is $1,000. I wanted to let you know I'm okay, but I'm gonna call Jason for bail money. He's been through this before and won't be as much of a stressed out mess as you," Michael tells her, smiling.

"I can handle bailing you out, but you're right, I'd be too stressed. I'll meet you at the station, though, and hopefully you'll be out as I'm there," Willow chuckles with her husband. "Alright, well I'm not gonna keep you any longer. Go call Jason."

"I love you," Michael smiles as a way to end the call.

"I love you too," Willow says as she hangs up the phone and he swears, he can hear her smile through the phone as he dials Jason.

"Jason Morgan," he answers the call.

"It's Michael. I'm at the station and need $1,000 for bail money because I punched Chase. Can you bail me out and not tell my mother?" Michael asks.

"Why the hell did you punch Chase?" Jason asks him.

"He kissed Willow and started saying she was in love with him, even after she said she's in love with me and we kissed again, twice," Michael smiles again, thinking about the kisses.

Jason sighs. "I'll be there in twenty minutes. Should I be expecting to see your wife there, pacing?"

"Probably not. She's going to be here, but I don't think she'll be here for a few minutes after I get bailed out. Are you telling my mother about this?" Michael asks again.

"I'm not dealing with Carly finding out you got arrested. You can."

"Thanks, Jason. I'll see you soon."

The twenty minutes pass and Chase continues booking him in, taking pleasure in it. It's sad how what was once a beautiful friendship is now so pathetic that he's booking him into a jail cell.

Bail is given, and Michael gets out roughly fourth minutes later, being uncuffed and getting his cell phone and wallet back. Willow isn't there yet, but Jason is and looks like he's trying not to laugh as he hugs his nephew. "Michael, your parents and I have always told you to follow the law. A part of the law is not punching police officers," he says in a fake stern voice. "You're so lucky that they didn't have to call Carly or she would've been down here raising hell and you'd be either let go free of all charges or she'd be in jail too by now."

"I know. Mom's not exactly silent about her beliefs," Michael smiles as their hug ends.

Willow runs into the station, clearly stressed but holding it together as she runs to him. "You're okay? Nothing happened? Did Chase drop the charges?"

Michael hugs his wife, glancing at Jason in his happy moment. "Willow, look at me. I'm fine. Nothing happened to me and Chase agreed to drop the charges because it's a first offense. All that's been injured is my ego."

Smiling at the sight in front of him, Jason says, "I think that it's safe to say this is a sign you're really married now, she's worried you got hurt in your short jail stay."

"Hey, we've been married for months!" Willow objects, chuckling as Dante walks in casually with Wiley in a stroller.

Dante greets the staff he knows and says to Wiley, "See Daddy? He did a bad thing to Chase and now he had to get bailed out. But it looks like him and Mommy are finally admitting they love each other, so something good happened."

"Uncle Dante is a little bit too excited to see me bailed out, isn't he, Wiley?" Michael asks, pulling apart from his hug with Willow to take his son from Dante.

"Yes, I am, little brother. If you weren't an idiot, we wouldn't be in this situation," Dante cheekily responds. "As cute as this moment is, I'm going to leave you two to it and go do something else. Jason, Carly needs us for something. I will be telling her that you got arrested, Michael."

Michael glares at his brother while he leaves the station. "Great, now my mother's going to be mad at me too."

"I'm not mad at you," Willow tells him, smiling. "I think he deserved it and abused his power. And I think Mr. Wiley agrees with me."

"I think Wiley would have to agree with me as well that he's got the greatest mommy in the entire universe," Michael smiles at her.

"Greatest parents," Willow corrects him, kissing him again. "You don't give yourself enough credit."

Their family leaves the station together, laughing.

aH

[smileyoongle]

Idol BTS! Reaction To You Having A Terminal Illness Part 2

Hey there! I didn't think my terminal illness reaction was that good. Thank you so much. I'm pretty shocked that you actually wanna read more to it. So I hope you like it, anon!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Kim Seokjin:

Jin sat at the very bench where he had found out about your illness. He still wasn't over you, he would never be. It had been a year since you passed away and this was a usual habit of his. He would come to this place and imagine as if you were sitting by him, listening to whatever he had to say. He closed his eyes and let the wind caress his face. "Hello, princess. I'm back, as always." He let out a chuckle at his own words. "I hope heaven's treating you well. If they aren't, then they better be careful. I'll be there soon, you know." He said, looking at the stars in the sky. Jin knew very well that soon meant a pretty long time, but he was willing to wait it out. "Oh, did I mention that they tried to set me up on a blind date again? Yeah, I don't understand why they wouldn't give up because there's no way someone else can be what you were to me." He mumbled, eyes gazing at the empty seat next to him. He remembered how you told him that he had to find someone. Someone who would love him as you did. But Jin knew that there was no one. There could never be. Suddenly, his phone rung, screen flashing jungkook's name. He shook his head and ignored the call. "I'll be back, princess. Take care. I love you." He smiled at the stars. Getting up from the bench, he went to his car, knowing that he'll be back and you'll listen to him. Like always.

Kim Namjoon:

Namjoon stood near the grey stone, your name engraved in it. It gave him great comfort in knowing that you were still here, beneath all the mud, resting in peace now. He kneeled beside your grave, placing the fresh orchids above all the other flowers. Everyone had gone home after the ceremony was over, leaving Namjoon to grieve in his own way. Your family had also left with heavy hearts, tears streaming down their faces on the loss of someone so dear to them. "I miss you, already," Namjoon whispered, clenching his eyes shut, trying not to cry. Not being able to hold it back, he let it all out. Taking off his glasses that you loved so much, he covered his face with his hands. The gentle wind ruffled his hair as if it were your fingers. He felt your presence, your head on his shoulder, your hand rubbing his back soothingly. "It'll be okay, Joon. I promise." Your sweet voice sounding like music to his ears. He slowly removed his hands from his face, revealing his red eyes and wet cheeks. You smiled at him before placing your lips on his forehead. Namjoon knew very well that this was only an illusion and he wanted it to last as long as possible. "I know it'll be okay, Y/N." He said, crying and holding your hand as you started to fade away. "I love you." He sniffled, watching as you left him. He stood up, taking slow steps backwards, eyes never leaving your grave. Turning around, he forced himself not to look back. "I'll be fine, Y/N. I promise." He muttered, taking in a deep breath and preparing to start a life without you.

Min Yoongi:

The computer screen emitted light strong enough to illuminate the dark studio. Yoongi had been writing songs for the upcoming album, barely getting any sleep. He decided to take a break and proceeded to save the track, closing the tab to reveal your face. It had been 4 years since you went to a better place but it didn't feel like it. Instead, it was as if you never left, as if you were constantly around him. Maybe it was because of a certain 12-year-old girl that had eyes like yours even though she was adopted. Yoongi sighed and closed his eyes, ready to take a nap. A few minutes later, he felt hands covering his eyes and a small giggle ringing through the studio. "You're back early," Yoongi mumbled, taking the smaller hands into his own. "Yup, I had a dream where mom told me to check on you so here I am and clearly she was right." Said your daughter, gazing around the darkroom before going to switch on the lights. Yoongi let out a groan before turning his chair around to see her sitting on the plush couch, fiddling with the hem of her school uniform. Yoongi frowned and went to sit beside her. "And what could be bothering my rockstar?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. The young girl hesitated before raising her head to see Yoongi's concerned face. "It's Mother's Day tomorrow." She let out the words and gazed down at the carpet. Yoongi felt a wave of sadness go through him when he saw the tears trailing down his daughter's cheek. "I miss her, dad." She mumbled, voice cracking before she broke down into sobs. Yoongi pulled her into a hug and tried to control the tears threatening to spill. "She doesn't have to be here to be with you, remember? She's watching us from up there and she would hate to see us like this. Do you want her to be sad?" He said, voice as gentle as a feather. The 12-year-old shook her head and wiped her tears. Even though you left, you definitely prepared them to live without you. It wasn't easy at first but life goes on and people move on too.

Jung Hoseok:

The children laughed and chased each other around, the sun shining brightly in the sky. Hoseok admired the scene in front of him, thinking about the possibilities of saving at least one of the kids from being consumed by the illness that took you away from him. He looked up at the sky and smiled. He had just made a generous donation to a cancer charity for children in your name. He didn't want anyone to ever go through the pain of losing someone in such a terrible way. He felt his coat being tugged at, making him snap out of his thoughts. He looked down to find a little girl, holding a little teddy bear in one hand. "Hello Mr, are you an angel?" She asked, looking up at him with big and hopeful eyes. He chuckled and kneeled down in front of her. "What makes you say that?" He asked, still smiling. "Ms Jo said that an angel had come to let us know that we'll be okay. I'm sorry though, you see it's our playtime so no one was inside." She explained making hoseok's heart fill with warmth. He looked down at his shoes before looking back at her. "I am not an angel, sweets. But I do have an angel who sent me here. She's watching us from up there." He said, pointing up at the sky as the girl looked up. She smiled and asked him what the angel's name was. "Y/N." He answered. The little girl nodded and handed him her teddy bear. "Will you please give her this and tell her I said thank you?" She asked, gazing at Hoseok with her innocent eyes. Hoseok looked away as his eyes started to water. It had barely been 6 months without you and he was still trying to cope with the pain. He blinked away the tears and accepted the bear, nodding with a tight-lipped smile. The girl grinned and hugged him, making Hoseok feel better. He hugged her back and let a tear slip down his cheek. Before pulling away, he quickly wiped the tear. Waving him goodbye, the little girl ran back to her friends and Hoseok walked away. Maybe life won't be so bad. Maybe, just maybe he'll be happy again.

Park Jimin:

Jimin leaned his elbows on the railing in the huge balcony of the penthouse he had rented. The sun was setting on the horizon, the sky a beautiful mix of colours. This vacation was absolutely necessary after everything that he had been through. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of peace and contentment. Slowly, he felt your hands wrapped around him from behind. Smiling, he leaned his head back, resting it on your head. "Hi." You mumbled, grinning from ear to ear. He chuckled and turned around, pulling you into his chest. "Did you take your medicines?" He asked, swaying from side to side with you in his arms. You nodded and closed your eyes, listening to his heartbeat. A miracle recovery, the doctors had called it. You had survived even though everyone had already begun counting the number of days you had. "I'm happy." You stated and looked up to see Jimin's eyes. He smiled and leaned his forehead against yours. "Not more than me." He mumbled before kissing you. "I don't know what I would have done if-" you stopped him before he could complete that sentence by kissing him more deeply. Eventually, you both pulled away, gasping for breath. Jimin intertwined your fingers with his and kissed them one by one, letting his lips linger longer where the diamond ring adorned your finger. Now there was nothing that could take away the love you shared. "I can't wait to call you mine completely." He said, burying his face in your neck. You giggled and ran your hands through his hair. "And I can't wait to be yours completely." You replied, gazing at the sky which was now devoid of the sun.

Kim Taehyung:

Taehyung fluffed the pillows and arranged the blankets, making sure they were comfortable enough. The light from inside the truck streamed through the glass window lighting up the back of it. Taehyung grabbed his phone and checked the time. 2:00 AM. He smiled and looked at the sky. Finally, another item was checked off the bucket list that you both shared, witness a meteor shower together. "It's almost time," Taehyung announced, looking around once more to make sure everything was okay. He got off the back to help you climb up. You were still weak from all the treatments and medicines. Once he tucked you in, he got in beside you and held you close to him. "Are you cold?" He asked, brushing your hair off of your face. You shook your head and looked up at him. Suddenly, you saw bright lights from the corner of your eye making you turn your head. The rapid movement of the stars appearing and fading had you gasping in amazement. But Taehyung couldn't take his eyes off you. He had come so close to losing you. He was relieved that everything was okay now, you were okay and so was he. "I told you I'd complete the bucket list with you, didn't I?" He asked, taking your attention away from the stars. You smiled and kissed him. "I love you so much." You stated, closing your eyes and leaning on his chest. He grinned and kissed your head. "I love you more."

Jeon Jungkook:

Jungkook kicked a stone to the side as he walked beside his date for the evening. It was a blind date set up by his brother, an attempt to help him get over you. The date had thankfully come to an end and it was time to head home. Lana was a nice girl, warm and welcoming but she wasn't you. And Jungkook didn't want anyone who wasn't you. He turned to look at her when he heard her sigh. "So, who is she?" She asked, looking at the ground while continuing to walk. Jungkook almost tripped but composed himself. "What?" He looked at her with wide eyes. Lana chuckled and shook her head. "I've been on enough dates to know when someone is interested in me or someone else. So, tell me, who is that lucky girl?" She asked again, tucking her hair behind her ear. Jungkook bit his lip, guilty that he was caught. "She is no more. Died about 4 months ago." He answered. Lana stopped walking while Jungkook continued. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. Jungkook shook his head and gave her a small smile. He wasn't okay but he had to be. He promised you. Taking a glance at his watch, he cringed. It was almost midnight, he needed to hurry home. "Uh....look, I'm sorry that I probably ruined your hopes for this date but I really need to go now," Jungkook said in a rush. Lana smiled sympathetically and nodded. "I'll be here if you ever need anything." She waved her hand at him while he nodded and took off running. Opening the door to his house, he jogged to the kitchen and took out the cake that he had baked earlier in the day. Placing candles on it, he lit them up and took the cake to the living room where your photo hung on the wall above the fireplace. "Happy Birthday, my love." He whispered, blowing the candles and blinking away his tears. He missed you and he'll never stop missing you. He just needed to learn to live with this feeling and he hoped that someday he would.

Personally, I don't think this is good enough but hopefully it isn't that bad.

[random-snippetss]

Ember didn't even look up when they heard the footsteps, staring out over the bustling town of Bonesborough. They had to admit, Eda had chosen a great spot to set up. The view was amazing, especially at night, with all the lights and the stars and moon shining down. It felt like a dream.

The whole day felt like a nightmare.

Luz sat down, a respectful distance away from Ember. "You okay?" She asked softly. "You know, with..." She gestured vaguely, trailing off.

"Finding out I'm not human?" Ember finished. They sighed, resting their chin on their knee. "I...was always different, growing up. My ears, my eyes, being a foster kid. That one really left a mark on me." They shook their head. "But I always took comfort in the fact that, even though I was so different from the people around me, we were all human. I guess that's not exactly true anymore, if it ever was."

"Pheonixes aren't so bad," she tried.

"Until you have a tyrant bent on genocide telling everyone that we're evil and steal children to eat them," they pointed out. They let put a shaky breath, trying to make sense of what they were feeling. They closed their eyes and focused on the heat beneath their skin, feeling the strange yet familiar burn along their spine as they willed their wings to ignite.

They hadn't done this in almost eighteen years and winced when it singed their shirt. They curled them around themself, carefully touching the feathers of flame. "I have all these memories now, of all my past lives, and I don't know what to do with them," they continued, carefully preening them with awkward muscle memory. "I can't even ask my parents because Belos killed them."

"That is rough," Luz agreed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ember's heart ached in gratitude at the offer. Making a decision, they buried their fingers deeper into the wing, aiming for the itch of a loose feather. Pulling it free, they examined the flickering flame that engulfed their fingers. Without a second thought, they blew out the flame and offered the feather, a vibrant blue similar to a Blue Jay back in the human realm. "You can hold onto that for me," they suggested. "Keep it close, don't lose it."

Luz saluted, a look of absolute seriousness on her face. "Yes, sir," she barked out, before grinning and taking the feather. "It's pretty."

"Blue Pheonixes were incredibly rare, even before Belos hunted us down," they explained. "They're born from two regular Pheonixes, rather than a couple adopting a reborn Phoenix to raise."

"How rare is that?" She asked.

"About one in every thousand lifetimes."

She nudged them with a grin. "What does Mom always say?" She teased. "You're one of a kind. Literally."

They huffed a laugh. "Yeah, I guess she was right."

Silence passed between them for a long moment, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

"I miss her," she whispered, staring up at the moon.

They swallowed hard around the sudden lump in their throat. "Me too."

"Eda said that dinner would be ready soon," she said.

They nodded. "Tell her I'm not really hungry," they said. "I'll probably eat later, I just want to be alone right now."

Luz nodded and stood. "Okay." She turned to leave, pausing to turn back. "Everything's gonna be okay, Ember. Just wait and see."

Ember watched the human scramble down the sloped roof and climb back inside through the window. They turned back to the city, hugging their knees to their chest, wings flaring as they gently stretched them.

Luz was right. Everything was going to be okay. Maybe not today, probably not tomorrow, but eventually. And they couldn't wait to see it.

[chronicbatfictioner]

Theater of the Soul - Chapter 17

He could sense the tension in the air - even the bird boy was a little tense. There were people with white lab coats, and the nice lady doctor, who pricked him with numerous needles. It was only the boy's and the lady doctor's presence that made him reconsider punching them all and run away.

Well, that, and the fact that his legs still hurt a lot. It might not be a good idea to run while he could only hobble. The bird boy walked around a lot, and even if he'd walked slow enough to be caught up on, the too-much-walking still taxed his legs.

The boy would press his body onto his side while they were pricking him with needles, saying soothing things. At least they were in soothing tone, because his brain is too cloudy to know what they were talking about.

He has always had trouble sleeping, that much he remembered. Even under drugs, he would always be on alert - the smallest of noise would wake him up. Maybe it was due to the fact that he had never felt safe - living on the floors of the alleys of the city tend to sharpen one's instinct to the point of semi-paranoia.

This time, thought, he could tell that he was being drugged. But at least, the bird boy was there, holding his hand.

For the first time in his life, he succumbed to the blackness of sleep; knowing he would be safe. The bird boy would guard him, he was sure. Whatever it is they were trying to do by drugging him to sleep, the bird boy would make sure he would not be harmed in any way.

More bad news came from Dinah, just as Jason was about to be wheeled for the surgery. Tim, Barbara, and Dick eventually decided to hold their meeting while Bruce was holding vigil in front of Jason's surgical theater. 

Somehow, Bruce had even managed to joke, "this is the worst theater I've been in." 

And Tim really wanted to know what he would be thinking if he'd heard that his son was a suspect in a murder. No, that his son was the main suspect in a murder. 

"His prints and biologicals were found there - in the house where they had found Napier's body." Barbara said grimly, pointing out to the screen of her laptop that was showing police and Crime Scene reports.

"Okay, counselor, wouldn't that be obvious if he was detained there?" Dick countered. "Were they found on Napier's corpse?"

"They couldn't tell yet. They found the body decomposed, you know. Mummified, actually. I'm... not sure what to think of with the term 'mummified' and how... But I reckon the area he was found at was dry enough to make him mummify instead of fully decompose. They couldn't even determine time of death and put it on a very wide bracket of three months to a year." Barbara replied.

"The bright side is that I found clips that said Napier was alive by the time Danny met Jason three months ago." Tim showed them a clip from an info-tainment channel, showing Napier arguing with somebody out of sight right outside the Harley Club. "Supposedly - if the tabloids were to be believed, he'd left for LA right the next day. I haven't found anything from LA that can corroborate that." he admitted, a little begrudgingly.

"Right, I'll take that one, then. I've a friend who can poke out some alibis. You know him," Dick smirked at Barbara.

Barbara suddenly groaned. "Ugh... ick. Won't it be a little too obvious for you if you call him up and start asking about Napier?"

"He, who?" Tim wanted to know.

"Jason Bard, Private Investigator Extraordinaire," Dick smirked mischievously. "A.K.A. Babs' ex boyfriend."

"Oh," Tim winced. "Yeeeah, I agree. Might be a little too suspicious if you call your girlfriend's ex to investigate something involving your adoptive brother." Tim pointed out. "Other option?"

"There's Ralph Dibny, but if we ask him, he'll definitely report to Bruce." Dick huffed. "He and Bruce are like, BFWBs. Best Friend With Benefit - and said benefit comes in dollar signs."

"Victor Sage." Tim suddenly remembered. "He was an investigative journalist. He was really good and fair - he would expose either side of the suspicions fairly."

"...and place Jason in more stress?" Barbara said softly.

"Won't he be more stressed if he was to be named as a murderer when he couldn't defend himself? Jason is catatonic. He's not an idiot." Tim reminded them. "He's thinking, just not expressing. He'd talked to me once. Bruce had heard it, too."

Both Tim and Barbara landed their gaze on Dick, who was pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Alright," Dick finally decided. "Victor Sage. No punch pulled. We prepare ourselves for Jason's defense, right?"

Barbara nodded solemnly. "Always. I have Kate Spencer, Rachel Keast, and Jean Loring on speed dial."

"And all-girls squad, Babs?"

"Works for the heart, Dick." Barbara smirked. "If all else fails, go for the heartstrings. Orphaned, homeless, stardom, dumped broken and back on the streets... I'd cry if if were in the jury selection."

They continued chatting, plotting, scheming; interrupted only when Bruce finally came amongst them, looking gaunt and even older than his mid-30s.

"Did it work?" Dick demanded.

"Hm? Oh, the surgery itself was... 'easy', so Pieter said... the drama will begin once he wakes up." Bruce told them, sighing. "Alfred is waiting with him, in case he wakes up and get distressed." He did not imply anything, but Tim could sense Bruce's glare landed on him.

"I'll take over from Alfred once I'm done eating," Tim assured him, pointing to the takeout boxes Barbara has had on the table next to the laptop, didn't even realize that he has been devouring a box of noodles while talking. Dick, ever the mother-hen, had probably placed a box in Tim's hands and he'd started eating out of... well, it had smelled nice.

"He-- I would appreciate that, Tim, thank you." Bruce acknowledged. "Now, you kids maybe can fill me up on what schemes you've been running to prove Jason's innocence on Napier's death."

Dick dropped his fork halfway to his mouth. Tim nearly choked on his fry. Barbara just glared at Bruce.

"How." she demanded. Not asked.

"Diana Prince is a good friend of mine. She'd come here from Themiscyra under my parents' sponsorship." Bruce explained. "She had warned me that the investigation might hit too close to my home, and my son. And told me to prepare the defenses accordingly."

If Dick or Barbara had heard the same thing Tim did, of the words 'just don't tell me how the investigation going' that were not said, they did not show it.

"I'm thinking Kate Spencer, Rachel Keast, or Jean Loring on Jason's behalf." Barbara said. "They'll have to face... whoever's the DA in LA?"

"I think you can include Harvey Dent, too." Bruce said contemplatively. "He's... quite fond of Jason. And his position as a former Gotham City's DA would make him a formidable opponent."

"Whoa... that's heavy." Dick huffed.

"I'll consider Dent, if all else fails." Barbara replied, not detailing what 'else' might include. "The thing is, Dent defends crooks, too, nowadays. So I'm not comfortable with him."

"All lawyers would end up defending crooks at one point or another of their career, Barbara. It's a matter of how many hours they've booked. I'm presuming you'll co-chair with the Manhunter?" Bruce said. "I'd exempt Keats, though. Her link to Diana Prince - being from the same country - might be used against her investigation and us in general. Loring should be your last option - she would defend anyone with money and that could turn against you."

"Co-chair?" Tim echoed. "'Manhunter'?"

"Well yes, you didn't know Babs has a law degree?" Dick smirked at him. "Kate Spencer's nickname is the Manhunter, since she's pretty much vicious and relentless in proving some people's guilt."

"Of course I will. I'm partial to Kate, too, and just keep Keats and Loring as reserve. I might consider taking over Jason's custody temporarily while I'm at it." Barbara remarked.

"What for?" Dick asked, an eyebrow cocked in curiosity. "You're not even old enough to be his mom."

"Just for the simplification. If I have custody, all and any documents will be sent to me instead of Bruce. That way, nobody can imply 'parental ignorance' or neglect." she explained. "Sometimes when they're losing, the prosecutor would delay sending notices on new evidences, to rattle the defendant's defense."

"...so by sending them to Jason's actual legal guardian, Bruce, they would expect said notice to be actually lost." Dick clarified. "That actually kinda makes sense."

"Yes," Barbara nodded sagely. "I, on the other hand, do not let any envelope go past me and accepts my own mail. Their argument therefore will not be valid."

Tim sighed, "legal stuff hurts my head." he admitted at Barbara's glare. "Not like I don't understand them, I just... don't understand the necessity for scheming."

"I second that," Bruce agreed. "But then again, we're all law-abiding citizens here, so what do I know." he added blithely.

Barbara nodded slowly. "Hence you need the despicable breed that is Homo-Legalis to think dirty for you." she said with a smug smirk. "Think Jason would be awake by now?"

"Pieter-- Dr Cross said he should be fully sedated for at least three hours. So yeah, he could be starting to wake up now." Bruce looked at Tim expectantly.

"Pffft... alright. I know when I'm not wanted because the adults want to talk." Tim scowled playfully and dumped his empty noodle box into the bin. Bruce smiled. "I'm gonna keep Jason company, because at least he's still considered a kid. Like me."