#Kara is the kind to hit on her friend (totally just as a joke totally)

[play-read-write]

Gay robot story🧍?

Indeed. I got a gay robot story. it's a WIP with a lot of rambling and stuff but I like it. Is about a Robo-girl in high school with her totally-not-girlfriend best friend. Also they fight giant monsters and aliens. cause thats cool. Even have art of them.

art is by @majdart they do good comms. Tall one is Hannah. she's the robot. there's a reason she doesn't look very robo there but she def is.

also thanks for the ask i wasn't expecting it when i mentioned that in some tags but who doesn't like talking about their ocs?

[loveandleases]

Sorry if this has been asked. I tried to search but couldn't find it.

How do the RO's deal with jealousy. I notice that Cam, G and Ardent all are quite high (I mean Cam and Ardent are in a different legion). How do they deal when they see MC being hit on or someone just doing a flirty joking thing.

Can't wait for the release ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

I can't recall if it has or not. (I'm going to have to pick a designated day to sort out a masterlist) Answer below! (Me too, so excited okay more nervous than excited. I'm editing a wee bit of code that was broken from first round of beta. Not too much of a hassle!) ❤️ Cam - He should be used to being jealous of people making eyes at MC or when MC was dating, etc. But to Cam it was just ya know him being protective of his friend. That's all it was, so simple, so innocent. Until he came to terms with his feelings, which in turn kind of flipped a switch in his head and made it all make sense. His face reacts before his thoughts can sometimes, so he would be scowling, angry. Stumping around and pouting, Cam would try to diffuse the situation as quick as possible, if someone is flirting with MC, looks like Cam just remembered they've totally seen this person before. He will then put himself between MC and this person, "Hey weren't you here last time with your partner?" (he will think of so many ways for this person to leave mc alone. maybe even make a list for what works the fastest)

💙 G - I'm absolutely not jealous. Out of all the emotions I feel that is so far from any of them. (such a liar)

G denies, because they shouldn't be jealous, why do they care? Caring about MC about who they're interested in or whose interested in them shouldn't matter. Is the person a friend of MC's? That shouldn't matter, it shouldn't but damn it if it doesn't. G has more bite, they snap a bit, or they turn complete ice cold. As if MC doesn't exist, but they're paying far too much attention for that to be the case. Because realizing they're jealous hurts them, disgusts them.

💚 Kara - There are moments when Kara can and has gotten jealous when in regards to MC. Some of those moments was when MC and Chris were together. Was she jealous because MC was spending time with her older sibling who she considers a close friend? Or was it more? Whose to say (I can't!). When not in a relationship she doesn't believe she has a right to be jealous when it comes to MC, so she does get conflicted when it happens, however seldom. She likes attention, if she's getting it from MC good if not...well maybe she just needs to do something to change that. She tries to brush it off, lets it settle. Because clearly that jealousy is fleeting right?

💛 M - So M is a tricky one, they are close to very few people so if and when MC becomes one of those and they see that someone is trying to take that time with MC away from them, they get kinda jealous. They'll blush, brush it off. Then their tongue will slip and they will say something catty. Apologize profusely. M doesn't know how to handle those emotions, they haven't had experience with it so it's a learning time for them.

💜 Isaac - It would take a lot for Isaac to get jealous. Would have to be in deep crush/early relationship stage for it to really start. It would scare them, but they would hide that from MC. Isaac knows pain, so if they get jealous then they worry that can lead to other feelings other fears. They'll try to ignore it, because if MC and Isaac are together, they have to trust its for a reason. It's not just a thrill of a moment. So they deal with jealousy with patience, or try to.

🖤 Ardent - Ooooh goodness. Ardent doesn't deal with it. Nope, even crushing stage. He's not dealing with that. He would be brash, to the point. Tell the person to back the fuck off, and if he sees them again well, that's going to be a problem. When Ardent cares for someone, he does it with every fiber of his being. So seeing someone trying to overstep their bounds especially if that person is making MC uncomfortable. That would get his temper quicker than anything. Ardent would be clingy, so clingy so annoying. Like hold his hand, better yet let him wrap you in his arms because this guy is sulking.

[supercorpkid]

Jump into action

Supergirl, B!D, Kara Danvers x Sister!Reader, Alex Danvers x Sister!Reader, Sam Arias x SisterInLaw!Reader

Word Count: 1980.

Notes: a request from a friend <3

“Sam?” You call, going inside the training center. “Sam, are you here? I think we have to go.”

“Go where?” Sam comes from behind a car that she’s been punching, using it as a punching bag since those are too light for her and Kara.

“There is something going on downtown, and no one is back from the other emergency thing they went on. I think it is up to us.”

You can see that Sam is clearly panicking. And you know for a fact that is not because of herself having to go there and fight, but rather because she will have to be responsible for you. 

You are not a child, but the Superfriends often treat you like you are. Not only because you are the youngest of the gang, but especially because you’re the ‘baby’ Danvers and they see how Kara and Alex are protective of you. It’s worse for Sam, because ever since she married your sister, she knows Alex would be twice as upset if you got injured on her watch.

“Maybe I should go assess the situation alone.” Sam tries, like it’s a perfectly fine idea, and you roll your eyes at her. 

“Sam! Are you serious? God, you guys keep treating me like I’m a toddler! I have the same training as Alex. I know how to take care of myself.” It’s a valid point, and she knows it, yet it is clear to you she is about to ignore and try a counter argument, so you beat her to it. “Besides, you should have someone with an FBI badge around as much as possible. You never know when you’re going to need it.”

She rolls her eyes when can’t find another good argument, “God, you’re right. Ok, fine, let’s go.” You open the biggest smile. “You’re there for support, do not jump into the middle of the fight. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, mom.” You joke, getting a huff in response. Way to push her buttons.  

Is good to know that Sam and Reign have made peace with each other. And it’s great to have another Kryptonian on the team for sure. Yet, she is totally bonkers if she actually thinks you’re just going to sit still amidst the pandemonium. Like, does she even know the Danvers? You are not the ‘sit and wait’ kind of people.

You and Sam make your way to the confusion downtown. You can’t believe how many emergencies there are in National City. Kara would hate to know that you think it’s probably because of her, and how her powers and name just draw bad guys into town. But the truth is, it’s probably because there are a lot of heroes here to handle it.

“Ok-” Sam points at the center of what it looks like the confusion is coming from. “You get the people out of here, and I’ll go figure out what’s going on.”

“Yes boss.” You take your badge out of your pocket and start going around asking people to move out of the way and go to safety. There weren't a lot of people standing around in the middle of the chaos, so you’re done really fast. 

Sam, on the other hand, was having a hard time keeping up with the fight and you thought, why not help, right? Did you absolutely ignore her when she said she didn’t need help? Maybe. Did you pretend you couldn’t hear her when she asked you to get out of there, even with her standing right next to you? No! (Yes!). 

But in your defense, if there’s any, this was your first chance to actually do some work. Every time you go on missions either Kara or Alex are there, and they do not let you do shit! You know they’re scared of you getting hurt, but they get hurt all the time and they just shake it off and start over. You’re allowed to do the same.

“What the hell, Y/N!” Sam runs to you after you were thrown to the other side and hit your back on a tree, causing both you and the tree to fall loudly on the floor. “I told you to stay out of it!”

“I can do it! I’m fine!” You say, ignoring the pain you are feeling. 

“Look at you!” Sam holds your face and you feel the burn of a cut when she touches your forehead. She looks at the blood on her hands, incredulous. “Stay here while I finish this! Do not move or I swear to God!” She gets up, throwing her cape behind her, and it almost hits your face. “Unbelievable! Alex is going to kill me!”

You obviously want to help her end this fight, but your body doesn’t want the same. You grunt while sitting up, to watch Sam fighting a few meters in front of you. You look down at your wrist, yep, it is definitely broken. Damn, Alex will kill both of you!

Sam is done a while later. And she comes back to you, picking you up, while mumbling things like ‘I’m Kryptonian! What were you thinking? How am I going to explain this to Alex?’ and so on. You stay in silence, in her arms, while she flies with you back to the Tower. 

“Sam,” You start as soon as she lands. “I’m sorry. I wanted to prove myself and I messed up.”

She exhales deeply, knowing what you mean. She knows that you’re treated like a kid even though you aren’t, so she probably knows you were dying to prove yourself out there when you finally got the chance.

“Just- just let me deal with my sisters, ok?” She puts you back on your feet, but doesn’t let go of you as you limp your way inside the Tower.

You hear voices inside, and you know they are already back from their mission as well. Kara is the first one to notice you.

“Y/N! What-What happened to you?” She rushes to your side and even though you were walking when she saw you, she still picks you up and rushes to the couch that is in the middle of the room, with Alex following her close-by. 

“I’m fine! I can walk!” You complain as she lies you down on the couch. Alex is already examining you the second you close your mouth. 

“What happened?” She spits out greeted teeth, when you squeak after she examines your wrist. “It’s broken.” She looks up. “Lena?”

“Got it.” Lena rushes to the medbay, while Alex’s hand goes to your face to check your open cuts. 

“Start talking!” 

“It’s my fault.” Sam calls the attention, and everyone looks behind, very shocked by her confession. You, included.

“What?” You sit up on the couch. “No, it’s not.”

“Lay back.” Alex gently pushes you back on the couch, and looks at Sam, almost daring her to come closer and explain the whole thing. Which she does, even though she looks terrified that Alex will be mad at her about it.

“Yes, it is. There was an emergency downtown and all of you guys were out. And even though I made peace with Reign I’m still not sure I can use all this power, so I begged Y/N to come with me. And-” She rushes the explanation when both of your sisters open their mouths to argue. “She was amazing, really. She had my back the whole time and I should’ve protected her so she wouldn’t get hurt, so… It’s my fault and you guys can blame me.”

You furrow your brows at her. That was not what happened, why is Sam saying all this?

“She is brave.” She makes sure, when your sisters look back at you. “A true Danvers.”

Kara smiles, holding your hand that isn’t broken, and Alex’s confused and worried face eases up a little. As soon as Lena is back with everything necessary from the medbay, Alex starts stitching you up. 

You don’t tell anyone that Sam’s story wasn’t exactly what happened out there. You know she was trying to have your back, but you’re not sure why when you did the opposite of what she asked you to, and got yourself in danger because you couldn’t take orders.

She is dragged to the medbay to lay under the yellow sun lamp shortly after by Lena, and you only get the chance to share one knowing look with her before it. 

When Alex is finally done with you, and has made sure you are totally fine a couple of times, she makes her way to the medbay to check on her wife. You beg her to not be mad at Sam, but you’re still scared she is going to, regardless. You are her little sister, and all of her life she felt responsible for you. 

Kara, who also feels responsible for you in every way imaginable, doesn’t get out of your side, and makes sure you have everything you need to be comfortable. It’s sweet, and not at all surprising.

“Hey,” Alex gets closer, and Sam gives her a trying smile, unsure about how she feels. “how are you, hun?”

“Oh, totally fine.” Sam assures her. “This is just a formality. Though Lena did say she would beat me up if I tried to leave.”

Alex chuckles, sitting on the stretcher, and holding Sam’s face while kissing her. “I’m glad you’re fine.”

“Wait, I just confessed that I put your baby sister in danger and you’re here kissing me?” Sam furrows her brows. “What’s the catch?”

“The catch, Mrs. Arias, is that I know my sister and my wife way too well to know that your story was full of baloney.” Alex catches a little smile on Sam’s lips before she interjects. “Please. Danvers are brave, like you said. But also stupidly stubborn. And that little one over there is probably the most stubborn of us all.”

“Well, I don’t know. Her big sister puts up a really tough fight.” Sam jokes, stealing a kiss from Alex’s lips. 

“I’m glad you were there with her.” Alex makes sure, after the kiss. “I have no doubt you did everything in your power to keep her out of danger. Like I would.” Sam agrees with a smile. “Next time, though, you should let her admit it. She has to deal with the consequences of her actions.”

“Honey, Y/N broke her wrist and it’s feeling like crap. She is dealing with it. Besides, she just wanted to prove herself to you and Kara. Cut her some slack. She wouldn’t be so eager to fight if you guys let her jump in the action a few times.”

“I know, I know.” 

“Now, can you sign me off from here? I really don’t need this.” Sam looks up at the yellow sunlight emulator. 

“Oh, you can leave.” Alex says and Sam jumps off the bed immediately. “But you’ll have to deal with Lena.”

“Aw, come on.” And back to the bed she goes.

When Sam makes it back to where everyone is, there’s already pizza and donuts going around. Kara already picked up Charades, and you are all pairing up to play.

“Hey, you and me?” You look up to Sam coming closer.

Kara furrows her brows, a little pout forming on her lips. “What? But you always go with me.”

“Yeah, I know.” But you look back at Sam with a smile, regardless. “But I think we made a good team today. Wanna try?”

“Sure. Got your back.” Sam says, plopping down next to you. She places a little kiss on the top of your head. “Let’s kick some ass, baby Danvers.”

Kara and Alex share an eye roll before agreeing that you absolutely will not win. And despite their best efforts, you two absolutely do win.

[jmoriarty-221b]

So I saw somewhere a post that talked about how some fictional characters just have a divorce vibe going on, like, at no point in time were they ever married but they just give off that feeling that they got divorced

And now I can only think of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor having that vibe

And I spent close to an hour talking about this to my sibling and how it would be a good idea for a new DC show like, you can make so much money off of just the main Batfam alone and there are literally so many people in there that it’s just an amazing idea to have them all in a show together but kind of like a Good Luck Charlie kinda thing because there’s more than enough angst in the world

But in the case of not having enough of a budget for so many characters in one show I turned to the Superfam (Batfam is Huge like, I don’t even know half of the extended family version and that’s like at least ten characters so I could see why it wouldn’t be entirely feasible to have a show that included everyone while still being good with nice character development without having a billion dollars for the budget)

The Superfam, in my personal experience, is composed of Ma & Pa Kent (farm vibes plus I refuse to have either of them die in my AU), Clark Kent (main Superman), Lois Lane (Lana? was Smallville Lois i guess??? But idk enough about her so she’s not here), Jon Kent (Superboi II), Kara Danvers (Supergirl) & Conner Kent (Superboi I)

Now I’ve stopped watching CW shows like, forever ago??? But my brother kinda keeps up with them and basically the gist is that the ratings of every other show suck Except for the Superman & Lois show (because it’s ���new💫) and I saw the cover of the poster like “Ah, the werewolf dude. . . mmmhhmmm that’s Lois yes, yes that’s Johnny boi, and um is that???? Nooooo, they wouldn’t do that to Conner right???? Please tell me they didn’t make Conner blonde” and I was informed that the blonde teen is Chris???? Like

Whoms’t do ye speak of

I’m not even joking but the only way I even know of Chris is from a random fanfic I read where Dick Grayson gets his own super from an alternate reality named Chris, that’s my only point of reference for this character

But let’s talk about how Conner Kent (OG Superboi) was excluded

Now I haven’t seen any episodes of this and I probably never will (no hate I’m just really unmotivated to start new shows at all) so idk if they might mention Conner or even allude to him in one scene or something

But this was my main motivator as to my new Superfam TV Show Idea

Have Lex Luthor not be a Superman villain, he’s mainly a successful businessman, a little shady but who isn’t, and he doesn’t want to Kill Superman, he just wants to be able to have some sort of viable protection against a Kryptonian in case of an invasion (see Man of Steel + CW’s Supergirl) or suddenly having a mind controlled Superman on their hands (see Justice League series or just look up what Red Krytonite does) so he makes it like his side thing to figure out ways to neutralize or hold back a Kryptonian, Clark totally thinks that Lex is obsessed with finding a way to kill Superman because they had a bad end to their friendship in high school so he’s always suspicious of Lex, Lex hasn’t really ever tried to kill him though because 1. It’s not that deep Clark ok? And 2. He’s a busy busy man with a very important job position and a company to run so does he look like he has time to harbor an obsession over someone who rejected him back in high school??? You’re more of a constant side quest Clark, so stop trying to put him on the JL watchlist ( btw ik about Lena Luthor, haven’t forgotten her but she doesn’t really play a part in this AU so let’s just have her and Kara off to the side doing their own thing ok? Ok)

Lex, Bruce & Oliver all knew each other when they were kids and went to the same school, this is just an extra detail I wanted to happen because Lex and Ollie definitely know Bruce is Batman and absolutely HATE having to deal with Brucie Wayne because “I know you’re just doing this to irritate me Bruce, you just want to see if you can make a vein throb in my forehead but I will valiantly ignore your dumbassery because I know you hate being Brucie just as much as we hate having to put up with Brucie so suck on that you petty bitch” because they bonded in ye olden days, childhood friends so to speak

Anyway so Cadmus tries to get Lex to make an investment in their company, seeing as Cadmus is shadier than Gotham when it rains Lex is basically like ‘no ❤️’ and doesn’t make a deal with them, Cadmus gets mad at not having Lexcorp financially backing them so Lex has an ‘accident’ and they steal his DNA, then they steal Superman’s DNA somehow and *boom* a Superboi is formed

Because I don’t know much about how the Core Four became friends in the first place (Robin Tim Drake, Impulse Bart Allen, Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark & Superboy Conner Kent) I’m just gonna go with what happens in the show Young Justice except it’s the Core Four becoming the Core Four when they liberated Conner (who at this point believes himself to be a clone of Superman and has only been given Superboy as a name) from Cadmus, same shit goes down meaning that Clark is just straight up NOT vibing with Conner, Conner just wants a mentor please, and the Bats kinda give Clark a passive aggressive treatment for not taking Superboy under his wing or at least agreeing to teach him how to control his powers, especially Tim because that’s his Bestie so yes

Anyway, YJ saves ppl and is on the news or whatever and Lex finds out about Superboy’s existence that way, so he researches this new super on his free time, finds out that he came from Cadmus and claims to be a clone of Superman, yet doesn’t have the whole power set Superman has??? Wait, didn’t Lex reject Cadmus’ proposal and the got into a mysterious accident??? Long story short Lex goes connecting the dots, hacks into Cadmus’ files, finds out he technically has a son with Superman and decides to take Superboy under his wing (I’ll go more in depth as to why Lex would want to do this in this AU later but the abridged version would be that he wants a kid but doesn’t have the time nor interest in finding a wife??? Also the radiation that made him bald as a kid also affected his reproductive system so while it’s not impossible for him to conceive kids he would have a very hard time actually getting to father a kid)

Him and Conner, who still goes by Superboy at this point in time, meet up and Conner finds out that here is a parent figure that is both available and actively wants to be a part of his life, so he agrees to get to know Lex and the series would focus on them becoming a family, with a special episode when Conner asks Lex for help in choosing a name for himself and it ends up with him agreeing to become Conner Luthor, it would be heartwarming and Mercy would make sure it happens within a day (Mercy is Lex’s bodyguard/PA but they’re also besties and she becomes the Responsible yet Chaotic Aunt as Lex and Conner’s father-son relationship progresses)

Obviously Clark becomes super suspicious of Lex getting close to his ‘clone’ and when Conner decides to go public as Lex’s son he’s like *GASP* and calls up Bruce because we need to get on this Bruce, Lex is a villain and blah blah blah but Bruce would be over Clark’s shit and hit him with that “actually, Lex was also an unwilling genetic donor to Superboy, who actually is not your clone either, and has agreed to take him in, I’ve been on this shit since they first met and the kid is doing just fine so if you keep poking your nose in their business then that’s your problem but you better be ready to pay child support bitch . . . have a good day ❤️”

The series would just focus on Conner getting to have a good parent figure in Lex and go more into their civilian lives rather than focusing on the superhero thing, Conner, Bart, Tim & Cassie have a sleepover at Lex’s house at one point, Lex totally Knows what’s up but it’s all good because these are his baby’s friends and they’re good people who are more than willing to prank Superman for rejecting his kid and giving his baby self worth issues (Mercy supports them)

Anyway, that’s basically the idea for a new Superhero Show

[eddiesasspbrak]

When I’m With You: Epilogue

Eddie can’t stand the barista at his favorite coffee shop. Richie has fallen in love with the man he sees twice a week. Stan is dating someone but won’t let his friends meet them. Ben is in love with Beverly, but is so afraid of scaring her away he’s not moving forward. Chaotic friends navigating college together. 

Read on AO3

1k+ words

“Shit, shit, shit.” Eddie cursed, breathless as he rushed down the street. It was warm out, far too warm for a November evening and he was sweating in his jacket but couldn’t slow enough to take it off. He was already running late and couldn’t risk stopping or slowing down for anything. Except maybe cars, he definitely didn’t want to get hit by someone speeding or stopping in the crosswalk rather than before it.

As he stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the red hand to disappear and the little green person to appear, he checked his phone. He officially had five minutes to get the venue and was roughly eight minutes away. Sucking in a deep breath, he sprinted as soon as the light turned (and he was sure no cars were blowing through the red), determined to make it.

With the venue in sight, he pushed his (tired from the six-hour shift) legs to carry him just the last few feet. Once inside, he panted to catch his breath, climbing the stairs from the noisy bar below to the quiet room above with difficulty. He took a puff from his inhaler while searching the seats for his friends. They were easy enough to spot with Bev’s red hair tied up in a bun atop her head. He squeezed between the rows of seats, finally peeling off his jacket after plopping down next to Stan.

“Cutting it close, aren’t we?” He asked.

“Becca was late for her fucking shift again. I told her I needed to leave a little early today. She’s so unreliable I don’t understand how she hasn’t been fired yet.” He sighed, taking the bottle of water Stan held out to him.

“I told you, you need to look for another job and leave that place. They totally take advantage of you.” Bev spoke up, leaning forward to see Eddie across Mike and Stan.

“I know, but the tips are so good there.” He whined.

They immediately stopped talking when the overhead lights were flashed, indicating it was about to begin. Eddie settled back in his chair, the cold air in the room cooling the sweat on his skin and making him shiver.

Richie and two others appeared in the empty space in front of the audience from a back room. He wore suspenders, a white button up with the sleeves rolled up his biceps, his wild hair slicked back. Eddie had already seen this costume at home, but he still got butterflies in the stomach as he took in all that was his handsome love. The room was quiet, and then they began…

*

The group sat at the bar, the tables already claimed by the cast and their friends and family. Rose, Kara and Jen joined them, only staying long enough to greet Richie before they had to head out. They were basically Richie’s family and Eddie knew he’d be happy they’d come to see him and support him. Kara was going on about the little plays he’d put on with Jen when she was smaller. He was her favorite babysitter. One thing Eddie had come to know about Richie was that he was very smart and very academic. So, he’d help her with homework, bake something sweet with her and then act out scenes from whatever Shakespeare play she was obsessed with at the moment. Rose joked that he would make a good dad one day, nudging Eddie with her elbow and giving him a wink. Flustered, he stumbled over his words, assuring them that they were a long, long, long way from anything like that and Rose only laughed, Kara scolding her for teasing him. He really liked them.

Some of the cast began to filter down the stairs and into the bar below. They were smiling, beaming and vibrating with post show excitement. Eddie turned and watched for the mop of black hair he knew oh so well. When he emerged from around the corner, grin in place and chatting with a costar, Eddie once again felt his chest tighten. He’d almost missed it. Almost been late to see the show he was so proud of. They’d been working on it for months, finally securing the bar attic to put it on with promises of business from the cast, crew and audience. He’d have hated himself if he’d missed even a second of it.

Richie stopped near the bottom of the stairs, continuing his conversation. While they spoke, he scanned the crowd, his eyes landing on Eddie and his grin growing upon seeing his face. Eddie waited, watching as they conversed, Richie occasionally looking back over to him. It was maddening. He wanted to see him. Sure, he’d seen him that morning, waking in the same bed even, but he missed him and wanted to congratulate him and tell him how wonderful he’d been in the show. Moving in together only made him want to spend even more time with him.

He longed for the rainy nights, cuddling on the couch they’d stolen from Eddie’s old place, lights turned low and listening to the raindrops hit the window nearby. Movie nights with their friends, the apartment smelling of popcorn and freshly baked cookies, the chatter and laughter of people they loved filling the room. Lying on the bed with Penny, watching her scurry around on the sheet before cuddling in close to Eddie to nap while Richie cleaned out her home. Even when they’d clean together, organizing and doing laundry. Domestic. That’s what it was, and he loved it. He loved him.

When Richie finally ended the conversation, bidding his castmate farewell, he made his way straight through the crowd to Eddie. Before he could even greet him, Richie was pulling him into a tight hug. Eddie could feel his smile against his neck where Richie was placing a chaste kiss. He could practically feel the joy radiating off of him and his eyes were shining when he pulled back to look Eddie in the face.

“Did you like it?” Richie’s smile always made him feel some kind of way, and now he was practically glowing.

“I loved it.” Eddie placed a hand on Richie’s cheek, his fingers pushing into his dark hair. “You were amazing. The best one up there. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

“Can you ever?”

“Nope.” Eddie smiled, pressing a kiss to Richie’s lips.

“Come on you two, you live together and can do that whenever. Let us congratulate the talented thespian too!” Bev called out, standing from her stool at the bar.

The two turned to their friends, smiling and walking hand in hand back to the group. Rose and Kara both got teary eyed as they hugged Richie and told him how proud they were. Jen teased him about his costumes. As early evening turned to night, the sun slipping below the horizon, the friends claimed a table that had become empty, ordering bar food to feed an army, drinking, talking and laughing the night away.

As Eddie looked around the table, his heart felt full. Ben and Stan had pretty much always been there, the two people he could rely on more than anyone else in the world. His brothers. Mike and Bill, who made Stan so much happier than he’d ever seen him. That alone made Eddie love them both. Bev, who was the first girl worthy of Ben’s love and admiration and one of the best friends he’d ever made. And Richie, the person he was sure he was mean to be with. The first person he had ever loved and made him feel worthy of love. He stood by him even when he was rude and dismissive, and through all the bullshit with his mom. He felt strong with Richie by his side. For the first time in his life, he was happy. Truly and completely happy. Sure, things would come up in the future that would hurt and shake his happiness, but for now he felt at peace. He felt like he was home because that’s exactly where he was. His friends, new and old, and Richie…they were home.

[mischiefandspirits]

Colony of Gotham (7/7)

The Colony of Gotham is an urban legend that is whispered about in the dangerous city. It’s said the Colony is a family of demons and spirits that stalk the night, hunting for the souls of the guilty.

When Bruce became Batman, he’d never intended to be mistaken for a demon. He was happy to lean into it, though, and as he gained his partners – as his family grew – they all followed suit.

First Part ~ Previous Part

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

Once Tigress had escorted Flash and Young Justice to the Watchtower and had calmed everyone down, she explained that the Colony was not, in fact, malevolent.

She told them that the family was simply territorial of the area they protected. Their actions had just been them making their point in their typical chaotic and playful way. She and Flash had encountered some of the Colony the night before and after assuring them they would continue to keep their business out of the city, the bats and birds had agreed to a truce. The Flash's kidnapping was just Flash wanting to get in on the joke. He was meant to show up that night with a figurative olive branch from the Colony, but then Young Justice had rushed in and the Colony reacted in kind by capturing them. They then informed Flash so he and Tigress could return them. The team was reprimanded for rushing in without backup and Flash was given extra monitor duty as punishment for his trick. He accepted it graciously, having expected it.

When they made it back to Gotham, Dick explained Damian’s past to Artemis and Wally. The latter was not pleased to discover the young boy he’d been teasing and calling cute for years was an assassin.

“He might be a former assassin, but he’s still adorable.”

“No, Dick, you don’t call people who can and will slit your throat if you upset them adorable. You could have warned me! I nearly died!”

“A lot,” Jason added from off to the side where the rest of Dick’s siblings were watching the show with popcorn.

“Damian wouldn't have actually killed you,” Dick argued.

“Maybe just maimed you a little. But hey, you heal fast.”

“Not helping Tiny Jay,” Dick hissed as Wally pointed at Tim and nodded.

“Maimed! I could have been maimed! Just because I heal fast doesn’t mean getting maimed doesn’t hurt!”

“Dami never meant to kill. Dami only meant to maim or seriously injure,” Carrie croaked from right behind the speedster, causing him to jump with a shriek.

“No voice filters in the manor,” Dick huffed at her before turning to his siblings as a whole. “Guys, please stop traumatizing my partners!”

Artemis, who until this point had been pinching the bridge of her nose, looked up with a murderous expression. “YOU STARTED IT!”

When Bruce and Selina returned from their honeymoon, the kids explained what had happened.

Bruce would never admit it, but he was proud of how the kids handled the situation. They ensured the other teams wouldn’t interfere in Gotham and limited the amount of information that got out about them to people who were already trusted. That said, he would have preferred they had taken the situation more seriously, which he made sure they knew.

No matter how amusing the recordings Barbara had shown him of the heroes’ reactions were.

He also would have preferred no information got out about them, but he knew it was only a matter of time for those who did find out. Young Justice was just a little too invested in Tim’s wellbeing, not that he was complaining, so they were sure to notice something eventually. As for Wally and Artemis, he’d been waiting for this since they’d found out the family’s other secret.

Selina had bet the engagement announcement would happen first, but he knew Dick wouldn’t have agreed without all secrets coming to light first.

He was a little less forgiving of the rest of the kids taking this as permission to tell their friends.

He wasn’t too annoyed with Damian as Jon had already suspected there was something different about the family (he was too much like his mother) and he mostly excused Stephanie and Bette seeing as Cassie already knew, which meant they were more likely to mess up in the group chat. He didn’t say anything to Barbara, partly because she wasn’t really his (no matter how much he cared for her) and partly because she’d somehow managed to convince Hank and Dawn she was still a demon.

He did have talks with Dick, Jason, and Carrie though. Kory might have been a friend of the family for longer than Jason had been a member (as Dick had been quick to point out in his defense), but they hadn’t been as close since the breakup. Artemis Grace tended to be a wild card in regards to her loyalties and her team had a looser grasp on the law then most others in their business (Jason took offense to this, of course, even if he didn’t object). As for Traci, they simply didn’t know her (No, Carrie, a two day round trip does not give you plenty of time to know a person. No, I don’t care if you managed to convince her you were a demon. Barbara’s situation is different!).

There was a bright side to this, though. The mix of information that the heroes had ended up causing a few amusing situations.

One such situation came up a few months later when Tim, Stephanie, and Bette were hanging out with their friends at Mount Justice. Bette offhandedly mentioned to Cissie that Damian’s mother was part of “the League” right before the three Gothamites got called away. This resulted in Cissie, who thought the Robins were human, gossiping with Roy, who thought Robin was a demon, about how “Batman totally knocked up someone in the JL and Robin’s the result.” This resulted in Oliver, who’d been eavesdropping, ending a League meeting by asking if anyone knew who’d spawned the Bloody Robin. The information reached anyone even remotely connected to the League within twenty-four hours.

The Colony just sat back and watched the accidental chaos, obviously.

The most common theory was Wonder Woman, though no one was willing to suggest it anywhere she might hear. One of Hawkgirl’s past lives was also a popular theory, and she was horrified when she realized she couldn’t be sure it wasn’t true.

It came to a head when the Titans decided to have a get together of current and former Titans and Teen Titans. Guests were allowed, so Kory and Roy invited Artemis Grace and Bizarro. Assuming the event would be boring and wanting to either have someone who would lighten it up or be bored with her, Artemis only agreed to come if Red Hood came too. To the horror of everyone not in the know, Kory not only agreed, but decided to extend the invite to all the younger members of the Colony.

Nightwing and Robin arrived first with Tigress and Flash, the older bird arm in arm with Tigress while the younger was sitting on Flash’s shoulders. Both gave too wide grins as they waved at the Titans and Teen Titans who were already gathered. Robin dropped limply off Flash’s shoulders and hit the ground in a roll before running off to drape herself over Thirteen.

Batgirl, Hawkfire, and Lark arrived next with Cassie and Donna, to the latter’s obvious discomfort. They were quickly joined by Cissie and Kara as Donna went off to greet her friends. Batgirl took great joy in disappearing and reappearing around the room, while Lark took great joy in selling her out every chance he got since he could always see where she was. Hawkfire was equally thrilled to use the voices of anyone who got near, having made sure to study up on as many people who’d be at the party as possible so she could mimic their voices.

The rest of Young Justice arrived shortly later with Superboy, Corvid, and Robin. The last surprised most of the people who’d already been there, until they realized Robin was no longer at Thirteen’s side despite many being sure she’d been there only a second before. Throughout the party Robin seemed to disappear from Thirteen’s side, only to reappear across the room at Superboy’s within a second. Some even swore they’d seen Robin in two places at once, but no one was ever sure. Meanwhile Corvid’s speech pattern had him sticking close to a member of the Colony or Kory so they could translate for him.

No one was exactly sure when Black Bat and Bluebird arrived. They were simply there, hovering around some of the others or hidden off in a corner. No one ever seemed to notice Black Bat come or go between groups either. She always seemed to just be there.

Pythia had been there from the beginning, but she mostly just kept to herself, watching and listening through the cameras, until Hawk and Dove arrived. Then she whispered at them through the nearest speaker. This meant the two mostly stayed off to the side on their own, but neither felt any need to complain.

Roy, Artemis, Bizarro, and Red Hood arrived after the party was already in full swing with no reason for being late other than a joke from Roy about being fashionable. Red Hood had a similar experience to Corvid, though Kory could not translate for him while Artemis and Bizarro could. Artemis had placed a comm into her ear for the occasion, but not even the Colony could explain how Bizarro managed to always know what Red Hood was saying.

Despite the Colony’s eccentricities, the party went smoothly.

Until someone brought up Robin’s heritage, at least.

The Robin with Thirteen snickered when she heard and disappeared into the shadows. Corvid, who had also been near, shook his head and let her slip under his cape as he headed towards where Kon and Lark were talking.

The debate began to spread until Beast Boy huffed and turned to Bluebird. “So who popped out the demon spawn?”

The room fell silent and a few people gave him terrified expressions before glancing at the Colony. The shapeshifter squirmed, not having meant for his voice to be as loud as it was.

The thing was, every Robin had been referred to as a demon spawn at multiple points in their lives, and Black Bat had had the title thrown at her a few times too. As such the group couldn’t help themselves.

With eerie synchrony, Dick, Stephanie, Bette, Duke, Damian, and Carrie all answered, “My mom.”

Most noticed that Jason, Tim, and Cass had all answered as well in growls, trills, and sign language respectively, which only added to the confusion or horror everyone in the room was feeling.

Those who knew the group to be the Wayne family and associates were confused about why they had all answered, and why answer like that as they had thought their friends had separate mothers. Didn’t they? Those who knew they were not actually demons were also thrown by how the group had managed to speak as one.

Meanwhile those who knew nothing were terrified as they came to the incorrect conclusion that a member of the Justice League had somehow managed to spawn most of the Colony without anyone finding out.

The Colony refused to say any names, but otherwise most of them were happy to answer questions about their mother. This really only managed to confuse people more, however. Especially when people would get conflicting answers. That was near always, really, as Nightwing was describing his mother; Red Hood was describing Catherine Todd; Corvid was switching between his mother and Selina; Batgirl was switching between her mother, Kate, Selina, and Talia (the middle two purely for the amusement and the last for the looks she’d get from Robin whenever he caught her at it); Hawkfire was describing her mother; Black Bat was just gesturing for Bluebird to describe her own mother; Lark was describing his mother; and both Robins were describing Selina (though Damian would later state it was purely for the consistency with his fellow Robin).

It was only after the party when the Colony, Young Justice, Tigress, Flash, Starfire, Artemis, Arrowette, Supergirl, Superboy, and Thirteen retreated to the cave that anyone got a real answer.

“Oh, Dami’s mother is from the League of Assassins, not the Justice League. There must have been a mix up somewhere.”

Surprisingly, this did not bring relief to anyone. Especially when they found out his mother was none other than Talia al Ghul.

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

One calm day, Artemis dragged her partners down to the cave’s sparring mats so she could see what Dick could do firsthand. He did not disappoint as he quickly pinned Wally.

“Well, this explains why Jade seems to like him so much,” the speedster muttered from his place facedown on the mat.

Artemis frowned as Dick sat next to their boyfriend, patting his back. “Wait… Oh my God, Dick! You sa-Is tea code for getting your butt kicked by my sister?”

Dick looked up with a sheepish grin. “No, tea is code for kicking your sister's butt.”

“You…”

He shrugged. “In her defense, she wasn’t expecting someone with my level of training. The fight would have been much closer if she had been.”

Wally looked up with wide eyes. “Hold on, she actually tried to kill you then?”

Dick gave Artemis a look. “You probably should have told her we were together. She thought Wally had cheated on or dumped you. I thought it was actually kind of sweet, really, but Bruce was ticked when he found out and I think Jason was considering hunting her down.”

Artemis threw her hands in the air and marched off. She dug her phone out of her pocket.

“‘Ello?” Jade’s sleepy voice answered.

“You tried to kill my boyfriend!”

“Oh, you found out about that?”

“Why didn't you tell me he could fight? And well enough to defeat you.”

“You didn’t know? Why did you think I approved? I don’t approve of the speedster and he has powers. He really needs to learn how to fight without relying on them.”

Artemis could admit she had a point on both fronts, but wouldn’t admit it. “Dick’s sweet and charming. I swear if he had a superpower it would be making friends. I just thought he’d made you like him.”

“Yes. By being a competent fighter. Although if he’s going around bragging about defeating me I might need to teach him a lesson, being brothers with an al Ghul or not.”

“Wait, you knew about his brother being Ra’s al Ghul’s grandson too?” Artemis choked.

“You really need to pay more attention to who you’re dating.”

“Who’s dating the brother of an al Ghul?”

Artemis blushed. “Is that Roy? Are you two still together?”

“It’s complicated. And before you freak out, we were just sleeping when you called. Actually sleeping.” Quieter, likely from holding the phone away, she heard Jade say, “Artemis is. Her little Gotham squeeze has league connections.”

“Jade,” Artemis hissed.

“League. You mean Damian? Of course he’s… Hold on!” There was some static and then Roy was talking directly into the phone. “I’m coming to Gotham.”

“No.”

He came to Gotham. He showed up right on the porch of Wayne Manor hours later looking more excited than she’d seen him in years.

“Please tell me Damian Wayne is who I think he is,” he said as soon as she marched up to where he was waiting outside. “Please tell me he is because I need to know if everyone has been freaking out thinking Robin’s the kid of Wonder Woman when he’s actually Talia al Ghul’s spawn.”

“Please tell me you didn’t ditch my sister to come here,” she shot back, glancing around to be sure her sister wasn’t hiding in any shadows.

“She took off after we had morn-”

“Nope. Shut up.”

“So is he?”

Artemis glanced over her shoulder to see Wally and Dick watching. Dick shrugged and she sighed. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m not ruining it. So Jason is Hood.”

“Yes.”

“And Dick is -”

“Yes.”

“This is amazing.”

“If you get yourself shot don’t come crying to me.”

“I’d die happy. You haven’t heard the things Ollie and Dinah have been saying. This is the best inside joke I’ve ever heard and I hate you for keeping it from me.”

“I only found out after the Titan party last week.”

“That’s an entire week where you kept me out of the loop.”

“You want to come in for food or are you going to go track down my brother?” Dick called.

Roy shrugged and they started for the door before his eyes widened and he glanced between the three. “So that stuff about Flamebird?”

“He was just messing around to tease Wally and freak out the League. Just like everything he and his family have done since Zatanna dragged them into the spotlight. That’s how I realized he was Nightwing. They are exactly the same level of troll.”

“I love everything about this.”

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

“Are you sure?” Dick asked.

“Absolutely not,” Wally said, but grabbed the blood bar Dick was holding out anyway.

“If you don-

“We’re fine,” Artemis said, grabbing her own bar. “Wally’s just whining like usual.”

“I’m just saying, we have no idea how this will affect me.”

“Duke’s a meta and he was fine.”

“He’s not connected to the Speed Force.”

Dick reached forward to grab Wally’s bar. “You don’t have to -

“I want to,” Wally said, jerking the bar away, grabbing Dick’s hand with his free one. “I do. I’m just nervous.”

“As per usual,” Artemis teased and kissed the speedster's cheek. Dick stepped closer and she kissed him as well before pulling the wrapper off her bar. She met their eyes, then took a bite.

She began to sway as she finished it so Dick helped her over to the bed. All the while Wally tossed his bar between his hands. He pulled it open and frowned down at it.

Dick pulled him to the bed once Artemis was settled. “It’s alright if you want to back out. Neither of us would blame you.”

Wally shook his head and sat down. “I want this, I do. I just can’t stop thinking about what could go wrong. Like, what if my body already burned through whatever it is that’s supposed to turn me.”

Dick cocked his head and slipped into his lap. He leaned down to nuzzle Wally’s neck, earning a sharp intake. “I can bite you while you eat it. Then your body won’t have time.”

The speedster shivered and swallowed. His free hand came up to card through Dick’s hair as he gave a quick nod.

Smiling, Dick peppered a few teasing kisses across his jugular before biting down.

Wally shivered again and melted into Dick for a moment before bringing the bar up and taking a bite. He finished it off quickly as Dick pulled away.

“It doesn’t taste like blood,” he said with a frown, tossing aside the wrapper as he licked his lips. “I don’t know what it tastes like, but it isn’t blood.”

“That means it’s working,” Dick said.

“Really?”

“You think Stephanie would have downed an entire bottle of blood by accident if she could taste it the same way a human does?” Dick pressed a kiss to the corner of Wally’s mouth. “Blood has a special flavor to us unlike anything else.”

Wally hummed and kissed Dick until his mind started to fog up. Dick helped him lay back then covered him up when the fever took him.

The bird took a moment to just stare down at the two, his thumb brushing the band on his left ring finger.

It was made from strips of black and gold titanium twisted together with rubies peaking through the cracks. It matched the one on Artemis’s hand, gifts from their wonderful fiancé.

Dick gave both a quick peck then left them to rest.

Things were sure to get crazy soon enough, especially once the announcements went out, but for now, Dick would revel in the calm and the feeling of family.

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

Vampires’ animal forms:

Artemis: North American cougar

Wally: Vizsla dog

[superfem-imagines]

(B!D Car Crash)

A/n: I couldn't come up with a good title but this has sat in the drafts for a while so if anyone has any title ideas I'd love to hear them. This was fun to write so I hope you enjoy it anon!

Hi, can you do a oneshot where Kara and Alex get really mad at B!D (Esp Kara) because when she was rlly little she told a friend her sister was an alien. And B!D being all upset runs out of the apartment and heads to L Corp, but she doesn’t see a car coming and gets hit and badly injured, Her sisters come to see her in the hospital where they apologize and all make-up? And they both feel really bad for over reacting?

Warnings: mentions of a car crash(nothing graphic), argument(?)

----

“Truth or dare, Jimmy boy?” Winn exclaims, pointing his beer towards the taller man. 

“Dare,” James smirks, watching the younger man spill some of his beer.

“Kiss the best looking person here!” Winn cheers. James looked around the room at the gathered Superfriends, before grinning and standing up. He waltzed towards you before taking a sharp turn and heading for the wall. Stopping in front of a hanging mirror, James tosses a smirk towards the group before turning back and kissing his reflection.

“You can’t do that!” Winn jeered, glaring at Kara when she fell over laughing. Before Winn could protest more, James turned to you.

“Alright Y/n, your turn. Truth or dare?” When you picked truth James playfully scratched his chin. “What’s one thing you’ve done that none of us know about?”

“Well,” you glanced at Kara, who was sitting with her back against the couch. “I once told a friend that my sister was an alien. She didn’t believe me though, called me crazy.” You chuckled before taking a pull from your drink, missing the looks Kara and Alex shared.

“Moving on,” Winn said nervously, having caught the shift in the older Danvers sisters. Before he could say anything else Alex was already talking.

“You didn’t seriously tell them,” at Alex’s cold voice, you looked up at her with wide eyes. When you hesitantly nodded the redhead glared at you. “We told you that you couldn’t tell anyone, we drilled it in your head from the start.”

“I was five!” You exclaimed incredulously, throwing your hands up. “She didn’t believe me anyways.”

“What if she remembers, what if she makes the connection between Supergirl and Kara?” Alex yells, glaring at you. “You could have put Kara in serious danger!”

“I was young, Alex! I didn’t know any better,” you get up and start pacing, burying your hands in your hair. “You’re not mad at me, right Kara?” You turn to the blond, hoping she understood.

“I’m with Alex, Y/n. You should have known better,” Kara shakes her head, disappointment clear. “It doesn’t matter how young you were, Eliza always told you you couldn’t say anything. She drilled it into you from the moment I came here.”

Your eyes flit between your older sisters, Alex’s furious glare and crosses arms and Kara’s disappointed gaze. Looking to the boys you saw them giving you sympathetic looks, avoiding being involved. Shaking your head, your eyes started to fill with tears.

“I was five,” you whimper, turning on your heel and running out of the apartment. The sad calls of the boys and the mad yell from Alex, all of your name followed you out. You sprint down the steps, bursting out of the building and onto the dark street.

Breathing heavily, you look around, not sure where to go. Spotting L-Corp, you head towards it hoping Lena would be there, hoping she would understand. Too caught up in your thoughts, you didn’t see the car heading straight for you as you cross the road.

---------

Back up in the apartment, Alex slammed the apartment door shut. Seeing the boys looking at her, she glared at them. 

“Alex,” At her sharp glare, James cleared his throat. “That was kind of intense. She was only five, dude.”

“That’s not the point, she should have known better.” Alex ran her hands through her hair, anger lingering.

“Don’t you think you overreacted a bit?” James got up and put his hands on Alex’s shoulders, trying to calm her down. “That was years ago, nothing bad has happened from Y/n telling her friend.”

With wide eyes, Kara looks up at Alex. “Oh Rao, we did overreact. Alex, where do you think she went?”

“I don’t know, maybe to Lena?” Alex sighed, brushing James off of her. Kara quickly picked up her phone and called Lena, hoping you would be with her. 

“Lee? Is Y/n with you?” 

“No, why would she be with me?” Lena’s voice filtered from the speaker into the room.

“Something happened and she left the apartment, I thought maybe she had come to you.”

“No but if she does then I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” Kara ended the call, not sure what else to do.

“Maybe you could listen for her,” Winn suggested, gesturing to his ears. Kara nodded before closing her eyes, listening for your heartbeat. After a few tense moments, her eyes shot open and filled with tears.

“Alex, I think something happened.”

“Why, what do you mean?” Alex gripped Kara’s shoulders, grounding her.

“I can barely hear her heartbeat,” Kara choked, covering her mouth. “It’s so faint.” Quiet followed her statement before the ringing of Alex’s phone filled the room. Tripping in her haste, Alex scooped up her phone and answered it on speaker.

“Is this Alexandra Danvers?” At Alex’s confirmation, the person on the other line continued. “There was an accident involving your sister.”

“What happened, is she okay?” Alex asked, gripping onto Kara. 

“She was hit by a car, she’s at National City General right now.”

---------

A loud beeping was the first thing you heard, stirring you awake. You opened your eyes before quickly closing them, the bright lights sending a dull ache through your head. You slowly opened your eyes, giving them time to adjust. You felt a weight on your hand, blond hair across your lap.

Turning your head you see Kara laying her head on the bed, holding your hand. Smiling down at her, you search the room looking for Alex. Just as you realize she wasn’t there Kara’s head shot up, blue eyes finding yours. “Y/n! You’re awake!”

“Yeah,” you grimace at how rough your voice was, smiling when Kara helped you drink some water. Remembering the absence of your oldest sister, you look down at your lap. “Is Alex still mad at me?” Her sharp glare and cold demeanor flashed through your mind, your eyes quickly filling with tears. 

“Of course not, babygirl!” Kara exclaimed, softly taking your hand. “She went for a coffee run, she should be back soon. I had to force her out of here before she killed one of the nurses.” You weakly smile at Kara’s joke, squeezing her hand.

A crash sounded through the room, tearing your gaze to the doorway. Alex stood staring at you, coffee spilt at her feet. Before you could say anything Alex was rushing to your side, taking your face in her hands.

“Are you okay, how are you feeling?” Alex brushed the hair out of your face, checking your temperature.

“I’m alright,” you murmur, avoiding your sister's gaze. You hear Kara clear her throat but don’t look up, still scared that they’re mad at you.

“We aren’t mad anymore, Y/N/N.” Kara states, gently squeezing your hand.

“Of course not,” Alex frowns, not sure where Kara was going with this. Seeing her frown, Kara glanced at you.

“She thought you were still mad at her, thought that that was why you weren’t here when she woke up.” At Kara’s explanation, Alex turned to you. 

“Baby, look at me.” When you didn’t Alex reached out and grabbed your chin gently, lifting your head to meet her gaze. “I’m not mad anymore, I overreacted and it was totally out of line. Nothing could keep me from being there for you, especially when you’re hurt.”

You started crying, soft sniffles turned into sobs when Alex pulled you into her chest. “I was s-so scared, Al. I woke up an-and you weren’t here, and-” you broke off, throat closing from tears. Alex softly rocked you, gently humming to calm you down.

“I’m here, alright? I’ll always be here for you.”

[modosphere]

Silent Night

Christmas Eve Styles Family Home Malibu, California 2023

“They look so adorable, don’t they?” Rose smiled, appearing next to me. I nodded, turning back to Ed, Dany and Hughie as they stared, unblinking, at the newest range of Power Rangers storm through a skyscraper. It was extremely gushy of me, I knew, but seeing Dany clutch his red Power Ranger in awe made me feel happy. “Looks are so deceiving…” Rose added, making me laugh. She  had that right - especially since Ari had been born, I’d learnt that despite all of the innocent looks, brother and sister were anything but.

Maybe if it didn’t remind me of myself and Adam so much, I wouldn’t have minded as much as I should.

I followed Rose into the kitchen after looking at the boys one more time, the three of them practically falling off the sofa, they were watching the TV so raptly. 

Christmas with Rose had officially become tradition. Everyone put it down to Rose’s food and amazing hosting skills, but I knew better, even if I didn’t say it - it was understood between Rose, Harry and I that even though Rose had never gotten her memories back, hosting Christmas was something she was comfortable with; like the constancy of it was therapy for her or something. 

Five years. Five years since the accident and it still felt too close, too raw. It still hurt, knowing Rose couldn’t remember such a huge part of her - our - lives - and having to watch her hope deteriorate. No matter how many times the doctors had warned her that her memories returning was becoming less and less likely, she’d never given up, saying her brain would magically heal itself like one of those medical miracles she always saw on TV. She’d just kept… Waiting. Yes, okay, she’d still lived her life while she did wait, but she hadn’t been living properly - she hadn’t been living her life as Rose Avery. 

Just a few months into her job with with the London Met, she’d given it up - and not because of her pregnancy with Ed, but because she’d claimed she couldn’t be “taken seriously” when the paparazzi were constantly snapping pictures of her and Harry together. Of course, I’d known that was a lie. Rose Avery, or what little had been left of her, was who had sent in the application for the London Met job; but Rose didn’t know that person anymore. So by the time Ed was born, the only version of herself she knew was Rose Styles.

Of course, that didn’t mean my best friend wasn’t in there any more. It just meant she… She wasn’t exactly the same best friend I’d always had. I’d always dodged the question when she’d asked, but the old Rose wouldn't have been able to adapt to being a 1D wife as quickly as this Rose had; she’d charmed the fans, embraced the limelight, where the old Rose would have been too insecure to make it last. It had been a good change.

But she was more stubborn than before. So it had hurt more and more to watch her diligently wait for a brain miracle that wasn’t about to happen.

It was silly to think about now, but… Well, nobody else had bothered to keep hope for Rose’s memories as more and more time had gone on. Why should they? Rose losing her memories somehow made everything… Easier. Liam and Harry’s underlying issues stopped existing when Rose couldn’t notice them and feel insecure about them anymore and Eddie had… Extracted himself from the situation by then. The stupid boy had given up too, and now that Rose only remembered Ryan as a friend, he’d considered hanging around as pointless.

I’d tried to maintain hope, really. But deep down, I’d lost it before Rose had. How could I? Just because I’d not believed in happily-ever-afters only to have one handed to me at the last minute, it didn’t mean I expected that to happen all the time. Too much time had passed for Rose to suddenly just… Remember. And honestly, the entire time, it felt like the Rose who I’d known before the accident was in there somewhere deep down, wishing she wouldn’t fully remember. Her life was simpler this way.

But Rose wasn’t stupid - after two years, she finally accepted that her memories were gone.

It hadn’t been pretty.

I’d felt so… Obsolete. Even if she couldn’t remember it, how many times had Rose been there for me? Pulled me through, made me smile when I’d thought I couldn’t anymore? But when Rose finally accepted that she’d lost access to an entire part of her life, I… I was useless.

What kind of a friend did that make me?

The only word I had to describe how she’d been when the doctors had told her there was nothing more they could do, is depressed. She stopped going out as much, she struggled to find things to do at home. She just… Lost interest, until one day she and Harry had gotten into a ridiculous argument in front of a two-year old Darcy.

It had been insane. Rose and Harry didn’t argue; they sniped and sighed and moaned at each other, but they didn’t argue, not properly - certainly not the way Aman and I did when we kicked off, in a flash of fireworks and shouting. But Rose had gone totally insane - shouting, screaming, throwing things. Once she’d calmed down - and that took a week, a whole week of ranting coffee sessions and threats of divorce -, I’d managed to get her to agree to getting some time away. It had actually been Harry’s idea, but… Harry had been public enemy number one at the time.

She’d spent two weeks away, two terrifying weeks where I didn’t know where my best friend was or if she was okay. Even though Harry had promised he’d be able to handle things by himself, Ed had stayed with us for a while. We’d been home in London and Harry and Rose hadn’t bought their California place yet - so Ed and Darcy stayed with us during the day and Harry took baby Darcy between recording the new album of the time. 

That said, it was no secret that Harry being alive this long after being given responsibility of his own breathing was nothing short of a miracle - so I’d made sure he and Darcy had spent plenty of time with us, too. If Rose needed time away to get her shit together, then fine, but I’d at least make sure her husband didn’t lose himself and his baby girl to baby wolves during the time she was away.

Rose had come back completely refreshed, and had acted as if nothing had happened. As cruel as it sounded, seeing her finally so content with herself had made me relieved. In an odd way, the accident had set her free in a way she never would have been if she hadn’t lost her memory - and now that the gap in her mind was here to stay, what was the purpose of wishing it wasn’t? Yes, I wished Rose remembered all of our jokes and all of the milestones we’d had when she’d first arrived in London, but I still had her here, with me - we were still together. So my selfishness, for once, just had to shut up and deal.

So even though it was a really dumb thing to reminisce about so much later… I still felt so proud of Rose. She looked so elegant in the sleeveless, olive-green dress she’d taken at least a month to choose. Elegant and content. 

We’d gotten through it all.

There was a party in full swing, with tinsel wrapped around the banisters and scented candles lit in every room. Rose had hired catering staff to keep serving guests snacks and fancy flutes of champagne, even though she had cooked one of the most amazing meals I’d ever witnessed for dinner. The guests were mainly industry friends of Rose and Harry, some of them people I knew from way back when, but all of the familiar faces were here too - Niall was here with Alanna, Hughie and Izzy, who was sporting her ridiculously tiny pregnant stomach at seven months; Liam and Kara were here with the twins, who were called that even though they weren’t; Ryan was kicking around somewhere, chatting up some models. Rose’s family hadn’t been in touch since the accident, but she had a new family now - us. And we weren’t going anywhere.

The only couples that were missing were Louis and Vivienne and, of course, my beloved ex-husband and ex-childhood best friend. Lou and Vivienne were spending Christmas in Mexico as part of their honeymoon… Yep, honeymoon. The two idiots had finally stopped playing with one another and had decided to get married in a tiny ceremony in the middle of nowhere, with just their family as witnesses and baby Scarlett as a bridesmaid. Although we’d all teased them about being cut out, we weren’t angry - honestly, so long as Vivienne was finally committing, I was more than happy. She’d taken long enough. That girl’s commitment issues were legendary and God only knew how Louis had been not-so-subtly trying to tie Vivienne down for years now.

As for Zayn… Well, I didn’t miss him in any way. He’d finally gotten one child ahead of me - Layla had given birth in England to their newest son, Syed.

It was pathetic, really, how Zayn felt the need to get Layla to pop out another baby the moment he found out I was pregnant. Mikael, his eldest, had been announced as on the way less than three months after I’d announced I was pregnant with Dany. It was sad, really. No, actually, not sad - downright pathetic. It also turned out that Rianna, their only girl, had been cooking in Layla’s stomach when Zayn had tried to make my and Aman’s baby his through raping me.

God, I hated him. It hit me in waves, the space between them always making me think I was over it, but… The mere mention of him made me want to tear him to pieces. He’d seen Ari, my baby Ari, as some sort of sick substitute for his pitfalls as a husband when we’d been married. Who did that? Who tried to hijack the innocence of a brand new baby, to try and use in their own sick agenda?

Oh, right. The creep I’d once made the mistake of marrying.

It really was a godsend that I’d met Aman. If I’d hadn’t, I would have always just assumed I had really shitty taste in men.

I did worry about Layla, every now and then - though reason, as well as everyone I knew, told me I shouldn’t. I didn’t care if it sounded egotistical; every fibre of my being told me that Zayn had married one of my friends, someone who had been at my wedding the first time around, out of pure spite. Did he treat her right? From what I’d heard and seen he did, but I knew better than anyone what a two-faced prat Zayn really was.

That said, Layla and I weren’t built the same. Zayn couldn’t just get up and leave Layla whenever he wanted - she’d take him for everything he had if he dared. In a sick way, they kind of deserved one another.

Anyway - it was because Zayn and Layla were still in England that Aman and I were celebrating Christmas with Rose for the first time in at least two years. It was nice, to be back again. Therapeutic, almost - it felt like nothing had changed even though everything had, and for the better.

“Where are Darcy and Zarina?” Rose asked, nudging me and snapping me out of my nostalgia. She handed me a pack of extra long candles and motioned with her head to the candles on the table. It was pathetic. I was a mother of two, but was still too scared to use normal-length candles.

“The playroom, the last I saw, with Alanna and Izzy.” I told her, trying to shake off the overwhelming sense of oldness that I felt whenever I saw Alanna. Alanna was five years old now - five, huge years old. It felt like only five minutes had passed since we’d all been waiting outside Isolde’s hospital room, listening to her scream as she gave birth. How had five years changed everything so much? Putting aside the motherhood, I even had a new husband; and after two kids, I didn’t even think of him as new anymore. 

Hell, on paper, I was even a respectable businesswoman. That had never been a… Thing, five years ago; but then, five years ago, I hadn’t had shares in Conde Nast, or had been developing the media branch of the Zafar Inc. I’d barely learnt what an eyelash curler was back then - and now, I could apply mascara in a moving vehicle, with my son playing Power Rangers next to me.

“You really need to explain why you’re dressed like a tramp to me.” Rose sighed, eyeing me. Um, rude. “Like, seriously, what is even going on over there?”

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s not hospitable to insult your guests?”

“I wasn’t hosting the party where that was said.” Rose grinned cheekily, making me laugh. “So. Explanation?”

I looked down at myself. I hadn’t thought my outfit wasn’t presentable! Less on the fitted side that baggy, yes, but still appropriately festive. My jumper was oversized with a strip of black lace running down each sleeve, but my jeans were skinny and my heels weren’t ugly. I was just… Covered.

“How do you know I haven’t just gotten really fat?” I retorted. “I could actually be crying on the inside right now, because of your comment. I could be really offended. Ever think of that?”

“Nice try!” Rose snorted. “You enjoy being some kind of yoga dominatrix way too much in bed with that sexy husband of yours to ever really let yourself go.”

There was no point pretending she was wrong, so I let her see my smug smile. Hey. I had talents in the bedroom now.

That had definitely changed in the past five years.

“You really need to tell me what’s going on with you.” Rose continued, swatting my hands away from picking some strawberries from reindeer’s nose. Oh, yes. Rose had made a reindeer cake. “I know there’s something and I will keep you hostage until you tell me.”

“As flattering as your obsessive behaviour is,” I said in my snootiest voice. “My bank balance and ability to strike the fear of God in anyone who questions me, means that I could do something about it.” I grinned as I took one of the strawberries, ignoring Rose’s narrowed eyes. “You’re just a pop-star’s wife. If this were an episode of Gossip Girl, which our lives clearly are nowadays, I am definitely Lily van der Woodsen enough to win a rich-people’s smackdown.”

“I’m going to let that one go, just because I know it comes from your jealous place.” Rose told me, flicking me with the napkin she’d been holding. I laughed, dodging it. “You’re just mad that the world knows how hot I look in a swimsuit, after last month’s shoot. And I know something is up. I’ll get it out of you.”

“Good luck with that.” I grinned, stealing another strawberry and laughing as Rose looked like she was about to tackle me. “And who cares if you look better in a swimsuit - I’m a yoga dominatrix in bed according to you, remember?!”

Of course, Rose just laughed.

It didn’t take long for the rest of Rose’s guests to slowly disappear. Everyone wanted to look glamorous and rested for Christmas Day and after an hour or so, it was just us - the original group, but the extended edition.

We ended up sitting on the patio - or “porch”, as the new English-to-American dictionary in my head informed me - overlooking the sea, the wall-sized window of the lounge allowing us to watch as the children slept. Despite Niall’s initial worries that Hughie wouldn’t get along with Ed and Dany thanks to how close they were, the three of them were sprawled across one another on the sofa, asleep.

Dany’s arm was hanging off the sofa’s arm-rest, his fingers loosely linked with Ari’s hand through the bars of the cot Harry had brought down for Darcy and Ari to share.

Pathetic as it was, it made me feel… Happy, knowing how close Danyal and Zarina were. Everyone, including Aman, kept telling me that it didn’t mean it would last into adulthood, but… Well, how could it not? It had been some kind of miracle, having Danyal at all - and then having Zarina so healthy, especially considering the challenges she’d been put through before even being born. Dany had never become jealous of the attention Ari had gotten when she was born; if anything, even though he was barely older than he, he doted on her.

Even now, after being (fairly) happily married for four years - and having actually loved him for more than that, unlike the first time -, I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. My children adored one another, my husband and I didn’t hate each other and then there was the news I had to tell Rose…

I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t expected this all to happen so quickly but now that it had, I didn’t regret it; which was strange, because before now, I’d been a barrel-full of regrets whenever things were moving too fast.

Apparently, my incessant need to be a control freak was subsiding. Ever so slightly.

I was - for lack of a better term - maturing. Supposedly. It was hard to believe when it was just Aman and I arguing over what channel to watch once Dany and Ari were in bed, but seeing my friends around me… We’d all matured.

Like Niall and Isolde. They were sitting beside Aman and I, Niall sitting on the floor with Isolde’s sock-clad legs resting over his shoulder. Although Izzy was just as fierce as ever, finally being with Niall meant she’d mellowed slightly - but only slightly. They balanced one another out, now. Isolde wasn’t as bitter about being thrust into the limelight, because she’d finally realised it wouldn’t affect Niall’s duties as a father. Even Aman had been ecstatic when they’d finally announced they were getting married - just after Isolde had found out she was pregnant with Hughie, at an intimate, fairy-tale like ceremony in Ireland with Alanna as a flower girl. We’d been invited - Niall had insisted there’d be no trouble with Zayn there - but it… It hadn’t felt right. As much of an amazing pair of friends Niall and Isolde had been to me, I couldn’t ruin the balance. Zayn had been there first.

Plus, you know, Aman still wanted to stick his head on a spike and attach it to the back of one of the cars.

What with Vivienne and Louis finally tying the lot - the boys truly were like dominos, once one got married and had children, the others followed -, Liam and Kara were the only ones who hadn’t gotten married. That wasn’t exactly surprising - even when Kara had found out she was pregnant with Charlie, she’d wondered if it was the right choice. Considering she was all too ready to give the rest of us much needed uncomfortable advice when necessary, it was nice to be able to pay her back a little - they hadn’t even been living with one another until Kara was at least four months pregnant, which was when Liam - and everyone else - put their foot down.

Still - seeing them snuggling together on the seat opposite made me smile. Liam had made some really sucky choices in his life, including forcing Kara into rehab and then forcing himself into her life, but by an amazing bout of luck it had worked out; even better, Kara wasn’t afraid to call Liam out on his crap. Of which there was plenty.

Harry and Rose didn’t count in my proud reminiscing. Harry and I had finally managed to get back on track after his… Behaviour following Rose’s accident and in a weird way, it had made us closer. It also made me tell him regularly that he was a giant loser who I’d happily rip apart if he ever hurt Rose, but I knew I didn’t have to say it. I’d seen Harry and Rose happen. And even though I still wasn’t sure if Harry had been the best choice out of him and Eddie, he had turned out to be the right one - he was here, with her and I knew better than anyone how Rose needed that.

“Thank you again, for inviting us to dinner tomorrow, Rose.” Liam sighed as he stretched. “I’m really looking forward to it. When you still hadn’t invited us at the beginning of the month, I was getting a bit worried.”

I snorted loudly at Kara’s mortified expression.

“I am so sorry about his atrocious manners.” Kara muttered, nudging Liam hard in the ribs. “I think what he means, Rose, is thank you for your wonderful hospitality.”

“Hospitality.” Rose smiled… Except that was not a happy smile. Oh, no, how much wine had she had? “You’d know all about that, too-”

“How about more cake?” I said loudly, ignoring Aman raise his eyebrows at my sudden enthusiasm. It wasn’t enough to stop everyone from noticing what Rose had said, but I was hoping it would lessen the impact. I started picking up some of the empty bottles and dishes on the table, mouthing Kara a sorry when I was opposite her. “Rose? You know I can’t be trusted in your kitchen alone. Come on, up you get.”

I glared at Harry as Rose silently strutted into the kitchen, looking annoyed. What the Hell was that? Had Rose not wanted Kara at the party? I understood Harry putting his foot down and saying she had to be - there was no way Liam could come and not Kara - but Rose was volatile. She didn’t like being forced to do things nowadays, even if she knew they were right.

One of the accident’s little side effects.

Rose was already sipping on a fresh glass of wine when I found her in the kitchen. Some of the cleaning team were already here, packing up dirty dishes from earlier in the night.

“What,” I said slowly. “Was that just now?”

“You didn’t let me finish.” Rose shrugged. “So it’s not like I said the whole of what I was going to say.”

“Everyone understood where you were going with it.” I sighed, handing the pile of dishes to one of the cleaners. I did not clean. Some things never changed. “I mean, a crack about-” I stepped closer and lowered my voice. Liam had worked hard to make Kara’s past disappear. “- her past career? Not cool, Rose.”

“What’s not cool is everyone, including you, acting like she’s one of us!” Rose protested, setting her wine glass down angrily. “Sure, Isolde is our friend and you’ve known Vivienne for a long time, but she’s practically a random stranger, sitting in my house - for what?”

“Rose.” Where had this come from? It was no secret that Rose wasn’t exactly warm with Kara, but she’d never been outright nasty, either. “We’ve known Kara for a long time-”

“Since when is how long you’ve known someone a good measurement?” Rose snapped. “You knew Zayn for less than a year when you guys shacked up. What difference does time make?”

… What?

I didn’t say anything for a few seconds - not just because I was stunned at the guerrilla tactics, but because something was wrong with what Rose had just said. Something that was setting off alarm bells.

No. No, I was imagining things - Rose was just angry and lashing out and so I was making excuses for her. I was being stupid.

Except…

I pushed it to the back of my mind, seeing how Rose’s eyes had widened at what she’d just said.

“I’m going to go back into the other room, before you say more stuff we both regret.” I said quietly. “And unless you want to drive your guests away before lunch tomorrow, I’d suggest you calm down before you go back in there, because nobody else is a fan of the bomb you just dropped.” I didn’t have to say the rest - that Rose was lucky Vivienne wasn’t there, because Vivienne would have lost it, or that Harry was aghast at her behaviour -, and so I left the kitchen, leaving Rose in there.

Something feels wrong! She shouldn’t - no. I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t doubting her.

Rose came back out onto the deck a few minutes later, all smiles and apologising about her outburst - she claimed it was a stress-related event thanks to problems with the turkey. She even apologised to Kara; she “explained” how she meant Kara had been to so many parties and things, Rose had been expressing how flattered she was - but that, after I’d explained how it had come across, she was sorry if she’d been misunderstood.

It was a lame excuse. A ridiculously lame excuse. But everyone, including Kara, pretended to accept it because that made things less uncomfortable.

Rose and I didn’t talk for the rest of the night.

. . .

Christmas morning was like something out of Miracle on 54th Street. 

Harry and Rose had bought presents for Danyal and Zarina and left them under the tree, and of course we’d bought gifts for everyone before arriving. We’d stayed over - like we’d planned to, despite Aman being disgruntled at the thought of relying on anyone, regardless of how well he and Harry got along -, but the weird feeling at the back of my head was still there. Like I was deliberately missing something, like I was ignoring something huge.

I carried on ignoring it.

“Those PJs are hideous. Explain.” Rose laughed, handing me a mug of fresh coffee. Aman looked at me, confused, as I subtly put it beside me and it wasn’t hard to read his mind; she doesn’t know? 

“Hey, I dressed for comfort.” I protested, rather put out that nobody else loved my pyjamas - Aman’s Harvard sweatshirt and a pair of my comfiest grey joggers. “And are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help for later? Please say yes. Otherwise I’m stuck babysitting these two idiots.”

Aman and Harry snickered as they high-fived over my head.

“She’s just jealous of our love.” Harry told Aman happily.

“Unless you tell me what you’re hiding from me, it’s your punishment.” She shrugged evilly. I smiled - I wasn’t over what she’d said yesterday -, though promising myself I’d tell her tonight. I had to. One bitchy comment didn’t make her any less… Rose. “And anyway, I’ve told the others too, that everyone has to starve until it’s time to eat. Christmas dinner has come out fabulous.”

We all stopped as Dany and Ed started to wave their arms excitedly at their newest present - ones, I realised instantly, Harry and Aman had chosen for them. Matching water pistols, in loud colours. The boys were already making shooting noises and the toy wasn’t even out of its packaging yet.

Darcy and Ari watched them from where they sat in their fathers’ laps, snuggling close under the same blanket. 

I smiled as Danyal tripped over Ed’s legs, to squirt Ari in the face with water. Ari hated water in her face - she screamed blue murder whenever I washed her hair. Considering I was the most hated person on the planet when I washed her face, her outraged giggle in response to the water pistol was almost offensive.

Almost.

Darcy, on the other hand, ripped the pistol out of Ed’s hands and attacked his face with it.

Ah, the girls. 

Ari giggled loudly at Ed’s outraged face, watching carefully as Dany yanked Ed’s T-shirt to his face and told him “wipe it”. So mature, just at three.

“What’re you thinking?” Aman asked me quietly, unnoticed as Rose and Harry discussed something between themselves over our heads. 

“Nothing.” I smiled, attacking Ari’s cheek with kisses and laughing loudly as she pulled my face down and attempted to do the same thing back. It wasn’t quite perfect, but it was definitely good enough for me - her skin was always so soft, but her strength always surprised me. “I’m just… I’m just glad that we have such a big family.”

. . .

The rest of the day passed in a lazy, festive blur.

I, as tradition dictated, was amazed at the seamlessness of Rose’s efficiency. There was officially no room for my kitchen ineptitude and even though that meant I spent the day becoming increasingly freaked out at how Rose and I had given birth to boys who were essentially younger, more mischievous versions of their fathers, I did feel kind of guilty that I wasn’t useful at all.

Not guilty enough to actually help bark out orders at the catering staff, like Rose was, but enough to prove I had a conscience.

I was in charge, with Harry, of getting the children ready - that was an experience. Harry had lovingly tied Darcy’s long brown hair into a little bun and had spent the entire time grinning at her, as she stepped into her sparkly red dress.

Ari, on the other hand, had kicked and screamed at the prospect of wearing anything remotely feminine. She hated dresses. I was sure she partially thought she was a boy like her brother - Dany was in black trousers and a white shirt and Ed was even wearing a little tie -, but Aman put it down to Ari “being confident in her femininity”. 

All that meant to me, was that Ari only ended up wearing the Dolce & Gabbana printed dress Harry had bought her for Christmas because Darcy pointed out that hers was still more sparkly and Harry promised Ari she could wear one of Ed’s hats with the dress.

Ari currently was obsessed with hats. She wore her father’s Yankees cap to bed.

Surely Dany should have been the more difficult one? But no. Dany was laid-back when it came to clothes and getting dressed. His only demands were Batman underwear and vests that weren’t itchy - he had sensitive skin -, but other than that… He didn’t care what he was wearing. But my little girl? No. No, the only dress she’d ever willingly bought in the two years she’d spent on this planet, was a dress that was covered in comic strips.

Was I meant to be proud or embarrassed at how much she was like me?

Harry did Ari’s hair too, which was a miracle in itself. He managed to brush it through and pull it into a neat pony tail - complete with a red rose clip on the side. If I’d have tried that, Zarina probably would have bitten me.

“You know Rose is going to have something to say about that outfit?” Harry grinned, seeing what I was wearing when I finally got dressed.

I was wearing a beige cashmere jumper that did not at all cling, the same black skinny jeans from the day before and a pair of beige loafers, a long, thick black cardigan thrown on top.

“This isn’t trampy!” I protested, allowing Harry to stand behind me and latch my necklace for me. “It’s elegant! And I’m wearing jewellery, so it’s still festive, too.”

“This is to do with what you’re hiding, isn’t it?” Harry asked - and I laughed because really, when was Harry ever that observant? “Your hair looks nice.”

I’d left it out and done nothing to it, including brushing, but just told him thanks.

Everything was lovely. Louis and Vivienne briefly Skyped from Mexico to wish everyone a merry Christmas and Zayn text the others. Isolde’s cravings for cinnamon were quenched with Rose’s special “mulled apple juice”.

Everything was lovely, right up until when it wasn’t.

“Are you sure you don't need a hand with the burning pud?” Kara asked Rose, as we all waited around for dessert. “Trust me, I can handle a blowtorch. Occupational hazard.” She joked.

She wasn’t being malicious, or goading Rose. Kara was just… Like that. She hit things over the head and dealt with them, she joked her way out of awkward situations. We’d spent enough time talking for me to know that Kara found it difficult to not just punch someone as means of effective communication. This was her, trying.

But it backfired. Spectacularly.

Everyone laughed, except Rose. Even Aman had snorted into his glass and he made a conceited effort to not acknowledge Kara’s past, most likely because his affinity with prostitutes (that sounded so wrong) wasn’t something he planned on making public knowledge.

“Occupational hazard?” Rose repeated, looking… Furious. The alarm bells in my head got louder. “Considering you’re so proud of your career, why don’t you just come out and say the rest of the men here would make good clients? That’s what you’re thinking, right? I mean, when you talk about occupational hazards, you fail to mention the genital herpes or whatever else you’ve got, do you?” Rose laughed once, darkly. I… We were all too shocked to move. “Then again, I suppose pretending being a slut is an actual profession helps you to pretend you’re not really just some washed-up crack whore.”

Everyone stopped. Everyone, except me - because at the crack whore part, I had to shut my eyes and pretend I wasn’t seeing the smug expression on Rose’s face, right before she calmly walked out.

What - what - had possessed Rose to just… To… Lash out like that? What had she been thinking?!

I wasn’t the only one thinking it.

“Is that some kind of fucking joke?” Liam said angrily, staring around the table. I looked at Harry, but he was staring after Rose, his expression horrified. “Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

“She’s probably just stressing out over dinner.” Kara said quietly - and that somehow made everything worse, that she, out of everyone, was the one jumping to Rose’s defence. “I should have kept my mouth shut, really. I knew she was upset yesterday and I pushed the dark humour-”

“This isn’t your fault!” Liam snapped - before looking at me. “She’s your best friend! Want to tell us what’s going on, or what?”

“Hey, it’s not Soph’s fault!” Kara told him, looking annoyed. Oh, great. Not only was Rose calling people crack-whores under her own roof, but apparently now I was inadvertently causing a domestic. “I’m Soph’s friend and she’s never-”

“We thought Rose was your friend too, but she’s turned out to be a grade-A bitch-”

“Alright!” Harry shouted loudly. “That’s my wife you’re talking about, mate, do you want to calm down?”

And just like that, everyone was arguing.

This was insane. Insane. Rose didn’t - Rose didn’t like confrontation! She may have developed more of a spine since the accident, but she didn’t like causing trouble and she certainly did not enjoy her parties being given a bad reputation. This made no sense. This made no sense, how had I missed her freaking out like this?!

You didn’t. You knew something was wrong, but you ignored it.

This was my fault.

“Everyone, just calm down-” Niall was saying patiently, but it wasn’t working. “Look, why don’t we let Harry talk to Rose, while we cool off in here and see what’s happening next-”

“I think I should go.” Kara said firmly. “That’s what should happen next. I was the one who started it, I don’t want to ruin what’s otherwise been a lovely Christmas-”

“We’re not going until she apologises!” Liam spluttered, now in full mouthing-off mode. Wonderful. Just wonderful. “Soph, are you going to sort this out or what?”

“That has to be the second or third time you’ve said that.” Aman said quietly, looking up at Liam with an annoyed expression. I poked his leg under the table. No. No. Now was not the time for his overprotectiveness to rise up; particularly when, ever since the… Incident when I was pregnant with Ari, he’d had a much lower tolerance for any of One Direction. “Has it ever occurred to you that it’s not Soph who’s responsible for Rose’s actions?”

“Well then, do you want to tell me who is?!” Liam was still shouting, but he seemed a bit… Calmer, at seeing Aman’s expression. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The effect of Aman’s silent but scary temper was not something I needed to worry about right now.

Aman pretended to think, pointedly ignoring my incessant poking. Rude.

“Rose, maybe?”

“Liam, will you please just shut up and calm down?” Kara groaned loudly, shoving him away from where he was towering over the table. What was going on with Rose? What was so bad, that she couldn’t just tell someone? Me? “Manny, Soph, I’m sorry, none of this is your fault - none of this is anyone’s fault! Rose has the right to not want an ex-hooker in her home and honestly, if you guys think I haven’t heard stuff like this before, you’re underestimating how good I was at my job.”

“How are you still cracking jokes right now?” I was trying not to smile. How could Rose not like Kara? This was exactly why everyone else did! Kara was covering for Rose’s almost unforgivable blunder, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Please don’t leave. Let me talk to Rose and find out what’s really going on.” I squeezed Kara’s hand. She’d been such a good friend to me, for ever since I’d known her…

And just like that, I was angry. How could Rose do this? How dare she? She’d never been jealous or possessive before and if this truly was about me accepting Kara as a friend like she’d said, then she was insane. Kara had been there for me since the beginning. She hadn’t expected me to hate her because of my faith or whatever else; damn it, she’d been there for me on my wedding day when Rose hadn’t! On the day of my reception, Kara had kept me calm in a way nobody else could have - not even Rose, who had been too busy playing house.

That’s unfair. You forgave her back then, you can’t take it back now.

Yeah - not unless I’d never forgiven her in the first place.

How much did Rose think she could get away with? After the accident, I’d kept justifying her erratic behaviour as her way of coping after the accident, but how could I keep saying it was okay? This was not okay!

“Kara, sweetheart, I’m so sorry about what Rose said. You know we don’t see you like that, you’re just as much family as anyone else here is.” Harry sighed, glancing at me with false smile; play along. “Probably more than this one, since she’s so posh these days.”

“Whatever.” Kara muttered, shooting me a grin. “These peasants just don’t know how to deal with upper classes, huh, Soph?”

I grinned, feeling sick. What the Hell had Rose been playing at, lashing out at Kara like that?

“I’m just going to go and check on Rose, see what’s really going on.” I told everyone as I got up, squeezing Aman’s shoulder on my way. He understood what that meant - keep it together here. Sometimes, this whole soulmate thing wasn’t such a giant inconvenience. “And Liam - just pour yourself another drink and calm down, alright?”

“Yeah.” Liam muttered, letting Niall firmly push him back into his chair. Thankfully, he shot Aman an apologetic look. “Sorry, everyone.”

“You can’t be perfect all the time.” Aman joked, now apparently silently communicating with Niall.

“Yeah.” Niall added. “Makes the rest of us look bad.”

That was the last thing I heard before going into the kitchen - and finding Rose calmly looking out of the window, drinking a glass of wine.

I shut the door behind me.

“What the fuck,” I asked slowly. “Was that? Where did that even come from?!”

“I’m sick of her acting like being a whore is such an accomplishment.” Rose shrugged. She could pretend to be calm all she wanted - I knew her too well. I could see she was still livid. What kind of a best friend would I be if I didn’t? “I would have thought you would have backed me up and understood that, but apparently not.” I stared, speechless, as Rose looked at me disapprovingly. “I heard you out there, with Manny and Harry, covering for me. I don’t need you three to cover for me.”

“When you drop crap like that, you do.” I laughed, though not at all because I found this funny. “You invited her here, Rose! And even if you didn’t really want to, since when were you so… It’s the holiday season. You love the holiday season.”

“Oh, of course I do!” Rose suddenly shouted, making me jump as she finally turned to face me. “Of course I love the festive season! I hold Christmas every year and play happy families and you know what? You’re right, I do love that part. But what I don’t love is everyone pretending everything is just dandy! Everyone is pretending what she is doesn’t matter, that how she met Liam doesn’t matter, but when I was deciding between guys - and not giving them hand-jobs in alleyways during it all -, I was the bad guy! Somehow, when Liam was being a shitty boyfriend, I was still the whore - and she is, and what, she gets nothing?”

We didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Rose was breathing heavily and staring at me with wide eyes, like she’d said something wrong - but she hadn’t - except she had, because something felt wrong, that feeling at the back of my mind was back -

Oh, Soph, you idiot.

“… You remember.” I whispered, feeling my heart begin to thrum in my throat. I tried to swallow down the feeling - to calm down. “You… You remember.”

Yesterday. Yesterday, when she’d mentioned Zayn - it had seemed wrong because it was wrong. That was before the accident. Rose didn’t remember anything between leaving Australia and the night of the accident, when Harry had told her they were together, when he’d lied; but I’d… I’d thought it was fine. I’d thought what she’d said about Zayn was fine, because I was so used to Rose’s voice talking about my first marriage that I’d forgotten she wasn’t the same Rose anymore. 

“No.” Rose muttered… But her voice was shaking. Oh, my God, she remembers. “No, no, I don’t-”

“Yes, you do!” I argued. It made sense now. It made sense! I’d gotten so used to lying to Rose about her past, because I’d had to, that hearing the truth after so long had been like… Like taking a break and only a small part of my brain had noticed. “Yes, you do! Rose, this is - this is huge! How long have you remembered?” Why was this being hidden? This was amazing news! We’d all thought it would never happen, this was great… Except it wasn’t, it wasn’t, because Rose looked… Guilty. Or at least like she was trying to hide that she felt guilty. “Oh my God, Rose, how long have you remembered?” I asked again, but this time, differently. I wasn’t excited this time.

“You don’t get to judge me.” Rose finally muttered, stabbing her finger in my direction. “You… You don’t get to judge me!”

“How long, Rose?!”

“I didn't go away because I had some kind of depressed break down, okay!” Rose suddenly shouted. Oh my God. Oh my God, she’d remembered and I hadn’t even noticed. “I know you love to think of me as this depressed loser who you need to constantly save, but-”

“What? Are you insane?”

“- I remembered! I was playing with Darcy and she was crying because Harry wasn’t around, like always-”

“She’s a child, Rose!” I snapped, seeing where this was going. Rose had been so excited to have a girl, so excited - because she saw her as a substitute, as the universe’s way of compensating her for a mother and sister that didn’t care. I’d warned her, I’d told her she couldn’t think about it like that - Darcy was a person! If we hadn’t learnt that everyone was a real person that we couldn’t just know inside out, what the Hell had we learnt after all of this time? “You do understand the concept of a child, don’t you? She’s innocent!”

“She made me remember!” Rose suddenly screamed, making me jump back. “Do you not get that? That little bitch-”

“Rose!”

“- she made me remember! And you know what? I was better off forgetting!” Rose hissed. I’d… I wanted to believe it was the drink, that all of the wine had gotten to her head, but I knew that wasn’t true. This was years’ worth of venom bubbling to the surface, venom I thought she’d trusted me enough to share in the beginning. But she hadn’t. She’d lied.

Like she was lying now.

“Two years. Two years.” I said, finally realising the maths. When she’d went away. When we’d all thought she’d lost hope, when I’d thought she was mourning. 

This was huge. Huge. And I had so many questions. Did she remember everything? Had it come all at once, or was she still piecing things together? Why had she hid it, when had she decided to? 

How could she have?

“Does Harry know?” I demanded. Harry. Harry. Oh, God. He’d… He thought he’d cheated her somehow, cheated himself into having a happiness he didn’t deserve. After Eddie had died - or gone away to -, he’d taken that all on himself, blaming Rose’s rejection of Eddie on himself. He’d been struggling with that ever since, he still was - but Rose knew? “He - he’s taken on your guilt about Eddie! He blames himself!”

“And there it is.” Rose muttered cruelly, staring at me up and down. “Perfect little Soph, upset because she’s losing control of micro-managing my life.”

No. No. I knew exactly what she was talking about and she did not get to say that to me.

“I did what I had to, as your friend.” I told her seriously. No. No. There was absolutely no way in Hell that she was putting that on me, acting as if I did what I did for kicks. “I did what I did because the doctors told me you were at risk and because I had to deal with damage control, when Harry and Ryan and everyone else panicked-”

“Like that’s the only control you have over my life!” Rose snorted. “What about my marriage, hmm? What about the fact that ever since before Harry and I got together, you’ve always been in the middle, you’re always acting mediator when nobody even wants you there?”

I couldn’t help it. As much as I told myself I’d changed, that I was more mature and mellow, that was a load of crap. I was not taking anyone’s crap ever again - I’d made that promise to myself a long time ago.

And Rose did not get a pass card just because she was feeling sassy.

“Well according to you, I’ve always been there - so it’s not hard to imagine your marriage falling apart without me being there to pick up the pieces of your dramas!” I snapped back instantly, not even having to think about it.

I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to have this conversation, this argument, with Rose. There were too many things for us to be bitter about.

But it felt really good to just say it. 

“This is exactly what I mean.” Rose laughed - and it wasn’t scary to hear anymore, it was pissing me off. “Perfect little Soph, with her perfect little life, looking down on everyone else. You act like such an angel-”

“No need to act like an angel, when we know I’m a queen.” It was meant to be a joke - to calm things down, because logic told me we needed to - but it came out more serious than I intended. Not that, at this point, I cared as much as I could have. “Just because you are too wrapped up in pretending to be someone else, doesn’t mean everyone else is as screwed up!”

“I’m not pretending!” Rose gasped. Seriously? Seriously? “I am being the person I am, the person I was meant to be - before everyone screwed me over and took advantage of me trying to be everyone’s friend!”

“Such a victim, all of the time!” I yelled. “Do you ever realise how self-involved you are? How pathetic it is? Your problems revolve around which boy to choose - and you act like you’re hard done by, when you’re the one who put yourself in that situation!” I groaned. This was ridiculous. This was just insanely ridiculous and not because of this conversation. “You can’t run from your feelings, Rose! You can’t pretend to not feel guilty! You - you-” I had to take a second, to calm myself down. I had to say this. I had to say this properly, for his sake. “- you’ve been lying, for two years about having no memory. Eddie wasn’t dead then. He was ill, but not dead and he deserved to at least know you chose to stay with Harry! You made him give up!”

“Don’t you dare-” My mouth fell open as Rose shoved me angrily. She was not serious. “Blame me for his death. That’s on you. You were so eager to focus on my problems and make yourself look like the golden girl in comparison, that you didn’t know how to be a good friend.”

In fairness, the moment Rose had touched me, I’d began to have an out-of-body experience. I wasn’t in control anymore - not the so-called mature, mellow Soph who balanced out the power-hungry rage monster that had been inside me since God knows when. I wasn’t in control anymore.

I couldn’t take responsibility for what I did next.

Without even thinking about it, I was standing to my full height, glaring up at Rose with a hatred I’d never expected to feel towards her. I was fuming. She hadn’t just lied to me - this wasn’t, despite what she wanted to think, about my bruised ego. She’d lied to everyone - to everyone, to all of the people who’d weaved their lives into the giant lie that had come from us trying to protect her.

How dare she?

“I’m not scared of you.” Rose told me quietly, glaring down at me.

I stepped closer.

“Maybe you should be.” I muttered. “You are not the person I thought you were. My friend isn’t here anymore.”

Rose shrugged. It didn’t even bother her. It didn’t even bother her.

“Whether you think I’m a sucky person or not is your problem, but you owe it to me to keep your mouth shut.” Rose told me, making me gawp at her. Really? I owed her something? She was a lying, conniving bitch who had been manipulating us all for the past two years - and that was a long time to maintain a lie this huge - and I owed her something?

It wasn’t just the anger. I didn’t honestly believe I was just angry. I was hurt, too - betrayed. She’d never told me. She’d never told me about her memories coming back, or even how she felt about me interfering in her life. She hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me the truth when I’d only ever bore my soul to her and that betrayal hurt me so much right now, I wanted to lash out and hurt her - because it was easier to deal with whatever nasty things I’d said, rather than accept that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust her again.

“You’re lying. To your friends - forget that, to your husband.” I shook my head. “Harry’s my friend, too. I’m not going to lie to him out of a sick sense of loyalty.”

“Yes, you are!” Rose shouted again, pulling me by the arm before I could leave. I swatted her off. I could hear voices outside the door - clearly, they’d heard shouting and Harry was worried. Hearing the voices too, Rose began to hiss. “Yes, you are. I kept your secret when you were pregnant and you didn’t want Zayn to know, at the risk of my relationship with Harry. I didn’t tell anyone you fell in love with Aman when you were still married to someone else, I have kept your secrets for years when I could have screwed you over the entire time - so you owe me.”

Just like that, something… Left. Something flew right out of me, something that suddenly made it so much easier for me to no longer care.

It’s like flipping a light switch. Just like before.

“So you’re not asking me as a friend.” I nodded, finally understanding. “You’re blackmailing me, as a person. As someone in your way.”

Rose shrugged, her arms folded over her chest.

Wow. Wow, I really hadn’t seen this coming.

“Fine. I’ll cover for you. If I’m asked, I won’t lie, but I’ll cover for you.” I promised, feeling… nothing. Empty. Rose wasn’t my best friend any more - and if I was being honest, she hadn’t been for a long time.

“Good.” Rose said primly, making me roll my eyes as I went to turn away. “And get out of my life, while you’re at it.”

I thought about that for a grand total of, ooh, a second?

“No.” I laughed. “No way in Hell. Just because you’re too weak to admit today, or even tomorrow or the day after that, you need me. You called your three year old girl a bitch today, Rose.” I shook my head. God. God, how had she gotten so twisted? And coming from me, that was saying something. “Just because you’ve forgotten to be a good friend, doesn’t mean I have. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Harry is my husband and Darcy is my daughter!”

“Darcy may be your daughter, but Harry was my friend long before you decided to mess him around!” I snapped. “I’m already lying to him for you, that’s all you’re getting from me.”

Harry had just stepped in, when Rose said it.

“God, I hate you, Soph.”

Only Harry saw how I closed my eyes. In defeat. Because I knew, better than anyone, exactly what she was like - and when she meant it.

I had been so wrong about us.

“What the Hell happened?” Harry asked, looking between us with wide eyes.

“It was my fault. Rose was angry about me not telling her what was going on.” I forced a smile, tried not to notice the lie - lie number one, the beginning of the end of our friendship; and no, that wasn’t just dramatics. Unless Rose told Harry that she had her memories back, our friendship was just going to keep breaking down; and it didn’t look like she was going to be telling the truth anytime soon. “She doesn’t approve of the news.”

“What news?” Harry looked more confused than ever.

I turned to Rose, hoping that, even if she wasn’t the person I knew any more, the next bit stung.

“That I’m pregnant again.” I said, the news sounding… Boring now. Who even cared? “I wanted to tell my best friend, but apparently it didn't quite work that way.”

Rose barely flinched.

“Like I just told her,” Rose said to Harry coolly, staring down her nose at me. Wow, she really wanted to stop doing that before I backhanded her. “She should stop popping them out so quickly. Someone might think she was doing it for the wrong reasons - you know how people have babies just to trap their husbands.”

Ouch. That one hurt.

Was this what I was in for? Jabs about my past from her, constant reminders I was keeping the secret of a clear sociopath?

“Sorry, Harry.” I forced a smile, told myself to play along. I wasn’t going to freak out in front of her. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction. “I think I should go.”

“But-” Harry stopped as he hugged me tightly. “Ignore her, Soph, this is great news. You don’t have to go-”

“Trust me, Harry.” I smiled genuinely this time. He deserved more than this - from me and Rose. “I do.”

It was just then that we heard Darcy calling for her mum.

“For God’s sake, Harry, go and deal with her.” Rose snapped, rubbing her temples.

“I’ll go.” I said, before either one of them could say anything. God. God, I wanted to hit her. I wanted to hit her, but I wanted to shake her at the same time and beg her to be the person I’d always thought she was. “And… Listen, I was thinking - send Darcy over for a sleepover sometime soon. Ari and Darcy don’t see one another enough.”

Darcy shouldn’t have to deal with a mother like that.

Maybe Rose was right. Maybe I was an interfering bitch who couldn’t keep her nose to herself - but that was exactly what had gotten Rose happily married to the guy of her dreams. I’d kept my end of the bargain, I’d become the journalist and introduced her to One Direction. Apparently, that was all she’d wanted.

But I’d helped her get her ending. So whether she liked it or not, I was going to make sure Darcy had a chance at that, at least. I knew Rose and her family, I could see the signs - Rose was turning into her mother.

As I hugged Harry goodbye at the doorway, ignoring Kara’s worried expression, I promised to keep an eye on Darcy. For my friend’s sake.

The one I didn’t have any more. 

[littledata]

Kara first becomes aware that Lena has a legion of seven evil exes hellbent on destroying her life when she gets home to find “Stay away from Lena Luthor” spray-painted on her apartment door. Her first thought is the culprit must be Lex Luthor, but spray paint seems a little inelegant for him, and besides, it’s just a bit too coincidental that the crime occurs the day after she shared dinner, drinks and a foot-pop inducing first kiss with the CEO of L-Corp. She rather doubts Lex found out about that from inside his supermax prison cell.

“I might have an idea who’s behind it.” Lena says sheepishly when she arrives to survey the damage. “I do have these seven evil exes who try to kill anyone I date.” When Kara suggests that this was perhaps something she should have mentioned after the aforementioned dinner, drinks, and earth-shattering kiss, Lena holds up her hands defensively. “I assumed it wouldn’t be a problem. I mean, you are a superhero.”

There’s just one issue with that superhero plan though, as Alex points out when she shows up to take a look at Kara’s vandalised door. The legion of seven evil exes who are now hellbent on destroying Kara’s life only think Lena is dating Kara Danvers, not Supergirl. So when they show up to fight her she can’t actually punch them into space without revealing her secret identity. She either deals with this problem as Kara Danvers or outs herself to a group of heartbroken supervillains.

So what does Kara Danvers do when she’s confronted with a legion of seven evil exes hellbent on destroying her life? She makes friends with them. Obviously.

1. Michael. Lena dated Michael for three weeks when she was fifteen because he had an earring and rode a motorbike. She was in the midst of a rebellious phase where she was trying her damndest to piss off her mother, and it worked until Michael suggested she drop out of high school to tour the country with his band. Even aged fifteen, Lena Luthor was nobody’s groupie. In the intervening years, he had racked up a couple of minor felonies (he was responsible for the spray paint) and was now playing bass in a Nickelback cover band. Kara agrees to hand out flyers for their next gig, and he tells her that she’s “totally kick-ass” like he’s from a 90s teen movie, then agrees he won’t try to murder her. She has to stand on a street corner in the cold for three hours, but it’s worth it when Lena shows up with hot cocoa, plants a warm kiss on her freezing nose, and tells her she looks cute in her scarf.

2. Madison. Kara first becomes aware of Madison when she is pelted with soccer balls by a small herd of children out of the windows of a mini-van. After she makes her escape, she forces an embarrassed Lena to explain that Madison was part of her first experimental steps into sleeping with women. They had hooked up once in their freshman year of college before Madison met a man, settled down and had four kids in quick succession. Kara has to find out for herself, buried somewhere in the depths of Madison’s mommy blog, that Lena had ruined her sex life with her future husband forever by giving her the only orgasm she would ever have.  Kara ignores her friends’ rather lewd suggestions of how she could get in her good books, and instead stays up all night baking cookies and brings them to Madison’s PTA fundraiser. She arrives home that night to Lena brandishing three large pizzas and a lewd suggestion of her own.

3. Prisha. Kara knows all about Prisha. She’s beautiful and intelligent and perfect, she’s a hot-shot prosecutor and she has a blackbelt in Judo and Kara hates her guts. Lena only ever references her vaguely, but Kara does manage to get out of her that Lena was eyeing up engagement rings before she found out Prisha was cheating on her, and after that Kara just hates her even more. She’s actually determined not to befriend this particular ex until she receives a court summons for an unpaid parking ticket. Kara Danvers has never parked illegally in her life. She offers Prisha Supergirl’s number so that she can get in a few sparring sessions to train against someone really tough (under the influence of kryptonite, of course), and that means she gets to make friends with her and punch her in the face. “You do know you’re the only person I care about dating right now, don’t you?” Lena asks her later with a teasing smile, and Kara feels a little bit guilty about the whole punching thing.

4. Simon. Lena broke up with Simon after he stole some of her PHD research, published it under his own name and used the resulting exposure to start a multi-billion dollar tech company. He still frequently appears in the news for the human rights violations in his company warehouses. He sends a delivery driver to do his dirty work for him, who hands Kara an exploding pen when he asks her to sign for her package. Admittedly, this might have actually worked if she wasn’t an alien, and Kara isn’t exactly thrilled by the thought of attempting to make nice with Simon. She is excellent at gift-giving though and finally hits on what every Silicon Valley tech bro really wants: she talks Winn into hacking his social media pages and making his twitter advertising campaign go viral. She tells Lena she’s starting to worry about just how bad she is at picking her relationships, and Lena points out that her current girlfriend is pretty great. It’s the first time she’s said it, and Kara melts.

5. Jensen. Jensen was Lena’s final attempt at pleasing her parents and dating men, back around the time of the whole Lex-Luthor-tries-to-kill-Superman fiasco. It seemed like it would make Thanksgiving a little less awkward, Lena explains, and Kara supposes she can’t argue with that logic. Their relationship might have even worked out if both of them hadn’t been very, very gay, and although they parted on amicable enough terms, that doesn’t stop Jensen from trying to poison Kara with tainted cupcakes from the bakery he owns. The cupcakes are really good though, if you ignore the arsenic, so once Kara finds out he owns a bakery she becomes one of his best customers, and inside of a month she and Jensen are regularly meeting up for coffee. He’s not really evil, just kind of dramatic, and Lena pouts adorably when Kara teases that she could say the same thing about her.

6. Rosa. Kara finds out about Rosa when she receives a call from the National City jail warning her away from Lena. Lena looks faintly embarrassed when she admits that she dated Rosa for a couple of months until she realised the other woman was stealing from her apartment and attempting to milk every penny she could out of her. Which, yeah, Kara supposes you’re at risk of that when you’re an incredibly attractive, single billionaire, but Lena seems to think she should have known something was amiss in advance. Apparently, Rosa is very well connected in the organised crime world though, because she definitely recognises the goons who jump her and Alex outside of her apartment building as being from a local mob family. Said goons didn’t exactly expect to be contending with an over-protective Danvers sister though, and they’re seen off very quickly. Alex is less than impressed when Kara starts up a penpal friendship with Rosa, despite her little sister’s insistence that Rosa was mostly blackmailed into most of her crimes by her underworld family members. Lena, who perhaps understands a problematic family more than many people, sighs and says, “Well, you forgive people. That’s what makes you Kara.”

7. Clara. Kara has absolutely no idea what Lena saw in Clara. She’s nothing like any of Lena’s other exes, doesn’t even have much in common with her, and it isn’t until Alex has tears of laughter running down her face that she kind of sees it. Clara has long blonde hair, blues eyes, glasses, favours button-ups and - oh okay fine, she’s a dead ringer for Kara. She does an excellent imitation of Kara on the phone and attempts to break up with Lena, but gives herself away when she mentions eating a salad for lunch. Kara gets in touch with a talent agency she knows through CatCo and helps Clara get a steady gig as a Supergirl lookalike. When she asks Lena what she was thinking when she slept with her, Lena gives a small shrug. “I was head over heels in love with my best friend but not quite ready to admit it yet.” 

“Am I in danger of becoming evil if you ever break up with me?” Kara asks once the legion of seven evil exes hellbent on destroying her life have all been successfully befriended and neutralised. She expects Lena to make a joke about Supergirl never turning evil, but Lena just gives her a curious look instead.

“What makes you think I’m ever going to break up with you?”

[writershapeholeonthedoor]

It’s Cold Outside - Supercorp

Read at AO3

I.

They're at Kara's apartment the first time something of the kind happens. Lena is sitting at the couch, a popcorn bowl between her legs and the remote in the other while she waits for her friend to get back from wherever she decided to go in the middle of The Princess Diary. When Kara waltz back into the room, she's holding a fluffy blanket that she promptly puts carefully on top of Lena's legs.

"In case you get cold." She offers as an explanation when Lena quirks one eyebrow at her. Then, she shruggs and grabs the bowl from her friend's lap and throws herself back in the couch, and she looks too adorable with a mouth full of popcorn to Lena to think about anything else.

Later, when she pulls the blanket to her chin, Kara beams at her like a puppy.

II.

Kara took the sucess of the first time as a signal that she could tell when Lena was cold or was about to get cold. Her friend did, in the end, used the blanket she had provided her. Kara herself couldn't get cold and it was hard for her to understand the limits of the human body when it came to temperatures, so she was proud of herself for realizing her friend might get chilly inside her apartment, despite the fact that she turned the heater on before Lena got there.

Maybe she needed to learn more about the heater and the ideal temperature for humans.

And maybe Lena only used the blanket because it smelled like Kara.

In any case, Kara was glad her efforts had proven to be right. So when, one day, they're having lunch together outside CatCo and a cold breeze hit them, Kara is jumping to her feet imediatly, putting her potsickers down. She took her jacket out and put it on Lena’s shoulders before the CEO could even understand what was going on – to be honest, it was quite hard for her not to use her superspeed in that moment.

“Kara!” Lena gasped, already trying to shrug it off, but Kara just put it back in place. “There’s no need for that, really!”

“Of course there is!” Kara protested with a frown. “You shivered just now.”

Lena blushed a little. “Serves me right for forgetting my own jacket.” She mumbled, before shaking her head and trying to take the jacket off again. “But you’re going to get cold, Kara.”

“I won’t!” The blonde promissed eagerly. “I pinky promise if you want! I’m fine, not cold at all!”

The CEO looked at her a little suspicious for a couple of seconds. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely!” Kara set back down, already grabbing her precious potsickers. “Besides, Jess is going to kill me if I let you get sick.”

Lena rolled her eyes as she slid her arms inside the jacket. “If you say so, but you can’t take it back. If you get cold, that’s your own fault.”

Kara laughed happily. “I won’t, don’t worry. If it happens, I will just hug you.”

They both decided to ignore each other’s blushed cheeks.

III.

L Corp’s air-conditioning system was in maintenance the next time. They were having lunch on Lena’s office and Kara just got up from her comfortable place in the couch to close the door that lead to the balcony, before grabbing Lena’s suit to bring it to her. Kara herself was using a blouse and a skirt, so she really didn’t had nothing with her that would Lena feel less cold, so she had to improvise.

Lena, who was in the middle of answering some urgent mail on her phone, looked up slightly startled when the weight of her red suit hit her back gently. Kara gave her a warm gentle smile before sitting back in her spot to finish her Burger.

“You know, I don’t know why you insist in ordering that salad, but I will guess it will only taste worse if you take much longer to eat it.” Kara teased as she took a large bite from her own lunch.

The CEO looked down at her barely touched salad, then back at Kara, then she rolled her shoulders, trying to make the suit more comfortable to wear without actually putting it on. She didn’t had it in her heart to tell Kara she wasn’t cold, especially after her friend had put her food down to go grab it for her.

Instead, she put her phone down, grabbed her plastic fork and took a kale out of her plate. If Kara noticed she was blushing, she didn’t said a thing.

IV.

“I can’t believe you convinced me to do it.” Lena shook her head in disbelief, a soft amazed laugh leaving her red lips.

Kara, who was basically jumping instead of walking alongside with her, gave her one of those capable-of-end-wars smiles of hers. “Walking is better to clean our head than drinking.” She recited for the third time that night.

Lena and her had a movies night planned for that friday, but the CEO was so worked up because of her job and because Lilian had get back from the ashes out of nowhere, that all she wanted to do was curl in a ball and drink her stock of whisky and wine. Of course Kara could never let her do that, so she somehow convinced Lena to take a walk with her around the block. Lena was going to pretend that she didn’t totally gave in because her friend started pouting at her and that made her heart flutter in a weird way.

“Yes, well, I can walk now and drink later.” Lena half joked. She had her arms crossed since they left her penthouse and she was keeping her eyes down most of the time, frowning at her feet.

In her defence, Kara did told her to grab other shoes, but the CEO had glared at her while slipping back her heels, so she just bit her lip and lead the way outside. They had walked in silence for about two minutes before Kara started rambling about her day and slowly Lena started relaxing. While listening to her friend strumble on her own words as she tried to decide what she needed to say first – while constantly interrupting herself and tripping in her words – Lena started feeling like all of her problems meant nothing.

She knew they did, she knew once Kara was gone her mind would instantly start worrying again, but, for now, Lena was going to allow herself to get lost in the blonde’s presence.

Lena was so absorbed in her thoughts that she actually jumped a little when she felt something touching her hair. She looked to the side with wide eyes, but relaxed when all she saw was Kara looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a amusing smile.

“Calm down, Lee, it’s just me.” Kara made a stop, causing Lena to do the same, and they faced each other. It was only then that Lena realized Kara was holding out her scarf, folded in half, ready to put the red thing around her neck. “Come here.”

Lena shook her head. “You made me put my coat before we left, Kar.”

The reporter looked at her like she was crazy. “But it’s cold.”

“Kara...” Lena flipped her tongue over her bottom lip and sighed. “I’m fine, you can keep your scarf.”

And suddenly she was looking at a kicked puppy. Kara’s whole body deflated, her smile faltered and her hands dropped. It took Lena less than a second to change her mind after seeing her friend looking so sad.

“But I guess it is a little cold, and your coat is warmer than mine.” That was a lie. Kara was barely wearing a coat, but the smile she gave Lena after she registered her answer was totally worth the white lie.

Kara was putting the scarf around her neck before she could blink. Lena ducked her neck to make it easier for her and, when she looked up again, the blonde used the tips of the scarf to pull her closer. For a panicking second she thought Kara was actually going to kiss her, but then the blonde placed a sweet kiss on her forehead and started walking again.

Lena was blushing too hard to say it was only because of the slightly cold breeze.

V.

“What on Earth are you wearing?!” Alex didn’t hide her surprise or her disgust while pointing at Lena with a frown. She had just walked inside Kara’s apartment for their movie night, carrying bags of food and kicking off her shoes.

Lena looked down at her clothes and arched one eyebrow. “What? What’s the problem?”

She saw Kara rolling her eyes while making her way back to her living room after putting the food Alex had brought with her in the kitchen. “Alex doesn’t like my sweater.”

The agent arched one eyebrow at her little sister. “It’s a fucking ugly sweater, Kara.”

Frowning even harder, Lena looked at the sweater she was wearing again, pulling it away from her torso for a second to give it a proper look. Then, pursing her lips, she shrugged. “I like it.”

Kara beamed at her like she had just offered her a life time supply of potsickers, while Alex gaped like it was the most offending thing she had ever heard. It was kind of comical to see both sister turn to look at each other at the exact same time, but with such diffent reactions.

“A-ha!” Kara exclaimed while pointing a finger at Alex. “See!”

Alex rolled her eyes. “She’s not using her glasses, that’s why.” She tried to shrug it off, but Kara wasn’t having it.

“No, no, it’s a good sweater, right, Lena?”

The CEO looked between them for a couple of seconds, but decided not to answer at it. It made Alex scoff. “Why are you even wearing that? It’s fucking hot in here, you should open a window or something, Kara.”

Kara looked really confused, so Lena jumped in before she could start wondering about it too much. “I was a little cold.”

It wasn’t a lie. Lena was cold when she first walked in, for some reason, but she wasn’t expecting Kara to go so out of border when she said that to her. Her friend literally closed every single window in her apartment and brought her not only the dinosaur sweater she was currently wearing, but also two blankets that were currently on her couch.

“Was that the only thing you had?” Alex scoffed again, but she appeared to let the subjetct drop as she moved to take her own jacket.

Later that night, while waiting for her driver to show up, Lena had tried to give back the sweater for Kara, but the blonde wasn’t having it. She insisted Lena should use it until she got home, to avoid getting cold in the way, she had said. The CEO tried not to, but it was too good of an oportunity to let it go, so she schedule a lunch for them for the next day so she could “give her back the sweater” and definitely not because she wanted to see Kara again.

VI.

Lena had lost track of how many times Supergirl had saved her by now. Another attempt of kidnapp that the superhero had saved her from. Another try of her mother to get rid off her. Didn’t she had the best family ever?

Now they were outside the building they had tried to lock her in, cops, firefighters, agents and reporters where surrounding her. She was lucky enough that Maggie was in service that night so the latina had took her statment and was able to stick around with her while the paramedics tried to check her vitals, before Lena send them away. She liked Maggie, even if the woman did arrest her once. She had a great humor and wasn’t afraid of talking with her like everyone else.

Alex was also around, she saw the woman at some point, yelling orders and talking with Supergirl, but her main job was trying to keep the curious away, for which Lena was also greatful for. After shooing the paramedics away, Lena seated in the back of the ambulance and Maggie stood in front of her, blocking the cameras from taking pictures of her, hands stuffed inside the pockets of her slightly large jacket.

“Do you have a life insurance?”

Lena thought the question was a little too weird, but then she identified the teasing behind Maggie’s tone, and scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I even have my will all written down.” She joked back, looking down at her broken heels. In her attempt of running from her captors, she had broken both heels and ripped her suit, but at least she wasn’t physically harmed at all.

“Ms. Luthor!” They both turned their head to look at Supergirl, who had approached the ambulance with wide eyes and a sence of urgence that Lena had never saw on her. “Are you ok?”

Lena actually grinned a little. “You already asked me that about three times, Supergirl.” She teased.

Maggie snorted and took a step back. “I guess you’re in good hands for a couple of minutes. I will kick the reporters away so your driver can get through.” She patted Supergirl’s shoulder as she walked away from them.

The hero smiled at her once they were alone. “Do you mind?” She pointed at the small spot beside Lena in the back of the ambulance and the CEO nodded.

Lena slipped to the side to give her more room and Supergirl happily jumped to sit by her side, looking like an excited child for a second. The brunette giggled at that, making the hero laugh too. Supergirl bumped their shoulders gently and Lena moved more out of instinct then the strenght behind the move.

“You didn’t answered me.” Supergirl said.

Lena sighed, looking up at the sky for a while. There was no stars in the sky, the moon was almost entirely hidden behind the clouds and there was a cold breeze swinging the leaves at the trees that could only mean it was going to rain at some point that night. She sighed again, thinking about her favoutire whiskey and her bed, and almost jumped away when she felt something touching her shoulder.

She turned her head to look at the hero, too shocked, and saw that the blonde alien was smiling gently at her. Lena hesitated for a few seconds, before allowing her body to relax and lean against Supergirl. Smiling pleased with herself, Supergirl threw one arm around her shoulders, bringing her cape with her, efficiently using it as a blanket for Lena.

The CEO allowed herself to smile a little at the gesture, especially when she realized how warm the red cape actually was. The cold breeze couldn’t get through her anymore and the fabric was much softier than she expected.

Maggie found them five minutes later and it broke her heart to interrupt. Lena fell asleep with her head in Kara’s shoulder and the blonde was resting her head on top of hers with the silliest smile the detective had ever saw on her face.

VII.

“Good evening, Supergirl.” Lena greeted with a soft voice and a shy smile.

The hero, who had just landed on her balcony, smiled at her. “Ms. Luthor. I thought I would stop by to see how are you feeling after last night.”

Lena shrugged. “I’m good. You saved me before anything could happen.”

“Well, it’s only my job.” Supergirl was about to say something else, but imediatly shut her mouth when she saw Lena running her hands up and down her arms in a weak attempt to warm herself. “Are you cold?”

Lena chuckled lowly. “It’s ok, I’m fine.”

Supergirl frowned at her, then looked over her shoulder to her penthouse. “Maybe you should get inside to warm up.”

That actually made the brunette laugh openly. She shook her head fondly and looked at the night sky. The stars, just like the other night, were gone, but she could see the moon this time. “What’s your thing with me being cold, Kara?”

Lena turned her head just in time to see the surprise flash across Supergirl’s face before she could hide it behind her mask. “I don’t understand what you’re talking, Ms. Luthor.”

The urge to roll her eyes was stronger than her, but Lena did tried to look away while doing it. “I already figured it out, Kara, you don’t have to hide it anymore.”

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed her statment and, for a second, Lena thought her friend was only going to fly away and pretend that talk never happened, but then Kara’s shoulders dropped and she sighed. “What gave me away?”

Lena smiled at her, which made the hero relax a little. “You kept me warm last night.”

It was true. After Maggie informed them that Lena’s driver was just driving around the block to come get her, Kara, as Supergirl, had just jumped from the back of the ambulance while taking her cape off completely. She made sure it was around Lena’s body, before nodding once. “I will grab it later.” She informed when Lena tried to give it back to her.

Kara actually blushed a little to that. “I’m sorry I didn’t told you before.”

“I’m sure you had your reasons.” Lena whispered softly. “Just, please, tell it isn’t because of who I am. If it’s because I didn’t gave you reasons to trust me or something like that, I get it, but if it’s only because I’m a Luthor...”

“No, of course not!” Kara took a urgent step foward and her hands raised like she was about to grab Lena’s shoulders, but she stoped herself in the last minute and her arms dropped to her sides. “I was scared something bad was going to happen to you. A lot of people got hurt because they know my secret, I didn’t wanted you to be one of them or to be near that type of danger.” A shy amused grin made it’s way to her lips and Lena quirked one eyebrow at her friend. “To be honest, you’re already a magnet for danger, maybe adding to it wouldn’t make any good.”

“So you were only trying to protect me?” Lena shivered again, less because of the cold night air and more because the look Kara was giving her was almost too much to bear.

Kara’s face lighted up with one of her beautiful smiles and she opened her arms, the edges of her cape being held by her fingers, making it look way bigger like that. Lena understood the invitation and promptly walked inside her personal space, circling her arms around Kara’s waist as the blonde hugged her. They stayed like that, curled into each other, wrapped by Supergirl’s cape as a blanket, in silence for a couple of seconds.

Kara broke the silence with a soft voice. “I will always protect you, Lena.” She promissed and placed a lovingly kiss on top of the CEO’s head. “And I will keep you warm, too.” She teased.

Lena raised her head from Kara’s shoulder to look at her, eyes bright and a little scared. “Kara, I...” She stoped to take a deep breath and gather her courage, but she didn’t have to.

Kara leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. It was brief, lovely and warm, but it held so much meaning that Lena thought that she was going to pass out for a second. When she opened her eyes again, the blonde was already looking at her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but...” Kara sighed happily. “I’m not the only who can feel something between us.”

“What took you so long to act on it?” Lena decided to ignore her own hypocrisy.

“It wasn’t fair to say something when you didn’t know the whole true.” Kara hesitated for a second, but then her goofy smile appeared. “And also I wasn’t sure you were flirting with me or just being you. And also because I was too scared to say something. And also because you’re feeling really good against me right now and it just looked like the right time. And also...”

“I think I get it.” Lena interrupted her with an eye roll.

Kara chuckled and leaned to kiss her again. Once again, it was sweet and fast, but it left Lena’s lipst tingling. “You should get inside, is kinda cold outside.”

“Yes.” Lena agreeded, before hugging Kara tighter into her. She rested her head on the woman’s shoulder again and sighed gladly, closing her eyes. “But I’m warm right now.”

[greenjacketwhitehatdocmui]

The Worst Prison...

Or, the cruelest thing I could do to Lex Luthor.  This is based off an idea I had if the 10th Doctor was involved in the Crisis.

--Doc

    Lex had been in total control.  He'd eliminated more than a few versions of Superman while traveling through the multiverse.  Well, fine, there had been this one idiot who had given up his powers for a "normal" life.  That one hadn't been worth killing.  He would have died soon enough when the antimatter wave came.

    Out of a sense of drama, he turned the latest Superman against the one that he knew.  With the Book of Destiny, all the kindness and nobility of this older Superman had curdled to resentment and rage.  In just a few moments, the Superman he knew would have been burned to ashes, followed by Lois Lane and Iris West.  And then the multiverse would acknowledge him as the savior.  After all, he had his little ace in the hole.

    In retrospect, he probably should have seen Lois coming.  He probably read it in the Book somewhere, but it hadn't been important at the time. One blow to the head later had proved him wrong.

    He wasn't terribly worried when he woke up on the Waverider, surrounded by would-be "heroes."  They lacked the conviction to do what had to be done. Why else had he been born? Because the universe needed people like him, shameless manipulators that Got Things Done.

    He hadn't anticipated that the Monitor had recruited that skinny man in a blue suit and red shoes.  He recognized the brown-haired man from some viral videos, something about stone angels coming to life.

    "An entire universe wiped from existence, distilled to a computer graphic," he remarked as Kara had hunched over the console. Beside her, that man in the blue suit gently laid a hand on her shoulder.  "Gotta say, missing that wow factor."

    Kara straightened up and whirled to face Luthor. Her eyes glowed, ready to burn him down. Like that threat had ever really worked.

    "Kara, no," the Doctor said sternly.  The man in blue stepped between her and himself, hands still in his pockets.

    "Why not?!" she demanded.  "For everything he's done--"

    "He'll get what the universe decides," the Doctor said calmly.  "That symbol you wear?  Does that entitle you to be judge, jury and executioner?"

    Kara took a ragged breath.  The glow in her eyes dimmed, but the glare hadn't. "You're on his side?"

    "Everyone has their part to play," the Monitor said. "Even Luthor."

    He tilted his head slightly as he looked at the Doctor.  "I don't think I know you.  You weren't in the Book."

    The Doctor hadn't taken his hands out of his pocket as he turned to face him.  His face shifted to that of a manic grin--and not a nice one.

    "Alexander Joseph Luthor," the Doctor declared. "You could have been so much better.  The world would have been better for it."

    He tried not to scowl.  Nobody had the right to criticize him, the real Man of Tomorrow. "I don't recognize you," he admitted.  "You weren't in the Book."

    "The Book of Destiny?" the Doctor asked. "That has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to me.  I'm the Doctor."

    "Doctor who?" he asked.  "No, wait, I do remember an urban legend about a doctor with a blue box.  But of course, you can't be that...doctor..."  he trailed off as the Doctor pointed at the blue police box in the corner.

    The Doctor turned to face Kara, his expression now an amused smirk.  "You see, Kara?  Anything's possible.  I just got Lex Luthor to be quiet."

    He bristled at the implication.  The rumors were that the Doctor was an alien who helped humanity in times of need.  If the blue box was his transport, then the implications were obvious:  Travel through time and space.

    This was getting interesting.  It wasn't as if he hadn't worked with alien tech before. Part of him was itching to see what that box was running on.

    It was about then that Lois and Superman (it was impossible to think of him as wimpy Clark Kent) made their appearance. Lois had a vaguely smug look on her face.

    "I told you, honey," Lois said, "Lex isn't a pile of ash on the floor.

    "Well, Kara wouldn't--"

    "I almost did," she admitted. "But the Doctor stopped me."

    "And it's a good thing, too," he said. "After all, if I'm to be part of this merry little band, there must be a reason."  He clapped his hands together.  "So, where do we start on `saving the multiverse?'" he asked, adding air quotes.

    The Doctor stepped close to him and frowned. "And if you do help, then what? We let you go on your merry little way? This is your chance to put that brain to truly good use.  Make the world a better place.  I'm giving you one last chance to turn yourself around."

    "It won't work," Lois shook her head. "He's the classic definition of insanity.  He keeps doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results."

    "To be fair, Einstein never heard of a random number generator," he quipped.  "To answer your question, `Doctor,' I'll do as I see fit."  He scoffed.  "In many ways, you’re like Superman.  You look like a man, you talk like a man, you even think like a man.  But when it comes down to it, you’re just another arrogant alien lording his superiority over we poor humans.  You think that we’re lucky to bask in your glory.  You even have a blue suit and red footwear.”

    The Doctor frowned.  "Has anyone checked his pockets?”

    There was a round of negatives and shaken heads. The Doctor looked aghast.

    "What?  Really?!" the Doctor exclaimed. "The second most dangerous man in the room, someone who’s killed multiple versions of Superman, someone who’s a bona fide evil genius and nobody thought to search him?!  Three pairs of x-ray eyes and nobody thought to look?  Eh?  Eh?”

    He frowned.  He didn't like the way things were going.

    Lois crossed her arms.  "We took away the Book of Destiny.  He’s unarmed.”

    The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, though Luthor didn't know what it was at the time.  “Lois, this isn’t a weapon.  But do you think for one moment that I can’t be dangerous with this?”

    With a quick motion, the device glowed blue and buzzed.  The Doctor's expression was intent as he scanned.

    “Cell phone, wallet--ooh!  Page from the Book of Destiny!” the Doctor exclaimed.

    “What?!” Kara shouted.

    He tried to back away, but Monitor had a firm grip on his shoulder.  There was no escape.  If they found his ace in the hole--

    “In his suit pocket, along with a Sharpie," the Doctor said.  "Might want to empty out all his pockets, just in case.  Never know if he might be hiding any kryptonite.”

    He tried to struggle, but his secret weapon had been deftly plucked from its hiding place. With a blur, Kara sped around him, turning out all his pockets.  Items both mundane and disguised clattered onto the deck floor, but the page was the most important.

    “Give me that--”  he said, shortly before Kara sped towards him and flicked her finger against his forehead.  The impact had sent him flying, as the Monitor had released him.

    His vision swam as he slumped to the ground.  His limbs wouldn't work.  The alien freak had probably given him a concussion, at the very least.

    Kara scrutinized the page.  "Looks like someone marked this up.  My question is, why didn’t we think to look?”

    “The Book of Destiny works on your subconscious, all the better to make sure that Destiny happens," the Doctor said.  "Not usually a big fan of predestination, though.  Always preferred a little wiggle room.”

    The Doctor's expression turned grim as he turned the sonic on the page.  In moments, the alterations had been undone, only for new words to form on the back of the page.

    “What did you just do?!” he yelled, flailing impotently on the floor.

    With a voice as cold as space, the Doctor spoke:  "I gave you your chance.  Now, I'm going to let the universe decide."

--------

    He awoke in a hospital bed.  The last thing he remembered was the agony as the antimatter had consumed him.  Had his plan worked, he would have changed places with that "paragon" Superman.  Then he would have rewritten things to be more in his favor.

    The first odd thing that he noticed was that there was no television.  Nor, upon further inspection, were there any mirrors. A notebook and pen had been provided on his nightstand, as well as a fruit basket and a glass of water.  The decor was neutral, comfortable and about as bland as tofu.

    He got up with some difficulty.  The aches had probably been from his hitting the floor back then.  He didn't know how he'd gotten here, though one of the "super people" probably dropped him off.  There weren't any cameras that he could see, which meant that they were very well hidden or his captors were overconfident.

    The door opened.  It was Lena.

    "You look pretty good for a dead man," she remarked as she came in. The door closed heavily behind her, probably reinforced.

    "I have friends in high places," he replied.  "So, what brings you here?  Don't tell me that it's a wellness check."

    Lena frowned.  "L-corp's been working on an advanced cancer cure.  The animal trials were promising, but human cell samples revealed abnormalities."  She took out a sheaf of papers.  "Oh, and I hope you like the fruit basket."

    "It's not laced with anything, is it?" he joked.

    "I've killed you once before," Lena remarked.  "I'm pretty sure that I could do it again."

    "So harsh," he remarked.  "It's so difficult being older and wiser."  He paged through the packet and raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, there's your problem."

    "What?"

    "Before I tell you, what do I get out of this?" he asked.

    Lena's mouth was a thin line.  "Better accommodations, starting tomorrow.  This isn't like Stryker's Island, Lex.  I can work with them."

    "And...?"

    "I can't promise anything else, Lex."

    He sighed heavily.  "Well, it's a start.  So, your problem is..."

--------

    Lena sighed heavily as the door sealed itself behind her.  With a faint whisper, the holographic disguise she wore faded. There were a few white hairs and some crows' feet, but nothing major.  Lex would have certainly noticed if she hadn't covered it up.

    "How is he?" the Doctor asked.  He never seemed to age much.

    "Same as ever," Lena said.  "He's always the same."

    Anterograde amnesia was an insidious beast.  One had near-perfect recall of events and skills before an injury.  Past a certain point, the afflicted person simply could not retain new memories.

    Lex's mind essentially rebooted itself once a day.  From his point of view, it hadn't been 10 years since the Crisis.  It was a fitting punishment from the universe; the man who never learned from his mistakes was now incapable of truly learning at all.  He just retreaded the past, though his intellect was a very useful resource.

    Lex Luthor did, in fact, make the world a better place.  Lena's weekly visits had been surprisingly productive.  The only cost was an emotional one.  The greatest irony was that his mind was the prison he could never escape.

    "I'm sorry," the Doctor said quietly.  "I didn't decide this."

    Lena nodded.  "I'll tell Kara that you said hello."

    He managed a faint smile and a cocky salute.  Then he was back in his blue box, off to who knew where.

    Lena left the facility.  Unlike Lex, she had a future.

The End

[team-science-mega-nerds]

 Fictober Prompt #2: “Just follow me, I know the area.”

Fandom: Supergirl

Pairing: Agentcorp (Lena x Alex)

Warnings: None

Lena Luthor is a brilliant, accomplished, CEO. But drunk Lena is like a giant teddy bear who clearly has no idea what’s going on around her. You’d think getting lost in LCorp wouldn’t be that big of a deal but the building is much larger than Alex realized. And, to be fair, Alex was a little tipsy too. A late-night nightcap had lead to a discussion of trauma, futility, and faith. In that order. Each of them losing count of glasses and whiskey between one subject and the next. They are friends. Good friends. Great friends. 

Sometimes they are friends who fall into bed together. Or on desks. Once in a car. Twice against the wall outside of Alex’s apartment. Those are the things they never discuss. And tonight, after Lena had swooped in and scienced away a dire threat to all of National City and the world, them not discussing what they are had lead to a kind of fearful aimlessness that they could not control. 

Wandering through a building that Lena owned but had not built was a dumb thing to do. Clearly, that inheritance was clawing at Lena’s insides. Alex watched the beast of uncertainty overcome Lena. They walked to places Lena had never been. Offices she’d never seen. Such a big place, too many people populating it in the day. At night they could get lost in it. They had gotten lost in it. “Let’s follow the exit signs.” 

“Just follow me, I know the area,” Lena slurred and trekked on. 

“It’s not an area. It’s a building. One building.” Alex reaches out and grabs Lena before this gets out of hand. Lena’s eyes flare with something. Anger. Guilt. Annoyance. “You think I don’t know what’s happening?”

“Shut up, Alex.” Words like that are usually followed by a kiss. Passion and anger have defined a lot between them. But tonight, Lena lets Alex hold her in place, and she waits. 

“It’s okay.” Alex knows that’s not enough to encompass everything. But it’s enough to soften Lena’s resistance. “This place, this building...is nothing compared to you.”

“Don’t say something you’re going to regret,” Lena warns. “Don’t ruin us, Alex.” 

“Fuck it, we’re ruined.” Alex releases Lena but neither moves back. “I was using you. You were using me. And...and now we’re here. And you’re freaking out because you’re not in control right now. So, let’s...not pretend that we don’t care about each other.” 

“Your heart is too good, Alex.” Lena punctuates the statement by pressing her hand against Alex’s chest. “Somehow, someway my family will completely destroy you.”

“They can try.”

“They will.” Lena scoffs and continues walking toward another door that will probably lead them nowhere. “Kara would kill me if anything happened to you.” 

“I can take care of myself,” Alex reminds her as they start down the stairs. “From what I remember of last night, I can take care of you too.” Lena stops and turns to face Alex with a frown. 

“Now you’re joking around? Great.” 

“You’re so uptight.”

“You know I hate when people call me that.” Lena grabs onto the railing and continues her descent. “Catching feelings was not supposed to be on the table. That was the whole point.” 

“Noted.” They try another door which is locked. Unfortunately, Lena only remembers a few passcodes for these doors. This, of course, isn’t one of them. “Now that we’re being honest. Like totally honest…” Lena side-eyes Alex. “I heard you.”

Lena remains calm even though Alex knows just how much she must be freaking out on the inside. “What are you talking about?” 

“You said ‘I love you’-”

“That doesn’t count. We were...it doesn’t count if I say it in the middle of sex.” Alex is trying her best not to roll her eyes. 

“Okay.”

“It was in the moment. Your fingers were inside me, don’t...don’t hold me to that.”

“Okay,” Alex is almost enjoying herself. This conversation isn’t as scary as she thought it’d be. At least they have a more practical goal on hand. “Maybe we should stay here tonight?”

“You have to work early tomorrow.” Alex can see the way that Lena visibly recoils at her own comment. It seems to hit her all at once. How much Lena actually knows about Alex. How she schedules meetings around the possibility of Alex stopping by for lunch. Or that Alex always runs her fingers through her hair when she’s nervous. Like now. “You were supposed to be easy, you know.” They stand side by side at a door. Just one door between them and the outside. 

Freedom. Going home alone. Alex and Lena are both a little unsure. 

“I know.”

Lena raises her hand to punch in the four-number code. “Let’s stay.” Lena lets her arm drop to her side. “I’ll probably throw up all over the floor in my office and we’ll wake up with terrible hangovers.” Lena turns to look at Alex. “You’ll make me feel better just by being there. Like always.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.” Lena nods her head. She walks with Alex, hand in hand, back to the elevator. They get in and press the button for Lena’s floor. “I don’t know the way.” 

“Neither do I.” Alex cracks a smile, Lena does the same. “Neither do I.”

[murdershegoat]

bygones

[on ao3]

"I know you’ve been coming here most nights,” Lena says, her tone clipped. “You trip the secret alarm every time and it’s really fucking annoying.”

She stands on the porch of a quaint log cabin, arms crossed against her chest. Kara hovers in front of her, her suit gleaming slightly against the darkness of the thick wood behind her. Lena had come here to escape all reminders of Kara. Finding a place with no reminders of Kara Danvers had proven difficult. This was the best she could do, and it was far from perfect. Kara being there wouldn’t really help with that. She lowers herself slowly to the ground, landing with a small ‘thud’. In the porch light, Lena can see the pain on her face. Lena imagines the same pain is reflected on hers.

“How did you know where I was?”

“I’ve been flying across America trying to find your heartbeat,” she admits. “It took me a few weeks.”

“I don’t want to see you,” Lena says, jutting out her jaw and desperately willing herself not to burst into tears at the thought of Kara flying around the United States of America just to find her. “You know I don’t want you here.”

“Do I know that, though?” Kara says, the hurt in her voice cutting straight through Lena. “You left without a word. I told you that I was-- I told you who I was and you just, you left. You disappeared, without telling anybody. I thought you were--”

“Oh, don’t pretend you care about me now, Kara,” Lena spits back.

“I do care about you, so much--”

“You made me look like a fool. Everybody knows, every single one of our friends, and I was left in the dark like a child. I mean, god, even my brother knew!”

“I didn’t tell Lex!”

“You think I care?? The point is you didn’t tell me, Kara! What is it, I couldn’t be trusted? Have I not proven myself enough yet?”

“Did you ever stop to think that this was never about you??” Kara bursts, finally raising her voice. “Maybe I liked having someone in my life who didn’t know I was some alien freak from another planet?”

“Save the sob story,” Lena says. “I don’t feel sorry for the superhero with a heart of gold and supportive friends and family and an entire world bowing at her feet.”

“Grow up, Lena,” Kara says. “I’m tired, I’m so tired of this.”

“Goodnight, Supergirl,” Lena says. She turns around and goes inside, locking the door behind her.

But she doesn’t leave.

Like she has done every night for the past month, Kara stays the night and she feels her heart ache as she listens to Lena cry.

///

It takes another couple of weeks for Lena to surface again. It’s a particularly rough night; wind tears through the trees, cold and harsh against the cabin. Lena’s in a thick cardigan, a blanket around her shoulders. She drops a blanket on the porch.

“I don’t get cold,” Kara says quietly with a smile.

“What?” Lena yells out over the gale.

“I said thank you,” Kara calls back, and Lena heads back inside.

The blanket is the itchiest blanket Kara has ever used. She knows Lena gave it to her on purpose.

She still wears it all night, and leaves it folded neatly on the porch in the morning.

///

Kara’s running late, not that Lena’s paying attention or anything. But it’s almost 3am and maybe she’s a little scared--

Kara lands in front of the porch, and Lena sighs with relief.

“Long night?” Lena calls out, and it almost feels normal, Kara being Supergirl and Lena being holed up here away from the outside world and the two of them spending their nights together like this.

“A bad one,” Kara says, her voice breaking. As she steps into the light, Lena can see her tear-stained cheeks, the slump in her shoulders, the dried blood flecked across her chest.

“What hap--” she decides maybe she doesn’t want the gruesome details. So she settles on, “are you okay?”

“I’m feeling a bit better now,” Kara says with a small smile. Lena ignores the way it makes her stomach feel heavy and squirmish inside her. Instead, she moves over so there’s enough room for Kara on the bench. Kara sighs as she sits, resting her head on the wall behind her and closing her eyes.

“Kara?” Lena says. Kara cracks one eye open and looks at her wearily.

“Yeah, Lena?”

“I think I’m ready.”

“For?”

“I want to know why you didn’t tell me you were Supergirl.”

Kara sits up straight, rubbing her eyes.

“Now?”

“No time like the present,” Lena shrugs.

“I guess… I guess I liked that you only knew Kara Danvers. Don’t get me wrong, I love being Supergirl, but…” She pauses and sighs. “I don’t know how to phrase what I’m thinking.”

“Take your time. We have all night. And tomorrow night. And the night after that--”

“I get it,” Kara says, chuckling. “Okay. Uh, Supergirl is supposed to be this beacon of goodness and hope, and I get to do so much good being her. But I’m also constantly terrified. I’ve got so much power inside me and I know what that power can do if I let my anger take over. It’s happened before - too many times - and I’ve hurt so many people I love. And they forgave me, thank god they forgave me, but Supergirl started to feel less and less good. She’s done too much damage and even if nobody else sees it, I feel it. And you, you only saw Kara and you saw the goodness in me without my emblem on my chest and it just felt… gosh, it felt so great. It’s probably just my own insecurities, but I always feel like Alex and Eliza look at me like I’m still a pre-pubescent refugee. And whenever they’d look at me with pity or whatever it made me so hyper-aware that I’d always be this lost kid in their eyes. But when I was with you, I didn’t have the responsibility of Supergirl or the baggage of Kara Zor-El and I could just… be.”

“Who the hell is Kara Zor-El?” Lena asks, and Kara bursts out laughing.

“Zor-El is my Kryptonian last name. Actually, it’s also my father’s first name.” Kara scrunches her nose. “Now that I think about it, the Kryptonian naming system is patriarchal as hell.”

“I mean, Earth’s is just as bad,” Lena smiles. She hesitates before adding, “do you remember much about Krypton.”

“I remember my father. His office had this smell, the closest thing to it I can find on earth is mahogany. I remember I walked into one of my college professor’s offices and he had this huge desk and it made me burst into tears as soon as it hit my nose. I remember when Kal-El, Superman, was born and all the adults in my family thought I’d be jealous of him but I remember being too obsessed with him to feel anything other than love. I remember the way my mom would try to be angry with me when she was holding back laughter, this weird wobble in her voice. I, uh, I remember seeing it explode. I’d never seen anything as bright in my life, it burned my eyes and it made my pod heat up and I thought I was gonna suffocate.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

Kara smiles sadly. “That’s why I like being Kara Danvers. Kara Danvers isn’t one of the last of her kind, she doesn’t think about her family dying all the time. Kara Danvers doesn’t have as many reasons to be sad. And she has you.”

“Kara?”

“Yeah, Lena?”

“I’m sorry for reacting the way I did.”

Kara turns so she’s totally facing Lena. She puts a hand on her knee.

“You have nothing to apologise for. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and I’m sorry it made you feel like I didn’t trust you. I trust you more than anyone else. You’re my best friend, you’re--” she stops just for a moment. “You’re so extraordinary.”

“So that’s it,” Lena says. “Enough apologising. No more.”

Kara holds out her hand, ready for Lena to shake it.

“Bygones?” she jokes.

Lena pushes her hand aside, and leans forward. She kisses Kara slowly, softly, as though maybe she didn’t mean to do it. But Kara kisses her back, every inch of her body crying out finally!

All too soon, Lena pulls away, the promise of their future lying in the silence between them.

“Bygones,” she agrees. “Now. Will you fly me home?”

[howtotrainyouragents]

Agent H’s AOS Rewatch

S2E10 “What They Become” 

I wrote this out during the actual rewatch week, but I didn’t realize I never posted it! Boy, did this get long. 

-I had to do a liveblog of this episode because it’s one of my favorites of the season, and we get SKYE’S TRANSFORMATION! 

-Okay, so @the fandom who were around back then: at what point did people guess they were doing a terrigenesis/Inhumans storyline? Because I only learned that’s what they were doing via the internet frenzy after the episode was over

Ward, May, Coulson, and HYDRA

-MAY’S. EPIC. FLYING. FUDGE YYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH. This is so fucking brilliant of her, dead-dropping the plane and then cloaking.

-”I would put two of these (bullets) in his heads”. Plus, Coulson always looking at the good side: “you saved six agents”.  I didn’t do a liveblog of  2x09, but that conversation with Bobbi about acceptable casualties is SO IMPORTANT and vital to who Coulson is and the show overall and you know that’s the moment Bobbi truly supported Coulson.

-Good callback: Before Coulson freaked out that Skye was taken. Now he’s confident that she’ll be able to handle herself until they can get in there.

-”Hand me your side arm, let’s find out”-Skye

-Is Ward’s personality shift (though still a psychopath) this first half of the season because he’s lost without Garrett or because he believes he can be redeemed through helping Skye? Both?

-Yass queen, pick up the diviner

- I loved seeing the bad guys maneuvering around each other in Season 2a, and all of that coming to a head this episode. But I don’t know why Ward and Skye and all attacked and then they just stopped. I think they could have taken the HYDRA goons easily

-“Never turn your back on the enemy.” You know I’m glad Skye shot Ward too. It’s closure on his belief that she can redeem him that’s been carrying him through these last ten episodes.

-I never realized that Agent 33′s voice was distorted

-HYDRA, SHIELD, and the aos writers treated Kara so badly, and I am yelling shame and ringing the bell at all of them.

Hunter and Bobbi

-“If he really is dead, the number of people I trust on this planet, just plummeted.” The Huntingbird hug is so beautiful! How strong Bobbi pretends to be (“Whenever this is all over, I’m gonna cry for like a week”= so real) and how she lets herself go with Hunter. She’s so surprised by the hug at first, and I love how much taller she is than him. He knows about the flashdrive, but he tries to comfort her anyway and that makes me sad and touched. 

-”Diego’s early and he’s wearing a suit.”-Bobbi

-The kiss! Ugh, Huntingbird really does fill all the classic OTP tropes

-”Don’t die out there.” “He likes to hear it.” “Who doesn’t like to hear it??”

-”Join SHIELD, travel to excotic distant people, meet exciting unusal people, and kill them” -Hunter 

Fitz, Simmons, Tripp, and the Koenigs

-Bahahaha, the Koenigs, His little thumbs up and Hunter rolling his eyes for his life (Hunter would die in the middle of saying something sarcastic, and I will stake my life on that). Also good reuse of the pod units but this time for good (rather than, you know, bottom of the ocean and dying). Sidenote, did we see the pods anytime before Skye gets shot?

-I love Fitzsimmons working together (finally) in the holding cell. I love how the minute they say they’re not gonna work together anymore, they have to work together. Here, they’re so polite but also they’ve got such a natural rhythm. Simmons seems like she wants to talk about them but he’s like oh no, wasn’t talking about myself! Fitz is both back to himself and also gotta new groove (his recovery is going well!). Simmons being genuinely worried for Mack. FITZ’s LOOK OF LOVE

-I only appreciated it on this rewatch, but the show has good continuity of Fitzsimmons/team vs alien tech/bio. They spend majority of season 1 finding 084s and researching their properties and learning how they interact with human biology. Then second season plays off the events of the first season: they’ve seen how many times alien tech/biology is dangerous and they’ve seen it infect and kill so many people. It makes perfect sense why Simmons and the others would be cautious about this alien stuff (Fitz is the loyal one, remembering that this is their friend they’re talking about it and he’s got (blind) faith when it comes to his friends). Season 2 is like introduction to actual aliens (as opposed to relics/artifacts/Asgardians) and how human Inhumans are. Season 3 builds on that further by exploring the good and bad sides of Inhumans.

-I didn’t do a liveblog of the previous episode, but Fitz’s “If you’re looking for vacation time, bribery will get you nowhere. I’ve tried.” is golden. I like the little character traits they give Fitz like, in addition to being a literal genius and all the trauma he’s faced, he’s just a quietly disgruntled SHIELD employee who just wants vacation time and warmer AC (re: season 4)  

-Howling Commando gear!!!!!

-Aww, Tripp flirting with Simmons and Fitz is just like…  

-The Koenig cloning jokes, hahaha (Poor Tripp)

-First mention of Theta protocol! Dun dun dunnn

-We don’t know what the alien tech is. But Hazmat suits should do the job. :)

-I remember the Fitz splitting off scene being hilarious. Is it because he’s miffed at the flirting, miffed at Simmons, or just genuinely proving that he can do things now?

-Simmons touching Fitz’s arm. And then him holding her later!!!

Cal and Skye 

-Cal and Skye’s meeting! This is an emotional, painful reunion. 

-I LOVE the actor who plays Cal, he does fantastic job. Seriously how did they get him and Dichen Lachmann to play her parents?? Well done, casting director

-I love that they make Skye biracial just like how Chloe Bennet is and it’s relevant to her storyline

-So to recap Skye’s backstory. Her mother is taken by Whitehall but is released when he gets captures in the 40s. She’s born to her parents, but Whitehall captures Jiaying again. Cal rescues Jiaying, and they return, but HYDRA had already taken Skye as an 084 (?). SHIELD teams led by Audrey then take care of SKye until she is given to an orphanage. Correct?

-”People liked me. I liked myself.” This line deserves much meta

-Teach you about the stars= Inhumans. I love how that’s a total throwaway innocent line, but it all makes sense once you know. 

-Just when Skye has figured out life as a SHIELD spy, her world gets rocked again. But I think this path is a good development because she’s not just a regular SHIELD agent: She was born on the outside; learned to think in unusual ways; she’s bubbly and warm and compassionate when SHIELD agents before were typically taught to be rationale and merciless. She’s born to be a new kind of SHIELD agent as well as the bridge between Inhumans and SHIELD

-The lullaby :(

-”Best Day Ever” -Cal

-I mean the emotional manipulation of “After you change I’m the only one who’ll understand” is bad, but he was right in the sense that they all were afraid of her

-Skye wanting to stop the drill and get the obelisk as a way of making it up to Coulson and because she’s a good SHIELD agent. But, like, she knows that’s what her father wanted, so does she just believe she won’t get caught up in whatever is going on? Does she go because fate is pulling her? Does this show believe in fate?? *thinks about all the future time-travelling shenanigans and gets a headache*

THAT ENDING THO

-The thing with Mack presumed dead freaking broke my heart, but it’s a good  fake out to blindside us with Tripp’s death. 

-IMO, the obelisk is a good fake out for terrigenesis crystals. Even if I knew about Inhumans stuff before hand, I wouldn’t have put it together through what info they give us on the obelisk in previous episodes

-THE TRANSFORMATION. “”WHAT WE BECOME” AKA THE QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED WAY BACK IN SEASON ONE IS FINALLY GETTING ANSWERED. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH. The chanting, man. Is it the same one we’ve heard before?

- “I gotta admit I’m just the tiniest bit nervous.” I could write an essay on why I love this line.

-SKYE’S TRANSFORMATION. IT’S SO POWERFUL AND SO HEARTBREAKING. THEY’RE BOTH JUST TRYING TO SAVE EACH OTHER. I’M CRYING. 

-I probably just need to rewatch this again, but why didn’t anything happen to Tripp when the terrigenesis first activated but then he gets hurt when he gets hit?  Like is it the terrigenesis won’t hurt him, but touching the crystals/obelisk will? 

-Ya’ll are gonna hate me for this, but... I get why Tripp had to die. Like, it devastated me and still does and its racist and HE DID NOT DESERVE IT. But from the storyline POV, I see why he was chosen to die. Tripp was incorporated into the story in season 1 to replace Ward. We needed an action guy on the team because half the team is non-combat and we needed someone who was genuinely good to balance out the real Ward. But season 2, everyone’s shifted roles. We have Daisy, Hunter, Bobbi who all fill the action roles, so Tripp’s primary role is no longer necessary. He’s (intentionally?) underdeveloped: he does a variety of things, but he’s not filling any one role nor is he vital in any specific relationship, the way Coulson, May, Fitzsimmons, and Skye are, and he doesn’t contribute to the season’s plot the way Hunter, Bobbi, and Mack do. Plus, it’s a really shitty symbolism of how the show is progressing to darker tones by killing of their sunshine boy.

-Anyway, I cant believe they just end like that for a mid-season finale. Top ten moments of superhero genre, without question. Also, is this the first time we here’s Daisy’s theme song? Because I’ve mentioned before how powerful and sad-sounding it is

-GORDON!!!!!!! 

[punkscowardschampions]

Sick Kids Group Chat

sonmychest: 🤗 tigerbalm: 👋🧡 tigerbalm: it's been so long! 🙀 how are you?? sonmychest: I know! I suck sonmychest: don't want to be the youtuber spending ten minutes apologizing for not being here though sonmychest: I'm doing pretty good right now, how are you? 😚 tigerbalm: it's a bad day, not a bad life...is what I would caption if I was an instagram influencer or something 😸😸 brainpain: 🦸 speaking for me when I haven't streamed in days LOL sonmychest: 🤭🤭 sonmychest: at least we have reasons for being that #extra that aren't the vague notion of NEEDING a break from taking pictures of our ☕ brainpain: I do spend LOTS of time in a dark room but not for 📸 no flash photography PLEASE 😵 inandout: your feed just updated, Lo brainpain: 👮🚓🚨 sonmychest: stalking or hacking? sonmychest: either way I might need those expertise brainpain: I had a 🌈✨🧁 FIGHT ME, Zachary tigerbalm: it is pretty tbh inandout: friend request, but it's not as if I don't have zero hacking or stalking skills sonmychest: wait, what happened to the anonymity rules??? sonmychest: where's @gotspoons and what have you done with her?! inandout: you missed the overthrowing of a tyrant inandout: not really, but the rule book is gone gotspoons: going to pretend I was summoned by mention, not notification gotspoons: say how you really feel, Zach! 😔 inandout: I said not really, rowboat gotspoons: I have 👀 and 👂 everywhere so you better be nice 😏🤭 gotspoons: but no, hi again, @sonmychest! we missed you! gotspoons: it seemed the whole no names no real life details thing was more of a hindrance than a help to the whole goal of this group, so we came to the conclusion by majority, and the higher ups were all okay with it, providing everyone under a certain age got their parents to sign off and we all used the same common sense we use on other areas of the web gotspoons: so feel free to introduce yourself by real name if you would like, but it's not necessary if you would not 😊 gotspoons: reintroduce, I should say tigerbalm: we shared selfies & everyone was 😻😻😻 brainpain: learned what a sex god @tooexhaustedtolivevicariously aka Rich is sonmychest: 😱😱😱 sonmychest: can't believe I've missed so much sonmychest: need to get better at socialization, my mammy is right 😂 brainpain: an unrivalled love story brainpain: not that he's here to back me up on that inandout: Paris and Helen who? Romeo and Juliet who? Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII who? tigerbalm: wait, those are all 💔😿!! brainpain: he's being a brainpain: insert a swear word of your choice sonmychest: *stage whispers* it's not jealousy though, is it? sonmychest: clearly, fill me in on all the nuances whilst I frantically try to find a picture of myself that's even one 😻 brainpain: he's a 👶 you already know brainpain: but Rich will be leaving me for some uni girl 🤓 so he's not wrong about the doomed part sonmychest: face that launched a thousand ships is a really great insta bio though sonmychest: right, so we have Rich, Zach...who else? gotspoons: Rosie here 🤗 brainpain: Lauren tigerbalm: & me, Robyn inandout: the new girl who started the revolution is Zelda inandout: @ihatemyguts sonmychest: no way sonmychest: a fellow nerd, or at least child-of-a-nerd sonmychest: 'cos I'm Kara and I don't totally hate this photo [selfie] tigerbalm: 😻😻 tigerbalm: you look so like I imagined you, except I thought maybe you'd be 👼 tigerbalm: should we all send new pics? brainpain: [does because any excuse] brainpain: they'll be buried tigerbalm: [a selfie that's even shyer than the first one she sent] gotspoons: [the same photo as before] inandout: if I must [some ridiculous selfie] tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: This is a nice welcome back tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and I've only been to physio brainpain: NOT ready for another selfie drop from you, boy brainpain: I'll be on my fainting couch brainpain: also hi tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Perhaps I should save your 🦴s and my pride when poor Kara, hello again btw, has to pretend to swoon too brainpain: 🦸 has great taste brainpain: we all love a shy boy tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: My teachers undoubtedly wish I were shy, make their lives a lot easier tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: [a photo] here we are anyway, I hope you found a soft surface suitable for you, Lauren brainpain: ☁ tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Ah, so you're the 👼 brainpain: LMAO 😈 brainpain: but you're looking angelic sir sonmychest: how are you ALL so cute sonmychest: this keeps happening, omg tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: 👼 face hides a multitude of 😈 sins apparently inandout: but reading between the lines, who else is making you swoon/stalk/hack inandout: that's my question tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Well spotted, Zachary 🔎 sonmychest: 🙈 ugh, I'm so embarrassing sonmychest: but we can pretend it's all spilling out now because I played it SO cool in the actual conversation, right 😬😅 inandout: that's the official story, everyone'll confirm sonmychest: thanks, I need the backup so I can also pretend I have lots of friends and a normal social life gotspoons: we are your friends, Kara! gotspoons: though are normal is different from most tigerbalm: & you're coming to my birthday party & even though you have to stand on the other side of the room to Zach, it's still social tigerbalm: OH & we were talking about potentially meeting up!! All of us brainpain: keep it 6ft, children inandout: I'll be in the garden with my date, you can have the indoors with yours inandout: collectively, because we're all speed dating here now inandout: proud of you for picking someone outside this circle sonmychest: GAH so much exciting information today!!! sonmychest: 😁 sonmychest: obviously, I figured no one needed the drama of me falling for you, Zach sonmychest: 💀 not cute inandout: there's already a book and film about it, the chance has been thoroughly missed brainpain: Ignore him, Zelda's nothing but thrilled to find someone else in her age bracket brainpain: 👶👶 brainpain: hit us with your 💞 please sonmychest: well, I didn't just re-log into this chat today, I went on all my old forums because well, boredom, we can all relate, right? sonmychest: what I thought would be the least promising one was the sonmychest: not a dating site, I'm not 100 but you know the kind sonmychest: anyway, the CUTEST boy starts talking to me and he's also really funny and nice ??? tigerbalm: OMG! Did you swap selfies there too? sonmychest: not yet sonmychest: because he sounds so 😻😻 sonmychest: and he wants to talk to me again and he might not if we do tigerbalm: you're 😻😻😻 Kara brainpain: what she said brainpain: + if he's as funny, nice, all of that, as you said brainpain: I doubt he's a shallow jerk inandout: are you a good judge of character or not? inandout: what it comes down to sonmychest: oh, thank you guys! sonmychest: I don't know sonmychest: I think I am sonmychest: he didn't immediately come out with weird requests or weird 📸 of his own and that's a massive start on that site, I was honestly there to 🗑 my account but he changed my mind brainpain: I'll PM you the spooky stories my sister sends me about guys, it'll make you feel better brainpain: you'd know if he was one sonmychest: 🤭 do, can compare notes sonmychest: we honestly just talked about totally normal, nerdy things, it wasn't even a little sketch brainpain: ✉️ + 100000000s brainpain: hold up tigerbalm: that sounds 🧡 & so does this boy tigerbalm: awwhhh sonmychest: [sends the description he sent her slow your roll gal lol] sonmychest: assuming he isn't the archetypal internet weirdo from the 90s scare tactics tigerbalm: WOW inandout: tall, dark and handsome inandout: original sonmychest: okay, I know that covers a lot of bases sonmychest: but someone has to be brainpain: continuing to ignore you, Zach sonmychest: I get it though sonmychest: it's not like I even care what he looks like though, so even if the pics aren't exactly that description brainpain: not every man can be my Rich but doesn't make them 👹/🤡/👻/👽/👥 brainpain: trust your gut, it's not that body part that's failing you tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: 👹 is a solid representation but the hair needs to be longer tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: at the risk of making myself or Zachary appear like overly protective boys, I think as long as you're as sensible as you surely are with this, then there's no harm in the back and forth tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: so if you were going to meet this person IRL, he could perhaps come to the group meet-up, that would be a good way to do it? brainpain: *🧝🏻 that's what needs to be said about your representation tigerbalm: Great idea, Rich! 😺 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: when the beard comes in I'll look more Gimli than Elrond but I'll take the compliment 👽 babe from outerspace brainpain: who's watching the LoTRs with me? gotspoons: count me out, I'm the worst film buddy ever 😴 ihatemyguts: how many naps could you have in 20hr28mins assuming we're watching everything extended release 'cos duh ihatemyguts: 🥳 go hard or go home 🥳 brainpain: that's you in ihatemyguts: of course ihatemyguts: long since stopped asking for a pause every time I gotta 💩 ihatemyguts: adept at catching up with the plot is a life skill I didn't expect to gain like this but 🙌 gotspoons: 😅 I could do the whole 20hr28mins and that not be a record for how many hours I've slept consecutively brainpain: I'll act it out for you, I can get the 🧝🏼🏹 costume together during the pauses brainpain: dressing up box runneth over sonmychest: 🙋 dibs Arwen sonmychest: my old Katniss cosplay can be repurposed with some bedsheets and a 👸 vibe to it brainpain: that makes Rich your daddy 👀 you, babe sonmychest: 😖😳 nooooooooooo brainpain: I'll be Galadriel if only so I can speak to my man telepathically 💕 brainpain: swerving off book for that love connection ihatemyguts: obviously eye of sauron ihatemyguts: jokes write themselves inandout: hair of a hobbit wig so likewise inandout: and you know, a jew, gonna be the one to handle the 💎 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: How hairy are your feet, a pickup line that doesn't get thrown about enough inandout: not sending you free feet pics inandout: PM for prices though tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Respect the hustle, Zachary tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: but I have clearly pledged myself and my allegiance to an e-girl already 🧝🏼🏹 brainpain: changed my Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim name to Galadriel for you, Richard, you've officially made me basic brainpain: will cite it in the divorce tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: as long as I can proudly produce said divorce to every mouthbreather that calls me a freak, I am okay with that tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: devastated, naturally 💔 but okay brainpain: hit me up for multiple re-marriages at your convenience, I like that for us tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Make a solid livestream 👰💒🤵 gotspoons: I'll get officiated! tigerbalm: imagine if any of us actually did get together cos of this forum gotspoons: You never know, Robyn gotspoons: it would be so adorable 😊 tigerbalm: Kara is giving me hope that online dating doesn't have to be a minefield sonmychest: don't give up yet! sonmychest: you're so lovely, a total catch tigerbalm: there still isn't a blushing 😸 emoji & I NEED it ihatemyguts: a travesty ihatemyguts: who do we need to @ for that brainpain: @fibrofog brainpain: he was a BIG DEAL ihatemyguts: 😏 hoping he comes back and I can 👰💒🤵 him obvs brainpain: 🔺 between me/him/Rich was prime in my life ihatemyguts: glory dayz brainpain: if he doesn't show up to stop our first wedding ihatemyguts: Zach won't even properly date me until we're confirmed #foreveralone at 18 inandout: you don't call this properly dating? inandout: @Kara you've got yourself a hater before your romance has fully taken off ihatemyguts: oi, don't drag me in to your 🧂 behaviour ihatemyguts: I'm very nice, I swear inandout: that's just how I taste inandout: she knows brainpain: if I didn't know my CF facts I'd be calling for a ban brainpain: that sounds filthy sonmychest: first declaring Rich my daddy, now 👅 Zach 😲😲😲 sonmychest: I'm also quite nice but not that kind of nice, I 🤞 tigerbalm: I don't think I wanna know.... inandout: But I'll tell you inandout: when we sweat, we lose too much salt, one of our many flaws inandout: on a hot day, you could lick us and taste it, if we like you enough to let you sonmychest: maybe that can be enough of a selling point? sonmychest: if crush boy talks to me again and it invariably comes up inandout: he might get to see it crystallise on your skin, not 💎 or ✨ but hey sonmychest: such a sexy condition, when you leave out all the mucus inandout: ZZ top is feeling it, she wants to properly date me ihatemyguts: 🧂 is a flavour I can enjoy pretty unrestricted ihatemyguts: let me have some pleasure tigerbalm: do the normies flirt like this too? tigerbalm: Kara you'll have to tell us, when you go further undercover ihatemyguts: don't know how lucky you are to have that pickup line in your back pocket ihatemyguts: just add tequila and a lemon and you've got a good time sonmychest: I'll 100% report back, providing he doesn't go 👻 brainpain: you need a drink when a boy lovingly strokes your hair only to feel the dent in your 💀 sonmychest: but also, to work out if your amazing hair is real or nah brainpain: I have too many split ends to be asked if it's a wig sonmychest: I ✂ my own sonmychest: and not often enough 😅 brainpain: don't reach for the bleach cos Robbie sees you as a blonde, there's my sisterly/old lady advice sonmychest: oh God, with these brows? sonmychest: I can swear I won't do that, along with meet up with internet randos alone brainpain: I'd volunteer to come along but I don't do disappearing into the background brainpain: would wear a trenchcoat for the right 💸💸 gotspoons: Normies definitely TRY to use our disabilities as a way to flirt with us, with varying success gotspoons: the amount of time I spend in bed is nothing to be 😏 about, honestly gotspoons: even if I was also chiming in to confirm blondes do have more fun, when they've had all their vitamins, a perfect amount of sleep, the stars have aligned JUST right... 🤭 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: as resident ♿ user, they most ask if IT 'works', which is a bizarre level of care for people who aren't concerned about how me getting into their establishment really 'works' tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and, my dear, you are a terrible third wheel tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: 🔻 suits you better than obscurity 😎 brainpain: but I am a fun time with the TBI having increased the impulsiveness + removing the few inhibitions I did have 😉 brainpain: inappropriate sexual activity is a listed symptom 🤞 boys ihatemyguts: definitely a case of 'okay when I point it out to embolden myself, creepy if you do it' ihatemyguts: think some normies point out their flaws to be endearing but idk, is low-key a disability superpower guys, + 1 for us brainpain: like, what does that mean? Inappropriate for who? Answers on a ✉️ please ihatemyguts: could range from, science, you're being a prude to calling you a master criminal on the low brainpain: so many of my symptoms could describe anyone in their teens or early 20s brainpain: Rich, write a smart boy uni essay on it tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: depending on the bit that gets damaged, could be the same part that isn't yet fully developed in young people tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: checks out 🧠 brainpain: you're SO clever brainpain: you'll be fighting off more than one 🤓 girl tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: I'm not sure about that, on either count tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: though the chair is a useful battering ram when it needs to be brainpain: I'm into it tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: then you can hitch a ride, of course brainpain: reserved™ tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: the parking is unparalleled brainpain: not allowed to drive, you are my transport now, no pressure gotspoons: Me either, who can? gotspoons: need to work out the carpool situation brainpain: my housemate will, she owes me 10000s of favours inandout: + my parents tigerbalm: mine too but they're a lot to inflict upon anyone sonmychest: ^^hard same tigerbalm: maybe we get ourselves there unless someone can't? tigerbalm: & those people speak up sonmychest: That makes sense to me brainpain: ok, is there anyone who needs a lift? ihatemyguts: I'm good tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: likewise gotspoons: I'll make a permanent post where people can register interest in the meet-up, as well as need for a lift gotspoons: so anyone who can offer a lift, can respond there too, sound good guys? 😊 inandout: cool inandout: very un-tyrant like gotspoons: thank you, Zach 😏

[bazwillendinflames]

Norkus Nov, Day 13 - Carl and North 

 AO3

North doesn’t need her uncle’s help to find a boyfriend, but when he pushes his new assistant at her, she can’t bring herself to be so cold hearted.

Carl Manfred was many things - a great painter, a terrible cheat at cards and most distressingly to his nieces: a matchmaker. 

Having only one estranged child of his own (Leo… where did he go wrong?), Carl put most of his attention on his three young nieces. Kara was the oldest, the sweetest and the most optimistic of them. She had known Carl before his car accident and been the first to help her uncle when he was recovering. Kara’s constant positivity had stopped him becoming the kind of bitter old man he feared (even if she locked up his drinks cabinet). 

She never put herself first, so it had been up to Carl to help Kara realise that her perfect match had been right in front of her the whole time. It only took a little subtle nudging before his oldest niece was shyly asking if he would like to meet her new boyfriend, who just so happened to be the same Luther that made his paint deliveries. Kara had taken it well, although admitting about his inferring left his second oldest niece eyeing him suspiciously. 

The youngest of Carl’s nieces, Alice, was painfully shy. She shared the same vivid imagination and artistic flare as his famous uncle and they spent most of the summer painting together. Being too young for traditional matchmaking, Carl had settled for introducing her to some of the neighbourhood kids, hoping some new friends would help Alice get out of her shell a little. It was even more rewarding to hear her babble about her plans with her new playmates. 

Carl’s middle niece was proving to be the biggest challenge. North proved to be just as stubborn as he was, ducking out of ‘chance’ meetings with any potential dates. (“Maybe I’ll set you up one day,” she threatened once.) Still, Carl caught moments when she looked wistfully at how Luther held open doors for Kara or when the couple snuggled together during movies. Carl was determined to find a match so perfect for her that it overcame the infamous Manfred stubbornness. 

And he already knew who. 

   Markus had been Carl’s caretaker for the last three months. His job, by the most basic description, was to make sure he took his morning and night medicine. However, Carl had grown rather fond of him as they shared chess matches and card games (Markus wasn’t afraid to call out his blatant cheating, although Carl always denied it). 

Carl, using only the most subtle methods, had talked his young assassiant into coming to a gallery opening. 

“Are you sure I’m the right person for tonight?” Markus smoothed out his suit self-consciously. “I’m not an artist or…” 

“Who else is going to sneak me a whiskey?”

“Now, now, you know what your doctor said.” A voice drawled. 

“He was just kidding.” Markus pushed the glass behind him. 

North grinned. “I won’t tell if you won’t.” She held up a bottle of her own. 

“North, hi.” Markus smoothed out his jacket again. “You look pretty. I mean your dress is pretty, I wasn’t like objectifying you or anything. I mean…”

“Thanks,” she interrupted. 

Markus had a slight flush on his cheeks and even North’s usual eye roll seemed less sarcastic than usual. Most of their interaction seemed to end with Markus flustered, his crush on Carl’s niece painfully obvious. 

She fixed Carl with a suspicious look. “You didn’t tell me Markus was coming.”

“Old age,” he replied with a shrug. “You do look lovely dear.”

“Kara picked it. Not really my style.” North looked down at her long red dress self-consciously, stealing the tiniest of glances in Markus’ direction. “Too flashy.” 

“I like it,” Markus said. 

Carl smiled to himself, glad his plan was starting to take place. 

   “Markus, come help me carry these drinks.” 

He nodded, eagerly following her to the bar. Carl watched as they walked off, already feeling a little smug. (“Stay out of my love life,” North had told him, “I see you scheming.” But he knew best.) 

“Listen to me,” North whispered, grabbing his arm, “my uncle thinks he knows what’s best for me. This is a set up.”

“Like a prank?” 

“Like a date,” North corrected. “He always does this to us.” 

“Oh.” Markus looked at where her hand still gripped his wrist. “Is that why he told me to wear a nice suit?” 

“You call that a nice suit?” 

“What’s wrong with-” 

The grip on his wrist tightened a little, but Markus couldn’t bring himself to pull away. “If I asked you to-”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t finish.”

“Right, sorry.” Markus felt the usual flush to his cheeks in her presence. “Go on.” 

“We should turn this around. Pretend to be super into each other and just when Carl thinks his meddling worked we-”

“Kiss?”

“Did you just say…”

Now Markus was blushing for another reason. “No.” 

“Just when he thinks it’s another success story, bam!” North hit her other hand on the bar. “I throw my drink over you.” 

“But this suit is new.”

“Trust me,” North said, “I’m doing you a favour. Unless it’s too much. I’ve been told I can be intense.” 

“You are… but I kind of like it.” 

North laughed. “We’re off to a good start. Look, if you help me, I’ll owe you a favour.” 

“Okay. I’m in.” 

North grinned, clinking her glass against his. “It’s a deal then.” 

   Markus peaked over North’s shoulder, catching Carl with a smirk on his face. (He and North made a similar expression when they were up to mischief. But her smirk was cuter.) 

“Does he do this a lot?”

“The matchmaking?” North asked. “Yeah. Kara’s fault really. She’s engaged because of his poking around in her business. And she thanked him! She might as well have signed my life away.” 

“Maybe it’s a sign he has good taste.” 

North hummed in response, but still seemed unconvinced. “Kara’s got a big heart. It’s easier to get her to open it up to someone.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with having a big heart.” 

“Oh no, an optimist.” North laughed at her own joke. “Fine, I’ll admit I’m happy for my sister.” 

“I’ve only met her once. Kara, I mean. But she’s kind.” 

“She was like a Mother to me. I mean I had an actual Mom too, but she was off doing rich people stuff a lot. Kara’s eight years older, so she picked up the slack. She’s good with Alice too.” 

“Sounds like it was hard.” 

She shrugged. “It was what it was. I’m tough now.” She finished her drink off. “No more sad rich girl stuff now. I’m sick of it.” 

“Are you really?”

“Really what?”

“Sad.” Despite the fact it was just an act, Markus let Carl’s eyes on them justify resting his hand on top of her own. “I’ll listen.” 

“I”m not…” She glanced at him and sighed. “Sometimes. Mostly it makes me furious. I guess Carl told you I went a little off the rails when Alice was born, cause my Mom went and did it again.” Carl hadn’t, but Markus didn’t correct her. “And then she died and I was really Motherless. But so was my baby sister, so I had to grow out of smashing windows and getting arrested. You wouldn’t get it.” 

“Why do you say that?” 

“Because,” North began, “you’re so calm and you listen. I just scream.” 

“Sounds like a good match.” 

She laughed, but it was laced with a hint of bitterness. “You sound like Carl. I’ll stop talking about myself now.” 

“I’d listen to you all night.” The words escaped before Markus could really think about them. “I mean…” 

The hand in Markus’ own curled to hold back. “That’s such a line.” 

“I’ll tell you about the time I got arrested, if you tell me yours.” 

North grinned. “Markus, you are full of surprises.” 

   Out of breath, Markus checked around the corner, glad to see they weren’t followed anymore. 

“I- I can’t believe you did that.” 

North scoffed. “You’ve never played the ‘don’t touch the art’ game before? Amatour.” 

“I’ve never been to one of these before.”

“Oh,” she said, “and I’ve totally hijacked your first one and made it all about me.”

“No, no. I’m having fun.”

“But you want to be an artist. You are an artist,” she corrected. “Shit, sorry.” 

“You haven’t ruined anything. I’m not too nice to say no to you.”

“Could have fooled me.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with being nice.” 

North rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t know; I’ve never tried being nice.” 

“I don’t quite believe that.” 

“You are a raging optimist.” 

Markus couldn’t help but smile. “Guilty. But I still think you’re kind, deep down. That’s what matters.” 

“Stop.” North glanced at the main entrance. “All clear.”

“We can’t go back in.”

North pulled her hair into a long ponytail. “There. Power of disguise.”

“It can’t be that simple.”

She spun around. “The best part about a dress like this, is no one is looking at your face.” 

Markus followed her in, not quite brave enough to protest against her. 

   “If your doctor asked, I brought you water.” 

Carl held up his glass. “Cheers to that.” 

Markus nodded. “How’s your night Carl?” 

“Whilst you’ve been running around with my niece, I’ve been admiring something different.” 

“Oh. You noticed that?”

“Don’t look so nervous Markus. I know North can hold her own. I should be more worried about you.” 

“North is stunning. I could listen to her talk forever and never get bored.” Markus seemed a self-conscious. “There’s a room full of beautiful art and I can’t seem to look away from her.” 

Carl was a little stunned himself. He had seen Markus’ crush on his niece from the moment they first met (he dropped a glass as she ruffled her hair; it was like a movie) but he hadn’t expected Markus to fall so hard. 

“You seem smitten.”

The signature blush was back.

“I am. I know she’s hate me asking but do you think I should ask North to dance?” 

   “It was a nice touch,” North said, swaying along with him. “The speech.” 

“You heard?” 

“Yeah. So, I’m stunning and a great conversationalist?” 

He groaned. “Don’t start.” 

“Hey, it’s affectionate teasing. I know it’s just part of the act.” 

“Right, the act.” 

“Besides,” North said, “no one ever talks about girls like that. It’s all ‘she’s hot’ and fist bumping.” 

“Is that really how you think I talk to people?”

“Maybe not you.” North giggled as he spun her around. “I can see my uncle thought you’d be a good boyfriend.” 

Markus felt a hint of hope. “Really?” 

“You’re sweet.” “Does this mean I don’t get a drink on my head?” 

“I was going to throw it on your suit actually.” 

“I’ll never dress myself again.” 

North shook her head. “Maybe that can be my favour. I don’t think you’re the suit-wearing-type. You should go fully artsy and buy a flowing coat.” 

“I have a flowing coat.” 

“You’re kidding!” North said. “I knew I liked you for a reason.” 

“So maybe I can dress myself.” 

“Maybe,” she echoed. “Thank you, for going along with my stupid idea. Truthfully, I get kinda bored at these things. Just not tonight.” 

“I’ll be your partner is crime any time.”

“Deal.”

Markus dipped her back as the song ended. 

“Markus,” North said, delighted, “you really are full of surprises.” 

   “I’ll see you tomorrow Carl,” Markus called, waving with his hand full of keys. “Bye North.” 

“Bye.” 

Carl waited until he had disappeared into the building before turning on her. “Nice boy.” 

“Yeah, he’s a real sweetheart.” 

“You didn’t even drop your drink on him. I owe your sister twenty.” 

“What!” North turned to him. “You knew!” 

“I practically raised you, dear. Of course I knew you’d be scheming. It was the best way to get you to spend the night with Markus.” 

“You’re evil.” 

Carl only smirked the signature Manfred smirk. “You liked him.” 

North dropped her head in her hands. “I know.” 

“Don’t feel bad about it my dear. I’m great at many things: painting, cards and matchmaking.”

“He was just playing along.” 

“That boy,” Carl said softly, “is the best assistant I ever had. But he wears his heart on his sleeve. Be careful with it.” 

Even with her face half-hidden, Carl could make out the smile on her face. 

Another success story.