#Lego dreamzzz Dallas | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mythicalmagical-monkeyman · 3 months ago

Text

‘Kay people liked my last one so here, have another ig lol. Will put full fic under the cut again like last time

Word Count: 3k

Summary:

Izzie: *ball of energy* Cooper: 🧍‍♂️… *internal sobbing*

— or — Ficlet thingy based on an au I have where when Izzie and Mateo’s parents split up the siblings get split up too

Additional Tags:

Songfic, kind of as half of it is basically the lead up to the song. Song: We’ll be Fine from Epic the Musical. Swearing, Bullying, Izzie gets picked on. Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe. Aged-Up Character(s), Cooper and Izzie have a larger age gap, Izzie is 13, Cooper is 17, not important but I felt like I should just add that. Cooper has a built in Garcia sibling is in danger sense. Canon-Typical Violence, Izzie gets in a fight. lots of references. Izzie has ADHD (implied). OOC (?). self indulgent. No beta we die like Cooper and Mateo’s friendship. Dallas being an asshole, Beth being an asshole (and slightly crazy). Weeb is used as an insult but no hate to weebs I’m also kind of one

It was after a particularly calm day of school that Izzie found herself eating a burrito from Mrs Castillo’s food truck while she leaned against a tree in sight of the park playground.

“Oh Mr Burrito! Mr bean and pickle burrito, why are you so delicious?” Izzie sang to her burrito only to take a massive bite out of it. She hummed as she chewed and it wasn’t long before she had scarfed down the whole burrito.

The tinfoil that had been wrapped around the burrito crinkled as Izzie wadded it up and then picked up her backpack from its spot by her feet to go throw her trash in one of the park garbage bins.

Izzie slung her bag over her shoulder as she scurried over to a garbage bin and threw the tinfoil inside.

“Bye Mr burrito,” Izzie told the tinfoil as it disappeared into the bin.

Someone snorted from behind her, “Aww, Garcia are you talking to trash again?”

Izzie’s shoulders rose up to sit beside her ears as she cringed at the voice.

Oh pickles.

Slowly Izzie turned around and greeted the people behind her with a bright smile.

“Heeeey Beth, Dallas, what’s up?” Izzie greeted, her smile had to look so forced.

Izzie knew Beth from the number of times Izzie had been the butt of Beth’s constant ridicule so the other girl’s red highlights in brown hair and leather jacket look was familiar. The company with Beth, Dallas, however was newerish yet still not someone Izzie had never seen before but the blond in a red jacket that stood quietly a little ways behind both of the brunettes was definitely a new face.

Beth sighed like she found the idea of small talk tiring, “Look weeb, you got me busted for cheating yesterday and frankly I’m not over it, so either you apologize or me and Dallas here are going to rough you up a little bit, ‘kay?” She explained while leaning forward and flicking Izzie on the forehead.

Ah, Izzie knew things were going a bit too well for her today, this must have been where her good day came to a screeching halt.

“Hey come on Beth, if I hadn’t called you out then someone else was just gonna,” Izzie tried to negotiate.

Beth scoffed, “Really? Who?”

Izzie chewed the inside of her cheek, ok so she was caught there, no one else in their grade really had the guts to call Beth out for cheating and anyone that did was probably besties with Beth anyways.

“Alright, alright,” Izzie held up her hands in surrender, “You got me, but can we just … save the ass beating for another day? I have homework to do,”

Beth and Dallas were silent for a moment like they were actually thinking it over only for both of them to burst out laughing.

“Are you TRYING to get out of this? ” Beth hissed out between laughs, “This isn’t a punch card situation Garcia.”

Well you couldn’t blame Izzie for trying.

“Uhh,” Izzie reached into her pocket trying to find something to fidget with to calm her rising nerves but her fingers only grasped at coins, “Would you back off if I paid you too?”

Dallas perked up at this, “How much you got?”

“Dallas!” Beth barked, slapping his chest.

“What!? I’m just curious,”

Izzie pulled a quarter and a dime out of her pocket, “Um, 35 cents,”

Dallas deflated, “That’s like nothing bro,”

With a defeated sigh Izzie put the coins back in her pocket, “Yeah I know,”

Beth laughed as she ran her thumb across the tips of her nails, “Spent to much money on weeb shit now did we,”

Izzie opened her mouth to protest but shut it just as fast. Yeah there wasn’t really anything to defend herself on there.

“Now, enough stalling!” Beth growled, snapping her attention off her nails and instead grabbing Izzie’s wrists and digging her claws into them.

Izzie bit down a sob, was Beth actually trying to draw blood? She definitely seemed crazy enough to.

“You are such a little prick, ” Beth bit out, her words laced with venom, “and a bitchy little tattletale that needs to learn what happens when she gets in my way,”

Izzie tried to hide the whimper that rose in her throat and blearily glanced at the blond haired teen that still stood behind Dallas. He hadn’t moved or even talked the entire time and for a second Izzie wondered if he was actually really there or if he was just some sort of figment of her imagination. People were always telling her she had an overactive imagination.

The blond haired teen met Izzie’s eyes and his expression turned sour.

“Really Dallas?” The teen asked, crossing his arms, and Dallas turned in surprise, “This is how far you’ve sunk? This is an insane new low even for you,”

Dallas stared, “Cooper? Wha- how long have you been standing there?”

The Cooper guy shrugged, “Long enough,”

At that point Beth had also turned slightly to take in their new company and her grip on Izzie’s wrists had lessened to a degree but that seemed to be exactly what Cooper had been waiting for. He strode forward, yanked Beth’s hands away from Izzie before grabbing Izzie by the backpack and dragging her off to the side.

“What!? HEY!” Beth protested.

Cooper rolled his eyes and held up a hand, “Chill you demonic saltine cracker, we’ll be right back.”

Beth blinked in confusion at the insult Cooper had just thrown at her but by the time her braincells seemed to make another coherent thought Cooper had already pulled Izzie out of earshot.

Cooper let go of Izzie’s backpack and flipped himself around so the two could speak face to face.

“Ok here’s the deal, if you want Beth, and by extension Dallas, to leave you alone you’re going to have to fight them, put them in their place. But I understand if you don’t want to fight them, so if you want I can get you outta here but it has to be now alright?” Cooper explained, making small gestures with his hands every once and awhile as if emphasizing his words, “You can’t flake out mid fight.”

Izzie blinked but a smile quickly split her face as she clenched her fist, “I want to fight them,”

Cooper took a step back and a look like he was contemplating every decision he had made up until that moment crossed his face, “Wow, you are so much more violent than I remember you being,”

Izzie squinted at Cooper, “Why’d you say remember? Do we know each other from somewhere?”

Cooper winced, “I-I’ll explain later, first this is how you’re going to win this fight. One you’re going to go over to Beth, look her in the eyes and smile like you’ve been waiting your entire life for this moment and then you’re going to punch her as hard as you can in her throat and then when Dallas comes at you with his big jock routine you’re going to kick him in the nards. And then smack him… with your backpack, got it?”

Cooper offered Izzie a pleasant smile but Izzie couldn’t help but note the spark of an insane look in his eyes.

“Hey!” Dallas yelled, causing both Izzie and Cooper to look at him, “We getting this fight on or what!?”

Cooper gave Dallas an annoyed look and turned back to Izzie, “Last chance to back out,”

Izzie shook her head, “Nah, I’m doing this.”

“Ok,” Cooper mumbled with a nod, “Just remember what I told you!”

Izzie nodded excitedly, ignoring how half of what Cooper had told her had already left her brain and walked back over to Beth and Dallas, Cooper trailing behind her.

With a proud smile plastered on her face Izzie came to a stop in front of Beth.

Crap, what had Cooper said to do next?

Izzie thought for a second before shrugging it off and pointing a finger at Beth, “I’m going to win.”

Honestly Izzie should’ve punched Beth the second she had come back over as Beth took that split second after Izzie finished talking to swing a fist forward, catching Izzie right in the face with it.

Cooper made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan as Izzie stumbled backwards from the force of the punch, “That is not what we talked about,”

Izzie’s hands shot up to her face to hold her nose in pain as Beth gave her a cocky sneer.

“So much for your chatty little friend over there,” Beth cooed in mockery.

“That hurt,” Izzie pouted, lowering her hands from her face and taking in the blood that was now on them.

Beth laughed, “Of course it hurt you dumb weeb!”

Izzie rightened herself back up, noting the weight of her backpack and suddenly remembered at least one of the things Cooper had told her.

While Beth was busy laughing to Dallas about Izzie’s seeming stupidity Izzie slung her bag down into her hands and gripped it by the straps. She then swung it at Beth and let go.

The backpack hit Beth with all its force and knocked her to the ground, cutting off both Beth and Dallas’s laughter.

Dallas snapped his attention to Izzie in an instant and Izzie’s eyes widened slightly as Dallas took a step forward and swung a fist.

“Duck!” Cooper yelled and Izzie listened, dropping down and successfully avoiding the fist.

Izzie then got a bright idea and made a fist which she aimed at Dallas’s gut.

Dallas grunted and doubled over slightly as Izzie’s fist hit him but it didn’t seem powerful enough to stop him for long. Just as fast as he took damage from the punch he recovered and reached a hand out to grab Izzie.

With a screech Izzie darted to the side towards Cooper, narrowly avoiding getting grabbed.

“I tap out!” Izzie screamed as she dove to the grass behind Cooper and into a roll.

Cooper glanced back at her, “Hu?”

Izzie came to a stop, ending her roll on her side, and propped her head up on her hand, “I mean I know you wouldn’t hit Beth cause she’s a girl but you can punch Dallas right!?”

Cooper sighed out an, “Ok,” as Dallas marched over like a fuming bull. Once Dallas was with arms length Cooper kicked Dallas in the shin which only caused Dallas to hiss slightly.

Izzie’s mouth dropped open in slight confusion, was that it?

Dallas seemed equally as confused until Cooper jabbed him with his fingers just below Dallas’s sternum. Dallas choked but Cooper wasn’t done. The blond then swung his leg around catching Dallas in the back of the knee which caused Dallas to fall down to his knees where Cooper kneed him in the chin.

Dallas groaned as Cooper then picked him up by the shirt collar and lifted Dallas up to the point where Dallas was dangling about an inch off the ground.

“Dallas,” Cooper grit out through his teeth, “My old buddy, my old pal, care to tell me why you’ve taken to bullying people younger than you?”

A bead of sweat trickled down Dallas’s forehead, “Hey, hey look Coop I-I had to ok! Beth … she’s my little cousin! I couldn’t just leave her hanging!”

Cooper seemed unimpressed, “Uh hu, yeah that still doesn’t justify shitty behavior,”

Dallas shook, “Ok! Alright! She … she said I had to or she’d tell everyone I like to knit, are you happy now!?”

With a small smile Cooper put Dallas back down, “Consider this a warning Dallas, don’t let yourself get pushed around.”

Trembling like a leaf Dallas nodded and stumbled back over to Beth who had just gotten back up.

“Come on cuz, let’s go,” Dallas told Beth, pulling on her sleeve. Beth scowled at her cousin as she massaged her sternum.

“Coward,” Beth hissed but she still let herself be dragged away while fixing Izzie with a down right dirty and pissed off look, her face red like a tomato from probably both embarrassment and anger.

Izzie giggled in a gremlin-like way as she slowly sat herself up.

“Holy anime! I survived!” Izzie cheered, throwing her arms up with a “whop!”.

Cooper walked over to her, his eyebrows pinching together in concern, and offered her a hand to help her stand.

“Are you alright?”

“I’ve dealt with worse,” Izzie admitted, accepting Cooper’s hand and letting him haul her to her feet. Izzie swiped at the blood on her upper lip.

The concerned furrow deeped.

“Oh but that was so cool!” Izzie beamed as she wobbled a little, “The way I went ‘HIJA!’ And ‘WACHOW!’

With every sound effect Izzie made she included a different fighting action that left Cooper worrying about her losing her balance and falling over, but she proved him wrong and managed to stay on her feet all the way back to her backpack which had been left, discarded, on the ground.

“And you!” Izzie proclaimed as she scooped up her bag and slipped her arms back through the straps, “that was awesome! You were like a total ninja!”

Cooper chuckled sheepishly, “Nah, I was just-“

“Being awesome,” Izzie insisted, cutting him off.

“Yeah, ok, I was kind of cool. I’ll admit to that,” Cooper finally caved.

Izzie snickered and then she made a ‘nyoom’ noise as she set her arms back in a Naruto run before running in a circle around Cooper.

Cooper stifled a laugh.

Eventually Izzie slid to a stop in front of Cooper and touched a hand to the blood that had started drying on her face from her bloody nose.

“Woah, used up too much energy,” Izzie wobbled again and Cooper reached out a hand to steady her but she slapped it away.

“Ah, ah,” Izzie wagged a finger at him, “I’m fine, also I don’t even know you so it’s weird!”

Cooper coughed as he rubbed at his slapped hand, “That’s fair,”

“Mhm mhm, gotta give me them backstory deets first, like one! How do you know me!!”

Cooper wasn’t sure if he was more scared of Izzie’s seemingly endless energy supply or the look of absolutely cat-like curiosity strewn across her face.

God he’d really dug his own grave didn’t he?

With a defeated exhale Cooper glanced down at his shoes nervously before looking back up at Izzie, “Story time it is then, but snacks first.”

Izzie bounced a few times excitedly.

———————————

Upon gathering two sodas, a bag of chips, a few chocolate bars, and some wet wipes for Izzie’s bloody nose from a little corner store bodega, Izzie and Cooper retreated to the top of a random five story building via an open fire escape.

They snacked away, sitting with their backs to the roof ledge, as Izzie pestered Cooper for lore while the blond haired teen did his best to deflect from sharing for a few moments longer.

“Bro you can’t just not share!” Izzie protested, “You saved my bacon and you’re not going to tell me why!?”

Cooper stuck a chip in his mouth and chewed slowly, successfully making Izzie even more irked.

“Come on! What’s so bad about this story?”

Cooper swallowed and muttered, “Because it’s not a particularly happy story for me,”

“Oh,” Izzie was quick to back off, sitting back and shoving a fist full of chips in her mouth to hide the embarrassment.

Cooper offered her a smile as if to tell her it was ok, and then steeled himself as he pulled his knees up to his chest to hug them.

“I had a friend before, and he was a lot like you. I helped him face his bullies, but he had his demons too. And then… we grew apart then his light went dark,” Cooper explained, his tone sounding dark. His eyes seemed to glaze over as he looked ahead as if he was watching something that wasn’t there. Or perhaps he could remember the memory of what he was saying to such a degree that his brain could recall the memory in perfect detail.

Cooper went on, “And so, I thought maybe, if I made a different call. Maybe if I hadn't missed it all, maybe, he'd be fine. Maybe we'd unwind. I thought maybe, if I help another soul if I helped you reach your goal life could be that bright,”

Izzie could tell that Cooper was probably grasping at straws on what to say, and that he was vocal stimming in a way by repeating the word ‘maybe’.

“I could sleep at night,” Cooper added, looking down at his hands sadly before dragging them down his face.

Izzie stared, hmm sad boy. Whatever type of falling out Cooper and his friend had seemed to have must have been pretty bad.

“Well Cooper,” Izzie started, planning on trying her best to make him feel a bit better, “I don't know who your friend is, I don't know what he's like, but my time with you has been awesome,”

“The best day of my life, ‘cause I got in a fight AND I DIDNT DIE!!” Izzie exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she made more sound effects to go with the punches she threw at the air in front of her.

Cooper’s face scrunched up in concern again as he mumbled to himself, “Oh my god, the bar was so low it’s a tripping hazard in hell,”

Izzie turned and grinned at him, “I've never felt strong before, you're my friend, I couldn't ask for more! And so, I think maybe, if life wasn't spent as planned. Maybe, it's time that you lend a hand,”

Izzie shrugged, “I don't think he'll mind, and if not his friend, then mine!”

Cooper's gaze turned soft as Izzie got up and offered her hand down to pull him, paralleling what Cooper had done for her earlier.

With all her middle schooler strength Izzie yanked Cooper to his feet, “ Maybe, to fall is to learn one way,”

“ Maybe, it's all gonna turn out great,” Izzie continued as she brushed past Cooper and hopped up on the roof ledge before turning to face him with outstretched arms, “I know I’ll be fine, I know it's light you'll find!”

Cooper stayed silent for a few moments as he scanned his eyes across the rooftops of Brooklyn behind Izzie. Finally the glazed look in his eyes went away and he smiled up at her, “You're a good kid,”

Izzie sat down heavily on the roof ledge and beamed at him, “Thanks!”

Cooper placed his hands on the roof ledge and leaned forward while biting his tongue, god her similarities to Mateo really felt like a stab in the gut.