#NOT ship zag is young here

[the--rebel--fae]

Catch and Release ~ Ch. 1

A/N: I thought I might share one of my story commissions that I did that I'm particularly proud of to show you guys the possibilities of what y'all can get if you commission a story from me from my Etsy store. You can either have a one shot or multi chapter like I'm about to show y'all. I'll give you guys the link to the shop down below!

Also! All OC credit goes to @nevewidow and so does the story idea! I just bring her ideas to life :)

CW: Swearing, Spoilers for sabaody archipelago. Other than that just fluff and comedy.

So without further ado....

Catch and Release ~ Ch 1

“Guys! She’s finally waking up!”

“Not so close Luffy, you’ll scare her. Poor girl has clearly been through a lot.”

“Sorry Nami.”

“Such a beautiful girl.”

“Don’t creep on her, Sanji.”

“Nami! I wasn’t! I was admiring a marvel of beauty in front of me.”

“Uh-huh.”

Camie’s eyes slowly started to crack open, showing her dark purple irises. She let out a soft groan not fully aware of the group around here just yet. But after a few moments, she became all too aware letting out a large gasp, her eyes wide and tongue sticking out of her mouth in a zig-zag motion showing how surprised she was to not only be on a ship instead of the belly of a sea beast, but also surrounded by a rather large group of people.

“Hey? Are you ok?” A boy who looked around her age said. He had dark black hair and was sporting a red vest shirt and shorts with a vaguely familiar-looking straw hat.

Camie tilted her head to the side for a moment in thought, making her green hair sway a bit. ‘He looks familiar.’ She thought. Then after a moment, it came to her. “You’re Monkey D. Luffy!” Camie exclaimed. She looked at the group around her with delight and awe. “And you’re Nami, you’re Usopp, you’re Roronoa Zora, you’re Chopper, you’re Sanji, you’re Robin, you’re Franky, and you’re Brook! I’ve heard about you! You guys are the Straw Hats!”

Luffy laughed at Camie’s excitement, obviously happy to not only see that she was ok, but that she was excited to meet the one and only Straw Hat Pirates.

“Yep! That’s us! Nice ta meetcha!”

“How the hell did you end up being swallowed by the giant Sea King? It took quite a lot of work to get you out of there.” Zoro asked, his arms crossed not fully trusting her.

“Now, now, Zoro, don't be so harsh on the young miss.” Brook chastised. 

Camie just shook her head. “It’s ok, I understand. My situation isn’t exactly a common one even though it happens so often to me. Eh-heh.” She scratched her neck bashfully.

“WHAT?!”  The whole crew exclaimed.

She giggled. “Heh, yea. Though this time, I actually have a good excuse. But that’s also good I ran into you guys! You guys can help me! Oh! But first,” Camie grabbed a tray of Takoyaki out of seemingly nowhere. “How would you guys like some Takoyaki? It’s a house special from where I work! It’s not even that pricey!”

Luffy and Zoro were about to grab some when a voice sounded out from somewhere behind Camie. “Camie! You should be giving that Takoyaki for free since they saved you! And aren’t you forgetting something? A certain pair of best friends perhaps?”

Camie made another surprised face, then put the Takoyaki aside. “Oh my gosh, Pappag you’re right!”

“Is that a talking Starfish?” Chopper asked, clearly surprised.

Camie nodded. “Yep! He’s Pappag, but I’ll explain his story later. I need your guy’s help. My friends got captured, and you guys are the only ones who can help. Please?”

“Your friends?” Nami asked. “What happened to them?”

“Well you see, it all happened when we were just enjoying ourselves and making a new batch of Takoyaki.”

***

Argelia hummed a little tune as she, Camie, and Hatchan all worked together to make a new batch of Takoyaki for Hatchan’s restaurant. Now, Argelia usually liked to keep to herself for the most part, seeing that most humans and unfortunately fishmen as well were in her words “bastardasos”, but after Camie and Hatchan got her out of a tough spot one time, the two dorks just kind of grew on her.

She finished putting the balls of Takoyaki into the fryer and was about to make another comment about how truly ridiculous Hatchan looked in his new “chef’s outfit” as he dubbed it,--he looked more like a glorified human fry cook to her. It was amusing to tease the Fishman, but her plan was quickly interrupted when her danger sense practically yelled at her.

Argelia turned to look out at the sea and in mere seconds, she saw it: A pirate ship flag. Not just any pirates though. The Flying Fish Pirates. They had a bad reputation with Hatchan and on top of that, they were known to capture any fish folk and sell them at the evil auctions down at Sabaody. And people like her and Camie were known as “hot commodities.” Sick bastards. 

All of a sudden it was like everything moved in slow motion. The ship came extremely close, darts and sea stone nets were being thrown and the next thing Argelia knew, both she and Hatchan were diving in front of Camie and taking the capturing blows to save her.

‘Well, as they say, stupid minds think alike.’ Argelia thought as everything went dark around her and she felt herself slip into unconsciousness. 

***

“That’s horrible that happened! No beautiful lady should have to go through that. And to be eaten by a Sea king so quickly after.” Sanji said with a sad look.

“The name Hatchin sounds vaguely familiar though,” Zoro muttered.

“It’s settled then! We’ll track those pirates down and save your friends!” Luffy cheered out. 

Camie smiled gratefully at the crew. For once, she was glad she was eaten by that Sea King.

***

Out of everything Camie expected when she guided the Straw Hat Crew to find the Flying Fish Crew, she most certainly was not expecting this.

Once they got on the ship it was complete chaos. Granted she teamed up with the Straw Hat pirates so this was to be pretty much expected. But she didn’t think that the minute they got onto the ship, everyone would be involved in an immediate fight.

It turns out that the captain, Duval, had a major grudge towards Sanji just because he had the unfortunate circumstance of looking like one of his wanted posters. 

Hatchin even apparently had a past with the Straw Hats so that was a battle in itself to truly try to convince them to save him. Thankfully they decided to put that aside and save him. Good thing too, otherwise Camie would have had to figure out something herself. And as Pappag unfortunately pointed out, she was not the most skilled planner. 

Then, if that wasn’t enough, the pirates told her that they were no longer in possession of Argelia, she was already sold off to the auctions. 

Safe to say, Camie was upset. But she wasn’t going to give up. She was going to get Hatchin back and then go get Argelia.

“Concassé!” Camie heard Sanji yell out. And next thing she knew Duval went flying. But when the dust cleared, he looked completely different. Kind of handsome, if Camie had to be honest. 

As she rushed to Hatchin’s side and untied him, she was tense waiting for a counterattack from the pirates…but it never came…wait was he now thanking the Straw Hats? For fixing his face? 

“The Straw Hats sure are interesting aren’t they, Hatchin?” Camie mused as she finished undoing the knotted rope and successfully freed her friend.

Hatchan looked at the group he was once at odds with and suddenly found a smile finding its way onto his lips. “They are, that’s for sure.”

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Hatchin.” Camie grinned.

“What a tearful reunion. I could almost cry!” A rough voice sounded out.

Camie whipped around at the sound of the voice, a surprised look made its way onto her face. “Who are you?” She asked defensively.

A gruff-looking group of what seemed like a rather small gang of pirates suddenly boarded the Flying Fish Pirates’s ship, taking advantage of the chaos that was going on. The leader, a tall gruff-looking man, just smirked. “Well, imagine my surprise when our little fish people tracker started goin haywire when we were just sailin’ by. We see a fight breaking out on the exact ship we stopped by just a little while ago to pick up a little mermaid. Fellas, it looks like we’re gonna make even more money today.”

Luffy turned overhearing the commotion and he frowned. “That’s not going to happen. Camie is our friend!”

The leader just snickered. “Too late rubber boy, we already have, shoulda been more aware of your surroundings sweetheart.” He nodded to the sleeping dart that was now lodged into Camie’s leg.

Camie’s and Hatchan’s eyes widened. “You jerks,” Camie murmured before collapsing as the group threw a sea stone net around her.

“Nice workin’ with you.” The leader snickered before dodging Luffy’s attack and quickly retreating to his ship.

“Camie!” Hatchan called out desperately.

Luffy walked towards him, a determined look set on his face. “We’ll get her back Hatchan. I promise.”

A/N: I hope you like the first chapter! I'll be posting more of it soon! And maybe more of the series I've been writing for her as well! I love these stories, and I love making stories for all of you. Feel free to click that link below and get a story for yourself! I'd love to make your ideas into reality!

[captmickey]

+✏️ Marley-Threepwood family shenanigans?

Lucas always found ways to entertain himself during the long span of sailing. Whether it was coloring, helping Uncle Winslow with the maps, or reading, he found ways to subside his boredom for a few hours at a time.

Unfortunately, it was just that: a few hours at a time.

This particular sail was longer than usual thanks in part to the winds not being in the ship’s favor (or so he heard his father grumble) which, unfortunately, meant the usual activities he would do was not sufficing at the moment. He trudged to the wheel of the ship where his mother was currently helming, hopped himself up on the crate and let out a very apparent and very loud sigh of boredom.

“Everything alright, sweetie?” Elaine asked, side eyeing him ever so slightly.

“Bored.” Lucas huffed. 

“You don’t want to color?”

Lucas shook his head.

“Read?”

Another head shake.

“....Sort maps?” She asked, hesitantly, however.

“No.” He let out another huff. “I can’t think of a thing to color, I read all my books and Uncle Winslow is with Auncle Anemone so I can’t help with the maps.”

Valid point, she knew Winslow got rather cross when the maps were sorted incorrectly. “I didn’t think we were out of books already… hmm… what can we do to have some fun?”

“I dunno.” Lucas plopped his back on the crate, kicking his little feet slightly.

“Just like your father, I swear….” she muttered under her breath but then quickly lit up. “Just like your father…. Oh. I have a wonderful idea for you.”

—

With a final tug of the rope, Lucas hopped off his father’s desk. A smile beaming on his face.

While he ran out of books, drawings, and maps to play with, making puzzles was an endless supply for this little Marley-Threepwood. 

Lucas took a few steps back, eyeing his handy work. The amount of ropes that were zig-zagging were a bit excessive, even by his own standards, but for what his mother asked him to try and solve, it was doing the trick just fine. 

The puzzle, his mother asked, was to find a way to make a system to help bring an item from one side of the room to the other.

(“And for this sake, start in a smaller room.” Elaine added.)

Well, he thought, what better start than in his parents’ room? His father was always going back and forth between the journals on the bookshelves and the random knick-knacks that were in the treasure chest, surely this was the ideal and perfect place to run such a puzzle.

“Now to find the test subject.” Lucas spoke to himself, opening up the treasure chest. He needed something that was not too late but not too heavy, but enough to see if the rope could hold. Practically falling into the chest and kick his legs, Lucas dug around until…

“Aha!” He beamed, pushing himself out. In his hands was a weird looking horse head made of metal. He never did know what it was for, and according to his father…. Neither did he.

(“Stan gave it and insisted it would help.” Guybrush recalled.

“Did it?” Lucas asked.

“....no.”

“So why do you still have it?”

“Um… reasons?”)

Lucas tied the rope through the horse’s eyes, securing it tightly. Now all he had to do was go to the otherside of the room, hit the activation switch and–

“You sure it’s in here?” Guybrush’s voice called out.

“Positive!” Elaine’s voice projected. 

Oh. Clam dip.

Before Lucas could warn his father, before he could run and stop the activation, Guybrush opened the door and inadvertently freed the rope from it’s restraint, letting lose the flying unicorn head at full force.

“Dad, look out!” Lucas shouted, hoping he could warn him in time.

Instead, Guybrush mumbled a ‘huh’, looked up from his paper and saw the incoming projectile and grimace. 

“Oh fu–!”

The papers fluttered in the sky like snow as Guybrush collapsed hard onto the floor, his eyes shut from the world as he laid there motionless.

“Dad!” Lucas screamed and ran over, trying desperately to shake his father awake. Neither a groan or a mumble was heard as he stayed still and the young pirate felt his eyes prickle with tears. He kept shaking him, over and over and over again but Guybrush wasn’t responding.

Lucas stood back, his breathing hitching and ran out of the room, screaming as loud as he could in absolute tears.

“MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!”

—

Guybrush sat in the galley with a cold rag pressed against his forehead. Having been knocked one too many times in the head didn't anger the Mighty Pirate, not in the slightest. He would even argue that if he didn't get hit in the head then that there was a sign for alarm. 

But having been knocked out cold by his own son? Yeah… that was definitely alarming.

Especially so when he regained consciousness to a concerned Elaine and a wailing Lucas who was swearing up and down that he didn't mean to kill him.

("I assure you, it will take a lot more than that to kill him." Elaine softly spoke.

"WHAT?!" Lucas cried harder. 

Elaine quickly backpedaled and tried to calm him once more before Guybrush mumbled how mommy was right.)

"So, if I hear you right, you tried to do a pulley system with my items?" Guybrush asked Lucas, still being held by Elaine who only just managed to calm his crying to simple sniffling. 

Lucas nodded. 

"Huh. Not bad. Might need to um… ease the speed." Guybrush chuckled.

Lucas stared… then hid his face in Elaine’s shirt. Guybrush sighed and lowered the rag. 

"Kiddo, look at me." He spoke softly, watching his son turn his head. "In all my stories, I've gotten bonked on the head at least once, right?"

"Y… yeah…"

Guybrush smiled. "Then this is nothing. Just one more bonk."

"I didn't mean to…"

"I know, I'm not upset."

"....promise?"

"Promise."

Lucas stared and slowly smiled. Calming down a bit more. 

"Your turn to apologize." Elaine then said, speaking up to Guybrush, smirking ever so slightly as she adjusted Lucas in her arms.

"My– apologize? I need to apologize?" Guybrush sounded flabbergasted. 

"Yes." She nodded.

"Why do I need to apologize?"

"For scaring him."

"For scaring Lucas?"

"Yes."

Lucas giggled in Elaine’s hold and Guybrush sighed.

[scotianostra]

On December 12th 1939, 9 miles off the Mull of Kintyre, the D class Destroyer, HMS Duchess was sunk after a collision with another ship.

This is the story as told by a survivor. It was an icy, black, December night and the destroyer, "Duchess" was heading home to the north of Scotland. Only another hour and she could dock at Greenock, at the end of a spectacular, record - breaking passage from East to West. The declaration on of war on Germany in that ; September of 1939, had been the signal for the flotilla of nine ships --all 'D' Class destroyers -- to leave their Chinese port, with the instruction to set sail for the 'friendly' waters of the U.K. with "the greatest possible speed". It had been a rare experience, an impressive and morale - boosting sight for the crew of the "Duchess", as they had steamed away in single file and at thirty knots, heading for refueling at Singapore On they had gone at break-neck speeds, beyond Colombo, Aden and into the Suez Canal. Here, the other shipping had been halted to ensure the flotilla's unimpeded progress to Malta. At Malta, three of the destroyers -- "Duchess", "Dainty", and 'Delight" -- were detailed to escort the Battleship "Barham" from Gibraltar to Scotland.

The "Barham" was a mighty ship. A veteran of previous skirmishes with the German fleet at Jutland in 1916. A massive vessel of some 31,000 tons, she dwarfed her escorting destroyers. The battleship and her escorts followed the usual pattern of submarine - avoidance by zigzagging, making it difficult for an enemy submarine to obtain a 'fix' on the ship. It had been a lightning trip -- perhaps the fastest East - West passage ever recorded and the crew of the "Duchess" were rightly proud of their achievement, as, in the early gloom of a December morning, she zigged and zagged her way towards the Hull of Galloway. The majority of the crew were below, asleep and the Petty Officer on watch had closed down all but one of the gunnery implacements, held a roll - call of his ten gun crew and ordered them to go below, to secure their hammocks, To clear the way for their messmates at breakfast. Only a young Ordinary Seaman, a 'boy sailor' called Ernest Swinhoe, was left up top at the 'A' gun. He was the 'communication number', the sailor on watch at the 'fore - gun. As the junior rating, he had been given the icy, early morning duty and he envied his gunnery mates their chance to go below into the warmth of the mess.

Ern had been lucky to join this destroyer, to be a part of the friendly crew of the "Duchess", along with his good friend Peter Port. Peter was his best mate, the lad who had shown him the sights of Hong Kong, before they had left the East,

They had both felt privileged to be a part of this record- breaking destroyer flotilla. As an electrician, Peter was fortunate, he thought, to be below in the warmth of the low power room. Safe from the biting chill of a Scottish strait.

It was 04OO hours now, and the watch had begun. Only an hour of this and they would be home and dry. Ern stood in the shelter of the gun shield, to avoid the wind.

There was a blackout and the absence of moonlight made it a coal-black night. He adjusted his headphones and looked aft. It 3. was then that he saw the massive shape of a ship's prow bearing down on him out of the darkness.

It towered over the diminutive destroyer and with a sickening sound, hit the "Duchess" at about half way and with such tremendous speed, that she simply turned the destroyer over. As she. 'turned turtle' Ern dived into the cold black sea, as other, half - naked sailors scrambled desperately round the rolling hull.

The "Barham's" searchlight lit up the scene, It had been her towering form that had pushed the "Duchess" over. Her crew felt sure that they had hit an enemy submarine, as the "Duchess'" upturned asdic domre looked just like a conning tower. But, when her searchlight beam moved aft, it revealed the awful truth -- the sight of a ship's screws, still turning --and her horrified crew began to sweep for survivors. The water was freezing and oil - ridden. There had been no time to grab lifebelts and Ern pushed off his rubber boots and overcoat, alternately treading water and floating on his back. Out of the blackness, a drowning shipmate struggled towards him. He was naked and desperate and Ern realized from his 'Ganges' training, that the condemned boy would use him as a lifebelt - and so, condemn them both.

Ern swam away to a reasonable distance, until the poor fellow disappeared. The light from the "Barham" lit up the side of the upturned "Duchess" and Ern could clearly see the faces of frightened men, shouting through tiny portholes, from which they were unable to escape. On the fast - disappearing hull of the "Duchess", men were clinging on, until the "Barham" pulled alongside, plucking them to safety, only moments before the boilers of the "Duchess" blew and she disappeared. beneath the waves, taking her entombed crew with her. The "Barham" and her other destroyer escorts, lowered boats and Ern began to shout to them. He realized that he had been in the water for some time now. His chances of survival were diminishing for every minute he was left in that icy waste. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a rowing boat and a coxswain shouting, "Oars!" The men stopped rowing now and the coxswain shouted again for silence.~ Ern summoned up ~'what little strength he had left and called for help. He was aware of a ship's lifeboat coming alongside and pairs of arms reaching out to pull him into the craft. He felt numb as the cold air hit him and he pleaded with his rescuers to put him back into the water, where it had felt warmer. When he reached the safety of the "Barham' he was a shaking mass, unable to warm himself through.

He was severely hypothermic and had 'been lucky to survive. His rescuers had pulled him out of the water at some minutes after 0500 hours, which meant that he had been in the water for an hour -- beyond a reasonable amount of survival time for conditions such as those on that December night. As he recovered, Ern learned that he was one of only twenty - three survivors from the ill - fated "Duchess" and, her crew of a hundred and sixty men. His fate had rested on the timing of his watch duty. He had possibly been the only sailor aboard to see the fateful collision, when the zig and zag of the two vessels had coincided. His heart went out to his mate, Peter Fort, who had been below at the point of impact. He couldn't possibly have survived and Ern hoped that he had known little of what was happening,' as he and a hundred and twenty - three others perished in what was officially described at the time, as, "One of those unfortunate accidents of war." More than fifty years have passed since that accident and my father --

Ordinary Seaman Ernest Swinhoe still remembers the events of December 12th. 1939, as if it happened yesterday. He can recall the cold, misery and confusion. The anguish of seeing entombed sailors shouting from tiny portholes, the pain of losing a good friend and the guilt of seeing a shipmate drown before his eyes. Since that day, however, ships have had escape hatches built into their sides, to prevent the fate that befell many of the "Duchess'" crew. While her demise had not been as 'newsworthy' as that of the "Hood", the "Bismarck", or -- later -- the poor old "Barham" herself, lessons had been learnt from this awful night in 1939.

[the-firebird69]

David Bowie – Space Oddity (Official Video)

And yes I am major Tom and it is about GHWB in his plan and boy was ready on it and he says we know about that aspect and he researched the fact that I said the proper are still running it and George was saying no way and he got him some information and George started looking at and said my grandson is saying the same thing they're on him like stink on **** like he's their property and I check it and it's true and he started freaking out and I hear and that's from David Bowie and he says he was on him too and that was George and then he said I can see all these max and so they had a meeting and they discussed who and said there's a lot of them in the coming in and out and each group start to trace them and they found out where they were going and there's several entrances in Westboro. Those entrances need to be researched as does Dukakis governor Bunker and other things have been talked about. Being a lot more troublesome people think. And that was David Bodie most of it all of it really he's also a major Tom but that's my name it's a character and it's what GHWB want to do in the max or picking it up and it's part of their plan it's not the end of the plan by the way as you soothsayers are quoting incorrectly I'm supposed to go on a space odyssey to collect my wife.

Major Tom

So I called him a **** **** and he says gonna put it down and I said no you won't and I'm having to put down myself. It doesn't really come out so that's fine. We're arguing about it in our imaginary camper while driving and I said fine i'll mess with your food and he said forget it then it doesn't have to go up. To mess with his food but here it is you people might fall for it and do the whole damn thing because of that. Find out it's probably true. It's just really not that bright and you do things for dumb reasons and this is what it means. This is a sad song and a lot of people will be sad because they don't want him to do that and my husband doesn't want to he said I don't want to be strapped to a bomb that's what a rocket ship is we have a bunch of stuff to announce we're going to get to it in a moment.

Ziggy

ahahahah

Stardust

We have anWe have an ongoing argument as to which one is which and I'm really made the Stardust and he's Ziggy because he looks like him they're both very huge and because of what he's doing he's helping to defend the universe and try and keep the solar system intact.

Stardust lo hahaah my name ok

Their young kids are beautiful if you harm them you're all gone instantaneously will simply invade and take you all down and he'll pop up somewhere. Math. And we helped make it. We want him out of there into better digs not into a hospital these pieces of ****. Make it happen since you're all dying we're going to lend a hand to get rid of you and he was suggesting it and we had to make sure we were ready for other things and we're going to go on your head with it now. I do appreciate the reverence and they are usage of the names or miss you says it is that they're fighting over it you can be part of the family but you don't have to be the name of the family so she's starting to get it there might be a whole bunch of Ziggy.  It is our son's knife it's the Bowie knife and you can see sting in dune two. And it is intense for people these knives are not made out of regular metal.

Zig So they asked what happens and he says he crashed his spaceship but he sounds like a baby so they're getting mad but he's making a joke it's not very funny and yet his muscles are getting bigger and shapely and it's good he's growing it's gonna be a big boy Zag The growing in a different way and then it doesn't calculate on the measuring tape and it's also very weird for people but it's filling in like they do sometimes no they do it like everyday they just give me a little bit of weeds and they become like Captain America's size almost everyday it's not healthy it's not right for them to do but it's happening

Olympus

[archaicden]

if it weren’t for that damned contract.

[hpalways]

Coin Flip || Childe

THERE were two sides to a coin. It could land on either heads or tails. One side could be shining, for it was lucky to never touch the ground, void  of being coated with all things slimy, while the other rusted, coveted to take the other’s spot. This was how you would describe Childe. 

Most people didn’t get to see what you saw out of him. Usually, he was labeled as the troublesome Fatui man who hid his bloodlust behind a charming smile. To that, you would not concur. It was true. He was a strange man, sometimes acting as if he was possessed by some war-like creature who decided to give no shits about consequences and whatnot. However, this was what made your days a little more interesting, for better or worse. He became someone you grew to care, and for that, that was enough to prevent yourself from leaving him anytime soon. 

Speaking of the devil, he was calling out to you. “My my… [Y/N], what’s with that silly face you’re making?” He proceeded to hold a slender hand up, pinching your cheek as if you were a baby. It frustrated you how the simple touch from him could invite a swarm of butterflies to your stomach. 

Pretending to not look as flustered as you felt, you swatted his hand away. “I was just thinking. What, is your tiny brain unable to do the same?”

He let out a dramatic gasp and placed his hand over his chest. “Oh, you wound me, dear Comrade.” His blue eyes hovered over your face and for some reason, he wouldn’t look away. Embarrassing. Instead, you broke eye contact before he did, averting your hues towards the sea that accompanied the Harbor of Liyue. But even then… the color rolling off from the waves reminded you of Childe’s eyes. Dammit. 

A warm breeze brushed through the two of you and his fiery, orange locks swayed along. It was annoying how you kept on turning back to him. Scowling to yourself, you focused on the stalls propped up with merchants in them, who were advertising. Some had red-orange fish laying there waiting to be sold. 

“So are you sure you’d like to tag along with me? The brother that’s visiting me today can be quite the handful.”

You nodded, not at all hesitating. “Of course! I think it’ll be fun. You’ve been working hard lately. A break is needed.”

He scratched his head and let out a chuckle. “Alright, alright. Stop fretting so much about me. I eat three meals and make sure to sleep every night.”

You waggled a finger towards him. “You better be.”

Entering upon the actual dock, you followed the tall male as he peered around to look for the ship that would supposedly contain his little brother. Boots clopping against the wooden floor, you dodged the crowds and was struggling to keep up with his long strides. He seemed to be anxious almost -- was he that excited to see his brother? 

The groups of people grew more and more dense by the second; the arrival of ships was the cause of it. Because of this, bodies pushed against you, nearly knocking you off your feet. Teeth grinding into one another, you tried to make it pass through them, but the obstacles further increased the gap between you and Childe. You were going to lose sight of him…

A hand broke through the tight space that encircled you, its palm open and welcoming. Wasting no time to grab on it, you felt it wrapped firmly around yours. It pulled you with great strength, breaking the walls that nearly trapped you. 

“Thank you, Childe,” you pant, hoping to calm your racing heart. His hand wouldn’t release yours, despite being out in the open. You nudge your head towards it in question, but his grip only tightened. He wasn’t going to let you go. 

“Try to keep up, won’t you?” he said. He grinned wide and something in his gaze glimmered. With that, the journey proceeded -- this time, with him lugging you along. 

Zig zagging through every dock that contained newly boarded ships, Childe scanned each and every one carefully. It took a few more minutes of a search, but soon enough, it was a success. 

Climbing down a ship on the end, a young boy stretched his arms up to the sky and stretched. He yawned loudly, too distracted to see the larger figures approaching him. To your pleasant surprise, he indeed resembled Childe. His red-orange hair to his deep, blue eyes, the two of them were no doubt brothers. Freckles smattered his nose and he wore a cozy-looking hat. 

“Teucer!” Childe called out, finally releasing your hand. He stepped forward with brisk steps, a smile decorating his lips. 

The boy glanced upward and instantly he brightened with adoration. “Brother!” He ran up to his brother, jumping around in excitement. “You’re here. You’re actually here!”

Your friend crouched down and engulfed the boy in a hug. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” So you weren’t imagining it. Childe was just as excited to see his brother. Your heart warming within you, you sort of felt bad to intrude on something that suddenly seemed too personal. When he finally straightened himself up, he turned his head towards you. “Ah, Teucer, I’d like you to meet someone.”

Clearing your throat, you neared the boy and leaned down slightly to extend a hand. He blinked innocently up at you and his gaze wavered from his brother to you, over and over again. Once he received a nod from Childe, he finally accepted the handshake. “Hey there, little buddy,” you said brightly, ignoring the awkward passing moment that had just occurred. “I’m [Y/N].”

“Hi there!” With that, he pulled a small toy out from nowhere and shoved it into your face. “Do you see this? My brother gave it to me during my last visit!”

“O-Oh, that’s very cool,” you said, slightly taken aback. Was it just you or did the toy look familiar to something? Maybe you were overthinking. 

The Snezhnayan man ruffled the boy’s hair and chuckled. “Come on, let’s not bother Miss [Y/N] too much here. Why don’t we go up to the mountains? You want to play with Mr. Cyclops?”

Easily, the child’s face brightened immensely. He nodded long and hard, jumping around in excitement. Furrowing your forehead in confusion, you couldn’t voice your inquiry because they were both already ahead of you, leaving the docks. Quickly pursuing after them, you decided to brush it off for the time being. You had a more important matter at hand: going on this tiring trek to the mountains of Liyue. Really? This was what he would label as relaxing? 

When the three of you left the entrance of the city, Childe lifted his brother onto his shoulders and extended a finger outward. “Are we ready for the travel ahead, hero Teucer?” he bellowed dramatically, playing along a role you never fathomed to see. He was so soft on his brother, it was insanely adorable to witness. 

This was exactly what you meant. Another one of his sides that no one else understood but you. He was more than a notorious Fatui, more than a vengeful man, more than a weapon. You were tired of society viewing him as that way, shaping him to be how they wanted him to be. 

Walking up the towering path that awaited you, you were breathing heavily by now. But Childe’s figure in front kept you going, for he was willing to carry his brother for the entirety of this trip. He was so persistent, but that was not a surprise. 

The moment you reached the top of the mountain, you slumped down to the ground and leaned against a tree. A beautiful view of Liyue Harbor was seen from a distance, the structures that made up the city looking miniscule for the first time. Meanwhile, the sun was starting to set, giving off a glowy haze that blanketed the world. 

Turning your head to see what the two brothers were up to, you watched as Teucer approached a Ruin Guard. Getting up hurriedly with panic taking over your expression, you were gently pushed back to the ground. “Childe… your brother!” 

“He’s fine, [Y/N], don’t worry. The Ruin Guard won’t activate,” he explained. 

That wasn’t the problem here! “Why… is he… playing with a… Ruin Guard?”

He sighed and rubbed his eyes warily, sitting down beside you. “I suppose I can’t get away with this, huh.” His glassy, blue hues were full of remorse and stress, and it was seemingly obvious that this was somehow taking a toll on him. “I’m keeping the Fatui a secret from him. He doesn’t know what a Ruin Guard is… so please don’t say anything!”

You shook your head and you couldn’t help but smile a little. “I won’t say anything, but I’m pretty sure this is going to bite you back in the ass someday.”

“Thank you so much!” he exclaimed, disregarding the last part. The next thing you knew, he gave you a bone-crushing hug. Your cheeks flaming up and your heart pounding long and hard against your chest, you could barely do a single thing. He had left you frozen. Too close, too close, too close. His homely scent, his touch, his heartbeat that aligned along with yours -- it was just too damn much to handle. 

It was an understatement to say that you were happy when he finally released you. Coughing loudly and looking away before he could notice your flustered state, you frantically thought of something to bring up. “You’re a good, older brother,” you pointed out. “Continue to take care of him, alright?”

“So you noticed,” he said, sounding prideful. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Turning to look at him again, you stilled in confusion. He looked so serious that it almost hurt. 

“Won’t you continue to take care of me?” He jutted his bottom lip out and gave you his best puppy eyes. 

Letting out a laugh, you rolled your eyes. “You’re such a child, Childe.”

[thisaliennerd]

can you please elaborate on why you think kurt is the toxic abusive one in the klaine relationship? maybe i’m biased but i don’t see it.

Yes, I absolutely can, thank you for asking! I’ll start with the basic points and then I’ll elaborate with examples under the cut in case y’all don’t feel like reading an actual essay today. (I’ve also put the link to the google doc in my linktree in my bio which might be a more accessible way to read this as it is a 25 page essay)

Kurt takes every opportunity to tear Blaine down and takes advantage of Blaine’s compulsive need to help/build up the people he loves, to ensure that he has as much power over Blaine as possible

He refuses to talk about problems in the relationship (of which there are many) when they arise, sometimes actively shutting Blaine down when he tries to talk about it, but gets angry when the problems worsen, accuses Blaine of pulling away, and puts the emotional burden on him

He refuses to acknowledge his own fault in ANYTHING, both in his relationship with Blaine and in his other relationships

When they aren’t together, Kurt drags Blaine along, sabotages and undermines Blaine’s relationships, and refuses to allow him to move on, all while actively pursuing other relationships himself, ensuring that Blaine is always there as a fallback plan

He is INCREDIBLY jealous, even before he had any reason to think that Blaine would cheat, despite Blaine repeatedly shutting down people’s (read: Sebastian’s) advances, and Kurt frequently flirting with and playing into people flirting him while dating Blaine

He says he loves Blaine, but he also implies that if anyone else came along that could make him feel the same way, he would leave

He is rarely supportive of Blaine in general, especially if he isn’t doing something that could potentially help Kurt, in contrast to Blaine being pretty relentlessly supportive of Kurt in everything he does

He holds the things that Blaine’s done wrong in their relationship over his head, even after claiming to forgive him

He’s just pretty selfish and narcissistic in general 

So, let’s go deeper into it, these are complicated and nuanced issues, and I’m sure you need more evidence than just some bullet points, especially for such a popular ship.

Power Dynamics

Let’s start by analyzing the power dynamics between Blaine and Kurt throughout the show and how it affects their relationship. When we meet Blaine in season 2 episode 6, Kurt is in an incredibly vulnerable place, dealing with intense bullying and homophobia at school. Blaine, despite only being (presumably) fifteen and a sophomore, is astoundingly poised and confident. This is where we see Blaine at his happiest. He seems very sure of himself, and this stands in stark contrast to Kurt. Upon seeing this in Kurt, Blaine quickly opens up, sharing that he had a similar experience not too long ago. He gives Kurt advice, encouraging him not to give up and to have courage, building Kurt up. He even comes to McKinley, seemingly during school hours, to confront Karofsky with Kurt. Throughout this, he is calm, comforting, and continues to build Kurt up as best he can. This behavior continues from Blaine as the season continues. Once Kurt transfers to Dalton, Blaine is in a minor position of power as the lead singer of the Warblers, however, he routinely uses this power to keep building Kurt up. He laughs at Kurt’s jokes (s2e9), gives him advice on how to integrate into the new environment (s2e9), and even gets him a lead in a song for Regionals (s2e16). However, when Kurt transfers to Dalton, we begin to see a different side of him. He becomes exceptionally bitter and jealous of Blaine. We see him getting upset over Blaine getting solos in multiple episodes (s2e9, s2e16), despite how kind and accommodating Blaine has been. He openly criticizes Blaine’s performances, saying that they’re all the same (s2e16), and this marks the first example of Kurt tearing Blaine down. Blaine gives up the opportunity for another solo and risks his position by standing up to the Warblers and telling them he wants to sing a duet with Kurt (s2e16). Kurt is also very dismissive of Blaine’s identity struggles. The first and most notable example of this being in season 2 episode 14. Blaine questions whether he might be bisexual and Kurt is not only biphobic but also dismisses Blaine’s crisis. He tries to dictate Blaine’s identity and is passive-aggressive and bitter for the rest of the episode. We get several more examples of this early in season 3. 

In season 3 episode 1, Kurt pressures Blaine to transfer to McKinley, even saying that he was being passive-aggressive, something we’ll see Kurt do often in arguments going forward. Although he maintains a playful tone of voice, it’s very clear that he isn’t joking. Blaine expresses concerns about leaving his friends, and Kurt implies that he isn’t sure that their new relationship can survive if he doesn’t come to WMHS, stopping just shy of actually putting the ultimatum out there, but certainly implying it. Blaine decides to transfer, a move that not only screams codependency but also further brings Blaine down. Kurt is back in his element, he’s a senior, this is his school, whereas Blaine is now a newbie as a junior, abandoning his role as lead of the Warblers for Kurt. And although Blaine initially claims that he came for him, it’s obvious that that isn’t the case, and Blaine confirms that he did it for Kurt later (s4e3, s4e7). In episode 2, Kurt works to further limit Blaine by convincing him not to audition for Tony. Here we see an example of Kurt’s manipulation. He never explicitly tells Blaine not to audition, but just makes passive-aggressive comments until Blaine decides not to audition, asserting his power over him. Again, Blaine is giving up opportunities in order to maintain his relationship with Kurt. Blaine even hesitates to read for Tony when directly asked, because he’s worried about how Kurt will react. And sure enough, Kurt is visibly upset when Blaine’s asked, and while it’s reasonable that he would be disappointed, he shouldn’t have put that on Blaine at all. We see the culmination of this little storyline at the beginning of episode 3, and on first watch, this seems like a sweet scene. Kurt congratulates Blaine for getting Tony, gives him flowers, and says he’s proud of him. However, it’s in Blaine’s reaction that we see the problem. He says, “You always zig when I think you’re about to zag, and I love that about you,” and again, this almost seems sweet, but the undertones of that comment are that Blaine didn’t think that Kurt would be supportive. He was genuinely worried that his boyfriend wouldn’t support him getting the lead in the musical. We see that throughout season 3, Blaine struggles in the New Directions. He tries to fit in, but the group is immediately antagonistic towards him, refusing to listen to his ideas. Kurt says nothing about this, even when it comes from Finn. He doesn’t call them out, he doesn’t even comfort Blaine about it. They spend most of this season pretty equal, but this isn’t enough for Kurt, as he gets his NYADA audition and begins to rise in status, he also continues to tear down Blaine. Flashing forward to episode 17, we see a lot of issues come to the surface here, which will come back later, but we also see more of Kurt tearing down Blaine. Kurt says that it’s hard being Blaine’s boyfriend because he’s “an Alpha gay”. He complains that he doesn’t get solos, implying that it’s Blaine’s fault, even blatantly lying by saying that he used to get solos every week. He manipulates Blaine, putting the fault on him, refusing to apologize for his actions, only apologizing for how it made Blaine feel. Eventually, Blaine is the one forced to apologize. This conversation is especially interesting in comparison to their conversation in season 5 episode 16, but we’ll come back to that. First, let’s talk about season 4. 

In season 4 episode 1, their power dynamic has shifted yet again, Kurt got rejected from NYADA and Blaine was a senior and lead singer again. Kurt is clearly uncomfortable with this, but Blaine just continues to lift up Kurt. He tells him to New York and gives Kurt the confidence he needs to follow his dreams. Here’s where their relationship begins to fall apart. Now that Kurt is in New York, he immediately encounters success at Vogue, and as soon as he does, he pulls away from Blaine. He is now way above Blaine, and Kurt doesn’t need him anymore. He feels like Blaine is only limiting him. He prioritizes his success and career over Blaine, which is of course, fine when he does it, but not fine when Blaine does it. He actively ignores Blaine, not just to do his work, but also just to gossip and chat with his coworkers (s4e3), even when he knew that it was an important night for Blaine. He minimizes Blaine’s concerns and successes, talking over him and constantly pivoting the conversation back to himself (s4e3). Then, of course, comes the breakup in episode 4. Blaine explains that he did what he did because he felt that Kurt was moving on. Now of course this doesn’t justify what Blaine did, but throughout all the conversations about this incident, Kurt never acknowledges that he had any part in what happened, again putting one hundred percent of the burden on Blaine (s4e4). This continues throughout the season. Blaine constantly has to apologize, but Kurt never has to, because everything wrong with the relationship prior to Blaine cheating gets ignored. The breakup destroys Blaine’s self-esteem, and it becomes very evident that Blaine doesn't know who he is without Kurt. Kurt has successfully taken a very confident young man, made him dependent on him, and then not only left him but ghosted him (s4e8), completely wrecking him. He purposely didn’t forgive Blaine to hurt him (s4e8). It's Blaine’s senior year, he's finally made it back to where he was in season 2, and now he's not even able to play the lead in the musical. Blaine has hit rock bottom, and just as he starts to recover, getting a crush on Sam, becoming closer with Tina, gaining some self-respect and confidence back, Kurt reenters Blaine’s life. We’ll talk about this more later, but Kurt decides to lead Blaine on, keeping him dependent on Kurt, not allowing him to move on (s4e8, s4e14). For example, he calls Blaine right before he’s about to perform at sectionals only to remind him that he still hasn’t forgiven him, and tells him that they can see each other at Christmas, even though he decides not to go back for Christmas not two episodes later (s4e8, s4e10). Then he hooks up with Blaine at Will’s wedding, even though he doesn’t want to get back together and he knows how Blaine feels about him (s4e14). This continues for the rest of the season. At this point, Kurt holds all the power over Blaine. He is not only successful in the outside world, working at Vogue and going to NYADA, but he has also destroyed Blaine’s self-confidence and ensured that Blaine is dependent on Kurt. On to season 5. 

In season 5 episode 1, we get the reunion. This scene is another scene like the Lima Bean scene in season 3. It seems cute and romantic, Kurt plays it in a playful way, but in a closer analysis, it becomes more insidious. Blaine begs Kurt to get back with him, and he talks about how they’ve effectively been dating for weeks. At the end of the scene, Kurt reveals that he intended to say yes the whole time, as he had prepared a song, but before he says yes, he puts Blaine through some more manipulative games. Kurt keeps his voice light, but Blaine is very earnest, clearly taking it to heart. Blaine asks Kurt to be his boyfriend again, and Kurt says he doesn’t think it’ll work, because last time, Blaine cheated. Blaine gets very upset, saying that they’ve been over this and that he’ll “never ever cheat on [Kurt] again”. Kurt says that he wants Blaine to sign a contract, and Blaine says that he’ll sign anything as long as Kurt will get back together with him. These lines are interesting because Kurt sounds like he’s joking, but Blaine absolutely doesn’t. He is so desperate to get Kurt back, and Kurt, who again, has already decided to get back with Blaine, is dragging this out and holding the cheating over Blaine’s head. But Kurt still doesn’t let it go. He says that he’s not even sure if relationships work, requiring Blaine to keep begging. Finally, he agrees to get back together, but it’s clear in this scene that Kurt enjoys having this power over Blaine, and he likes making Blaine beg for forgiveness. He made him do so for the entirety of season 4. I’ll talk more about the proposal later, but here I would like to point out that the use of All You Need is Love is interesting, because there is much more to a functional relationship, but generally, these two seem to ignore this because they love each other. They spend the first half of season 5 separate and don’t interact often, however, when they do talk, it is still clear that Kurt, as an adult out in the world, holds supremacy over Blaine, and when they do talk, Kurt often belittles Blaine’s high school problems in favor of talking about his own, insulting Blaine and then pivoting the conversation to him as soon as he can (s5e7). In fact, Kurt is so unsupportive that Blaine has to make a puppet version of him just to get validation and forgiveness (s5e7). We even see Kurt controlling what Blaine wears multiple times (s5e6, s5e14). Blaine has been built up more from season 4, but this is only because he’s back with Kurt, again reinforcing his dependence on Kurt. The next major conflict in their relationship comes in episode 14. Blaine has just moved to New York and in with Kurt. Their new power dynamic is solidifying. Blaine is adjusting to a big change, and he's struggling with it. He's trying his best to be with Kurt in this new environment, but he’s not sure how to handle it. He’s intimidated by how sure of himself Kurt is and just wants to find a place for himself in Kurt’s life. His solution is to try and do things for Kurt. It worked in high school, but here, it only pushes Kurt away further. Kurt feels suffocated by Blaine, but he openly lies to Blaine about it, refusing to address it until it reaches a boiling point (which he does often). Desperate, Blaine tries to carve out a place in the apartment for himself, but Kurt hates this. He becomes aggressive, claiming that the apartment is his, and not theirs and that Blaine shouldn’t be making changes. At the end of the episode, Blaine is the one who suggests the solution of him moving out, pointing out that they never had a conversation about him moving in in the first place. During this conversation, Blaine is very earnest again, constantly reassuring Kurt that he doesn’t want to break up, and is physically very intense, trying to make eye contact, moving to connect with Kurt, and initiating a hug, while Kurt feels completely detached, avoiding eye contact, keeping his voice monotone, and looking pretty disinterested. Sidenote: In this episode, Kurt also demands that Blaine ask Sam to move out even though he’s the one who wants him gone in the first place.

But the most compelling evidence comes in episode 16. Blaine has been in the city for a little while now but is still struggling to find himself. He’s started gaining some weight from comfort eating and he’s insecure about it. In this episode, the textual focus is actually on the change in their power dynamic, so here is where it’s most obvious. Blaine feels uncomfortable with Kurt being hit on by other men, but it’s shown that Kurt isn’t shutting these advances down at all. Blaine feels distinctly inferior to Kurt, and it’s fueling his insecurities. Kurt notices that Blaine’s insecure, but decides not to talk to him about it. Instead, he repeatedly comments on the food that Blaine’s eating, reinforcing Blaine’s insecurities about his weight, and tearing Blaine down further. There’s also an interesting scene in this episode where Kurt, Blaine, Artie, and Sam are all out getting dinner together, and Sam asks about a free clinic to get tested for STDs. Kurt answers and then throws in a comment about the time Blaine cheated. This visibly upsets Blaine, but he also seems annoyed by the comment. It’s wholly unnecessary and doesn’t add anything to the conversation, all it does is make Blaine feel bad. This is the second time this season we’ve seen Kurt bring this up for no reason and the casualness of the comment coupled with Blaine’s reaction implies that this may be something he brings up frequently. At this point, Blaine has again been brought low, the confidence he had temporarily built backup is gone because it was all based on Kurt. Kurt is at least somewhat aware of this but still doesn’t talk to Blaine about it. He halfheartedly reassures Blaine about his body (a surface symptom of the deeper problem) in between comments about his food, even convincing Blaine not to eat the (perfectly reasonable) food he made in favor of a salad. Then, he discovers a porn website on Blaine’s computer. He becomes very upset and angry about this, while Blaine is visibly uncomfortable. Kurt verbally says that Blaine can do whatever he wants on his own computer but gets increasingly angry. He yells at Blaine about how they haven’t had sex in a week but doesn’t question why, he just storms out. In the next scene they have together, Blaine enters their stage combat class, where Kurt already is, late. This already puts Kurt in higher standing within his environment. Blaine is angry and asks Kurt why he didn’t tell him that he didn’t want to walk to class together. Kurt is dismissive and says he just forgot, but his tone and body language doesn’t support this. Blaine asks if Kurt is still upset about the website, and Kurt says no, but his tone is still angry and dismissive. Blaine then suggests that they should talk about the fight, but Kurt shuts it down, saying, “You know, Blaine, sometimes I think we talk too much”. They start fencing, and Kurt, who knows that Blaine’s been struggling in this class, both with the content and with making friends, publicly embarrasses him in front of the whole class. Later, they finally have a conversation, but again, this is only happening after their problems reach a boiling point. Kurt comes home and asks Blaine what happened in combat class, saying “you were really coming at me,” not acknowledging that he too, was aggressive in his fighting, and being very confrontational (including closed-off body language). Blaine reveals that he feels like he has to prove himself. He feels like he’s falling behind Kurt and is unable to support and protect him, which had previously been an important aspect of their relationship all the way until Blaine moved to New York. Kurt is immediately unreceptive and angry. He says that Blaine shouldn’t want to be superior to Kurt and that they should want to be equals. Blaine quickly apologizes, feeling even worse about himself, but Blaine never says that he wants to be superior, just that he feels so far behind Kurt, and as we’ve established, Kurt has been systematically tearing Blaine down for years. Blaine tells Kurt that he feels terrible about himself and his body and feels like Kurt is going to judge him. Kurt claims that he would never judge Blaine, but again, had been making comments about the amount and type of food Blaine was eating. Blaine then says that he’s afraid that if he can’t do things for Kurt, Kurt will outgrow him, and once he no longer needs him, will stop loving him. This isn’t an unreasonable fear, as this is similar to what had happened when Kurt first moved to New York, but this also expresses a deeper fear of Blaine’s that can be traced back to his childhood. As shown in season 3 episode 15, Blaine had a very bad relationship with his older brother, Cooper. Cooper is shown as very selfish, always needing Blaine to be doing things for him and making every conversation about him. This not only mirrors a lot of Kurt’s behavior but also explains why Blaine feels he will be abandoned if he can’t do things for people. It’s already happened to him. Kurt says that he would never leave Blaine, which also proves to be false in season 6, but he also says that Blaine needs to tell him when he feels this way. However, Blaine tried twice, in the porn fight scene and in the stage combat scene, to talk about it, and Kurt shut it down both times. Again, Kurt is putting all the emotional burden on Blaine, deflecting his own fault, and gaslighting Blaine about previous events. Finally, they make up, but in the final scene, Blaine seems to have developed an eating disorder, and Kurt says that they have decided to eat out less often and work out more, but Kurt was already doing those things. Another example of Kurt trying to control what Blaine eats. 

Moving on to the rest of season 5, in episode 18, Kurt invites Blaine to perform with him for June Dolloway. Blaine kills his performance and June asks only him to be her project. Suddenly, their dynamic has shifted again. This is a major success for Blaine, and Kurt’s been stalling recently. Blaine now has a lot more power and we see a glimpse of the old Blaine return when he performs for and with June. However, Kurt doesn’t react well to this throughout Blaine’s time with June. Immediately once Blaine gets picked, Blaine feels guilty about it, almost turning it down. Kurts assures him that it’s fine, but qualifies it by saying that it’ll be good for both of them, even saying it’s “[their] careers” instead of Blaine’s career. Later in the episode, Blaine and Kurt are finally having time together after Blaine has been spending a lot of time with June, Kurt says, “I’m upset with you,” and Blaine immediately looks terrified. He freezes, tenses, and panics. He’s walking on eggshells around Kurt, and no one should ever be scared of their partner. As with the flowers scene in season 3, Blaine is genuinely worried that Kurt will be upset about him taking an opportunity because Kurt wanted it for himself. Kurt is generally only supportive when it’s potentially beneficial to him. Blaine is so worried about upsetting Kurt that he decides to lie to him and tell him that he’s in the showcase June is organizing for Blaine. In episode 19, Blaine gives up a big opportunity with June to go to Kurt’s show, and then the storyline finishes in episode 20. Blaine fails to convince June to let Kurt into the showcase and is forced to confess to Kurt. Blaine attempts to explain the situation, but Kurt says he can’t trust Blaine or anything he says, and then reacts physically, throwing a bag of food onto the floor. Blaine jumps to his feet, apologizing and explaining that he didn’t know what else to do because he was scared of hurting Kurt’s feelings, but Kurt just storms out. Now, of course, Blaine shouldn’t have lied, but only a few episodes earlier in episode 14, Kurt lied about Blaine not crowding him so as not to hurt his feelings. Kurt does similar things all the time, but Blaine has to suffer for it. Later in episode 20, Kurt and Blaine talk again. Blaine, visibly upset, says that he doesn’t want to do the showcase because Kurt is more important to him, implying that he thinks he has to give up a major opportunity for his career for Kurt. Kurt responds by coming up with a confusing metaphor, waxing poetic at Blaine (sarcasm and figures of speech are something that Blaine already struggles to understand throughout the show), dragging it out, and making it sound very bad, so Blaine keeps apologizing. Then Kurt finally stops him. He says he understands what happened, and even, for the first time, takes some responsibility. He acknowledges that the way he was acting would have led Blaine to believe that lying was the only option. This is Kurt’s best reaction to a fight across the show, but it shouldn’t have gotten here. And because, yet again, Kurt pushed Blaine until he snapped and messed up, Kurt is the one with the power. He’s the one to forgive, and Blaine is the one who has to relentlessly apologize and then thank Kurt when he forgives him. And sure enough, because Blaine is so dependent on Kurt, he is incredibly relieved when Kurt forgives him, and thanks him repeatedly. He’s very physical here too, hugging Kurt, but Kurt is, again, very closed off, not very receptive. Blaine, again suggests that he won’t do the showcase without Kurt, and although Kurt does tell him to do it, it’s insane that this is even a question in Blaine’s mind. Plus the whole “I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” “Yeah pretty much,” interaction just rubs me the wrong way. In the end, Blaine risks his partnership with June to sing with Kurt anyway, which again, he shouldn’t have had to do. Every time Blaine is more successful, he tries to lift Kurt up to his level, even when it’s risky for him, but Kurt constantly tears Blaine down, even when he’s in a better position. Finally (for this point), let’s talk about the trainwreck that is season 6.

Season 6 is a lot more complex when it comes to power dynamics specifically. At the beginning of episode 1, they've broken up, and it’s had a profound effect on Blaine. He got very depressed, which makes sense, because he’s become so reliant on Kurt, got cut from NYADA, had to move back to Lima, and he wasn’t even able to play music for a while. He still seems to be struggling emotionally, while Kurt is in New York at NYADA, and initially, in the episode, it seems like Kurt is doing well. However, when Kurt comes back to Lima this shifts again. Kurt wants to get back together with Blaine, but Blaine is dating someone else, Dave Karofsky, and seems fairly happy in this new relationship. And because the focus of their arc this season is their journey to get back together, at this point, Blaine holds more power. It doesn’t matter that Kurt is in a better place in his life and career, because not only is that not the focus, but Kurt is now also in Lima. Blaine has begun the process to move on from Kurt, and this has happened once previously in their relationship, back in season 4, and just like in season 4, right as Blaine begins to move on, Kurt decides to reenter his life. Of course, the difference here is that Kurt hasn’t attempted to move on like he did in season 4. His sole purpose is to get Blaine back, and this actually gives Blaine more power because Kurt is openly pursuing him, instead of subtly leading him on. But before we continue with season 6, let’s do a closer analysis of the breakup scene, because I think, like season 5 episode 16, it illustrates a lot of the problems in the relationship very clearly. 

This scene is shown via flashback, and Kurt is the one having the flashback. This is interesting because it’s been established, at this point in the episode, that Blaine and Kurt have been broken up for months, and based on Kurt’s reaction to this memory, this is the first time Kurt has dealt with the breakup. We see he remembers this scene, starts crying, and then the next time we see him, he’s back in Lima to get Blaine back. So, the flashback begins with Blaine arriving at the restaurant, it’s raining heavily. Kurt is already there, waiting for him. Blaine is very happy. He apologizes for being slightly late, explaining that it’s because of the rain and because he had stopped to check on a venue for their wedding. He seems very excited about this venue. The camera pans over and we see Kurt’s face for the first time. He looks annoyed, and he asks why he’s always the first to arrive. Blaine’s face falls a little but he explains again, repeating that he found a venue that’s available for their wedding, still excited about it. Kurt, again, doesn’t respond to this and just changes the subject to ordering food, annoyed. Blaine’s face changes, and he seems to register that Kurt isn’t going to respond positively to this step in the wedding planning. He says that he doesn’t want to fight, but he feels like he’s the one who’s been doing all the wedding planning. Kurt says nothing, just passive-aggressively puts down his menu, and stares at Blaine in an accusatory way. Blaine, very genuinely and earnestly, asks Kurt what’s wrong, actually begging Kurt to just talk to him, and asks him if he’s having second thoughts about the wedding. Kurt doesn’t flat out answer the question, instead, he says, “Have you noticed how exhausting it’s been ever since you moved back in?” The way the question is phrased puts the fault on Blaine in two ways. First, it asks him if he’s noticed that living together has been exhausting, instead of Kurt saying that he, personally, has been struggling. It frames it as an objective truth that Blaine has failed to notice. Secondly, Kurt says, “since you moved back in” putting the struggle to live together on Blaine. He doesn’t say, since we started living together again, or since we moved back in, he says, since you moved back in. This also has undertones that Blaine is an outsider in Kurt’s home. An invading force, rather than a partnership, and it implies that Kurt has made no progress in the weeks or months since season 5 episode 14 and that allowing Blaine to put in the office space was just a surface level change (s5e20). Kurt angrily brings up a fight that they had over him wiping his mouth off with a towel while there was toothpaste on his face. His tone indicates that he thinks that this is a stupid fight over nothing, but Blaine responds, “Well, how is someone else supposed to use it when you leave it like that”. This suggests that this genuinely matters to him, and not that he was picking a fight over nothing, as Kurt seems to think. Moreover, the way Blaine says it is a bit angry, which is a little unusual for him, and could indicate that Kurt often brushes off these things that bother Blaine. Kurt, getting increasingly angry, says that he thinks that they’re failing at living together. Blaine, also getting angry, says “Thank you for finally saying something truthful. Where's that guy been...you’ve been completely aloof and...totally remote and distant. It’s like I don’t even know you anymore”. These lines give a lot of insight into their relationship. As we’ve discussed, when they fight, Kurt tends to get very closed off and withdrawn, something we also see in this scene. Even as Blaine is saying these things, Kurt is withdrawn, not making eye contact, and passive-aggressively nodding. But this line suggests that this is something Kurt does whenever there are any problems. This is also supported by previous fights, see season 5 episode 16, and season 3 episode 20. Kurt doesn’t like talking about relationship problems (or even potential problems like in s3e20), and instead just avoids them, often meaning that Blaine ends up needing to handle it. Blaine continues by saying, “I feel like you’re just silently judging me”. This is the second time Blaine has expressed concerns about Kurt judging him during a fight (the first time was in s5e16), which could speak to his own insecurities, however, the Blaine we see in season 2, was not like this. He had some normal teenage doubts, but this kind of deep-seated insecurity wasn’t present. This has slowly been introduced to Blaine’s character throughout his relationship with Kurt, and although Kurt says he wouldn’t judge Blaine (s5e16), as we discussed, he does. Blaine constantly feeling judged by Kurt even after season 5 episode 16 suggests that Kurt hasn’t actually changed any of his behaviors and is still making comments that make Blaine uncomfortable. Blaine asks if Kurt even wants to marry him, and Kurt blurts out, “Maybe I don’t!” He then withdraws back into himself again, looking away and refusing to answer when Blaine asks him what changed. Since Kurt refuses to speak, Blaine starts to cry and asks Kurt if he did something to cause this. Kurt still doesn’t respond. Blaine says that he loves Kurt and that he knows that they can make it work. Kurt says that he loves Blaine too, but that they’re too young and that they should give up before they hate each other. This exchange, too, shows the differences in how they approach this relationship. Blaine is willing to work on the relationship. He wants to be with Kurt, and he would go to the end of the earth to keep them together. Kurt isn’t willing to do this. He just wants the relationship to function without working for it. And because Blaine is very dependent on the relationship for his confidence and self-esteem, he is generally willing to do much more work to maintain it than Kurt. But because Kurt isn’t willing to discuss problems until after a blow-up, that’s still not enough. Kurt has kept his voice and face empty and cold for most of the fight, and even as Blaine breaks down, he maintains this. Blaine tells Kurt that he’ll never forgive him, and then the flashback ends.

The season 6 break up fight is distinct from the others in that both the show and Kurt himself acknowledge that it was Kurt’s fault. He’s the one who needs to apologize, and this changes the power dynamic too. In all the other fights, in the end, Blaine is the one who apologizes, so Kurt has the power to accept or reject said apology. The texting fight in season 3 is the most similar, but Blaine is framed as unreasonable for being upset during that fight and in the end, he’s the one who ends up apologizing and resolving the issues. But this fight also doesn’t resolve itself immediately. Kurt’s apology doesn’t fix their relationship, and they stay broken up for most of the season. However, their power dynamic doesn’t stay the same for the rest of the season. The first real shift comes in episode 4. Up until this point, Blaine has seemed pretty comfortable in his relationship and Kurt has been chasing Blaine and not seeing anyone else. This changes in episode 4 though, Kurt starts talking to a guy online, Walter, and when he tells Blaine about it, it becomes incredibly clear that Blaine hasn’t gotten over Kurt. His relationship is being sabotaged, so that tether to moving forward is weakened. While Blaine obviously isn’t over Kurt, he is very supportive of Kurt trying to move on and doesn’t say anything bad to Kurt about it. And while his body language and tone indicate that he is sad about Kurt moving on, it’s much more bittersweet than anything. This contrasts with Kurt’s reaction to finding out about Karofsky. He’s been bitter, angry, and up until this episode was undermining their relationship with snide comments. At this point, they’ve leveled out, Kurt is entering a new relationship, and Blaine’s relationship is on shaky ground. Episodes 5 and 6 continue this pattern, as Blaine and Karofsky get rockier and Kurt and Walter get stronger. Kurt now is back above Blaine. He’s moving on, but he’s still available, but Blaine is getting pulled back into Kurt and is in a relationship. Episode 7 is where we see another major change in their relationship. Kurt manipulates the random duet wheel to get Blaine chosen as his duet partner even though he’s kind of dating Walter. Blaine mentions that Dave still thinks that there’s something between Kurt and Blaine. Then, after they sing their duet, they start talking about their relationship, specifically their early relationship in season 2, and Blaine kisses Kurt. Before the kiss, they’re talking about their first duet, way back before they even started dating, which was when Blaine was his happiest and most confident. This brings back false nostalgia for a time when Blaine was both confident and happy with Kurt, a time that never really existed since Kurt started tearing Blaine down right as they start dating. However, memories like this are what is being conjured for Blaine, and in an effort to recapture this, he kisses Kurt. Of course, he has a boyfriend, so immediately afterward he rushes off. Now the power is wholly on Kurt. Blaine has betrayed his new relationship and his feelings. He’s revealed that he’s still in love with Kurt, and now Kurt, just like season 4, has two vying love interests. Kurt has the power to choose, whereas Blaine’s relationship with Karofsky is doomed. More than that, Kurt has actively been pursuing Blaine even through this episode, and he's done the thing he always does where he pushes right up to something without explicitly crossing boundaries until Blaine snaps and acts. In this particular situation, this has flipped the power dynamic so now instead of Kurt having to try and get Blaine to come back to him, Blaine is the one who’s going to try and go back to Kurt. Sure enough, Blaine and Dave break up and Blaine goes to try and get back together with Kurt, but Kurt is going out with Walter. Blaine says nothing, he doesn’t criticize Walter or say anything snarky, he just lets Kurt go, reinforcing that Kurt has the power. In episode 8 we get the reunion. Kurt cuts it off with Walter, but the way he does so is interesting. He says, “I’m going to the wedding with Blaine,” but he hadn’t asked Blaine to get back together with him or go to the wedding with him. He seems so sure that it’ll work out with Blaine, even though he doesn’t seem to know that Blaine and Dave broke up. He shows up at Blaine’s apartment, confesses his love, and asks Blaine to go to the wedding with him. And initially, it may seem like Blaine has the power here, but on deeper inspection, there isn’t any risk here for Kurt, and he knows this. The second Blaine kissed Kurt, it becomes clear that Blaine would go back to him as soon as Kurt would take him. Their interaction here shows this, Kurt does say, “Unless there’s someone else,” but it’s tacked on, a formality (I also think this line shows that he didn’t know about Karofsky), and Blaine immediately responds, “There’s no one else”. He doesn’t even hesitate. When it comes down to it, Kurt is the only person for Blaine. 

But let’s briefly sidebar and talk about how that isn’t true for Kurt, and how that gives him power over Blaine. Kurt doesn’t really care about who Blaine is, he cares how Blaine is making him feel, and if someone else came along that could make him feel that way, he would probably leave. This is a bold claim to make, so let’s look at some evidence. In season 5 episode 1, Kurt talks to Burt about whether he should say yes to Blaine’s proposal. On this car ride, he looks nauseous and wildly uncomfortable. He tells Burt that he isn’t sure if he wants to marry Blaine, and says “[Blaine] makes me feel so connected and so safe and loved, and I don’t think I’m ever going to find someone else who’s going to make me feel like that”. He says he loves Blaine, but that statement also implies that if someone else came along that could do those things, Blaine would lose the thing that makes him valuable to Kurt. Blaine’s proposal speaks to how well he knows Kurt, it’s grand, romantic, and nostalgic. It’s everything that Kurt enjoys, but Kurt seems uncomfortable through most of it. Blaine is relentlessly supportive of Kurt, but Kurt rarely supports Blaine, because what he values in Blaine is what he can do for him. In his wedding vows he talks about how Blaine pushes the shadows away from Kurt so he can shine (s6e8). That’s what’s most important to him. Kurt tries to date Adam, and initially, he seems to really click with him. Adam compliments Kurt a lot (s4e11), and as shown in season 3 episode 17, this is something that Kurt responds to. However, once he realizes that this doesn’t fulfill him in the same way (s4e15), he drops Adam very quickly (s5e1). Every time Blaine looks at Kurt, it’s so clear how in love with Kurt he is, but very rarely do we see this in Kurt. This gives Kurt the ability to mess around and play with Blaine’s feelings, knowing that if he ever wants to come back to Blaine, he’ll be there. Because there’s no one else.

Finishing season 6, Blaine and Kurt decide to get married (well, Blaine makes the call because Kurt refuses to give straight answers to anyone), and we’ve looked at Kurt’s vows, but let’s look at Blaine’s. Blaine says that he didn’t think that he would ever find love (s6e8). This is pretty worrying. Blaine was fifteen when he met Kurt, and he’s only nineteen or twenty now, so this speaks to how deep Blaine’s insecurities run at this point in his life. After the wedding, Blaine and Kurt seem to be in a good place. Their relationship isn’t the focus of the rest of the season, so we don’t see much of them until episode 13, but they seem to be on equal ground. Then in episode 13, we get a powerful insight into the direction their relationship is headed, but it’s actually not the flashforward. Early in the episode, Blaine and Sam have a conversation about Sam coming back to New York. Sam says no, and one of the reasons he cites is that there are too many sports teams and he doesn’t know who to root for. Blaine responds, “We just root for whichever one’s winning,” and Sam says, “Ok, that’s something Kurt would say”. This is already concerning on its own, but Blaine just says, “That’s what happens when you get married”. Football is something that Blaine has always liked. In season 2 episode 7, Blaine mentions that he’s a college football fan, and in that scene, Kurt changes the subject almost immediately. Then, in season 4 episode 10, we see Blaine and Burt bonding over sports. It’s something that he’s always liked, and him starting to have this sucked out of him is concerning. Kurt is slowly taking away Blaine’s interests, controlling him more. Sam even looks worried when Blaine says this. In that same scene, Blaine almost sounds like he’s trying to convince himself that he’s happy, or at least convince Sam that there’s nothing wrong. Finally, we see Blaine and Kurt five years later. They seem happy, but they’re having a baby, and while there’s nothing strictly wrong with that, having a baby as performers in their mid-twenties (24-26) seems like an odd choice. Both of them can’t work 8 shows a week and have a child, so what’s their plan going forward. They’re so young, in New York, there’s no reason for it. To wrap up this section of the analysis, Blaine is introduced as a very confident young man, but Kurt systematically tears Blaine down in order to not only feel superior to Blaine but also to control him. He frequently talks about how important trust is in a relationship, and he weaponizes this against Blaine, constantly telling him how he doesn’t trust him (s4e7, s5e17, s5e20). He lies to Blaine, demeans his feelings and accomplishments, and manipulates him.

Support: Blaine vs. Kurt

Earlier, I presented the claim that Kurt isn’t very supportive of Blaine, especially in comparison to how supportive Blaine is, and how this coupled with the amount Kurt tears Blaine down creates an environment where Kurt has a lot of power and control over Blaine, so here are some examples of this. The first example of Kurt being supportive of Blaine comes in season 2 episode 12. Kurt convinces the Warblers to do the Gap Attack, but when he realizes that he isn’t the guy Blaine has a crush on and it no longer benefits him, he has to be talked into even going by Mercedes and Rachel. As discussed, in season 3 episode 3, Kurt congratulates Blaine on getting Tony, but this is only after discouraging Blaine to audition and being visibly upset when he was asked to read for Tony. In season 3 episode 11, Kurt is pretty good about Blaine’s surgery, however, he doesn’t even consult Blaine or his family when he gets direct evidence of Sebastian committing a felony, just hands the evidence over to Sebastian. In season 3 episode 15, Kurt gives Blaine advice on talking to Cooper, but this is after he spent the entire episode fawning over him when it clearly made Blaine uncomfortable. In season 3 episode 19, Kurt tells Blaine not to put hair gel back in after Brittney forces him to take it out at prom. However, this comes after Kurt mocked Blaine’s insecurities and laughed at him when he showed up to prom with his hair out. We see little to no examples of Kurt being supportive after he leaves for New York. The next time we see Kurt being supportive of Blaine comes in season 5 episode 6. Blaine is freaking out about auditioning for NYADA, and Kurt is very gentle and calming. However, this isn’t wholly unselfish. Kurt wants Blaine to come to New York, to go to the same school as him, it’s season 3 episode 1 all over again. He even pressured Blaine to sing at the diner when he looked visibly uncomfortable with it in the name of support. We also see him celebrating Blaine getting into NYADA in episode 12, but this is the bare minimum of support. He is cautiously supportive of Blaine getting picked up by June, but this is also selfish. He talks multiple times about how this will benefit his career (s5e18), and him eventually telling Blaine to do the showcase even without him is, again, the absolute bare minimum (s5e20). However, there are a few times where Kurt was genuinely supportive of Blaine without an ulterior motive. The first example of this is in season 2 episode 20. Kurt asks Blaine to prom, but Blaine tells Kurt that he was bullied at a Sadie Hawking’s dance before he transferred to Dalton. Kurt is immediately sympathetic and encourages him to stand up to the bullies while saying that if Blaine is uncomfortable with going, they won’t. And in season 6 episode 10 when Dalton burns down, he’s very good about handling it, but it’s saying something that those two are the only strong examples of Kurt being genuinely supportive, speaks volumes. (There are also three times in the show where Blaine tells Kurt that he loves him and Kurt either doesn’t say it back or hangs up before he even hears Blaine, once in season 4 episode 4 (5:25), once in season 5 episode 9 (12:50), and again in season 5 episode 19 (33:20), and it just bothers me a little.)

Let’s compare this to Blaine. In season 2, Blaine helps Kurt around Dalton (s2e6), helps Kurt with Karofsky (s2e6), laughs at Kurt’s jokes when no one else does (s2e9), helps Kurt adjust to the Warblers (s2e9), helps him with Pavarotti (s2e9), convinces Burt to give Kurt the sex talk (s2e15), gets Kurt a duet for Regionals and making it something that’s in Kurt’s wheelhouse (s2e16), giving Kurt a pep talk before he goes on stage (s2e16), goes to prom with Kurt despite his past trauma (s2e20), helps Kurt calm down after he’s elected prom queen (s2e20), and dances with Kurt after Karofsky runs out (s2e20). In season 3, Blaine transfers to WMHS for Kurt (s3e1), is very supportive of Kurt when he loses the student council election and tells him not to give up on NYADA (s3e7), pushes Kurt out of the way, and takes Sebastian’s Slushee (s3e11), congratulates Kurt on his NYADA audition even when he’s about to get surgery (s3e11), and is very supportive of Kurt through his panic about his audition (s3e18). In season 4, Blaine tells Kurt that New York is where he belongs and encourages him to leave (s4e1), supports Kurt’s music video even though Kurt is being wildly unsupportive of him throughout it (s4e4), and assures Kurt that he’ll always be there for him even if they aren’t together (s4e10). In season 5, Blaine agrees to fly out to NYC in the middle of the school week with only a few days notice (s5e7), gives Kurt advice on Elliot when Kurt is being paranoid (s5e9), stays with Kurt in the hospital when he gets attacked (s5e15), is very happy for Kurt when he reveals he got picked for June’s show even before Kurt offered him a part (s5e18), chooses to go to Kurt’s nursing home performance over a big opportunity with June (s5e19), and inviting Kurt to perform with him at June’s show even though it could cost him the partnership (s5e20). In season 6, Blaine does all the wedding planning (s6e1), never says a bad word about Kurt dating other people when Kurt was antagonistic and cruel about him dating Karofsky (s6e4, s6e7), and pushes the glitter bomb box out of Kurt’s hands, physically protecting him again (s6e11). This is just the shortlist, and very few of them are selfishly motivated at all. In fact, many of them actively go against his own interests and involve giving up opportunities. This dichotomy is a prime example of what reinforces Kurt’s power over Blaine. Blaine is willing to give up everything for Kurt and gives him everything he has, but Kurt not only won’t do the same in return but exploits Blaine’s generosity. 

Cheating and Double Standards

So, let’s talk about cheating, romantic jealousy, and the double standard of their relationship. Kurt is immediately possessive of Blaine, even before they start dating. He puts a picture of Blaine in his locker within a week of meeting him (s2e6). In season 2 episode 12, Blaine reveals that he has a crush on another guy, and Kurt, who had constructed a relationship with Blaine in his head, gets very upset. Despite being all too willing to help Blaine when he thought it was about him, he needs to be talked into even going by Mercedes and Rachel. Then, in season 2 episode 14, Kurt gets extremely jealous about Rachel and Blaine kissing and going on a date even though they’re not dating yet. In season 3 episode 5, Blaine meets Sebastian Smythe for the first time. Immediately, Sebastian hits on Blaine very aggressively, but it clearly makes Blaine extremely uncomfortable. Blaine agrees to go to The Lima Bean with Sebastian, and Sebastian continues to hit on Blaine, even more overtly this time. Blaine looks even more uncomfortable and quickly and forcefully shuts Sebastian down multiple times, talking about his boyfriend and how much he loves him. Despite Blaine being in the middle of shutting Sebastian down as Kurt shows up, Kurt is immediately very jealous and possessive. Sebastian suggests that they all go out to the local gay bar, and while Blaine seems interested, he turns it down because he knows Kurt isn’t. Kurt agrees to go but to rival Sebastian, not because Blaine wants to go. Then when they do go out, Kurt decides to spend the night moping at the bar instead of dancing with Blaine. However, Blaine keeps looking over at him, clearly wanting him to come dance with them. He’s not dancing inappropriately with Sebastian, he’s just trying to have fun, and Kurt’s being weird for no reason. He’s really happy when Kurt comes to dance with them, and there’s obviously nothing insidious going on. However, when Kurt and Blaine are fighting and Kurt is bringing up mostly good points, he also throws in that Blaine spent half the night dancing with another guy, which again, was not Blaine’s fault. Then, Blaine has to swear to Kurt that Sebastian doesn’t mean anything to him when he’s been shutting down his advances the whole episode and is clearly not interested. It seems like Kurt believes that Blaine doesn’t have feelings for Sebastian, but he acts exceptionally jealous every time Sebastian shows up, and Kurt talks about him so often that Blaine yells at Kurt to stop bringing him up in season 3 episode 14. 

In season 3 episode 17, we have the first cheating scandal. Kurt needs music for his NYADA audition, and he tells Blaine this and asks him to go to the music store, Between the Sheets with him. Blaine seems upset and says he can’t. Kurt doesn’t ask him why he can’t go or why he’s upset, just decides to go on his own. At Between the Sheets, Kurt meets a guy, Chandler. Chandler is very complimentary towards Kurt immediately, which Kurt responds very positively to. Then, as he’s leaving, Chandler’s comments turn flirtatious and he asks for Kurt’s phone number. Despite it being very clear that Chandler is hitting on him, Kurt gives him his number and doesn’t mention that he has a boyfriend. Kurt starts texting regularly with Chandler. The texts are very flirty, and although Kurt initially doesn’t seem to see anything wrong with it, once Rachel calls him out, he does seem to realize that it isn’t innocent. He says that Blaine hasn’t been complimenting him or trying to have sex with him recently, but he hasn’t spoken to Blaine about it. He texts with Chandler while ignoring Blaine, who is visibly upset, during Rachel and Santana’s duet. Later in the episode, Blaine ends up reading the text messages between Chandler and Kurt. He’s very upset and says that it’s cheating. Kurt denies that it’s cheating and compares it to Blaine talking to Sebastian. Blaine denies this, saying that he didn’t have feelings for Sebastian, and Kurt has feelings for this guy. I agree with Blaine in this situation. He didn’t have feelings for Sebastian and made it clear that it made him uncomfortable when Sebastian hit on him. Kurt does have feelings for Chandler, he was reciprocating the flirting, it’s a different situation, and Kurt is in the wrong. Moreover, considering that Kurt has been ignoring Blaine in favor of Chandler, I do think it’s reasonable to consider this cheating. It’s also notable that sex is not, and never has been, the most important thing to Kurt in a relationship. It’s important in the same way it would be to most teenage boys, but it isn’t how he primarily displays intimacy, so Kurt not having sex with this guy doesn’t mean that he’s not pursuing him. However, Kurt continues to deny that he did anything wrong. He justifies it by saying that Blaine never compliments him. He then says that it’s hard to be Blaine’s boyfriend because everyone wants to be with him. Blaine says that Kurt should have talked to him about it, but Kurt ignores this and continues to dismiss Blaine’s concerns. He doesn’t apologize, he only says that he’s sorry if it made Blaine feel uncomfortable. He tries to dismiss Blaine’s feelings again by saying “it’s ok”, and Blaine storms out. They sing some dramatic songs at each other, Kurt denies that what he did was cheating yet again. Kurt brings Blaine to talk to Emma. Blaine is very upset and vents about a lot of issues he has with Kurt being rude and not respecting boundaries, and then he reveals that he actually is more upset about Kurt preparing to leave for New York than anything else. He’s upset that Kurt keeps talking about it in every conversation because he feels like Kurt’s running away from him and is going to abandon him (which will prove very prescient). Kurt promises that he’ll never do that and Blaine shouldn’t worry. Kurt never admits that what he did was wrong, but at the end of the episode, he says that he told Chandler to stop texting him. Unlike Kurt with Sebastian, Blaine never mentions Chandler again (unless you count that one line from Tina’s body-swapping dream thing, but that’s not real, so I choose to believe that Tina is just outraged in Blaine’s honor), and seems to not only have moved on but forgiven him as well. 

Let’s move on to the next significant cheating incident, season 4 episode 4. Kurt has been ignoring Blaine since he got to New York. In the previous episode, he ignored a call from Blaine on a night he knew was important to him, the night of the senior class president election,  to chat with his coworkers about nonwork-related things (s4e3). and early in the episode, Blaine and Brittney have a conversation about how hard it is for them now that it seems like Kurt and Santana are too busy for them. Kurt calls Blaine (in the middle of the school day), but he immediately has to go. He says that the phones won’t stop ringing at work, Blaine is understanding and tells Kurt he can call him back later. Kurt says he can’t because he’s working until midnight. Kurt says that he understands that it’s frustrating, but this could be a career for him. Blaine says that he understands and then attempts to communicate about the issues he’s having and what he’s feeling. He says that he really misses Kurt, and says “I miss talking to you, and I miss hugging you, and I miss messing around with you,” confirming that they’ve barely interacted in a while. Kurt says, “But you’re coming in two weeks, right?” as if it’s ok for them not to talk for weeks. Two weeks is a long time, especially because when they were first discussing this in season 3, Kurt assured Blaine that he would Skype him every day and that they would see each other every weekend (although even then, he says that Blaine will come and visit him, and never offers to visit Blaine in Lima) (s3e17) and then Kurt had put off practical conversations about doing long distance in favor of flowery language and empty promises even when Blaine actively tried to initiate conversations about it (s3e22). Kurt has broken his word to Blaine and isn’t being a good partner. Blaine expresses that he doesn’t know how he’s going to handle waiting two weeks, seeming genuinely worried and upset, but Kurt doesn’t even acknowledge this. He says that someone is calling with good gossip and that he has to go. He says he’ll call or text Blaine on a break and hangs up without another word, not even waiting long enough to hear Blaine say “I love you” to him. This deeply hurts Blaine, and throughout Barely Breathing we see him calling Kurt, feeling lonely, and then talking to another guy on Facebook. Blaine shows up at Kurt’s apartment on Friday night, which means he would have had to leave straight from school, and since he seems to only decided to go the night before at the earliest, it would have been wildly expensive. Throughout his time in New York, Blaine is clearly upset, and to his credit, Kurt does ask him about it several times, and Blaine eventually admits that he cheated on Kurt. Kurt’s first reaction is to say, “It was Sebastian, wasn’t it?” really nailing home that he still hasn’t forgotten about that, and that he already didn’t really trust Blaine. Blaine says it wasn’t and tries to explain to Kurt that it didn’t mean anything. Kurt asks who it was again. This upsets Blaine further, and he says “It doesn’t matter who it was with, Kurt, what matters is that I was by myself. I needed you. I needed you around, and you weren’t there.” That is the crux of the issue. Kurt has been ignoring Blaine, and both of the times we see him do this are explicitly for gossip, not essential work reasons. It’s implied, though, that he’s been doing this a lot, and if the only two times the audience is shown this are both inessential reasons, it can be extrapolated that these aren’t isolated (s4e3, s4e4). Blaine has tried to raise his concerns, but at every step of the way, Kurt shut him down, brushed him off, and refused to talk about it (s3e17, s3e22, s4e3, s4e4). Kurt has been a bad boyfriend, and unlike season 3 episode 17, Blaine actually tried to reach out to talk about it before he cheated, whereas Kurt didn’t. Blaine says that he was lonely and made a mistake, but that he’s really sorry. Kurt says he’s been feeling the same way, but he didn’t act on it because he knew how awful it was. While this is totally fair, it’s important to note that Kurt has a whole exciting new life and career in New York. He has a lot to look forward to and to keep him busy and distracted, and Blaine’s been supporting him in this (s4e3). However, Blaine is in Lima, there’s very little going on, and even being at McKinley is a constant reminder of Kurt and his absence. The few things in his life that were exciting for him were belittled, demeaned, and overshadowed by Kurt (s4e3). Blaine felt Kurt pulling away because of his new life, something he had been terrified of might happen (s3e17). Kurt knew that this was an insecurity of Blaine’s, and yet he doesn’t put any effort into assuaging his fears. Blaine shouldn’t have cheated, I’m certainly not saying it was justified, but Kurt contributed significantly to the problems in the relationship that led to this action, and that shouldn’t be overlooked. Blaine apologizes again, but Kurt rushes off. On what presumably is the next Monday, since the breakup happened on a Friday so there wouldn’t have been school the next day, Finn is back in Lima and he talks to Blaine. Blaine says that he doesn’t know why he cheated on Kurt, but now Kurt won’t talk to him and he doesn’t even know if they’re broken up, despite, again, three days passing. We see Kurt at work. He seems upset, but also says that he’ll be ok. 

We see Blaine continue to beat himself up for a large amount of season 4, all the way through episode 11, where he starts to move on. In episode 7, Blaine is torturing himself about cheating. He almost leaves WMHS, but Sam talks to him about it. He affirms that it was a one night stand, that he felt nothing, and that he immediately regretted it. Kurt is upset for a while, but he refuses to take any responsibility. He also talks about how he doesn’t want to forgive Blaine because he wants him to feel bad, and only decides to accept Blaine’s apology for himself (s4e8). He calls Blaine right before Blaine is about to perform after ghosting him for weeks, but only to remind Blaine that he doesn’t forgive him and to lie to him about coming back to Lima for Christmas (s4e8). Kurt isn’t required to forgive Blaine, but he keeps holding it over Blaine’s head, reminding him of what he’s lost while he’s struggling, and given that he previously said that he wanted Blaine to suffer, it colors it slightly. On Christmas, Kurt decides not to go back to Lima for Christmas despite promising Blaine, and when Blaine comes to New York, he feels the need to ask, “You are happy to see me, right?” despite Kurt having said previously that he wanted to see Blaine for Christmas. Both Kurt and Blaine start to move on in season 4 episode 11, and although Blaine’s crush on Sam is real, he’s still very clearly in love with Kurt. Kurt is trying much harder to move on, and his relationship with Adam seems to have the potential to become more serious. He’s already pretty close with Adam in season 4 episode 13, and it seems like Adam is very interested in Kurt. 

The next major turn of events comes in season 4 episode 14. At Will and Emma’s wedding, Blaine and Kurt are making out, and Kurt mentions that he shouldn’t be doing this because he’s kind of dating someone in New York. Blaine, somewhat desperately, assures him that it’s ok because he’s not in New York and it’s not exclusive. Kurt agrees but clarifies that this doesn’t mean that they’re back together. Blaine agrees, saying it’s just “bros helping bros”, but clearly he doesn’t actually feel that way. He’s still in love with Kurt, while Kurt is starting to move on. Kurt spends the entire reception flirting with Blaine while saying that he doesn’t want to get back together, and that would be fine if Blaine was in the same place as Kurt. But he isn’t. Blaine is just trying to claw his way out of the darkest place he’s ever been in, and he’s using Kurt to do this, but this isn’t healthy. He’s been conditioned to feel like he needs Kurt to feel worthy, and this is only reinforcing this. Kurt is also weirdly jealous when he finds out about the Tina situation for someone who isn’t interested in Blaine. Also, Tina makes fantastic points in that argument. Kurt and Blaine hook up, and Kurt, again, reiterates that they’re not getting back together, but Blaine isn’t in a place to see them having sex as casual and insignificant. He is viewing it as more, and Kurt is the older, more mature one, and he knows how Blaine feels. He is leading Blaine on by playing into it. Having sex, going on dates, he’s not letting Blaine move on like he is. 

Speaking of Kurt moving on, let’s talk about Adam. Adam deserved better, even after that horrendous Baby Got Back performance. Adam genuinely likes Kurt. Immediately, he seems to care very deeply for Kurt and is very supportive and complimentary of him (s4e11, s4e13). However, this isn’t enough for Kurt. He still feels the need to have Blaine there for him too, so he sleeps with him despite kind of dating Adam (s4e14). Then in season 4 episode 15, Santana asks Kurt about him sleeping with Blaine at the wedding in front of Adam, and Kurt shushes her, trying to hide it from Adam as if he’s aware that he probably shouldn’t have done it. It probably wasn’t cheating in the strictest sense, but Adam does seem upset, although whether it’s by Kurt sleeping with Blaine or Kurt trying to hide it is unclear. They watch Moulin Rouge, and Kurt imagines himself singing Come What May with Blaine. He starts crying and Adam asks him about it. He lies to Adam’s face, lies to him about wearing contacts, tries to convince Rachel to go along with it, and would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for Santana. Santana calls him out, asking him if he’s crying because he used to say that he wanted to sing that duet with Blaine at their wedding. Kurt tries to shut it down, but Santana is unbothered and continues, saying she once heard Kurt say that singing that song was “a more intimate act than sex”. Adam looks a little confused and upset but doesn’t say anything. Kurt tries to leave, and Santana changes the subject. This comment from Santana confirms that Kurt is first and foremost a romantic, and that sex is not the most important thing to him. Later, after the storm is over, Adam talks to Kurt about Santana’s comment. He asks Kurt if he used to sing that song with Blaine, and Kurt says yes, but tries to minimize it. Adam asks if Kurt still loves Blaine. He doesn’t respond. Then Adam asks if he was Kurt’s rebound, saying that he can’t compete with a fantasy. Kurt says no and that he “desperately” wants to be over Blaine. Adam says that they’re going to go watch a sappy romantic movie to be their movie and to try and help Kurt move on. In season 5 episode 1, Blaine asks Kurt what the deal is with Adam, and Kurt claims that it never got serious, but the last time we saw Adam, it seemed like they were headed in that direction. Kurt mentions that he’s still seeing Adam in season 4 episode 17, and Sam mentions that Blaine didn’t know where Kurt and Adam stood in season 4 episode 22. We never see any indication that their relationship stopped, but Kurt agrees to start dating Blaine again, and then he’s dating Kurt for days before Blaine proposes, but as we find out in season 5 episode 4, Adam kicked Kurt out of the Adam’s Apples when he found out Kurt was engaged, which implies that Kurt didn’t officially break things off with Adam until after he got engaged. This only reinforces that Kurt hates committing to breakups. He always wants to keep his options open in case he needs a backup plan. Adam is a little weird, but he’s so sweet. He’s trying so hard to help Kurt even when Kurt is lying to him and lowkey playing him. There are a lot of reflections of how Kurt treats Blaine in how he treats Adam too. None of Kurt’s toxic behaviors are isolated, and none of the people in his life deserve to be treated the way he treats them. 

I’ve already heavily analyzed the scene in season 5 episode 1 when Kurt and Blaine get back together, but I do want to briefly reiterate something before moving on. Kurt, despite knowing that he’s going to forgive Blaine, holds the cheating over Blaine, but he eventually does say he forgives Blaine, and that they can put it behind them. However, he doesn’t do this. In season 5 episode 7, Blaine has a complete mental breakdown. The New Directions weren’t listening to Blaine’s ideas, and he called Kurt looking for support, instead, Kurt calls Blaine a puppet master and then asks Blaine for support and to come to New York, which, of course, Blaine agrees to. However, Kurt insulting Blaine along with a gas leak in the choir room leads to Blaine’s downward spiral. He starts hallucinating puppets and then decides to make a puppet version of Kurt. Here’s where we get evidence that Blaine is very aware that Kurt hasn’t actually forgiven Blaine for cheating. He has his puppet say that he’s forgiven Blaine. Personally, I think this is quite sad, and we see Blaine’s insecurities and struggles with control highlighted in this episode. Then, in season 5 episode 16, there’s confirmation that Kurt is still holding it over Blaine’s head and hasn’t forgiven him. Kurt could have easily talked about getting tested, or even the last time he got tested, without bringing up Eli. It was unnecessary, and as I stated earlier, the way Blaine reacts implies that Kurt brings this up frequently. It’s controlling and cruel, and he’s not even criticized for it, by his friends or by the tone of the show itself. And this is something that only Kurt does. Rarely do the other characters in the show bring up cheating out of nowhere, and as mentioned, Blaine has never brought up Chandler since season 3 episode 17. In this episode, Kurt also gets incredibly jealous and controlling of Blaine watching porn, even though that’s none of his business, and if he was worried about their sex lives should have talked to Blaine about it. 

Let’s talk about Karofsky because the way Kurt reacts to him is fascinating. In season 6 episode 1, Kurt had broken up with Blaine out of nowhere months ago, but he comes back to Lima with the express purpose to get back together with Blaine. However, upon meeting with Blaine, he reveals that he’s actually seeing someone, and Kurt’s first thought is that it’s Sebastian, which drives home that Kurt never got over the Sebastian thing, even though nothing happened between them, and he had no reason to think that anything ever would. Karofsky shows up and Kurt does not react well to this. He manages to not say anything against him explicitly, but his tone is mocking and sarcastic, and he leaves quickly to go cry in the bathroom. Initially, Blaine and Dave seem very happy, honestly, and this seems to upset Kurt (s6e1, s6e2, s6e3). Kurt is very passive-aggressive and jealous whenever he sees Dave and Blaine together, to the point where Blaine has to ask whether they need to come up with alternating sheet music schedules (s6e3). Kurt also refuses to admit that Blaine has moved on, pretending that they’re on a break until Britt calls him out about it and tells him that Blaine and Dave are moving in together (s6e3). He gets very bitter every time Blaine tries to talk about his boyfriend (s6e5). Then, Kurt begins to move on, but he still decides to cheat in order to get Blaine chosen to sing a duet with, undermining Blaine and Dave’s relationship. And when Blaine implies that Dave might not be fully comfortable with Blaine and Kurt singing together, Kurt implies that Dave’s paranoid and crazy, because nothing is going on, even though he is trying to undermine them and something is going on (s6e7). Kurt then manipulates Blaine’s feelings, pivoting the conversation away from Karofsky and to the past and pretending that he forgot their first duet, and then acts all surprised when Blaine kisses him like he hasn’t been trying to undermine Blaine’s relationship for weeks (s6e7). Then, knowing that Blaine still had feelings for him, he suddenly decides to stop pursuing Blaine right as Blaine breaks up with Dave (s6e7). And then Kurt does decide to go back to Blaine without knowing that he broke up with Dave, and just assumes it’ll work out (s6e8). Kurt does do everything in his power to get Blaine to break up with Dave without actually saying so. He’s highly manipulative, and he prevented Blaine from continuing a relationship that was really good for him. And for the record, no, I don’t think that Blaine and Dave would have made it long term, and their relationship is a little weird. Mostly, I don’t think it would have worked out because Dave would have reminded Blaine too much of Kurt, but they seemed to have a fairly healthy relationship, and I do think that if Kurt had let Blaine be, he could have moved on on his own time. I think Kurt interrupting this journey impacted Blaine in a very significant way and made him even more dependent on Kurt than he already was. However, Kurt is one of the main characters, so the show frames him pursuing Blaine as an epic love story, convincing the audience to root for Kurt. 

Now that we’ve unpacked Kurt’s jealousy, let’s analyze Blaine’s jealousy, and how it’s framed vs. Kurt’s jealousy. Blaine does struggle with jealousy as well, but it is not the same as Kurt’s, and the show treats it in a very different way. Blaine is jealous of Chandler, but he has a right to be. Kurt is interested in him, and they were actively flirting. However, he’s framed as being unreasonable. The show and Kurt say that he’s overreacting, and in the end, it turns out that he’s not actually upset about Chandler, even though he had a right to be, and he forgives Kurt. But Blaine isn’t generally very jealous, so the next major event is in season 5 episodes 9 and 14. Kurt takes a picture with Elliott, and Elliott kisses him on the cheek in the picture. Blaine seems a little worried by the photo but doesn’t say anything until episode 14. Kurt is lashing out at Blaine because he feels smothered in their relationship and he mentions Elliott. Blaine snaps at Kurt jealously, and Kurt calls him a psycho. This is another example of the double standard when it comes to jealousy. Kurt is justified in being jealous of Sebastian for years when nothing happened, but Blaine gets a little jealous of Elliott after Kurt starts pulling away again, and he’s crazy and unreasonable. This is not only on Kurt as a character but also on the show. They both present Kurt as someone who can do no wrong, and Blaine as a terrible person the second he makes a minor mistake. Blaine leaves and goes to Elliott’s apartment. He yells at Elliott, but Elliott calms Blaine down and handles the situation very well. Blaine goes back to the loft and apologizes for his jealousy, something Kurt never does about any of the people he gets jealous of. Then, in season 5 episode 16, Kurt is getting ogled and hit on by several guys in his stage combat class, and Blaine feels uncomfortable with this. He doesn’t feel comfortable with Kurt being viewed as a sexual object. Both Kurt and the show frame Blaine as being unreasonable for this, however, in season 3 episode 17, Kurt expresses a similar discomfort. He calls Blaine an “alpha gay” and says that “even Rachel wanted to make out with [Blaine]”. Moreover, Blaine’s jealousy is not unfounded. The guy who is primarily hitting on Kurt is complimenting him heavily, something that Blaine knows from experience is something that Kurt responds to in the early stages of a relationship (s3e17, s4e11), and has caused Kurt to cheat in the past (s3e17). Kurt is also doing nothing to shut this guy down, despite him obviously flirting, which contrasts with how vigorously Blaine shut down Sebastian (s3e5). This continues throughout the episode, and Kurt never makes any moves to shut him down or assuage Blaine’s fears. In the end, as always, Blaine is the one forced to apologize. Finally, in season 6 we are introduced to Walter. When Kurt first mentions that he’s going on a date with Walter in episode 4, Blaine is clearly a little upset by it, but he is very supportive, and he’s dating Dave anyway, so he’s very good about it. Then in episode 7, Blaine comes to McKinley after breaking up with Dave to confess his feelings to Kurt, and Kurt is going out with Walter. Despite Walter being older than time, Blaine doesn’t say a single bad word against him and lets Kurt go. These two interactions contrast boldly with all of Kurt’s reactions to Karofsky. He is jealous, but he doesn’t take it out on Kurt’s budding relationship. The double standard of how cheating and jealousy are treated between them is completely unfair. Blaine has transgressed before, but so has Kurt, and that being brushed under the rug isn’t fair. In addition, the way Blaine is blamed for Sebastian flirting with him vs. the guy in Blaine’s combat class flirting with Kurt being forgotten almost immediately is the clearest example of this double standard that pervades their relationship and how it’s portrayed. 

Blaine’s Relationship Missteps

Now, of course, Blaine isn’t perfect, and in the spirit of fairness, let’s look at all the times Blaine exhibited similar behaviors to the ones I’ve listed for Kurt. In season 2 episode 20, Blaine is initially nervous about Kurt’s prom outfit. He agrees with Burt that it’s provocative, and he’s worried about Kurt getting attacked or harassed at prom, which makes sense given his past experiences and what he’d seen Kurt go through that year. Of course, he should have been more supportive, but he comes around regardless. Throughout season 3, Blaine maintains an interesting relationship with Sebastian, and as we’ve discussed, I don’t think this was strictly wrong, but it did make Kurt uncomfortable, and potentially he could have been more responsive to this. But I’m not convinced by this one. In season 3 episode 5, Blaine pressures Kurt to have sex before he’s ready, reneging on a conversation they had had but a few days ago. The pressures of the musical and Sebastian are bearing down on him, and he definitely acts inappropriately. I’m not going to try and defend this one, that scene makes me very uncomfortable. Although I do think that Kurt’s jealousy was unfounded. In season 4 episode 4, Blaine cheats on Kurt, as discussed, this is wrong. He shouldn’t have done it, however, he did attempt to talk to Kurt about it, and Kurt shouldn’t have ignored and overshadowed Blaine. It doesn’t justify what he did, but it does contextualize it. In season 5 episode 14, Blaine gets very jealous of Elliott. This is unfounded and irrational, and he’s taking out his lack of control and confusion on Elliott. It’s a lot like the Sebastian situation, he has no reason to think anything is going on. This is different from season 5 episode 16, where Blaine is uncomfortable with other men hitting on Kurt. While I still think that this isn’t right, Kurt has given Blaine reason to think that this might be a problem in the past. The last time a guy complimented Kurt, he started a whole thing with him. It’s understandable why Blaine would be a little insecure. In season 6 episode 2, Blaine accuses Kurt of stealing Jane because he’s upset about Blaine and Dave dating, and while this is definitely paranoid, Kurt was upset about Dave, and Rachel and Kurt are not above poaching to get ahead. Finally, in season 6 episode 7, Blaine kisses Kurt while still dating Dave. This is also bad, but as discussed earlier, Kurt fostered the environment that led to this incident. I don’t think that any of these things should be dismissed, but I also don’t think that this is convincing evidence that Blaine is particularly toxic. Most of these seem like mistakes that could happen in a tumultuous relationship, and the fact that there are so few items on this list comparatively is significant. 

Warped Ideas of Romance

Blaine also develops a very warped sense of romance and healthy relationship milestones over the course of the show, and I blame Kurt. Kurt has always been a romantic, and he instills into Blaine very early on in their relationship. He likes big grand gestures, and we see Blaine do that for Kurt many times, mostly through big songs. It became the primary way he communicated with Kurt. Blaine admits early on that not only has he never had a boyfriend before but that he feels like he doesn’t know what he’s doing at all when it comes to romance (s2e12). To be fair, Kurt is in a similar situation, but Kurt is older, and their relationship is dominated by Kurt all too often. This doesn’t become a problem until later on, though. It first rears its head in season 4 episode 21, when Blaine tells Burt that he wants to propose to Kurt and asks for his permission to do so, despite them not being together. Blaine mentions in that conversation that he knows that if he wants to get Kurt back, he has to do something big. In fact, Blaine almost proposes in that very episode. Then, in episode 22, he buys an engagement ring despite all of his friends protesting with very logical arguments and almost proposes again. In season 5 episode 1, they get back together, and Blaine tells everyone that he needs to make the proposal even bigger and more dramatic now that he’s back together with Kurt. They have only been together for a few days, but at least this is a little better than proposing when you’ve been broken up for months. And Kurt says yes anyway. This idea pervades their whole relationship, but it doesn’t come back in a big way until season 6 episode 8 (although he does seem to move in with Dave pretty early in their relationship (s6e3). They couldn’t have been together for more than a few months, because the end of season 5 is the summer, and the beginning of season 6 is right at the beginning of the school year). Tina asks Blaine, Artie, and Puck whether she should propose to Mike at Santana and Brittany’s wedding, even though they aren’t together and haven’t even seen each other in person for a long time. Blaine’s first response is that he thinks it’s romantic when it’s clearly insane. Then when Brittany and Sue ask him and Kurt to get married, Blaine says yes. He is the one who decides it because Kurt refuses to give a straight answer to anyone ever. But to be fair, I wouldn’t want to get married in that suit either, it’s bad. They also have a baby super young for performers in New York (s6e13). Blaine doesn’t know what a healthy relationship looks like, and it’s very worrying. 

Communication

Next, let’s discuss how bad they are at communication, especially Kurt. Not only is Kurt bad at communication, but he actively shuts it down so often. As mentioned, Blaine is new to relationships, and he is actively taught that the best way to communicate with Kurt is by singing. Kurt doesn’t respond to conversation, he always shuts it down and only responds to Blaine’s concerns when he sings. For example, in season 5 episode 20, Blaine sings All of Me to tell Kurt that he lied about Kurt being in June’s show. When Kurt gets angry about it, Blaine explains that he had no idea how to tell Kurt about the show without lying, and then he didn’t know how to tell Kurt about the lie, because he was scared of hurting Kurt. This is also not the first time that Blaine has been so afraid of Kurt that he’s felt the need to lie to him. In season 5 episode 7, Blaine gets detention and is unable to attend Kurt’s first Pamela Landsbury gig or risk suspension. He doesn’t know to break the news to Kurt for fear of hurting Kurt’s feelings and doesn’t call Kurt to let him know that he can’t make it, and waits until Kurt calls him right before the performance to tell him. Now, this is obviously bad, but it shows how Blaine doesn’t know how to talk to Kurt and how he’s always walking on eggshells around him. There are too many examples of Kurt shutting down Blaine when he tries to communicate openly, so let’s look at them. With graduation coming up, Blaine tries to talk to Kurt about doing long distance, and Kurt says that he wants to be in denial for a few more days. Blaine tries again to talk about it, but Kurt shuts him down again with flowery words and empty promises (s3e22). When Kurt is in New York, he starts ignoring Blaine, and when Blaine reaches out, Kurt shuts it down and does nothing to change (s4e4). In season 5 episode 14, Blaine openly asks Kurt if he’s crowding him, and even though he is, Kurt lies to Blaine about it. Then, in season 5 episode 16, Blaine tries to clear the air about the fight over the porn, and Kurt shuts it down, saying that they talk too much, when really they don’t talk at all. This is a pattern of behavior for Kurt, and it shouldn’t be. Kurt never asks Blaine when something is wrong, even if he can tell he’s upset (s3e17, s5e14, s5e16), and their relationship has to be pushed to the breaking point before Kurt puts any work in (s3e17, s5e14, s5e16, s6e1). Except when Blaine sings. In season 4 episode 4 and season 5 episode 20, Kurt asks Blaine what is wrong, but only because Blaine sang about it. Even though he is aware when Blaine is insecure or having issues, he only directly talks to Blaine about it when he sings it. This is not healthy. It encourages Blaine to withdraw and not try to keep communication open, which is already something Blaine struggles with (s3e17, s5e16). Kurt doesn’t want to communicate, and Blaine doesn’t know how to reach him. It’s dangerous and worrying. 

Kurt’s Toxicity Outside His Relationship with Blaine

Now, the reason I think that the toxicity is mostly Kurt’s fault and not just a bad relationship that brings out the worst in both of them is that he acts in similar ways in his relationships with other people as well. For example, in season 1, Kurt is very predatory towards Finn. He spends much of the season hitting on him (s1e10), trying to get their parents together so they can live together (s1e16), and trying to sabotage Finn’s relationships (s1e10, s1e11). Like in his relationship with Blaine, he pushes Finn, not taking no for an answer, until Finn snaps and uses the f-slur (s1e20). Obviously, Finn shouldn’t have said that, but the actions Kurt took to drive him to that point can’t be dismissed out of hand. However, as in his arguments with Blaine, Kurt refuses to take any responsibility, playing the victim card even when Finn and Burt call him out for not understanding that no means no (s2e4, s2e14). He also exhibits jealous and possessive behaviors around Burt. When Burt starts getting closer to Finn, Kurt is unreasonably upset by it. Despite Burt being completely supportive of him, he thinks that his sexuality is the reason Burt is inviting Finn to go to sports games and not that Kurt notoriously hates sports (s1e16). In season 2, Kurt accuses Mr. Shue and Burt of being homophobic when they don’t let him do things he wants (s2e6, s2e14). He implies that Will is homophobic when he won’t let Kurt sing on the girls’ team during the season 2 girls vs. boys mash-up competition (s2e6). Then, in episode 14, Burt tells Kurt that he doesn’t want Kurt having boys sleep over in his bed, Kurt accuses Burt of being homophobic. Burt says that it’s not about that because he wouldn’t let Finn have girls sleep over in his room, but Kurt persists, asking him if that would make him uncomfortable, even though Burt had been nothing but supportive of Kurt since he came out (s2e14). When Burt has cancer and Kurt comes back to Lima in season 4 episode 22, he starts lashing out at people. First, he lashes out at Mike for bringing up the Tina Vaporape situation, and then he yells at Burt at his own doctor’s appointment for wearing a navy shirt. In season 6, Kurt gets very controlling about the glee club even though Rachel was the one who brought the club back. He fights Rachel on how to organize the sheet music (even though Rachel’s method makes more sense and his is wildly subjective) (s6e2) and what the lessons are/how to present them (s6e3). He also interrupted Santana’s proposal and was unnecessarily harsh when critiquing Mason and Jane’s performance because he’s upset about Blaine (s6e3). To list some smaller instances, Kurt also blackmails Karofsky with outing him (s2e18), snaps his fingers at waitstaff (s3e10), encourages Rachel to cheat on Finn (s4e2), and is incredibly jealous of Elliot (s4e15, s5e7). The way we see Kurt act around Blaine isn’t isolated and it’s deeply concerning.

Bow Ties and Hair Gel Symbolism

Blaine’s ties and hair gel are symbolic of his relationship with Kurt and his insecurities respectively (I know the hair gel wasn’t intentional but I noticed it, it works, so I’m using it, whereas I’m pretty sure the bow tie symbolism was intentional). First, let’s talk about bow ties. The first time we see Blaine in street clothes is in season 2 episode 14. It’s before Kurt and Blaine start dating, and Blaine doesn’t wear a bow tie. The first time we see Blaine in a bow tie is in season 3 episode 1. Blaine has just transferred to McKinley for Kurt, and their relationship is very strong. However, their relationship is still new, and thus the bow tie is not yet Blaine’s signature. But he wears one here to signify his commitment to Kurt and their relationship. He continues to wear bow ties frequently through season 3, but not religiously. However, he does wear them more and more as the season progresses. There are a few notable exceptions to this. The first is in episode 5. When Blaine meets Sebastian (and every time he interacts with him), he is wearing one. When they go to Scandals, Blaine is still wearing a bow tie, but when he’s dancing with Sebastian and then when they’re fighting afterward Blaine’s tie is undone, but still around his neck. Sebastian and the musical are managing to get in between Kurt and Blaine, but Blaine still loves and cares about Kurt. They just need to get back on the same page. The second is in episode 17. Blaine does not wear a single bow tie in this episode. He does, however, wear a necktie in the scene where Kurt is texting Chandler in the choir room. In fact, when he sings It’s Not Right but It’s Ok and when Kurt sings I Have Nothing, he’s wearing a collared shirt buttoned all the way up, outfits that would normally have a bowtie, emphasizing the lack of one. 

In season 4, Blaine actually stops wearing bowties almost entirely. In episodes 1 and 2, Blaine wears a bow tie with several outfits, in keeping with how frequently he wore them in season 3, not with every outfit, but with one or two outfits per episode. However, in episode 3, we get the most overt use of the bow tie as a metaphor. Early in the episode, Blaine’s wearing bow ties with all of his outfits (the most he’s worn bow ties this season), even with his weird club costumes. He brings up how he and Kurt aren’t really in sync right now, but his bow ties indicate that he’s still very committed to that relationship. Then, Kurt and Blaine are talking, and Blaine is being very supportive of Kurt and his New York adventures. Blaine mentions that he’s running for student body president, and Kurt says that he forgot about that. Blaine then asks Kurt which bow tie he should wear for the debate, and Kurt brushes it off and pivots the conversation back to him. Blaine is clearly upset, but he goes along with Kurt. This scene uses bow ties to directly illustrate how Kurt is moving on, and how it’s hurting Blaine. He’s not supporting Blaine or hearing his concerns about the relationship, and it’s driving Blaine away. This is emphasized when at the debate, Sam tells Blaine he shouldn’t wear a bow tie, saying it makes him look uptight and telling him to take it off. Blaine even agrees that he looks better without it. This symbolizes the downfall of Blaine and Kurt’s relationship. Kurt’s ignoring Blaine, and it’s given Blaine doubts about the relationship. Blaine doesn’t wear a bow tie for the rest of the episode, as Kurt continues to ignore Blaine, even though Blaine getting elected. Blaine continues this pattern in episode 4, not wearing a single bow tie for the whole episode, and after the breakup, he only wears 3 bow ties in the entire rest of the season. He wears one at the Sadie Hawking’s dance, right after confessing his crush on Sam to Tina (s4e11) and one in the final song of season 4 episode 20, after having a moment with a guy at Sue’s exercise class. Notably, he doesn’t wear a bow tie to Will and Emma’s wedding, where he starts to reconnect with Kurt, he wears a necktie, but interestingly, Kurt wears a bow tie. Blaine even comments on it, saying, “You in this fey boy-tie. Dude, it’s my kryptonite”. He does, however, wear one later in that episode, after several leading conversations with Kurt. They’re not back together though, so Blaine doesn’t wear another bow tie until season 5 episode 1 (he also wears one in Kurt’s fantasy of Come What May, but Blaine isn’t actually wearing it, Kurt’s fantasy version of him is, which makes sense). 

In season 5, he gets much more consistent with wearing bow ties. It’s now his signature, so when he doesn’t wear one, it’s usually significant, and if he doesn’t wear one at all in an episode it’s definitely significant. Even before he officially asks Kurt to get back together with him, Blaine is wearing bow ties with all of his outfits. After they get back together and get engaged, Blaine continues to wear bow ties with most of his outfits. Let’s briefly go through some important examples. In episode 7, Kurt and Blaine get into a fight because Blaine didn’t tell Kurt that he couldn’t come to his first Pamela Landsbury gig, and Blaine isn’t wearing a bow tie. In episode 14, Blaine doesn’t wear a single bow tie until after he and Kurt have the conversation about him moving out, and then he wears a bow tie with every outfit in the remainder of the episode. He also doesn’t wear any bow ties at all in episode 16. Even after Blaine and Kurt have their conversation about communication and trust, Blaine still doesn’t wear a bow tie, signaling that he still isn’t happy with the relationship or himself. In episode 18, Blaine wears a lot of bow ties early in the episode, including when June tells him to break up with Kurt, however, when he lies to Kurt about him being in June’s showcase, he isn’t wearing one. He continues not wearing bow ties in episode 19 and early episode 20, as June and his lie drive a wedge between them. However, in the reconciliation scene, Blaine is wearing a bow tie, as he offers to give up the showcase and Kurt forgives him. Blaine wears a bow tie at the showcase and when moving back in with Kurt, but not in the goodbye or the scene where Rachel confirms she’s leaving, perhaps foreshadowing the season 6 break up. Season 6 is when Blaine is actually most consistent in wearing bow ties, which is interesting because he isn’t even with Kurt for most of it. It shows how Blaine is still deeply in love with Kurt despite appearances of moving on. The only two really important scenes in season 6 are the breakup scene in episode 1 and the elevator scenes in episode 5. He isn’t wearing a bow tie in the breakup scene, which makes sense, but other than that, he’s seen wearing a bow tie with almost every outfit for the rest of the season (a mini exception is when he tries to completely switch it up in episode 2, which doesn’t really need analysis but is a good example of this symbolism in action), and every scene with Dave. The interesting part is the elevator scenes. Blaine starts out wearing a bow tie but undoes it while in the elevator. Previously, this had been used to represent an issue in their relationship, but I don’t think that’s what it represents here. Blaine has been carrying his love for Kurt with him into his new relationship, afraid to let go of the good, but also unable to let go of the pain he experienced during the relationship. It’s restricting him. Blaine undoing the tie but keeping it around his neck is him opening up to Kurt, allowing the restrictive aspect to go, without letting go of the love he still clearly feels.

Now, on to the speculative part, Blaine’s hair gel. Throughout the show, Blaine starts using more hair gel and suppressing his natural curl pattern even more. In season 2, Blaine's hair is gelled, but in a way that embraces his natural hair. You can still tell that he has curly hair underneath it all, and it reflects the relaxed, more confident, version of Blaine that we see at this point in the show (ex. s2e6). Kurt only reinforces Blaine’s insecurities, and this is demonstrated in season 3 episode 19. Blaine is worried about not being able to gel his hair for prom, and Kurt initially laughs at and dismisses Blaine’s concerns. Then, at prom, when Kurt first sees Blaine without hair gel, his first responses are, “Oh dear God,”  and then laughing. He does eventually say that he wants to see the real Blaine, however, all of his actions leading up to this point don't support that, despite his knowledge of how insecure Blaine is. Blaine’s hair is used as a metaphor for Blaine letting his walls down within the episode, but the whole interaction is a metaphor for the way Kurt acts around Blaine for the entire show. He reinforces Blaine’s concerns and insecurities while saying with his words that he supports and loves him. Clearly, Blaine doesn’t believe that Kurt likes seeing him with his natural hair because, over the course of Blaine's relationship with Kurt, he tightens his hair even more. Slowly, his hair gets tighter and tighter to his scalp. Compare season 2 episode 6, to season 3 episode 5, to season 4 episode 1. We even see Blaine with gelled hair going to sleep and waking up when he's around Kurt (s4e4,s5e14, s5e16). Waking up with perfectly gelled hair is especially interesting because it implies that either Blaine is using some crazy strong hair gel to avoid his hair moving in the middle of the night, or that he's getting up putting hair gel in, and then getting back into bed, so Kurt doesn't see him with his natural hair. The only time we see Blaine with his natural hair, or even with more relaxed hair, are in episodes during the break up where Kurt isn’t seeing Blaine (s4e13, s4e17). It's the tightest in season 5 episode 14, which is also one of the episodes where Blaine is at his worst. He's struggling with his insecurities in a major way, and when he goes over to Elliott's house, his hair is basically Shellacked to his head (s5e14). It loosens a little bit in the next few episodes, however, there is no significant difference until season 6. It's still not back to where it was in season 2, however now that he and Kurt aren’t together anymore, he seems to have let his hair relax a little (ex s6e2). He even briefly stops gelling his hair after breaking up with Kurt. However, his insecurities run too deep and he starts doing it again. In the end, Blaine does stop gelling his hair, but he’s still unable to be his true self around Kurt and starts straightening his hair instead (s6e13). Blaine is never able to let go of his insecurities and be himself around Kurt, and both the symbolic and literal implications of this illustrate perfectly how terrible his relationship with Kurt is for Blaine. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Kurt and Blaine’s relationship isn’t healthy, and the responsibility is mostly on Kurt. Despite their chemistry and outward appearances, their relationship is toxic and potentially abusive. Kurt doesn’t care about Blaine, he cares about himself, and he’s willing to destroy Blaine’s life if it benefits him. Blaine, on the other hand, cares so deeply about Kurt that he doesn’t even care that their relationship is damaging to him. They struggle with even the basic communication and trust that a relationship needs, and seem to believe that love is the only thing they need to keep their relationship alive. Kurt is manipulative, cruel, and takes every opportunity to tear Blaine down so he can have power over him. He hates being vulnerable and needs to be able to exert control over Blaine. He uses Blaine’s insecurity and inexperience to assure that Blaine is as small and reliant on Kurt as possible. He holds Blaine’s every little mistake over Blaine’s head, refuses to take responsibility for any of their problems, and minimizes his own mistakes. Kurt is incredibly jealous, often unfoundedly, and yet calls Blaine unreasonable when he displays any signs of jealousy himself. Their relationship damages Blaine irreparably, to the point that comparing Blaine in season 2 to Blaine in season 6 shows two almost completely different people. But it doesn’t come out of nowhere, Kurt systematically and intentionally cuts Blaine down and turns him into the person he wants him to be. A person he can control. It is not random, it is not uncharacteristic for either of them and when their relationship is interpreted through this lens, explains a lot about how Blaine develops as a character. Even if their relationship isn’t abusive, it certainly isn’t good, and it shouldn’t be romanticized. 

[saltycharacters]

There are still people bending over backwards trying to claim that Zagreus, Thanatos, Hypnos and Charon aren't siblings to justify their shitty ships so here's in-game facts that are easily proven through dialog:

-Nyx is Zagreus's adopted mother. Even if the Hades writers are bad at family relationships and (unfortunatley) prioritize blood relatives, Zag spent most of his life believing her his mother. Even after learning about Persephone, he still acknowledges her as his life-long caretaker.

-Thanatos, Hypnos and Charon are Nyx's blood children. They are stated as such repeatedly throughout the game.

-They also believe that Nyx is Zag's blood mother for most of the game.

-Zag only recently discovered that he had a different birth mother, as a young adult.

-If we are to assume Thanatos and Zagreus are childhood friends, then they spent most of their life believing the same woman was their shared mother.

In short, yes shipping them is incest. Yes, I am aware that there is a romance option with Thanatos and Zagreus. Yes, the writers are in the wrong. I don't know about you, but I don't suddenly become attracted to a guy I considered my brother for most of my life. And nobody was holding a gun to their head when they decided to make that an option.

[hitbythunder]

Chandrilan Moons - 1

A Kylo Ren x Reader story with much angst, possessiveness and dark themes (warnings will be updated as the story progresses) –> Read also on AO3

Summary: Growing up under the loving care of your foster-mother, Leia Organa, there had been nothing for you and Rey to want for. Though not of kin, you loved Rey as your sister and spent a happy childhood with her on Chandrila. But when the boiling galactic politics demanded for Leia to take action, for the Resistance to rise and fight, the girls could no longer evade the cruelty of the world. Kylo Ren sought a map as a key to revenge, to freedom, and had no use for a force-unsensitive young girl like you. You were simply a means to an end. Until his darkness latched onto you, drawn in by your light as you were by the demon that is Kylo Ren - inevitably gravitating towards each other, bound to be one. Like the Chandrilan moons.

****

____________________________xXx____________________________ 1- Prologue

+On board the Finalizer, orbiting Jakku+

The echo of heavy footsteps, determined and ominous in their approach, were enough of an announcement to have each trooper filled with dread. While the prison sector of the Finalizer had rarely been a much frequented place, the imminent presence of the Commander had the corridors wiped clear of any living soul having lost their way here. Except, of course, for the poor sods assigned to guard the occupied cells, frozen in place as their superior rounded the corner. In a cloud of pitch-black cloth he moved, his long cape and flowing robes billowing in the wake of his powerful strides, almost seamlessly melting into the surrounding's black walls and floor. Only the stainless steel details of his helmet gave him away, glistening in the dim light. Like a demon, a creature born of darkness, he seemed to glide like an ominous shadow along the hallway, swallowing everything in his path. Even morphed into the blackness of clothes and interior, he was imposing in a frightful way and with the hood drawn deep over his unique helmet, the Commander appeared like a giant walking among men.

For many he was indeed an otherworldly creature, the heir of darkness as the direct descendant of the legendary Darth Vader and exceptional force-user, Klyo Ren. His name alone having grown men tremble in fear, striking terror among both enemy and his own men. Because no one was safe from his violent tantrums and unabashedly display of power. Though not even a handful of (living) people were acquainted with the scope of his abilities.

Kylo didn't acknowledge the troopers at the door, not beyond how one tolerates the presence of a fly but just barely so, and entered the prison cell holding the Resistance pilot. He too was just an insect to Kylo, a vessel which had no use apart from the memory-cells its brain possessed. Said brain cells held a clue to Skywalker's whereabouts, a vital piece of information which Kylo longed to obtain. To find his uncle, to confront him with all the hatred and rage Kylo had harnessed against him over the years since the fateful night at the temple, and to kill him slowly and painfully once in his clutches. Sweet and alluring, the prospect of revenge had been whispered to him in lonely moments, promising so much more power once the cursed Jedi ceased to exist. And Kylo craved that power, which would enable him to surpass and free him from his own master - a sadistic and foul creature that used Kylo like a trained dog, at his beck and call, while keeping his powers from further development. Although it had been Snoke who had led and taught him in the ways of the dark side, Kylo couldn't shake the feeling that his master had become envious of his capabilities as a force-user, thus putting any progress on hold. Apparently, a useful weapon ought to be powerful but not threateningly so, as to keep it under control and so that it didn't surpass its usefulness.

But Kylo had enough of it, growing hatred simmering in the core of his mind and blending so neatly with the cacophony of negative emotions there, that Snoke had not the slightest idea of his apprentice's developing enmity. The brunt of Kylo's hate translated into raw violence on missions, a welcome outlet whenever it all became too much for him.

Patience was a key to success in this case and so Kylo bode his time, gathering strength through his own training and through spilling blood in the name of the dark side. There wasn't a more beautiful color than the red liquid of life, bright and vibrant as it flowed freely, turning almost black when seeping into the earth. Just like Skywalker's blood would, once Kylo got hold of him and the anticipation thereof thrilled him to a point of barely restrained impatience. Translating in an even shorter temper and unpredictable moods these days. As well as zero tolerance for insects that dared to waste his time, like the pilot currently restrained in front of him.

"I will get the information I want." Kylo growled through the voice-coder of his helmet, a rasping and sinister tone in the otherwise quiet cell, and increased the onslaught on the pilot's mind without mercy. "Even if it means to pick your brain apart."

Unable to uphold the playful bravery, Poe Dameron's excruciating screams bled through the durasteel walls onto the hallway.

+++ +Two days earlier - Resistance Base on D'Qar+

"Rey, wait up! Rey!" I called across the hangar area, running towards a particular X-wing starfighter and its ready-to-board pilot. Heads turned as I passed them, but ignoring their perplexed stares, I made a zig-zag through the small crowd in my way. Rey turned to find me in front of her, slightly panting and cheeks flushed from the sprint.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were practicing the harpiton." Rey surprised us both at how reprimanding that came out and we bristled in unison at the notion of her sounding like our foster-mother. Rey seemed very excited, perhaps even nervous, about her very first flight in an X-wing starfighter, type 406-G with upgraded shoot-assistant and improved hyper-drive, based on carbo -

"D'Qar to Rey! Hello, is anybody home in there?" I waved her hand in front of Rey's face, far too long for her liking. She gently swatted my hand away, replied:

"Sorry, you were saying?"

"Stars, I guess I don't even want to know where you always drift off to." I sighed, but then continued with a fond smile. "I came to wish you good luck for your flight and to remind you to make me a holo-gram of the stars up there."

"Thanks and don't worry, little sis, soon you'll fly among the stars too." Rey replied as we hugged, then beamed with barely contained joy. "See you later, sis!"

I slowly made my way back to the entrance of the underground-base, one last look over my shoulder confirming that Rey had taken off for her flight-lesson into space - being among the stars literally! To play the harpithon (a mixture of a harp and a hang) seemed bland, if not ridiculous, in comparison and I highly doubted that my playing skills would be of any use in the war.

What a world it would be if music could bring peace., I mused as I strolled through the hallways of the ever bustling base, soon reaching the more quieter area where the private quarters lay. We girls shared a room, spacious enough to get along but still rather stuffy, especially with the unwieldy harpiton in the middle. I began to practice, my fingers gliding along the strings and drumming against the round metallic corpus at the bottom. Soon I lost myself in the soft tunes, for it always reminded me of my home-world Chandrila and of the many childhood-years I had spent there along with Rey - always with Rey. Though we were not blood-related, we had grown up together and became as close as sisters could be - perhaps even more so because we shared unknown origins - under the gentle care of our foster-mother Leia Organa.

Back then, when Leia had been a senator, she had participated in a charity-program for orphans and had taken us girls in. Little Rey had been about 3 years and I still a new-born then. Leia's position as senator had provided well for us, without wanting for anything, though Leia had never spoiled us. We had had a happy childhood, with all the ups and downs of family-life that made it worthwhile. And although we had learned rather early not to be of the same kin, we had grown to love Leia like a mother.

With Leia's husband, Han Solo, it had been quite a different story. We had rarely seen him, because of his occupation as smuggler Han tended not to remain in one place for long - and also, as we had always suspected, he had never approved of Leia's decision to adopt us. He didn't say so himself and Leia would never admit it, but the distinctly reserved manner in which he behaved around us - not unkind but also far from loving - which was often paired with an almost painful expression, made us doubt his affection towards us. Although Rey in her youthful optimism had always tried to reach out to him (thus perhaps her affinity for technology and ships), Han refused to become the father-figure we longed for. It was only us girls, Leia and her handmaid Gemma in a small but luxurious estate in Hanna City (capitol city of Chandrila).

Much later, when I was about 15 years old and Rey 17, we learned that there had been a child before us, a son of Leia' and Han's blood. The son whose loss - Leia never told us what had happened - had torn the parents apart and suddenly we understood both Han's reticence towards us and Leia's wish to save us orphans from an unknown future.

At about that time, the former Imperialists had spread the rumor that Lea was Darth Vader's daughter and further she had some affiliation towards Kylo Ren - the rising apprentice of the dark side - was her son. Leia had neither confirmed nor denied any of it and kept her secrets close, always avoiding our questions regarding that matter so that eventually it became a taboo among those surrounding her. But the rumors remained. Of course, these accusations - though unproven and doubted by many - had harmed Leia's position in the senate, enough to force her to resign her seat as senator. Ultimately, she decided to leave our home and travel around the galaxy in order to form the Resistance. Still teenagers at that time, we weren't involved at all and remained on Chandrila. It had been three difficult and sometimes lonely years for us girls, at the prime of our puberty. We both tried to find distractions for missing Leia: Rey in her training with the Force and an interest in technology; and I in acquiring a broad knowledge of the galaxy and its history, languages and customs, which in included the ways of the Jedi as well as their sinister opposite the Sith. Though the sources of information available to me at that time had been limited and always supervised by Gemma with a watchful eye. It had required quite some finesse of me to sneak even grains of info about Darth Vader or Kylo Ren past her.

Essentially we tried to be good daughters Leia would be proud of and when she finally allowed us join her here on D'Qar, we were happy beyond the moon. That was 4 months ago and while D'Qar didn't feel like home, I was just glad to be with Leia and Rey, my family.

Engrossed in both play and thought, I hadn't noted the knock on the door, nor the swishing noise as it opened and was rather surprised when Leia sat down on the bed to my left.

"You play very lovely, dearest." she said, a fond smile on her faintly highlighted lips. Despite her rank as General, Leia had always kept the regal posture and an excellent choice of clothes that stemmed from her royal upbringing. And in times as these, a tough but wise leader was exactly what the Resistance needed.

"Thanks, it's a song I've composed myself." I replied as I shifted my chair backwards, away from the harpiton, in order to turn my body fully to Leia. "Though I was wondering if ..." my eyes dropped to my lap, to the ceiling, anywhere but Leia's intense brown eyes. "...if there aren't more useful skills for me to obtain."

"___________..." Leia sighed, knowing even without the Force where this was leading.

"I could become a pilot - not of a starfighter but perhaps a freighter? Or I could-"

"We've had this discussion many times before, dear, and my answer hasn't changed." Leia put in with finality, not wanting to draw this out (yet again).

"But it's not... I feel miserable sitting here while Rey is up there-" I pointed to the ceiling, imagining Rey having the best time of her life while flying "-becoming an even better pilot than Poe." I huffed in annoyance, continued though with a calm yet sad expression: "I know I'm not as good as her at combat or piloting but there must be something I can do to help our cause!"

Leia regarded me for a moment, silently waiting for me to regain my composure and return to a sensible mind-state before she answered:

"Don't compete with your sister, dearest. Your capabilities might not be obviously useful as of now, but trust me they are of great value and one day the Resistance will need a smart, well-educated lady just like you."

"Mhm..." I nodded solemnly, unsatisfied by the answer given but unwilling to continue a lost discussion. As kind as Leia's words were, they only sugar-coated the fact that I would never be like Rey. Rey who was athletic and agile in her movements, cunning and brave during fights while also having a knack for mechanics and technology. And as if that wasn't enough, every-body's darling Rey was a decent Force-wielder too.

Since early child-hood, Leia had always watched out for signs that we may be connected to the Force, having us forgo some simple tests once in a while, and at the age of 13 Rey's powers had finally awakened. Well, no such luck for me though, because the Force seemed to shun me despite my best efforts to connect with it. Resulting in another shortcoming on my part in comparison to Rey and excluding me from the special bond Rey and Leia therefore built.

Leia's famous brother, Luke Skywalker, had already vanished into his self-imposed exile to stars-knew where. So in lack of a proper teacher, Leia had to manage not only her role as senator in a rather turbulent political period, but also her new responsibility to educate Rey in the ways of the Force. They had spent countless hours together and sometimes I had joined them to at least understand the theory of the matter, albeit unable to perform the practical parts. We learned of the eternal conflict between light and darkness in the Force, as well as about the Jedi order and its fight against the former Empire - a substantial part of galactic history which many thought of as legends nowadays. And although I knew that it wasn't anybody's fault but pure chance, I had always envied Rey and deep down wished to be just like her. Knowing that it never would be.

[blackbutterfliescal]

A Storm Of Trouble

A Michael Clifford One Shot

Pairing: Pirate!Michael Clifford & Reader

Word count: 3.3K

Rating: Just For Fun

Requested by: Not requested but it was supposed to be part of the Michael Week @sadistmichael hosted. I’m late as always but I’m still gonna post it 🤷‍♀️

Content: second person POV, gender neutral reader insert, best friends finding themselves in a night of chaos, drinking, swearing, violence but no graphic details, reader as a sex worker, brief appearances of Calum being A Little Shit

A/N: This all started because of that damn earring... I know that romance (in any form) does well on here, but I thought it would be fun to write a friend fic. Sue me. Big thank yous to @mashlums @haikucal @sexgodashton @jae-writes-fanfiction and @cheekysos for encouraging me on this one!

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———

The wooden slats above Michael’s head groaned, heavy with footsteps and many years of wear on the high seas. It was clear that the ship was docking somewhere for the night to restock supplies, but Michael couldn’t be stirred from the hammock where he rested just below deck. Several minutes passed as he concentrated on the slow drip of water into the pail in the corner, looking for some sense of peace in the chaos the rest of the crew was creating. The metal made a sharp sound with each drop that hit, but it was a tone he’d grown accustomed to after many months aboard this particular ship. He often used it to lull himself to sleep, struggling to ignore Calum’s incessant snoring. It wasn’t until one of his crewmates shouted the name of a familiar port that Michael paid much attention to the commotion happening on the surface. Usually preferring to stay aboard the ship and not risk any potential scuffles on land, he now understood why so many of the crew were anxious to disembark.

Port Royal was notorious for the wide array of debauchery around every turn. Especially this time of night, it was always crawling with other scoundrels just looking for a bad fight or a good fuck. Or maybe a good fight and a bad fuck. The derelict port had such a reputation for its treatment of outsiders that none of the king’s men ever dared a visit, leaving the people who were floating through to act as their own law and order. 

The grimy, dilapidated buildings just past the worn dock called to Michael. He’d lived a pirate’s life since he was orphaned as a young boy, sailing far and wide, but this port was the closest thing he had to a home. He only hoped that he could find his oldest friend still in the hut just past the wall where the land met the sea.

———

Michael made his way beyond the wobbly old dock, peering in the dimly lit pubs only briefly as he passed. His well-worn leather boots carried his tired feet through the filthy streets to an all-but-forgotten yet somehow still familiar scene. Covered by the shadow of the night couples of every sort were pressed against each other, no doubt trading secret desires. At his unfamiliar approaching figure, the silhouetted couples all vanished into the brothel before him quicker than he could blink an eye. 

Hidden from easy view in the moonlight, the door slammed against the frame just as Michael approached. His hands, rough from years of work as a swabby, landed hard against the faded green wood thrice before it swung open. It rested uneven on its hinges and revealed a plump young woman in dark red corseted dress. The ruffles around her neckline were no longer a crisp, clean white but still managed to pull Michael’s attention directly to her ample bosom. His eyes continued to work over her figure. He didn’t miss the way her stomach pushed out against the ribbed garment covering it. She was such a sight that Michael considered a short detour before beginning to search the brothel for you.

“Well, ain’t ye a handsome devil. Fancy cracking Jenny’s teacup, eh?”

Before Michael could let a smooth response fall from his mouth, footsteps landing hard under long strides sounded down the hallway. Michael’s eyes, dark with lust, brightened as he took you in. You were exactly as he remembered and somehow completely different. It had been years since Michael was last in Port Royal but the two of you had kept up through letters as you were able. 

“Back off, wench. This one’s wit’ me.” The woman in red threw a scowl and a few choice curses at you as you squeezed past her in the doorway, arms quickly finding Michael in a tight embrace. “Oi, s’that a hornpipe in yer pocket or are ya just happy t’ see me?” You offered him a cheeky grin as his face warmed, caught red-handed, and he cast his gaze past you to find the woman in red missing from the door frame.

———

As seemed natural, you and Michael found yourselves kicked back in the corner of the closest pub. Boot-clad feet resting high on the table and a second bottle of rum nearly gone, you shared laughs and stories between swigs that were drowned out in the raucous noise of the other patrons. Two large men were attempting to settle their score through a game of fisticuffs at the bar and neither seemed to have their wits about them, stumbling on their own feet. A number of recognizable faces from the brothel were here to pick up company for the night, or maybe just the next few minutes. The most familiar face among them was Ash. A wordsmith of sorts, he had settled in close to a pretty, young blonde with eyes so blue that you could make them out across the room. Michael could pick out the back of Calum’s head as he raked in a pile of coins, no doubt employing his sharp mind in a game of liar’s dice.

Unphased by the rowdy crowd, the two of you were content in a universe that was contained entirely at that corner table. Michael told you stories of all the places he’d visited since you’d last seen him. Tales of India and China and all the bounty you could imagine. To be no older than he was, he’d done a lifetime’s worth of travelling. It didn’t come easy though. Work aboard a pirate ship, even with a fair captain, was endless and often meant risking life or limb to secure loot. He also listened intently as you recounted your tale of the one who had left you high and dry after a broken engagement. It had left your heart with an unhealing wound as deep red as the rope burns on Michael’s calloused hands. His eyes remained soft as you spoke of the person you thought was finally going to pull you out of the life you led. Routinely selling your body to the highest bidder had never much bothered you. You often found a sense of power at being the agent of someone’s deepest desires.That was until this one particular person became a frequent caller of yours. You knew no shame about the way you earned your coin but now you were crushed under their broken promises of a steady life, a life that didn’t mean hiding from the law or rousing up drunk sailors just to put food in your stomach.

Neither of you would have chosen life as a criminal for yourselves, but any trace of life before this felt like it belonged to someone else. As Michael began to yell for another bottle of rum, the back door to the pub flew open and landed harshly against the wall behind it. The man standing where the door had been was intimidating.Twice as large as Michael and covered in tattoos. He was flanked by a woman whose arms looked strong enough to crush you with ease and a bald man with a weathered scar down the right side of his face, covered only briefly by the leather patch on his eye.

“I knew I smell’d a bilge rat. Clifford! We ‘ave a debt t’ settle!!” His accent was heavy and you thought maybe it was Irish. His eyes landed on Michael, lounging in the far corner. As Michael’s eyes went wide and he leapt to his feet, he felt his head spin from the booze. The man that had barged in drew his sword and that was enough to bring Michael back for just a moment, long enough to process that he was in trouble. He quickly pulled you to your feet and tugged you behind him. “Shame! We’re jus’ leavin’!”

It took most of your self-control not to spray out the last burning chug of alcohol you’d just thrown back before being snatched up from your seat. You made a quick recovery, considering the amount of rum you’d already swallowed down, crashing out the front door and spilling into the muddy road. You weren’t sure how long the two of you had been in the pub but you’d clearly missed any indication of the current downpour. You splashed through the streets, following Michael’s already soaked form in and out of countless doorways. As he cleared what had to be the twentieth doorframe, he stepped quickly into the corner and pulled you with him. You landed against his broad chest with a thud. It would have knocked the wind out of you if you hadn’t already been breathing heavy from the zig-zagged marathon.

As you took a step back from Michael, he let his fast grip fall and looked around at where he’d landed the two of you. He saw the pigs in the opposite corner sleeping in the cool mud and the horse’s stall just next to the pig pen. He held his index finger to his pursed lips, signaling you not to disturb the livestock. Just as you were finally able to catch your breath, you felt it hitch in your throat again as the large brutish man called out to Michael. “Alright ye filthy animal. I know yer hidin’ ‘round ‘ere somewhere.” You shared an amused glance at the choice of words. Michael began to slowly draw the large blade looped through the belt hanging against his hip, preparing to go down fighting. You felt a brief sense of panic at the realization that you’d left your own sword behind. Spying a smaller handle on Michael’s other hip, you reached your hand out to grip the tarnished handle and pulled it up in front of you. The knife flashed in the low light, smaller than the blade you were accustomed to, but desperate times....

Taking careful steps, or as careful as possible after two bottles of rum, Michael inched his way out of the barn door and into the rain. You were a few steps behind him and hadn’t cleared the door yet when the scar-faced man appeared behind Michael with a taunt. Just as he raised his blade to engage Michael, you brought the heavy handle of your weapon down on top of his head. The man immediately fell face-first into the water at Michael’s feet. Michael’s hair clung to his face in the rain as he spun to give you a wide-eyed but silent thank you, hoping the others that were still after him weren’t close enough to hear.

No sooner did the thought cross his mind than two menacing shadows appeared at the other end of the barn. You stashed Michael’s knife in your belt, bending down to snatch the sword from the man lying on the ground, and took off again hot on Michael’s heels. You followed him around the back of another house and down a pitch black alley.

As you emerged on the other side, a loud grunt sounded beside you, followed by the clang of Michael’s sword meeting the Irishman’s. It was shortly followed by his partner’s blade meeting your stolen one. Though you’d had your fair share of practice with a sword, you felt like a novice next to Michael’s skillful hand. Metal clashed as the storm raining down on the island intensified, lightning strikes flashing through the sky with every scrape of swords. The woman you were up against was clearly a better swordsman than you and you weren’t sure how long you’d be able to keep up. You weren’t sure how it had happened, but she had you backed against a wall. Your sword was the only thing keeping her blade from bearing down on your throat. As quickly as you could manage, you brought one hand to your belt, pulling the knife out again before landing it in the woman’s side. Her mouth fell open and she stumbled back from you as you removed the blade. Her sword clattered to the ground and it wasn’t long before she fell beside it. The wound wasn’t enough to kill her but it would keep her out of your way so you could help Michael.

You hadn’t been able to spare him a glance as you fought for your own life but you weren’t shocked to see that he was holding his own against the giant. You ran up behind the man with a yell and he spun around to meet your blow. After sending you stumbling back a few steps, he turned to face Michael again. He wore the shock on his face as Michael’s blade came to rest in the hollow of his throat. The man slowly lowered his weapon, realizing Michael had bested him. You heard a shuffle behind you as the woman reached for her sword. Your boot landed heavy on top of the metal as you trained your sword on her, daring her to make a move. Behind you, Michael’s words were lost in the sudden boom of thunder. Only when you heard him call your name did you take your eyes off the woman on the ground in front of you. Michael was backing away as he lowered his weapon, seeming to have settled his debt. You slowly removed your foot from the sword on the ground, giving the most menacing look you could manage, and ran after Michael’s retreating figure. When you caught up to him, you noticed that the sleeve of his open shirt had been torn and under it there was a gash in Michael’s bicep. After much persuasion, Michael agreed to follow you back to the brothel to get it cleaned up. If it became infected, it could cost him his life.

———

Bringing Michael in would have caught attention in any state, but as he held onto his arm and dripped rainwater everywhere, you gathered more stares than you would have liked. He leaned over the kitchen table, waiting for you to gather supplies. It wasn’t pretty but you doused the wound with alcohol and Michael seemed more upset at the loss of rum than the burning it caused. Once it was cleaned to your satisfaction, you ripped the hem of your clothing to tie it around his arm.

“Thanks.” His eyes were soft as they met yours. “I would ‘ave been a dead man without yer help.”

“Yer goddamn right! But what else are friends fer?”

You shared a laugh as Michael pushed himself back upright with his other arm, following you back to the front door and out into the night. The storm seemed to have run its course and left only a light drizzle in its wake as you made your way through the streets again, walking under cover of any roof you passed. You walked with your heads ducked between coverings as you laughed and recounted your astounding victory over Michael’s assailants, wondering what happened to the scar-faced man. 

Up ahead, you spot a familiar figure walking in your direction. Without warning, you shove Michael into a dark alley and shush him with wide eyes. Luckily for you, your unfortunate recurring caller had kept their gaze on the ground in an effort to keep the still-falling droplets off their face. They hadn’t seen you disappear but you hadn’t noticed how incredibly narrow this alley was. You shivered as you felt Michael’s warm breath fall across your rain-slicked face. Your feet stood between his and there was hardly enough room between your chests to take a full breath in. Michael’s eyes stayed trained on you, looking for any sign of an all clear. You watched intently, waiting for the caller to pass by. Once they made their way by the narrow opening where you hid without suspicion, you placed your hands on Michael’s sides to steady yourself and pushed your head toward the street. As the figure made a turn, you counted to three silently and stepped out into the street again with a dramatic exhale. Michael slowly followed you with a quizzical look on his face.

“Ya can wipe that look off yer face, ya smug bastard. I ain’t talkin’ ‘til ye explain the burly man and his goons chasin’ ya earlier.” Michael’s expression dropped with a humorous scoff, unwilling to share what had landed him in such trouble. Nights like tonight were exactly why he preferred to stay aboard the ship. He just couldn’t resist the chance to catch up with you. You also knew that tonight would cost you. Literally. You’d have to up the ante the rest of the week to make up for the night out but you felt that Michael was worth it.

———

Conversation continued to flow easily, as if nothing between the two of you ever changed. You weaved through the streets, careful to avoid main thoroughfares for worry of any more excitement. Two close calls was enough for one night. It didn’t slip your notice that both of you took to yawning big, deep breaths much more frequently as the last few hours slipped by, a sign that the morning light was well on its way. You knew you’d be able to catch a few hours of sleep once Michael was back on the water, but you also hoped he’d be able sweet-talk someone into letting him curl up in his hammock for a little while. You didn’t give it too much worry though. You knew Michael never had trouble sweet-talking his way through anyone. He’d always been a charmer.

As you made your way through the last side street and onto the dock, you heard a loud rumble of footsteps and immediately braced your newly-found sword. Your other hand fell on Michael’s knife, still tucked into your belt, and quickly handed it over to him as he drew his own blade. A flash of surprise crossed his face as if he’d gone all night without realizing the knife was missing. The sounds of enraged men grew louder as they rounded the corner. Michael immediately recognized Calum at the front of the crowd, realizing quickly that Calum’s clever antics had landed him in trouble yet again. You followed Michael’s lead and dropped your weapon as he let out a full-bellied laugh. As Calum dashed past you down the dock, he yelled out a casual greeting and flashed a cheeky grin. “Michael!” One hand raised to meet his brow in a salute. “Michael’s friend!” Another salute.

You joined Michael in another fit of laughter. As he turned to watch Calum running down the dock to their safe haven, Michael saw their ship and realized the ropes were being pulled off the dock as the ramp to the ship was being dragged back over the railing. A few curses fell from his lips as he took off in a dead run after his friend, yelling something unintelligible over his shoulder that was surely meant for you. You thought it was something about not groping for trout in any peculiar rivers but had no idea what he could mean and dismissed it as Michael being Michael. Your sides began to hurt from laughter as he passed the angry mob to catch up with Calum. Both men leapt through the air at the same time as their ship pulled away from the dock. Calum’s hands grabbed hold of the railing while Michael employed his knife to keep hold of the ship. Calum pulled himself overboard with ease and turned to quickly bring Michael onboard with him. A few brave, but ill-fated, members of the mob risked a jump but landed in the water with a splash. They resurfaced with enough curses to make Blackbeard blush. Michael threw an obscene gesture at the disgruntled men before lifting his gaze to wave goodbye to you as they made off into the bright sunrise under a clear sky.

———

taglist: @easierlftv @haikucal @mashlums @youngblood199456 @calumbroutledge @atlcalm @another-lonely-heart @castaway-cashton @itsjen223 @bloodyoathcal @vapor5sos @myloverboyash​ @justhereforcalum​

[raybyanothername]

TELL ME ABOUT ALL OF THEM!!!

Ok, but mostly the Sky and the Sea / Coal Critters, whichever one you want to share about most!!!

🧡😚🐝

Okay, those are both original writings and are two of my favorites!!

The Sky and The Sea was actually the working title for my Women in the World Zine fic. I'm calling it Where the Stars Came From right now, but I haven't 100% settled on the title.

In any case, it's a narrative poem detailing an entire origin myth from the birth of the sky and the earth to the birth of the stars. The Sky and the Sea are my favorite ship within said origin myth and are the entire reason I wanted to write it because I cannot Not write lesbians when they show up in my brain.

Coal Critters is... a children's horror story? I haven't finished a full draft of it yet, but here's how it starts.

Her father said they lived in coal country. Her brother called it hell. Aoibhin just called it home. It was full of mountains and trees and, according to her mother, fae.

*"Beyond the grey stone lives a monster, a gnome,*

*he plucks the strings of his lute, but a bard he is not.*

*A fiddler's fool could name more notes than Gerome-"*

"Shut up!" Her brother, Balfour, screamed out the door as he flung it open. "I'm sick of those silly songs, Bennie!"

Aoibhin raised her brows. She sat still on the fallen trunk of a tree, whittling a thick stick she'd picked up from the ground. Her hands didn't still, and her eyes stayed focused.

"Let her sing what she wants, Bal." Their father appeared behind Balfour in the doorway. He rested a hand on his son's shoulder. It was quickly shaken off as the young man stomped back inside.

Aoibhin paused to look up at her father, "He used to like mama's songs." There was a roundness to her face, a gentle curve that was curtained on either side by long and twisted curls that tangled beside her face.

Baron Fowler shrugged his shoulders and looked out at the forest surrounding their home. His square jaw trembled, "Her songs hit a little different now, Bennie, now that she's gone."

When he looked back at his daughter Baron tried to smile, his lips moved up in the motion, but they struggled and they fell back to their usual line quite quick.

"Sorry," Bennie murmured, eyes falling back to her knife and the wooden rod in her hand. The pine was smooth in her palm, she'd stripped the bark already. She started to chip the top bits off, rounding the jagged points into a curve.

Her mouth stayed firmly shut, but the trees continued to hum. The melody traveled up and up, past the trees and into the sky, slipping through the wind like an old friend.

*Beyond the grey stone lives a monster, a gnome,*

*he plucks the strings of his lute, but a bard he is not.*

*A fiddler's fool could name more notes than Gerome,*

*but that's not why he plays.*

"Huh?" A groggy voice called from beneath a flat stone. It was dotted with lines and curly symbols that shined bright as the stone was pushed aside to reveal a hole and the over large head of a man with scraggly hair. "Someone call for me?"

*Gerome's biggest foe is wand made of stone*

*when it swishes and swirls the world is alone*

*with not but a gnome and a long sour note*

*that chases the sickness away*

The song traveled past homes and gardens to serenade the mountain itself, which could not help but dance to the old familiar tune. Which was unfortunate, given the mines that zigged and zagged through it's body.

Stone fell and dust filled the air as the men in the mountain ran out. The mountain realized just a moment too late and settled back into place, but the damage was already done.

The glitter and dust that filled the air also filled the men's lungs as Gerome climbed from his home to search for his lute and young Bennie Fowler whittled her wand into being.

[the-firebird69]

People have seen below there's a ship it's the millennium falcon our son and us and what appears to be the clans built this ship in order to go to Jupiter and it has life sustaining equipment on board people build it that's the city before now these pyramids are solid material but they're not fused and they're not one piece but there are a bunch of them down below and these triggers might trigger a reaction that is connected to a laser battery and that's how Dave and Carol thought and that's all we think. We do believe there's a reason this is called Armageddon when is our son daughter are kind of young and she says you should say it so he studies it and figures out you probably should. Jupiter is becoming a big question if the eye changes which it has they're going to want to investigate which they do this is the ship that would probably do it and if they go for the ship we know what time it is there are a couple other parameters but this makes it a very big deal meaning we might have secrets and we don't want you to have and Dave and Carol knew that this might be the effect

We did too

Thor Freya

Olympus

We are proceeding with a removal system and nobody knows anything is there and they can't see it this time the atmosphere is too dense his material and we have to use this opportunity as he said if we use other Giants they'll start to detect them it's and now is the time to do this before they have detection equipment of that caliber and we will limit them using the power that we gain

Thor Freya

We did have the argument and it came down to this we've been doing all this stuff and hasn't done anything and if we do this the effect is not going to be minimal but it will be psychological for our people and they will see it and we'll have to do something right now it's lethargy as usual and we did run a test and it works we do have alternatives of what we can do and we will exercise them if necessary and he says that we should make sure that we really have to because here things are so blase and you can see that there's huge problems and huge armies of Giants and monsters and they just kind of let them faster along with other things so we're going to go ahead with this

Olympus

He's right there seems supervised bugs and kju that are bugs and they don't seem to be phased and they don't want change it and it's ridiculous we must take a advantage of the fact that leaders are completely oblivious not to mention stupid

Zig Zag

These people are so damn dumb he's right too I can drive a truck right to the mall they wouldn't be phased they're a bunch of assholes

Hera

Zues

[birdsandbatsofgotham]

It Goes Like This Prologue: Bruce

Martha hadn’t wanted to stay in Gotham after her third miscarriage.

Determined to help his wife recover from her grief, Thomas arranged for a six month tour of the world, starting with Europe, crossing the length of Africa, over to Asia, through the Pacific, zig-zagging around South America, and finally back up into the States. They explored all sorts of museums and historical sites, dined on every sort of available cuisine, purchased numerous pieces of locally made art, and in general had nothing short of a fantastic time.

As the couple got closer and closer to their home city, however, Martha began to become withdrawn again, and Thomas felt at a loss even as he did his best to comfort and distract her. From time to time he shot beseeching looks to his butler and longtime friend, Alfred Pennyworth, but the other man could only gaze back sadly before offering Martha a warm cup of tea.

Finally, their trip came to an end, and the young Waynes slipped back into Gotham under the cover of darkness, unwilling to face the media or any of their acquaintances just yet. As Alfred drove them up the hill to Wayne Manor, however, something in the sky above caught Martha’s attention.

“Darling, do you see that?” She asked. Thomas leaned over to look out the window as well, and frowned when he, too, spotted what appeared to be a shooting star, getting bigger and brighter with each moment.

Before he could offer a comment, though, the object actually passed over them, causing the car to shake and startling Alfred into hitting the brakes. They all stared through the windshield in shock as the source of burning light came down in the woods behind the Manor, briefly illuminating the building itself.

“...Alfred,” Thomas breathed. “Get us up there, quickly.”

“Are you certain that’s a good idea, sir? It may not be safe-”

“Come on, man, a meteor just landed in my backyard! Let’s go see it up close!”

“Please, Alfred,” Martha added. Sighing, the butler eased his foot back onto the gas pedal. Soon, they arrived at the garage entrance, and both Thomas and Martha hurried out of the car, Alfred a step behind them.

“It must be huge, to have caused such a shockwave as it went by,” Thomas exclaimed in excitement as he hurried across the lawn. “Do you think it’ll count as ours, since it landed here, or will the government swoop in?”

“You wouldn’t deny some poor NASA scientists the chance to look over a meteor, Thomas,” his wife admonished.

“Well, no, but I’d still like to keep it if we can - imagine, an actual space rock on display in our front hall!”

“Perhaps not the front hall, but- oh! Oh my goodness...” Both Waynes came to a sudden halt at the edge of the impact crater, staring down at what most definitely was not a hunk of space rock.

Sleek, elegant fins were rapidly cooling in the night air, the golden-white glow of extreme heat fading into a reflective black sheen. Smoke billowed from a split in one of the thrusters, but the main portion of the little spaceship seemed perfectly intact.

Alfred skidded to a stop beside them, and even his usually unflappable demeanor was taken aback at the sight. “What in Heaven’s name-?”

Thomas started to open his mouth to reply, but gaped silently instead when a muffled cry suddenly came from the ship. A baby’s cry.

Martha was halfway down the slope before he could so much as shout a warning.

-B-

“I can’t believe you,” Thomas muttered, pacing back and forth in front of the bed. Martha merely watched with a raised eyebrow. Her hands, smeared with burn ointment and wrapped in bandages, were nonetheless carefully curled around the tiny baby she’d pulled out of the spaceship. Somehow, the little guy looked completely human, and Thomas wasn’t sure if he should be more concerned by that, or how quickly his wife had insisted that they keep him. “This is insane, Martha!”

“Just look at him, Thomas,” she said. “He can’t be more than a few days old - handing him over to some government-run facility would be a death sentence!”

“You don’t know that-”

“He came to us,” Martha stated. “We’ve been out of the public eye long enough to claim he’s ours, and we can hide the ship in those old caves under the house; we have to protect him, Thomas.”

The man finally stopped his pacing at that, to stare at his wife in bewilderment. “Why are you so adamant about this?”

It took her a moment to come up with a reply. “When I tried to open the hatch, there was- it was like something reached out to me, and, connected. Just for a moment. But it saw me, who I am, and only then did the locks open, so I could reach in and get him.” Martha stroked a gauze-wrapped finger across the baby’s cheek. He nuzzled closer to her touch, eliciting a smile from the woman. “Whoever made that ship and put him in it, Thomas, they wanted, needed, to make sure only someone who would look after their baby could take him out of it.” She looked up at him again, eyes fierce. “And I am going to make good on that promise.”

Thomas sighed.

And then he moved to the side of the bed, his own hand coming up to gently touch the baby’s scalp, already covered in a fine, dark fuzz. The new touch prompted him to blink open his eyes, and when Thomas met that tiny blue gaze, he melted.

“We’re going to make good on that promise,” he murmured. Martha beamed.

By the door, Alfred coughed.

Once the Waynes both looked at him, the man spoke. “Should I assume we do not wish for anyone else to become privy to this secret, sir and ma’am?”

“That’s right, Alfred,” Thomas said, relieved and apologetic at the same time. “I’ll come help you move the ship - there’s a covered entrance down into the caves by the garden we can use, that should be big enough.”

“Very good, sir. And I shall hold off on summoning any of the main household staff back for a few days, to give the young sir time to settle.”

Thomas nodded, and glanced down at his wife again. “What are we going to call him, anyway?”

Martha, smiling as the baby curled his little fingers around a lock of her hair, didn’t even bother to look up as she replied, “Bruce. His name is Bruce.”

---

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns for the criminals of Gotham? I wanna hear ‘em all >:)

[some-cookie-crumbz]

Could you do something with Keith and Pidge adopting a baby Galra?

Oh mah GOODNESS YYYAAASSSS!

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Neglect and Abuse of an Infant

It wasn’t often that Ezor and Zethrid needed to call him in for a second opinion so it always left him a bit perplexed. Through his time working with them he’d gotten a better understanding of why Lotor had held the pair in such high regard. They were both skilled, efficient and, despite occasionally still falling into bouts of childishness, were rather responsible and good at taking initiative. As far as the humanitarian operations the Blade had shifted to focusing on were concerned, the two were truly a Godsend. So, when he received a message from Zethrid explaining there’d been some complications on their latest assignment that they were unsure of how to handle, he’s been a little confused. Especially given he’d made it pretty clear that he had other matters to take care of at home and only wanted to be called in for something of dire importance. It was just fortunate for them all that he and Pidge had been at the Garrison base when he got the call and agreed to meet up with them to discuss whatever it was that had them so uncertain.

When their ship landed and they began to walk out, though, he figured it out pretty quickly. Specifically since the loud, piercing wails were pretty common knowledge.

“Why do you have a baby?” He asked worriedly, quickening his steps to meet them and get a better look at the little screaming bundle Ezor was holding rather awkwardly. With a careful motion, he took the little form from her, carefully cradling them so their head was tucked into the crook of his arm and their body pressed securely against his chest.

The little thing paused a moment, looking at him with large yellows eyes. Or, rather, yellow irises that had small, red diamond-shaped pupils swimming in them. Pairing that with the almost lavender tint of their skin, Keith knew this infant had some amount of Galra lineage in them. There were thin wisps of navy blue hair along the top of their little head, curling long enough to just brush the tips of their little goat-like ears, the very tips of which were the same blue hue as their hair. Going from along their hairline and down along their forehead, all the way down along their upper eyelids, were also twin white zig-zag marks. They reminded him a bit of lightning bolts.

And then, seeming to be tired of staring at Keith in return, they started shrieking with renewed vigor, this time going so far as to flail their tiny fists up and out.

“Yeah, he’s been like that the whole ride,” Zethrid groaned with a tired wince.

“So what happened? Why do you have him?” He asked again, reaching down to try and tug the blanket back over him, but then paused. The little guy’s entire left arm, from his wrist up to just below his armpit, was wrapped up in medical gauze.

When he glanced up at them, Ezor nodded with a grim expression. “Yeah, that’s part of it. See, we went to the planet Nuestow at the behest of the coalition, since they’ve been having some trouble in the last few phoebs - erh, sorry, months - since the Galra occupation on their world was lifted and… We found him, left in a basket in the middle of this field, with some beast starting to drag him off by his arm!”

“I killed it. Sorry not sorry,” Zethrid said bluntly.

Ezor was cut off as the hanger doors opened at the other end and they all turned to see Pidge walking in, a playful look on her face as she pushed along a stroller, but then she froze when she saw the screaming baby in Keith’s arm. “Oh, my God!” She gasped, pushing the stroller along and fast approaching them. Amber briefly perked up in the stroller where she was sleeping before deciding that she was too tired to deal with whatever had her Mommy to frazzled and slumped back in her seat. “What happened to them?” She asked, stopping beside Keith and reaching to take the baby from him.

“Ezor and Zethrid were just explaining that to me,” He said while carefully handing the tot over. Immediately Pidge was softly cooing, adjusting her grip on him a bit so he was laying against her shoulder, one arm supporting him while her other hand came up to soothingly rub his back, swaying just a little bit with him. Keith watched as the infant’s good fist curled around the fabric of Pidge’s shirt, shoving his little face into her more and quieting down just the slightest bit. He then glanced back over at the two and nodded in encouragement.

Ezor took a deep breath before continuing. “Okay, so, like I said; baby boy here was abandoned and about to be eaten by a wild animal. Zethrid killed the animal and we got him away from it, but then we got in trouble with a cluster of Nuestrians that were hiding in the bushes. Turns out they were using him as… Well, as bait, to lure the beast out so they could kill it and eat it,” She rushed out, eyes darting between different points in the hanger and the two young parents before her in discomfort at the full details.

Keith gawked at her and Pidge let out a horrified, strangled noise. “They were using him as bait? He’s a fucking baby!” She snapped angrily.

“Yeah, I wanted to kill them for that. Sorry that I didn’t,” Zethrid said with a small snort.

The other woman held her hands up. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, now!” She lowered her hands at a small, muttered apology from Pidge, but it was clear she was still fuming underneath it all. “So, it seems that this little guy’s got no parents. His father was Galra and forced to leave the planet when the Galra occupancy was lifted, and his mother died while hunting. None of the rest of the tribe members wanted to take him on because of… Well, you know… So they figured they’d just… You know.” She said, lapsing into vague terminology.

“That’s absolutely disgusting!” Pidge hissed quietly.

Keith reached one arm out and pulled her over to him, using the other to gently guide the stroller closer. He tipped the little visor on it up a bit, verifying that Amber was still asleep, before tipping it back down again. “Have you been able to locate the father?”

“Well, yeah,” Ezor trailed.

“But he’s already started shacking up with a new mate, and he said that he doesn’t want this kind of trouble,” Zethrid finished. “And we tried to reach out to the organizations we normally rely on for finding homes for orphans, but the ones that got back to us really don’t have the resources or room for another mouth to feed. So… We figured it’d be best to come and talk with you about it all in person.”

“You made the right call,” Pidge groused beside Keith, reaching into her shorts pocket and fishing out her cell phone. The two Blades cast curious glances over at their leader, who merely shrugged as his wife held her phone up to her ear. “Hey, Mom? Yeah, can I ask a little favor? Hmm? No, no, everything’s fine with us. I just… No.. I… Yes, Mom, I know we’re doing a family dinner on Saturday night. I just… Can you please bring the spare car seat we have at the house for AMber down to the Garrison base? We’re gonna need it.”

The three watched as Pidge regaled Colleen with the story about the Galran infant now dozing off in her arms, the three of them picking up on the same outrage on the other line. With that handled, she clicked her phone off and slipped it back into her pocket. “So, I take it he’s yours now?” Ezor asked, leaned forward and cocking her head slightly.

“Yes. He deserves to be in a family where he’s going to be loved and cared for,” She seethed before carefully adjusting her grip on the little baby sleeping in her arm. She situated him so that she could hold him with one arm before grabbing the stroller with one hand and starting to gently push. “Now, while you finish up here, Mr. Senior Blade Operative, I’m going to wait for Mom to show up with the car seat so we can get this little guy settled in at home.”

The three watched her as she finagled her way back out, somehow managing to push the stroller with only one arm.

“She’s a fiery little thing,” Zethrid commented, her tone filled with amusement. “Must be why she’s such a good fit for you, boss.”

Keith hummed and nodded as he watched her go. “So, did things go well otherwise?”

“Because of our interference, they may have some complaints about the quality of the Blade’s assistance. Figured we’d warn you about that, too,”

“Well, if they decide to play it like that, that’s fine. We’ll just let the coalition know that they’re comfortable with murdering babies to compensate for their own inability to hunt properly. See how they like having their dirty dealings brought to the attention of multiple galaxies,” He scoffed with a roll of his eyes. He then gave them a quick nod. “When you draft up your reports, make sure to make note that I’ve been personally talked to about the situation and agreed with every action you’ve taken.”

Zethrid offered him a thumbs-up and Ezor nodded. “Have fun with the new baby. Let us know how his arm heals up,” She said, offering him a playful salute before the two of them headed back on board. They’d most likely file their reports and then head off to get themselves some food, maybe hit a bar. Normally he’d chide them about professionalism, but he opted against it. He wouldn’t blame them for needing something stiff to take the edge off after the day they’d had.

With that handled, he headed out to the parking lot, where Pidge was waiting. The back door was open, with the stroller parked nearby. When he poked his head in, she was huddled up in the back seat, both babies curled up against her in her arms, humming some tune to the pair of them. He smiled a bit as he peered in, resting his arm along the top of the car. “Want me to go ahead and fold up the stroller?”

She jumped a bit before looking over at him. “Oh, yeah. Thanks,” She said quietly before looking back down at the two. “He’s not much bigger than her, so they’re probably around the same age.”

He paused in collapsing the stroller to look over at her. “You know, you’re right. About that, and about him needing a good family,”

“I’m sorry I kinda decided that we were gonna take him without really asking you, but… Just look at him, Keith,” She mumbled, looking up at him pleading eyes before looking back down at the infant. As if he knew they were talking about him, he let out a little squeak of a yawn, mouth opening wide to reveal one small tooth and a pale pink forked tongue. He then shifted to nuzzle back down against her, trying to get even closer. “He’s so sweet. How could anyone ever want to hurt him?” She pressed, choking up a little bit.

“I don’t know, but he’s not going to have to worry about that with us,” He said, leaning over to press a quick kiss to the top of her head before getting the stroller packed away. Once it was put away, he returned to hover in the doorway. “Well, since he and Amber are about the same age, we can just treat them like twins. Her crib will probably be big enough for the both of them, and she’s got more onesies then she knows what to do with, so can get him dressed in some real clothes and let him sleep in a real bed until we get some stuff of his own. Figure we can do that tomorrow, depending on how he’s feeling.”

Pidge offered him a small smile and nodded. “Thank you for being so cool about this,”

He smiled and chuckled. “Hey, I’ll be honest; I was considering it before you came in. Then again, I’d adopt all the orphans in all the galaxies if I could,” He mused, reaching in to gently stroke one of the Galra infant’s cheeks. The little guy tilted his head to press into his touch, letting out a small chirping noise of contentment. He kept up the gentle caress and glanced at Pidge, watching the exchange with a bright smile on her lips. “Have you picked a name out?”

“Noah,” She said, without looking up from him. Amber let out a small grousing noise and nuzzled closer, moving until her forehead bumped lightly into the other infant’s. The two of them both whined, briefly opening their little eyes to blink at each blearily. Amber let out a small sigh of some sort, while Noah’s little ears twitched briefly, before they hunkered back down against Pidge, slumping with their foreheads pressed together.

Keith and Pidge both chuckled a bit, taking this as Amber’s way of approving of her new brother. “Welcome to the family, Noah,” He cooed softly.

[briasna-blog]

I a big fan of this young man

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[curiousdamage]

Angst/Fluff Prompt 9

60: “You look like you could use a hug.”

Pairing: Becca/Susan (Platonic)

For me I guess (Sorry!)

Karate Kid: Careless Man’s Careful Daughter Universe

Warning:  Sexual Harassment of a young girl by an older man portrayed.

Also, the idea came from an episode of Family Ties, so credit where it’s due.

Becca heard the laughter coming from the backyard all the way in her bedroom. She smiled and rolled her eyes as she put the finishing touches on her make-up. Her dad and his Cobra Kai buddies could be worse than Bobby and the other guys any day of the week. Thank goodness she had a date tonight and could escape all the stories.

She looked at the clock. It was still ten minutes until Bobby was supposed to pick her up, so she walked down to the backyard to tell her parents that she was leaving.

"Hey, Princess!" Uncle Terry smiled and stood up to hug her. "You look nice. Where are you headed?"

"To a friend's birthday party at the country club," she replied.

“Ew.  I hate those parties,” he said.  “Of course, it may be more fun if you actually like the people.”

“I like her,” she laughed.

“Hey, quit hogging her,” Mikey Sullivan said, pushing Terry playfully.  “She’s my niece.”  He pulled her into a hug.

“Yeah?  Ask her who her favorite Uncle is,” he smirked.

“I don’t play that game anymore,” Becca laughed.

“She’s too grown up for you two,” Cara put in.

“Wait,” a tall man with light brown hair interrupted.  “No way this is little Becca?”

“Becca, you remember Mr. Steven, right?” John asked.  

She nodded.  She hadn’t seen him for a long time, but she did remember him.  “It’s nice to see you again,” she said, holding out her hand.

He shook her hand, then pulled her into a hug.

“Wow.  I feel old now,” he laughed as he stepped back.   

“I didn’t know you were going to be here, Uncle Mikey,” Becca said, hoping to take the attention off herself.  

“Well, I didn’t know if I was going to make it myself until earlier today,” he replied.  “I’ll be around a few days.  Go have fun.  I’ll take you and double trouble out for ice cream or something before I ship out again.  That reminds me,” he looked at Cara.  “Aren’t you missing some kids?”

“They’re at a Girl Scout campout,” she replied. 

“You didn’t go with them?”

“Cara doesn’t camp,” John laughed.

“Well, I do, its just call ‘deployment’,” she replied. “I don’t voluntarily live in a tent anymore if I can avoid it, though.”

“Bobby will be here soon,” Becca interrupted.  “May I go wait out front for him?”

“Yes, you may,” Cara answered.  

“Thanks,” she smiled.  

She hugged her mom and leaned over to hug her dad.

“Ten thirty, Rebecca Anne,” he reminded her.  

“I know, Daddy,” she replied, rolling her eyes.  “Ten thirty in the house.  Yes, sir.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, sir,” she answered, quickly, taking her chance to leave.

“Hey, where’s your bathroom, Man?” Steve asked as Becca disappeared into the house.

“Under the stairs in the hallway,” Cara answered.

“Thanks.  I can’t drink as much as you Irishmen,” he joked.

Becca looked at her watch, then out the window.  It wasn’t like Bobby to be late.  

“Rebecca?”

She turned around to see Mr. Steven leaning against the doorframe.  

“Oh, Mr. Steven, can I help you?” 

“No, no.  I just wanted to say how good it was to see you,” he said, crossing the space between them and taking both her hands in his.  “You’ll probably be grown and out of the house by the next time I get down here to see your folks again.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, shyly, as he stared at her.

“You know, you are a really stunning girl,” he replied, looking her up and down.  “Your boyfriend is a lucky fellow.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, again, feeling slightly uncomfortable.  “Um…, I should go out and wait.”

“Sure, sure,” he said, pulling her close, hugging her tightly.

She wasn’t sure, but when he did let her go, she thought he grabbed her behind.  She looked away and quickly grabbed her things. 

“It was great to see you, I hope you have a good night,” she said as she rushed out the door, grateful to see Bobby turn on to her street.  She met him at the end of the driveway.

“Sorry, I’m late, Babe,” he apologized as she got in the car.  “Just before I left, Jessie fell and scraped her knee and I had to help Mom calm her down.”

“It’s okay,” she said, trying to smile and shake off what just happened.  “Let’s just go.”

“Okay,” he smiled, leaning in to kiss her, but she looked back at the house.  “Is everything okay?  Are your parents fighting again?”

She shook her head.  “No, everything’s fine.”  She looked at him and smiled easier this time.  “Sorry.”  She kissed him.  

“Well, if you’re sure,” he said, uncertainly.  “You know you can talk to me if you’re not, right?”

“Yeah, I know.  Everything is fine.  Really.”

______________________________

The night went well, Becca was a bit distracted but tried to hide it, not wanting to call any attention to herself at Barbara’s seventeenth birthday party.  She thought she was doing a fairly good job until the four girls went to the ladies’ room.  When they started out, Susan linked her arm through Becca’s and pulled her towards a small courtyard. 

“Where are we going?”

“Outside.  I want a smoke,” Susan said.  Seeing the stricken look on Becca’s face, she laughed lightly.  “Don’t worry.  A smoke of the normal tobacco kind.  My parents would have a cow if I came home smelling like pot.”

“Mine too,” Becca grinned as they took a seat on a nearby bench.  At least her parents weren’t the only strict ones about that.  Of all the girls that hung around the Cobras, she liked Susan the best, even if her mom hated her, saying she had a dirty mouth.  Cara might have had a small point about that but Susan was always the first one to speak up when she thought something wasn’t right.

“So,” she replied, pulling cigarettes out of her purse and lighting one, careful to keep as much of the smoke away from Becca as possible.  “What’s up with you tonight?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” she deflected.  “It’s just a bit overwhelming in there.”

“Yeah, well, everyone’s parents try to outdo each other, it gets kind of ridiculous.  I think for my birthday, I’m going to ask my parents if I can just have a slumber party with you and Ali and Barbara,” she admitted.

“Don’t we do that all the time?” 

“Yeah, but with presents,” Susan laughed again, then sobered.  “I’ll be straight with you.  I asked Bobby why you were being so quiet, because you’re being unusually quiet even for you, and he said you’ve been upset since he picked you up.  Do you need to talk about anything?”

Becca sighed, “No.  I mean, I don’t know.  It was probably nothing and I’m probably overreacting.”

“Seriously, Becca, I know we all love to gossip, but if you tell me something private, it'll stay that way," Susan said, sincerely.

"Okay," she sighed again. "So my Dad..., er, some of my Dad's Army buddies are in town and they were over at our house and..., I don't know I think one of them, maybe, made a pass at me."

"What?! What do you mean?"

''I don't know," she stood up, throwing her hands up, "I don't want..., what if I'm making too much of it?  What if it was an accident?  Or he was just trying to be friendly?”

“You have to tell me what he did before I can answer that," Susan replied. She walked over and put her hands on Becca's shoulders turning her to face her. "What did the creep do?”

"He's not a creep, he's one of my Dad's best friends," she squirmed.

“If he is Mr. Kreese's friend, and he made a pass at you, then he's a creep," she insisted.  “Non-creep guys don’t hit on their friends’ teenage daughters.  What did he do?”

"He, um, he held my hands and said I was a stunning girl and then he hugged me,” she paused and looked up. Susan was looking at her expectantly. "I mean, Uncle Terry hugged me and told me I looked nice, too. That's a normal thing to do right?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it was a creepy thing to do.  Why do you think it wasn’t?  Did he cop a feel or something? Oh, my god! He did!" She exclaimed, seeing Becca's face.

"No! I mean, what if it wasn't that? What if..., I don't know..., what if I just moved at the same time as he did and his hand just landed there."

“That did not happen. Becca, you have to tell your mom," Susan insisted.

"I can't do that. She'll tell my dad and... You don't know how these guys are. It’s more than just friendship. They're like brothers. I even call most of them 'Uncle’.  They’ve known me forever. That whole 'Princess' thing? They started that! What if I'm wrong?  You don't know my Dad and Uncles. They're not big 'gray area' guys. They won’t consider that it might have been an accident.  They’ll never speak to him again. And that's if they don't just beat the shit out of him first!" She was growing more panicked. “If I'm wrong, I'll ruin their friendships for nothing!"

Susan pulled her into a hug. "Becca, honey, calm down. It’s okay. You look like you could use a hug. A real one." She held her until Becca's breathing slowed down. Then led her back to the bench. "Okay, so say this is all some big misunderstanding, you zigged when he zagged and your ass just happen to land in his hands, he was still making you uncomfortable or you wouldn't even be questioning what happened. Will he be at your house when you get home?"

Becca thought about it. "I really don't know. Probably not. He's probably staying with Uncle Terry, not us if anyone."

"How long will he be in town? Do you have to see him again?"

"I don't know. Some more of their friends are coming over tomorrow, but maybe I can avoid him easier with the others around."

“Well, personally, I think you should go straight and tell Mrs. Cara the minute you get home and let her annihilate him, but if you don't want to do that, then just make sure you stay away from him. You can come to my house if you need to escape. Don't even stop to call, just come, okay?" Susan insisted.

“I will," she promised, hugging her again. "Thank you.”

“Hey, no problem," Susan replied. "And if he tries anything, anything, else, run tell Mrs. Cara as fast as you can. Don't let him get away with it."

Part 2 coming soon