#Pete saw his opportunity and he took it

[kedreeva]

There are good things in this world still

Today, we installed a new light for the peafowl in the barn, since the old lights were burning out slowly, and it's SO BRIGHT in there now.

Today, I got to report to the vet that Aurora is doing better and discuss where to go from here, which was a hopeful thing. I got to report that the antibiotic, while extremely effective (possibly), also has a major side effect that's happened to both birds it's been used on, which may help them in the future if other peafowl need the same treatment. It sucks to be dealing with it but it's also nice to know the experience will help someone avoid the experience down the road.

Today, I hung up one of Bug's paintings on my wall, the one I found myself smiling over every time I saw it. I REALLY like how it turned out, and it feels like getting a little bit of Artemis back, even though they're not technically related; Bug's mom (Aurora) is actually the hen that sat on and hatched Artemis' egg too late in the season.

Today, Sark made too much peanut butter frosting and ate it on more sugar cookies. Living his best life on that front.

Today, I had a delicious glass of chocolate milk.

Today, the sun came out and Bug got to go outside all day. When I went to collect her, she was SO EXCITED that she raptored around the flight pen for a good five whole minutes with me, and tried to involve the other birds who were very confused about why I was also running around with her. My favorite is when she BOLTS up to me and SLAMS on the brakes with her wings flipped out and up, ducking down and looking up at me, and waits for me to stomp my foot before she absolutely loses her shit (positive) jumping into the air and zooming around and launching herself off of any surface that gets in her way. I love her, your honor.

Today, I hung out with two dogs and over a dozen chickens at my neighbors house, because Pete took Jude away on a day trip to help her de-stress from the stuff she's been dealing with and he wants her to be happy.

There are good things left in this world, however small. This is your opportunity to reblog this and share your good things with each other, or check the notes if you need a reminder.

[spookypete-94]

Dark Horse-Pete's Place

Part 5

PriceXFem!reader

Reader is a single mother, working double shifts at a restaurant. Father of the child starts to become a problem while reader is at work and Price offers a solution. Slight age gap between reader around 25 and Price around 35. Will be around 3-5 Chapters once finished (Probably will be more about 6-8 chapters total now)

rested on your inner thigh as he drove back to Abel's school to pick him up. Silence echoed through the car, but it was welcomed after the physical activities that had just taken place. Your head leaned back into the head rest of the seat, rolling slightly from the laxed state you were currently in.

A rumble from John brought you back to attention. "Ya' alrigh' love?" he asked.

Turning your head to look at him you smiled and nodded. "I am." Hand reaching down to squeeze his. His eyes returned to the road, pulling into the school lot where Abel awaited outside the front with a group of kids. Noticing the car, he picked up his bookbag and what looked to be his bag of goodies he had acquired from his field trip. A grin placed upon his face stretched ear to ear.

"How was your day?" The normal question you asked as soon as you saw him at the end of the day.

"Great!" he said rustling around his bag. "I got something for you, John." Reaching forward you noticed he had an opal stone in his hand. It matched the one that was on your left finger.

"I thought it looked like Mom's and should give it to you. They had a bunch of fossils and rocks."

Leave it to your boy to remain so kind, thinking of others even when he is given money for himself. John's long calloused fingers passed the stone back and forth between his fingers.

"Was nice of you Abel," turning around in your seat fully to take in his beaming face entirely. "Did you get anything for yourself?"

"Couple of dinosaur models," he answered reaching back in the bag to show them to you.

John was only able to look at the stone, feeling shell shocked by the gift unable to explain why. The gift caused the gears to turn in his head.

"Thank you," John murmured quietly, turning his head over his shoulder to look at Abel. Still beaming his happiness on you both.

"What do you wanta' do today?" John asked. "Anywhere you want to go?" Still looking over at Abel.

"Pete's Pizza!" Abel exclaimed to him. Pete's Pizza was a restaurant with an arcade with kids games. Generally, you took him on his birthday, but figured it was fitting to celebrate today.

"Pete's Pizza it is." Placing the car into gear once more and starting in that direction.

Standing back on your wild night out, you watched Abel with John most of the time. Their interaction heartwarming. Your ex never gave you the chance to witness this opportunity…maybe if he had things would be different between the two of you.

They both played the games for a few hours before ordering pizza. Making sure it was Abel's favorite to end his perfect day. Walking outside, it was that perfect balance between spring and almost summer. The sun lazily going down behind the buildings of the city, casting long shadows on the sidewalks, the streetlights coming on.

This was always your favorite time of the day. Normally, this was the time you bonded with Abel the most, ending it on your way home from work. Instead, you got to spend more time with him today, making core memories. You wish it could be like this all the time.

It was the drive home you realized you didn't know how this would turn out. Would John want to stay with you at your place? You were just freshly married as of today. Or would he want to go back to his place of residence and live the life you knew little about.

Seeming as he could tell once again stressing, John reached over and took her hand placing it on the center console with his. Thumb stroking over the ring. Practice he seems to do often. John started asking questions about what Abel saw today, his favorite part, what he would do again if given the opportunity. For not having children he was slipping into this role quiet well. Listening to Abel speak, and John's swiping motion soothing your worried brain once more.

Once home, a later hour than you are ever unwinding, you started the bed time routine.

"Love, let's watch a movie on the couch. All of us, let the boy pick." John offered up instead, not wanting to end this good day entirely. Settling down on the couch, you placed yourself in between John's legs leaning into his chest while Abel laid down on the other side. Abel was already in his pajamas, snuggling a blanket and a pillow tuned into the tv.

John's large hand began betting down your hair, smoothing it against you.

"You don' have to work anymore if you don' wan to…" his voice lolled underneath of you, hot breath brushing against your ear. "Make enough you could stay home."

It had caught you off guard, glancing over at Abel you see he had fallen asleep more then likely why John was starting this conversation. Keeping a low octave matching John's, "You've done more than enough. Allowing me to use your lawyer is a debt I can never repay."

"Lawyer is free. And you're already doin' somethin' else for this old man," hand slipping from the top of your head and pressing against your stomach. "35, and want one of my own," his brown pits of honey looking up at Abel. "Love that kid like my own but want as many as you're willin' to give me. Don' have to work anymore." He repeated. Laying your head back against his chest, allowing him to rest against the top of yours.

"Can't leave Kate hanging… She's done so much for me."

"So go part time. Work lunch while Abel is at school. Be off when he's done."

Thinking it over, it would be a way to make your own income still. Abel being away at school even when you move into the new house, boredom would more than likely set in.

"Not a bad idea…"

"There will be times I won't be here," his tone direct. "But we can have nights like this when I am. Everythin' is going to be taken care of one way or another. Want to meet with the lawyer on Monday before things start to get rollin' though… And if you're ok with it, I'd like to take Abel out this weekend to go fishin' with me and the other boys."

"Boys," you said jokingly, knowing which "boys" he was referring to. "You're not much older than them."

"Old enough that they are my boys still. Act like children sometimes…most times but act right when the time comes." A warm smile on his face while he spoke of them. Returning to his original thought and conversation, he gave a light shake of his head. "Will only take him if you’re comfortable. Figure getting to spend time with him is important right now so he learns to trust me… and maybe hanging out with men who are good men might not be a bad idea." His last comment sly, trying to give a dig at your ex.

"You just called them boys a few seconds ago," a light laughing scoff leaving you.

"My boys are men compared to him." A dark undertone coating his comment. "Know for a fact none of them would ever treat you like something stuck to the bottom of their shoe."

Hesitant still, but giving the first answer that came to mind wanting to end the conversation about your ex. "If Abel wants to go, I'm more than willing to let him."

His hand resuming to pet your hair once more after your answer. Abel stirring at the end of the couch caught both of your attention. He was still sleeping but looking rather uncomfortable in his corner.

"Goin' t' take him to bed. Sit tight," John said leaning forward from behind you and slipping out. Watching his large figure bending down and picking Abel up as if he weighed nothing and carrying him off. Abel's head slouched against John's shoulder making you smile. You couldn't help but wonder if his actual father does the same thing for him at his house.

It wasn't too long before John was back in the living room, long shadow stretching out on the floor first before his he entered the room. He stood in the doorway of the living room off the hallway, a smile on his face while he looked at you. There was something dark about this smile, but his eyes glinted with mischief.

"He's tucked in," arms extending up as he leaned against the door frame, "Still out like a light."

"What are you askin'?" shifting slightly, a coy smile on your face, fully knowing what he was suggesting.

He didn't answer, instead he almost sauntered to you before he pounced on to the couch. Pressing you against the cushions, mouth and teeth attached to your neck and shoulder working their way up to your ear.

"You sang earlier, think you can be quiet this time? Can't be waking Abel now…" He was teasing you, a hand already in the top of your dress, the other reaching up your skirt not giving you the chance to answer. Fingers pinching a rosey peak of your breast and hooking your already come soiled panties from earlier and pulling them down. When you arrived home he didn't even give you the chance to change... he didn't care. Burying your face into his shoulder biting down to be able to stay quiet, saving yourself the embarrassment of waking your son.

The happiness from today left John blinded. He was unaware of the tail that had followed you both most of the day. In the shadows your ex had followed you to the courthouse, out to the new house property and bearing witness to the acts of a new marriage.

Rage building within him, but what really made him upset was John entertaining Abel… and you just standing by idle allowing it to happen. Playing games and sharing dinner with him. Here this man you barely knew, swooped in and saved you. Made sure you and Abel were safe and was willing to lay down and bleed for you. And bleed he shall, your ex thought. A plan was forming in his head… but he just needed John to step away for only a moment before he would swoop in. Sink his claws into you and surely Abel will follow.

Previous

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Captain John Price Masterlist

taglist:

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[mypalbuck]

TWO GHOSTS — P. PARKER {4}

↳In which two people, trying to move on from the loss of their lovers, find themselves fated to one another.

pairing: tasm!Peter Parker x female!reader

warnings: NWH SPOILERS! angst, mentions of infidelity

a/n: hi my loves I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to update this fic. It’s a little rushed and I haven’t edited it but I wanted to get it out to you all for Christmas. There will be an epilogue after this. I hope you all love it. Happy holidays! 🩷

You felt a little bit of normalcy being back in your own world. It had been a year since the multiverse events. You resumed work straight away and threw yourself into it. That was the only way you could distract yourself from Pretty Brown Eyes Parker. Your dreams were constantly plagued with him, manifestations of what could have been. The life you two could have lived. So work you would if it meant it would keep the heartache at bay.

And it did work, for a little bit. It was only until you see the first fall of snow that you felt that sharp pang in your chest again. Yes you were safe and had decided to befriend your Peter and Harriet. You thought when Peter arrived at work it was to see Harriet now that she was off maternity leave but it was to see you. He wanted to make emends and invite you to baby May’s 1st birthday. To say you instantly fell in love with baby May was an understatement, strangely enough there wasn’t one part of you that was jealous or sad anymore. Your heart without you giving any permission belonged to someone else, someone worlds apart.

Every time you saw a flash of orange your heart leapt in the hopes that Pete came back for you, that somehow he begged Doctor Strange to open a portal back to you. But alas it was always a traffic light or shop sign.

“Thank you for being here Y/N, it means a lot to Harriet.” Peter of your universe pat you on the shoulder in a nostalgic way, you smiled and nodded your head and handed him baby May’s birthday present. “Actually, I go by MJ now.” You smiled at Peter in a friendly manner. There was no love between the two of you anymore, but you remained civil. Besides, you only had eyes for one Peter now and it sure as heck wasn’t this universe’s one.

The party went along in a blur and you found yourself fiddling your keys, the familiar Empire State keyring missing that you gave to Pete made your keys feel light and mundane now. You chuckled and pushed yourself off the wall you were leaning on, making your way to Peter and Harriet you bid them farewell and made your way out onto the snowy street.

You cursed under your breath for not bringing a warmer jacket for you walk home. You had rushed straight from work to the birthday. Pulling your lab coat closer to your chest you shoved your freezing hands into your pockets, you furrowed your brows when your fingers brushed against cool metal. You pulled the object out of your pocket and realised it was Doctor Strange’s ring.

You had forgotten that you had kept it. Looking down at the ring you clutched it tight in your fist before running home.

You were going to do it.

You were going to make your way back to him. You didn’t care how, you two belonged together there was no doubt about it.

When you got home you quickly packed a backpack with all your special items and things you needed. Clothes and other things were replaceable, a love like that wasn’t.

Grabbing some paper and envelopes you wrote a resignation letter to your work, a letter to Peter and Harriet and one to Gwen’s family. They would think that you moved countries for a work opportunity. But unbeknownst to them you’d be in a whole different universe.

There was nothing keeping you here anymore. Running downstairs to the postbox you quickly sent the letters off before preparing yourself for this new journey.

Slipping the ring onto your fingers you took a deep breath and tried to recall how Strange moved his hands to open the portal. Closing your eyes and thinking only of Peter you moved your hand in a circular motion until you felt heat and saw a bright light through your eyelids.

You gasped, it had worked.

Stepping through the portal you made your way into an unfamiliar apartment building. Walking around you observed all the photos on the wall, and there his smiling face was. You were in the right place.

Taking off your backpack you placed it by a gorgeous Christmas tree. You smiled at all the spiderman decorations on the tree before your hand stopped at a familiar keyring. Peter had placed the Empire State keyring you gave him in the centre of the tree. You let out a sob, this confirmed that you weren’t insane for traveling across universes for this man.

You were brought out of your thoughts when you heard the door open. Before you could move, a dog ran into the room and licked you. It was a brown Labrador. You leaned down to pat the pup and noticed its name was Mocha. Your favourite coffee.

Butterflies erupted in your stomach and your chest warmed. You were seconds away from seeing the light of your life. The man who gave you hope and made you feel loved within minutes of you meeting him.

Hearing footsteps coming closer you looked up to find Peter walking towards the kitchen across from where you were standing. When he called out to Mocha and she didn’t respond Peter turned around to face you. Eyes wide, jaw slacked he dropped all the groceries that were in his hands. He blinked and rubbed his eyes as if he were dreaming. He looked as beautiful as the day you lost him. Fluffy brown hair tucked under a beanie, plaid jacket and scarf hanging off his lean frame.

“Y/N, a-are you really here?”

All you did was nod your head, afraid your voice would betray you. That was all it took for Peter to rush over to you and embrace you tightly. Together the two of you wept in eachother arms.

Peter brought his hands to your face and cupped your cheeks. “So I’m not dreaming?” You laughed and pulled the familiar handkerchief he had given you, bringing it to his face to wipe his tears. “No you’re not Tiger, I’m real. I traveled across universes for you.”

Peter let out a laugh of joy before pulling his lips to yours in a kiss that one would describe as something from a romance novel or movie. You always dreamt that your first kiss with Peter would be sweet and gentle but how wrong were you. This kiss was passionate and full of need. All the pent up emotions, the grief, the longing was packed into one kiss. After a while you broke apart breathless. Peter’s face streamed with tears again as he kissed your forehead.

“Are you here for good?” He whispered, waiting for the pin to drop and for the two of you to be separated again. You smiled affectionately at him and stroked his cheek, he looked at you like a lost puppy. “You and me forever Pete, that is if you want me?”

His eyes widened “Are you kidding me! I literally wished for you under my Christmas tree this year and here you are.” He lifted your feet off the floor and carried you to the hallway. Sheepishly he pointed above to the roof where a piece of mistletoe hung.

“I mean… rules are rules.” Peter blushed, waiting cheekily for a kiss. How could you say no to him ever again. Grabbing his cheeks in your hands you kissed every inch of his face.

“Merry Christmas, Peter my love.”

“Merry Christmas, my MJ.”

to be continued in the epilogue….

Masterlist

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[tgmsunmontue]

Saga of Solitude 16/21

Nepo!Baby Bradley and his life at USNA and afterwards. DADT fully in force. IceMav AU. (Begun prior to 'It's not who you know' - the non-angsty version). (Side Hangster, which is ALSO angsty).

PROLOGUE (He remembers)

HANGSTER FIRST MEETING (Lonely Nights - set 2009)

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

ONE (2000) TWO (2001) THREE (2002) FOUR (2003) FIVE (2004) SIX (2005) SEVEN (2006) EIGHT (2007) NINE (2008) TEN (2009) ELEVEN (2010) TWELVE (2011) THIRTEEN (2012) FOURTEEN (2013) FIFTEEN (2014)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – 2015

                Pete knows he needs to stop freaking out. That he’s lucky to be watching all his kids grow up and get older, that this is something people don’t always get to see, the lack of Goose and Carole’s presence reminding him just how lucky he is. To not only have been given the opportunity to parent Bradley, but then gifted Tamsin and Petra both. The terror and pride are so heavily twined together they’re impossible for him to separate. Tamsin has finished her first year at Irvine, made the Dean’s list and is thriving.

  ��             She has a new boyfriend, Mitchell, and if that isn’t the weirdest name to hear being thrown around in nicer tones than he’s used to. He’s in the same program as Tamsin; smart and capable. Pete likes him. More than the last one. It helps that he likes taking things apart, is happy to help Mav with his cars and bikes. Treats Petra like a kid sister but also offers her advice which she listens to, despite Pete giving her the same advice and her pulling a face at him, like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

                It makes him feel old.

                Bradley worries him, not that he will ever say or do anything, but it doesn’t stop the worry. He mentions it to Ice in passing, that Bradley seems risk averse when it comes to relationships. Ice had just snorted and shaken his head, kissed him and told him that not everyone was like him. That Bradley took plenty of calculated risks all the time and Ice was glad of it.

…            …            …

                He attends the promotion ceremony, months after the actual promotions were announced. He wouldn’t usually make the effort, but he wants to meet Jake Seresin again, talk to him while keeping his suspicions at the front of his mind.

                “Lieutenant Seresin. Congratulations on your promotion.”

                “Thank you sir.”

                “I remember meeting you years ago, during your first deployment after you finished flights school.”

                “Yes sir. I remember. We had dinner with some of the others from my year.”

                “Hmm. I make it a habit to keep myself informed about as much as possible. Now… this may be a bit of a delicate question, and I don’t mean anything by it. However I have some experience in the matter…”

                Seresin has gone a little pale and Tom feels a thrill of hitting a target spot on, even if it’s not the target that Seresin may think it is.

                “How are you holding up with regards to killing another pilot?”

                Seresin visibly balks at his blunt wording, but he’s chosen them on purpose to garner an honest response.

                “My apologies Lieutenant for my blunt wording. I just wanted to say that if you ever needed to talk my door is always open. However you may wish to talk to someone

Not quite as highly ranked as myself. My husband is someone unfortunately intimately familiar with shooting other planes down. You may have heard of him. Captain Maverick Mitchell.”

                BAM. The rapid shifting of eyes and quick look of disbelief are quickly shuttered away and Seresin looks the epitome of calm and composed gentleman in seconds but he knows what he saw.

                “Your… husband sir?”

                “Hmm. Not common knowledge of course. I hope I can trust you with the information.”

                “Of course, sir. Thank you for trusting me.”

                “Here. This is his card. If you need to talk to someone with similar life experiences, then he’d be a good person for you to reach out to. All off the record.”

                “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

                “Of course, Lieutenant. Congratulations again.”

…            …            …

                They go on vacation together as a family, not that Bradley can come but the six of them, Sarah and Melissa, Tamsin and Petra, him and Pete, all go to Hawaii and while he pops into the base there he takes Tamsin with him, leaving Pete and Petra planning on hiring jet skis. He hopes there’s no trip to Urgent Care in his future.

                For either of them.

                Of course when he gets the call he feels like he shouldn’t have even put the thought out to the universe, glad that Melissa was there to insist that Maverick actually go to the hospital. Not that he expects a broken arm to slow Mav down any, but he can live in hope.

…            …            …

                He doesn’t really understand just how or why how easily Jake Seresin gets under his skin as much as he does. It’s not even the first time he’s found himself like this this year, and five times is probably a habit, but one that is bad for him, leaves him feeling emotionally raw and frayed around the edges. He hadn’t come out looking for Jake, but like some weird coincidence their paths keep overlapping and as the music pounds and lights flash he steps in front of Jake, forcing him to look at him, eyes flashing with sudden recognition.

                “Don’t fucking start with me Bradshaw…” Jake hisses under his breath as he shoves past Bradley, eyes dark with anger. He knows from experience now that he can goad that anger into arousal without too much effort. That Jake lets him.

                “What are you going to do about it?” Bradley asks, yells to be heard over the music, following him, lip twitching with amusement, because he knows that laughing at Jake is the fastest way to make him lose his temper. Bradley’s own temper is slower burning, it takes a lot for him to get angry and stay angry. Jake though? He gets angry fast but also shifts away from anger with a blink of an eye, although it tinges the following interactions with the flavor of his anger and it’s something Bradley has found himself wanting to taste all too often.

                They’ve fucked each other, hard and rough, fighting for control. While Jake might be a little stronger than him, Bradley has the slight height advantage and knows how to use it for leverage. The first time he’d deliberately let Jake win, wanted to be fucked and wanted more to see the look on Jake’s face as he fucked into him. He hadn’t even got that though; Jake had pushed him face first into the rough sheets of the motel bed and pinned him down. Given him the bare minimum of prep before pushing himself into the tight hot clench of Bradley’s body. Even now he shudders at the memory, cock filling a little more.

                “I don’t need to do anything about it. You want me Bradshaw, I know you do…”

                Bradley leans back and crosses his arms, knows Jake will be able to see his half-hard cock in his pants. Has another flash of memory, looking in the mirror the morning after, his body covered in vivid purple scratches that show blood close to the surface of his skin, the red imprints of Jake’s teeth all over. He’d been glad it had been winter at the time, didn’t need to make excuses for the longer sleeved and higher necked tops which he only wears when it’s truly chilly.

                “Tell me something I don’t know.”

                “You’re such an asshole…”

                Bradley concedes the point with a slight incline of his head, because he can admit that his interactions with Jake are definitely not normal for him, and he doesn’t get it while at the same time part of him thrills at it. Thrills at the fact that Jake is stepping in close, shoving a leg between his and grinding against him, jaw tight with anger as he glares at Bradley. He raises an eyebrow, not finished goading Jake into action. Into where he wants him.

                “You want to get on your knees for me Bradshaw?”

                “Always.”

                Oops.

                That was probably a little telling, but Jake doesn’t seem to clock it as the truth, his eyeroll showing how quickly he dismisses what accidentally slipped past his defenses.

                “You have a place?”

                “You know I do…”

                “Good. Lead the way.”

                Bradley lets his himself strut a little, glad he’s getting his way, knows Jake is walking behind him and watching. That they’ve done this often enough now that Jake knows how Bradley operates. Getting a motel room within walking distance of some clubs whenever he has some leave or time off. Goes dancing and finds someone to fuck.

                He remembers calling Jake baby, almost unable to call him anything but the first time they hooked up. Remembers Jake calling him an asshole then too. He’d liked riling Jake up even then, but he’d definitely been sweeter with it, a far softer tease, flirty back and forth than what it has devolved into. His past decision to cut this thing with Jake off before it grew into something has clearly failed, has instead grown twisted roots that have a firm hold on him. He knows he could ask Ice to stop him being deployed to places where Jake is. He knows Ice is high enough rank to have that sway. But he doesn’t want to. He’d rather have these breadcrumbs than nothing at all.

…            …            …

                Tom doesn’t like the fact that he’s getting a reputation for dealing with the fuckups of the other branches of the DoD, but also considering the potential trajectory of his career he can’t not take part. He’s horrified when he sits through the briefing on the attack, keeps his face expressionless, listens as the pilot questions the legality of the hit on the hospital and doesn’t do anything more than blink a little more rapidly when he hears the casualties and excuses. They have processes and procedures and he knows he has to have the back of the people under his command, but this was not the Navy and he wants these types of fuck up to stop happening and he knows the higher he is the more chance he has of making sure that doesn’t happen.

…            …            …

                He’s lying on his bed, Natasha curled up beside him, her head rested on his chest while they watch an old movie neither of them are really paying attention to. They’re meant to be acting as chaperones for Petra’s New Year’s Eve party, which he’d agreed to do from his bedroom. Tamsin has gone back to college; Mav and Ice have gone to Melissa and Sarah’s place, agreeing that they would totally cramp Petra’s style. Natasha is the only one Petra actually doesn’t mind being there, only agreeing that Bradley can stay because he’s Natasha’s best friend. He knows a case of hero worship when he sees one.

                “I think I’m fucked up…”

                “What was your first clue?”

                “Haha. I’m serious…”

                “You’re also drunk.”

                “Yeah. Not that drunk. Do you think it’s possible for us to have normal relationships?”

                “Uh… what?”

                “Relationships. I want one.”

                “Uh. Okay? You have someone in mind?”

                He lets out a long sigh. Thinks of Jake and how badly he’s dealt with their whole… thing.

                “No.”

                “Well. That’s your first problem.”

                “Bit hard to meet people who aren’t also in the service.”

                “Yeah. But also those who aren’t don’t get our way of life either…”

                Bradley sighs again, thinks about Ice and Maverick, how they’ve very slowly started being a little more unguarded about their relationship to one another outside of their immediate family unit. He’s starting to realize that he probably hasn’t really had the best examples of what a relationship is meant to be, although Melissa and Sarah are pretty solid. They didn’t really raise him though. He has Mav marrying his mom to hide his relationship to Ice, and Ice marrying Sarah and having kids to do the same. He’s now thirty-two, and he doesn’t need to hide his sexuality at all, but he also doesn’t know how to go about stopping it from fucking him up, or from fucking up any future relationships.

                “I think I need therapy.”

                “Don’t we all…” Natasha murmurs and lifts her glass to toast him.

(Next up another Jake interlude...)

SEVENTEEN

[deathofacupid]

my peter | peter parker

takes place during no way home, tw: cursing maybe, mentions of suicide

i dont i remember the movie, and i couldn't pull it up so enjoy this made up script that loosely follows that plot with multiple time gaps :)

ghostspider!reader (yall the ghostspider was researched for like 15 minutes and i have the most vague understanding of it)

summary: you end up in peter's world... just not your peter's. (takes place during no way home.)

word count: 2.0k-ish words

i didn't know how i ended up here. on second i was there... and then... i wasn't.

i remember falling, i think. from something tall? a building. yeah, a building. no. we were- we were on a clock tower? at the top. and the last thing i remember is a gunshot. shot directly at my webs-wings...?

i was falling, and then i wasn't.

i pulled myself up against the wall of the dark alleyway, shivering as the cold air wrapped itself around me, sending goosebumps down my skin. i simply couldn't remember how i'd gotten here, and it was killing me. i staggered out, my vision blurry. i hovered my hand in the air, faint blue sparks crackling.

my eyes widened when i heard loud honking, and bright lights seared into my line of sight. i opened my mouth to scream, but suddenly a blur of blue and red swung by me, and then my feet weren't in the ground. i buried my nose into the neck of whoever it was, and it only took one thing to figure out who it was.

his smell. he smelled like love and pinewood and all the sweet things. and as creepy as it probably sounded, he smelled distinct, like home. he was home.

he was peter.

even after he'd set me down somewhere, i still let my arms linger for a moment longer. or two.

"uh, ma'am? i-"

my eyes glazed over, because here he was. here was peter. but how? wasn't he dead? my peter was dead, right?

"peter, love, is- is that you? how-... oh my god. i- i thought you were dead- you have no idea how happy i am to see you. i'm actually going crazy, aren't i? you wouldn't believe it. because one second, i'm on the clock tower and then you're here and i'm in an alley. what happened?"

he was stuttering, and clearly struggling to piece together a sentence. "w-who's peter? i'm not- i'm not peter," peter said, laughing nervously.

"can you not, babe? i'm in a dilemma. like, dilemma dilemma. no joking right now. like... you're here. right now. in front of me... but... you're dead."

"i'm not peter, and not dead." he added.

"hon, we've literally been over this. i know you're spider-man. remember when i walked into you changing out of the suit? because, like, not to brag, i knew something was up."

"look, lady, i've got no idea who you are, but you need to chill. i don't know who you think i am, but i'm certainly not him. please let me take you home, or to your asylum, or wherever it is that you live."

"pete, this isn't funny."

"yeah, i get that. and i'm not peter."

"yes, you are. you're peter parker, age nineteen, you live with your aunt, and you swing around in speedos all day for fun. i think i know who my fucking boyfriend is, all right? now tell me what's going on, like, right now."

he was speechless, and i took that as an opportunity to rip his mask off his face, causing him to yelp in shock. i could see anger knitted onto his eyebrows, and tucked fiercely behind his eyes. "what the hell-!"

in every way possible, he was peter benjamin parker. except one.

i ran my thumb over his left cheekbone, brushing the spot gently.

my peter parker had a scar across that part of his skin, and i knew that because i kissed him there every morning. right? ...right?

so what on earth was going on?

"you- you don't..." i took a half step back, and i knew he said something, but i couldn't hear him. my heart was thudding so loudly in my chest, i could hear it in my ears. when i turned around, i saw a large building, and on it was a giant "a", lit up and shining like a christmas tree.

since when was that there? since when was...?

and the more i looked, the more i could pick things out. many, many things. like the fact that there was a delmar's? as far as i knew, that didn't exist. it didn't... it wouldn't- but then what was i looking at? what was happening?

my head was aching, and it felt like the migraine i had would kill me.

fuzzy images swirled around in my brain, pressed towards the back of my head.

"-under arrest."

"she can't-"

screaming.

"-murdered harry-"

"he tried to-"

"-killed peter.

"peter-... suicide-"

"no-"

fuzzy again.

more screaming.

"-doesn't justify her actions-"

"she-"

god, the screaming. it was drilling itself into my head, burning into my memory. and it wouldn't stop. it wouldn't- wouldn't stop.

peter was dead. harry was dead. and i was wanted for- no. no, no, no, this couldn't be happening. i was- i-

i took another step forward and i felt the the floor behind me disappear. only then did it hit me that i was on the high piller of a big bridge. i heard a thwip behind me. and i was pulled back, my back hitting something. tilting my head up, i saw peter's (was it even him?) confused expression, before it morphed into something of understanding. like he knew somthing i didn't.

"you're right. i am peter parker. but i'm not your peter parker. i, uh, i'm not really sure how to explain it, but this isn't your universe."

"i- i don't-"

"i know, i know. i can help you, but only if you trust me. can you do that?"

i didn't even comprehend the fact i was nodding, because not even a second later, i was holding onto him for dear life and swinging.

-

things had happened (not many) since i'd met him. met? was that the right word? because i'd met him before, and god, i'd done a little more than just love him. but i think this was different. maybe because i... i was in a different universe? multiverse? he tried to explain it to me, but my brain still hadn't caught up.

also, i cried.

a lot.

and then i stopped. because my tear ducts were dead, and it didn't feel real. so i ignored anything that had already happened, and focused on what was about to happen.

everything was hazy, and i couldn't figure it out.

for some reason, being near this peter made me feel safe. because he looked the same, talked the same, and acted the same. i pulled his hands to me, holding them in mine. my lips were pressed in a thin line, and my eyes were watering, briming with tears.

he could tell i was scared. i think he was, too, because he didn't let go. he stayed by me.

when would i go home? go back to peter? not any peter, my peter. was i even going to get to go home?

i wasn't alone here. we were in some... basement? it doesn't matter. anyways, there were other people. three were in some weird cell thing, and there was a boy, maybe around peter's age, talking to another man.

he was tall and had a fancy looking cape around him that i could only wish i had. he was awesome, i decided.

"hey, uh, girl," he nodded towards me, and on instict i sat up a little straighter. "do me a favor, yeah?" he asked me, but i got the sense that it was rhetorical, so i didn't answer. "go- go stand over there," the man squinted and pointed his finger toward a small corner, secluded slightly."

"dr. strange?" peter inquired, "what are you-"

"uh-bup-bup-bup. no talking, spiderling."

i made brief contact with the curly hair boy and dropped my hands, standing up to do what he was saying. at this point, i'd figured that it was better not to question cape guy. but the second i got there, i hear a whoosh of air behind me. turning around, i saw that they were trapped in the same translucent cage.

"hey!" peter yelled, "what the fuck did you do? does it look like she's of any harm at all?"

i paused. they weren't in it. i was. sucking in a breath, i stumbled backwards, hitting the wall. i just wanted to go home. i didn't ask for this. i didn't ask for any of this. i just wanted to go home. to peter. to my peter.

"what's the point, anyways?" strange retorted. "she can't go home, now can she? and she sure as hell can't stay here."

peter didn't say anything, so strange continued. "she's gonna die, peter, and there's nothing we can do." he looked at me, "i'm sorry."

"no," i murmured, so quietly i was suprised to hear myself. "you aren't sorry. don't shit yourself. you don't care. and why would you? this doesn't concern you, you selfish bastard."

"she can stay here," ned piped up. "with us. s-she can help us- an-and..."

"yeah!" peter exclaimed. my heart beat a little faster then.

strange sighed and shook his head, "i don't think you understand the consequences-"

"so what do i do then? go ahead, enlighten me. take her home to die? because, yeah, that makes me a great hero."

"kid, it's not about-"

"she's staying. she's helping us send them home... and then- and then she can stay." he looked over at me, "you do want to stay, right?"

i shrugged. what was left at home for me anyways? death row? maybe i could have a fresh start. here, with... peter. could he be my peter?

"yes. i do."

"then it's settled, let her out," ned declared.

-

pete and i were outside, on the roof. we weren't talking, but the silence between us was enough. i lit small blue sparks in my hand, playing with them. it was nice. it was comforting.

"so, uh- woah. that- that's awesome!"

i looked over at him. "huh? oh. yeah. i'm like you, but not."

he looked confused, so i took it upon myself to elaborate.

"well, you're spider-man. i'm- i'm ghost spider. long story. don't wanna go into it."

"it's okay. i can't do that. i can stick to walls," he grinned, making me snicker.

"oh, what a skill."

"how'd you get here?" peter asker, once the giggles died down.

i sucked in a breath, "harry osborne? i don't think you have one. he was my peter's best friend. got into an argument because harry was sick and he needed peter's blood to... i dunno, heal? get better? anyways, peter wouldn't give it to him because of the possible effects his blood could have, because of the spider bite."

he nodded, signaling me to continue, "harry pulled some crazy shit, turned into a crazy flying green man... and... he killed my peter." my voice cracked towards the end.

"i- i'm so sorry."

"it's okay. harry made it look like a suicide, but i knew. i knew and that was enough. harry owed oscorp, which is like the stark industries. who's gonna pin it on a rich white man? no one. i guess i had enough... and i killed him. the world found out and they all wanted ghost-spider dead. so... yeah. i don't really remember how exactly, but i fell from a clock tower. i know that if i tried, i could've saved myself. but i- i didn't want to."

"i'm sorry." he said again, because what else was there to say? "i lost my... you."

"what?"

"my mj. strange says there's a version of every person in every alternate universe. mj was you. i couldn't save her."

"that's the worst part of this job. you can't save the ones that matter the most."

"yeah," he murmured solemnly.

"i'm glad that if i'm stuck here, i'm stuck here with you."

he smiled, dropping his head onto my lap, and i quietly played with his hair.

-

"oh my god. we did it. we- we did it!"

"yeah," he said quietly.

"oh, peter, i'm so, so, so sorry. about- about all this. about may, and about the whole world, well, except me, forgett-"

"it's okay," peter smiled softly, pulling me close to him. "because... at least i got something good out of it," and with that, i'm proud to say, he kissed me.

yes, we were still grieving. but it would be okay. because we'd do it together.

my peter.

[stinkysam]

Peter Parker - Did you know I love lizards ?

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : The reader has powers like the lizard because he took a more advance version of the serum that made the lizard what he was and now at will he can transform into his lizard state. So after the reader takes the serum he started to help around the city and Spiderman starts to investigate and finds out that this new hero is his boyfriend who was diagnosed with cancer and the reader had to take the serum or die

Reader : male (you/his)

A/N : part TWO

He came home earlier. Again.

It was weird.

This is not something that happens a lot and especially not multiple times in a row. At least not since he picked up the spider suit.

At first he was happy about it. Somehow New York city was being nice and had decided to give him some peace.

It allowed him to spend more time with you, his boyfriend.

He wouldn't have questioned it if his boyfriend hadn't been acting weird lately.

Despite your cancer, you never let it get the best of you, even during the hardest time. But this was something else.

You were hiding something, he could feel it. Sense it.

So he decided to follow you one day, to stalk you ; and you turned out to be pretty difficult to follow. Multiple times he lost you only to find you back later at a totally normal place. Nothing out of the ordinary except from these disappearances.

Which was weird as well because how could you escape him like that, so easily without even being aware you were being watched. Or so he thought.

Then, something caught his attention. Another "hero" appeared. It's what he heard in a conversation between two police officers. 

Hero or, as the police call it, "another criminal / madman / monster" wait what.

"Monster" ?

Peter wondered why they would call someone a monster, what did he do to be called such a thing ? Nothing, he found later at home. This "monster" did the same as him, handing criminals to the police. You were the one to tell him that.

Yet you couldn't explain the "monster" part. So later he browsed the internet only to find amateur videos about a lizard man. He thought they were fake at first. It wasn't the first time he saw those kinds of videos, but those relayed by the TV ? He had no choice but to believe it.

He wondered how such a thing could happen. Everyone who had been transformed into a lizard got turned back into humans thanks to the serum he launched right after. It couldn't have missed someone, right ? And be stuck as a lizard for years without making it known ? Weird. Was this "hero" really born that night ?

He had to find them to know and to help them fix it.

Peter thought that since they did the same thing as him, it would be easy to find them, where the crime is, there they are ! But each time they seemed to always be in the opposite place as him, always so far away as if they knew where he was and were avoiding him.

After a few days he remembered the sewers. He could catch them there, playing on their field.

And it didn't miss. After a few hours of waiting one of his webs moved.

Following its direction, another one vibrated, quickly he followed them and fast enough he found the lizard.

Quietly and slowly he hid, not wanting to be found just yet, waiting for a good and safe opportunity to show up.

But suddenly, they jump up the drain to leave the sewers and their shape changes, slimmer, smaller. And their face shows just for a second.

?!

They looked like you ?! Quickly, he followed you, them, ??? and found himself facing you as you were about to close the manhole. 

"[Name] ?"

"Pete- Spider-man ?"

"You're the lizard-man ?"

"No ?"

"...oh sorry for a moment I thought I saw the lizard turn literally into you. [Name]."

You sigh, helping him out the drain and explain yourself. For a moment he can't believe it's you and wonders if you don't have a clone or something like that. Then it made sense.

You had quitted your job, you had free time yet you were barely home. You didn't text him as much as before now, too busy to keep him company through text.

"So your cancer is, gone, gone ?"

"Yeah"

"How are you going to explain that to your friends ?"

"Well, my cancer is gone. I beat it. I won. I'm cancer free. Whatever cancer free person say."

For a moment he doesn't know what to say. Congrats ? You did the right thing ? It could've been dangerous you shouldn't have ? He's glad you're okay ?

So he says nothing, first taking in everything you told him and understanding how you felt and feel now. 

"Why didn't you tell me ?"

"I didn't know how to. I tried dropping hints but it was so lame I-"

"You said you loved lizards two weeks ago. I should've known."

"No."

[slut-for-evans-stan]

I've got you.

Pairing: Pete Brenner x reader

Word count: 1.3k

Warnings: fluff!!

Summary: after a bad day at work, the reader comes home to her husband Pete who showers her with his love, making her forget all her worries.

(I feel that aside from all the douchiness, Pete is a softie and a very caring lover)

Requested by: @maximeverstappen

a/n: this is my first ever fic in years and I've no clue how stuff works on Tumblr. This is not proofread, please pardon me for errors if any! I tried my best :')

Please like, comment and/or reblog, it'll make me really happy <3

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

To say her day at work was exhausting and grueling was an understatement. From the moment y/n stepped foot in the office, something or the other kept going wrong, and most of it wasn't even her fault but being the Team player she was, she took a big part of the blame on herself.

To add to her misery, while in a hurry she almost tripped down the stairs, the impact of trying to regain balance hard on her left ankle but she had no time to pay attention to that, rushing to get her superior's signature on the required documents.

Y/n was so caught up with her tasks that she didn't even bother having anything for lunch, just wanting to get done with all the workload so she could relax.

Around 4:55 pm, she breathed a long sigh of relief shutting off her laptop and settling her belongings, having finally finished all the work that was in her cup for the week. All she wanted now was to go home and cuddle with her husband till she fell asleep. After locking up her cabin and telling her

"see you tomorrow"s

to fellow colleagues, she left the office walking to the parking lot and getting in her car to drive off.

Once in her car, she checked her phone for the first time since she left for work this morning, seeing about 10 missed calls and texts from her husband, Pete. They'd usually facetime each other during their lunch breaks, eating together and talking about how their day was going so far but today she didn't get the opportunity to do that either. Y/n opened his chat and told him that she's on her way back, apologizing for not calling or responding to his texts and that she had a terrible day at work. Starting her car and playing some calming music she set on her way back home.

Around half an hour later, Pete heard the sound of her car, smiling to himself, excited to finally see y/n after a busy day. Before she could even ring the doorbell, the door to their home opened and she was welcomed with the sight of Pete looking ever so handsome in just his pajamas. Dropping her handbag, y/n immediately jumped right into his arms, hugging him and he held her tight and stayed like that for minutes. When they parted, she had her hands around his neck. He saw tears in her eyes and caressed her face, planting a soft kiss on her lips and temple, smiling, and softly whispered

"It's okay baby, it's okay. I've got you".

He held her hand leading her inside their home. As they entered the living room, y/n was greeted by the warm scent of dinner being prepared in the kitchen, which made her very aware of how hungry she was. Right after Pete had received y/n's text, he'd made up his mind on making her feel better in whatever ways he could. He turned y/n around and said

"Dinner will be ready soon sweetheart, I've already drawn the tub for you, why don't you go ahead and take a nice, hot bath to soothe your muscles? ".

Y/n hummed quietly, planting a kiss on Pete's cheek, smiling to herself wearily as she made her way to the bathroom.

As she soaked in the warm bath scattered with fragrant rose petals, feeling her tension begin to ease, Pete knocked and came in with a glass of her favourite wine, setting it down on a sitting stool beside the bathtub, making her whisper a soft

"thank you baby"

and he planted another soft kiss on her forehead and left. She could hear the sounds of Pete chopping vegetables and stirring pots in the kitchen, making her stomach rumble in anticipation.

After a while, y/n got out of the bathtub, dried herself, and changed into comfortable clothing- Pete's maroon hoodie and a pair of shorts, feeling a little better. As she emerged from the bathroom, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, the soft glow of candles lead her to the dining table, where a playlist of their favourite songs played in the background, creating a soundtrack for their evening. She found Pete waiting for her at the dining table which was adorned with fresh flowers, and a handwritten note expressing his love awaited her, tucked beneath the dinner napkin.

She sat down with a suprised look on her face, and said

"How did you manage to do all this is in such a short time?"

with a cheesy grin and a wink he replied,

"My love for you makes me efficient in a way I can't explain."

As soon as he opened the pot's lid, y/n squealed happily, seeing that Pete had made her favorite chicken stew for dinner, a string of thank yous falling from her lips. Pete fed her the first bite of food and she groaned in satisfaction at the delicious taste, saying

"Gosh you are the best!"

making him chuckle and respond

"I know".

Savouring each bite, she did a happy little dance as she ate, her stressful day at work long forgotten. Y/n couldn't help but notice the way Pete looked at her with so much adoration and love in his eyes, making her wonder how she ever got so lucky to have found him.

"You know, babe" he said,

"I've been thinking. Why don't we take the day off tomorrow and have a relaxing day with each other, not having to worry about anything?"

Y/n's heart swelled with gratitude and she nodded eagerly.

They finished their dinner, chatting and laughing together. They then watched a few episodes of the show they were currently invested in, while Pete gently ran his fingers through y/n's hair, massaging her scalp, making her doze off. He then carried her bridal style, to their bedroom and gently put her down on the bed, under the blankets and got in himself, holding her close, falling in a deep slumber.

The next morning, Pete woke Y/n up with a cup of coffee, presenting her with a carefully planned itinerary for their day off. Their day began with a leisurely breakfast, laughter dancing in the air. He whisked her away to a spa day, their journey to the spa involving a scenic drive with the windows down, and her favourite tunes setting the mood. He had arranged for a personalized treatment, ensuring his wife felt like royalty.

During their drive to the nail and hair appointments, he engaged her in delightful conversation, peppering the day with shared laughter and stolen glances that spoke volumes. His heart so filled with love for her, cherishing every moment by her side.

They spent the rest of their day strolling down and exploring the city, hand in hand, simply enjoying each other's company while the world seemed to pause, leaving room for the warmth of their connection to fill the air. They laughed and joked just the way they did while they had just started dating, and Y/n felt all her stress and anxiety melt away.

They had lunch at a rooftop restaurant, enjoying the view of the city, walked to a park where they laid down on a blanket under a tree, watching the clouds roll by and listening to the birds sing. It was a perfect day and y/n felt grateful to have Pete by her side, grateful for the love and care he showered her with.

As the sun began to set, they drove back home and cuddled up on the couch together, with y/n's head resting on Pete's lap watching a movie and just enjoying each other's company. It was a simple, yet perfect day, and y/n knew that she was loved and cherished by her wonderful husband.

She looked up at Pete with affection in her eyes.

"I love you so much Pete. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"I love you so much more my baby, You're my everything."

He bent his head down, their lips meeting in a passionate, loving kiss. They headed to their bedroom, falling asleep in each others arms, with smiles on their faces, knowing no matter how bad things got around them, they'd always have each other.

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

a/n: I really enjoyed writing this fic! I hope y'all liked reading it too. I'd really appreciate if you'd comment any thoughts, suggestions or requests that you have! Thank you ^_^

[captainswan618]

holy shit ok just watched the giggle.

1: HOLY FUCK HE ACTUALLY ADMITTED HE LOVED ROSE THANK YOU SO MUCHHHHH

I was literally ranting two days ago about how Ten never managed to actually confess to her!!! And then here comes Fourteen with a general level of emotional vulnerability and affection that we NEVER saw from Ten, and then Fifteen goes and just SAYS it AUGHHGJGHHHHH

2: So I absolutely loved the ending, don’t get me wrong. Fourteen settling down with Donna and her family is absolutely incredible, and I don’t want to diminish how important the centering of their platonic relationship was to me.

But god it was so reminiscent of Journey’s End, I couldn’t get it out of my head the entire time. I just kept thinking, like…this is what Rose’s end with Tentoo could have been.

Like…with Journey’s End, the main issues I had were:

Tentoo was literally a different person (including noticeable personality differences, like KILLING ALL OF THE DALEKS WITH NO REMORSE) thanks to Donna’s DNA.

The Doctor said some bullshit about it being Rose’s responsibility to ““fix”” Tentoo, as if her entire purpose was to rehabilitate him (which wouldn’t be necessary if he really was the same person but whatever), instead of having her own existence. (And he acted like she had actively set out to fix him before?? Instead of just having a positive impact on him in general, because that’s how people work???) He literally stranded her with someone who was “too dangerous to be left alone,” in the hopes that she would somehow…rein him in, I guess? I don’t really see how “too dangerous to be left alone” translates to “perfect person to spend your life with,” but whatever.

He never gave her a choice of where to go. He just told her she had to stay in Pete’s world with Tentoo, and didn’t ask what she wanted. And when he deliberately held back his confession and Tentoo didn’t, and she kissed Tentoo (because like yeah, obviously you pick the one that’s willing to actually TELL you how he feels!), he took that as an opportunity to leave before she could stop him. She kissed Tentoo, but that does NOT mean she consented to the Doctor just leaving her there, and you can see it in the distress on her face when she hears the TARDIS.

But the end of this episode had exactly none of those problems! For 1, the bi-generation really was Fourteen, not a corrupted clone (and I wouldn’t have even had an issue with Tentoo if he had been an exact clone! but noooo). 2 is irrelevant since 1 wasn’t a problem, and 3 is irrelevant because they weren’t in a parallel universe in the first place.

So yeah. As much as I’m happy with the way it ended, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to think about it without comparing it to Journey’s End, and dreaming of what we could have had.

(Actually, if anyone has fic recs that merge the two concepts in any way, or make Journey’s End more like this episode, or just fix Journey’s End in general, please let me know!!!)

[miss0atae]

Random thoughts about Pit Babe the series Ep 9:

This episode was packed with many information and twists. I'm never bored when I watch this series.

▪️ First of all, let's talk about Babe. I felt for him so much in this episode. The betrayal he had to feel when he learnt about Way being the Enigma, hiding his work for Tony and basically lying from the very beginning. Babe really saw Way as his best and most trusted friend. It was hard to watch. I have to admit, I never watched Pavel in another series before, but I admit he really know how to cry. He do it beautifully. It's weird to say it this way, but I hope it's understandable. It must be really hard when you can't trust anyone. I'm sad for Babe. He quoted all the people who betrayed him and Charlie is quite lucky that he didn't say his name. Even if I like them together and think they are a cute couple, Charlie took his sweet time to tell the truth to Babe. Thankfully, Babe really loves him and I don't doubt that Charlie loves him back but he hasn't been trustful from the beginning either.

▪️ Charlie had many opportunities to use Babe's gift in this episode. I like how he was the one who had to deal with the consequences before the race. He can now fully understand what Babe was living before. I also found that so sweet how Babe came to me and was so lovable with him. I appreciate all the fluff and domestic vibes they have together. However, I wish Charlie was better at learning from his past mistakes. He told Babe he would tell him the truth but he is still hiding things from him. I wanna talk about when Jeff told him about his vision and they made a plan together but they haven't told anyone else about it. It's again going to break Babe's heart and as much as I find Pavel pretty when he is crying, I think Babe had enough sorrow. He doesn't need to cry more.

▪️ Jeff and Alan... We got robbed again! Yes, they had their little cute moment and it seems that Alan understand now that he has feeling for Jeff (thanks to the love matchmakers that are Sonic and North, they may be bad at rescuing people but at least they are better at being love gurus). I melted a little bit when Jeff called himself "Alan's boy". I thought they would kiss right at that moment... but no! It's frustrating! You like each other, time to have some action.

▪️ I understand now why Pete called Kenta, Ken. It's because he is "buying/saving" all those kids. They may have met this way. It is not said in the series but I haven't found a better explanation. Babe learnt from him that he is actively trying to convict Tony. He also knows him (it seems almost every character is Tony's son now which hilarious) and is the second Enigma. I hope he'll succeeded in his mission but also that he will save Way.

▪️ Now, we need to say something about Way... Of course, he was the second Enigma and he also tried to sexually assaulted Babe. I never liked him but for the first time I felt pity for him. What he did was terrible and there is no excuses. However, I feel like he has a lot of self-loathing. He was threatened by Tony. Way is afraid of him and when you're living in such bad environment it's hard to act rightly. We also learnt that he was homeless before Tony took care of him. I don't know what is going to be his redemption arc but I hope he'll get it. He seems so miserable. Tony is just so toxic. I felt like it was a miracle that Babe, Charlie, Pete or Jeff are not more f****d up in the head because of it. I don't know, I feel like Way could have turned differently.

▪️ We got nothing from Kenta or Kim and I'm starting to think that it is not meant to be. Also, what is Kenta's deal?! He seems to not really be on board with what Tony is doing but at the same time he is doing his work. I need answers!

▪️ Dean is also back in the team? Can we really trust him? I'm not sure. Especially after seeing the trailer.

▪️ By the way, why is Charlie always loosing?! He got special ability and he was trained by Babe. You need to do better Charlie! I wish he won this race. I'm stressed now with what I saw on the trailer.

I can't wait to be next Friday.

[imawkwardlysoc]

things left unsaid

Song- Unsaid Emily from Julie and the Phantoms

Paring(s)- tom kazansky & child!reader, pete mitchell & kazansky! reader

Warning(s)- Mentions of a character dying, angst, gn!reader

Wordcount- 972

Summary- It's been fifteen years since the reader has last seen their father and fifteen years later, they see their father buried six feet under the ground.

*Fifteen Years Ago*

“Dad, really? You can’t be serious! You can’t do this to me.”

“I’m damn sure I can. You’re wasting a perfectly good opportunity.”

“What opportunity? Going to Stanford to become a lawyer and be depressed for the rest of my life?” I questioned my dad. “I got offered a better opportunity than Stanford.”

“So you’re just throwing away your college career to travel around the world and play music?” He asked.

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “Why aren’t you happy about me getting this deal?”

“Because you’re too young.” He looked at me.

“I’m eighteen years old,” I let out a laugh. “I already graduated high school. I’m taking this deal whether you like it or not.”

“Y/N, just listen to me!”

“No,” I grabbed my bag. “I’m not. See you.”

Walking out of the house, I heard my mother calling my name, wishing that I would come back. That was the last time I ever came back to that house.

*Present Day*

“Y/N, Dad passed.”

_______

As I pulled up to the cemetery, the sky had a purple/blue violet hue. Driving through it, there were barely any cars there. I could easily see where his plot was just from the flowers that were placed on his grave. Parking the car and turning it off, I let out a shaky breath and looked over at the plot.

“Come on Y/N, you can do this,” I motivated myself.

Getting out of the car, I started to feel my legs shake a little as I walked closer to the plot. Kneeling down in front of the headstone, I traced over the engraved words that were on there.

Tom “Iceman” Kazansky

1959-2019

Devoted husband, father, and naval aviator

Blinking, I felt the salty tears run down my cheeks as my emotions started to come out of me. All of the memories that I had with him entered my mind.

Why was I so stubborn? I could’ve listened to him. If I did, I would’ve had more time with him. I would’ve been by his side when he took his last breath. 

But I didn’t.

I decided to be a stubborn young adult and not follow my father’s wishes. Despite where I got in my career by releasing two number one albums and winning many awards, they weren’t worth it. I would trade all of those to have him back. To have my father back.

“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed. “I should’ve listened to you. You’re so fucking disappointed in me.”

“He’s not.” I looked over my shoulder and saw his wingman in his dress blues. “He’s pretty damn proud of you.”

“Mav.” I got up and hugged him.

“Hey kiddo,” he hugged back. “How are you?”

That’s where I broke down more. Pulling me closer to his chest, I started to sob more into his chest.

“Why?” My voice croaked. “Why did he have to leave? Why did I leave?”

“Because you’re just like your father, stubborn as hell,” Mav let out a chuckle to lighten the mood.

“I should’ve just gone to Stanford and become a lawyer,” I waved my hands in the air. “That would’ve meant that I would’ve had more memories with him.”

“But you would’ve been miserable,” my father’s wingman told me. “You should just see his face when he sees you perform.”

“What?” I looked at him.

“Yeah, he’s been to all of your concerts ever since you released your first album,” he nodded his head. “He dragged Slider and I to them most of the time if we’re in the same area.”

“Would’ve been nice to know that earlier.”

“I know but he made Sli and I promise not to mention it to anyone, even your mom and siblings.”

“Wow, can’t believe that he was there at all of my concerts.” I let out a laugh while shaking my head in disbelief. “I left so many things behind that day. My old life. My family. So many things I want back. There are things I left unsaid.”

“And you can get them back,” Mav gave me a small smile.

“How?” I questioned.

“Let’s start with your mom and siblings,” he replied. “One step at a time.”

“Thanks Mav.” I hugged him.

“It’s no problem,” he hugged back. “If you ever want to talk, ask your mom for my number. It was nice seeing you again.”

“It was nice seeing you too.” I gave him a small smile. “Let’s grab a coffee or something if you're available.”

“I should be in a week or so.” He nodded his head. “I’ll let you go now.”

Thanking him one last time, I got into my car and I saw him getting on his motorcycle. Letting out a laugh and shaking my head as I saw him drive away, I put my car in drive and headed out of the cemetery. Following the direction Google maps has given me, I pulled up to the house that I’ve haven’t been to in fifteen years. Walking up to the door, I rang the doorbell and waited for it to open.

“Hi Mom,” I greeted my mom as she opened the door.

“Y/N!” She immediately wrapped me in a hug.

“I’m back,” I started to sob again.

“You’re back,” she wiped her tears as we let go of the hug. “Come in.”

Walking into the house, some things have changed. More pictures were added, some furniture was changed but yet, it still had the same vanilla cinnamon smell I grew up smelling.

“Y/N!” I saw my younger brother and sister run up to me.

“Wow, you’ve grown,” I gasped at the sight of them.

“You’re back!” They hugged me.

“I’m back. ” I told them and looked at my mom who had a smile on her face. "Forever."

“Welcome home.”

[jor-elsemissary]

Getting Martha to try and run for president must have been a fun conversation for Lionel

Martha: Lionel when are you going to get -?

Lionel: When are YOU going tobrun for president?

Martha:

Martha: what led to this?

Lionel: *eats apple.*

Lionel: Martha Kent for president

Martha:

Martha: How long have you thought of this

Lionel: It's...not important

Martha: I disagree

Lionel: I have full faith in you.

Martha:

Martha: You can make me president can't you?

Lionel: Martha I'm Lionel luthor. I can make PETE ROSS president

Martha: *sighs*

Martha: I am very much worried now.

Lionel: And it's that very attitude that would make you a great president.

Martha:

For President pt 1

———

The familiarity of her kitchen was comforting. It had been years since she had the opportunity to cook and bake within its confined space, basking in the sweet aroma of freshly baked muffins and bread, or listening to the sizzling fat pop in a frying pan as she seared steaks for the men in her life. Martha Kent stepped into the kitchen that had been a good part of her life as a farmer, housewife and mother. She sat her purse on the island, her curious gaze taking in the clutter that would have caused her to chastise her son and husband into cleaning up. There were papers strewn all over, some of them coloring pages for the four year old that now filled the house with child-like laughter and the pitter patter of running feet. A box of Crayola crayons lay toppled over, red and blue left outside next to it and on top of a drawing of her son as his heroic persona. A half eaten sandwich and an empty glass was the only sign that the boy had been there recently, no doubt busy with something else by now.

She looked over at the counters of her kitchen and took in that everything had been rearranged and added to with new items, reminding her that although it had been her kitchen for years, it wasn’t hers any longer. The old refrigerator was more than enough proof that it belonged to her son and his wife now. Magnetized to the door, like so many years before, were more colorful drawings of Superman and the child’s family. Martha moved closer to take a closer look and smiled when she saw a stick image of herself kissing—or at least she thought she was kissing—a Santa costumed Lionel Luthor. She wondered when the boy had seen them kiss and figured it had to have been this past Christmas eve. She did remember there being a mistletoe involved and Lionel had dressed that year for all of the Kent children.

Martha smiled fondly at the images and turned to explore the rest of her old home, finding herself missing the familiar warmth and homeliness that it brought to her. Although she might have a talk with her son and Lois about keeping the place tidy. She shook her head when she picked up her son’s football jersey laying rumpled on the sofa, suspecting that the untidiness was Lois’ doing rather than Clark’s. Her son was a lot neater than this, but then again, thinking back on how his room looked sometimes, she might be wrong now that he didn’t have a mother to nag him into picking up after himself.

She was about to head upstairs to see how that part of her home was fairing when the front door opened and bundle of arms and childish squealing of excitement came whirling through, “Grandmama!” Martha gave a quiet ‘oof’ as said whirling bundle wrapped his arms around her legs and gazing up at her almost in the same way Clark had done when they had first met him so long ago. A small pang of guilt and regret stabbed at her chest at the affectionate title, wishing that he would call her ‘mama’ instead. But despite her wants and desires, she knew that he could not know the truth until he was older.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she knelt down and embraced him in the hug her grandson, nay son, wanted. “How have you been?”

“I’m okay,��� William Kent answered her and wrapped his arms around her neck, wanting to be picked up. It wasn’t easy lifting the boy into her arms. Either he was getting too big for her, or her heels really weren’t meant to carry any kind of weight. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Martha gives him a big kiss on the cheek and he wipes at it with a disgusted look. She rolled her eyes at the childish phase her son was going through. She knew it wouldn’t be long before he started chasing after girls himself and she only prayed that Clark and Lois were able to teach him respectability toward any he started dating. The last thing she wanted was for her son to carry on the same habits as his father and brother.

“Is grandpapa here?” he asked, stretching to look around his mother and Martha shook her head in reply.

“He won’t be here until later this afternoon, Liam,” she tells him and carries him over to the kitchen island to set him down on a stool. He really was getting too big to carried.

“Awww, I wanted to show him what I made.” He looked a little crestfallen and it worried her that his father wasn’t interacting with the boy enough. She would have to have a talk with Lionel later that evening.

“You’ll have to wait then.” She reaches up and ruffles his dark and thick locks, so much like his father’s. Blue eyes narrowed at what she had done and she laughed as he tried to straighten his already unruly hair. He was so very much like Lionel and it had her wondering what Lionel had been like as a child.

The front door creaked again as someone else came into the house, “Hey Missus K,” greeted her daughter-in-law. Martha came over when she saw that Lois’ arms were full with groceries. “Thanks,” Lois gratefully said as one bag was passed off to the matriarch of the family. “You’re here early,” she continues once her own load had been offloaded on the kitchen island. Liam protested as it covered his drawings and quieted when his surrogate mother carefully pulled them out from underneath for him.

“The flight was ahead of schedule.” Martha began unpacking the groceries, rolling her eyes at the number of sugary foods the younger woman had bought. She knew it was more for her than it was for the children or Clark. Lois had a sweet tooth that probably had dentists looking at her with dollar signs in their eyes. “Is Clark outside trying to get as many bags into his arms?”

Lois laughed lightly and shook her head, “No. He’s dealing with a broken fence and a stray cow right now. Daisy managed to break out again. Connor, though, is trying. Speaking of the devil.” Once more the door opened and the dark haired offspring of Martha’s son and step-son—she still struggled to wrap her mind around that—entered with at least a dozen bags on both of his arms. “Conner!” she came over and relieved him of several of the bags. Martha watched as the half-kryptonian boy lifted up his load and dumped it onto the kitchen counters with ease.

“I got it, mom,” Connor said as he arranged the bags so they wouldn’t fall off the counter. “There’s at least another half-dozen out in the truck. Oh and dad says Daisy is back in the pasture and the fence is fixed. Hi, grandma!” Connor greeted once he realized she was there. He came over to give her a tight hug before he sped back outside to go get the rest of the groceries.

“He looks happy,” Martha commented while moving on to her third bag.

“He still struggles with who he is,” Lois says sadly, looking after her adopted son while holding a bag of potato chips, “and what he is. But… He knows he is loved and he Liam adores him to death.”

“Connor lets me fly,” Liam revealed and both women looked at him with surprise.

“How?” Lois asked, dreading the answer.

“Like how papa lets me fly!” Liam answered. “But we’re actually flying!”

Lois quietly facepalms and Martha can hear her muttering under her breath several curses before turning back to the groceries. “I should not be surprised, to be honest. I married an alien with superpowers, of course, the children would have superpowers too and they would indulge the one child that does not.”

“Connor clearly loves Liam,” the senator diplomatically defended her grandson. “I doubt he’d do anything to endanger him.”

“Endanger who?” said grandson interjected once he was back inside with the rest of the groceries. Finding that there was no more counter space, he carefully sets them on the floor. Immediately Shelby came over and started to investigate what had been set down in his domain, tail wagging and nose snuffling and poking into each back for anything interesting.

“Liam,” Lois clarified and pointed a box of spaghetti at him. “You’ve been flying him around.”

“Only around the property and just a few feet off the ground,” Connor explained, cheeks turning a little red. “He wanted to fly like me and dad so much when we were racing. It was only fair.”

“Clark knows?” Martha raised an eyebrow at him and then glanced toward the door when she caught a glimpse of her eldest about to enter.

“Knows what?” asked the young alien survivor.

“That Connor is letting Liam fly.”

Clark looks a little sheepish and glances over at his son, “It was just a few feet off the ground. Liam was safe.”

“It was fun!” Liam added and started miming the memory with a hand and noises. He hopped down from the stool and started running around the kitchen and family room.

Martha couldn’t help but smile at the child-like happiness her youngest showed and realizing how much she missed the family life. She gave Clark an exasperated smile and held out her arms to him for a hug. Clark came over and embraced his mother just as tightly as Connor had, clearly missing her as much as she missed him. “Its good to see you, Clark. I’ve missed you and everyone.”

“I’ve missed you too, mom.” Clark stepped back just as a cry came from upstairs. His smile faded at the sound and he sighed heavily. “I don’t know how you managed, mom, but I envy your parenting skills.”

Martha looked up toward the staircase and just smiled at her son’s confession, “It takes a lot of patience and practice.” She pats him on the shoulder. “Why don’t you help Lois with the groceries and I will see to Jonathan.” She doesn’t let Clark protest as she heads up the stairs toward the bedroom that had been converted into a nursery. The cries of distress became louder when she stopped just outside of the room, a lopsided and hastily painted sign was tacked to the door declaring the room as belonging to the infant inside. She tried not to allow the name to give her any pause, telling herself that she had let go of her late-husband years ago even though it still hurt to think about him sometimes.

With a hand on the brass handle, she pushed the door open and entered. The room was decorated with a space astronaut theme, with blues and black and white being the main colors. There were stars and planets everywhere, and hidden very cleverly were kryptonian letters which she still could not understand after all these years. But she did recognize the symbol of Clark’s biological family, the House of El. The crib itself was a mockup version of her son’s spacecraft though it was painted to look like a spaceship that NASA would have used. In the center of the crib lay squirming and crying was her grandson, Jonathan Kent II, wearing a tiny blue shirt with the symbol of Superman printed into it and a diaper with a cartoonish sponge and starfish.

Immediately she knew what was needed, the smell from the diaper reaching her as she leaned over to pick up the screaming baby. “Sshh,” she coos at him and brings him over to the table to change his soiled diaper. He started to calm down once cooler air touched him and the wet, smelling diaper was rolled up and tossed into a bin. “See now,” she tells him once she was done tending to his need and picked him up into her arms. “Grandma has you,” she brushes at the boy’s thin strands of hair and boops his noise. Blue eyes stared up at her curiously, no doubt wondering who this person was. She had missed his birth and the first few months of his life, so it was no surprise that he didn’t know her.

“I sometimes forget how much of a mother you still are.”

Standing in the door of the nursery was Lionel Luthor, his long coat and gloves still on. He had let his hair and beard grow out again, but it wasn’t as full or as gray as his doppelgänger’s had been. There were a few more age lines around his eyes, but otherwise he looked as handsome as ever. “Lionel,” Martha smiled at him as he approached her. He leaned in to give her a tender kiss, mindful of the squirming bundle in her arms. “I thought you would still be in meetings?”

“I was,” he supplied, glancing down at the child she had. He hesitated in touching, but quickly overcame it to let the boy grab his gloved finger instead. “But as soon as I got an alert that your flight had arrived early, I cleared out the rest of my schedule to be here.”

“Lex won’t be happy with you,” she tells him and he just shrugs his shoulders.

“Lex has bigger concerns now.”

Martha furrowed her brow at her lover, “What’s wrong?” It took a lot to get Lionel Luthor to shrug off responsibility so whatever it was that his son was doing or dealing with, had to be big. She just hoped it wasn’t another scheme to challenge her son in a battle of wits and will. The last thing she wanted right now was for Clark to be dragged away to stop Lionel’s son and whatever mad scheme he had concocted this time.

What Lionel said next was the last thing she had expected.

“He just announced his bid for the White House.”

[mrbexwrites]

Take Five

Tagged by the amazing @duckingwriting here. Thank you so much for the tag, as always ♥

Rules: find a line in your WIP (can be dialogue or not) that fits the parameters given by the person who tagged you. Then change one of the parameters and tag five or more people. Can be lines from multiple WIPs. If you can't find a line that fits, feel free to change the prompt.

Taking snippets from Memento Mori that fit the brief, and are below the cut:

Is about Light:

The light was blinding as I managed to clear the last of the dirt from my eyes. The red sand had filled my mouth, and it took me several minutes to cough it all up. My mouth was parched, and the blistering sun overhead didn’t help.  Managing to stand, I took in the shallow grave that I had been buried in, the rock outcrop nearby, and the expanse of desert that rolled on for miles.

Shows self-doubt:

I sat on the bed, and held my face in my hands.  Taking deep breaths, I tried to force down the panic that threatened to overwhelm me. I gulped in air as my ribs felt like they were trying to squeeze my lungs out of my chest.  “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay. Everything is fine. You’re going to be okay,” I repeated to myself, gripping the edge of the bed, and rocking back and forth. “You’re safe. Everything is okay. Get it together.”  Gradually, the panic subsided. I was able to breathe again, and I wiped the tears away from my cheeks. Ideally, I would have splashed some water on my face, but that was an amenity I was missing. I could tell that my face was puffy and blotchy, so the thought of walking out to the shower block again, with the risk of bumping into the soldiers who would instantly know that I had been crying, kept me where I was.  It had been a long time since I had last had a panic attack.

Mentions a sense other than sight:

“How did you get in here?” Rolling over, I saw that the bedroom door had been nudged open. “You sneaky little…” I buried my head in his fur, smelling the outside world from him. I could hear Ted moving about downstairs, and the smell of cinnamon tempted me out of bed.  Arty saw his opportunity, and moved into the warm space that I had just vacated.  “Would you steal my grave just as quickly?” I scratched the top of his head, and he curled himself further into the pillows. “Cheeky wee sod.”

Shows Tension:

Sarah was waiting for me when I got home. I had just pulled my house keys out of my pocket when she stormed over to me, slamming her car door behind her. I turned at the noise, and her slap stung my face.  “How could you?!” She was right in my face; spittle from her mouth landing on my face.  “What do you mean?”  “You told her what happened to Kyrie,” Sarah’s finger was shoved in my face.  “I swear I didn’t tell her,” I held up my hands in supplication. “She already knew. I promise you, I never said anything.”  “I hate you so much,” Sarah’s fury cooled, and she hissed at me through clenched teeth. “Rajan has a child protection hearing tomorrow, and my solicitor says I might not get custody of her now. Fuck you, Morgana! I wish you would just die and stay dead!” 

Shows Sadness:

I could only stand, knee-deep in the water, staring, my hands limp by my side, as Sarah cradled Kyrie’s head in her lap. She brushed her hair from her face, smoothing her long dark curls.  “Baby,” she whimpered. “Baby, it’s mummy. You’re okay now. I’m here. You’re alright. Everything is going to be alright! Come on, sweetie. Time to wake up. We’re going home now. You’re okay. I’m here. We all came for you. Everything is going to be alright. Kyrie?” Sarah blinked up at me, tears threatening to overflow from her wide-eyes. “She just needs a minute. She’ll be fine once the drugs wear off?” “Sar,” Pete spoke gently, reaching out to our sister. “No!” She snarled, the tears falling. “Morgana’s here. She’s done it before, and she can do it again.” Her eyes locked onto mine; her face was splattered with someone else’s blood, and her long hair was dishevelled, coming out of her ponytail. She must have taken a punch, as her lip was burst, and starting to swell. She had taken a beating just to rescue her daughter, and we had failed.  I had failed. 

Tagging @sarahlizziewrites @queen-tashie @at-thezenith @hippiewrites @cee-grice, and as always, open tag for anyone who wants to- please just tag me so that I can see your awesome snips :)

Your parameters are: In which there is darkness, A character cries, A character is holding something, Is set in the cold, Shows happiness

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

C x H Week 2023 Day 3: Carousel

@senshixshitennouweeks

Her laughter was the first thing he heard from her. He’d been working the carousel on the boardwalk to pay for seminary school (not many career opportunities for someone who could play the organ in the area). He saw her carrying a massive white unicorn plushy, the kind they were giving to winners at the ski ball game who got three hundred points or more. Her hair was her most notable feature, thick and done up in a double bun style which vaguely reminded him of rabbit ears. She wore a ruffled pink top and a pair of jeans. Pretty standard wear for the summer heat but she wore it so, so well. He almost forgot to start the music for the ride he was so busy watching her climb onto the white wooden horse she chose as her carousel steed.

As the ride sped up, more of that angelic laughter rang over the music he played and just made him giddy.

Who are you, he thought, and how do you just make everything so rosy?

The ride ran down and the girl left, joining what he assumed were her friends. Helios could curse the rest of his shift. How would he find her before she left? Already, she was disappearing into the sea of people. A quick check to see if anyone was watching. Helios rose and hoped that they could find an organist before he got back.

*

He’d been unable to find her between the food stands and the Ferris wheel. Not a single strand of pink hair anywhere.

“Looking for someone?”

From his grizzled rail thin appearance, some said Old Pete had been part of the boardwalk since it’s inception. He usually worked odd jobs around it, but no-one was really sure what he did exactly.

“Yes,” Helios replied, “have you seen a girl; pink hair, carrying a white unicorn doll?”

Old Pete stuck a piece of tobacco into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Helios was unsure why he would still chew it with all everyone knew about the habit these days.

“Over by the roller coaster,” he said at last.

Helios thanked him and made a beeline for the coaster.

“And don’t worry about the carousel,” Old Pete called after him, “I took piano for five years.”

Honestly, Old Pete was a lifesaver.

*

Helios had not expected to be accosted by a unicorn plush when he arrived at the roller coaster. It was only after he removed it from his head did he realize that it was the same one the pink-haired girl was carrying. And suddenly, she’s there.

“Sorry,” she said, looking sheepish, “lost that on the ride.”

“It’s no bother,” he replies, handing it back to her. Their fingers brush and he’s conscious of it. Really, he should just forget how his heart’s tightening or that he was blowing off work to chase a girl and just go about his life.

“I’m Helios,” he says instead.

The girl smiles.

“My friends call me Chibiusa,” she replies.

[mandiemon3]

The Best Revenge is Living Well- Chapter 9

It had been a few weeks since Mo and Izzy had begun their secret relationship. Things went as well as could be expected. Frenchie and Lucius had done their job of hiding what they knew from the rest of the crew, sometimes even helping Mo out of tricky situations they themselves in, covering for their friend. To Mo’s surprise, Izzy had become slightly less hostile to the crew, barely enough for anyone to notice, but it was a start. He was still easy to rile up, and lacked patience when others didn’t drop what they were doing to follow his orders, but he was less likely to turn to threats as his first way of dealing with the rowdy crew.

On one fine morning, it was announced by the captains that they would be attacking a merchant ship that Buttons had seen the night before. Blackbeard’s crew would be doing all the real work, of course, Stede had said, but it was meant to be a learning opportunity for the crew of the Revenge. Most of the crew was excited to see some real action after so many weeks of floating around with nothing eventful happening. Some others were anxious, not wanting to be in actual danger, but they were reassured by Stede that Edward and his men would protect them, that there was nothing to worry about. Mo saw Izzy rolling his eyes, clearly not liking the way the Gentleman Pirate relied so heavily on his boss for protection. Remarkably, he held his tongue, letting the opportunity to mock the ill-equipped captain pass by.

“Alright, listen up, because I’m only going to say this once,” Izzy barked as they approached the merchant ship. “Bonnet’s crew, you are here to observe only. You will not engage, you will only watch, and, God willing, learn something.”

The air was thick with the tang of iron and the screams of men as the pirates attacked. Around them, the two crews fought, the sounds of gunshots and metal on metal ringing out. Stede’s crew huddled together in a corner, doing their best to stay out of the way of the experienced pirates as they laid siege. Mo looked around, heart beating rapidly, until they found Izzy. He was fighting off two men at once, pivoting and slashing with an expertise finely tuned over the years. Despite his fast breathing and grit teeth, the fight didn’t seem particularly effortful for him, and there was no sign of fear or restraint.

It took a remarkably short time for Blackbeard’s crew to defeat the other crew, making quick work of their foes until only a few remained, choosing the shame of surrender over the pain of death. Mo watched as the surviving crew had their wrists bound, shoved unceremoniously to the deck. The crew of the Revenge stood around, chatting among themselves about the raid, most of them a little unnerved at the violence, although few would admit it. Only Pete seemed truly happy with the results, loudly exclaiming how awesome he thought it was, and how great of a captain Blackbeard was. Izzy stood a few feet to the side, near the captains as they interrogated the rival captain, who had been tied to the mast. He turned to say something to Blackbeard when Mo saw a glint of silver as a young man quickly stood from the desk, moving to attack Izzy as his back was turned.

Without thinking, almost on instinct alone, Mo drew their dagger, taking a few quick steps towards the man, stabbing him through the side of his neck, right as his arms were posed to stab down. They began to realize what had happened as he slumped over, gurgling through the hole in his neck as he gasped for breath. They stared for a moment as the young man’s gaze found theirs, pain written in the grimace across his face, along with one question. Why? Mo watched as he grasped desperately at his throat, his eyes frantic, until the life faded from his face, blood pooling around their feet. They crouching down and tugging their dagger out of his neck once he had stopped moving, his eyes beginning to glaze over, fixed on some point in the distance.

“What the fuck?” The voice behind them made Mo spin quickly, baring their teeth and raising their dagger defensively.

They relaxed when they realized it was Izzy, dropping their arm and slumping their head forward with a sigh as they stood up.

“What the hell was that?” Izzy demanded. “I told you, told you all, no engaging! You went against my orders!” He took a step forward, glaring down at them.

Mo felt rage simmer in the pit of their stomach. They looked up, eyes hardened with anger. “Are you kidding me?” they asked quietly, their voice level but with an edge. “He was about to stab you, asshole!” they yelled, gesturing at the body of his attacker. “He had a knife hidden between his wrists, and you didn’t see him!” “I would have seen him! I would have been fine!” “Yeah, well forgive me for not wanting to take the chance!”

“It doesn’t matter what you want,” Izzy barked. “I gave you an order!” Mo seethed. “I don’t care, I’d rather you be alive and angry with me than have you be dead!”

Something in Izzy’s eyes changed, his anger turning to concern. That didn’t stop him from shouting back, his intensity only slightly lessened.

“If your superior gives you an order, you follow it,” he hissed. “It doesn't matter if you don’t like it, if you think it’s stupid. You follow orders, or you don’t survive.” He seemed almost to be pleading.

Mo scowled. “I’m sorry I didn’t follow your orders, but I’m not sorry I didn’t let the dick stab you, even with how much of an ass you’re being right now. Alright?” Izzy’s stony expression stayed fixed to his face, his gaze lowered. “This is my first time not following your exact orders, I don’t deserve a lecture for saving your fucking life!”

Izzy growled, turning and striding away, muttering under his breath. Mo resisted their thoughts of going after him, knowing that he would need time to calm down and collect his thoughts. They also didn’t want to make even more a scene in front of the crew, still not wanting to jeopardize their relationship with Izzy, despite their spat.

“That seemed a bit uncalled for,” Edward said, jolting Mo out of their thoughts. He walked forward, stepping over the body of the young man, clapping Mo on the shoulder roughly, making them sway. “Good job, bud. That was quick thinking.” He returned to his conversation with Stede, coaxing him through the steps of the interrogation process, to the displeasure of the invaded ship’s captain.

Mo turned, huffing angrily, to stand among their crew. They half listened as their friends congratulated them on their kill and reassured them that Izzy had overreacted, looking at their bloodied dagger and the blood that begun to dry on their hands. They sighed, wiping their hands on their pants and crouching down to wipe their blade off on the pants of a slain member of the opposing crew before sliding it back into its sheath on their belt.

Mo jolted when they felt a hand on their shoulder, but relaxed as Frenchie came into view, his face apologetic for startling them.

“Hey, love,” he said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to activate the old fight or flight. How are you feeling, after all that?” He began rubbing a circle with his thumb, slowly massaging the space between their shoulder and neck, pressing himself against their other shoulder.

Mo shrugged, not finding any words. They looked down at their boots, realizing that they were stained red with flecks of blood. “I’m alright,” they managed to say, their voice raspy. “Not loving the fact that I had to kill someone younger than me, but it beats the alternative.” They gave a weak smile, bringing a hand up to wipe their hair out of their face. “What’s Izzy’s deal? He’s acting like I tried to stab him.”

From beside them, Roach shrugged. “Who knows,” he said. “Maybe he feels emasculated or something like that.” “Aye, could be that,” Wee John chimed in. “I woulda just let the wee fecker get stabbed, honestly. Might have saved us all a bit of a headache.”

Mo glared at him, Frenchie desperately miming for him to stop talking from behind their back.

“That being said,” Wee John continued, looking up at Frenchie, “that was very heroic of you, Mo.”

“I feel safer,” the Swede added.

Oluwande slowly approached them, not wanting to risk startling them again. “Yeah, man, that was really something.” Even Black Pete added “I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”

A scream from the rival captain cut them off. Mo grit their teeth, choosing not to turn around to see what had become of him. Frenchie wrapped his arm tighter around their shoulders, turning them in to be held against his chest.

“Hey, Mo,” a soft, rumbly voice said behind them. Mo turned, cautious to still not look towards the mast or the bloody man tied to it, to find Fang. He must have noticed, adjusting his stance to step in between them and the mast, effectively blocking their view with his tall, broad frame. “How are you doing?” he asked gently. “I’m sorry Izzy yelled at you. He can be a proper dick sometimes.”

Mo let out a weak laugh. “He really can.” They shuffled their feet, trying to ignore the flecks of red on their boots. “I, uh, I’m doing alright. It’s kind of settling in now that I killed a guy.” They paused, frowning. “A really young guy. Basically a kid.” They took a shaky breath, forcing themselves to stay calm.

“Oh, dear. Was that your first kill?” Mo nodded reluctantly, not trusting their voice not to waver, but not wanting to show weakness. Fang looked sad. This was not a happy first. “It gets easier,” was all he said, giving them a firm squeeze on their arm before walking away.

Mo turned back to their crew, letting themselves get pulled into their circle by Lucius, who clung to their arm. They could tell the others were concerned for them by the way they shared meaningful glances and hushed whispers, all doing their best to make sure their crew mate was okay. Mo let themselves be clapped on the back and complimented by their friends, trying their best to be receptive to the others’ efforts to cheer them up. They had managed to start laughing at a joke Black Pete told, tuning out the way Blackbeard’s crew moved around them, looting the dead bodies, when Izzy walked up to them from behind, tapping them on the shoulder to get their attention.

“Can I have a word?” he asked stiffly. Mo frowned, but stood up from where they sat on the deck. They followed Izzy below the deck, to a room that had already been ransacked, everything valuable already stolen. It looked like it had been used for extra storage originally, based on the busted crates surrounding them, overflowing with straw that had been riffled through.

“I hope this isn’t your way of getting me alone to yell at me again,” Mo said dryly. Izzy scoffed, shaking his head incredulously.

“No,” he said, “it’s not.” He hesitated. “Look, I’m sorry I yelled at you. You have to understand, you can’t disregard orders like that. You have to listen to me.” Mo rolled their eyes. “Look, I’m not saying this to be an ass,” he continued.

“You’ve never had to try too hard to be an ass,” Mo muttered, looking at their boots.

“Listen to me, will you?” Izzy shouted, making Mo flinch. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he stammered, realizing what he had done, reaching out to rub their upper arm reassuringly. He sighed, rubbing his eyes with his gloved hand. “I…I don’t want him to hurt you. For being disobedient,” he said, eyes still covered.

“Who?” Mo asked, feeling the anger fading from their body.

Izzy sighed, dropping his hand and looking up to meet their gaze. “Blackbeard,” he said plainly.

Mo laughed. “Why would he hurt me? He just said I did a good job, stabbing that guy.”

“You don’t know him like I do. He’s…a complicated man. What you’ve seen, this soft man wrapped in silks,” he sounded angry, willing himself not to get wound up, “that isn’t all there is to him. He’s dangerous, and he can change faster than you would believe, faster that I would believe if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.” He paused. “I don’t want you to be his target. When he’s bad, any little thing could set him off. Like a crew member not following orders.”

Mo nodded, their mouth set in a hard line.

“I didn’t yell because I was mad at you,” Izzy continued, his voice growing softer. “I yelled because I need you to understand, you have to be safe. Blackbeard cannot be trusted, especially if he knew about us. I need you to promise me, please, just do whatever you’re told.” His eyes pleaded, desperate for his partner to agree, to do whatever it took for them to stay safe.

Mo gave a small huff, knowing they didn’t have much of a choice. “I won’t promise to do anything, but I can promise not to do anything stupid,” they said honestly. “I promise not to take this lightly.”

Izzy scoffed lightly. “How long until you break your promise not to do anything stupid? A few hours?”

Mo smiled weakly. “Fair point.” They extended a hand to Izzy, who accepted it without a second thought. “I think I might do something stupid right now, if you’ll let me.” They stepped closer, tilting their head up to meet Izzy’s, their faces mere inches apart. Izzy nodded slowly, and Mo leaned in, closing the distance between them in a kiss. They pulled apart after a few seconds, not wanting to push their luck and risk being caught.

Mo stepped back from Izzy, still holding onto his hand. “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” they said. “I get it now. You just wanted to protect me, and you couldn’t really say why up there. I hope you know though,” they continued, “I’m never going to just stand back while you get yourself killed. I’m always going to have your back. I don’t care if that means Blackbeard hates me. You’re more important.”

Izzy stared at his boots, worry washed over his face. Even then, he knew there was no point arguing, knowing Mo would never let him change their mind.

“I’m sorry too,” Izzy said. “For yelling, and for not moving fast enough. You shouldn’t have had to do that.”

Mo shrugged, trying not to let it show how much the young man’s death weighed on them. He had a family somewhere, who might never know what happened to their son, their brother. “I’m a pirate,” they said flatly. “This is part of the job. It’s a wonder I’d gone this far without killing someone.”

Izzy brow furrowed, using a hand to cup his partner’s face, making them meet his intense gaze. “Gone this far?” he asked. “Had you never killed before?” Mo felt tears prickling at their eyes but refused to let them fall. They sniffled, shaking their head.

“Done a good amount of injuring, maybe fucked some people up in a long-term way, but no, no killing.” They blinked rapidly, trying to force their eyes to clear. “I don’t even really mind the death of it,” they confessed, “it’s that he was so young. And he gave me this look as he died.” They gave a short laugh, the sound coming out hoarse as they shook their head. “Poor bastard didn’t know what hit him.” Mo sniffled, looking up at Izzy. They gave him a small smile, hoping to relieve some of his worry. “I guess I’d better get used to it, in this line of work. Besides, it was worth it.” They touched his face gently. “I’d do it again in an instant.”

The two looked at each other for several moments, neither sure what to say. Eventually, Mo broke the silence, letting their hand drop to their side with a sigh.

“Well, I should probably get back up there. Don’t want the crew to miss me too bad.” Izzy nodded, an unreadable expression on his face. Mo began to walk past him, but was stopped as Izzy held their upper arm, pressing a kiss to their forehead before releasing them. Mo gave him a small smile, relieved when he returned it, before continuing on their way back up to the deck.

Things had gone mostly back to normal by the time the blended crew made their way back to the Revenge. The captains had excused themselves to Stede’s quarters, to discuss the day’s raid, leaving the crews to their own devices. Their friends were still glancing worriedly at Mo, but they had dropped the subject of the young man’s death, not wanting to upset them again. Blackbeard’s crew seemed to have a newfound respect for the young pirate, giving them a few claps on the back as they congratulated them on a successful kill. Fang gave them a small smile, as Ivan jostled them around, singing their praises.

Izzy appeared by Mo’s side, cutting off Ivan’s stream of compliments by dismissing him. He waited until his crew member had walked off to hold up a bottle filled with amber fluid, offering it to Mo.

“I brought you this,” he said. “Figured you might need it after the day you’ve had.”

Mo accepted the bottle, taking a long drink of the alcohol. Normally they weren’t a fan of the way it burned their throat as it went down, but today it felt right, deserved even.

Izzy cleared his throat. “I also brought you this,” he said, his voice lowered as he looked around, making sure no one was watching them. He pulled something small and silver out of the pocket of his vest, pressing it into Mo’s hand. “I found it on the other ship. Figured it might be something you would like.”

Mo looked away from his lightly blushing face to examine the object in their hand. It was a small silver locket. Nothing intricate, or particularly fancy, just a small smooth oval of metal with a latch on the side, threaded on a long thin silver chain.

Mo felt a smile spread across their face. They looked up to their partner, finding it very hard to resist the urge to kiss him right then and there. He looked anxious, as if he would be chastised for giving a gift wrong.

“I love it,” Mo whispered. “Thank you, Iz. It’s perfect.” They bumped their shoulder against his playfully, making him roll his eyes as his blush deepened, despite the smile working its way onto his face. “You’re very sweet,” they added, making the older pirate groan.

“Please don’t,” he grumbled. “Pirates shouldn’t be sweet.” Mo smirked, enjoying pushing his buttons. “And yet here you are, my dear.” They ignored Izzy’s halfhearted glare. “Don’t worry, darling, I love how sweet you are. And I promise not to let anyone else know what a softie you are. I’ll keep that part of you, just for me.”

Izzy scoffed lightly, turning away to hide his flustered expression. “Don’t make me take that back,” he threatened.

Mo swatted his shoulder lightly. “You wouldn’t dare.” Izzy faltered before conceding.

“You’re right. I wouldn't.”

[bllsbailey]

Voters Reaffirm Accountability, Redemption - Oust Left DAs

Election Day, Nov. 5 ,2024, brought about a historic victory for Republicans who are now on the verge of shifting the National political landscape by winning a rare trifecta of the presidency, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate.

But Election Day also brought about a significant shift at the state and local level with voters delivering a clear message on prosecution, policing, and public safety: we’ve had enough of what seemingly is a George Soros-led effort to undermine law and order.

The first signs became apparent early on election night, as prosecutor races in Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida and Athens-Clarke County, Georgia proved to be a bellwether of what was to transpire nationally.

Winning handily was Suzy Lopez. Purportedly Soros-backed Andrew Warren was replaced by Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., in 2022.

Ms. Lopez won handily in what was Warren’s attempt to retake the traditionally blue county.

Deborah Gonzalez, another purportedly Soros-backed prosecutor overseeing the Laken Riley murder case was also shown the door by voters after just one term.

Gonzalez’s time in office was characterized by victims’ rights violations, staffing drama, and constant refusal to enforce laws on the books.

This trend was not unique to red or purple states, as deep blue California delivered significant blows to the progressive prosecutor and anti-law enforcement movement.

Readers may recall, Los Angeles County was the most notable, where, fed up with rampant crime, voters evicted radical District Attorney George Gascón.

Gascón won the district attorney seat in 2020 by appreciable margins on a platform of eliminating cash bail and lightening sentences.

Just four years later, those same voters had enough of the soft-on-crime approach and responded in kind, not only sending Gascón packing, but also recalling Bay Area progressive prosecutor Pamela Price.

Voters did more than just remove radical prosecutors who stood against the rule of law, they sent a clear message about what public safety in America should look like.

Nowhere was this clearer than the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where voters elected CPAC-endorsed prosecutor Dave Sunday as attorney general.

This writer contends this was the most significant flip in any attorney generals race nationwide.

Mr. Sunday ran on a message of accountability and redemption, citing his record as York County prosecutor where he successfully led initiatives which provided proportional punishment for offenders, all while creating pathways to rehabilitation for those who were willing to earn a second chance.

Michigan took a similar track, where voters in the Macomb, one of the most tightly contested counties in the country, re-elected Pete Lucido by a wide margin over yet another purportedly Soros-backed challenger.

As county prosecutor, Lucido emphasized the importance of utilizing tools such as diversion programming and community education to not only lower recidivism rates but address the root causes of crime.

In the same breath, he also prioritized holding offenders accountable for crimes that had plagued the community prior to his arrival including retail theft and gun violence.

Election Day Tues. Nov. 5, 2024, was a day of reckoning for the progressive prosecutor movement. The American people are neither ignorant, or naive.

They saw the pattern of corruption, violence, and neglect of law that follows district attorneys backed by those with an agenda, worse an axe to grind.

Thank voters for bringing about a return to common sense approaches to public safety.

Election Day marked the start of a trend towards a safer America and an improved justice system. Voters of all backgrounds have made clear that they desire swift, certain, and proportional punishment that comes with an opportunity to earn a second chance through rehabilitation.

This comes as no surprise to those of us working in the criminal justice system and was laid out clearly in CPAC’s Conservative Principles of Prosecution published by many former and current district attorneys just last year.

It's a trend that will only grow stronger with newly installed prosecutors and a second Trump administration all of whom have embraced the same message sent by the voters: policies of accountability and redemption keep communities safe.

Frank Russo is the associate general counsel and director of CPAC’s Prosecutor and Law Enforcement Advisory Council. He previously served as director of The National District Attorneys Association Government and Legislative Affairs.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

[jdgo51]

Reflect on what it means to be a Good Samaritan (person) on this Wednesday, December 27, 2023:

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR DECEMBER 27, 2023

Stewardship

By Pete Velander (Tennessee, USA)

READ LUKE 10:25-37

"A Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him."

LUKE 10:33 (NIV)

"In 2003 I donated a kidney to someone I had never met. I didn’t begin with that outcome in mind. Initially I was tested for compatibility with a colleague who needed a transplant. I wanted to know if I could help.

Going through the pre-donation testing process changed me. I spent many hours in waiting rooms filled with people who could do nothing but hope that an organ would become available to save their lives. For me, it became a matter of stewardship. I realized that I had more than I needed because it’s possible to live a healthy life with just one kidney. I found myself surrounded by neighbors in urgent need of my abundance.

As it turned out, my colleague received what she needed from another donor. But God transformed my heart, and when I was approved as a donor, I chose to give a kidney to whoever needed it most. I’m grateful for the lessons God taught me about giving through this life-changing journey.

Everything we have belongs to God, and God wants us to serve our neighbors out of our abundance. We often think of stewardship in terms of money, but it is also about our time, possessions, and, yes, even our bodies." Be a steward of whatever you have to give. It can be small and simple or more complicated. Just give freely to provide what is needed. Our offering does make a difference.

TODAY'S PRAYER

"God of compassion, open our eyes to opportunities to serve our neighbors. Help us expand our lives of stewardship to include all that you have given us." Amen.

Luke 10:25-37

"'25 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” 27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” 29 But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. 31 Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 32 Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 33 A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ 36 What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?” 37 Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”' We must be like the Samaritan, go and give what is needed to help others. We are not here to beat others down or destroy anyone's hope; rather we must give freely to restore them to where they should be. Lift up-not kick down. Bless you! Joe