#Sweetling (PA)

[vodika-vibes]

PA: What happened? How’d I get home?

Also PA: None of that matters now because I have a handsome half naked Fox on my couch and it’s cuddle time.

I love soft moments like this for them ❤️

They are a simple person with simple wants, lol. Besides, if Fox is there then there's no possible way that anyone hurt them. Yuu knows what's up even if Fox doesn't wanna admit it.

"Are you falling asleep?" Fox asks lightly, his hands pressing soothingly into your back. "Mm. Maybe." You reply as you rub your cheek against his chest, "Is that a problem?" Fox chuckles, "You'll probably be more comfortable in bed, sweetling." "That can't be right. You're here, after all." You reply, "And I know you and you won't sleep with me in my bed, even if all we're doing is sleeping, so I have to sleep here on the couch to stay with you." "I'm trying to be respectful." Fox mutters, "I don't want people to make comments about you-" "People already assume that you're my boy toy," You reply as you shimmy up his body slightly and press your face against his neck, "I get a lot of congratulations about it." "...what?" "Mm?" He pinches your side, just hard enough that your open your eyes to pout at him, "'m trying to sleep-" "What's this about me being your boy toy?" You sigh, "People see how close we are, they make assumptions. Can I sleep now?" "...yeah, sorry Yuu. Get some sleep." He rolls your words around his mind until he's sure you're asleep, and then he turns his head to look at you. It should bother him that people are making assumptions, but honestly he doesn't care. After all, it's Yuu. A small smile lifts his lips and he presses a soft kiss to the top of his head, before turning his attention back to the news.

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 78 // ft. Amla, Kreax, Christi, and Sweetling

#38 / Decision

“Think about it. The little patter of children in our home,” Amla had whispered to him, arms wrapped around him and hands moving up to rest on his belly. “I can do anything. I know we can produce a child together.”

“And I’ll have to carry it?”

“Of course. We all must be a part of this world before we become Detached… A branch cannot exist without a tree to produce it, and a tree is connected to the ground, the living existence.”

“I have an army to command, enemies to dispose of. Why do you think I would want a child? It’ll be a detriment to my physicality.”

“Why, my dear, darling Praetorian, are you worried you’ll grow attached,” Amla spat the word like it was an offense to him, and asked, “-to it? That it’ll be a weakness your enemies can exploit?”

“I won’t become attached to it. I’m not some pathetic commoner willing to hand my life over for an infant just because I laid it.”

“Eggs are so strange, and you live in such an unsuitable environment… I think our child will arrive viviparously. After all, I want to limit the time I spend in this primitive existence. Sitting around waiting for an egg to hatch… guarding something that isn’t learning or truly being-” Amla laughed, leaning in close to his ear. “It simply doesn’t interest me.”

“I suppose I could reallocate some of my work for a few blocks in order to carry the child safely.”

“Blocks? I wouldn’t be thinking in your silly ten-cycle periods, my darling. The… metaphorical tree species I came from gestated for close to, hmm… close to forty blocks?”

“Forty blocks?! I can’t be out of commission for that long!”

“No, of course not. Maybe twenty or thirty blocks.”

“That’s hardly better. And if it’s that long, I certainly won’t want to go through it more than once.”

-

“It barely uses its powers, Kreax,” Amla complained, bringing up the debate once more. “All it does is create things. How boring. Can it even do anything else? And the way it speaks is positively awful. It can’t change its voice.”

He didn’t want to discuss this again. “Amla, why don’t you just ask them to use the other powers they’re supposed to have? They’re on a human ship, and Detached are supposed to limit the effects they have on the primitive plane. They don’t have the opportunity to use their powers with that human woman.”

“It should be using them on its own! Detached don’t take orders from anyone. We have our rules, that’s all. Grr, it’s frustrating. It should have accomplished more!”

“They’re young. They have the potential to become something greater when they’re older.”

“I want our child to join the Detached! I hate waiting!”

“We’ll have to wait for this child to grow. Why not give them more time, and we’ll judge them when the next is the same age as they are now.”

“No. I don’t want to raise two children at once unless I’m sure they’ll amount to something the rest of the Detached will accept.”

“Well, say they weren’t your child, and were another of the Detached’s- would you accept them as a Detached?”

Amla looked Kreax directly in the eyes, gaping at him. He hadn’t thought of it that way, and Kreax’s shoulders slumped as Amla told him, dead serious, “No, I wouldn’t.”

“But you haven’t even-”

“You’re so smart, my darling Praetorian! I never would have thought of it like that. Thank you.”

-

Five days later, marking eleven days since the child had been dropped on her ship, Christi saw Amla again. He was standing in her doorway as she opened it, grinning down at her.

He had that same blank look in his eyes as he always did, the void replacing his eyes only ever containing three or four stars dim at a time.

Christi knew exactly what decision he had come to. The child spotted their mother further in the room, and ducked between their father’s legs to run up to him. The Praetorian patted her head, looking curiously at the flower in her headband.

“Captain, I’ve made my decision.”

“You can’t do that to your own child!” She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to punch him in his smug face. “They deserve a chance to live!”

“It doesn’t meet the expectations of a Detached. It’s useless to put effort into caring for it.”

“You aren’t even giving them a chance!”

“Why should I?”

“I have a bunch of reasons, and so do plenty of others on this ship.”

“Alright. Then let’s go talk to those people. Tell me your reasons, walk with me.”

-

Christi and her crew weren’t able to convince him not to want to kill his child, but they were able to convince him to go ask the other Detached what he should do, just in case the rest of them didn’t agree with him.

Before he left, Christi told him to stop calling his child ‘it,’ and to call them by their name. He’d just smiled down at her and replied that the child didn’t have a name. It was tradition for the Ophidrians not to name their children until they were certain they would survive. Since he had planned from the start to judge whether or not they should live, he’d refused to allow the child’s mother to name them.

The whole thing had been emotionally and mentally draining, so she’d gone back to her quarters, intending to sleep until he came back. But when she walked in, she noticed that the child’s bedroom light was on, and she could hear a noise that sounded like crying.

Quiet as she could, she snuck over to the doorway and peered in. Praetorian Kreax was laying on his child’s bed, holding them close, his face buried against them as he wept, loud, grieving sobs. They weren’t crying, instead chirping softly at him, trying to soothe him.

After a few minutes, in which Christi felt uncomfortable just watching them, Kreax pulled back his head. His face was wet with tears, facial scales a dark red, almost purple, a color Christi hadn’t seen on an Ophidrian before. He nuzzled his child’s head, making an almost inaudible keening sound.

They hugged him tighter, and he rubbed their back, exhaling slowly. “I’m sorry, Sweetling, I couldn’t convince him to give you more time.”

Sweetling… Christi wondered if he used that in place of a name. It was nice to know that he wasn’t just going along with all of this, that he had tried to convince his lover not to slaughter their child.

“It’s okay, Mommy. I liked the time I had with you.”

Christi saw his face screw up, and he couldn't hold back more sobs, though he tried. Sweetling chirped at him again.

Finally, she couldn’t bear spying on them anymore. She knocked on the door frame and said, “Um, hello.”

Kreax hissed, pushing himself up and glaring at her. It would have been intimidating if she hadn’t known he was crying, and if he wasn't so hugely pregnant.

“Relax, it’s just me, Captain Christi Ferraday.”

He stopped hissing and sat up fully, but continued to glare. He pulled Sweetling up, holding them close against his side. “What do you want?”

“Well, I just came in here to go get some sleep, but I saw the light on, so I came over here. Sorry, but I kind of watched you two for a couple of minutes.”

“Humans have no sense of privacy, as always.”

“Look, I know Amla’s omnipotent and all, but maybe I can help you. He’s busy talking to the other Detached, so we can come up with a plan in case things don’t go well.”

“Really? And what do you know about the Detached?” He sneered, and Christi hated that he could go from a grieving parent to a jerk warlord so quickly.

She crossed her arms. “I’ve known Amla for a lot longer than you. He’s been bothering me for almost fifteen years now. I know how to hurt a Detached.”

“They can’t get hurt.”

“If a Detached uses a weapon against another Detached, they can’t heal themselves, and have to ask another to heal them. It also makes it difficult for them to use their powers.” She tossed her blaster over to him, and he caught it easily. “Just have the little one have their fingers on the trigger when you fire it, and you should be able to take him down for a few seconds.”

Though he looked wary of her idea, he held it close to Sweetling. They grabbed it, their fingers wrapping around the trigger. He put one finger over theirs. “I suppose it won’t hurt to try… But what are we supposed to do after that? He’ll get healed, and just come back to kill her.”

“He might change his mind if he knows they can hurt him. He’s always given up whenever I bested him.”

“We can do it, Mommy!”

“I hope we can…”

-

Christi woke up abruptly from her nap when she was suddenly dropped into a chair. When she opened her eyes, she was in one of the conference rooms on her ship. Across from her, Praetorian Kreax was sitting in another chair, holding onto Sweetling. He was staring at the end of the table, eyes wide with fear.

At the end of the table was Amla, scowling as he always did when he’d had a long talk with the other Detached.

He sighed, and then gave them both his standard eerie grin. “Well, well, well… I took your advice, Captain, and spoke with the others. As usual, you are nothing short of brilliant, and always find a solution to my problems.”

“And?” She couldn’t tell what he was going to say next. The Detached were extremely unpredictable when they all gathered together to agree on something.

He looked over at Sweetling, and Christi realized his eyes were completely black, not a single star in them.

“We agreed that it isn’t worthy enough to be one of us. It’s weak, an embarrassment.” He clapped his hands together, grin growing wider. “I’ve been told by everyone to eliminate it.”

Kreax leapt to his feet, drawing the blaster. “I won’t let you kill our child!”

“Oh, please, my darling. Now isn’t the time for games… Wait… My dear, darling Praetorian, could you possibly be attached to our child?”

“They’re our child!”

“You’re… actually attached to it…” A few stars returned to his eyes, but he shook his head and got ready to wave his arm.  “W-well, no matter. We can work through this together.”

Sweetling grabbed the blaster, and Kreax immediately aimed and pulled the trigger. Amla smiled, but then shouted as the bolt ripped into his abdomen. He leaned against the table, one hand going to the wound. When he lifted his hand, it was covered in silver blood.

“What…?”

“I won’t let you kill them.”

“Praetorian…” Amla stood up straight, eyes pure black once more. “You should really know better than that.”

The weapon disappeared from Kreax’s hand, and then Amla cut his arm through the air. Sweetling slowly vanished.

“No!” Christi yelled, but found herself bound to her chair by an invisible force.

Kreax stood there for a moment, a stunned expression on his face. Then, he sunk to his knees, silent.

Amla went to take a step forward, but winced, clutching at his injury. He limped closer and knelt down on one knee. “Kreax?”

“You… you killed them,” he said, a numb confirmation.

The stars were reappearing in Amla’s eyes by the dozens. He frowned, and looked at the floor. “Yeah. I guess so. Huh… I feel weird. My chest hurts, and I feel sick. Is that normal for being shot?”

“No.”

“Huh.” Amla rubbed his chest. “I’ve never felt like this before.”

Kreax looked at him, eyes empty. “That’s guilt.”

“That’s silly. I’m Detached. We’re not attached to anything.”

“They were part of you.”

His eyes were now even more full of stars than Sweetling’s. “I’m going to go get healed now.”

“Don’t come back.”

“Hm? Why wouldn’t I? We’re going to have another baby soon. I don’t want to miss that.”

Kreax spoke slowly, “I don’t want you… anywhere near our child, ever. In fact, I’d like to go home, raise the baby, and die, without ever seeing you again.”

Amla searched his face, his eyes full of star clusters so congested they almost made a patch over the void behind them. “Oh. I can’t see the baby?”

“That’s right.”

“Huh. But what about deciding whether or not it can be Detached? How can I make that decision if I’ve never seen them?”

“Wasn’t killing our firstborn enough for you?”

His eyes were almost completely white. The last few bits of black disappeared, and he got on both knees, sitting back. “But I want to be there for the baby.”

“Then you shouldn’t have killed my child,” Kreax hissed.

“Nn… Stop saying that. It’s making it hurt more. It’s not like I can bring it back. We have rules about the dead.”

“Then just leave.”

“No. Not until you say I can be there for the baby.”

[fanficshiddles]

My Sweet Rose, Chapter 1

From the imagine on imagine-Loki here.

Summary: Rosie got a job working at The Avengers tower with her cousin, Pepper. She’s only been there a week when Loki comes live there, to make up for his past deeds in New York. But this brings a lot of problems for Rosie.

Loki was her Daddy Dom. Who vanished one day without a word, leaving her completely broken and lost.

Note: Daddy/little dynamic & Flashbacks will be in Bold. I’m not sure how long this story will be, I’m thinking no more than 5 chapters though. But I saw the imagine and omg I love it, had to do something with it. Haven’t written anymore of it yet but just HAD to share the first chapter so far, oops! lol. 

-

Rosie had been working and living in the Avengers tower for a week now, it was going really well. And it was helping to keep her mind occupied, getting her back on her feet after such a rough year.

She was a PA for Stark, and the other Avengers if they needed anything too. It was helping her cousin, Pepper out a lot. As Stark was very demanding nowadays and the others were becoming that way too.

It was also good for Rosie. She’d had a really tough year. She met someone a few years ago in a BDSM club, it had been her first time there after spending months building up the courage to go. She was a little, and had been wanting to find someone that she could feel safe with to explore that side of her.

She met a man, who was charming and handsome. Kind, funny. They fell in love, or so she thought anyway. He was the perfect Daddy Dom for her, teaching her everything and looking after her. She adored and loved him so much. Which is why when one day he just vanished, it was all the harder for her.

He just never returned after saying he had to go home to visit his family, who lived in Iceland apparently. But he did that regularly and always returned to her. But not that time. To say she was heartbroken when there was not even a call or a text from him explaining why was an understatement.

His name was Loki. And it became clear what happened a few months later after his disappearance, she saw him on the news. Loki, the God Of Mischief, was trying to take over the world. She couldn’t believe it and thought she was dreaming when she realised it had was her Loki. He looked different in the heavy armour, he looked scary.

But she thought no wonder he left her, he was a God and a Prince after all. What would he have wanted with her in the first place anyway?

She had tried a couple of times to date someone else, but never made it past the first date. As they just… weren’t him. No matter how often she tried to just forget about him. It was difficult.

She’d fallen into a downward spiral, not even able to go to work. So she had lost her job and was on benefits for a while. She became really anxious and nervous.

But here, in the tower, she was trying to turn herself around again. It had been one man, even if he had been her first true love, in her heart anyway. She knew she would heal, in time. Even if it had been over a year.

Rosie had been so engrossed in sorting out some paperwork for Tony that she never noticed the newcomer coming into the kitchen. She barely even registered Thor introducing her to him. ‘This is Rosie, our PA, she’s new here.’

Not until she heard an all too familiar voice responding that sent shivers down her spine and sent her heart racing.

‘Rosie… My sweet Rose?’

There was only one person who had ever called her that.

Slowly she looked up, eyes widening, standing before her was Loki.

‘Oh my sweet Rose, you’ve done Daddy so proud.’ Loki purred gently as he cradled her in his lap.

She felt so safe and secure, curled up against him as he wrapped a blanket around her naked body. Knowing how cold she always got after they’d played together quite so intensely.

Loki rocked her back and fore softly as he ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her. She was trembling a bit after her orgasms, Loki had pushed her almost past her limit, but he knew. He always knew when to stop at the right time.

He was an intense Daddy, and could be really strict at times. But he was fair and ever so kind. He had his goofy moments and was extremely playful too, which she loved. He was never angry with her, always calm and collected. Even when she misbehaved, not that that happened often.

She clung to his shirt so tightly, never wanting to let go. Loki had to carefully remove her hand from his shirt just so he could change them into a different position, getting them both under the blanket so he could have her snuggled up next to him. He knew she would fall asleep soon.

‘Daddy.’ She whispered quietly, sounding so vulnerable.

‘Yes, my little one?’ Loki asked, engulfing her small hand in his large one.

‘Can you sing to me?’

Loki smiled. ‘Of course, my sweetling.’

He began singing to her in Asgardian, but he had told her before it was Icelandic. She had no reason not to believe him, especially since he told her he’d grown up there with his parents.

But he had a beautiful voice, she always loved to hear him sing.

She felt so loved as he she drifted off to sleep to the sound of his voice. She faintly remembered a gentle kiss on her forehead just before she fell asleep.

Thor was confused at their interaction, especially as Rosie said nothing at first. Just stared at Loki in utter disbelief.

‘No…’ She shook her head and took a step backwards. ‘You… You don’t get to call me that anymore.’ She said quietly, her voice trembling as tears came to her eyes.

‘Rosie? What’s wrong, did he hurt you?’ Clint asked upon seeing the reaction.

Rosie grabbed the pile of paperwork off the table beside her and she ran off out of the kitchen, with tears falling down her face.

Clint turned to Loki. ‘You’ve got some explaining to do.’ He snapped at him.

‘I have nothing to explain to you, Hawk.’ Loki snarled.

Natasha and Pepper saw Rosie running out of the kitchen in floods of tears, they ran after her into her room. Natasha managed to grab the door before it closed on them.

‘Rosie? Rosie, what’s wrong?’ They both asked as they rushed in to her.

Rosie threw the papers on her bed and she started pacing back and fore, shaking and crying with her arms wrapped around herself. Pepper grabbed her and pulled her down to sit on the bed.

‘Rosie, please speak to us.’ She pleaded with her cousin as Natasha sat at the other side of her.

‘It… It’s him…’ She sobbed.

‘Who? Loki? Did he scare you? I told him not to be an asshole to anyone.’ Natasha said angrily.

‘He… He’s the one. Who I dated before.’ She blurted out, making Pepper and Natasha go silent in shock.

‘But… how?’ Pepper asked.

‘I met him one night in a club. And we dated for eleven months. I was in love with him, utterly and completely. I thought he was with me too. But then he just vanished and never came back one day. Then a few months later, I saw him on the TV… I didn’t tell anyone it was him, because I thought no one would believe me anyway. And what did it matter? It wouldn’t change anything.’ Rosie blurted out between crying.

‘Oh, Rosie. I wish you had told me.’ Pepper pulled her into a hug and cradled her head against her. ‘It’s ok, shhh, shhh. It’s going to be ok.’

Natasha rubbed her back softly. ‘If we had known, we would have warned you he was coming here. I’m so sorry.’

Rosie shook her head and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ‘No… It’s my fault, I should have told you. I just… it’s a shock to see him face to face.’

Natasha and Pepper nodded in understanding.

They stayed with her for a little while, then when she told them she was ok and was going to take a shower before bed, they left her to it.

But it ended up being the longest shower ever. She kept thinking about Loki and what they had together before.

Kept thinking of when they first met…

Rosie was super nervous when she walked into the BDSM club. But after months of talking herself into it, she finally had the courage to do it.

She didn’t dare tell any of her friends what she was into or what she was doing, perhaps foolish in a way as no one knew where she was. And she was on her own. But she was too embarrassed to tell anyone. Her friends wouldn’t understand.

She relaxed a tiny bit once she was there, noticing other people on their own as well. Getting a few drinks down her helped with her nerves too.

Some of the people she spoke to briefly were really nice. She met a lovely couple at the bar who asked if it was her first time there. They told her if she needed anything to feel free to ask them, not to be shy. That everyone there was really nice and friendly.

There were various demos on that she watched, there was a lot more to some scenes than met the eye. It really made her realise how on sites such as Fetlife and others, it was easy to get sucked into the wanna-be-Dom’s who likely had no idea what they were doing. Or how much safety came into it all.

‘Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you but I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a drink?’ A beautiful voice came from beside her when one of the demos on aftercare just finished.

Rosie turned and her breath was taken from her as she gazed up at an incredibly tall and handsome man.

‘I… I… Yeah, I would like that, thank you.’ Rosie stammered out, nodding over enthusiastically.

He grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth as he put his hand out towards her. ‘My name is Loki.’ He introduced.

‘I’m Rosie.’ She smiled up at him and put her hand into his. That’s when she noticed his gorgeous hands, so big and he had such long fingers. She blushed hard when he raised her hand up and he kissed the back of it, making her skin tingle like crazy.

‘Pleasure to meet you, Rosie.’ He said charmingly.

Loki gave her his arm and led her over to a free table near the bar. She was really nervous, and Loki could tell. But he soon had her at ease, just chatting away to her calmly and making her laugh almost straight away. She slowly began to relax in his presence.

‘Is this your first time here?’ He asked after buying them both another drink.

‘Is it that obvious?’ She cringed, making him chuckle.

‘Kind of. You did look a bit like a deer in the headlights. But that’s normal for first timers.’ Loki winked at her.

‘So, I’m guessing that means you’ve been here before?’

‘It does.’ He nodded. ‘Not often, it’s probably my fourth visit. Mainly just trying to meet new people, meet anyone that may potentially be interested in a Daddy Dom.’

Rosie’s eyes widened and she suddenly fell shy again as she looked down at her glass and swallowed hard. Loki raised an eyebrow, instantly realising that she was a little. He suspected she was a sub, but hadn’t been sure about the little aspect or not.

Loki leaned forward over the table towards her a little more. ‘Let me take a quick stab in the dark here… But I am presuming that you are a little?’

Her mouth opened and closed again. Then she just opted for nodding in response instead of trusting her voice to actually work.

Loki smiled softly. ‘Nothing to be shy about, sweetheart. That’s why lots of people come to these clubs, to meet their person.’

‘I… I guess so.’ She agreed.

They continued to talk for over an hour, not much about BDSM which Rosie found quite pleasant. He didn’t seem to want to jump straight in so quickly, which in turn made her trust him more and relax.

At the end of the night, Loki handed over a small card with his number on it. ‘There’s absolutely no pressure at all. But I’ve really enjoyed my night with you, Rosie. I would love to take you out on a date, perhaps out for lunch Saturday? But there’s no pressure, I don’t need an answer right now. Just text or call me to let me know. But if I don’t hear from you, that’s ok too. I totally understand.’

Rosie’s heart was racing. Could he get any more considerate? He wasn’t pressuring her at all, not asking for her number. Not even expecting her to contact him if she didn’t want to go on a date with him. Not even needing an answer straight away, what a gentleman.

Loki walked her outside the club and hailed a taxi for her, he even paid in advance for her, not taking no for an answer.

‘I just want to make sure I know you’ll get home safely. And I can’t help it, it’s the protective Daddy in me.’ He shrugged and chuckled, making her giggle shyly.

‘Thank you, Loki.’ She smiled widely at him as she got into the taxi and he closed the door for her once she was in.

He waved her off and she couldn’t stop smiling the whole way home.

Of course, she did text him the following morning to say she would love nothing more than to go on a date with him on Saturday. If that was still what he wanted, too.

Loki replied within a minute, with a time and a place for their first date.

-

‘How DARE you!’ Pepper roared at Loki and launched for him, slapping him across the face. It barely made him flinch, but he clenched his jaw as he glared at her.

Everyone was surprised at Pepper’s outburst.

‘Woah, what did he do?’ Bruce asked.

‘HE is the one that broke my cousin’s heart. She was head over heels in love with you, asshole. Then you just disappeared on her, left her alone without even an explanation. No note, nothing.’ She snarled at him.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Not that it’s any of your business, but I did what was right. To protect her. She was better off without me.’

‘You did NOT do what was right. You have no idea what you’ve put her through this past year, how heartbroken she was. Still is!’ Pepper screeched.

Loki faltered. ‘Still is? Did she not find another, she’s a beautiful, incredible woman. How could she not find ano’

‘You are such a fucking idiot!’ Pepper screeched angrily and so wanted to slap him again, but she knew it was pointless.

The guys around him all put their face into their hands.

‘What?’ Loki asked, looking around.

‘That’s a low blow, man. Not even leaving her a note.’ Said Tony.

‘I… I thought I was doing the right thing.’ Loki said, looking at Thor.

Thor nodded. ‘I did not realise that your Rose was this Rosie… But yes, Loki thought he was doing right by her. He was in love with her, adored her. Never shut up about her. But when he discovered his true heritage on a short visit home, he decided not to go back to her. In fear of hurting her.’ Thor explained.

Pepper ran her hands down her face.

‘Well, you failed on that. You probably hurt her more by not at least saying you were over. You have no idea what she’s been through this last year.’ Pepper shook her head in disgust at Loki.

The team all murmured between them and left the room, leaving Loki with Thor.

For the first time in a long time, Thor saw his real brother back. He saw true emotion on his face again, sorrow and guilt.

‘I… I did not mean to hurt her.’ Loki said, still a bit confused. ‘I loved her, Thor… I do love her. I never stopped thinking about her, never loved another.’ He whispered.

Thor sighed and walked over to him, patting his shoulder. ‘I know, brother. I know.’

Loki thought back to the first time she had called him Daddy. How much it made his heart happy that she trusted and wanted him so much…

Rosie and Loki were snuggling on the sofa together, watching some cartoons that she loved. Loki wasn’t overly fond of them, but it made her happy so he always obliged. He was just happy to have her on his lap, comfortable and relaxed in his arms. Where she belonged.

He was lightly stroking her back underneath her top, making her skin tingle. She was in utter heaven, and Loki couldn’t get enough of just simply touching her. He needed touch in some way, whether he was just holding her hand or had the tips of his fingers on her skin, he needed and craved the intimacy with her.

Loki’s fingers trailed a bit too far to her side and up a little, making her squirm and giggle.

‘Daddy, that tickles!’ She laughed and tried to grab his hand to stop him.

But he had already stopped, freezing at what she said. That was the first time she had called him that, even in little space.

The biggest smile spread across his face and he buried his face into her hair and squeezed her tightly to him.

‘Sorry, my sweet little one. I forgot how ticklish you are.’ He purred.

[imagine-loki]

My Sweet Rose, Chapter 1

TITLE: My Sweet Rose CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 1 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you are secretly a little but no one knows, one day you decide to check out a local BDSM club to try and get a feel of the community. You meet a handsome stranger that, over the next few months, shows you all about the lifestyle. However, one day… he vanishes without a word. 

RATING: M NOTES: Daddy/little dynamic & Flashbacks will be in Bold.

I’m not sure how long this story will be, I’m thinking no more than 5 chapters though. But I saw the imagine and omg I love it, had to do something with it. Haven’t written anymore of it yet but just HAD to share the first chapter so far, oops! lol. 

-

Rosie had been working and living in the Avengers tower for a week now, it was going really well. And it was helping to keep her mind occupied, getting her back on her feet after such a rough year.

She was a PA for Stark, and the other Avengers if they needed anything too. It was helping her cousin, Pepper out a lot. As Stark was very demanding nowadays and the others were becoming that way too.

It was also good for Rosie. She’d had a really tough year. She met someone a few years ago in a BDSM club, it had been her first time there after spending months building up the courage to go. She was a little, and had been wanting to find someone that she could feel safe with to explore that side of her.

She met a man, who was charming and handsome. Kind, funny. They fell in love, or so she thought anyway. He was the perfect Daddy Dom for her, teaching her everything and looking after her. She adored and loved him so much. Which is why when one day he just vanished, it was all the harder for her.

He just never returned after saying he had to go home to visit his family, who lived in Iceland apparently. But he did that regularly and always returned to her. But not that time. To say she was heartbroken when there was not even a call or a text from him explaining why was an understatement.

His name was Loki. And it became clear what happened a few months later after his disappearance, she saw him on the news. Loki, the God Of Mischief, was trying to take over the world. She couldn’t believe it and thought she was dreaming when she realised it had was her Loki. He looked different in the heavy armour, he looked scary.

But she thought no wonder he left her, he was a God and a Prince after all. What would he have wanted with her in the first place anyway?

She had tried a couple of times to date someone else, but never made it past the first date. As they just… weren’t him. No matter how often she tried to just forget about him. It was difficult.

She’d fallen into a downward spiral, not even able to go to work. So she had lost her job and was on benefits for a while. She became really anxious and nervous.

But here, in the tower, she was trying to turn herself around again. It had been one man, even if he had been her first true love, in her heart anyway. She knew she would heal, in time. Even if it had been over a year.

Rosie had been so engrossed in sorting out some paperwork for Tony that she never noticed the newcomer coming into the kitchen. She barely even registered Thor introducing her to him. ‘This is Rosie, our PA, she’s new here.’

Not until she heard an all too familiar voice responding that sent shivers down her spine and sent her heart racing.

‘Rosie… My sweet Rose?’

There was only one person who had ever called her that.

Slowly she looked up, eyes widening, standing before her was Loki.

‘Oh my sweet Rose, you’ve done Daddy so proud.’ Loki purred gently as he cradled her in his lap.

She felt so safe and secure, curled up against him as he wrapped a blanket around her naked body. Knowing how cold she always got after they’d played together quite so intensely.

Loki rocked her back and fore softly as he ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her. She was trembling a bit after her orgasms, Loki had pushed her almost past her limit, but he knew. He always knew when to stop at the right time.

He was an intense Daddy, and could be really strict at times. But he was fair and ever so kind. He had his goofy moments and was extremely playful too, which she loved. He was never angry with her, always calm and collected. Even when she misbehaved, not that that happened often.

She clung to his shirt so tightly, never wanting to let go. Loki had to carefully remove her hand from his shirt just so he could change them into a different position, getting them both under the blanket so he could have her snuggled up next to him. He knew she would fall asleep soon.

‘Daddy.’ She whispered quietly, sounding so vulnerable.

‘Yes, my little one?’ Loki asked, engulfing her small hand in his large one.

‘Can you sing to me?’

Loki smiled. ‘Of course, my sweetling.’

He began singing to her in Asgardian, but he had told her before it was Icelandic. She had no reason not to believe him, especially since he told her he’d grown up there with his parents.

But he had a beautiful voice, she always loved to hear him sing.

She felt so loved as he she drifted off to sleep to the sound of his voice. She faintly remembered a gentle kiss on her forehead just before she fell asleep.

Thor was confused at their interaction, especially as Rosie said nothing at first. Just stared at Loki in utter disbelief.

‘No…’ She shook her head and took a step backwards. ‘You… You don’t get to call me that anymore.’ She said quietly, her voice trembling as tears came to her eyes.

‘Rosie? What’s wrong, did he hurt you?’ Clint asked upon seeing the reaction.

Rosie grabbed the pile of paperwork off the table beside her and she ran off out of the kitchen, with tears falling down her face.

Clint turned to Loki. ‘You’ve got some explaining to do.’ He snapped at him.

‘I have nothing to explain to you, Hawk.’ Loki snarled.

Natasha and Pepper saw Rosie running out of the kitchen in floods of tears, they ran after her into her room. Natasha managed to grab the door before it closed on them.

‘Rosie? Rosie, what’s wrong?’ They both asked as they rushed in to her.

Rosie threw the papers on her bed and she started pacing back and fore, shaking and crying with her arms wrapped around herself. Pepper grabbed her and pulled her down to sit on the bed.

‘Rosie, please speak to us.’ She pleaded with her cousin as Natasha sat at the other side of her.

‘It… It’s him…’ She sobbed.

‘Who? Loki? Did he scare you? I told him not to be an asshole to anyone.’ Natasha said angrily.

‘He… He’s the one. Who I dated before.’ She blurted out, making Pepper and Natasha go silent in shock.

‘But… how?’ Pepper asked.

‘I met him one night in a club. And we dated for eleven months. I was in love with him, utterly and completely. I thought he was with me too. But then he just vanished and never came back one day. Then a few months later, I saw him on the TV… I didn’t tell anyone it was him, because I thought no one would believe me anyway. And what did it matter? It wouldn’t change anything.’ Rosie blurted out between crying.

‘Oh, Rosie. I wish you had told me.’ Pepper pulled her into a hug and cradled her head against her. ‘It’s ok, shhh, shhh. It’s going to be ok.’

Natasha rubbed her back softly. ‘If we had known, we would have warned you he was coming here. I’m so sorry.’

Rosie shook her head and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ‘No… It’s my fault, I should have told you. I just… it’s a shock to see him face to face.’

Natasha and Pepper nodded in understanding.

They stayed with her for a little while, then when she told them she was ok and was going to take a shower before bed, they left her to it.

But it ended up being the longest shower ever. She kept thinking about Loki and what they had together before.

Kept thinking of when they first met…

Rosie was super nervous when she walked into the BDSM club. But after months of talking herself into it, she finally had the courage to do it.

She didn’t dare tell any of her friends what she was into or what she was doing, perhaps foolish in a way as no one knew where she was. And she was on her own. But she was too embarrassed to tell anyone. Her friends wouldn’t understand.

She relaxed a tiny bit once she was there, noticing other people on their own as well. Getting a few drinks down her helped with her nerves too.

Some of the people she spoke to briefly were really nice. She met a lovely couple at the bar who asked if it was her first time there. They told her if she needed anything to feel free to ask them, not to be shy. That everyone there was really nice and friendly.

There were various demos on that she watched, there was a lot more to some scenes than met the eye. It really made her realise how on sites such as Fetlife and others, it was easy to get sucked into the wanna-be-Dom’s who likely had no idea what they were doing. Or how much safety came into it all.

‘Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you but I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a drink?’ A beautiful voice came from beside her when one of the demos on aftercare just finished.

Rosie turned and her breath was taken from her as she gazed up at an incredibly tall and handsome man.

‘I… I… Yeah, I would like that, thank you.’ Rosie stammered out, nodding over enthusiastically.

He grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth as he put his hand out towards her. ‘My name is Loki.’ He introduced.

‘I’m Rosie.’ She smiled up at him and put her hand into his. That’s when she noticed his gorgeous hands, so big and he had such long fingers. She blushed hard when he raised her hand up and he kissed the back of it, making her skin tingle like crazy.

‘Pleasure to meet you, Rosie.’ He said charmingly.

Loki gave her his arm and led her over to a free table near the bar. She was really nervous, and Loki could tell. But he soon had her at ease, just chatting away to her calmly and making her laugh almost straight away. She slowly began to relax in his presence.

‘Is this your first time here?’ He asked after buying them both another drink.

‘Is it that obvious?’ She cringed, making him chuckle.

‘Kind of. You did look a bit like a deer in the headlights. But that’s normal for first timers.’ Loki winked at her.

‘So, I’m guessing that means you’ve been here before?’

‘It does.’ He nodded. ‘Not often, it’s probably my fourth visit. Mainly just trying to meet new people, meet anyone that may potentially be interested in a Daddy Dom.’

Rosie’s eyes widened and she suddenly fell shy again as she looked down at her glass and swallowed hard. Loki raised an eyebrow, instantly realising that she was a little. He suspected she was a sub, but hadn’t been sure about the little aspect or not.

Loki leaned forward over the table towards her a little more. ‘Let me take a quick stab in the dark here… But I am presuming that you are a little?’

Her mouth opened and closed again. Then she just opted for nodding in response instead of trusting her voice to actually work.

Loki smiled softly. ‘Nothing to be shy about, sweetheart. That’s why lots of people come to these clubs, to meet their person.’

‘I… I guess so.’ She agreed.

They continued to talk for over an hour, not much about BDSM which Rosie found quite pleasant. He didn’t seem to want to jump straight in so quickly, which in turn made her trust him more and relax.

At the end of the night, Loki handed over a small card with his number on it. ‘There’s absolutely no pressure at all. But I’ve really enjoyed my night with you, Rosie. I would love to take you out on a date, perhaps out for lunch Saturday? But there’s no pressure, I don’t need an answer right now. Just text or call me to let me know. But if I don’t hear from you, that’s ok too. I totally understand.’

Rosie’s heart was racing. Could he get any more considerate? He wasn’t pressuring her at all, not asking for her number. Not even expecting her to contact him if she didn’t want to go on a date with him. Not even needing an answer straight away, what a gentleman.

Loki walked her outside the club and hailed a taxi for her, he even paid in advance for her, not taking no for an answer.

‘I just want to make sure I know you’ll get home safely. And I can’t help it, it’s the protective Daddy in me.’ He shrugged and chuckled, making her giggle shyly.

‘Thank you, Loki.’ She smiled widely at him as she got into the taxi and he closed the door for her once she was in.

He waved her off and she couldn’t stop smiling the whole way home.

Of course, she did text him the following morning to say she would love nothing more than to go on a date with him on Saturday. If that was still what he wanted, too.

Loki replied within a minute, with a time and a place for their first date.

-

‘How DARE you!’ Pepper roared at Loki and launched for him, slapping him across the face. It barely made him flinch, but he clenched his jaw as he glared at her.

Everyone was surprised at Pepper’s outburst.

‘Woah, what did he do?’ Bruce asked.

‘HE is the one that broke my cousin’s heart. She was head over heels in love with you, asshole. Then you just disappeared on her, left her alone without even an explanation. No note, nothing.’ She snarled at him.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Not that it’s any of your business, but I did what was right. To protect her. She was better off without me.’

‘You did NOT do what was right. You have no idea what you’ve put her through this past year, how heartbroken she was. Still is!’ Pepper screeched.

Loki faltered. ‘Still is? Did she not find another, she’s a beautiful, incredible woman. How could she not find ano’

‘You are such a fucking idiot!’ Pepper screeched angrily and so wanted to slap him again, but she knew it was pointless.

The guys around him all put their face into their hands.

‘What?’ Loki asked, looking around.

‘That’s a low blow, man. Not even leaving her a note.’ Said Tony.

‘I… I thought I was doing the right thing.’ Loki said, looking at Thor.

Thor nodded. ‘I did not realise that your Rose was this Rosie… But yes, Loki thought he was doing right by her. He was in love with her, adored her. Never shut up about her. But when he discovered his true heritage on a short visit home, he decided not to go back to her. In fear of hurting her.’ Thor explained.

Pepper ran her hands down her face.

‘Well, you failed on that. You probably hurt her more by not at least saying you were over. You have no idea what she’s been through this last year.’ Pepper shook her head in disgust at Loki.

The team all murmured between them and left the room, leaving Loki with Thor.

For the first time in a long time, Thor saw his real brother back. He saw true emotion on his face again, sorrow and guilt.

‘I… I did not mean to hurt her.’ Loki said, still a bit confused. ‘I loved her, Thor… I do love her. I never stopped thinking about her, never loved another.’ He whispered.

Thor sighed and walked over to him, patting his shoulder. ‘I know, brother. I know.’

Loki thought back to the first time she had called him Daddy. How much it made his heart happy that she trusted and wanted him so much…

Rosie and Loki were snuggling on the sofa together, watching some cartoons that she loved. Loki wasn’t overly fond of them, but it made her happy so he always obliged. He was just happy to have her on his lap, comfortable and relaxed in his arms. Where she belonged.

He was lightly stroking her back underneath her top, making her skin tingle. She was in utter heaven, and Loki couldn’t get enough of just simply touching her. He needed touch in some way, whether he was just holding her hand or had the tips of his fingers on her skin, he needed and craved the intimacy with her.

Loki’s fingers trailed a bit too far to her side and up a little, making her squirm and giggle.

‘Daddy, that tickles!’ She laughed and tried to grab his hand to stop him.

But he had already stopped, freezing at what she said. That was the first time she had called him that, even in little space.

The biggest smile spread across his face and he buried his face into her hair and squeezed her tightly to him.

‘Sorry, my sweet little one. I forgot how ticklish you are.’ He purred.

[thelastspeecher]

Amphibious Tendencies - Chapter 5: Calotriton arnoldi

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5   Chapter 6   Chapter 7   Chapter 8   Chapter 9   Chapter 10   AO3

I’m very excited about this chapter, there’s a lot of stuff in it.  Also, it’s the first chapter to not contain ficlets that I’d posted before.  So, all original material.  Shout-out to @vulpixen, who developed the version of Wendy’s mom that I used, and also came up with the idea of Jimmy Snakes having...well, you’ll see.

—

Summary: Three-ish years after the events of Chapter 4, Stan, Angie, and their son have settled into a happy life.  But troubling things are on the horizon...

The Montseny brook newt (Calotriton arnoldi) is a strictly aquatic species, not even venturing onto land to breed.

——————————————————————————————

             “Dada!”  Stan grinned broadly at Junior, toddling over to him with a worm in his tiny hands.

             “Whatcha got there, sport?” he gushed.  Junior held the worm up.

             “Snack!”

             “A snack, huh?” Stan asked.  Junior nodded.  Stan ruffled his son’s thick, caramel-colored curls.  “And where’d you get it?”

             “There.”  Junior pointed to the container of bait they’d brought on the fishing trip. Tate, still waiting patiently for a fish to bite, groaned loudly.

             “That’s where the bait keeps disappearin’ to!” he whined.  Guilt suddenly weighed on Stan’s shoulders.  He lifted Junior into his lap.

             “Good work finding a snack, Junior, but no more, okay?  Those worms aren’t snacking worms, they’re fishing worms,” he said patiently. Junior nodded obediently, then swallowed the worm whole.  He burped loudly.  Stan couldn’t help but chuckle.

             “There’s no fish ‘round here,” Tate muttered.

             “Want me to move the boat somewhere else, fishing buddy?” Stan asked.  Tate shrugged.  Stan stifled a sigh.  He’d been thrilled when Tate started to call Ford his dad, something that Stan couldn’t help but feel might be true in more ways than one.  Recently, though, Ford and Fiddleford had been too busy with their research to spend time with Tate.  So, Stan stepped up, trying to keep Tate from noticing.  But today was the fifth day in a row of taking a fishing trip.

             He’s a smart kid. If he hasn’t noticed yet, he will soon.

             “Mama!” Junior shrieked suddenly.  Stan looked over.  Angie had surfaced by the side of the boat.  She smiled fondly at Stan, Junior, and Tate.

             “My boys all in one place,” she cooed. Junior whined loudly at her.  She stroked his hair, eliciting giggles from him. “Why are you wearing a life jacket?” she asked Stan.

             “Safety first.”

             “Darling, you can’t drown.  Neither can Junior, who is also wearing a life jacket for some reason.”

             “Tate’s gotta wear a life jacket.  Figured I’d make it fair,” Stan said with a shrug. Angie chuckled softly.

             “Good point.”  She looked at Tate.  “How’s the fishing, Tater Tot?”

             “I think you might be the reason there aren’t any fish ‘round here, Auntie Angie,” Tate said glumly.

             “Oh, sorry!  I’ll get back to what I was doing.  Want me to scare some fish in your direction?” Angie asked.  Tate shrugged.  Angie sighed softly.  She swam over to be by Tate.  “Honey, are you all right?”

             “I’m fine.”

             “Sweetling…”

             “I’m just kinda sad my pa and dad don’t do anything with me anymore,” Tate mumbled finally.  “I know they’re busy with work and that junk, but it’s still not that great.”

             “You’re right, it stinks,” Stan confirmed.  Tate looked over at him in surprise.  “I’m not gonna lie to you, kid.  Being ignored by your parents?  It stinks.  But you’ve got me and Angie and Junior.  We’ll pick up anything your dads drop, okay?”  Tate managed a small smile.

             “Okay, Uncle Stan.”

             “Good.  Ang, you should get back to work and let us men catch some fish,” Stan said, winking at Angie.  She rolled her eyes, then dipped below the water’s surface again.  “Seriously, Tate, if you ever need to talk…”

             “Auntie Angie says you’re not great at talking ‘bout things.”

             “I’m better than Ford,” Stan said.  Tate snickered.

             “Yeah, I s’ppose ya are.”  The line on his fishing pole suddenly tautened.  He let out a low whoop.  “Finally!  It’s about time I got a bite.”

-----

             Stan carefully set Junior into his designated sleeping pool.  Fast asleep and in nixie form, Junior sunk to the bottom.

             Eh, he’ll be fine. He’s got gills.

             “Stan?”  Stan looked over his shoulder.  Angie stood near the cave entrance.  He held a finger to his mouth.

             “I just got Junior down for his nap, be quiet,” he whispered.  Angie gestured for him to come to her.  Stan stood and walked over.  “What’s going on?”

             “Well…”  Angie cocked her head, clearly trying to decide how to explain whatever she was up to. “Remember how I caught ya teachin’ Junior to steal the other day?”

             “Yeah.”

             “And ya somehow convinced me that he should know things like that?” Angie added.  Stan grinned.

             “Yeah.”  Stan blinked. “Wait, did he steal something?”

             “No.  I did.”

             “You what?!” Stan yelped in shock.  Angie punched his shoulder.

             “Don’t wake Junior up!” she hissed.  Stan rubbed his shoulder ruefully.

             “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”  He lowered his voice even further.  “What did you steal?”  Angie tilted her head one way, then the other.

             “I didn’t steal a ‘what’.  I stole a ‘who’.”

             “You stole someone?”

             “I had to.”

             “Fucking-”  Stan pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Okay. Take me to the person you stole.” Angie nodded.  She led Stan outside, into the hidden glen that housed the second entrance to the caves.  Stan frowned at the pet carrier sitting on the ground.  “You stole a pet?”

             “Technically, no, I didn’t.”  Angie walked to the carrier and crouched down.  She opened it.  “Come out, Jonah, it’s okay.”  She stood and turned around.  Stan took a step back.

             “What the fuck is that?!” he demanded, gesturing at the creature in Angie’s arms.  Angie stroked the creature tenderly.  “It looks like you used one of those size-changing crystals on a maggot, Ang.”

             “Don’t be so rude,” Angie hissed.  She scratched the top of the creature’s head.  The creature closed its eyes, chirping happily. “He’s an interplanetary refugee.”

             “And what does that mean?”

             “Do ya know about the crashed spaceship?”

             “Duh.  When Ford first found it, he didn’t shut up about it for over a month.”

             “Stanford found an egg at the site.  It hatched into this lil feller.”

             “That thing is an alien?”

             “Yes.”

             “And you took it from Ford?”

             “Him,” Angie corrected.  “But, yes, I took him from Stanford.”

             “Why?”

             “He’s just a baby!” Angie burst out.  “He’s just a baby, and they were experimentin’ on him!  Studyin’ him like- like some sort of animal!”

             “But…he is an animal,” Stan said slowly. Angie closed her eyes.

             “Remember how upset ya got when Stanford wanted to study Junior’s egg?  Even though we both gave him permission, ya hovered ‘round like a mother hen any time yer brother so much as touched the egg.”

             “…Yeah.  I remember,” Stan said.  Angie opened her eyes again.

             “Can ya please spare some similar emotions fer this poor lil feller?” she asked.  “He hatched on a different planet, all alone, only to be tested on and studied by the person what saw him hatch, the closest thing he had to a father.” An uncomfortable feeling began to grow in Stan’s stomach.  “Stanley. They were keepin’ him in a cage.” Stan swallowed.

             “Okay.  I get it now. Goddamn.”  Stan ran a hand through his hair.  “How did you find out about this?”

             “Stanford wanted my biologist’s opinion on him.  I tried to explain to him why what he was doin’ was wrong, but he wouldn’t listen.  So’s I did the only thing I could think of doin’.”

             “That’s gonna make Ford know you took him.  By now, you should realize that you can’t get through to my brother.”

             “I made it look like Jonah broke out of his cage.”

             “That might give us some time, but- wait, Jonah?”

             “I gave him a name.”

             “You named him Jonah.”

             “‘Cause he’s a fish out of water,” Angie explained. Stan fought back a smile.

             “All right, I���ll admit, that’s cute.  But we can’t keep him, Ang.  You making it look like Jonah broke out is gonna give us some time, but Ford’s gonna eventually come here, either because he thinks you took him or because he thinks you can help track him down.”

             “I know,” Angie said softly.  She grimaced.  “I also don’t know if Jonah would be safe to have ‘round Junior.  I think his species might eat amphibians.”

             “Why?”

             “I first approached him in frog form and he tried to eat my fingers.  In human form, though, he hasn’t done so much as a nibble.”  Angie beamed.  “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.  Someone owes me a favor.”

-----

             Stan parked the Stanleymobile.  He looked at the small cabin Angie had directed him to.

             “Who lives here?” he asked.

             “The Corduroys.”

             “Dan and Beth?”

             “Yep.”

             “What makes you think they’ll take Jonah?”

             “Beth owes me a favor,” Angie said, getting out of the car, Jonah’s pet carrier in hand.  “Not to mention, Dan’s a sucker fer kids.”

             “Yeah, kids.  Not aliens that look like bugs.”

             “I’ve got a solution fer that, too,” Angie said breezily.  Stan got out of the car and followed her to the front door.

             “You really planned this all out, huh?”

             “When ya taught Junior how to steal, ya told him that a necessary part of a theft is knowin’ what to do with what ya take.” Angie knocked on the front door. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Dan Corduroy’s wife, Bethany.  “Howdy, Beth.”

             “Angie!”  Bethany threw her arms around Angie happily.  “How are you?”

             “All right.”

             “Good, good.”  Bethany smiled at Stan.  “What about you, Stan?”  Stan shrugged.

             “A lake monster is babysitting my kid right now,” he said.  At some point, Bethany and Dan had been told his family’s amphibious secret.  He wasn’t sure when or how, but Angie trusted the Corduroys, and he’d always been a fan of Dan.

             Of the weirdos in town, Dan and Beth are the best to know my wife, kid, and I are all frog-people.

             “Huh?” Bethany asked.

             “Spur-of-the-moment need,” Angie said, waving a hand airily. “Remember that favor ya owe me?”

             “How could I forget?”

             “I’m cashin’ it in.”  Angie patted Jonah’s pet carrier.  “My brother ‘n brother-in-law were doin’ some unethical things again.” Bethany leaned against the doorjamb, her arms crossed.

             “Why am I not surprised?” she asked idly.  She blew a strand of red hair out of her face. “What was it this time?”

             “Experimentin’ on a sentient bein’.”

             “That’s no good.”

             “No, it ain’t.”  Angie took a deep breath.  “Would you and Dan be willin’ to take the lil feller in?”

             “Maybe?  I’ll get Dan.”  Bethany looked over her shoulder.  “Dan! It’s Angie and Stan, they’re cashing in that favor!”  Thunderous footsteps sounded.  There was a loud crash.

             “Ouch!”

             “Good thing he’s a carpenter,” Bethany muttered, rolling her eyes.  After more crashes and thumps, Dan finally appeared behind his wife, the only person he didn’t tower over.

             “Angie, Stan,” Dan rumbled.  Stan nodded.  “WHAT’S going on?”

             “I rescued someone.  You ‘n Beth ‘re the only people I trust to take care of him,” Angie said.  Relief settled over Stan that Angie was getting straight to the point.  Dan didn’t like it when people beat around the bush.

             “He’s in THAT thing?” Dan asked, looking at the pet carrier.  Angie nodded. “Kinda SHRIMPY, then.”

             “He’s a baby,” Angie said.  “Here, I’ll show ya.”  She opened the carrier door.  Promptly, Jonah crawled up the door, to the top of the carrier, and up Angie’s arm before settling on her shoulder.

             “What IS that?!” Dan shouted.  Angie and Stan winced at the volume, but Bethany didn’t bat an eye.

             “Inside voice, Dan.”  Bethany leaned in, peering closely at Jonah.  “But seriously, what is it?”

             “He’s an alien.”

             “Angie, I know I owe you a big favor, but raising an alien is a bit much,” Bethany said, not unkindly.  Dan nodded.

             “I’m NOT a FAN of the weird things around HERE.”

             “I understand.  But Jonah doesn’t have to stick out,” Angie said smoothly.  Stan raised an eyebrow at her.  Bethany and Dan seemed similarly doubtful.  “Do you have any baby pictures of Dan?”

             “Yes.”

             “Could ya grab one?”

             “Uh, sure.”  Bethany disappeared inside, leaving Dan alone with Stan, Angie, and the alien.  Dan squinted at Jonah.

             “Weird-looking THING.”

             “Only right now,” Angie said cryptically.  Dan frowned at her.  He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Bethany returned. She handed a photo to Angie. “Thank you.  Stan, please take Jonah.”  Stan took Jonah from Angie, resting the alien in his arms.  Angie held the picture up to Jonah.  “Jonah, can ya do this?” she asked.  Stan blinked, and suddenly a large, red-haired infant was in his arms.

             “What the hell?!” Stan yelped, almost dropping Jonah in shock.  Dan reared back, wide-eyed.  Bethany, however, leaned in, interested.

             “How’d he do that?” she asked.

             “Jonah’s species are shapeshifters.  If ya ask him to take a specific form, he can do it. Right now, he needs a frame of reference to mimic, but I figure as he gets older, he can come up with his own forms.” Angie smiled.  “As ya can see, Jonah can fit in real easy with humans. Ya won’t have any idea he ain’t a reg’lar lil tot.”

             “I guess…” Bethany said slowly.  She sighed.  “This makes your request a bit better, but it’s still not that great.”

             “If ya find ya can’t handle him, I’ll take him back and find someone else.  But I know you two are good people.  You’d raise him right,” Angie said.  Bethany and Dan looked at each other.

             “What do you think?” Bethany asked.  Dan looked at Jonah in Stan’s arms.

             “HAND the kid OVER,” he rumbled.  Stan gladly gave Jonah to Dan.  “Hmm.”  Dan looked at Angie.  “He won’t EAT us, WILL he?”

             “No.  He had a million opportunities to try to eat human flesh, but didn’t.”  Angie tilted her head.  “Amphibious flesh, though, he seemed to find awfully tasty.”  Bethany grimaced.

             “I get why you can’t take care of him, then.”

             “Yeah.”

             “Well…”  Bethany took a deep breath.  “I think I’m fine watching him, at least on a trial basis.  Dan?”  Dan nodded.

             “We can TRY.”

             “Thank you,” Angie gushed.  Tension left her shoulders.  “Ya have no idea how relieved that makes me.  I was so worried fer his safety.”

             “We’ll keep him safe,” Bethany promised.  Angie embraced her.  She looked at Jonah, still nestled in Dan’s enormous arms.  “What was his name again?”

             “Jonah.”

             “Jonah.”  Bethany smiled.  “I like it.”

             “What about GUS?” Dan rumbled.  Bethany chuckled.

             “That’s what we can name the next alien Angie brings us.”

             “We should get back before the babysitter tries to teach Junior how to capsize boats again,” Stan said, looking at his watch. Angie nodded.

             “Thanks again, you two,” she said to Beth and Dan. She embraced Bethany.  “I’ll come back tomorrow to check on ya, okay?”

             “Sounds good,” Bethany said.  She and Dan stepped inside, closing the door behind them. Angie and Stan went back to the car.

             “That went way better than I thought it would,” Stan confessed.

             “I figured they would agree to help,” Angie said with a shrug.  “Dan’s a big softie.”  She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Stan on the cheek.  “Just like you.”

-----

             “Dada,” Junior whined from his car seat.  Stan groaned loudly.  He hadn’t had any coffee yet, and as a result, already had a throbbing headache.  Being whined at was only making it worse.  He took a steadying breath.

             You love your son more than anything else in the world, remember?  Stan forced a smile and looked in the rearview mirror at Junior.

             “What is it, kiddo?”

             “Wanna pway.”

             “Don’t worry, we will.  After we pick up your cousin and drop him off with your Ma. Okay?”

             “Okay,” Junior mumbled.  “Why Tate with Mama?”

             “Well, he’s getting a bit sick of fishing all the time, so your Ma offered to have him shadow her at work.”

             “Sadow?”

             “Follow her around and watch what she does.”

             “…Mmkay.”  Junior lapsed back into silence.  Stan sighed and focused on driving again.  Not long after Junior hatched, Tate had made a comment about Lake Gravity Falls needing someone to protect it.  That comment had somehow spiraled into Angie creating a Lake Ranger program, something the citizens of Gravity Falls had happily embraced.

             They would probably have a different opinion if they knew Angie was doing more than keeping the fish healthy.  Angie kept it secret, but she was also keeping an eye on the magical and supernatural aspects of the lake, which had won a lot of points with the magical creature community.  And we need all the points we can get.  They’re not exactly thrilled by our connection to the resident mad scientist.  They finally pulled up to the cabin.

             “Bike, Dada!” Junior squealed happily.  Stan followed where Junior was pointing.  His blood ran cold.  He’d know that custom Harley-Davidson anywhere.

             Well, shit.  Stan turned off the car, trying to steel himself. No use in putting it off, Stan. He’s here, you’ve gotta find out why and send him packing.

             “Dada, out!” Junior whined.

             “Yeah, yeah, sport, we’re gonna get out,” Stan said. He got out of the car and removed Junior from his car seat.  With his son in his arms and his heart in his throat, Stan walked up to the cabin’s front door.  He knocked. Promptly, the door swung open, revealing the mustached face he’d dreaded.

             “Jimmy,” Stan said shortly.  Jimmy Snakes grinned.

             “Kitten,” he drawled, leaning against the doorjamb.

             “Meow!” Junior piped up helpfully.  “Meow!”

             “Heh.”  Jimmy smiled at Junior.  “Cute kid. He yours?”

             “Yes, he is.”

             “Then your brother wasn’t lying to me.”  Jimmy cocked his head.  “I’m glad you finally got back from your walk with the kid. Your brother ain’t good conversation.” Stan mentally filed away the fact that Ford had claimed he still lived at the cabin.  

             “What do you want?” Stan asked.  Jimmy huffed.

             “Can’t a guy show up to surprise an old flame?”

             “I’m married.”

             “Doesn’t mean we can’t-”

             “Jimmy.”

             “Fine.”  Jimmy held his hands up.  “I only stopped by ‘cause I was already in town.”

             “Why are you in town?”

             “I switched careers,” Jimmy said lazily.  “Got sick of being at someone else’s beck and call. Now, I hunt big game.”

             “What, like deer?”

             “Sorta.”  Jimmy grinned evilly.  “But…rarer. More unique.  And I heard that Gravity Falls has plenty of that.”

             “Weirdest big thing I’ve seen around here is a moose.”

             “Really?”  Jimmy lowered his distinctive sunglasses.  “Your brother seems to think that there are some things around here that are a helluva lot more interesting.”

             Dammit, Ford, what did you tell him?

             “If there are, I haven’t seen any of it,” Stan said with a shrug.  “Now, leave.” Jimmy let out a low whistle.

             “You’re gonna toss me out just like that, kitten?”

             “Yes, I am.”  Stan glowered.  “And don’t call me kitten.”

             “If you insist.”  With his usual devil-may-care attitude, Jimmy walked back to his bike.  “If you change your mind, I’m at the motel.  Unit 16.”  He started his bike.  Junior patted Stan’s face.

             “Meow, Dada.”

             “Yeah.”  Stan watched Jimmy drive away.  “Meow.”

-----

             Stan’s headache from that morning had returned with a vengeance.  Junior squirmed in his arms, wailing at the top of his lungs.

             Really shoulda put him down for his nap sooner. But Stan had been avoiding going home, worried that Jimmy might follow and realize Stan and his family were the “big game” he had been looking for.  He couldn’t delay it any longer, though.  Junior had reached his breaking point and needed to sleep in nixie form.

             “We’re home, sport,” Stan said as he walked into the cave.  Junior promptly turned into his nixie form.  “Junior, you can’t do that with your clothes on.”  Junior continued to writhe furiously, but now, he was slippery. “Fine!”  Stan deposited Junior into his sleeping pool.  “Sleep in your clothes.”

             “Night, Dada,” Junior said, then ducked underwater, curling up into a ball at the bottom of the pool.  Stan rubbed his temples.

             “Ang, do we have any aspirin?” he called.  His voice echoed in the cave.  There was no response.  “Angie?”

             She should be home by now…  Out of the corner of his eye, Stan saw movement.  He turned his head.  Tate emerged from behind a large boulder.

             “Tate?”

             “Uncle Stan, I’m sorry!” Tate burst out.  He ran over to Stan and wrapped his arms tightly around his uncle’s torso.  “I’m so sorry, I couldn’t do anything!”

             “Hey, hey, calm down,” Stan said, stroking Tate’s hair.  “What are you talking about?  What happened?”

             “Some- some man came in and he took- he took Auntie Angie!” Tate sobbed.  Stan’s blood ran cold.  “We- we came back here for lunch, and Auntie Angie heard some noise, so she told me to hide. And I didn’t- I didn’t do anything, I just watched him take her!”

             “You’re just a kid,” Stan said, forcing himself to seem calm despite the terror churning in his stomach.  “You couldn’t have done anything.  Hiding was the right move for you.”

             “But- but-”

             “What did the man look like?  The one that took your aunt?” Stan asked.  Tate broke off the hug.  He wiped his arm across his face, sniffling loudly.

             “He was- he was blond.  And he had a mustache, and a leather jacket, and-”

             “Sunglasses.”

             “Y-yeah.”  Tate looked up at Stan.  “Do you know who took her?”

             “Unfortunately, yes.”

             “So you can go after him, then?”

             “Yeah.  Your dads and I will go find him and get your aunt back.”  Stan looked at Junior, fast asleep in his pool.  “…Right after I ask the Gobblewonker to babysit your cousin.” Junior nodded.

             “They’ll- they’ll help?” he asked timidly.  “Dad and Pa, they’ve been a bit…difficult to talk to lately.”  Stan smiled.

             “Of course they’ll help.”

-----

             “Stanley, I don’t have time to help you.”

             “Don’t have time to help?!”  Stan stared at Ford.  “She’s your sister-in-law!”  Ford didn’t even look up from the blueprints he was poring over.

             “And she’s very capable of taking care of herself. Remember how she befriended the lake monster?”

             “You mean the Gobblewonker.”

             “Yes, yes.”  Ford squinted at something on the blueprints.  “I recall that Angie also handled herself very well against a poacher.”

             “That’s different.  She had her gun.  Also, she wasn’t already kidnapped!”  There was no response from Ford.  “Really?! Stanford, I thought you gave a damn about my family!”  Ford sighed. He finally looked up at Stan.

             “I do, Stanley.  Sincerely.  However, I know that you are more than able to stage the rescue mission on your own. Should you be unable to for some reason, I can assist.  For now, though, I must decline.”  Ford jabbed the blueprints with a finger.  “I’m at a crucial phase in my research!”

             “Fine!”  Stan threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.  “Fine!  Where’s Fiddleford?  He’ll help rescue his sister.”  Ford grimaced.  “What?”

             “I don’t know if that’s the wisest move,” Ford said in an undertone.  “F has been very forgetful and disoriented as of late.  He’d be more of a hindrance than a help.”

             “Wait, what?”

             “He keeps misplacing things and forgetting about tasks.  In fact, the other day, he accidentally left Tate at the supermarket.”

             “He-!”  Stan pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?”

             “Tate didn’t tell you?”

             “No!”  Stan kneaded his forehead.  “Son of a- I can’t deal with this right now, I have to rescue my wife!”  He glared at Ford.  “The second Angie’s safe, I’m gonna have to talk to you.  You and Fiddleford.”

             “Very well.”  Ford returned his attention to the blueprints.

             Stan stormed out of the cabin, nearly blinded by his rage.  He could feel a prickly sensation spreading over his skin.  His anger was strong enough that he was beginning to slip into nixie mode.  He took a deep breath.  The prickling stopped.

             Can’t be a frog right now.  Gotta be human. Stan wrenched the door of the Stanleymobile open and sat in the driver’s seat.  Okay.  Think, Stan. Think!  He rested his forehead on the steering wheel.  You can’t take her back on your own.  You’ll need some more muscle.  His eyes widened.

             Muscle.  That’s it!

-----

             Dan tore down the door of Unit 16 at the Gravity Falls Motel.  Stan stepped inside.

             “Thanks, Dan,” he said, remembering the manners that Angie had drilled into him.

             “No PROBLEM,” Dan rumbled.  He clapped a hand on Stan’s shoulder.  “I OWE Angie for bringing us JONAH.”

             “I’m just glad that you and Beth liked the kid enough to keep him.”  Stan looked around.  “Now, where is-”  The door to the bathroom slammed open.  Jimmy stormed into the living room.

             “What the actual hell, Stan?” he screamed.  Stan crossed his arms.  “I didn’t realize you were this fucking bitter about me breaking up with you!”  Stan ignored the startled look from Dan.

             “I’m not here because of our relationship,” he ground out.  “I’m here for my wife.”

             “Your…?”  Jimmy seemed genuinely taken aback.  “Your wife?”

             “Yes, my wife!  The woman I married!  Ever heard of one?” Stan demanded, stepping forward.

             “I- I don’t know what your wife looks like,” Jimmy said.  “I don’t even know her name.”

             “That didn’t stop you from taking her!  My nephew saw it happen!”

             “Look, Stan, I don’t even traffic pugs anymore. You really think I’d kidnap someone?”

             “No.  But I think you’d kidnap someone you didn’t think was a person.”

             “What?” Jimmy asked.  Stan marched up to him.

             “Where.  Is. The.  Nixie.”

             “The nixie?”  Realization dawned over Jimmy.  “Your wife is the nixie?”  Stan nodded. “Why the hell would you marry a frog?”

             “Because I love her, dumbass,” Stan snapped.  “I’m not gonna repeat myself anymore. Where.  Is.  She.” Behind him, he could hear Dan cracking his knuckles.  Jimmy turned pale.

             “She’s in the bathroom,” he said quietly.  Stan ran to the bathroom door and tore it off the hinges in his hurry to open it.  Angie was in the bathtub, hogtied and gagged.  Her eyes widened at the sight of him.

             “Angie!”  Stan sprinted to her.  He pulled out her gag and untied her.  She threw her arms around him, planting her lips on his in a deep kiss.

             “Thank you,” Angie whispered once she finally pulled away.  Stan smiled at her.

             “No need for that, babe.  You’re my wife.  I’m supposed to rescue you if you get kidnapped.”  Angie managed a small smile.  “Did he hurt you?”

             “No.  He even kept me in water.”  Angie nodded at the bathtub, which was partially filled.  “I guess the person who hired him to get me wanted me in top-notch condition.”  Chills ran down Stan’s spine.

             “He kidnapped you because someone wanted you?” he asked quietly.  Angie nodded. “Shit.”  Stan took a breath.  “I’ve gotta figure out who hired him.”

             “Agreed,” Angie said.  Stan helped her out of the tub, then led her out of the bathroom. To his pleasure, Dan had cornered Jimmy, who looked scared out of his mind.  “Oh, Dan, you’re here?”

             “Of COURSE!” Dan said.  Angie smiled.

             “It’s so sweet of you to help.”  She looked at Stan.  “I assume our brothers are watching the kids?”

             “Uh…”  Stan rubbed the back of his neck.  “Not- not- I’ll talk to you about it later, okay?  Right now, we need Jimmy to tell us who hired him.”  Jimmy let out a bark of laughter.

             “Ha!  Fat chance! I ain’t no snitch.  And I don’t care how many mountain-sized lumberjacks you send after me.”  Stan took a step forward, but Angie put a hand on his shoulder.

             “Dear, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” she said mildly.  Stan couldn’t help but admire her steadfast calm.  Angie looked at Jimmy.  “So, Jimmy-” She was abruptly interrupted by a baby’s cry.  “Um.”

             “Is there a baby here?” Stan asked, looking around. His eyes landed on a crib by the bed. “Holy shit, there is!”  He whipped his head around to stare at Jimmy.  “Did you steal a baby?”

             “What?  No!” Jimmy glared at him.  “Maurice is my kid, okay?  His mom dropped him on me and bounced.”

             “And you kept him?”

             “I grew up in the system.  I don’t want my kid to have to deal with that, too.”

             “Right,” Stan said quietly.  “You told me that before.”  The gears in his head began to turn.  He met Jimmy’s eyes squarely.  “Jimmy. You’re a dad.”

             “Yeah.”

             “So am I.”

             “I know.  I saw your kid.”

             “You’ve also seen my wife,” Stan said, gesturing to Angie.  “You can probably guess that my kid isn’t as human as he looks.”  Angie eyed him doubtfully.  He grabbed her hand and squeezed in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.  “As Junior’s dad, I’m supposed to keep him safe.  But with him not being human, it can be a bit tough.  Y’know?”

             “Yeah,” Jimmy mumbled.

             “C’mon, man.”  Stan let go of Angie’s hand and walked up to Jimmy.  “The guy who hired you to go after Angie, he’ll go after my kid, too.  I can’t let that happen.  I have to protect him.  Dad to dad. Tell me who hired you.”

             “I…”  Jimmy wavered.  Finally, he sighed.  “All right. His name is Bill.”

             “That’s it?”

             “That’s all the information I’ve got on him,” Jimmy said with a shrug.  “I can’t tell you anything else.”

             “We appreciate it all the same,” Angie said, joining Stan.  Jimmy grunted wordlessly.  “And if you ever need a babysitter…”

             “Heh.”  Jimmy managed a small smile.  “I’m not a big fan of frogs.  And even if I was, I’m not planning on sticking around in this town.  Especially since I can’t get Bill what he wanted.”

             “Jimmy, I really do appreciate it,” Stan said quietly.

             “It was more for old time’s sake than anything else,” Jimmy said breezily.  “Now, kitten, you, your wife, and your mountain better leave.  I’ve gotta take care of my kid.  I don’t like to leave him crying too long.”  Stan nodded.  He, Angie, and Dan left, Dan carefully putting the door back on its hinges on their way out.

             Once they were in the parking lot, Angie turned to Stan.  She put her hands on her hips.

             “What?” Stan asked.

             “Kitten?” Angie asked.  Dan nodded.

             “I’M a bit CURIOUS about that, TOO.”  Stan sighed.

             “I don’t want to talk about it.”

-----

             Angie sighed as she hung up Junior’s sopping clothes to dry.

             “Why didn’t you take his clothes off before he went in the water?” she asked.  When they had gotten back, Junior was awake and hungry for dinner.  They hadn’t been able to talk about the day until after he’d fallen asleep for the night.

             “You know how he gets when he’s overtired and needs to turn frog,” Stan said.  He was in nixie form, sitting on the edge of the sleeping pool he and Angie shared, Junior curled up in his lap.  After everything that had happened that day, he didn’t want his son to leave his sight. “I was just glad that he stayed human until we got home.”

             “Mm.  Fair enough.” Angie turned around to face him. She put her hands on her hips. “Now.  Care to explain why our brothers didn’t join the rescue mission? I feel like Fidds at least should have been chomping at the bit.”

             “Yeah…about that…”  Stan grimaced.  “Ford said that Fiddleford’s been pretty absent-minded lately.  Apparently, he forgot Tate at the store the other day.”

             “What?!”  Angie walked over to Stan.  She sat next to him.  “He forgot his son?”  Stan nodded. “Why didn’t Tate tell us?”

             “Kids don’t always want to tell people about their parents fucking up.  Your parents are supposed to be the experts.  It stinks when you find out they aren’t.”

             “I suppose so,” Angie said softly.  She kneaded her forehead.  “What about Stanford?  What was he doing while his son was hiding in our home?”

             “Working on his research.”

             “Research,” Angie spat.  “Like research should take priority over your family.”  She shook her head.  “Something’s hinky about all this, Stanley.”

             “I know.”

             “I don’t like to use this phrase, but…” Angie chewed on her lip.  “I think we might need to stage some sort of intervention.”  Stan nodded.

             “I think you’re right.  We’ll go over tomorrow to talk to them.”

             “Good.  It sounds like it’s overdue.”

             “Yeah.”

             “There’s supposed to be frost again tomorrow morning. Mind checking the heaters?”

             “No problem.”  Stan handed Junior over to Angie, then stood.  He walked to each pool, checking on the heaters Fiddleford had designed to keep them from going into hibernation when it got cold enough for frost.  “They’re all on.”

             “Excellent.”  Angie yawned. “I need some sleep.”

             “Same here.”  Stan rejoined Angie and both slipped into their sleeping pool.  “I don’t know about you, but I sorta want Junior to sleep with us tonight.”

             “Oh, I wholeheartedly agree.”  Angie stroked Junior’s cheek.  To Stan’s distress, he could see her hand shaking.  “It’s- it’s been a rough day.”

             “Yeah.”  Stan put an arm around Angie’s shoulders.  She leaned against him.  “It has.”

-----

             Long after the nixie family had fallen asleep, a figure crept into the cave.  Only visible from the shadows caused by the pool heaters’ faint lights, it stepped up to the pool Stan, Angie, and Junior were sleeping in.  Then, it knelt.  Using a gloved hand, it opened a panel on the heater, revealing the circuit board.  It cocked its head.  With a casual shrug, it grabbed a fistful of wires and pulled them out.

             The heater fizzled briefly before turning off. The figure silently went to each pool, giving every single heater the same treatment.

             Now invisible in the complete darkness, the figure fled into the night.

[creepy-crowleys]

[A security feed is uploaded.]

[The feed hops and skips along with Crowley’s progress through the tank chamber and the newly opened corridor, carving a path of destruction through any mechs or cyborgs unfortunate to step into her way.]

Let me in - let me in - let me in~!

[John chatters over the speakers all the way down, towards what seems to be the room visible through the tank chamber’s observation window. The one with the giant smiler mech.]

...This toy won’t cooperate.

They don’t make ‘em like this no more. They built this one good, Chuck. Like a firewall over spermicidal latex. No way in.

Going to have to improvise, Chuck. See you soon.

[No sooner does John go quiet does the PA system announce a breach in the manufacturing wing.]

Lo, sweetling. A device from before the Before had a name. The Gaia Engine. It rests below the tower, the spoils of a plot in Antarctica, from over one of your lifetimes ago. It is empty. But if it is empty, where is its occupant? What contains that sleeper now? The space between existing and apocalypse is so very thin.

[There’s no way to go but forward.]

[karoiseka]

Feckless

((yes, again, posted on time, but... screenshots.  Then I got REALLY carried away last night because... omg, I finally created Karo’s Da an Pa, and... then passed out promptly.  Pre-Cal backstory goodness!  [of which I really wanted to write more of, and will prob later, but... writing gremlins are starting to wear out...] Also, much thanks to @kukurubean​ for helping me with some mild lore-points/flavor which kept me from making a decent lore mistake while at work and not really a whole lot of access to looking things up!))

“Go on! Get! You feckless stray!” the words stung, thrown as if stones to Karo’s young ears as she ran from the market booth, ears pinned to the back of her head and tears pricking the sides of her eyes.  She hadn’t even had a chance to show the gill clutched tightly in her small hand before being chased away from the stall.  Her small frame shook as she darted through the sparse crowd searching for her Da’s sturdy presence.  It was her first visit to the Drybone with her Da and Pa, and they had given her free reign to explore while they bought supplies and bartered their own goods.  She had protected the gil Da gave her, not even putting it in the pouch at her side, preferring to hold onto it as she wandered wide-eyed through the riot of color and sound.

The smells from the food booths made her mouth water, but she had wanted to spend what gil she had on a gift for her new parents.  As young as she was, she had learned much in the time she had already spent with them, knowing that everything they had needed to be useful for life on the road.  The booth tucked away behind the well that had drawn her eye was filled with cups and mugs etched with varying symbols.  The merchant also had leather mug frogs meant to carry the cups when not in use.  Karo hadn't even had a chance to ask how much they were before being chased off.

She found her Pa first, a good hand taller than most in the little oasis, he saw her coming and scooped her up, holding her close.

"Sweetling,what has you all worked up?" Feophaux's voice was just for her, even as his eyes scanned the aetheryte plaza for what had harmed his little girl.  She only buried her face deeper into his neck, clinging tightly, her words gone once more.  Not seeing anything obvious, he turned his attention back to the Miqo'te kitten in his arms, and with a sigh headed back up the path to where they had left the wagon that was their traveling home. Seirlait would find them there bells later, Karo curled up asleep with her head in the duskwight's lap, a lullaby still on his lips as he played for her. Carefully extracting her, he got up slowly making sure not to wake her and went to his partner with a slight shrug about the situation and an embrace before settling in for the evening.

[vodika-vibes]

PA: *is wearing a fancy party outfit and is pouting* I hate this

Fox: 😳

Fox is so soft and sweet for Yuu~

He's so in love it's, frankly, embarrassing. He'll get there eventually.

The Gala is in full swing when you arrive, and, as you expected, you are one of the few people wearing black. The other one being the Chancellor himself. "I so do not belong here." You grumble under your breath to Fox. "Don't be dramatic, sweetling." Fox counters with a roll of his eyes, "You know all of these people, and know how to talk to them. You're going to be just fine." You look at him, a pleading look on your face, "Where will you be?" "I don't think I've ever seen you so anxious in a social situation before," Fox teases. "Fox-" "I have a patrol route that I have to walk with some of the other Guard," Fox soothes, "I'm going to be here the whole time, and when I can leave, I'll send you a message." "Promise?" "Pinky swear." You hook your pinky with his, and he favors you with the warmest smile, "You're going to be fine, sweetling. I have to go. If you need to get away, I have mostly outdoor patrols." "M'kay." And then Fox is gone, and you're alone. Though not for long, as several moments later, Senator Organa sweeps over to you with a beaming smile on his face, "Yuu! Just the person I was hoping to see! You normally skip these events!" "Yes, well...they're not really my scene." You reply with a faint smile, "Why were you looking for me?" "Walk with me, Yuu! Let me paint you a word picture-"

[vodika-vibes]

Cody & Wolffe dunno what to do when Fox & PA are together lol

They don't. Sometimes PA and Fox are super smart, and other times they're two halves of a whole idiot, and it just depends on the day what Cody and Wolffe are going to get.

"So, why do you have Yuu's datapad anyway? Isn't there, like, proprietary stuff in there?" Wolffe asks as he tries to peer over his twin's shoulder. "Why are you trying to read over my shoulder?" Fox asks in return as he covers the datapad. "Well, because you look like you're reading a horror novel right now, Fox." Cody points out as he hands you a bag of orange gemstones. "...I just learned something distressing and I'm trying to process." Fox says primly, "Stop encouraging them." Cody stares at his little brother, and then turns to you, "You should make the heels orange. For a little flair." "You're actually the worst, Cody." Fox says with a sigh, "I will tell you what I learned, when I decide what I'm going to do with it." He says irritably, "Now, what do you want?" "We just wanted to spend time with you. Is that so hard to believe?" Wolffe asks. "Yes." "No! Fox is wonderful!" You chirp. "You're biased, sweetling." Fox says with a sigh. "That is also accurate!"

[vodika-vibes]

PA: *complains about a creepy senator aid*

Fox: There shall be no drunk flirting with Yuu under my watch

Fox: Of course people want to flirt with Yuu, they're adorable. Also Fox: No one is allowed to flirt with them by order of me.

About an hour before the Gala is supposed to end, Thorn storms over to Fox and all but shoves Yuu into his arms, "Hold this." Thorn orders, "Someone replaced their non-alcoholic drink with alcohol, and now they're completely drunk." "...isn't that illegal?" Fox asks as he hooks his arms around Yuu, holding them steady. Thorn looks annoyed, "Yes. It is." He glances at Yuu, who's snuggling against Fox's chest plate, "You should probably get them home." "Yeah, probably." Fox tightens his hold around Yuu, "Good luck." Thorn releases a quiet laugh, "Yeah, thanks." And then he's gone, leaving Fox with Yuu. "Alright, sweetling." Fox murmurs as he lightly pushes them back, "Let's get you home." "Mm...Foxy," You mumble, "Sleepy." "I bet you are." He smooths his hand over your head, "Honestly, I can't believe you don't have a higher alcohol tolerance. Come on." He guides you over to his speeder and effortlessly sets you in the passenger seat, "You still good?" "Uh-huh." "Excellent." He reaches around you to buckle you into the speeder and then he circles the speeder to slide into the driver's seat. By the time he starts the speeder, you're already asleep. "Well, at least you're just a sleepy drunk, rather than anything else." he whispers, as he reaches over and brushes some hair out of your face, a small smile crossing his face as he does so. His brothers are right. He's completely smitten.

[vodika-vibes]

Wolffe: Well?

Fox: Fine, yes I do like them and want them for myself.

Wolffe: Finally! Now go tell them!

Fox: Absolutely the fuck not.

Yay! Fox finally admits he wants Yuu! Now he just gotta talk to PA 😂

He's not gonna, lol. He's gonna pretend that the conversation never happened, and never admit anything to Yuu, in the hopes that his brothers will stop harassing him.

But, let's move away from Fox and his emotional constipation, sorta.

"Will you hurry up?!" Fox says as he glares at the shut bedroom door, "You're meant to be at the Chancellor's Gala in half an hour-" "I know, I know." You call from behind the door, "Give me just a minute. I have to, ugh, work up to being seen like this." "I'm sure you look fine." "I feel ridiculous." "Oh my god, Yuu!" Fox releases a frustrated groan, "Hurry up!" You release a huff, and then push the bedroom door open and step into the living room, "Fine. I'm ready. Mostly. I need to find my, ugh, heels. I hate heels." Fox is staring at you, and you, self-consciously, fold your arms across your chest, "What?" "You're wearing a dress," He says, sounding shocked. "Yes, I know. Don't remind me. I look, and feel, ridiculous. Thank you." "What? No! I..." He pauses and then he grins, "You clean up nice." "I'm literally wearing boring black with gold trimming because I can't overshine the chancellor." You reply. "By looking much, much better in clothes that are less eye catching?" Fox asks, "I can't believe you're wearing a dress." You huff, and then flash a sly smile. "They're pants. Don't tell." Fox blinks at you, and then he lightly grabs some of the thin material covering your legs, and pulls it to the side, revealing very, very wide legged pants, "Huh." He releases the material, "Your secret is safe me with, sweetling." You grin at him, "You're the best." "Yes," Fox agrees, "I am."

[vodika-vibes]

“Dooku calls Palpatine Master, and you're pretty sure it's an old person sex thing and you're really not interested in reading about it.

Maybe you can make Fox read the letters instead. Yeah. That's a great idea. If you have to be traumatized then so does Fox, that's the rule.”

Fox: . . .

PA: And that’s why I’m here!

Fox: *realizes that Palpatine is a Sith* It’s too early for this shit—

Yuu over here causing problems on accident, good thing that they have Fox to help them.

"Man, the Guard's new Bullpen is nice," Wolffe says as he walks through the clean halls, taking note of the large desks, and clearly comfortable chairs, and the improved armor that the vod'e are wearing, "They even have better armor than us? What the kriff?!" "Don't be jealous," Cody says, as he admires a pair of blasters a younger vod is meticulously cleaning, "They have to deal with a lot of shit, they deserve nice things." "Damn straight we do," Thorn says as he walks passed them while holding a personalized mug with some kind of spiced latte in it, and holding a very nice datapad in his other hand, "Hey Thire! Have you read the new Child Services policies-!" He shouts as he turns towards a door. "The Commanders even have their own offices-" Cody says, sounding awed as he follows Wolffe towards the door that clearly labeled 'Marshal Commander Fox, Coruscant Guard'. "You have your own office on the Negotiator." Wolffe reminds his brother. "Yeah, but I don't have an office in the Barracks." Cody enters the code to Fox's door (the same door code he always uses, you'd think that he'd know better-) and steps into the office. Yuu is sitting in one of the cozy chairs, using a glue gun to repair something on their boots, while Fox has his face buried in his hands. His gaze locked on a bedazzled datapad laying on his desk. "Yuu, sweetling, how far back do these messages go?" Fox asks, sounding pained. "Years." Yuu replies as they hold up their boot, eye it critically, and then go back to bedazzling their boots. "I think the earliest message I found was 11 years ago. When I was still a kid." "You are still a kid." Fox grumbles. "I'm older than you." They yelp as Fox throws a stress ball at them. "Only in terms of years you've physically lived," Fox says, "Stars, Yuu, how have you not been killed yet?" Yuu grins at Fox, "Didn't you know? I'm a vapid child who only cares about fashion." They hold up their boot, "Should I add more gemstones?" "No." Fox says, his gaze finally flickering to his brothers. "You're right. I should definitely bedazzle the entire thing." Yuu muses, before they turn their head to the door, "Your brothers are here." "Thank you, I never would have noticed." "Then it's a good thing I'm here to help point out the obvious." "Get out of my office." "I'm not wearing shoes, and you have my datapad. So I'm staying." "...are we interrupting?" Wolffe asks dryly. "No," Yuu chirps. "Yes." Fox bites out at the same time. And then they share a look. "Yes," Yuu corrects with a peaceful smile. "No." Fox says at the same time. "...should we leave so you can work out your story?" Cody asks.

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 77 // ft. Christi, Andre, Skip, Amla, Praetorian Kreax

#26 / Decide

“You have something in you hair.. um–do you want me to get it out?” the child asked, speaking for the first time since they had been left in her care. Christi gaped at her, surprised at the sheer amount of voices that seemed to come from their mouth. They looked down, their claws digging into their arms.

“Sure, I’d appreciate it.” Their void filled eyes sparkled, and she leaned over so they could carefully pluck something from her hair. When she lifted her head, she could see that it was a leaf. “Oh! It must have landed in my hair when I stopped in the garden earlier.”

Their eyes widened, and they made an inquisitive chirp.

“Once I’m done looking over this report, we can go down to the garden if you’d like.” They nodded.

-

“These are the succulents that Mr. Valentia grows. Don’t touch them, he’s very protective of them.” The child crouched down to look closer at all the plants, and their tail wagged slightly. “They’re very interesting plants, aren’t they? Which one do you like best?”

They carefully looked at each one, and then smiled and waved their hand over all of them. Christi laughed and knelt down next to them. “They are all very nice.” She pointed to one of the smaller succulents. “That one is my favorite- it’s an Earth succulent, called a living stone, or lithops. It’s very simple looking compared to the others, but I like it a lot, and they can grow beautiful flowers.”

The child gestured for her to give them her hand, so she did. They covered her palm with their clasped hands, and the stars in their eyes all shifted. They opened their hands, and a lithop flower dropped down into her palm.

“Oh! It’s beautiful, little one. Thank you.” They tapped behind their ear, then pointed at the flower and then at her. “It needs a stem for me to tuck it behind my ear, kiddo.”

The tiny stars rotated again, and a stem grew off of the underside of the flower. Christi tucked it behind her ear, and let the child adjust it for her. They smiled at her, their facial scales coloring green with happiness. It was a welcome change from their upset red tone.

“Are there any plants you want to ask Mr. Valentia about? He should be around to check on them soon.” They pointed at a blue and white one that went up in all sorts of coils and spikes, with tiny, dark blue flowers lining its sides. Christi didn’t know what kind it was, nor what planet it came from. “That’s an interesting one! I don’t know anything about it. Hm… which ones do you think your parents would like?”

“Knowing her mum, I bet he’d be damn fond of that one with the black thorns.” Andre Valentia came up to them, holding a bottle of water in his hands. “That one’s from his home planet, after all. Genuine Snake succulent.” Christi shot him a warning glance, but he just shrugged and pulled out an eyedropper from his pocket.

He began giving the plants their specific amounts of water, and the child watched him. They pointed at the blue and white plant. “Oh, do you like that one?” Another nod. “That’s one I produced myself. I’ve been hybridizing that strain for years, and I think it finally looks perfect, though I’ll keep playing with it.”

“Nn…” They gestured to the plant, and then put their hands out and slowly moved them together.

Andre stared, and then made a little ‘o’ with his mouth once he understood. “I should make it smaller, huh? What if I made it really big? Maybe… half a meter tall.” Their tail wagged even more. “Good idea, kid. Now, you’ve got your parents freaky powers, right?”

The green coloring began to fade, and their tail slowed to a halt.

“Think you could fix up this little guy? It’s a real rare type, and I can’t get it to stop rotting. It came into contact with some kind of infection.” He picked up the pot of a tiny succulent, colored an iridescent orange. It had a white, dead patch on its underside, close to the dirt.

The child touched the top of the plant, and the white patch began to disappear, until the whole plant looked plumper and brighter.

“Thanks, kid! Do you like plants?”

They turned to Christi and gestured for her to lean closer. She did, and they whispered in her ear. Christi relayed their message to Andre, “They do! Their, uh… Their mother taught them about the plants from his homeland when their father wasn’t home one day.”

“Really? The, uh… The Praetorian likes plants?” The green coloring began to come back. “What else does he talk to you about when your dad’s gone?”

-

The child didn’t have hair for a flower to be put in, nor the proper ears for one to be tucked behind, but Andre had them make a copy of one with beautiful orange and pink coloring, and then pulled out a light pink headband for them to wear. He tucked the flower into that, and the child hugged him, a wide smile on their face. Their tail was wagging as they followed Christi into a lift, and they made the traditional sign of thanks to the head gardener. He gave them a thumbs up in return.

“Did you have fun looking at the plants, little one?” They nodded excitedly, and reached up for her wrist. Christi let them hold onto it as they walked. “I’m probably needed in the conference room, so we’ll head there next, alright?”

-

It wasn’t so hard to play babysitter to an omnipotent four year old while captaining a massive Eco Ship, and Christi was grateful for it. The child was very well behaved, and seemed to enjoy following her around and learning about the ‘primitive’ plane of existence. They didn’t need to be fed, capable of creating their own food out of thin air, and could easily be carried if they needed sleep before they got back to Christi’s bedroom at the end of her work day.

The only difficulty Christi had was keeping them happy. They missed their parents, even though their parents had told her, while their child was sitting in the same room, that they were leaving them with her while they decided whether or not they were worth keeping alive and training to be a part of their father’s omnipotent society that existed outside of their timeline. It was difficult for their father to deal with existing as the ‘primitives’ did, as his child did. Her mother hadn’t said anything about it, and instead had told Christi what his child needed in order to be cared for.

The Praetorian had been pregnant, and looked to be quite far along. His omnipotent lover had told Christi that they were preparing in case they decided their living child was a failure. Neither of them had said goodbye to their child before leaving.

Christi had assumed that the child’s father would have been the one to care for and spend time with them, but the child had slowly been revealing that their mother indeed took on an involved and maternal role in their life, but only when their father was gone, suggesting that the omnipotent being didn’t like seeing his ‘primitive’ lover act in an emotional way.

She’d wanted to argue with them, tell them that even if they decided their existing child was a failure, there was a strong chance that the next one would be the same, another failure.

“Oh, Captain!” Her second in command was surprised to see her walk in. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. We were actually just-”

“-About to call me. I know how this works.”

“Ah… Yes. We’ve noticed a problem with the engines…” Christi let the child wander around the room while they discussed the issue. After they came up with a plan, the conference was over. Her second in command crouched down in front of the child and asked, “Hey, kiddo, how are you doing?”

They gave him a thumbs up.

“That’s good. Hey, I heard your mommy’s having another baby. Are you excited to be a big sibling?”

Christi had left out the part about the child’s parents debating on whether or not to kill them when she told a few of her staff about their visit. She now regretted not telling the full story to her second in command as the child stared at him, tears welling up in their void-filled eyes. They covered their face and began sobbing.

“Skip, can we talk in private for a moment? Ella, watch over them for a few minutes, will ya?”

“Sure, Captain.”

Christi led Skip into an adjoining room. He looked confused, and asked, “Did I say something wrong? I swear I didn’t mean to make the little guy cry!”

“No. Yes. Kind of? It’s not your fault, you didn’t know, but… Oh, geez, it’s kind of fucked up.”

“What?”

“I… kind of lied about why the kid is here. Their parents didn’t just leave them here to learn about primitives while they sorted out some problems with the rest of the Detached.”

“Then why’re they here?”

“They’ve been left here while Amla and the Praetorian try and decide whether or not the kid is worth taking care of.”

Skip furrowed his brows, still confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Their parents don’t want to put in the time and effort needed to raise a kid that might not be good enough to live with the rest of the Detached. If they decide the kid isn’t worth it, they’re going to kill them and try again with the next kid.”

“Kill them? Captain! We can’t let them do that!”

“I know! But Amla is omnipotent. If he wants his kid dead, I don’t think we can stop him. All he has to do is think about it, and they’re gone.”

“Gods… I can understand him being able to do it, he is a Detached, and emotional attachments are primitive, but… the Praetorian? He’s a person, like us. Ophidrians are very protective of their young. I know he’s a horrible person responsible for the deaths of millions, but… how could he want to kill his own child?”

“He was a heartless military leader and war criminal. I think he’s perfectly capable. There were rumors that he killed his own family to keep anyone from trying to use them against him. If he could do all those things, then I think he could go along with killing his four year old.”

“How long does the kid have before they make a decision?”

“Amla said it could take anywhere from a few days to a Terran week or two. It’s been six days. Tomorrow will make it a week.”

-

Christi took the child back to her quarters after she was done talking to Skip, picking them up and carrying them the whole way. Their crying ceased by the time they got there, reduced to some sniffling and the occasional hiccup. When they entered the room, the child pointed towards their bed. Christi set them down, and helped them take off their shoes and headband, placing the latter and the flower onto a table. She tucked them in, and got a cloth to clean off their face.

“There,” Christi said, voice soft. “Now, how about you get some sleep? I always find that sleeping helps me feel better after I’ve been crying.”

“Mhmm…” She called for the lights to dim, and then got up. “Christi, wait…”

“Yeah, little one?”

“Can you kiss me goodnight like my mommy does? It helps me sleep better.”

Christi found it hard to imagine the Praetorian tucking in a young child and kissing them goodnight, but apparently he did. “Sure, kiddo. Does he do it every night?”

“Yes.”

She sat back down on the edge of the bed. She almost went to kiss the child’s forehead, but then realized that was probably something only humans did, and that the child had said ‘like my mommy does.’ So she paused, and asked, “How does he do it?”

“It’s an Ophidrian thing. Um… I could do it to you… Lean in close.” Christi brought her face close to theirs, and they rubbed their cheek against hers, breathing in slowly with their mouth open. Christi knew Ophidrians had scent organs in their mouths, just like Earth snakes did. They did the same thing to her other cheek, and then pressed their foreheads together.

They laid their head back down. Christi readjusted their blankets, and then patted their shoulder. “Goodnight, little one.”

“Live through to tomorrow, miss.”

[thelastspeecher]

Best Revenge AU - Junior

I’m still working on the ficlet in this AU that is Angie-centric and has stuff showing her relationship with Max, her divorce, and when she starts dating Stan.  But ever since I decided to create a new kid for this AU, I’ve been unable to stop thinking about said kid.  So here, have some origin story for Stanley Junior.

——————————————————————————————

              The front door slammed open.  Angie stormed into the living room, where Lute and Stan were waiting for her to come back.  After finding out Max had cheated on her, she had immediately gone over to trash his place.

              “Feelin’ better?” Lute asked gently.  Angie looked at him for a moment, then burst into tears. “Angie?”  She ran off.

              “What just happened?” Stan asked.

              “I don’t rightly know,” Lute said.  He chewed on his lip.  “Maybe it would be fer the best if you went to talk to her. She might not want to talk to her brother.”

              “I’m on it.”  Stan got up and went down the hall, coming to a stop in front of Angie’s bedroom.  He cautiously opened the door.  Angie sat on her bed, her head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.  Stan took a seat next to her.

              “You all right?” he asked.

              “N-no.”

              “What’s wrong?  I woulda thought you’d be happy after trashing your ex’s house.”

              “I prob’ly would be,” Angie said, wiping her tears away, “if I wasn’t…”  She took a shuddering breath.  “If I wasn’t pregnant.”

              “You’re- but we haven’t knocked boots!”  It was something Stan was a bit disappointed by, but he was fine with waiting until Angie felt comfortable being intimate.  “How could you-”

              “It’s Max’s,” Angie whispered.  Stan stared at her in horror.  “Seems- seems like he got what he wanted.  I was ‘bout a week or two along when I left.”

              “I thought you were on birth control.” Stan’s eyes widened.  “Unless he fucked with your pills.”

              “He didn’t know about the pills.”

              “Then how-”

              “Birth control can fail.”

              “Are you- are you gonna keep it?” Stan asked quietly.  Angie closed her eyes.

              “Nothin’ against folks who decide to- to terminate a pregnancy.  It ain’t my business what they do.  But I- I can’t do that.”

              “You’re keeping it.”

              “Yes.”  Angie put her head in her hands, sobbing again.  “I’m- I’m sorry!”

              “Why?”

              “‘Cause I love ya so- so much, and ya won’t stay with me.”

              “Hold on.”  Stan held up a hand.  “When did I say that?”

              “You-”  Angie stared at him, her bright blue eyes filled with tears.  “Yer not goin’ to leave me?”

              “Nope.”

              “But I’m pregnant with another man’s baby.”

              “So?” Stan said with a shrug.  “Angie, this is the best relationship I’ve ever been in. I’m not gonna throw that away.  You mean everything to me.”  He reached for Angie’s hand and squeezed.  “I don’t want you to go through this alone.”

              “But-”

              “And…”  Stan looked down at the ground.  “Honestly? I’ve wanted to be a dad since I was a kid.  This just means I’ll be a dad sooner than I thought.”

              “You won’t regret it?” Angie asked.

              “I’d regret it if I left.”  Stan kissed the top of her head.  “I’m not going anywhere, Ang.”  Angie pulled Stan’s face closer to hers and kissed him sweetly.

              “I love you,” she whispered.

              “Love you, too.”

-----

              Stan landed in the backyard of Angie and Lute’s house.

              “Mind the flowerbed!” Angie called from inside. Stan quickly shut off his flames. “Thank you!”  Stan walked in through the back door.  “In the kitchen!”  He headed for the kitchen.  Angie was nervously stirring a pot of something on the stove.  Stan walked over to her and kissed the top of her head.  “Are ya excited?”

              “To meet your parents or to finally get all the baby stuff outta my apartment?” Stan asked.  Angie swatted him playfully.  The day after Angie told Stan she was pregnant and keeping it, Stan had gone on a bit of a spree, stealing things from numerous baby supply stores. Angie didn’t mind it, but insisted Stan not steal from small mom and pop stores.  However, because she had wanted to wait to tell her family about the pregnancy, the baby supplies were stacked up in Stan’s apartment.

              “Thank you fer bein’ so flexible on me not tellin’ my folks ‘til now,” she said softly.  Stan shrugged.

              “You’re the one who’s pregnant.  I’m just following your lead.”

              “Well, I’m officially in my second trimester, so now’s the time to tell.”

              “Are you showing yet?”

              ��I literally showed ya yesterday.  Do ya really think I’d have started showin’ overnight?”

              “Well, you gotta get the bump at some point,” Stan said.  Angie chuckled.  She lifted her shirt to reveal her stomach.  It was a bit bigger than before, but didn’t look evidently pregnant. “Nope.  Not yet.”

              “I ain’t that surprised,” Angie said, lowering her shirt.  “I ‘member my Pa sayin’ that my Ma didn’t look pregnant until her third trimester fer all the kids.  Well, all of ‘em ‘cept me ‘n Lute, since we were twins.”

              “Yeah, you’re pretty small.”

              “Doc says that the lil bean ‘ll prob’ly be small, too.”  The doorbell rang.

              “I got it!” Lute’s voice shouted from somewhere.

              “Still can’t believe you managed to keep it secret from him,” Stan whispered to Angie.  “Not only is he your twin, you literally live together.”

              “Lute’s been walkin’ on eggshells ever since I left Max,” Angie said.  She turned off the stove.  “He’s very careful to not pry into my personal business, since Max was so controllin’.”  Footsteps sounded.  The front door opened.

              “Ma, Pa!” Lute said happily.  “Angie’s in the kitchen.  I ain’t sure if Stan’s got here yet or not.”  Lute entered the kitchen, a man and woman close behind him.  The man looked like a carbon copy of Lute, while the woman looked exactly like Angie, with one major exception.

              Angie clearly got her dad’s nose.  Wonder if the kid’ll get it, too.

              “Angie!”  Angie’s parents promptly pulled her away from the stove and into a hug.  “Oh, it’s so good to see ya,” her father cooed.  Her mother looked Angie up and down.

              “I see ya fin’ly put some meat on yer bones,” her mom said.  Angie turned red.

              “Ma!”

              “No, it’s good,” her dad said firmly.  “You needed it.”  He smiled at her.  “You’ve always been so tiny.”

              “Maybe it’s ‘cause she ain’t stressed from livin’ with that turd what pretended to be a husband,” Lute groused, leaning against the counter.  Angie kneaded her forehead.

              “Lute…”

              “I’m allowed to call him that.”  A sudden melancholy fell over Lute.  “He was my best friend long ‘fore he was yer boyfriend.”

              “I know.”

              “So, are ya goin’ to introduce us to yer new beau?” Mrs. McGucket cooed.  Angie grabbed Stan’s hand.  He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

              “Ma, Pa, this is my boyfriend, Stanley Pines. He works with Lute, but has a day job sellin’ used cars.  Stan, these ‘re my parents, Sally ‘n Mearl McGucket.”

              “Pleasure to meet ya, son,” Mr. McGucket said, holding out a hand.  Stan shook the offered hand, forcing a smile.  The two southerners seemed like a regular farmer and his wife, warm and gentle. But Stan knew that Mrs. McGucket was actually the infamous Sirocco, his own mother’s archnemesis, while Mr. McGucket had regularly interfered with local government as the villain Hemlock. “I got to say, I’m glad my lil girl fin’ly found herself a proper villain to date.”

              “Pa,” Angie whined.  Mr. McGucket chuckled.

              “I’m just teasin’, junebug.”

              “We’re so happy yer in a good relationship,” Mrs. McGucket gushed.  “Ya had a clean break with Max and can start over.”  Angie took a deep breath.

              “A-about that…” she started.  Stan looked at her, surprised.

              “You’re gonna tell them now?  I thought you were gonna wait until after dinner.”

              “No.”  Angie took another breath.  “I just- I just want to get it over with.”  She looked at her parents.  “Ma, Pa, I’m pregnant.”  Lute slipped from his casual lean, falling to the floor.  Mr. and Mrs. McGucket stared at Angie in shock.

              “O-oh,” Mrs. McGucket mumbled.  Mr. McGucket swallowed.

              “Angie, we try not to pass judgement on you ‘n yer siblin’s lives, but you’ve only been datin’ Stan fer a few months.  To become pregnant with his child-”

              “It’s not Stan’s,” Angie said quickly.  Mrs. McGucket covered her mouth, her eyes wide in horror. “It’s Max’s.  I didn’t know it, but I was a couple weeks along when I left.”

              “Shit,” Lute swore, getting to his feet.  His face contorted with rage.  “He- he just had to get the last word, didn’t he?”

              “Yer keepin’ it?” Mr. McGucket asked softly. Angie nodded.  “I see.”  He looked at his wife.  “Sally?”

              “Yes, dear.”  Mrs. McGucket took Angie’s hand.  “Come with me, sweetling.  I need to ask ya a few questions.”

              “Okay.”  Angie allowed Mrs. McGucket to lead her away.  Stan and Lute looked at Mr. McGucket, confused.

              “What’s that about?” Stan asked.  Mr. McGucket took off his glasses and polished them.

              “We were plannin’ on havin’ Sally ask Angie a few questions in private, due to the sensitive nature of her breakup with Max.”

              “You mean-” Stan started.  Mr. McGucket nodded and put his glasses back on.  Lute frowned.

              “What?”

              “Your mom is asking Angie if her ex-husband beat her,” Stan said flatly.  Lute’s jaw dropped.  “He didn’t, by the way.  Angie’s told me everything that her dick of an ex did to her.  Max treated her like she was made of glass and tried to control her near the end, but he didn’t lay a finger on her.”

              Except for when he tried to keep her from leaving and grabbed her hard enough to bruise.  But Angie had sworn Stan to secrecy in that regard.  She knew her family would go scorched earth if they found out, which she didn’t want.

              “Stanley, she might still be uncomfortable tellin’ ya somethin’ that she’d feel more comfortable tellin’ her mother,” Mr. McGucket said gently.  He glowered. “Especially…”

              “What?” Lute asked.

              “With this new information ‘bout Max gettin’ her pregnant, we have to consider the possibility that Angie didn’t…”  Mr. McGucket closed his eyes.  “We need to make sure Angie consented to the events what caused her to get pregnant and that Max didn’t, ah, counteract any attempts Angie made to prevent a pregnancy.”  Lute shook his head.

              “No, Pa.  Max, he- he turned out to be a real poor excuse of a person, but he wouldn’t have done anything like that to Angie.  And if he’d even tried, Angie wouldn’t have tolerated it.”

              “Hon, yer sister is very strong, but strong people can find themselves strugglin’ in a sit’ation like Angie was in,” Mr. McGucket said.  “I also don’t think that Max would have done that to Angie.  But we can’t ignore that possibility.”

              “It’s smart,” Stan said after a moment.  “Gotta cover all your bases.”

              “Yes.”  Mr. McGucket looked at Stan carefully.  “So, yer fine with raisin’ another man’s child?”

              “Yep.  Angie and I talked it out ages ago.”  Stan grinned, glad for the change in topic.  “I’ve already started stocking up on stuff for the kid.”

              “Yer the one what burgled all those baby stores?” Lute asked.  Stan nodded. “Where have ya been puttin’ the stuff?”

              “My apartment.  But now that you all know, I can finally start moving it here.  Thank god.  I can barely see my bed.”

              “Y’know, if yer goin’ to be with Angie fer the long haul and help her raise her child,” Mr. McGucket said idly, “maybe ya should just move in with her.”  Stan stared at him.

              “Pa, Angie’s the one who should offer that, not you,” Lute said, rolling his eyes.  Mr. McGucket chuckled.

              “Yer right, yer right.”  He clapped Stan on the shoulder.  “Are ya excited to be a dad?”  Stan’s grin broadened.

              “Yeah.  I am. I know it’s gonna be tough and stressful, but I’m looking forward to holding the kid for the first time.”  Mr. McGucket beamed.

              “That’s what I like to hear.”

              “What a coincidence,” Angie said.  Stan turned.  Angie and her mother had returned.  She smiled at Stan.  “That’s what I like to hear, too.”

-----

              “It’s a boy!” the doctor said.  Stan looked over.  The newborn in the doctor’s arms was tiny and covered in body fluids Stan didn’t want to think about.  The doctor handed the baby to a nearby nurse.

              “Hey, uh, where are you taking him?” Stan asked. Angie chuckled.

              “Stanley, relax.  They’re just cleanin’ him up,” she said wearily.

              “Oh.  Right.” Stan grinned at Angie.  “Got caught up in the moment.”  Angie laughed again.

              “What time is it?” she asked.

              “Uh…”  Stan checked his watch.  “Two in the morning.”

              “Geez.”  Angie yawned. “No wonder I’m so tired.  I was in labor fer ten hours.”  Angie had gone into labor yesterday afternoon, prompting Stan to call out of the bank job he was supposed to help with.  “Is yer hand all right?”

              “I’ve had worse,” Stan said.  He’d been by Angie’s side throughout the labor, providing his hand for her to squeeze when she had a particularly bad contraction.  “So, was this a good labor or-”

              “It went about as smoothly as it could,” said the nurse, who had come back with the baby.  “Honestly, I haven’t seen a labor and birth this free from complications in a while.”

              “Good,” Angie said sleepily.  “Is my boy ready?”

              “Yes, he is.  Here you go.  He’s perfectly healthy.”  The nurse carefully deposited the baby in Angie’s arms.  “I’ll give you three some time to get to know each other.”

              “Thank you,” Angie said.  The nurse left.  Angie carefully parted the folds of the blanket, revealing her son.  “He’s so beautiful,” she whispered.

              “He’s really tiny,” Stan said.  “Are babies always that tiny?”

              “Newborns are usually pretty small, but this lil feller is definitely smaller ‘n average,” Angie answered.  She stroked her son’s cheek.  The baby shifted slightly and opened his eyes.  Stan smiled.

              “He’s got your peepers.”

              “He might not.”

              “Uh, he’s got blue eyes.”

              “Sometimes, babies are born with blue eyes, only fer the eyes to turn brown later on.”  Angie smiled. “He’s got the fam’ly nose, though.”

              “And he’s bald.”

              “Mm-hmm.”  Angie’s eyes slowly closed.  “He’s perfect.”

              “What are you gonna name him?” Stan asked.

              “Shh, later,” Angie mumbled.  Stan carefully took the baby from her.  He kissed her forehead.  Angie smiled.

              “Get some sleep.  You’ve earned it.”

-----

              “Stanley?”  Stan opened his eyes.  He looked at the hospital bed.  Angie was awake.

              “Hey, babe.”  Stan stretched.  After Angie had fallen asleep, she’d been taken from the delivery room to her own private room.  Stan had set up camp in the chair by her bed and fallen asleep.  “How are you doing?”

              “Less tired.”  Angie looked around.  “Where’s the baby?”

              “I had him go to the nursery so we could both get some sleep.”

              “Ah.  Smart.”

              “They asked what his name was, but I didn’t know what you were planning on, so they just put him down as Baby McGucket.” Stan grinned.  “Which, honestly, isn’t half bad of a name.”  Angie laughed.

              “It wouldn’t be the weirdest name in my fam’ly. But it ain’t the name I’ve got in mind.”

              “What is?”

              “You’ll see,” Angie said with a grin.  Stan chuckled.

              “Making me wait.  I see how it is.”  He stood up. “Be right back, I’ve gotta go pee.”

-----

              When Stan got back to Angie’s hospital room, she was holding the baby.  Stan walked over to her bed.

              “Yer middle name is Stanford, right?” Angie asked him.

              “Uh, yeah.  Fuck Pops for doing that to me.”

              “Love, there ‘re young ears in hearin’ range,” Angie said gently.  “No swearin’ ‘round the baby.”

              “…Right.”  Stan rubbed the back of his neck.  “Why’d you need my middle name?  Oh, I was gonna sign the birth certificate.”

              “No need.  Birth certificate is all done,” Angie said.  Stan frowned.

              “But who’d you put down as the dad?”

              “I left it blank.”  Angie looked down at her son in her arms.  “I didn’t- I know that yer happy to be raisin’ this lil bean now, but I didn’t want to chain ya to a child what ain’t yours.  Just in case.”

              “Ang…”

              “I don’t want ya to feel trapped,” Angie said quietly.  Stan’s eyes widened.  He put his arm around her shoulders.  “I’ve felt that way.  I wouldn’t wish it on someone I love.”

              “You’re too good for me,” Stan said.  Angie managed a watery chuckle.  “If I’m not signing the birth certificate, why’d you need to know my middle name?”

              “Well…”  Angie smiled. “Hold out yer arms.”  Stan did as he was told.  Angie carefully handed the baby over.  “Meet Stanley Stanford McGucket.”

              “Wh-”  Stan stared at Angie.  “That’s- that’s my name.”  Angie nodded. Stan swallowed.  “It’s- it’s a good name,” he choked out.

              “You’ve been there fer me through all of this.  It’s the only name what feels right fer the lil bean.”

              “I…”  Stan stared down at the baby named after him.  “He really is a little bean.”  Angie laughed.

              “I was thinkin’ we could call him Junior. He ain’t Stan Pines Junior at the moment, but if we get married, he will be.  And since yer already named Stan…”

              “Yeah, I’d be pretty confused if I heard Lute say he changed Stan’s dirty diaper,” Stan said dryly.  Angie laughed again.  “You’re in a good mood.”

              “I’ve got my two boys with me.  How could I not be?” Angie asked.  Junior shifted in Stan’s arms.  Stan smiled down at him.

              “Hey, bud,” he whispered.  Junior watched him curiously.  “I’m not the one who got your mama pregnant.  But I’m the one who’s gonna take care of you.  Got it?”  Junior giggled.  “Good. Glad we’re on the same page.” Stan sat down in the chair he’d slept in, still staring at Junior.  “Sweet Moses. I’m- I’m a dad.”

              “Only if ya want to be,” Angie said.  Stan looked at her.

              “I just told Junior that I’m gonna be his dad.  He understood.  You didn’t?”

              “All right, all right,” Angie said, holding her hands up in surrender.  “All right. Yer a dad.  Yer Junior’s dad.

              “Damn straight.”

              “Language.”

              “Right.”  Stan settled back in his chair.  “These isn’t the Halloween I had in mind, but-”

              “Pardon?”

              “Ang, you went into labor yesterday, on October 30th,” Stan said.  “Today’s Halloween.”  Angie burst into laughter.  “What?”

              “It’s just- I was born on April Fool’s Day.  It feels appropriate fer my son to be born on Halloween.”  Stan held up a finger.

              “Nuh-uh.  Our son was born on Halloween.”  He grinned. “I’m gonna throw Junior the best birthday parties.”  A comfortable silence fell.  “I kinda like how quiet it is right now.”

              “Don’t get too used to it,” Angie warned.  “My entire fam’ly is headin’ over.  It’ll get loud real fast.”  The door slammed open.

              “Where’s my new nephew?” Lute crowed.  Angie looked at Stan.

              “See?”

[thelastspeecher]

Stangie's first Halloween together. Or even Fiddauthor. Or both.

I cheated a bit.  This is technically Stan and Angie’s first Halloween together, but they aren’t a couple yet.  Because it’s the first Halloween after Stan moved in with the McGuckets.  And there’s just a buncha good feels and fluff in this ficlet, which I think is very appropriate, as it takes place during the OG “Stanley McGucket” fic.  Enjoy.

——————————————————————————————

              The rooster crowed.  Used to the routine after close to five months on the McGucket Farm, Stan woke, sat up, and stretched.  He swung his legs over the side of his bed and trudged to his dresser to get dressed for the day.  Once he’d pulled on a pair of heavy-duty denim jeans and a warm flannel to beat back the chill in the air, he headed for the kitchen.

              “Morning,” he mumbled to the McGucket parents, who were already working on breakfast.  Ma McGucket smiled fondly at him.

              “Mornin’, sweetling.”  She stood on her tiptoes to ruffle his unruly curls.  “Ya best comb that mop of yours ‘fore ya head fer school.”

              “Yeah, yeah.”  Stan yawned.  Pa McGucket chuckled.

              “Take a step outside.  We had the first hard frost of the year.  That nip ‘ll wake ya right up.”

              “How cold does it even get ‘round here?” Stan asked, sitting at the table.  “Do you guys get snow?”

              “Sometimes,” Ma McGucket said.  She placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.  “But the weather forecast says it should be warm on Halloween.  Perfect fer trick-or-treating.”

              “Huh.  Kinda figured not a lotta kids would bother to come out here fer free candy,” Stan remarked.  He began to dig into his pancakes.

              “You’d be right.  But the trick-or-treating I was referrin’ to was you ‘n Angie.”

              “…Me and Angie?” Stan asked.

              “Yep!  Don’t worry, we’ll hook ya up with a costume, since it’s so close to Halloween.”

              “Uh, but we’re teenagers.”

              “And?”

              “Teenagers don’t go trick-or-treating,” Stan said. Pa McGucket raised an eyebrow.

              “So ya haven’t gone trick-or-treating since you were twelve?” he asked.  Stan rubbed the back of his neck.

              “No, I- I went last year to piss off my Pops, since he said I was too old,” Stan mumbled.  Pa McGucket chortled.  “But I don’t have that motivation this year, so I think I’m gonna sit it out.”

              “Sorry, son, but Angie’s plannin’ on goin’, and we’d feel more comfortable if she had someone we trust to supervise her,” Pa McGucket said.  Stan sighed. “So, what do ya want us to get goin’ on fer yer costume?”

              “Don’t bother.”  Stan resumed eating his breakfast.  “I’ll just raid Harper and Lute’s closets and come up with a cowboy costume.”

----- 

              Sure enough, Stan managed to pull together a cowboy costume in time for Halloween.  He adjusted the cowboy boots with a slight wince.

              Even if these shoes are a bit small. Angie bounded down the stairs, coming to a stop in front of Stan.  Stan grinned at her.

              “Nice costume,” he commented.  Angie beamed in response.  She played with the tail of her costume idly.

              “This is actually one that Violynn wore,” she confessed.  “Bein’ the youngest means I have to wear hand-me-downs sometimes.  I’d prefer to be a salamander, but a cat ain’t that bad.”

              “Nah, it’s cute,” Stan said.  Angie’s grin broadened.  “You ready to go get some free candy, even though yer definitely too old fer it?”  Angie’s grin was wiped away.  She scowled at him.

              “I’m sixteen, Stan.  That’s only slightly less than the number of minors in town.  There are so few children here, that trick-or-treating extends to ages that most other places would consider too old.  It’s a local tradition.”

              “All right, all right,” Stan said, holding up his hands in defeat.  “Fine. I’ll back off.”

              “Good.  ‘Cause this kitty’s got claws.”  Angie made a clawing motion and hissed.  Stan burst out laughing.  Angie’s smile came back, her blue eyes sparkling with joy.  “Ready, cowpoke?”

              “You know it, kitty cat.”  Stan followed Angie outside.  The air was brisk but not unpleasant and the jack-o-lanterns the family (including Stan) had carved the night before shone on the front porch. Stan glanced at the one he had carved, with narrow eyes and sharp fangs.  It hadn’t turned out as scary as he’d hoped, but he was still proud of it.

              “Stan, wait!”  Stan and Angie turned around.  Ma McGucket came out of the house with a bucket.  She shoved it into Stan’s hands.  “Ya need somethin’ to collect yer candy in, boyo.”

              “I’m just chaperoning Angie.  I don’t need-” Stan started.  Ma McGucket smiled.

              “Just take the bucket, hon.  Who knows, maybe you’ll actually find yourself joinin’ in on the fun.”

              “Not likely.”  Ma McGucket ignored Stan’s mutter.

              “Be safe.”

              “You got it, Ma!” Angie chirped cheerfully. She grabbed Stan’s hand.  “Let’s go get some candy!”

----- 

              Once they got into the city proper, Stan saw that the McGuckets had been right.  While there were plenty of children wandering the streets, accompanied by weary parents, there were just as many teenagers, including classmates of Stan and Angie.

              “I like yer costume, Angie,” said someone dressed as a werewolf.  “It’s very fetchin’.”  Angie smiled.

              “Thanks, Max,” she said cheerfully.  The person continued down the street.  Stan looked at Angie, shocked.

              “Is that the same Max that harassed me the first day of school?” he asked.  Angie nodded. “What’s with the 180?”

              “Max actually ain’t usually like how he was to ya at school,” Angie said.  “He’s usually quite the sweet feller.”

              “Uh-huh.  Sweet to everyone, or sweet to you?”

              “What exactly are ya implyin’?”

              “I think he might have a thing fer you.  I mean, he did just hit on you.”

              “He didn’t hit on me,” Angie scoffed.  “He hit on my costume.  Which, I’ll remind ya, I didn’t even get.  Violynn got it.”

              “Hmph.”

              “Cut it out!” Angie said, punching Stan’s arm. “Yer startin’ to sound like Lute!”

              “Really?” Stan asked.  Angie nodded.

              “Maybe it’s the clothes,” she teased.  “Don’t think I didn’t notice yer just wearin’ stuff ya dug out of my brothers’ closets.”

              “Hey, it works,” Stan said with a shrug.  They walked up to a house with the porchlight on. Angie rang the doorbell.  The door swung open.

              “Trick or treat!” Angie sang.  The woman in the doorway beamed.

              “Little Angie McGucket and the McGucket farmhand,” she cooed.  “Hold out yer buckets!”  Angie promptly did so.  The woman dumped a handful of candy into the bucket.  “Farmhand, don’t ya want some candy?”

              “…If yer offerin’,” Stan said after a moment. He held out his bucket.  The woman tossed a few full-sized Snickers bars into the bucket.

              “Happy Halloween!” the woman chirped as they walked away.

              “You too, Mrs. Applesmith!” Angie called. Stan gaped at the candy in his bucket. “What’s wrong with ya?”

              “Is she brain damaged or somethin’?  Why’d she give us full-sized candy bars?  And more than one?” Stan asked, aghast. Angie grinned.

              “Small town.  Folks tend to be a bit more generous.”  She nudged him.  “Does that change yer stance on trick-or-treating?”

              “Are all the houses like this?”

              “Fer the most part.”

              “Then, yeah, I’m changing my mind.”  Stan looped his arm through Angie’s.  “Might as well spend my last year trick-or-treating in style.”

[thelastspeecher]

Avatar Angie

Okay, here’s the very indulgent Avatar AU variation we’ve discussed on the Discord, where my OC, Angie McGucket, is the Avatar.  I’ve got even more written, but here’s a sort of first part.  Enjoy.  c:

——————————————————————————————

              As if in slow motion, Stan watched the bolt of lightning come for him.  He was frozen, unable to move to avoid it.

              This is what I get for thinking the other team wouldn’t play dirty.  They’ve got someone who can bend lightning, of course they’re gonna use it in an illegal move.  Suddenly, someone shoved him out of the way.  A very short someone.

              “Angie!” Stan screamed, spinning around just in time to see the lightning bolt hit her.  However, she didn’t get thrown back.  If anything, she steadied her stance.  Her arms moved in a circular motion, similar to the katas Stan had seen Angie’s waterbending relatives do.  He didn’t just recognize it from waterbending, though.  His firebending teacher had tried to get him to learn it.

              She’s redirecting the lightning.  The lightning came out of her other hand, hitting the domed ceiling, bursting lightbulbs and breaking glass.  In the darkened arena, Angie collapsed to the ground.

              “Angie!” Lute screamed, his voice even more raw than Stan’s.  He grabbed his helmet and threw it roughly to the ground, rushing to his younger sister’s side.  Stan ran over as well.  He could hear some kind of commotion happening in the stands but tuned it out.  The only thing he could focus on right now was Angie’s prone body.

              “Is she-” he croaked, falling to his knees by Angie.  Lute was already doing his best to heal her, holding handfuls of glowing water above her body.

              “She’s alive.  But her chi is all kinds of screwed up.  The energy flow is tangled and blocked, and I ain’t a good enough bender to even begin to reorganize it!” Lute said.  His voice was full of tears.

              “Luckily, I have some experience with lightning wounds,” a voice said.  Pa McGucket gently nudged Lute out of the way, taking his son’s spot healing Angie.

              “Pa?” Lute whispered.

              “I’m here too,” Ma McGucket said.  She sat next to Stan.  “We decided to come to your pro-bending match.  Didn’t expect this to happen, though.”

              “She redirected lightning, right?” Stan asked. Ma McGucket stilled.  “That’s what she did.  She pushed me out of the way and took the lightning, but not really.”

              “Oh, she absolutely took the lightning,” Pa McGucket said softly.  “Her technique was very good given the circumstances, but not perfect.  She’ll take a while to recover from this.”  On his face was an expression similar to the one he’d had when he first saw Stan’s Agni Kai burn.  Tension.  Disgust. Fury.  

              This isn’t something he’ll take laying down. Stan almost felt bad for the firebender who’d struck Angie with lightning.

              “Okay, but how did she do it?” Stan demanded. “That’s a firebending technique!”

              “Looked like waterbending to me,” Lute mumbled.

              “Redirecting lightning is a technique adapted from waterbending,” Stan said impatiently.  “Haven’t you ever paid attention in class?”

              “Yer not one to talk ‘bout school,” Lute shot back.

              “Boys,” Ma McGucket snapped.  Lute and Stan fell silent.  “Yes.  That was a firebending technique Angie just did.  And if it was waterbending, she’d have been able to do that, too.”

              “But- but how?” Stan asked.  “No one can bend more than one element.”  Ma McGucket met his eyes.

              “There’s one person who can.”

              “…No,” Lute whispered.  He rocked back onto his heels, covering his face with his hands. “No.  Angie’s- Angie’s-”  Stan’s mouth went dry.

              “She’s the Avatar,” he whispered.  Pa McGucket nodded.

              “Yes.  She is.”

              On the ground, Angie’s eyes flickered open. They glowed an eerie white.

----- 

              “So, how long have you guys known?” Stan asked. They were back at the McGucket farmstead, waiting for Angie to wake up.  At the insistence of the McGucket parents, they had gathered in the living room while Angie slept in her own room.  Ma McGucket sighed from her favorite rocking chair.

              “Since the day she was born, really.”

              “That’s not possible.  The tests they do to track down the Avatar don’t work that fast,” Lute protested.  He seemed unsure of how to take the news that his little sister was the Avatar.  At the moment, he’d settled on arguing every point. It was becoming increasingly more difficult for Stan to resist the urge to elbow Lute, sitting next to him on the couch.

              “No, but she was born the same day Avatar Korra passed away,” Ma McGucket said.  “And thanks to my job in the White Lotus, I soon found out those two events happened at the same time.”

              “I didn’t want her to be the Avatar,” Pa McGucket said in a low voice.  He sat in his recliner, his head in his hands.  “The responsibility, the danger the Avatar has to deal with?  I don’t want my children to have to go through that. So I held out hope that she’d be a waterbender like me.  But ‘fore she was even a year old, she showed she was an earthbender.”  Stan sat up straighter.

              “Wait, that young?” he asked.  “That’s really early for earthbending, isn’t it?”

              “Yes.  It is. Basstian was ‘bout three when he first bended a pebble.  Angie, she was causin’ earthquakes from her crib.”

              “Wow,” Stan whispered.

              “That was our first hint.  Avatars tend to start out strong like that.”  Ma McGucket quirked a small smile.  “And then, one day, I caught her playing with something I’d brought from work.  I was tasked with refurbishing the toys that have been used to determine Avatars in the past, and Angie managed to find them.”

              “She didn’t just find some of ‘em,” Pa McGucket put in.  “She found all of ‘em.  There was an enormous number of toys, and Angie gravitated towards the four that every Avatar is guided to.”

              “I asked her why she went for those, and she stared at the toys, a look in her eyes much older than her actual age, and said she knew them,” Ma McGucket said softly.  “The strength of her bending, the timing of her birth, those we could explain away.  But not this.”  She sighed. “After the difficult childhoods of the last two Avatars, the White Lotus made the decision to keep Angie’s Avatar status from her until she was eighteen.  But it seems like destiny has other plans for her.”

              “She’s sixteen, right?  That’s supposed to be the age the Avatar gets told anyways. Isn’t it?” Stan said.

              “Yes,” Pa McGucket said.  “I just wish she didn’t have to find out this way.”

              “Who’s finding out what?” a weak voice asked. All heads shot up.  Angie stood shakily in the living room entryway. “And what way are they finding out this thing?”

              “Sweetling, you shouldn’t be up!” Pa McGucket scolded, getting to his feet.  He strode over to his youngest child.

              “I know, I should prob’ly go lie down.” Angie leaned against the wall.  “I feel like I got trampled by a heard of Komodo-rhinos.”

              “Do you remember what happened?” Stan asked.

              “I remember the match.  And then you were ‘bout to get hit with lightning.  I pushed ya out of the way.  But then it came fer me.”

              “And?” Lute prompted.  Angie frowned.

              “I guess I just sort of used a last-ditch attempt and tried to redirect the lightning.  I know I ain’t a firebender, and I’ve never even seen it done before. But I’ve seen all sorts of waterbending moves, and lightning redirection is derived from waterbending.  So I went fer it.”  Angie shrugged.  “Clearly, since I’m an earthbender, it didn’t work.  I prob’ly made myself look like a right fool.”

              “No, it worked.  Better than I coulda done,” Stan said softly.  Angie rolled her eyes.

              “Geez, Stan, I know we’re good friends ‘n all, but ya don’t need to constantly suck up to me.”  She wrinkled her nose.  “Ugh. That lightning messed me up.  I feel all kinds of weird and sick.”  She sneezed.  With the sneeze came a burst of flame.  “What in tarnation?!”  Angie stumbled back, lost her balance, and fell onto her butt.  “Stanley, that was an awfully mean joke!”

              “I didn’t do that,” Stan said.  Angie crossed her arms.

              “Well, I sure didn’t!”

              “Yes, sweetie, you did,” Ma McGucket said gently. Angie eyed her.  “You don’t believe me.”

              “Ma, I’m an earthbender, not a firebender!”

              “Hang on.”  Stan got up and walked over to Angie.  He pulled her to her feet, then summoned a small flame.  It flickered above his open palm.  Angie watched it with awe.  “Take it from me.”

              “What?”

              “Take it from me,” Stan repeated.  “Fire’s like earth.  It needs a firm hand.”  Angie’s hand hovered over Stan’s uncertainly.  “Take it.”  Angie took a deep breath.  The flame inched away from Stan to circle around her hand.  “See?”

              “I…”  Angie stared at the fire wrapped around her fingers.  “But- but how?”

              “You’re the Avatar,” Ma McGucket said.  The fire dissipated.  Angie stumbled backwards again, but this time, was caught by Stan. “Angie?  You all right?”

              “Am I allowed to say that bein’ the Avatar explains a whole lot?” Angie croaked.  The McGucket parents and Stan chuckled.

              “Yeah, I think so,” Stan said.  Angie smiled.

              “Good.  ‘Cause it does.”  She kneaded her forehead.  “…I think I need to lie down again.”

              “Sure, sure,” Pa McGucket said, putting an arm around his daughter’s shoulders.  He and his wife led Angie back to her bedroom, leaving Stan and Lute alone. Lute looked at Stan.

              “I guess she is the Avatar,” Lute said quietly.  Stan rolled his eyes.

              “No shit.”

              “Shut up.”  Lute grinned cheekily.  “After all, I may be related to the Avatar, but yer the one with a crush on her.” Stan felt a surge of warmth spread through his face that had nothing to do with firebending.

              “How did you-”

              “Oh, please.”  Lute waved a hand.  “It’s as plain as the nose on yer face.”

              “I’m not the only one around here with a big nose.”

              “Fine.  It’s as plain as the nose on both our faces.  Happy?”

              “No.”  Stan looked in the direction of Angie’s room.  “Mostly just confused and a bit weirded out.”  After a moment, Lute nodded.

              “Same.”

----- 

              Lute leaned against the pasture fence, unrestrained amusement on his face as he watched Angie practice firebending katas.

              “Whatever happened to ‘I’m not good enough at firebending to be your teacher’?” he asked Stan.  Stan sighed.

              “She’s got those big green eyes.  I can’t say no when she uses them to full effect.” Angie punched the air, producing a large fireball.  “And I’m just helping her get the basics down until her actual firebending teacher shows up.”

              “She’s pretty darn eager to get started,” Lute said softly.

              “I mean, can you blame her?  She’s been watching other bending styles her whole life, feeling drawn to them.  Now she knows why and she can put it to good use.  Honestly, though?”

              “What?”

              “I think she’s most excited to learn waterbending.”

              “Really?”

              “Most of her family members are waterbenders. She told me that when she was younger she wanted to be one.”  Stan looked at Lute.  “Like you.” Lute blushed.

              “Aw, shucks.”  Lute sighed.  “As lil sisters go, she’s ‘bout the best there can be.  But aren’t ya worried about her losin’ control and burnin’ stuff down?”

              “Not really.  Earthbending requires a different kind of control than firebending, but they both need a heavy hand.  Angie’s used to keeping an element in line.”  Stan shrugged.  “Fire seems to come really naturally to her.”  Angie abruptly stopped firebending.  She looked in Stan and Lute’s direction, but past them.

              “What is it?” Stan asked.  Angie’s eyes widened.  “Good or bad?”

              “Good,” a voice said behind the young men.  Lute and Stan spun around.  “At least, I hope that’s what she thinks of us,” said the old woman.  She and an old man had walked onto the farm property, and were watching Angie thoughtfully. “What do you think?” the woman asked the man.  The man nodded.

              “She definitely has a knack for firebending. But I think I see some room for improvement.”

              “I certainly hope you do,” the woman teased. Angie ran over.  She came to a stop in front of the man and woman, then bowed deeply.

              “Master Mako, Lady Asami,” she said in a carefully controlled voice.  “It’s an honor to meet you.”  The man and woman bowed as well.

              “Avatar Angie,” the man, Mako, intoned.  Angie straightened.  Something about the lighting made her eyes look almost blue.

              “That’s no way to greet an old friend,” she said cheerfully.  The woman, Asami, covered her mouth.  “Was that too much?  Sorry.”

              “No, it’s fine,” Asami said sweetly.  “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

              “Though I don’t believe you’ve already managed to make contact with Korra,” Mako said.  Angie raised an eyebrow.  “Not that I doubt your strength.  But you’ve only just recently learned you were the Avatar.”  Angie grinned.

              “My Ma’s an earthbender, but my Pa’s a swampbender. I’m no stranger to spirits or spirituality.”

              “So you have connected with your past lives?” Asami asked.  Angie shrugged.

              “I meditated this mornin’ and heard Korra’s voice. But that’s ‘bout all.”

              “That’s a lot more than Korra had at your age,” Mako said.

              “Yeah.”  She bounced on the balls of her feet eagerly.  “So, ya watched my firebending?”

              “I did.”

              “And?”

              “It was very interesting.  You were moving with the caution and forethought of an earthbender, but the force of your bending was a lot like Korra’s.  Very excited, powerful, and with the energy of someone who jumps into combat without thinking.”  Mako rubbed his chin.  “I haven’t seen that combination of neutral jing and positive jing before.”

              “Is that…bad?”

              “I’ll have to think about it,” Mako said with a smile.  “Right now, it’s just…odd.  But while I figure out whether you need to drop the neutral jing to firebend properly, we can work on some katas.  Your forms could use refining.”  He frowned at Angie.  “Where did you learn those forms?  Pro-bending?”

              “Sort of.”  Angie jerked her thumb in Stan’s direction.  “Stan showed me.”

              “Uh, hi.”  Stan waved.  “I’m Stan.”

              “Wait, you know I’m a pro-bender?” Angie asked eagerly.  Asami laughed.

              “I still follow the game, but Mako doesn’t. I had to tell him that the new Avatar was a pro-bending champion.”  Asami smiled at Lute and Stan.  “I’m glad to see your teammates as well.”

              “We’re basically the new Team Avatar,” Stan said breezily.  Lute snorted.

              “Angie, I’m glad we were able to talk with you, but we also need to talk to your parents,” Mako said.

              “I’ll take you to ‘em,” Lute said cheerfully. He winked at Asami.  “Maybe we can talk about how much ya love my pro-bending, Lady Asami.”

              Stan and Angie watched Lute lead Mako and Asami to the house.

              “Pretty cool that they’re here, huh?” Stan asked. Angie nodded.  There was a faraway look in her eyes, which once again looked blue, despite being a bright olive-green.

              “Yes,” she said.  Her voice sounded older than her sixteen years.  “It…it was really good to see them again.”