#again this is meant as a joke. I do agree that it's none of our business to know. I just find it amusing how sentences like

[mothmans-cumrag]

All "we need to know less about each other" jokes aside, isn't it crazy that there are still people out there denying that these two are "more than friends"? Not trying to dunk on anyone, just amazed at the amount of hoops some people jump through in order to hold on to their beliefs. Truly noone doing it like them.

[mrhyde-mrseek]

A little message from me and Hermes:

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SET BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR DEITIES.

And yes, there is a story to go along with it below the cut.

Basically what happened is I was doing my daily tarot session where I go around and ask each of the gods I work with what message they have for me today. I also have a job interview on Friday that, until this day, my cards have been hinting will go well (and I really hope saying this doesn’t jinx it).

Today, however, I kept getting the opposite; basically they were telling me that the interview would turn out poorly and I wouldn’t get the job. I was obviously surprised, but before I could fall any further into an anxiety spiral, I asked the cards if someone was messing with them. Turns out it was none other than our favorite prankster, Hermes, fucking with me again.

I don’t think he meant any harm by it. He was just having a bit of fun. But unlike when I gave him his candle, this joke wasn’t funny. I need a job before college, and I REALLY want this one to turn out well, so his messing with the cards scared me and made my anxiety spike.

I told him that his joke wasn’t funny and I wanted him to stop. I then put out a rule to all the gods I work with that they are not allowed to mess with the cards like that again. I got the sense that they all agreed, even Hermes. I forgave him, but I was still upset.

Later, I started to feel guilty for being angry with a god of all beings, and I tried to apologize to Hermes and make it clear that I had forgiven him. Just then, I got a VERY vivid image of him gripping my shoulders and telling me that it’s okay to be mad and I didn’t need to apologize for it. HE was in the wrong, not me. It’s okay to set boundaries as to what’s okay and what’s not within your practice when people (or gods) hurt or upset you.

👏SET 👏 HEALTHY 👏 BOUNDARIES 👏 WITH 👏 YOUR 👏 GODS 👏

[alessiasfreckles]

too in love to think straight

Alessia always thought she was straight, until y/n joined the team. Y/n has a crush on Alessia, but is far too shy to do anything about it. Their meddling teammates decide to help them out.

warnings: none!

A/N: based off this prompt! longest fic yet at almost 4k words, so thank you for the prompt, it definitely helped the writer's block!

------

Alessia Russo was straight. Straight as a ruler. Sometimes her teammates joked about it, teasing her for being a heterosexual female footballer, one of a kind. She had never let the jokes they made get to her, always brushing them off, not even giving them a second thought. After all, she was straight, wasn’t she?

She watched you in training, sometimes. Not in a creepy way or anything, just in a… ‘wanting to know more about you’ way. Alessia was fascinated by you, even if she couldn’t quite explain why. You had joined the team a month ago and had already earned a reputation for being extremely shy and quiet. Sometimes your teammates would place bets on who could get you to say more than a single sentence that day, which you didn’t mind, really. You knew they weren’t doing it to be mean, and that they’d stop if you asked. Despite how shy you were, you’d already found your place in the team and felt comfortable there. The girls were your friends, even if you didn’t talk much. 

You were warming up in training, your hand on Steph’s shoulder as you swung your leg back and forth, when she said something that made you start giggling. The sound nearly made Alessia trip over her own feet, and when she looked up to see you grinning at Steph, she felt something flutter in her stomach.

That was normal, right? That was a thing that happened to straight people? She just really wanted to be friends with you, that was all. Right?

As the days went by, she started making an effort to talk to you more. She would coincidentally finish getting changed at the same time as you, meaning the two of you ended up walking together quite often. 

“So, um, how are you settling in?” she asked the first time it happened. 

“Good,” you said, smiling shyly. 

“That’s good! I settled in pretty quickly too, the girls are so nice and welcoming here, you know? I had been worried when I moved that it was going to take me ages to feel at home, but now it feels like I’ve been here forever!” she rambled, and then laughed awkwardly. “Oh, sorry, I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“No, it’s okay,” you glanced up at her and gave her another smile, blushing slightly, and she smiled back. 

From then on, she found herself thinking about your smile a lot. She would look for you during training, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. It was even better when it was directed at her. 

----

“So we can all agree that Lessi definitely has a thing for y/n, right?” Steph said in the changing room to the few teammates that were still getting ready after the two of you had (completely coincidentally, of course) left at the same time once again. 

“Wait, I thought she was straight?” Kyra asked.

“Nah, y/n’s gay,” Jen piped up. “I mean, she doesn’t really talk about it much, but she posts about pride month on instagram and stuff, and we talked about what going to pride for the first time was like a couple weeks ago.”

“No, I know y/n is gay,” Kyra said, exasperated. “I meant Lessi. She’s like, the token straight in the team.”

“Yeah, I have a feeling that our token straight isn’t as straight as we thought. Or as she thought, for that matter,” Steph grinned. “Have you seen the way she follows y/n around? Like a lovesick puppy.”

“Maybe someone should try and find out if y/n feels the same way,” Jen suggested, a sly look on her face. “Ky, you should do it.”

“What?! No way,” Steph laughed. “Ky can’t keep her mouth shut to save her life.”

“Hey!” the younger Australian protested. “Actually, yeah she’s right. I would definitely just ask her outright if she’s interested in Less. Kinda get the feeling that we might need subtlety to get that kind of info out of her.”

Just then, Viv walked back into the changing room. “What are you guys doing in here? Come on, we’re all waiting for you.”

“Viv!” Steph exclaimed. “You’d be perfect for our plan!”

“What plan?” she asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, so you’ve noticed how Less has a crush on y/n, too, right?” Jen said, grinning. “Well, we want to find out if the feeling is mutual. But, you know, since y/n’s so shy we figured that just asking outright isn’t the right approach. So…. that’s where you come in!”

“Really, guys?” Viv said, looking unimpressed. “That’s their business.”

“Oh, come on, Viv,” Steph pleaded. “Look, we all know there’s no way y/n would make any moves herself, and Less probably hasn’t even realised she likes her yet.”

Viv sighed. “I guess you have a point. But I’m not going to push her, okay? If she doesn’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

“Oooh, this is so exciting!” Kyra squealed, clapping her hands. “Oh, but remember to be subtle!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Viv said, rolling her eyes. “Now come on, everyone’s waiting.”

----

“So, um, you’re very much straight, right?” Alessia asked Ella as they had one of their weekly facetime calls. 

“Ha, yeah, unfortunately,” Ella grinned. “Why, you interested?”

“Yeah, yeah, very funny,” the blonde rolled her eyes. “As, y’know, a straight person, would you say it’s normal to, um, think about another girl? A lot?”

“Right, tell me everything,” Ella said, getting comfy. “Who is it?”

Alessia groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Y/n. The newbie?”

“Aw, yeah, she’s cute!” 

“Okay, so you think she’s cute too! So, it’s a perfectly normal thing to think about someone, isn’t it?” 

“Well, that depends,” Ella said with a grin. “Do you think she’s cute in a completely platonic way or in a ‘she’s cute and i want to kiss her and have sex and get married and have babies’ way?”

“Oh my god, Ella!” Alessia groaned again.

Ella laughed. “Okay, so it’s the second one.”

“I don’t know, maybe?” the blonde blushed at the thought, but had to admit to herself that it wasn’t the first time she’d thought about kissing you. “So, it’s not something straight people think about?”

“Nope,” Ella smirked. 

Okay, so maybe Alessia was as straight as one of those bendy rulers the cool kids had in high school.

“Ugh, what do I do?” she asked.

“I mean, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to,” Ella said gently. “Like, about maybe not being straight, or about y/n.”

“Okay but,” Alessia started, then sighed. “Yeah, I don’t know if I want to do anything about the maybe not being straight bit. But, the y/n bit, I just, I don’t know! She’s just really fucking cute and like, really shy but when she does talk you can tell that she’s really smart and observant, and she has the cutest laugh, oh my god, the first time I heard it I nearly fell over, and I just want to be the one to make her laugh, you know? And like, I want to get to know her better. I want to know what she does when she gets home from training, what her favourite TV show is, what her family is like.”

“Well,” her best friend said. “Kind of seems like you do know what you want to do about y/n. You want to get to know her and make her laugh. Those seem like very achievable goals!”

“Yeah, I suppose,” the blonde said, frowning. Those were pretty achievable goals, actually. And technically she wouldn’t even be doing anything about her… well, her crush. She would just be getting to know her teammate. “Yeah. Thanks, Ella.”

“Anytime!” Ella said with a wide grin. “But as soon as this goes anywhere, I want to be the first to know, okay?”

Alessia let out a laugh, feeling much better after having talked to the brunette. “Deal.”

-------

A few days later, you were walking on the treadmill in the gym when Viv joined the treadmill next to you. You smiled at her, not thinking much of it, and when she gestured for you to take your headphones out you did. 

“Shit, sorry, I hate it when people try talking to me when I have headphones in,” she cringed, laughing sheepishly.

“It’s fine,” you said with a small smile. You liked Viv. She was quiet too, but more confident than you were. 

“I just wanted to check in, see how you were feeling. You’ve been here for what, 5, 6 weeks now?”

“5 weeks today,” you said, and she nodded. “I’m feeling good. I really like it here. Everyone has been really welcoming.”

She smiled, and it was genuine. She really did want to know if you were settling in okay. “That’s great! I’m happy to hear that. Beth will be too.”

“You two really are the mums of the team,” you teased softly.

“Ha, yeah, people say that a lot,” Viv said with a laugh. The two of you jogged quietly for a minute before she spoke up again. “So, I noticed you and Lessi have been hanging out a lot lately.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” you said, blush quickly rising your cheeks. “She’s, um, really nice.”

“She’s pretty new here, too,” the older player said offhandedly, glancing over at you. “Maybe she can show you some good spots in the area?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” you said, feeling your cheeks burn as you looked down at the treadmill, not wanting to meet Viv’s eye.

“I’m glad you’re making friends here, y/n,” Viv said with a kind smile, and you nodded.

-------

“Okay, yeah, she has a crush on Less,” Viv announced to the girls in the changing room. It was the same group as before, Kyra, Steph and Jen, plus Katie, Leah, and Beth, who had gotten involved now too. 

“Oh my god, that’s so cute!” Steph gushed. “Wait, did she tell you that? Just like that?”

“No, of course not,” Viv said, rolling her eyes. “But trust me, okay? She likes her.”

“Alright,” Steph said, happy to believe her. “So, what’s the next step?”

“Guys, come on, you can’t meddle in this!” Leah said, standing up. “They have to figure it out for themselves!” 

“Aw, come on, Lee,” Katie said with a grin. “Surely a little push is okay? After all, there’s no way y/n is gonna do anything about it. And we’re still not sure Less even knows she likes her.”

Leah stood there for a minute, arms crossed, before sighing. “Fine, a little meddling is okay. But nothing big, alright?”

The girls grinned excitedly and got to planning.

-----

Jonas clapped his hands, getting everyone’s attention. 

“Okay, ladies, I want you to partner up for this next one!” 

The team was close enough that things like this didn’t make you feel the same dread that it did in P.E. in high school. Partnering up now meant partnering up with any of your friends, not waiting anxiously to see if you were chosen. Still, you waited to see if anyone did choose you. 

Alessia sidled up to you with a smile. “Hey,” she said.

“Hi,” you replied, smiling back.

Behind your back, Steph and Katie shot each other a knowing look and a grin. 

“I meant to tell you, you played really well on Sunday,” the blonde said with pink cheeks. You weren’t sure if it was from the cold air or if she was blushing. 

“Oh, thank you!” you ducked your head, blushing a little. “So did you.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. “So, um, did you have a nice weekend? Aside from the game, I mean.”

You nodded. “Yeah, it was good. I just stayed home and relaxed.”

“Yeah? What did you get up to?” she asked, eager to know more about you, but realised she might be pushing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry-

“It’s okay,” you said, cutting her off and placing a hand on her arm, and she blushed at the gesture. “I didn’t really get up to much, to be honest. I watched some TV, read a bit, did some puzzles, baked a little. And the boring stuff, like doing some washing, cleaning. But I guess the other stuff is kind of boring too.” 

“No, it’s not! It’s interesting! I like learning about you,” she said quickly, then blushed deeper pink. “Um, what kind of puzzles? Like, jigsaw puzzles?”

You laughed gently. “Oh, no, like, um, puzzle books? Things like sudoku, crosswords, that kind of thing. It’s my guilty pleasure,” you admitted.

“Wow, so you’re smart, then,” she teased with a laugh. 

“Girls! Less chatting, more moving!” Jonas shouted across the field at the two of you.

“Oops,” Alessia said, grinning. “I guess he has a point.”

As you were walking back to the changing rooms after training, Jen came up from behind, clapping both of you on the back.

“Right girls, monthly movie night on Friday,” she said. “You in?”

You waited a beat to see Alessia’s reaction, before nodding.

“Great! Less, we good to do it at your place?” 

The blonde rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Do I really have a choice?”

“Nope,” Jen said with a grin. “Thanks, Less!”

She ran off, yelling to Katie that movie night was good to go, and Alessia laughed. “I’m not sure why they’ve picked my place,” she said, shrugging. “Personally I think Beth and Viv’s place is the best for movie nights. Plus, any excuse to see Myle, right?”

You nodded, smiling. You’d gone to one movie night at Beth and Viv’s place, a couple weeks after you joined the club. You’d been in awe of how close knit the team was, wanting to be a part of it, but not sure how. You hadn’t really said much that time, opting to sit on the corner of the sofa, watching everyone else around you.

“You’ll come too, right?” Alessia asked, her voice hopeful, and you felt your heart skip when you realised she was hoping that you would come, hoping you’d be at her place. 

“Yeah!” you said, trying not to sound too eager. 

“Good!” she said, sounding relieved. 

For the next few days, you couldn’t stop thinking about the upcoming movie night. You knew it wasn’t a big deal, really. After all, it was a bigger group of the girls that were going to be there, not just the two of you. Still, that alone was a scary thought. You preferred your own company, or the company of just a few people rather than a big group. 

Despite knowing that the evening was in no way a special occasion, you decided to dress a little nicer than you normally would for a night in (meaning you wore the slightly nicer leggings rather than the stained jogging bottoms you used as pjs half the time), putting your favourite perfume on to give you a boost of confidence. As you got closer to Alessia’s house, though, your stomach started tying itself in knots. You forced yourself to keep going despite how nervous you felt about being at the other player’s home for the first time, and rang the doorbell. 

“Y/n, hi!” Alessia said, beaming when she opened the door. “Come in! Oh, you can leave your shoes and coat over there, if you want.”

She wouldn’t admit it, but she was nervous too. She’d spent far longer than usual tidying and preparing for the evening, and had swapped out the decorative cushions on her sofa three times before giving up. 

“Am I early?” you asked when you realised you were the only one there. 

“No, don’t worry! Some of the others just have a habit of being late. Half the time I tell Katie an earlier time than we’re actually planning, just so she shows up on time. Speak of the devil,” she said with a grin when another car pulled up outside.

20 minutes later, the others had all arrived as well. It was a smaller group than last time, just 9 of you, though you weren’t sure how many more than that would be able to fit into Alessia’s living room. You were a little disappointed when Katie arrived so soon after you had, enjoying the short-lived one on one time you were spending with her. 

Meanwhile, Alessia and Leah were in the kitchen, getting drinks for everyone.

“So, you and y/n have been spending a lot of time together,” Leah said casually. “What’s that about?”

Alessia blushed. “We’re… friends?”

“Is that right?” Leah said with a knowing grin.

“Okay, fine,” Alessia said, easily giving in to Leah’s knowing look. She glanced over her shoulder, checking that the kitchen door was closed before continuing. “I just think that she’s really cute, okay? And yeah, maybe I want to kiss her, so what?”

Suddenly she was being hugged tightly by Leah. “This is so exciting!” the older blonde squealed, making sure to keep her voice down. “You should tell her.”

“What?! No way,” Alessia laughed, shaking her head. “I have no idea if she feels the same way!”

“Oh, come on, she definitely does!” Leah insisted. “Haven’t you noticed that you’re, like, one of the only people y/n talks to on a daily basis? Full conversations, too!”

“Pfft, that doesn’t mean anything,” the younger player said, frowning. Did it mean something?

Leah sighed. “If you say so. Just remember, though: tonight is for your own good.” she said with a wink, and left the kitchen before Alessia could ask what the hell she was on about.

She started to get an idea about 15 minutes, when Steph, Kyra and Jen all got a text message and mysteriously had to leave. 5 minutes after that, Beth checked her phone and, not particularly convincingly, said, “Oh, the neighbour has just messaged me that she can hear Myle going crazy, we should head home and check on her.”.

Alessia raised an eyebrow. It didn’t take long for Leah and Katie to make up a similar excuse. The door swung closed behind them, and she turned to smile at you sheepishly. 

“And then there were two,” she said. “Sorry, I’m not sure what all that was about. This isn’t how movie nights usually go.”

“If I’m being honest, I’m kind of glad it’s just the two of us, rather than a big group,” you admitted shyly, internally cursing the blush you could already feel rising to your cheeks.

“Me too,” Alessia said with a smile. Before she could get another word out, however, the bluetooth speaker she kept in her training bag next to the door started blaring Love Story by Taylor Swift. The song was accompanied by a couple of car headlights flashing outside the window and some honks, and when the two of you looked out you could see Katie grinning from her car before she sped off, cutting off the music when she left the range of the speaker.

“Right, well, I feel like she didn’t quite think that through,” Alessia laughed, shaking her head at your teammates’ antics. 

Your cheeks were pink and thoughts were rushing through your mind. Did they know you liked her? Was that why they’d picked that song? And why they’d all left?

Alessia’s phone buzzed, and she checked it to find a message from Leah, saying ‘Just tell her! You’ve got this!! x’. She quickly turned her phone off again when you glanced over, and gestured towards the TV, where the film the girls had picked was still playing. 

“Want to keep watching?”

“Sure,” you nodded, though really you weren’t that interested. If it meant you got to hang out with Alessia longer though, you were all for it. You both sat down and started watching the film again, but it didn’t take long for the two of you to start chatting, the film playing in the background. 

“It’s good that your family were so supportive when you came out,” Alessia said.

“Yeah, they were really sweet, actually. To be honest, I kind of think they expected it, you know? Being a female footballer and all that,” you said, then quickly blushed, realising what you’d said. “Not that, um, all female footballers are gay, of course, I mean, I know you’re, um-”

She laughed gently, blushing a little. “It’s okay, I know what you mean. I think my family were actually surprised, really, when I never showed any interest in girls,” Up until now, she thought. “I’m just gonna, um, get a drink, do you want anything?”

“Oh, no, that’s okay, thank you,” you said quickly, not wanting to make extra work for her. 

Grinning, she picked up your empty glass anyway and took it to the kitchen with her. When she was in there, she pulled out her phone, quickly texting Leah, ‘I don’t know how to tell her!’. She anxiously bit her lip as she waited for a reply, not realising that the water was overflowing in the glass. She swore under her breath when she realised, but was quickly distracted when a reply came through. ‘Tell her how you feel! That’s all you have to do x’. Well. That wasn’t particularly helpful.

She went back into the living room and set the glasses down on the coffee table. 

“So, when did you know you liked girls?” she asked, taking a sip of water.

“I think I always knew, really. I was just never that interested in boys, and I had a huge crush on a girl in my P.E. class in high school.”

“Oh, is that your type then? Sporty girls?” she teased, and you blushed. “Has, um, anyone caught your eye here then?”

“I, uh, I-” you stammered, cheeks burning. 

She laughed nervously. “Sorry, I’m teasing. Um, actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

You could feel your heart pounding as you wondered where this was going. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, I- well, I don’t think I am, um, straight, after all. At least, there’s at least one girl that I am interested in,” she said, sucking in a breath and looking at you with bright eyes. “You.”

“Me?” you squeaked, brain struggling to process what she was telling you. 

“I’m so sorry if I’ve made this awkward, if you don’t feel the same way, I’ve never done this before with a girl, and I really didn’t mean to make things awkward, we can just stay friends if you want, I’m so so happy to just be your friend as well-” Alessia rambled, barely pausing to take a breath until you put a hand on her leg, making her stop.

“I’m, um, interested in you, too,” you said shyly, unable to meet her gaze. There was a part of you that was still wondering if this was all a big joke. When Alessia’s hand cupped your cheek, you started to feel pretty sure it wasn’t.

“Really?” she asked, lifting your head so she could look you in the eyes.

“Really,” you told her.

You both leant in, gravitating towards one another, and you could barely breathe. You’d thought about this moment, dreamt about it. Whenever the two of you exchanged glances at training, when she laughed at something you said, when your hands brushed as you walked next to each other, you’d think about what it would be like to kiss her.

Now you were finally going to find out.

[kuromochimi]

“please babysit our baby for me” w/ jjk husbands

Nanami Kento, Suguru Geto

Content warnings: none, fluff!!, not proof read btw

Nanami Kento

Nanami was nothing short of being the perfect husband and the perfect father. The man literally lacked absolutely nothing at all. Having him as your partner was a billion times better than winning any lottery. He also loved your daughter very much. Loved braiding her hair and picking out cute little outfits for her and unexpectedly, you were the bad cop in this family because nanami could never help but spoil your precious princess that you sometimes have to scold him for buying too much toys or feeding your daughter sweets right before bed. Your schedules also worked perfectly together so that your daughter always had a parent with her most of the time and today just so happened to be nanami’s free day. A few moments before leaving, you gave nanami a kiss and a hug as you said

“Babe, can you babysit our princess today? Sorry to drop the responsibility on you but I’m going to be busy til tomorrow”

you said apologetically, with a small teasing giggle that you were able to suppress enough for nanami to not notice. Well, he wouldn’t have noticed it anyway because the man was baffled. Almost appalled even. “Sorry love, say that again?” Nanami said, clearly confused. “I said… can you babysit her for now?” Your sweet sweet husband’s mind was a mess. Did he do something wrong? Say something wrong? Acted out of line? “I- babysit? Love, love why would I have to babysit OUR daughter?” It was getting harder to not react to your husband’s response. “Oh did you not want to? I can take her to my mom’s place.” Nanami stood up to gently hug you “no no, that’s not what I meant, I’m just- baby why would I have to babysit a child that’s MINE as much as she’s yours? It’s the least I could do. You carried her for 9 months, went through birthing her and provided her with everything. Caring for her is the least I can do. Bare minimum. My responsibility as much as it’s yours”

It was meant to be a joke but you soften at that because nanami just never fails to sweeten your world and you couldn’t be more grateful.

Suguru Geto

Though it had to happen at a very young age for both you and suguru, adopting mimiko and nanako was something you would never regret. Honestly, you were a tad hesitant to agree when suguru first suggested the idea. In fact, he lowkey gave you an out by adopting the girls by only him at first since you two weren’t married yet. You were still in highschool at the time after all. But a couple years down the line, you eventually got married and legally adopted the girls as well. Having an addition to the family happened later on and now you were a family of five with a precious little baby girl as the newest addition. Having had mimiko and nanako, caring for your new baby girl wasn’t as difficult anymore. However, nowadays, your schedule and as well as your husband’s schedule made it so that it was hard to have days off together. It still is kind of in your favor as you can both take turns caring for your baby.

On some random day, the idea just popped out of nowhere. You approached suguru while he was getting ready for work. “Suguru?” He looked your way while he was buttoning his shirt. “Do you mind babysitting our little princess tomorrow? I know it’s not your day but i have plans in the evening” if a question mark could have a face, it would be how suguru looked at the moment. “What do you mean babysit?” He asked, bewildered. “Oh but no worries, if you don’t feel like it, I can always ask the twins to take care of her” you replied nonchalantly. Suguru took note of the difference in the terminologies you used. With him it’s babysitting but for the twins it’s taking care of the baby? Why did you even have to ask in the first place, it’s not like you had a strict schedule for watching the baby anyway. He was rambling in his head. “Baby, my love” he calmly called out. “Hm?” He sighed before speaking. “Did something happen? Did I say something to upset you?” and then you burst out laughing. “Baby I think something is wrong for real” he gave you a worried look which pushed you to stop laughing. “Sorry love, I was just pranking you. Love you” you spoke in between little giggles before giving your husband a back hug. “Jesus baby you scared me” he sighed with a gentle laugh.

[exitpursuedbyavulcan]

After the War

The night before Tom is sent back to his ship, he spends one last night with his best girl and makes plans for what they'll do when the war is over.

Pairing: Tom Bennett x Reader (2nd person)

Warnings: kissing, fingering, Tom being a lil nasty but it's ok he's hot

This work is a part of my 12 Days of Smuff event! Read the rest here.

My Masterlist

After the War

Prompt: Dreams & Dirty Talk

Tom’s navy uniform had long been discarded on the floor beside the bed; no doubt it would be hopelessly wrinkled when he boarded his train the next day. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care about that at all.

Not when Tom was getting on a train tomorrow, one that would take him to war.

You hated him for getting arrested. You hated him for agreeing to join up to get out of jail. You hated him for going back on his promise to register as a conscientious objector. And you hated him most of all for having the gall to be excited about leaving.

“So, since I won’t need to use my wages on the ship, it’ll be sent back here to Dad. And Lois too, I guess.” Tom quirked his brows and took another puff of his cigarette – his fourth of the night so far – and idly played with your hair as your hair while you rested your head against his chest.

He’d been talking nonstop since he rolled off of you after your last round of lovemaking.

No, it wasn’t lovemaking. It was fucking. Frantic, desperate fucking in lieu of actually talking about what would happen tomorrow, or the next day, or even the next year.

“I told him he could use it if he needed it, but that I want to come home to at least a bit of a stash, you know?”

‘Come home.’

That is what broke you—those two little, uncertain words. There was every possibility that Tom wouldn’t come home, and this last night would be all you had.

You started crying, suddenly and fiercely, burying your face in the smattering of hair on his chest.

Tom instantly sat up, wrapping his arms around you and cradling you against him. “Hey, hey. None of that, love. Tonight’s a happy night, yeah?”

“It’s not!” you insisted through your tears. “It’s not happy at all, Tom!”

He tilted and shook his head in a way you knew meant he was about to argue with you, so you continued before he could. “You’re leaving tomorrow – to go to war! You aren’t going on a fucking holiday! You’ll be on a battleship, not a river cruise!”

“Love, I…”

“No,” you pled, burying yourself in his shoulder. “Don’t make promises we both know you won’t keep. Don’t give me that hope.”

Tom scoffed, “You want me to tell you I’m gonna die?”

You grabbed one of his nipples between your fingers and pinched. Hard.

“Fuckin’ hell, woman!” Tom shouted, gripping your wrist tightly and yanking your hand off his nipple. “I was joking!”

“Don’t joke then!” You were sure your face was red as you yelled at him.

He slapped a hand over your mouth and lowered his voice. “Your mum is gonna hear us if you don’t quiet down, love. I don’t want my last night here to be spent being chased down the street naked by your fuming mum.”

You moved to tear his hand away, but when you met his eyes, you saw that there was fear there. And sadness, longing, grief. He was just as terrified as you. More, even.

When he felt you relax, he removed his hand. “Now,” his voice had become gentle, if a little strained, “are you going to yell at me again? Or try to rip my nipple off?”

You shook your head.

“Good.” He pulled you into him again, and you let him. He held you with your back toward him, one of his large hands splayed on your stomach and the other stroking your hair. “Then… what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know.” You leaned into his chest, resting your head against his shoulder. He did nothing to egg you on, only held you close as you thought. “Tell me about the future,” you finally said. “About our future.”

“Alright,” he took a deep breath before he began narrating. You may or may not have prayed to God to grant him the gift of prophecy.

“Well… tomorrow, I’m gonna climb down outta that window there,” he pointed to your bedroom window, “and I’m gonna run down the street and climb up into my own window. I’ll have breakfast with Lois and my dad. Then we’ll all go to the train station, and you’ll meet us there – no sailor can leave home without a goodbye kiss from his best girl.”

You blushed at that, then blushed further when he tweaked your nose.

“I’ll go to training. Obviously, they’ll recognize my amazing natural talents and promote me right off.” You made a snarky comment about his overwhelming humility that he quickly silenced by tickling you. “I think I’ll get a few days leave between training and shipping out, so I’ll come back here.”

The joking grin mostly faded from his face, his eyes focusing on your face as his voice lowered. “I’ll use my wages from training to buy a nice ring, or, as nice as I can afford. I’ll have you wear your best dress and take you to the Palais for a night of dancing. Then, I’ll take you to the register office and marry you.”

Your breath vanished from your lungs. “But, there’s a waiting period…”

“Nah,” he said all too quickly. He’d been thinking about this, you realized. Planning it. “They’re waving that for all the boys going to fight. And this way, you’ll get the marriage allowance. And the widow’s pension, if…”

Tears threatened to come to your eyes again, and Tom barreled on. “I expect a good amount of that allowance to go to buying yourself some lovely lingerie to entertain me whenever I get leave.”

“You’re disgusting,” you half-heartedly teased.

Tom began moving the hand he had on your stomach lower, drawing random circles and loops and other shapes you couldn’t identify. “Don’t pretend you don’t love it. Besides, I need something to motivate me to live, don’t I?”

Any protest you had to his dark humor died when his long fingers traveled lower, teasing you just enough to take your breath away. And to prove him right.

“Well, look what I found…” he whispered huskily in your ear. “A wanton young woman who loves it when her man is ‘disgusting?’ Lucky for you, I like my best gal a little loose.”

You moaned in both offense and pleasure as his thumb started rubbing soft circles on your pearl, and his middle finger began just barely dipping in and out of your entrance. Not enough. It wasn’t nearly enough.

“I’m going to write you letters every day when I’m at sea,” he promised. “Each day, I’ll give you new instructions. New little ways you can entertain me even when I’m half a world away.”

“Like what?” you managed to ask as his finger finally began to go deeper, but achingly slowly.

“Mmm… one day, I may ask you to do something as tame as leaving your panties at home. But when I’m really missing you, I’ll want you to be the biggest slut in Manchester. A faithful slut, mind you, but still.”

Something about his words, mixed with the way he began stroking that glorious rough patch inside you drove you absolutely wild. Seeking more speed, you began bucking your hips against his hand. But he only rested his other on your hips to keep you still.

“Maybe I’ll ask you to touch yourself in a particular way, and then tell me how much you liked it. Or maybe I’ll have you touch yourself somewhere new. Say, the Palais? Or your parents' kitchen table?”

You whimpered. This shouldn’t be as arousing as it was, you knew. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that these wicked things would be the only way you could get close to fucking him whenever he was away.

“I may even have you take some pictures to send in your letters. Didn’t you say your uncle offered you a job at his photography studio? Yeah, I think you need to take him up on that one.”

His musings seemed to fade as he moved his fingers faster, even slipping another into you. He no longer wanted just to tease you, but to satisfy you. “I’ll be desperate, love. Stuck in a tin can with a bunch of other blokes. And I know I can’t last with just the pin-ups. None of them come close to you.

“Will you do it for me? Will you buy the sluttiest lingerie you can find? Touch yourself for me? Whenever and wherever I want you to? Send my pictures like you’re no better than the whores who mail their photos for a couple pennies?”

You arched your back, feeling his words speed your climax along. “Yes, Tom. All of it. I’ll do anything for you.”

He leaned down and planted a sloppy kiss on your lips, swallowing your screams as he brought you to the edge, never stilling his fingers until you begged him to. “That’s my girl.”

You turned toward him, having felt his cock hard against your back. But he did not let you. He held you in place, not even griding into you.

“Not yet, greedy thing. I haven’t finished my story yet.” You fought him a little, but ended up lying back when he refused to relent. “Now, where was I?”

“I was being the most faithful slut in Manchester.”

“Oh yes, I love that part. But after that, once we defeat the Jerries and good triumphs, I’ll come home to you. We’ll both have saved enough to buy our own place, or at least rent a decent flat. And…”

Tom probably talked for hours until he fell asleep. You wondered if he ever took care of his erection. But you weren’t sure.

Not long after he started telling the rest of the story, you’d fallen asleep. Some part of you must have kept listening, though. Your dreams were full of visions of the life you and Tom would have.

A tearful reunion when he came home for good. Kissing at the train station so long that everyone else would leave and only you two would remain.

Him carrying you into your new home. Somehow, he’d managed to snag a gorgeous flat in the heart of the city, with grand windows that gave you a magnificent view of the sunset.

He’d find some job he loved (even in your dreams, you couldn’t imagine what job that would be) and make enough that you’d never have to worry about money again. Maybe you could even help your parents out.

Eventually, you’d have children. And since it was a dream, childbirth was a breeze, and the kids were perfectly behaved.

It was a perfect life.

A perfect dream.

But when you woke, you watched Tom climb out your window, and reality came crashing back down.

[sapshorelines]

SUMMER TRIP | ATEEZ 9th MEMBER AU

★・・・・・・★

ATEEZ were given a two week trip to a summer house, what could possibly go wrong? (platonic relationship, alcohol mentions, swearing, reader is the eldest, fluff/crack) (not proof read | 2.2k words) Authors note: I apologize for the lack of content, I have been busy with other things. Also, I am going to try and change my format a bit! [🌊] = name

!! NOTE !! None of my works represent any IRL people. These works are purely meant for entertainment purpose and shouldn't be taken seriously. Do not steal any of my works and reupload them to other medias

MINORS DNI

★・・・・・・★

“We're here!” [🌊] was abruptly woken up from his nap as Wooyoung yelled out in the car. He opens his eyes for a few seconds to see everyone taking off their seatbelt. But [🌊] closes his eyes and attempts to fall back asleep, until he feels a large hand on his shoulder. “[🌊]-hyung, it's time to get up.” Yunho whispers. [🌊] would lift his head up, then Yunho would start laughing. “Hey, you ok?” [🌊] looks over at Yunho confused. But [🌊] looks like a grumpy grandfather that got woken up from the best nap by his grandkids. “Your face looks swollen.” San joked, making Yunho laugh a bit harder. [🌊] would just glare at San. “C’mon hyung, we're here at the house.” Yunho pats [🌊] on the shoulder as he would get out. So, where are they? Well, ATEEZ was given a two week break at a summer house near the beach. There wasn’t any film crew, no media, nothing! Although they did have security nearby, we won’t talk about it though. All they had to do was to give updates on social media and film for their vlog series. 

 [🌊] would exit the car looking like a zombie. “Yah, [🌊]-hyung, you good?” Wooyoung was laughing his ass off at the site of the eldest. Yeosang who had the camera to film for the vlog walked over to film [🌊]. Pretty much everyone was surrounding [🌊] making fun of him. The grandfather of the group was pretty much being bullied. “Anyway, help me take our bags in!” Hongjoong then ends the terror for [🌊], dragging the younger members to help him. 

–

 “There’s only four rooms.” 

 All of the members were in the living room, now learning that they were lied to. The house said it had five rooms but it had only four. All their luggage was with them and all nine of them just sat around the living room. “I can sleep in the living room-” [🌊] suggested, but was cut off by San. “No! Last time you did something similar you accidentally fell off the couch and hit your head on the table!” Yeah that did happen, everyone thought he died but nope. [🌊] lets out a sigh in defeat. “Well what do we do?” “Why not play a game? See who gets paired up with who.” Yeosang suggested. In which everyone agrees too. And after trial and error, and a lot of chaos. The rooms went something like this. Yeosang and Jongho, Hongjoong and Wooyoung, Seonghwa and Mingi, San and Yunho and [🌊]. Luckily, the trio were placed in the master room, so all is good, right?

 Anywho, [🌊] immediately made his way to the room carrying his bags along with him. He enters the room and tosses his bag off to the side and immediately collapses down onto the bed. “Hyung! You can’t sleep again!” San chuckles as he enters the room afterwards. “Mm’comfy.” [🌊]’s face was in the soft blanket, San walks up to the bed to sit down next to the elder and.. Well he was right, the bed is extremely soft. “Well, we gotta check the place out.” San says as he attempts to get [🌊] up. Though [🌊] tried to drag San down to sleep with him. “No- Hyung-” San tried to fight back from being pulled down, but in the end [🌊] won. Meanwhile Yunho just stood there at the doorway filming the whole thing, laughing.

–

“C’mon let's go!” Wooyoung says as he runs out of the backdoor and down the patio stairs that lead to the beach, followed by some of the other younger members. After unpacking and checking out the house, some of the members wanted to go to the beach and run around. Meanwhile Seonghwa and Hongjoong went out to go get food to stock up, that would leave the grandfather of the group, [🌊], to watch the rest.

 “Wooyoung wait- you need sunscreen!” [🌊] calls out, but it was too late. But luckily San ran after him. [🌊] was finishing up packing the needed items to bring out, Mingi and Yunho were helping too. Distance screaming can be heard as Wooyoung flees from San. “Hyung, let me carry the bags for you.” Jongho offers as he walks over to [🌊], “It's fine Jon-” Before [🌊] could even finish his sentence, Jongho takes the bags from [🌊] and walks out, making [🌊] sigh. Yunho carried two small umbrellas and Mingi carried the cooler, looks like they were gonna be out for a while till Seonghwa and Hongjoong got back. 

 So the four went down to the beach where they saw Yeosang filming San chasing Wooyoung down. Good times. “Where do we want the stuff?” Jongho looks around. “Mmm, why not over here?” Yunho points out a spot, in which the rest agreed on. The four walked over and started to set up stuff. Meanwhile, San was dragging Wooyoung over so he could put sunscreen on him. “San, sunscreen is in the bag.” Yunho points over at the bag behind him, in which San goes over as well as dragging Wooyoung along. “Hey [🌊]-hyung, are you planning on going out into the water?” Yeosang walks over to the elder, “Mmm, probably not today.” [🌊] says as he sets down a towel on the sand. “Well, you should at least put some sunscreen on hyung, let me-” Yeosang turned around to get the sun screen, but noticed that San, who had the sunscreen last, was not near the bag. Then, Yeosang and [🌊] turns their heads to the shore as they hear laughter. Wooyoung is basically in the water now and San is yelling at him, classic.

 After a few hours, the front door to their vacation home opens as Seonghwa and Hongjoong walk in carrying loads of bags filled with different food, drinks, and snacks. “Where are they?” Hongjoong asked as he looked around, making his way to the kitchen. “Perhaps they’re still on the beach? They said they were gonna go to the beach but I guess they’re not done.” Seonghwa replies as he follows Hongjoong. “Why don’t you go look for them, I can deal with bringing in the rest of the groceries.” Seonghwa says as he puts down the bags he was carrying onto the table. 

 “Mmm, fine.” Hongjoong wanted to protest and continue to help him but he knows Seonghwa will still pressure him to do something else. So, Hongjoong goes out to the back patio that overlooks the beach. He can see umbrellas, towels, and other stuff along with two people sitting in the shade. He then see’s four people out in the water on surfboards, now who is who- “Oh- hey hyung.” Hongjoong jumps, hearing the voice, but then notices that Yeosang was sitting on a chair reading a book. “Didn’t realize you two got back.” He says as he closes the book and sets it down on a table next to him. 

 “What are they doing down there?” Hongjoong asked.

 “[🌊]-hyung, San, Mingi, and Wooyoung are wanting to tryout surfing. Yunho and Jongho are relaxing. I came up here because I was hungry but I didn’t feel like going back down there.” “Oh, fair.” Hongjoong says as he looks back out to the others that are struggling to catch waves, distant laughter can be heard along with the loud crashing waves and breeze. 

 “I can help Seonghwa-hyung with unpacking the groceries.” Yeosang says as he goes back inside. “I’ll go get them.” Hongjoong says as he would make his way down to the others. 

—

 “Who wants to go explore downtown with me?”

 San says as he was pretty much standing there ready to go out already. 

 Most of the members were tired out after going wild in the ocean, some of them scattered around in the living room laying down as the fan was on max and the AC on. 

 “Yah! How are you not tired?” Wooyoung sits up from the couch. “I had a nap silly, I just woke up and I wanna do more stuff!”

 Wooyoung groans as he plops back down on the couch, then feeling a smack on his leg. “Ow-” “Be quiet.” Mingi grumbles as he was disturbed from his slumber. Wooyoung mocks him by mumbling what he said. 

 “I can go with you.” Seonghwa says, “I still need to get a few things but I wanted to save it and see if anyone wanted to come along.” “Oh! Alright, I think [🌊]-hyung wanted to come too.” San turns around and looked down the hallway to where his room was, seeing [🌊] walking out ready to go but still trying to wake up from his beauty sleep. “Anyone else?” San turns back around to look at the others. “I’ll go.” Yeosang then gets up from the chair he was in, “Give me a few minutes.” He says as he makes his way to his room he was staying in. “We’ll wait!” –

 Fastforward and the four are out walking around downtown. The group have already visited some small shops within the town, getting a few souvenirs and such.

 “Oh look! Ice cream!” San looked to his right and pointed out a small shop that was coming up, of course it was an ice cream shop.

 “Could we get some?” “I guess? We would need to ask the others what they want.” Seonghwa rubs the back of his head, a bit hesitant to buy anything else as they already went on a spending spree as well as lunch. “We already had lunch-” “It says here we can do take out.” [🌊] cuts of Seonghwa, this man was already on their website. “Yeah but I already spent-”

 “I can buy it Seonghwa, don’t worry.” [🌊] pats him on the back, “Can one of you text the group chat and ask the rest what they want.” “Yeah sure I can.” Yeosang says as he pulls out his phone. “Imagine if they had those chips.” San chuckled. “Oh god I hope not.” [🌊] groans, remembering that one thing they did ages ago.

—-

 Fastforward and it was now evening. The sun was setting on the horizon and the group were getting ready for dinner. Half the members were cooking while the others were in the living room hanging out. Meanwhile, [🌊] was in his room taking a nap.

 [🌊] was tired, even after a nap earlier in the day. No wonder why their fans called him grandpa. 

 The door opens to their room, revealing Wooyoung walking in and over to [🌊]’s side. “Hyung, get up, Dinner is ready.” Wooyoung shakes [🌊] shoulder gently. [🌊] lets out a groan as he would slowly sit up. “C’mon hyung.” Wooyoung at this point was trying to drag him out of the bed. 

 [🌊] was able to get up and walk with Wooyoung to the living room, everyone was at the table with their food, and luckily, alcohol.

 [🌊] chuckled at the sight. “It’s our first day here and we already have drinks out?” 

 “Well tomorrow is supposed to be boiling outside, too hot to even be in the ocean. So I figured we can just get loose and use the heat as an excuse not to do anything.” Seonghwa says as he sits down at his chair.

 “For how long will this heatwave be in effect?” [🌊] asked. “Few days.” 

 “Fair enough.”

“Anywho, let's dig in!” Wooyoung says as they start to eat their dinner, wonder what could go wrong?

—-

 “What do you mean I made a difficult equation? I failed math!” [🌊] sat there dumbfounded as he stared at a whiteboard that sat in the living room that Jongho had founded while drunk off their ass last night.

 “I don’t fucking know, you were the one who did this! I remember you doing this!” Jongho pointed back at the whiteboard. Jongho wanted to drink less last night so he had some memories of last night. “I even took a video of you explaining the whole thing and how it can fuck up the economy.”

 Meanwhile, Hongjoong was lying on the couch suffering from the worst headache ever along with Wooyoung and Seonghwa. The others were still asleep. 

 “You still did it anyway!” “Ya! Shut up! I’m trying to sleep!” San yelled out in the room he was in, and audible smack can be heard in there too, probably Yunho telling him to be quiet.

 “Also, I should remind you that Mingi and Yunho tried to recreate some fight scene from some show that I can’t remember but it ended up turning out to be some rugby pileup as the others join in including you, and this was WHILE you were explaining how some idiot can ruin an economy.” “What the fuck…” [🌊] was just speechless at this point, slumping back in his seat. 

 “Ow! My fucking leg!” Wooyoung says as he pulled his leg out from under [🌊] and tried to kick him, but this man was sore as shit.

 “Ya! Don’t do that to your hyung!” Hongjoong slaps Wooyoung gently on the shoulder. Meanwhile Seonghwa fell back asleep, unphased by the others yelling. 

 “You’re gonna need to go get medicine for all of us y'know?” [🌊] looks at Jongho.

 “Didn’t we already bring some?” 

 “No.”

 Jongho lets out a sigh, “Fine, fine, I'll go out right now.” then making his way to the door to get ready. 

 “Fucking kill me.” Wooyoung groans. “Hush.” [🌊] snaps back at him. “Go get me ice cream hyung.” “...It’s nine AM, why the hell do you want ice cream?”

 “Please?”

 “No.”

 “Please?”  “No.”

This would continue for another five or so minutes, this is going to be a crazy trip for them.

★・・・・・・★ thank you for reading!

[airas-story]

Autumn Wedding

“No.” “Absolutely not.”

The words mixed together and Tony glanced to the side to see that Stephen looked just as disturbed as Tony did.

Pepper crossed her arms. Tony could hear the menacing ‘tap, tap’ of the toe of her shoe against the tile of the floor that meant only bad things for Tony.

“It is your wedding, Tony,” she said. “Under no circumstances are the two of you running off to Vegas and getting married in some… drunken ceremony.”

Tony pouted. “I don’t see why we should be denied the opportunity to be as irresponsible as we like. And no one said it was going to be drunken.”

“Tony will be perfectly sober when he marries me,” Stephen agreed. “Too many jokes about drunken mistakes, if not. I refuse to put up with those. But Vegas is an excellent option.”

“No,” Pepper said firmly. “I have run your life for over a decade at this point, Tony. I reserve the right to run this. In fact, I claim running your wedding as my reward for all of my hard work.”

That made absolutely zero sense. “I’m pretty sure you had a nice salary as your reward,” Tony pointed out. “But also, why would you want more work as a reward for all of your work?”

“Because without me this will be a mess.” Pepper shook her head, she gathered up the documents she’d brought into the room with her when she’d overheard his and Stephen’s plans to just run off to Vegas the next weekend they both had free.

“But Pepper,” Tony started.

Pepper arched an eyebrow at him, daring him to finish his complaint. 

Tony decided it might be better not to. “Fine, but only if you can convince Stephen.” Hopefully Stephen held out longer than Tony had.

She turned her gaze to Stephen whose face was a picture of stubborn defiance. “Oh, that’ll be easy. All I have to do is promise not to tell Christine that he was planning on getting married without inviting her if he lets me run things.”

Stephen blanched. “You know what, now that I’m thinking about it, having you help us plan our wedding sounds like an excellent idea.”

Tony winced, because yeah, if he’d just been threatened with Christine’s wrath, he’d have changed his mind, too.

“Excellent.” Pepper’s smile was entirely too smug. And really, Tony was starting to think she got her way a little too often. Not that he was about to tell her that. “I’m thinking an autumn wedding.”

Autumn!? “That’s months away,” Tony complained.

Pepper looked unswayed by his protest. “That’s me rushing it. Do you know how much effort goes into preparing a wedding?”

“Absolutely none if you run away to Vegas,” Tony muttered under his breath.

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him, which meant that he had absolutely been heard. 

“Not that I’m going to do that,” he added. He sighed as long-sufferingly as he could manage. “I can wait until fall.”

“Exercising a bit of patience will be good for you,” Pepper said. She handed him the paperwork. “Now go through these, I need your signature on them by tomorrow.”

Tony made a face, but accepted the paperwork. “Fine. Can our wedding colors be red and gold?”

“Seriously?” Stephen asked, and this time he was the one who sounded unimpressed. Where was his loyalty? Tony had an image to maintain. “Red and gold?”

“No,” Pepper said. “This is going to be a tasteful wedding.”

The outrage. “Red and gold is tasteful.”

“Not your idea of red and gold,” Pepper said. “Which is why I’m in charge.” She turned toward the door. “Paperwork, tomorrow.”

Tony let out a mournful sigh as she left. “You know, I’m an expert at refusing to listen,” he said, turning to Stephen. “We can still run to Vegas.”

“Christine would kill me,” Stephen said, sounding bereft. “Then you. Then bring us back to life so she can kill us again. And Pepper will help her.”

Tony sighed. “Autumn wedding it is.”

[a-very-tired-jew]

"It's not my job to educate you."

How often have you seen this statement?

I've personally lost count, and I'm a scientist that has been active since the anti-GMO, anti-Ag, and anti-Vaxx discourses of the 00s.

I've seen it for years used as a way to completely halt discussions when the speaker is backed into a corner and cannot support their position. I've seen it used as a defense when they try and put forth extremely biased and/or outright incorrect resources and are called out for it. I've seen it used when a person wants to make their opinion and outrageous claims known without defending them whatsoever.

And here's the thing, you're right. It's not your job to educate others.

But you've also entered into a conversation, discussion, or debate where people are backing their opinions with arguments, experiences, and citations. When you use this statement you essentially say you want to enter this conversation with no confrontation to your own personal beliefs, thoughts, and ideals.

That's childish. That's the kid on the playground saying "nuh uh, you didn't get me cause I'm actually on base right now. Yeah, I know it's a stick on the ground, but I said it's base so it's base."

Personally? I hate this statement. In my own circles I've seen it used by the most uneducated ignorant people to justify conspiracies or beliefs that actively harm them and/or others. I've seen my friends with no formal scientific education or experience who fell down the anti-science rabbit hole use it as a way to deflect from their ignorance.

In Leftist spaces I've seen it used to bring discussions to a stop and dismiss another person. "It's not my job to educate you!" while the very same person was just trying to educate the other on the topic being discussed. This is often accompanied with the "Do your own research", which inevitably leads to the person not coming to the same conclusions as the person who uttered the aforementioned phrases. Said person then becomes upset when the other doesn't come to the same conclusions, but again..."it's not my job to educate you (I'm just mad you're not educated in the way I want)".

In a professional setting I have seen it used to justify outright ignorance, conspiracy, and vitriol by people who have no understanding of the subject matter at hand.

People often say they love discussion and debate, but in reality they just like making their opinion known with no opposition.

And this leads me to the point of this wall of text...it's a very culturally goyische thing to do.

The conversations on Cultural Christianity made me think about this and it sort of hit me. We, Jews, are a "contentious" people. We question, argue, and debate to the point where it's a stereotype in media (an accurate one, but a stereotype nonetheless). But what this stereotype leaves out is that discussion and debate is often accompanied by education. We, typically, revel in this type of discourse and love to argue and learn from the argument. Even if none of us come away with a new position.

The joke "2 Jews, 3 opinions" actually highlights how we come to a greater understanding through our "contentiousness". Our discussions are often meant to educate one another and explore trains of thought we didn't previously have. At no point in the Talmud do you ever see someone state "It's not my job to educate you" and only after every avenue of argument has been exhausted do they devolve into sniping at one another about dick size. If you've seen any posts since 10/7 by Jews on here you will often see an active discussion with an attempt to educate if and when people interact.

However, there is the caveat that some people end up sealioning. In these situations it is completely fine to shut down the entire thing as they're simply wanting you to waste your energy until they have a "gotcha" moment. Eventually you will say something that does not necessarily agree with a previous statement and they will pounce on that. In such a situation you just need to leave the conversation entirely. Sealions are bad faith actors and not actually interested in anything outside of their own opinions.

Healthy discussion and debate, which is encouraged in Judaism, does not look like sealioning. It does not look like getting answers you don't like so you keep asking the same thing in a different way until you get what you want. It's like someone arguing with the DM repeatedly to get a spell to do something outside of its defined application and way outside of its possible application even when the DM says no.

Now, you might be saying "but in my non-Jewish household we encourage this kind of thinking!" and that's good. But we are talking about cultural generalities and trends here. If you live in the Midwest or Southern USA you will have encountered a multitude of Culturally Christian people who have their own personal history about how discussion, debate, and education is shut down (sometimes in a violent manner). If you've existed anywhere a hot button topic becomes discussed there is a strong chance you have experienced this statement, either online or in person, and witnessed the complete halt and shift in dialogue it causes. This is by no fault your own or the other persons, but there is a distinct cultural difference in general.

If you're someone who is offended by this, I want you to sincerely ask. Is questioning, discussion, and debate earnestly encouraged in your culture? Is it encouraged towards authority figures? Does it make certain topics taboo? What happens when children question authority figures?

[qwerty-between-the-lines]

Percy and friends were having what you could call an Argo II reunion campout trip.

Jason's absence was definitely felt for all of them, but as Piper had pointed out - Jason wouldn't have wanted them to quit living and having fun on his account.

They all knew that Jason would be with them in spirit, so it was agreed that Leo should go ahead with the reunion idea. Of course, everyone was free to bring their significant others.

...and so, their little family sat gathered around the campfire, as Leo and Calypso passed out plates that they easily recognized.

Nico: Is it camping if we use magical dishes to conjure food?

Leo: Hey. There's nothing stopping you from conjuring a hot dog and using a stick. Me? I prefer glamping!

Hazel: It's so great to be back with you guys. We don't get together as often as we should.

Frank: Hey, that's the life of a demigod for you.

Percy: Yeah. Too busy doing our parents' dirty work to have much personal time.

Nico didn't conjure a hot dog, in spite of his weak protest. He conjured an avocado and cheese sandwich, a chocolate donut, and some jerky.

Will: You have a healthy appetite.

Nico: I'm not planning on taking any underworld trips anytime soon, so I'm good.

Annabeth used her plate to conjure up a Slim Fast.

Leo: Seriously? You use the magic plate for that?

Annabeth: I'm trying to watch the calories at present.

Percy: I keep telling her she isn't fat.

Annabeth: Shut up, Seaweed Brain!

Nico: How can you drink that crap, Annabeth? I bet it tastes like chalk and ass.

Will cleared his throat awkwardly.

Nico: Hey, that's not the same thing. You know what I meant!

Hazel: ANYWAY. It's great to be together again.

Calypso: I hope none of you will object if I prefer wine.

Frank: Uh... minors.

Calypso: I didn't say anything about you having any. Besides, I'm not drinking that diet crap like Dionysus does. I'm not on probation.

The sky thundered in the distance.

Percy: Uh... Calypso. Careful what you say about Mr. D...

Piper: Isn't that a little rich coming from you, Percy?

Percy: Hey, we're on better terms than before ever since I offered him that Diet Coke ship. Or at least... not so hostile terms.

Leo: I bet he'd still turn you into an Atlantic Bottlenose.

Percy: Well, probably, but that would just mean he thinks of me the same as the gods think of all demigods.

Hazel: Apollo excluded.

Frank: I don't know about that. Apollo had already become human a few times before that last fiasco, and that didn't stop him from threatening to kill us.

Percy: I know how to stop him. Just ask him to make a haiku about your death instead of actually killing you.

Annabeth: I wouldn't joke about that.

Will: Yeah. Dad's known for having a wicked sense of humor from time to time. He might cause you to have dreams about haikus.

Percy: Think I should ask Meg to pass on a good word for me? Just in case Apollo's planning to give me haiku dreams?

Leo: Dude! Meg said Commodus was hot. I'm not saying I don't trust her now, but her judgment's another thing.

Piper: ...and you didn't think Commodus is hot, Leo?

Leo: Honestly? Not even a little bit. Horrible personality. Looks isn't all there is for me.

Calypso: ...so if Commodus didn't have a horrible personality would you think he was hot?

Leo: Nah. He's not really my type...

[angelasscribbles]

The Crown and the Shield Chapter 8: Healing

Series: The Crown and the Shield

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Constantine x Jackson

Word Count: 922

Rating: PG

Warnings for this chapter: none

Special thanks to @aussiegurl1234 for her input.

A/N: So, we finally come to the final chapter of this “one-shot” lol. I hope it meets expectations.

My other stuff: Master List.

“Today is the one-year anniversary of the Madrid Peace Summit Massacre,” the news anchor addressed the camera.

“It was a dark day for all our countries,” His co-host replied nodding her head sympathetically, “Isabella Hasapis was forced to take the Auverness throne when both her parents were killed, making her the youngest monarch in their history, ascending the throne at only sixteen. In Monterisso, the late queen’s sister was appointed as regent until crown princess Amalas is old enough to rule.”

Constantine turned the volume of the TV up as his mind ran back in time to the worst day of his life.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” the white-coated doctor stood with his hands in his pockets as he delivered the news, “We did everything we could. Heroic measures were employed but the injuries from the gunshot wounds were too grievous, and we were unable to save him.”

Constantine’s body shook with sobs. He let himself be led to a chair. He sank into it and dropped his head into his hands. He gathered his emotions as best he could and lifted his head, “And her?”

“I’m sorry, sir, again, the extent of the injuries-“

“So I’ve lost them both?”

“I’m very sorry for your loss. Would you like to see your wife now?”

“Connie, why are you watching this?” Eleanor took the remote from his hand and clicked the TV off just as the footage of his remarks from the south lawn of the palace earlier in the day began to play.

He turned to her with tears in his eyes, “It was the day I lost both my parents. The day I almost lost you. I don’t know how Leo and Liam would have-“

“Hey, we don’t have to worry about that. I’m here. I made it and so did you.”

“Thanks to Jack.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “Thanks to Jack. Speaking of him…don’t you have somewhere to be?”

He glanced at the clock on the wall and jumped to his feet, “Shit! Yes! I have to go!”

“It’s fine, go!” She shooed him out of their private living room, one hand at the small of her back and the other resting on her burgeoning stomach as she felt the baby kick. “Settle down, Lena. You have a month left in there.”

She missed her in-laws, but she was grateful that both she and her husband had been spared. The bullet had hit her in the side. There had been a lot of blood, but no major organs had been damaged.

She would have joined the king, but she was on partial bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. She had told Constantine to give her love to the Walker family. She would be forever grateful for the sacrifices made that day.

Constantine stepped out of the limo and approached the group gathered around the gravesite. He made his way to Bianca and swept her into a hug before doing the same with Drake and Savannah in turn.

He stepped forward and touched the cold marble of the marker, his fingers tracing the etching. His throat constricted as he croaked out, “He died a hero.”

“That he did. He stepped right in front of that bullet.”

Constantine turned toward the voice with a solemn expression, “So did you.”

“Damned straight I did! And I’d do it again!”

The king pulled the other man into a tight embrace as he fought back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, “Don’t joke about that, Jack, I almost lost you that day!”

It had been touch and go for two weeks. Constantine had never left his side.

“I’m not joking,” Jackson hugged him back.

Constantine had tried to get him to transfer to a less dangerous position, but Jackson had refused. There was no one else he trusted to safeguard the man he loved.

“Eleanor sends her love to all of you,” Constantine pushed out of Jackson’s arms and turned back to the monument, “We know how much Bastien meant to you.”

“He was like family,” Bianca agreed.

“He didn’t hesitate to take that bullet for her,” Jackson removed a flask of whiskey from his jacket pocket and held it up to the monument in salute, “Here’s to the best junior officer I ever had the privilege of training.”

“To Bastien!” the little group chorused.

When the gathering was over, Constantine and Jackson walked back to the limo together, hand in hand.

The perpetrators of the attack had all been brought to justice and The Liberation Core dismantled. There was some amount of closure in that.

Eleanor had taken the news of his relationship with Jackson in stride.

“I suspected, Connie. But it doesn’t change anything for me. I love you, and I love our boys.”

The only thing she had asked him for was another child. A chance for a girl and he’d given it to her.

In return, she’d given him complete acceptance of his relationship with Jackson.

He was as happy as he could be while still grieving his parents. He would always miss them, but he had a baby on the way, a queen who understood him, and the love of his life by his side.

Next year for his birthday, Jackson was getting that white water rafting trip. Constantine had already booked it. Just the two of them…give or take a few dozen guardsmen.

He glanced at the man next to him with happiness in his heart. He was healing, Cordonia was healing, and the future looked bright.  

~fin

[and-claudia]

His Heir pt 19 (Darth Maul x pregnant! reader)

Tag list can be found HERE

His Heir Masterlist

Word count: 2610

Warnings: None i dont think

“Maul, I can’t do this.” 

“What?” He asked confused. 

“There are too many people in there. I can’t do this alone… Walk with me… please.” I said, I was beginning to freak out. 

Maul took both of my hands in his. 

“Deep breaths, dear, deep breaths.” He spoke gently and began taking slow, deep breaths trying to get me to mimic him. 

I did my best to take in as much air as I could. I pulled my hands away from his, and he let go immediately and watched as I began to fan my eyes to try to stop the tears building up on my lash line. 

“I can’t cry. I worked too hard on this makeup.” I tried to joke to mask how nervous I was. 

I took a few more seconds to compose myself before nodding, signaling that I was ready. 

“Ready?” Maul asked gently. 

I nodded again. 

“You sure you want me to walk with you?” 

I nodded, “When we get to the stairs, I’ll walk the rest of the way on my own.” 

Maul nodded and offered me his arm. We stepped up the large double doors and he pressed a kiss on my forehead before they opened. Everyone’s eyes were on us as we walked down the path to the stage. I was smiling wide as we passed everyone. When I glanced over to Maul I noticed he had the faintest of smiles on his lips as well. People were clapping and cheering calling out both Maul’s and my own name. Despite doing this often, I never quite got used to it. 

We reached the bottom of the steps and stopped as did all the sound in the room. Maul held my hand with his free hand as he unhooked our arms then placed a kiss on the back of my hand and let go. He gave me a small nod of encouragement as I began to climb the stairs. I didn’t have to turn around to know everyone was shocked. I could hear the murmuring rising up behind me. 

I reached the top and stepped over to the podium to deliver my speech. 

“Welcome, everyone to the annual Mand'alor Celebration.” 

I paused to wait for the cheering to calm down. 

“I’m sure you are all confused as to why I am standing here and not Lord Maul… that is because he’s no longer Mand'alor. I am. And I have been for many years…” 

Chatter rose from the crowd once again as people began expressing their shock to one another. 

“Please, allow me to explain the circumstances.” I said, getting everyone to quiet down. 

“On the night of the first celebration of Lord Maul being Mand'alor, I had stepped out into the corridor for some fresh air… While I was out there I saw someone sneak around the corner. In their hands was the Dark Saber. They had stolen it from where it was being held. Now, many of you know that being raised in Sundari Palace, I was never taught to use weapons seeing as we were raised under the pacifist rules of my adoptive parents. I was however raised to learn the art of hand-to-hand combat. And not to be immodest, I am pretty damn good at,” I got a laugh out of the crowd, “I don’t even quite remember how I did it, or what exactly happened. All I know is one moment they were raising the weapon to strike me down and then the next I had them on the ground, beaten and bloodied with the Darksaber now in my grasp.” 

I took a split second to glance at Maul. 

“Lord Maul had seen the whole thing. He was the only one to have seen anything. I went to give him the weapon, but he wouldn’t take it. He insisted that it now belonged to me. It was fate. The universe wanted me to have it. I tried to insist that he kept it, no one else saw it so no one would know… to be honest I was scared. The Mandalorian people knew me as Yn Kryze, the youngest of the Kryze family. It was understood that the Mandalorian throne would never be mine. I was to be a politician’s wife and sit quietly, agree with my husband and give him children… I was not meant to be seen as a ruler… I believed that to be true as well. So Lord Maul and I agreed that he would be the face of Mand'alor but I would make all the decisions. And that’s the way we've been doing things. Until now… To Hell with what my sisters made me believe. I am just as capable of leading as the late, pacifist, Duchesses Satine. And, you have my word, I will not make us pacifists, that is not what we as Mandalorians are meant to be, nor will I allow us to be barbaric violent fighters. We will be warriors as our ancestors intended for us to be.” 

The crowd erupted into cheering, hollering, and clapping. Then, it started out jumbled, but slowly it became clearer and clearer. They were chanting my name. It was surreal. That was my name. They accepted me as their Mand'alor. As they continued, the MSCs and Maul all climbed the stairs to join me. The chanting die down and we continued on with the ceremony. 

“Now, as you all know a Mand'alor can do many things, but not everything, especially not all on their own. They do need guidance on occasion. A righthand man. I don’t believe it will come as a shock to anyone as I ask Lord Maul to step into the position of staabi-gaan jag (right-hand man).” 

I turned to Maul as he stepped forward. 

“I would be honored to.” He gave me a small bow of his head. 

I droid walked over to us, carrying a pillow that held his pin on it. I picked it up and carefully pinned it to his suit. He stepped back and allowed me to continue on with the ceremony. 

“The Mandalorian Super Commandos have served the former Mand'alor very well. As has every group of guards that any previous Mand'alor has had. But… they have always been led by a man. Until now. The new leader of The Mandalorian Super Commandos is Zobi Tregg.” 

Once again the crowd cheered as she stepped forward and accepted the new, caped pauldron onto her shoulder. 

I gave one more little speech about my plans as Mand'alor and what the future would like for my people. It was all really for formalities. 

“I would like to finish up by inviting anyone who has questions for me to come back tomorrow where the throne room will be opened to you all. But for now, let’s celebrate!” 

Music began playing as everyone went to grab a drink or a dance partner. Droids came out with platters of food, walking around and serving it to people. I looked around for Maul and found him already looking at me. I smiled at him and was a little surprised to see him return one to me that was just as wide. He walked over to me and held out a hand. 

“May I have this dance?” He asked. 

“You may if you take me to our table first and help me take off these stupid shoes.” I said with a laugh. 

“Of course.” He laughed as he began leading us over to our table. 

He helped me remove the heels and tucked them under my chair for me. Then he offered me his arm and led me back down the stairs. The song that was previously playing ended and we waited a moment for the next one to start up. I gave Maul a pointed look as I recognized the familiar tune. 

“You did this purpose.” I accused playfully as the song picked up. 

“Maybe.” He smirked slightly. 

The song was fast-paced and was paired with a semi-choreographed dance that involved a lot of spinning and moving well across the dance floor. It was a favorite amongst us, evident by the laughing and cheering all around me. The whole song was filled with me clinging onto Maul, smiling and laughing as he spun us around and led the dance. I had even caught him smiling throughout it too, though he would deny it until his dying breath. As the song was coming to end I had to tap on his shoulder to get his attention to slow it down. 

“Slow down. No more spinning, I’ll throw up.” I said between laughs. 

Maul let out a small laugh but slowed down his movement until the song ended and we parted slightly to clap for the band that was playing. 

“You two were having quite the blast out here, I figured you could use some refreshments.” 

I turned around at the familiar voice to see Dasar walking closer with two flutes of champagne in his hands. Maul took one and I realized I had to as well to not look suspicious. 

“Thank you, Dasar. I didn’t know if you were going to be able to make it .” I said with a smile. 

“Are you kidding? Miss this? This is one of the best celebrations of the year!” He said before turning to Maul, “Do you mind if I steal her away for a bit?” 

“As long as she doesn’t.” Maul said, turning to me as he took a sip of his drink. 

“Not at all.” 

“Good, shall we go sit down?” He said offering me his arm. 

I nodded and took it, allowing him to lead me back to my table at the top of the stairs. 

“So, now that we’re out of earshot of these nosey people…” He began, side-eyeing me as he spoke, “How far along are you?” 

“Excuse me?” I asked. 

“You’re pregnant. I know you are. You’re glowing! And I know damn well that’s your favorite champagne and you haven’t taken a single sip of it.” 

He took the glass out of my hand and took a sip as if to prove his point further. 

I knew I couldn’t lie to him. He somehow knew everyone’s secrets. I sighed as we sat down. 

“If I tell you this, you have to swear to secrecy. If you even so much as think about telling someone, I will have your head on a silver platter, then I will make sure your wedding still happens and I will walk your severed head down the aisle myself. Got it?” 

He nodded. “You have my word.” 

“I am pregnant. Almost 12 weeks now.” I said. 

“Yn! That’s wonderful! Is Lord Maul excited?” He asked. 

“Why are you so sure it’s his?” 

He gave me a look that read ‘really, do you think I’m dumb?’

I sighed, “Yes he is. We both are. But before you assume things, we are not together, it was planned though. And you’re the only one who knows besides us three, you cannot tell anyone please.” I begged. 

“I won’t. Don’t worry… Damn, I thought my wedding was going to be the talk of Crimson Dawn. But no, it’s you miss Mand'alor and your baby!” He joked. 

“Keep your voice down!” I playfully scolded him.

“Your secret is safe with me!” He said. 

I heard heels clicking their way up the stairs and turned to see Qi’ra walking up in the white dress I had put in our office for her. 

“Am I interrupting?” She asked, clearly something was bothering her. 

Dasar looked to me for an answer. 

“No, not at all. You look great by the way.” I complimented her with a fake smile. 

“Thank you. Excuse me, can I speak to her alone?” She said to Dasar. 

“Qi’ra, you are not allowed to dismiss my guest. Apologize to Dasar.” Once I said his name her eyes widen as she realized who he was. 

“I’m so sorry I forgot.” She said in a panic. 

“It’s alright, Quill.” He said standing up. 

“Actually it’s-” 

“It was wonderful talking to you, Yn. You should be getting your invite to the wedding very soon.” He said, cutting her off just as she was about to correct him. 

“What is that you need, Qi’ra?” I said after he walked off.

“Why didn’t you say something?” She asked, harshly. 

“Excuse me? We may work together on a normal basis but right now, you will show me some respect.” I said. 

“Well, I just think it was wrong of you to lie to me. I spent all day trying to prepare for this celebration. And the whole time it was a lie.” She said. 

“I’m sorry that you are upset, but would have put in the same effort if you’d known it was for me and not Maul?” 

She stayed silent. 

“Exactly. Now, if you don’t mind, I don’t want you to ruin my night. Go back and do whatever you were doing.” I said, standing from my chair. 

“I wasn’t done speaking with you.” She said. 

I turned around quickly. 

“Well, I am done speaking with you. Now if you would leave me alone, I am going to go find Maul and dance with him.” I turned back around and made my way down the stairs before she could say anything else. 

It didn’t take me long to find him. He was speaking to some diplomats with a glass of wine in his hand. I was going to wait patiently until he was done, but he must have sensed my presents behind him. He turned around and smiled. 

“Speak of the devil.” He said. 

“Um… I believe the term you are looking for is, Mand'alor.” I teased. 

“Oh, right. My apologies.” He said. 

Everyone at the table laughed at our banter. Whether it was because they actually found our banter funny or if they laughed in fear of upsetting Maul, I wasn’t sure. 

“What were we discussing over here?” I asked

“They were just asking me about my plans for the future of Crimson Dawn,” Maul said. 

“Crimson Dawn?” I asked looking to the rest of the men, “I thought tonight was about me?” I teased. 

A few of them apologized but I waved them off since I was only poking fun and giving them a hard time. 

“What did you tell them?” 

“I told them that there was indeed a plan in place. But they didn’t need to worry about that at the time.” He said, sending me a subtle, knowing look. 

“Well, that’s good to hear… Now, if the rest of you don’t mind, may I steal him away? He’s my preferred dance partner.” 

Everyone shook their heads and Maul set his drink down knowing that regardless of what they said he’d come dance with me. 

The song playing now was much slower than the previous one. The two of us stood in the center of the dance floor, swaying together. 

“I think we should announce it soon, I’ll be 13 weeks next week.” I said quietly so only he’d hear me. 

“If that’s what you want, dear.” He said gently. 

I gave a small nod. 

“Dasar knows.” I said. 

“How?” Maul let out a small laugh. 

“Hell if I know. He just figured it out. I made him swear to secrecy though. If not I told him I’d have his head.” I said and we both laughed. 

We stayed quiet for a bit as the song continued. 

“Thank you…” I whispered quietly. 

“For what darling?” He asked confused. 

“Everything.” I sighed, leaning into him a bit more as he held me tighter. 

Taglist:

@fan-g0rl @mxkyrie @onceuponanightmareisawme @lothiriel9 @wordsfromshona @kgbtardis @wondermia69 @mh073099 @ktriviaa @fifithexeno @perseny @justalittletomato @pomiotszatana @ameliachastain @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @its-me-meg @kbarnes-2001@bluusugar @happyheartsss @clairebear1621 @rljart @xxxqueenlaufeysonxxxxo @lilallybug @kizzyxren

[howdy-cowpoke]

TIMING: Some time shortly after Monty rescued Manzanita. LOCATION: Alan’s boat / The Cave of Voices PARTIES: Alan (@alan-duarte) & Monty (@howdy-cowpoke) SUMMARY: Monty and Alan go on a boating trip which leads them to the Cave of Voices and down in an unexpected place. They meet a friend and a foe. CONTENT WARNINGS: None.

—

Alan was checking the equipment when Monty arrived. It had been a while since he last went to sea. Escaping from the stench of that black sludge could only be a relief. His shop being in oldtown, he didn’t have to suffer from it at all times, but most of the properties he sold were downtown. Alan’s employees seemed to have been just as disturbed with the smell which was the only comfort he found about the situation. It was easier to go through hardship with people willing to rant over the same things. It was easier even to leave the town for an afternoon with a friend. He liked hanging out with his employees, but there was always a certain distance there. He was their boss, and he couldn’t really talk about everything with them. Monty was someone he could trust with anything, down to his own life. 

“We’ve been blessed with nice weather,” he exclaimed, walking down the deck to give him a proper greeting. “How have you been doing?” He hadn’t really conversed with Monty since they had dinner at his house. Dropping off a severed head for him to eat was not precisely what he would qualify as hanging out. He wasn’t too worried about it, per say, but it meant a lot to him, knowing that his friend was doing okay. One of the good things about Monty was that he always knew when he was lying. Alan sometimes let him get away with it. “I’m gonna get my shoes back on. You can undo the moorings if you want.”

—

Monty had a slight preference for the cold since dying, but his conflicting love of spring meant that on days like today, he wasn’t going to complain about the sudden heat wave. Anyway, it wasn’t hot—a place like this rarely got hot. Not like in México. It was warm in the sun, warm enough that he could barely feel it, which was nice. 

Alan’s request to go boating hadn’t exactly come as a surprise—the man was often itching to get out on the water the moment the weather improved after the long winter. Monty had hesitated, however, worrying more than usual about leaving the farm hands on their own, in case that nasty slayer decided to return for round two. He knew Monty was undead at the very least, and it wouldn’t take much more snooping for him to realize that everyone working on that farm was.

Trying to push the fears from his mind, the zombie reluctantly agreed to join his friend. Recalling the gentle admonishment he’d gotten for his attire the first time they’d done this, he made sure to pull out the only clothes he owned that weren’t also work clothes, helpfully provided by the very same werewolf that wanted to see him make an attempt at not looking grungy once in a while. He even showered before leaving! Alan would be pleased.

Arriving at the docks a few minutes late, the zombie broke into a soft grin as he spotted Alan coming his way to greet him, barefoot as the day he was born. “Oh, you know… surviving,” he answered, letting his gaze fall to his friend’s bare feet. “You’ll get splinters doing that,” Monty commented casually, clapping a hand against Alan’s shoulder. “Sure, amigo. I got it.” Following him a short distance back to the boat, Monty threw his jacket on board and proceeded to detach the boat from the deck, tossing the lines back and hopping over the small gap onto the boat when he was done. The smell of the ocean was strong enough to cut through his deadened senses and he turned his face to the wind, closing his eyes for a brief moment to enjoy it before finding Alan again. “Please tell me we’re heading into Storm’s Eye Trench, to both our deaths,” he joked with a cheeky grin.

—

“I’m not going to get splinters,” well, probably not on his feet at least. Running around the woods had made his feet feel more calloused over time. Though he generally brought a change of shoes, Alan wondered if running around on paws didn’t have a slow effect on the state of his feet and hands. “I like the shirt, and the rest. Nice outfit,” if the other had lost his usual scent of hay, farm life and horses, Alan didn’t comment on that. Sitting at the front of the ship, against the railing, the werewolf was putting on a pair of boat shoes, if only not to slip and fall on such a quiet sea. 

“Storm’s Eye Trench?” Alan glanced up at Monty with his eyebrows furrowed. It wasn’t unlike him to make jokes, but they didn’t usually have such a dark undertone. “If you want to die by my side, just say it,” with a saccharine grin, the realtor got up to his feet and headed toward the other end of the boat. 

Its sails swelled by the wind, the sailboat slowly moved away from the shore. The sound of the wavelets crashing on the pier quieted down the more they sailed. Above their heads, gulls and kingfishers continued their ballet, controlled by the breeze which carried the two friends far from their town.

Alan, if he was more comfortable at the controls of his plane, had acquired a taste for the sea in the last few years. It was a much quieter activity, and he enjoyed being alone in the middle of nowhere almost as much as he enjoyed spending the afternoon with him. His eyes fell on his friend. He worried about what was going on in his head. He had experienced a painful event not long ago, and it seemed obvious that it would stick in his throat. 

—

“You say that like you didn’t pick all of these for me,” Monty chuckled. Still, it was something. 

Offering a shrug, Monty realized with a bit of regret that it had been an usually dark joke for him to make—surely that wasn’t the result of… everything that had been going on lately. Surely not. Biting the inside of his cheek to quell the embarrassment that threatened to rise, he did his best to look cavalier about the whole thing as he added, “Oh, sure, I’d love that. Someone could write one heck of a novel about it someday.” 

Distracted by the birds, Monty failed to notice his friend looking at him. A soft smile had settled on his face, and for what was far from the first time in his unlife, he was thankful that the sun didn’t have such a negative impact on him as it did vampires. He might have given in to the call of the void a long time ago if he was never permitted to sit in the sun again, wind whipping his messy hair around as he watched a kingfisher dive and burst from the surface with a fish in its beak. 

Turning to ask Alan if he’d seen it, Monty’s voice caught in his throat when he realized he was already being watched. It was a momentary stutter, fixed with a grin, though what he’d been about to say had entirely left his head. “What?” he laughed, hugging his arms a little tighter around his knees. 

—

“Nothing,” it was tricky to tell Monty he’d been worried about him when he looked radiant. “You looked like you’d been sucked in by the ocean,” that might have not been his first thought, it was true. “I’m glad you agreed to leave the farm for a bit,” Alan might have done his best trying to reassure Monty, he knew that it would be a while before he felt safe in his home again. 

Hand on the tiller, he returned his gaze toward the horizon, his eye darting toward the sails for a second. “I understand if you would rather speak of anything but that,” wasn’t that the point of all this? They left their problems behind here. There was nothing to worry about here : no hunters, no angry homeowners, no problems. He wanted to keep it that way. Otherwise, what was the point in running away? What was the fucking point? 

He had to change the subject. “I had a meeting with the city council the other day,” he began. He wanted to build somewhere, and of course some ecologists wanted to save the frogs. “Anyway, I guess it went well,” he had to figure how he’d get the frogs to fuck off some place else, which meant he’d need to collaborate with the leaf fuckers. “You know, it’s the thing with the toads, the frogs, the… bog creatures,” he wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know what to do man,” it was easier when he was fucking with people. Even he didn’t like to disturb the peace of animals. 

—

Not only was Monty bad at lying, but he was equally terrible at being able to tell when he was being lied to. So he took Alan’s answer at face value, grinning widely for a moment before that little twinge of fear, of regret crept back in, and made the smile grow smaller. “Ah… yeah. Yeah.” He didn’t know what to say so he just left it at that, only nodding his head as he looked out at the ocean as Alan offered an out.

Thankful when the werewolf turned the conversation elsewhere, Monty finally dragged his gaze back to his friend, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Well, you could always build somewhere that isn’t a stinky bog,” Monty laughed with a shrug. “Or… I don’t know. Get yourself a pied piper, but for frogs instead of rats.” It was an utterly unhelpful suggestion, which Monty knew, based on the humorous glint in his dark eyes. 

“Ah, really though… maybe make them a really enticing habitat nearby, so they’ll want to move. Then everyone wins. Frog rights, and so on.” 

—

Why did Alan have to mention the farm. Now Monty was probably picturing Emilio waltzing, or rather cha-cha-ing his way around the place with a stake in one hand and a knife in the other, stabbing away his grudge and sorrow. 

Alan couldn’t help but laugh at the other’s offer. Yeah. Alan didn’t purposefully pick plots because they’d bring controversy. Most of the time, he didn’t get into any trouble buying land, homes… But there was always, every once in a while, a Tobias Greene (usually sans mafiosi), or a bog of frogs. “A pied piper?” That’s when he chortled. If the other had been closer, he’d have shoved him away. “You prick. That’s…” He sighed, his shoulders still shaking with amusement. 

“I know. I will work with the associations. Council likes me, I’m probably going to get the okay,” he blew a raspberry and reached down to tie the tiller still. “How’s the sludge situation on the farm?” Giving it a go to make sure it was secure, he let go of some of the wind in the sails and went to sit at the front. “It’s hasn’t reached the office yet, but going downtown is torture.” 

—

“Hope you do,” Monty answered honestly, marrying it with a soft smile. As the boat slowed and Alan came to join him at the front,the zombie made a face at the next question. “It could be worse, for sure… just some out on the eastern fringes, nearest the Flat.” He shook his head, wondering what on earth that crap was. “My catoblepones seem curious about it, but I don’t think I want them eating it.” Sure, they were designed to eat poisonous flora, but this sludge was… well, it was something else.

“At the very least, it doesn’t seem to affect the stink levels much,” Monty added with a breathy chuckle. Farms always had a particular smell to them, and Prickly Pear Acres’ proximity to the death pit certainly didn’t make matters any better. It really wasn’t a surprise that whenever their weekly visit came around, Monty was the one going to Alan’s. The poor wolf’s nose just couldn’t take it. 

“What do you think, wey? Will it overrun the whole place?”

—

“If I had known… I’d have found you a plot north of the town,” what was it with that fucking abnormality. How bad would it get? He heard the noises in the past weeks, whenever he drove in the area, worked around Serpent’s Flat. “Mmmh, I spoke to a geologist who works at the university. They didn’t want him to investigate. That’s fucking weird, don’t you think?” Running a hand over his face, he let go of the railing to let himself slip to the wooden deck, crossing his ankles as he looked up at him. “I wouldn’t let them eat that. Poor things might get sick.” And finding a veterinarian who could care for them mustn’t have been easy.

Not that Alan would know. 

“Huh uh,” surely, someone who lived there all the time would forget about the smell, but Alan had a feeling his nose wouldn’t. He didn’t seem too keen to laugh about it. This was worrying. People wouldn’t want to invest in a town who was covered in goo and stenched of that god awful smell. “I don’t know. I don’t fucking know,” rubbing at his face, he pulled his knee up against his chest and sighed. “This town man…” He sighed and turned his gaze toward the horizon. You could see the town from here. It looked normal, peaceful even, in a word : deceptive. 

“Anyhow, surely there are nicer subjects to discuss.” Nothing quite like death and doom to spend a great afternoon with a friend.

—

“A nice sentiment, but you and I both know I was only able to afford the land you got me because it’s by that pit of dead people.” Monty threw Alan a knowing glance, and then a smile. He was sweet. Brows rose at the mentioned of the geologist—that was weird. “The… whoever runs this place, yeah, they sure are being… what’s the word… ah, cagey about it all. Like they know things we don’t. Or they don’t know anything, and that’s even scarier to them.” He shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.”

Of course Alan had a larger stake in whether or not this town went belly-up, and Monty suddenly felt bad for laughing about it. “Ah, I’m sure it will all work out, my friend,” he tried to reassure the other, though his comforting skills left something to be desired. It always did in this place, didn’t it? 

“Right. Well. Umm—oh! Oh, I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet, but a very nice man that works for the town’s animal control contacted me the other day!” About… “He—someone surrendered a horse at their shelter, and they didn’t have the facilities to take care of it, so he asked if I’d come get her.” Monty smiled, remembering seeing her for the first time. Definitely… just her. “She’s beautiful, Alan. Champagne coat and a bright red mane and tail, like fire. I’m still trying to decide what to name her.”

—

“I know, I know,” and the price per square meter had gone up ever since. Alan figured that with the state of the town now, it could substantially drop. If people started to leave the town en masse, it certainly would. Yet, it would be a while before that happened. People didn’t like to leave their home behind. Alan knew he would never be able to leave. His whole life was here, and he was too old now to restart over somewhere else. His shoulders relaxed, they often would in the face of the inevitable. He never was one to fight the current. Instead, he preferred to learn how to sail on bad waters. 

“Animal control huh?” Although Alan was still listening to the other, his cheeks turned pink as he remembered his embarrassing encounter with that guy. That was a moment he would have happily forgotten about. “Champagne coat?” He reached at his collar for his sunglasses, pushing them up his nose. “You could call her Cliquot or Ruinart,” it was perhaps a bit of a cliché but champagne perhaps ought to be called like champagne. Leaning back, he looked at his friend, wrinkling his nose a little. “You took pictures, right? Of your new girl?”

—

Monty rolled his eyes at the suggestions, letting out a laugh. “How very Alan of you,” he teased, lifting his butt off the boat to fetch the phone in his back pocket. “But yes, I did.” Pulling up the photo album before passing the phone to Alan, the zombie leaned back on his hands. “Kaden—the man that helped me get her settled—seemed to like Manzanita, so I might stick with that. It was the first thing that came to mind, but I wasn’t positive about it.” He smiled, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. There was a beat of comfortable silence before Monty decided to elaborate a bit, hoping that Alan would be pleased with the news. 

“I asked him if he’d—well,” he struggled for a moment, clearing his throat. “He seemed fond of her in the short time we had together, so I said he could come visit anytime. The horse, or… me.” An exasperated laugh made an appearance then, and Monty gestured at his friend with brows raised. “I’m trying to make friends, like you keep saying I should. So there’s one. Maybe. We’ll see.” 

—

“What is that supposed to mean? It’s on theme,” he furrowed his eyebrows in apparent shock. Anyone who dared question his taste clearly had none, after all. Reaching out to take the phone from him, Alan pinched at the screen to zoom in. “Manzanita?” He would have guessed a French name would be the man’s pick but it seemed he was wrong to assume that. Handing back the phone, the realtor offered his friend a fond smile. “She’s a beauty. Makes you wonder why people can ever give up on their animals,” Alan knew he couldn’t commit to a pet. He was too busy, of course, but he also wondered what would happen to the poor thing if something happened to him. He might have a tendency to boast, but the werewolf was all too aware that tomorrow might be his last day on Earth. 

His brows furrowed some more, but this time, there was a hint of amusement and a wrinkle of his nose added to the shock. “Would you look at that, making friends with the not so local locals, heh?” This was new. Crossing his arms over his chest, Alan’s fondness grew and reached his eyes. “I’m glad you’re trying. That’s what counts,” reaching over to pat his shoulder, the wolf turned to gaze at the sea. “This being said, if he’s the guy I think he is… I didn’t tell you about something that happened to me, the other day.” 

—

“You know I can’t pronounce French words for crap,” Monty laughed, just… assuming that both those champagne names were French. Or maybe Italian, which was a little easier for him, but still bad all the same. Taking back the phone, he smiled at the photo for a few seconds longer before storing it away again, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “Beats me, hermano. But I’m happy to help them as much as I can.”

Alan’s praise really and truly meant the world to him, and Monty smiled widely. “Thanks,” he answered in a hushed tone, perhaps too quiet for the werewolf to even hear over the slap of the waves against the side of the sailboat. At the next statement, though, his head cocked to the side curiously. “Well, how many animal control officers named Kaden can there be in a town this size?” He paused, brow furrowing. “What… happened?” He hoped to God it wasn’t bad, something that would have put the pair at odds. 

—

“And I can?” Well, yes. Alan knew French just enough to know how wines were pronounced. Since he wasn’t trying to be elected douchebag has-been of the decade, he refrained from pronouncing it the French way however. It didn’t help that he didn’t speak a word of French aside from Pinot Gris or Sauvignon. “I don’t think I should ever go anywhere near a shelter,” he’d end up bringing home more than he could care for.

Returning that bright smile right back, he didn’t quite catch what the other said. Alan wondered how the other would react to his story. It was quite ridiculous, and one he wasn’t really proud to tell. “I told you about the kid who stole my sandwich one noon and didn’t even say thanks?” Who cared if she never said thanks, honestly? Alan didn’t even care, but he was proud and he wanted her to apologize, at the very least. “Well, I found her, and well, I had to … well…shift. It was an emergency.” The wolf hadn’t even gotten to the part he was mortified about yet his cheeks were tinted pink again. Maybe it was that he always sought to impress his friend, but showing vulnerability never failed to make him feel naked. Not to say that he would have rather ran into someone with only a duvet to save his dignity, but his cheeks sure were burning now. “I didn’t have my backpack with me this time and I walked back to my car near-naked. I say near because I had a duvet,” he was aware that this really wasn’t a good look for him. If he had seen himself that day, Alan would have cringed so much he’d have turned into diamonds. “Anyhow…” He pressed his lips together. Did he really need to add more to this? 

—

Nodding slowly and wondering where on earth this could possibly be going, Monty listened with an attentive ear and a curious mind. He let the other seemingly finish before speaking, though there was still a lot left unsaid. 

“Wait, hang on. Okay. First of all, why did you have to shift when you found her? Who—what was she? It was an emergency?” His brow furrowed in confusion and he shook his head, continuing, “And what does this have to do with Kaden?”

—

It took a moment, but before Alan could muster the strength to respond, the pieces sort of clicked into place. Monty’s eyes widened and he let out an explosive laugh, slapping his hands against his legs. “Alan! No! You ran into him while you were post-shift naked?!” The zombie howled with laughter, squinting his eyes shut and flopping back onto the cushion, hands splayed over his stomach. “¡Ay, Dios mío! It’s the freaking oral exam all over again!” he cackled, not feeling the slightest bit bad for getting a kick out of his best friend’s embarrassment. 

“I don’t fucking know, she turned into a damn bear. I don’t know if it was the surprise or something else, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in a long time,” part of his explanation was a call for empathy in those trying times, the rest was the actual truth. He was more concerned about his life around her than he had been with these damn mafia guys. 

But it seemed he’d have to explain everything, didn’t it? Why did his friend have to be so cruel ? 

Truth is, Alan couldn’t say whether having to explain or seeing Monty burst in tear-inducing laughter was the most painful to his self-esteem. The wolf kept his gaze fixated on the horizon, his lips pressed into a thin line that could have spelled out pain and a desire to disappear right on the spot. His cheeks were burning red, he knew that. Fucksake. “I sure did. He had a lot of questions about it, let me tell you.” With a sound of anguish, Alan let his back fall onto the deck and sighed. “I mean you’ve seen the guy. He looks like a Ken doll or something,” not that it should have mattered, but pretty people’s opinions somehow had more importance to him. It was incredibly shallow, he was not proud of it, but this was how things worked for him. “I told him I’d give him a discount if he didn’t mention this to anyone. D’you think he’ll call me back?” It was Alan’s turn to snort and chortle. “Oh man, I … Hey ! Fuck you with the oral exams,” he reached over with his hand to clumsily slap him quiet. “Fuck off, you…” At loss of words, the werewolf covered his face with both hands, falling again into a fit of laughter. “Let’s just say, don’t invite him when I’m around. I might make it very awkward.” 

—

A werebear? That was new. Sounded like it was new to Alan, too, or at least alarming enough to make him shift unexpectedly. He didn’t have time to feel bad about that now, though, because everything was falling into place in the most hilarious way. 

“I bet!” Trying to rein in his giggling, Monty pressed a hand to his own chest and muttered a string of Spanish kid-friendly expletives, but it wouldn’t do him any good, because Alan was doing nothing to help make this less funny. “A Ken doll! Ahh, I—” he had to stop again, snickering too hard to continue. “Mi hermano… te amo, pero no estás bien,” he wheezed, waving a hand in Alan’s general direction. 

Feeling the smack only exacerbated the humor of the situation, but finally, Monty was able to calm himself down and quit cracking up at his best friend’s expense. Wiping the tears from his eyes, the zombie reached blindly for Alan and gave whatever part of him his hand found first a soft pat. “I tell you what, I tell you what,” he chuckled, grinning up at the sky, “I’ll make sure he sees me naked at least once, eh? Then we’re even.” He was joking, of course, pressing his free hand over his eyes and fighting the urge to start laughing again. 

—

“What? You’ve seen his hair. It’s ridiculously shiny,” Alan said matter-of-factly. Sure, he managed to tame his own mane after all this time, but it was graying already, which was something that made him feel self conscious. The other kept on laughing in the meantime. The wolf looked down at the zombie, his jaded expression ruined by hints of amusement, a twinkle in his eye, sketches of a smile. Fucking hell. “No? ¿No estoy bien, en serio?” He gave him another smack for that. “No estoy bien. Vete a la…” Biting on the inside of his cheek, he found himself once again fighting back a smile, then laughter. “Oh fuck off,” he scoffed. 

One knee folded up to support his arm and chin, the other leg folded to rest under his ass, Alan watched his friend search for his leg before settling his hand on his knee. Though it didn’t match Monty’s words, he found comfort in that touch. He knew there was more truth there than in those words, and it managed to make him feel better just as much as the thought of poor Kaden being introduced to the local nudist club. “And then you dare say you’re not an asshole,” he gave Monty’s ankle a pat. “D’you wanna go somewhere specific or do you wanna stick around here for a while?” The wolf usually had trouble staying grounded, and more often than not, the other managed to help with that. He could thank his childhood, and being the first of his siblings for that. No time to rest when you were the house’ cook, cleaner, courrier and example. 

—

All he could was shake his head, still grinning as Alan tried to tell him off. “I’m not a—I’m so nice,” the zombie argued with one final chuckle, sitting up again and scrubbing his hands over his face. At the question of where to go, Monty glanced around them, trying to get a sense of their position. “We could go check out that weird sea cave at Harborside’s south point,” he suggested with a cheeky grin, knowing that disembarking anywhere but at the docks would mean getting wet. “Or, you know. Float here. Here’s nice, too.” He glanced at all the birds flying overhead, squinting against the sun. “Could get pooped on, though.” 

And then, as an afterthought, Monty leaned forward until his hands met the deck, scooting closer to his friend until he was well within reach. “Also, I like your hair. I think it looks nice.” Even windswept as it was, what with their being on the open ocean, and all. He was sure he didn’t look any more kempt, himself. He smirked for a moment, then pushed himself up onto his feet to go retrieve his jacket and pull the sunglasses out of its pocket, holding onto the rope railing for support. “Up to you, though!”

—

“So nice,” Alan repeated with a roll of his eyes and a fed up smile. Turning his head the other way, in the direction of the Cave of Voices. Weird certainly covered the stories they had both heard about that place. You heard the same stories about the woods, the sea, the mountains, and even some of the streets of Wicked’s Rest. Alan knew some were true, and some were fabricated. The trick was to know which were which. “Could get pooped on,” he agreed, turning to find the other scooting closer. 

His expression softened, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Switching his posture to hide the pink hue of his cheeks against his palm, Alan then stood up and attempted to fix his hair, which had been ruffled by the wind. Heh, Monty must have been teasing him about a cow lick spike in his hair. He looked over his shoulder while the other scouted away, though he didn’t have the heart to ask him what he meant by that. With a scrunched up nose, the disgruntled wolf headed toward the stern. “Let’s head to the cave. Maybe there will be a bit less wind over there,” he agreed. Pulling on the rope attached to the sails, he tied a knot once he had enough winds caught in here. “If you want something to drink, help yourself,” he motioned toward the cooler, while he checked on his phone for tides. 

—

The boat tilted as the sails caught the wind and started to move again, and Monty was glad he’d had a firm grip on the rope. Stepping carefully, he moved back toward the stern and plopped down nearish the tiller, beside Alan, then reached for the cooler to pull it closer and fetch a couple drinks for them. 

It was a bit of sail over to and then around the rocky outcrop that hid the cave in question, but the journey was far from a bad one. The pair had fallen into comfortable chitchat, which somehow felt even easier now that he didn’t have that rain cloud hanging over his head. He had no more secrets from his best friend, and that was honestly an incredible relief. Alan knew him like no one else did, and it was freeing. 

Hopping up to his feet when he saw the dark, gaping maw of the Cave of Voices come into view, Monty looked back excitedly at Alan. “There it is!” He pointed with his free hand, the other still clutching his drink to his chest. He knew the story behind the name, and was painfully curious about hearing it first-hand. He couldn’t help but wonder what he would hear.

—

“There it is,” he confirmed, though his voice wasn’t as vibrant as his friend’s. Those stories were always a source of worry. If there was something to hear in here, he’d be the first to know. Though Alan tried not to show it, that thought frightened him. He always tried to keep his chin up. Call it being the big brother to 3 younger siblings, it just wouldn’t have done him any good to show frailty. 

He took a sip from his bottle, before reaching over to release the wind. If they were to approach that place, they’d do it slowly. “That’s a fucking big cave,” the realtor commented. It resembled what the maw of the void must have looked like, uninviting, cold, empty and stunningly dark and quiet. 

There wasn’t one bit of wind now, and yet, as they stilled, Alan could have sworn he heard a whisper. He glanced over at Monty, half expecting him to look back at him with a cocky grin on his face, muffling back his laughter as best as he could. “You didn’t hear that, I presume?” Nope, he didn’t like this at all.

—

Oh, Alan was already getting a taste, and they weren’t even in the cave yet! It made sense, what with his keen senses and all, and the zombie was eager to get in there himself. “No—come on!” His deeply buried sense of adventure was clawing its way out now, making him more closely resemble the young man he’d been that first year after meeting Hector, and the near twenty that had followed. Taking a long swig of his drink before setting it aside, Monty went to the bow of the sailboat and laid flat on his stomach, reaching for the nearest rock. His fingers gripped it and tugged, pulling them closer. “Anchor her!”

He didn’t exactly wait for his friend to join him, scrambling to his feet and tethering the rope between the rock and the boat, which left him standing alone on its slippery surface. Something deep in the cave made a sound—it was a little bit ethereal, like a voice calling to him, and his grin cracked wide. “I hear it,” he breathed, motioning for Alan to follow as he scampered over the rocks to head into the darkness. 

What he found, though, was not an empty cave as expected. Instead, a black stallion stood in the spot where the ground evened out, its coat wet from the ocean mist, seaweed dangling from its mane like it’d gotten caught there after a swim. Monty slowed to a stop, mouth agape. “... what.” It wasn’t an intelligent reaction, but the farmer had never claimed to be that. “Alan…!” His voice was uncertain as he called for his friend, gaze never leaving the horse. It lifted its head and stared at him, big eyes blinking as it craned its head forward curiously. What the heck? What the heck?

—

He had seen Monty before in a similar state, close to euphoria. Alan never got tired of it and it was difficult for him to hide his smile. Seeing them both, it was hard to tell ourselves that it was the zombie who had the taste for adventure and not the werewolf, but Alan had had his dose of adrenaline when he was in the army, when he was attacked by this beast. To be honest, he got his adrenaline fix every month, every full moon. He knew full well that every full moon could be the last. That sort of realization certainly didn’t make you crave any other sort of danger. 

“He hears it,” Alan repeated, though he lacked the unchained enthusiasm the other displayed. “Alright, wait for me,” he called out, and checking the ties on his shoe laces, jumped off the boat to follow him inside that damn cave. His eyes adjusted to the darkness with ease and he kept them fixated on Monty’s back, worried as he was to see him slip or disappear, somehow. In the past five years, that man had been one of three fixed points in the werewolf’s life, the other two being the course of the moon and his business. It was nice to have something that wasn’t either a burden or a responsibility. Something easy, at last, that made him unconditionally happy. To risk losing that, it wasn’t a good thought, it would be a terrible truth. And so he stared, even as a second silhouette showed itself. 

Approaching his side, he finally looked at that animal in wonder. It wasn’t a ghost. It seemed real, although it didn’t precisely look like that champagne horse or Habanero. It was beautiful, for certain, but you had to wonder what it was doing here, and how it got here. Could horses swim at all? “How did it get in here?” He asked, eyes darting toward his friend. He knew the other was passionate about those animals and probably would want to get closer. 

—

There shouldn’t have been a horse in here. But there was. I mean, sure, they could swim, but this wasn’t exactly an easy spot to get to. It was a miracle the creature wasn’t hurt. Unless it was, and he just couldn’t see it yet.

“I… it must have… swam. But I don’t know why it would have? There’s nothing in here for it, except shelter…” Maybe something had chased it in here. Given it no choice but to flee to a damp, dark, treacherous cave. “I need to make sure he isn’t hurt, hermano,” the zombie breathed, looking at Alan with concern etched into his features. He gave the werewolf a pat on his arm and then moved closer to the horse, hand outstretched for him to sniff. Soft Spanish words of assurance spilled from him as he stepped forward, allowing the animal to lean his nose closer to Monty’s hand. His ears flicked forward, intrigued rather than afraid, and Monty smiled. “Buen niño…” he hummed, running his palm up the animal’s muzzle. 

Now that some trust had been established, Monty made a slow circle around the animal to check him for wounds, but didn’t find anything. His hands glided across the horse’s damp flanks, his eyes bright with wonder. “Why are you here, niño? A cave is no place for a caballo.” He turned, looking back at Alan. “... I don’t feel right leaving him here.”

—

"Swam?" Alan looked over his shoulder. It was a dangerous walk for someone who came from the nearest beach, with a chance to twist your ankle or slip and injure yourself. The horse would have swam for a bit. "That's a long way," he commented, rubbing at the back of his neck in apparent confusion. He doubted that to be likely, but he supposed it was plausible.

Dropping his hands to his hips, the werewolf stayed one step behind. He didn't know a damn thing about horses or tending to animals. If there was something unexpected to come, he supposed Monty would know best. 

"No te preocupes, I don't see anything," as far as he was aware he was the only one out of them who could see as clearly as if it were broad daylight, and the animal seemed unharmed. 

“Monty, we’re not gonna manage to make him climb into the boat,” he began. He was pretty damn sure the poor animal would freak out and try to escape anyway. “We could try animal control but I’m not sure they’re equipped for that,” Alan commented. Squatting down, he took a look up at the horse, his eyes narrowing as he wondered how the fuck he got in here. Swimming, right. But from where? 

—

“No, no, I know…” Getting the animal on the boat had been the furthest thing from his mind. But as he stood in front of the stallion, stroking his nose, he didn’t know what to do. 

Then a voice came like a whisper in his ear, and he knew. “He swam here. It’s the only thing that makes sense. But he has to swim back out.” Monty glanced back at Alan, shooting him a soft, lopsided smile. “I’ll ride him out.” It was by no means safe, but it was the only idea he had. He absolutely could not leave this cave without helping the animal, and as he already knew… animal control was not equipped to deal with this. “It’s the easiest way. Getting other people involved will only make it more challenging.” The horse tossed his head almost like he understood, pushing his forehead against Monty’s chest and angling his body toward the cowboy. Like he wanted to be ridden. 

A peculiar feeling settled in Monty’s head and chest, and he decided he wasn’t going to question this, even if Alan did protest. 

—

“Well he’ll swim ba-” ck out by himself, was what the werewolf meant to retort. Cut off by the other’s counter offer, he fell silent. That wasn’t a good idea. Wouldn’t that make it harder for the horse to swim? And what if the animal started drowning? What then? Monty wouldn’t allow it to happen, and while there was a chance he didn’t need to breathe underwater, Alan’s chest felt tighter at the idea of watching him sink below sea level for a time that was just too long for anyone who resembled a human being. “You’re not serious,” he finally retorted, his voice echoing against the walls of the cave. Quieter this once, he glanced at the horse, who seemed to agree with Monty. Well that was a ridiculous thought. Horses couldn’t possibly be so clever. Ignoring that thought, Alan looked back at his friend and shook his head. 

“That’s fucking stupid, Monty. I’m calling animal control,” he warned, stepping a couple feet away to get reception on his phone. “Just stay there, alright, I’ll call the damn…” He fell quiet while he searched online for their phone number, oblivious to what happened beyond that small screen.

—

“I am serious!” His hands came up to the animal’s neck almost protectively as he pouted at his friend. “I have ridden horses through deep water before. It’s fine.” Rivers, sure. The occasional lake. But not a sea cave with jagged rocks and swelling tides. But if this stallion had made it all the way in here on his own, then he had to be a strong swimmer.

“It’s not stupid,” Monty grumbled, looking away from Alan. “I already know they can’t handle horses. That’s why Kaden called me.” There was a chance he wasn’t even speaking loud enough for his friend to hear, his words more directed at the horse in question. His resolve was solidified, and he nodded. “Right. C’mon, niño. I’ll guide you back out.” 

Shrugging off his jacket and dumping it on the rocks, it was quickly joined by his shoes and his phone. Alan could get those, if he saw fit. And with that, the cowboy gripped a handful of the stallion’s mane and jumped, heaving himself up and over the animal’s back. 

There! That wasn’t so bad! 

“Alan,” Monty called to get his attention, wearing a grin, “we’ll be heading due… west.” He pointed to the left. “See you there!” The horse was already making his way into the water, somewhat to Monty’s surprise, who had thought it was going to take a bit of coaxing. But everything seemed fine, and for a moment, they bobbed in waves as the horse kicked off the land and began to swim. Perfect. No problems. 

Until of course, there was. With a startled gasp, Monty watched the stallion drive his head down into the water, with the rest of him quickly following. Which included Monty, who was now… somehow stuck to the animal’s back. He didn’t even have time to look Alan’s way before he disappeared beneath the surface, a stream of bubbles in their wake as he yelled and attempted to pull himself free.

It was no use. He was trapped. 

—

He didn’t try to further argue any of it. It was absolute nonsense and Alan knew better than to throw himself into a conversation that would only turn sour. The tide would move into the cave before they agreed to anything. Hearing that Kaden, the animal control guy, was no good with horses didn’t manage to make him put away his phone. “There’s no fucking reception,” he mumbled, climbing up on a rock to get closer to the cave’s opening.

He just had to befriend the most fucking stubborn guy in town, huh? 

Truth was, he fully expected every single attempt to get the horse to move out of here to fail, and he wasn’t really worried about the noises he heard in his back. What worried him, however, was what would happen if Monty had to accept that they couldn’t save that poor animal. 

And still no reception. The forty-something moved further away, his eyes riveted on the small bars at the top of his screen. Of course, he would never pick up any signal while they were inside that fucking damp cave. He put the phone back in his pocket, glanced briefly at Monty who was happily perched on the horse’s back. “You’re a moron, you know that, right?” With a smile, and a scoff, he turned his back on him again, hands on his hips and tried to think of a solution, one more time, even if there was most likely no way to make it work. 

It was expected : he blanked, and his mind only offered him thoughts regarding what he should say to convince him that there was nothing they could do. But while he mentally peregrinated, Alan was no longer focusing on what was happening behind him. If he figured the horse would back out of the water, neigh in fear, rear up and cause ruckus, it took a few seconds too much before he realized the cave was a bit too silent. They couldn’t have swam so far already. He would have seen them pass him by. He would have spotted Monty’s gloating expression. Fuck. 

“Monty?” He called out. “Monty ?!” The werewolf roared this once, his eyes searching frantically  around until they finally spotted them, underneath the surface. The zombie’s name was uttered once more, hurriedly, while Alan rid himself of his jacket, kicked off his shoes and entered the water without hesitation. It was nowhere near as warm as he would have liked it to be, but a force commanded that he ignore that and instead dove head first after the drowning pair, noticing only then that Monty was not trying to bring the horse back up, but rather fighting to get off of it. What the fuck. 

It was one of those situations where being a monster wouldn’t have helped him. He could only rely on himself. What a terrifying thought that was. 

Catching up on the pair, he wrapped his fingers around Monty’s wrist first, to let him know he was here, and with the hopes that he could just pull him out of here. 

—

Feeling something grab onto his wrist, the zombie’s frightened gaze flicked to Alan as he tilted his head back. He wanted to say no, to tell the other to get back to the surface, but he couldn’t. Any sound he attempted to make was lost in the water that filled the space between them, and the horse… thing was just dragging him deeper. It craned its neck and bared its teeth, which were now much sharper than they ought to have been. 

Monty shook his head, trying to pull Alan’s hand free from his wrist. He’d drown down here, and Monty, well… he didn’t need to breathe. He still often did, but the seawater that filled his throat now was pretty good at preventing that. Still, the force his friend was managing to exert in the opposite direction seemed to have slowed the creature enough to agitate it, and it turned its gaze on Alan. The equine body twisted sharply, unnaturally, and those teeth snapped at the werewolf, missing only by centimeters. Monty let loose another muffled cry, reaching forward to wrap his free arm around the monster’s neck and heave it back toward his chest. He’d… have to kill it, wouldn’t he? Or they’d both die down here. And his bite was much stronger than Alan’s, at least when he wasn’t shifted. 

As his gaze focused on the animal’s throat—no, not animal. It wasn’t real. Whatever it was, it was a trick. He still felt sick. The horse-thing fought against him, kicking with its powerful legs in an attempt to separate the two men. Monty felt the clock ticking and again urged Alan to return to the surface as best he could, but… well, his friend knew he was not a strong swimmer. He would likely be loath to leave Monty behind, even if he wouldn’t drown, knowing he would simply sink to the bottom. 

As the beast struggled, the zombie bit down on its neck. Which was a big neck, but he had the benefit of being very familiar with horse anatomy… assuming this thing wasn’t different on the inside. One bite wouldn’t do it, though. No, he had to rip and tear and dig, employing his hand when he could. The water filled with blood and the creature began to panic. As it panicked, something else started happening. Its horse-like features were slowly melting away, giving way to a much more human appearance that had hands that could fight back. They scrambled to gain purchase on Monty’s lithe form, but the human neck that was now his target was much, much easier to destroy. He couldn’t think about how horrifying this was, first having to maul his favorite animal (or what had appeared to be his favorite), and now having to do the same to… a man. Just a fucking man. 

—

Kicking away from that monstrous jaw, Alan didn’t try to make sense of anything that happened. They were both in peril, down here, fighting this beast in an element that was playing against them. This was all Alan could focus on, the fright, the urgency of it all. Even if Monty couldn’t drown, he couldn’t possibly survive being devoured by that monster. 

He’d have to act quickly for his own sake too : the more time the wolf spent down here, the more he exposed himself to the chance of never coming back to the surface. Nowadays, he wasn’t much of an athlete. His days as a footballer were far behind him, as were his days in the army. Yet, running through the woods still counted as exercise, right? Perhaps it would have been wise to think about all this before he dove in, but he hadn’t thought about that at all. All that mattered was saving him.

Shaking his head if only to voice his refusal the only way he could and denying his friend the right to end up all by himself in this hostile environment, Alan swam back to his side, careful not to get too close to the death trap that constituted the horse’s jaw. 

The water turned red, and Alan felt his heart drop in his chest, while he stared with wide eyes through the sea water. He didn’t expect to see Monty digging his teeth into the beast’s neck. He’d never have expected violence from him, even more so when facing something that looked like that animal he cherished. Many times, he had listened to the zombie as he told him about Habanero. Alan couldn’t really understand that connection the other had with his horse, but it didn’t take understanding it to realize how heart wrenching this must have all been. Perhaps it was a relief to see the monster switch into something else, into a human. Hands wouldn’t do much to Monty, and they wouldn’t do much to Alan either. 

Approaching the wrestling pair, Alan wrapped an arm around the shapeshifter’s neck. Strangling him would be a waste of time : Alan would suffocate long before the other met its end. Bringing his other hand up to cradle that thing’s cheek, the wolf counted on Monty to hold away their arms and help him get over with it. 

—

As Alan’s arm came to wrap around the creature’s neck, Monty pulled his head back, eyes fixed on the open wound before refocusing on his friend’s face. Taking his cue, the zombie held on tightly to the fighting assailant, holding it still so Alan could snap its neck. The moment it went still, Monty was pushing on Alan, pushing on him to get back up to the surface. He was a much slower swimmer, though, and couldn’t help his friend get any higher any faster. He just hoped the idiot wouldn’t waste time trying to help him. 

Slow progress became no progress, and Monty growled in frustration as he sank all the way down to the bottom, his bare feet meeting rock and sand as he looked up at the far off, glimmering waves above. There was a dark, vaguely-human shaped spot, which he hoped was Alan, breaking through them and lingering for a few moments. 

Well, at least he hadn’t drowned. 

So began the long trek back toward the cave, and the cliff that rose up to form its bottom where Monty had found the horse—the thing—in the first place. At least climbing would be easier underwater. 

—

The cave’s ceiling reflected onto the water above Alan’s head, dark and menacing, and as he swam up, his lungs burning, begging for fresh air, the werewolf told himself that perhaps he wouldn’t manage to make it. Maybe he dove too deep, maybe it was too far above him. Maybe. 

And yet, after a while, he could tell the surface was right there, just an arm’s length away, right there. Just right there. His hands pierced through the veil first, followed soon by his head. The sound of the waves crashing gently against the shore, that gentle melody was broken by Alan’s gasping and coughing as he filled once again his lungs with oxygen, and tasted the salt on his tongue. 

Well aware that the other wouldn’t miss the fresh air as much as he had, he took a few more moments before he dipped his face in the water again, if only to get an idea of where he was. One day, he’d need to teach him how to swim, he told himself. Defending himself seemed to be far from an issue. It was a relief, the sort that brought a light to his face. At last, he swam back toward the shore, and took a seat on the rocks, pinching at the top of his nose and running his hand through his hair. He could hear the voices again, coming from the cave, though he was too busy with his thoughts to care at all this time. What would have happened if he hadn’t jumped into the water? What could have happened in the water. They were both safe now, but if he had just listened. What fucking madness had this all been. Alan wiped at the corners of his mouth, trying to get that bitter taste out of his mouth. Maybe he had no right being furious. It all had gone well, in the end. Maybe so, but maybe he was terrified of what could have been. His mouth trembled briefly before he decided to pull his shit together and stand back up. 

—

It took a few minutes, but finally Monty was heaving himself up from the edge of the pool of ocean water that lapped at the rocks of the cave, retching as he did so, his body expelling all the water he’d… inhaled? Swallowed? Whatever the case, it felt terrible. But as soon as he could lift his head again, his gaze darted around the darkness of the cavern until it fell on Alan, and he could breathe a sigh of relief. He spoke in frantic Spanish as he struggled to his feet, wading through the shallow water over to where Alan was standing. “Alan, I’m sorry, I-I didn’t think—I didn’t realize—!” He couldn’t quite form his thoughts into words, feeling them catch in his throat as his emotions got the better of him. 

You should have just left me was what he was thinking, of course, but he dared not say it aloud. Because he knew, really, that he shouldn’t have put Alan in the position of needing to rescue him in the first place. Hadn’t he done that enough for one lifetime? “I’m so sorry, my brother. I—” He wanted to reach for him but couldn’t and so he remained awkwardly standing in the water up to his knees, looking just as wet and bedraggled as his companion. Also, there was horse hair stuck in the back of his throat. 

—

“You think I don’t already know that?” Alan gave him a glance. His lips quivered. Fuck. He shook his head and wiped his fingers beneath his nose. What was even the fucking point. They were fine, weren’t they? 

But what if they hadn’t been fine. Alan shook his head, chasing those thoughts away, trying to pry that possibility away. “You could have fucking…” He stopped himself mid sentence. He couldn’t say that word. The word felt like needles in his throat, and Alan who always longed to have someone who could understand him, and who had found just that in Monty was beginning to realize that perhaps the zombie didn’t understand how necessary it was that he just lived. Or perhaps Alan hadn’t realized before that he wasn’t really immortal. Perhaps he should have told him to stay away from that damn fucking horse with more conviction or even said no to going anywhere near that damn cave. 

Closing his eyes, he brought his hand up to his lids. They trembled beneath his finger tips. “I don’t…” He took a breath, and another, collecting himself with every single sip of air that he took. “We should head back to port,” if his voice sounded too even for the occasion, the look in his eye betrayed all of his efforts, and it was swiftly that he turned on his heels to pick up his shoes and his jacket. 

—

As the events of the day settled over him, sinking in deep just how foolish he’d been and how badly that could have gone, Monty lapsed into silence. He could only nod when Alan spoke, announcing that it was time for their departure. 

He still didn’t know what they’d killed down there, and a part of him never wanted to know. But the warmth of its blood was not a memory quickly pushed away and it lingered like a bad taste on his tongue, reminding him of the one of two types of brutality he was capable of. But worse than that was what he’d done to Alan. Put him through. Just another mistake in a long line of mistakes, ones that Alan always had to bail him out of.

He deserved better than that. Monty knew this, but the truth of the matter was that he was selfish when it came to Alan, and he couldn’t make himself walk away. Besides, Alan wouldn’t let him. Just like he wouldn’t leave him to sort out his own problems when he got dragged underwater by some bloodthirsty beast because of his own idiocy, and just like he had covered up the other’s fuckup in the woods all those years ago to help him stay… It was a useless thought.

What he could do, though, was be better. So he quietly gathered his things and rejoined his friend on the boat, helping as was needed to get them out of there, but otherwise keeping to himself with his head down and knees pulled to his chest. He hated that the expression his friend had worn was his fault. But he could apologize until he was metaphorically blue in the face, and that wouldn’t change a damn thing.

So, he thought, he just had to be better.

[bayisdying]

Lucky Penny - Chapter Twenty-One

A/N: short, simple to the point is the name of this one. Just a nice little chapter before all hell breaks loose...again...

As always tagging the LOMLS: @dragon-kazansky @mtnofgrace @mrsjaderogers @callmemana @kloofspeaks @notyoursbutlewis @roosterscockpit @askmarinaandothers @cycbaby @starlit-epiphany @breadsquash

"Do we really have to send her?"

"She's the best of the best of the best, yes we do."

"Ice?"

"Make the call."

-----

Mickey returned to the hotel room to see his wife hang up her phone with a huff.

"I thought we agreed no phones on the honeymoon." He jokes, before he notices the look on her face. "Who was it?"

"Admiral Simpson."

He wraps his arms around her tight, he unfortunately knows what that means.

"Mickey, we have to go home as soon as possible, they're shipping me off in two days." She whispers against his chest.

He sighs, knowing this is what they signed up for joining the Navy but really? Their honeymoon?

The couple was used to packing quickly, and the tickets from Ice back to San Diego was a nice touch. They boarded a plane the next day leaving their honeymoon behind.

They spent the hours long flight snuggled up in each others arms. By the time they get back home, Baylie is grabbing her go bag and heading to her briefing on base. Mickey goes with her just to have something to do. He finds the gym and starts doing a workout, that's where Lucky finds him an hour later.

"They're shipping me out right now Mickey." Her voice is barely audible as she buries her head in his neck, unbothered by the sweat there.

"How long are they taking you away from me?"

"Two weeks, it's a simple in and out mission."

She feels the ghost of his lips on her forehead.

"I'll miss you every second of those two weeks cariño."

"I'll miss you even more." She places a soft kiss on his pulse point before stepping back. She looks at him, those grey eyes scanning his features like she is committing them to memory.

"I'll see you soon, go save the world."

And he watches as she walks away.

-----

Deciding he didn't want to go to the cottage without the love of his life, Fanboy made his way to the Hard Deck.

Spicy notices him first, eyes trained to look up whenever the door opens. She elbows Penny whose eyes also take in the sight of Mickey walking in. A week before the newly minted Garcias are meant to be home and very alone.

Mickey is grateful they don't ask questions and just pass him a beer, when Spicy pulled out one of Lucky's favorites he gives a quick shake of his head.

He makes his way out to back deck, the weather was nice and the bar was already packed.

Cin sees him first, guilt setting in. She of course knows why they are back - and why Lucky is already gone again.

"Well damn, has it been two weeks already?" Jake exclaims, "is our Lucky girl still inside?"

Cin tried to stop him with a look, but Jake Seresin liked the taste of his own foot.

"She got shipped out earlier."

Silence comes across the group, they had known a pilot was being sent on a mission - none of them anticipated Cyclone sending Lucky."

"Ice allowed this to happen?" Rooster asked then turned to Cin "you let this happen? I could have gone. Coyote could have gone. Hell even Jake could have gone."

"Hey!"

"Shut up Jake." The group says in unison.

"I tried, they requested Lucky and we couldn't change their minds - or Cyclone's." Cin explained, tears threatening to fall.

Roo hugs her. "Sorry didn't mean to sound so rude. I just don't understand why they would request Lucky and nobody else."

"It's one of her old squadron running the mission, they didn't even entertain any other offers."

"It's okay Cin really, we both knew what we signed up for, and still married someone else who signed up too." Fanboy says

Spicy comes outside with another round, and sits down next to Roo for her break.

"Do you need anything Mickey?" Spicy asks. "Anything at all?"

"Actually can I stay with you guys? I don't like being in the cottage without her."

-----

As Fanboy was getting comfortable on the Bradshaws' couch, Lucky was being introduced to her mission team.

Among them, someone she hadn't planned on ever flying with again.

This was going to be a long two weeks.

-----

A/N: hehehehehehehehe.

[bafflement]

Ozqrow Week - Day 7 - Alternate Prompt - Summer Vacation

“I am still uncertain whether I can truly afford to take the time off, Qrow. The reports I still need to fill are important, I can’t really leave them particularly easily.”

“Nuh uh, Oz, you don’t get to play that card, Glynda already agreed to take over the paperwork for a week and Tai and the girls are looking forward to meeting ya. Well, the girls are, at least.”

Oz just blinked at him, raising one eyebrow suspiciously. He already knew just what Tai thought of him, would he really let him anywhere near his daughters? He suppressed the thought of Ruby and his real relation to her, but then he was used enough to having to do that. She was Summer and Tai’s, she’d even been altered via semblance to take after them. She was safe, for all he still wished that the process hadn’t given her Summer’s silver eyes. Whether they’d work the same way was something he hoped none of them would ever have to find out. He hadn’t seen her since she was very, very young, after all. It was safer that way, but at least Qrow could still be her uncle?

Had Tai actually agreed to this? He knew the terms on which he had given her up in the first place, he wasn’t to have contact with her without his prior consent. If Salem found out about her, everybody would be in danger but Ruby especially. Especially now, with the added complication of the silver eyes. If, of course, that had actually even been Summer’s contribution to start with. If, if, if. Ruby was growing well, apparently, had hit all the milestones expected for a four year old, but she was too young, really, to remember him yet. Even if he could see her, and he was rather doubtful of that.

Tai was far too protective of the girls for that, really, although the thought still made him smile.  He couldn’t think like that, though. After all, this was meant to be a time to relax.

“And what precisely did you promise Glynda, in exchange for the paperwork, Qrow?” He asked, suspicious.

“Oh, not much. Merely my services to continue to annoy a certain hidebound idiot of our mutual acquaintance, if he continues not to take no as an answer.”

Ozpin sighed, but that was fair enough, James really did need to learn that no was a full sentence and that he couldn’t just get anything he wanted by trying to play nice. Especially around Glynda, since she was the sort of person to hold a lot of grudges. He had thought, once, that his two friends might be happy together, but no. No, they’d probably kill each other. Well, Glynda would kill James, then he’d have to spring her from prison and it would be a whole mess. Far easier not to deal with the paperwork to deny extradition to Atlas, much less trying to find another man to act as Atlas’ Headmaster in James’ stead. Knowing his luck, Jacques Schnee might try for it and that was a disaster waiting to happen. No, better to keep the status quo for now, it wasn’t like James was ever going to do anything stupid like shoot him, or anything. He was too much his friend for that, surely?

He held out a hand for the scroll, sighing as he scanned the message. He was pretty sure it was meant for Qrow, specifically, not the both of them, but his name was actually mentioned. It was strange, though, considering all the precautions they’d taken over the years. Ruby was Tai’s, after all, not his. Not truly, not now… not ever again. She had Tai, had Yang. Even hypothetically had Raven if she ever actually bothered to show up again. She had Qrow as an uncle so at least one of them was keeping a close enough eye on their little girl. Why now, seriously? It made no real sense… was this delayed grief over Summer’s disappearance? But Tai blamed him for that, he knew that he did… he’d never let him anywhere near the girls in that sort of circumstance. He itched to call him, but the idea that Tai would just laugh and tell him that it was all a joke made him freeze, paralysed by his own indecision.

“What do ya say, Oz? Tai said it was okay. He set conditions, but they’re the same ones we set, so it isn’t like it’s particularly hard. Care to be Uncle Oz for a few days? After all, ya did marry me for some reason.”

“I married you because I love you, Qrow.” Oz stated, sharply. “You know that. I just worry that no matter what we do here, it will leave them in more danger than they were in when this started.”

“Ya worry too much, Oz. It’ll be fun, the girls have wanted to meet ya for awhile now.”

“They… have?” Oz sounded confused, just what exactly had Qrow told them about him to warrant that reaction?

“Well, yeah, course they have. You’re my husband after all. They’ve known I had one for years, they’re old enough to meet ya now.” He sighed. “Besides, it’s easier ta see Ruby as Tai and Summer’s when ya meet her, she even got Summer’s semblance out of the deal.”

Oz blinked in shock at that, eyes wide behind his spectacles. “She has? Really, how very remarkable. Semblances don’t really tend to run in families, after all. I think I’ve only ever heard of one other that works like that?”

“That’d be the Schnee one, right?”

“Indeed, they all appear to have inherited glyphs. It is an incredibly useful semblance by all appearances, though also highly identifiable of course. How very interesting that Ruby got Summer’s, I wonder what her original one might have been?” He thought for a second before shaking his head, since it was not outside the realm of possibility that she could have inherited Qrow’s, had things gone differently enough.

He was almost looking forward to this, actually… playing Uncle for a few days or at least until Tai grew tired of them being there and tossed them out. What on Remnant had prompted the change, though? He did hope Tai was okay.

Tai was not, in fact, okay. He had taken Summer’s disappearance far worse than Oz had been informed and the clothing he answered the door in was sloppy and looked like it hadn’t been washed in a few weeks. The gaze he shot Ozpin seemed strangely empty and Oz couldn’t quite suppress the wince that crossed his lips. He knew what loss was like, had been in Tai’s exact situation rather more times than he cared to analyse too closely, but… it felt rather different this time, watching that same grieving process taking over a man that he called his friend. Would still call his friend, even after everything that had happened between them.

At least the girls looked relatively okay, though it had been a few years since Summer had vanished. He just wished he knew what had really happened to her, since they had never even found a body to bury. Had it been Salem, had it been something else entirely? Tai had ranted about a mission he had supposedly sent her on, but there had never been a mission. He knew that she was too protective of the girls to ever send her on a mission alone after they had arrived in their lives. He knew too well what that was like, too, sitting and waiting for a parent or spouse or child to come home, knowing in his bones that they never would. He didn’t like to think about the times when it had been a child, though they were rarer than they might be. Thankfully, the incarnations with children were few and he tended to avoid creating more after the merge was initiated. Well, most of the time, at least. He couldn’t regret Ruby, though, couldn’t regret Qrow for the time he would have him. As all things with the balance though, he was very aware that they were temporary, but as the girls blinked up at him in curiosity, he couldn’t help but smile.

Yang looked suspicious, bless her, a miniature Raven already although hopefully slightly less volatile. He might have hoped that she had inherited Tai’s temper, but then that wasn’t exactly gentle either. None of them were, the Gods alone were going to be able to help Remnant once Yang was old enough to take on monsters. He’d heard about all her plans, how she wanted to be the best Huntress around. Ruby echoed them in a way that only younger siblings ever managed to do, but judging by their parents… well. Tai was sure to teach them well, even if he had rather seemed to forget what a washing machine was for.

He smiled at them gently, squatting down to be in easier reach. Ruby babbled at him excitedly, though Yang seemed content to watch for now, as though judging his suitability as a partner for their beloved Uncle Qrow. Why did that hurt, really? He’d known what he was getting into a long time ago, long before anything had even gotten this far. He’d known that they would have to give up their child, if they had one. And so they had, but Ruby was more than that now. He saw Summer in her smile, Tai in the excited babbling of her voice. He saw Qrow, too, in smaller ways. Small mannerisms, gestures that she’d either learned or inherited from him. He didn’t see himself, but then maybe that was a blessing, in a way. If even he, who knew what to look for, couldn’t see it then maybe she truly was safe from Salem.

Or as safe as any of them ever truly were.

[hekate1308]

Leaves That Before The Wild Hurricane Fly, A Destiel Advent Calendar, December 11

Masterpost

Read it on AO3

Lunch was a noisy affair as well, not that Castiel had expected anything different. This was definitely one of those groups who couldn’t be quiet for too long, and to his surprise, he soon realized that he wouldn’t have them any other way –

Especially, much as he tried to deny it to himself, Dean.

The Fae was sitting next to him, and having first served him as well, again because it was his “first time”. “So, Cas, we’ve been talking about our proposal, of course.”

By now, everyone addressed him as Cas. He could have tried to tell them to stop, but in truth, he didn’t mind. He had never had a nickname before, if he didn’t count the Cassie one of his brothers had bestowed on him, and he certainly liked this more.

Plus, Dean had given it to him. Not that it meant something, but still…

“I thought you said not to talk shop during Sunday lunch” Crowley complained.

“I said we’re not talking your shop” Sam said firmly, which made Castiel wonder if there were things he’d rather not know.

“Anyway, so we’re all in” Dean smoothly continued as if nothing had happened. “Think you can get your boss to agree?”

“He agrees to anything that might be a good story.”

“And, think we’re pretty enough?” Dean winked at him.

“Squirrel, the poor man should live long enough to actually write anything” Crowley drawled.

“And how long have you been working for the Lawrence Courier, Cas?” Andrea asked brightly, for which he was grateful, if only so that he could calm down – his heart had once more started beating rather wildly.

“About five years. I moved here with my – with my ex-partner.”

She made a sympathetic noise. He didn’t dare glance in Dean’s direction, even though he had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“So you think your boss will accept the article?” Benny asked. “No offense, but most humans aren’t too keen on vampires.”

“That depends” he said. “As far as I am aware, many teenagers are.”

They laughed as if he had made a funny joke, and he couldn’t bring himself to mind, since Dean laughing was a sight to behold.

“Yeah, but well, wearing fake teeth and glitter is not exactly what we had in mind” Dean supplied. “Mind, if they’re marching for creature rights, that’s another thing entirely…”

“If we’re really lucky they won’t even call us fairies!” Gilda deadpanned and they all laughed again; Castiel wasn’t quite sure why, but thinking what he knew of the word, it was probably for the best to simply accept it as a joke.

“Balthazar would accept another pizza loving rat if it meant good sales” he said, then realized what he’d done and added, “No offense –“

“None taken, man, do you really think that’s the worst that’s ever been thrown at us?” Dean shrugged.

“That doesn’t make it alright” he said quietly.

“Perhaps not but this is how it is, which is where you come into play” he grinned, and the potted plant on the table suddenly burst into bloom. “Damn it, sorry.”

Castiel had jumped.

“No, no, I’m sorry…”

Crowley mumbled something and was promptly glared at by Sam, so he decided he’d probably rather not know what exactly he had said.

“Anyway, what do you think would be the best way to proceed?” Sam then asked, probably to distract them all from the demon, but still…

“Portraits” he said automatically. “People react the best when they can empathize with someone.” He left out the part where he thought that no one could fail to be interested in Dean because… well, he didn’t think it would go over too well.

All in all, they decided that they would wait until he had talked to his boss.

Instead they focused on other topics – Sam’s work, Gilda’s garden, Andrea’s paintings – and it was till one of the best days he’d had in a while – in a long time if he was being honest.

When he got up t leave, everyone told him goodbye and to be careful (granted, it was Crowley so he probably meant he should be careful around him) and Dean brought him to the door. “Got something for you.”

“Ph, I can’t –“

“Nonsense, everyone needs a little colour in their lives.” And he grabbed a small poinsettia from a nearby table. “I know they’ll have a good home with you. Just so you know, put them in a south, east or west window where the plant will receive bright daylight, and keep the soil moist. And oh, talk to them.”

“Because it’s good for the plan t?”

“Because it’s good for you, especially if you haven’t talked to anyone else all day.” He handed him the plant, their fingers touching longer than necessary. “See you around, Cas.”

“Goodbye, Dean.”

[beetroot-merchant]

ID: A Twitter thread by user @/TheRealDoctorT, display name Sayed Taabatabai, MD:

"Why do you want to be a doctor?"

I answer without hesitation, "I want to help people."

"There are many ways to help people."

"I want to save lives."

"There are many ways to do that too. So I'll ask you again, why do you want to be a doctor?"

"Because I believe in it." 1/

I think about that exchange now and then, some times more than others.

Why do we do the things we do?

What do we really believe in?

My next clinic patient is one I've known for many years. He is visiting me today via Zoom.

I always look forward to talking to him. 2/

As soon as the visit begins, I notice that his camera is angled off-center so I can't get a clear look at his face.

I ask if he can adjust it, but he says he's having technical issues.

No problem. I can adapt.

It isn't just the camera though.

Something feels off today. 3/

Almost immediately I can tell that he sounds subdued. He isn't cracking his usual jokes.

I'm comfortable with silence, even in the heart of a busy clinc day.

Silence is often where the healing happens.

After asking how he's doing, I let the silence between us grow. 4/

The question, when he asks it, is one I don't expect.

"Doc, which kills you faster? Blood pressure you don't control, or blood sugar you don't control?"

The surprise on my face must register, because he explains further.

"I just can't afford all these medications anymore." 5/

He continues.

The way I see it, doc, I only need to stick around 4 or 5 more years. That's how long my pet dog has left, then I ain't got no more family and it's me all on my own. So I figure maybe take the diabetes ones and skip the blood pressure? Or every other day? 6/

As I review his meds and start discussing our options with him, he adds one last remark.

"And I'm real sorry doc. I know we go back a ways, but I can't afford my co-pay. I'll pay you later. Promise."

And just like that, I understand why his camera is angled. 7/

And just like that, I'm again struck by the cruel illusion of what I do.

The system I'm part of.

This patient did everything right; got insurance, paid his taxes. And he still has to barter years of his life.

And he can't bring himself to look me in the eyes as he does so. 8/

Our healthcare system is too often unethical, immoral, unsustainable.

The insurance paradigm is focused on revenue generation. It strips the basic human dignity from patients, to the point where they can't even make eye contact anymore.

I know that I'm part of this system. 9/

He's old enough to be my father. Some part of me imagines that he is my father. Tears threaten my vision, as a hot anger floods me.

Now I wish I could angle my camera away.

I ask him if I can write about him. Because people need to know.

His response lingers with me. 10/

"Sure you can doc. But people already know. Lots of people deal with this. It ain't that people don't know. It's just that nobody cares. Nobody gives enough of a damn to change anything. Nobody... cares."

The visit ends.

My Zoom window closes.

His window closes too. 11/

I feel it.

There's something insidious here.

A casual cruelty we're all complicit in.

"I can't go to rehab, insurance won't cover it."

"Insurance won't pay for that medication."

"I can't afford any of this."

"I'm uninsured."

This isn't right. None of this is right. 12/

Twenty years ago, I gave a medical school interview.

I wore my best suit. I sat up straight.

I said I believed in medicine. I meant it.

Some part of me once burned brightly, but that fire is down to flickering embers.

Our lives mean more than this.

More than this.

The second image is a Tweet by verified user @/AlbertLee2020, display name Albert Lee:

In America, you and your doctor can both agree that you need a surgery but you have to get permission from a third-party for-profit insurance company or it can't be paid for. It's called freedom.

/End ID.

Our system is broken.  It is cruel.  It is dehumanizing, degrading, and it’s vile nature is so, so unnecessary.

We need universal healthcare today in America.  We needed it 40 years ago.  It’s cheaper, it’s simpler, it’s more efficient, it’s more effective and it is so, so, so much less cruel than what we have.

Additional sources/references:

Universal Healthcare Cost in America would be cheaper by trillions of dollars

The US has worse life expectancies than socialized healthcare countries

We have worse generalized healthcare results

We have the most expensive care

Our system is so cruel and unique that doctors from other countries literally can’t believe what happens here

I can’t tell you where or how to activate to help solve this.  There are politicians, groups, and activists pushing for this in so many ways.  I can tell you when, though.

Now.