#also he used to go to police academy but i guess he switched because of his uncle's case right

[astarlightmonbebe]

okay but did prof. seo mean it like joonhwi is his actual son or he just considers joonhwi as a son. i’m confused

[wiypt-writes]

Rock ‘N’ Roll People In A Disco World

Part 2- Panic At The Disco

Intro: You head to the hospital as Paul’s life hangs in the balance and as you wait for news, you start to reflect on the early days of your relationship.

Pairing: Paul Diskant x Reader

Warnings: Bad language, Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar the reader and any other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N: So, you migh recognise a few familiar names/faces in this as well- I can assure you this isn’t an Avengers/Diskant AU, just a way for me to pay tribute to a few of our faves…because, why not!

Rock ‘n’ Roll People Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Part 1

"All units, we have a possible 2-4-5 in progress at 4223 E Palm, South of Figueroa and 1st. Unit responding is requesting back up, 11-9-9, Code 3."

"Unit 613 responding, Code 3."

The call went out over dispatch and you felt a slight relief at the fact support was on its way. You took a deep breath, held firm, your weapon poised as your partner stood next to you. 

"LAPD, drop the weapon and come out with your hands up. We will fire." Officer Barton, a long time veteran on beat called out. "Panny, hit the porch."

You nodded and walked the short steps, bracing yourself against the stucco near the jam. 

"Come on Garcia, your old lady called it in, I have back up coming, bro. You don't want this to go down worse than it is," Barton shouted. "Don't make my Rookie work hard today, man."

Lights and sirens filled your ears and soon a second unit had arrived on scene. The suspect, now surrounded, soon surrendered, his weapon dropped to the ground as he came out of his home with his hands up. 

The second unit to respond to the call was helping Barton with the arrest while you headed inside to check on the girlfriend who'd called it in. She was beat up and bloodied, a bullet graze across her upper left arm. Paramedics were treating her as you wrote down everything she could tell you for the report to be filed later. 

You gave the woman’s hand a little squeeze as you promised her you’d be right back and headed outside where you saw Barton stood talking to one of the duty sergeants from the second unit and another officer who you hadn’t seen before.

"She's requesting an escort, both medics are male," You said to Barton.

“Okay.” Barton nodded. “You good to take it or do you want me to call back and request someone take over?”

You shook your head, “Nah, I’m good, I could use the overtime. It’s no problem.”

"Rookies, always looking for the pay out," Barton laughed at you and you snorted before you looked back at the house.

“Well, to be honest I wanna make sure she’s okay, she’s beat up pretty bad.”

"Yeah, well this isn't their first 240 but now, it's bumping to a 273D, if she keeps the chargers." Barton nodded. “Okay, go with her and I’ll file the initial report when I get back. You can add your details to it later.”

“See, we’re not always money grabbing assholes.” The officer you’d never met before turned his eyes to the sergeant who met his look with one of his own. “Some of us rookies are simply driven by our social conscience.”

As the two men looked at one another it was clear that the statement meant something, and you could probably take a good guess that the officer in question had also had his fair share of rookie jokes at his expense. It was part and parcel of being a newbie.

“Oooh I’m sensing a little bit of tension there, Barnes!” Barton looked at the sergeant who scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“He’s a wise guy, thinks he’s funny.”

“I don’t think it, I know it.” The buzz cut man shrugged. “Why else does everyone laugh at me when I walk into a room?”

At that you couldn’t help a little chuckle of laughter as your eyes looked over the hood of Sargent Barnes' black and white and caught the name plate of the wise ass, before your eyes flicked up to his face. A pair of shades were pushed up on top of his shorn light brown hair, revealing a pair of blue eyes which were twinkling slightly with good humour. He was clean shaven with a strong jawline, and a pretty handsome profile with high cheekbones and a smattering of freckles over his nose. Two strong arms folded over a broad chest, as he stood tall, a good inch or so above Sergeant Barnes and a fair few over you. 

His eyes caught yours, a smirk curling in his lips as he clearly thought you’d been checking him out.

Which, to be fair, you had, and all in all, he was pretty damned hot.

"Don't I know you?" He asked, his hands unfolding from across his chest and coming to rest on his utility belt, either side of the buck.

“I don’t think so.” You shook your head.

“I’m sure I do. I never forget a pretty face.”

You laughed at the blatant pick up line and looked at Barton who was watching, his eyebrow raised. You shook your head and turned back to make some sly quip of your own before the medic interrupted the exchange, telling you they were ready for transport. You nodded before once more switching your attention back to the three men around you.

“It’s been a pleasure, gents.” You smiled, nodding to both Barton and Sergeant Barnes before you turned to look at the other man. "Diskant.”

He feigns a pain to his chest with a hard slap of his right hand over his heart. "Uh, you do know me! That hurts."

“Read your name tag.” You shrugged and with that you turned and left.

The red and blue lights of the black and white bouncing off the concrete exterior of UCLA Medical Centre as you arrived brought you out of your memory. Officer Weiss opened the door for you and escorted you inside where the waiting room had been cleared and you were met with the somber faces of not only Captain Biggs, but Paul's Captain, Sam Wilson. But what brought your world crashing down on you for the second time that night was seeing your own Captain, Steve Rogers, waiting for you. Wilson had to have called him in.

"Steve," your voice quivered as your Captain and friend wrapped an arm around you. Sam, too, pulling you close. "What...." you couldn't even get the words out, each syllable choked back by the closing of your throat, sobs threatening to escape. 

"We don't know, not yet. The call came in as an officer down, unit in pursuit. Medics arrived and called in code blue, 10-45C GSW to the neck. As soon as they arrived he was wheeled into emergency surgery," Captain Biggs explained. 

The air left your lungs at the news and you near hit the floor, both Rogers and Wilson catching an arm, and had you been more with it, you’d have clocked the worried look that your Captain shot Sam. He'd known you since your training at the academy, his eye on you for SWAT from the get go, and never had he seen your lose control in such a way. You hadn’t on the job, not once. It was something you prided yourself on.

Biggs grabbed a chair from the wall behind him, where a dozen lined the sterile white space, and allowed you to flop into it. Your hands were shaking, legs bouncing on the balls of your feet, the tore up converse you’d slipped on squeaking a little on the clinical floor. You’d dressed in such a haste, your skinny jeans being grabbed straight back off the top of the hamper for you to put on, one of Paul’s hoodies being pulled on over a tight camisole. Whilst you hadn’t given a single thought to what you were wearing, clearly your subconscious had wanted to be near him, and you were glad as you pulled the dark grey item round you tighter, breathing in his smell. And you were reminded of the first time you were able to really be close enough to smell his cologne or deodorant, a smell that was uniquely Paul Diskant. 

It was Friday and your shift had just finished. It was the first time your rest days had fallen over a Saturday and Sunday, and you were making the most of it. A few from your team were heading to Jack's Bar for a few beers and, you suspected, a lot of shots and probably karaoke later, apparently that’s how your team nights went down.

You’d been there a few hours and your rounds had all gotten out of sync, as was always the case when everyone had had a few, so you stood up to head to the bar to get yourself a refill, cringing at the cat-screeching masquerading as singing which was ringing around the room. You found a space, placing your empty glass on the smooth wood of the bar and stood waiting for the bar tender. You hadn’t been there long when someone sidled in next to you, their elbow lightly brushing your arm and you glanced up to see the handsome, buzz-cut officer that had attended the 273D you’d dealt with in the week.

“Did you bring your cuffs?” He asked and you frowned, looking at him.

“What? Why?”

He jerked his head over his shoulder in the direction of the woman singing, “because she’s murdering Shania Twain and whilst she may feel like a woman, personally I feel that as police officers, it’s our duty to prevent crimes of this nature.”

You groaned out a laugh, “Jesus, you’re terrible”

“My name isn’t Jesus, but give me a chance and I’ll make you say ‘Oh God’,” he shot you a wink, “how’s that for terrible?”

You laughed and shook your head, cocking it slightly to one side as you studied him for a second. And then, you decided on a little joke of your own. “It’s Disco, right?”

He groaned, dropping his head in a dramatic sigh. “Diskant. Come on, you read my name tag, remember?”

"Diskant."  You shrugged, "Close enough."

He chuckled, nodding to your drink that was down to the foam at the bottom of the glass, "what are you drinking?"

"Beer," you replied.

"Any beer? Or..."

"The Heff," you nod to the taps.

Diskant waved the bartender over, "Jack, can we get another round, one for me and one for Officer...."

"Y/L/N."

"Officer Y/L/N. Whatever she's drinking."

"It's Paul by the way," he smirked at you while dropping some cash on the bar top as Jack returned your beers.

"Thanks for the beer, Disco," You winked and walked off to join your partner and the rest of the shift team.

“Woah, it’s like that? I buy you a drink and you bail, without even telling me your name?” He scoffed and you turned to look at him over your shoulder, giving him a smirk.

“Yeah," you shrugged, and when you turned away you could feel his eyes burning into your back.

Later, you saw him laughing in a full body tilt, eyes crinkled and his smile exploding. His partner, whom you'd recognized again as Barnes, had said something ridiculous causing the table to erupt.

You headed to the bar and ordered a round of shots for your team and another beer to chase it. But sent one over Paul's way, with a note on the napkin.

When the waitress took the beer to him, she placed the napkin down first, making sure he saw the scribbled note.

'Now we're even. - Y/N'

You watched as he read the note, a huge smile breaking over his handsome face and he turned, bright eyes searching the bar. When they fell on you, he arched his brow and raised his beer in thanks. You gave a sharp jerk of your head to show you’d seen and turned back to your team.

From then on, he was a persistent little shit. He'd somehow figured out your shift patterns, catching you in and out of the doors to the station as you'd be coming off shift and he starting his. Barton liked to give you shit for it as he'd always walk with you out, calling Diskant "your lost, little puppy-dog" and the unit were quick to catch on. It was all in good fun, until one day, you'd worked a tough shift; chasing down a couple of suspects and catching yourself up on a fence, gashing your arm good. Medics treated you at the scene, but told you that it required stitches. You finished you shift anyway and like clockwork, there he was walking in as you were out.

"Hey Y/N, you okay?" He'd expressed concern as your face was blatantly displaying your discomfort and mood which wasn’t great.

You were tired, irritated and in pain, now that the day was over, you wanted to just go home, so you seemed to snap in reply, "What the hell is it gonna take for you to just go away?"

Your response took him back a bit as he raised his hands in defense."Whoa, relax," his voice was soft and careful.

You sighed and stepped out of the way of the different people coming in and out the doors. He followed. "I'm sorry, that was shitty. It's just been a really long day."

"It’s okay, I get it. Look, I'm off today, I was coming in to get some stuff I left in my locker. I'm sorry if I've crossed a line somehow."

You thought to yourself for a moment. He hadn't crossed any line, not one that made you uncomfortable. You had your own reservations about dating someone from work, but it wasn’t like no one else did it, hell, half the entire force seemed to be married to one another, and if you were honest, you were actually kind of attracted to him and you found his flirty way of things to be fun and you liked it.

“No, you didn’t, like I said, bad day.” You shook your head. “I gotta head to the clinic for some stitches, and if I’m honest, I’m not a huge fan of needles so...."

He frowned “you hurt yourself?”

"Got hung up on a chain link chasing a perp through an alley. Finished the shift with the bandages from the medics, now I gotta take care of it."

"Do you... errr...", he moved out of the way of someone leaving the building and scratched the back of his neck, "do you need a lift up there or something, I got nothing else on."

"I could use a ride, sure," you shrugged, a small smirk tugging at the corner of your lips.

“Okay, well gimme two minutes to grab something out of my locker and I’ll be with you in a second.”

You headed out of the way of the various traffic in and out of the station and perched on the low wall that surrounded the parking lot. True to his word, Diskant emerged a few minutes later, sliding his shades down from his head to his eyes, a bright pink gift bag in his hand and for some inexplicable reason, you felt your heart sink at the sight of the item in his hand, it was clearly for a woman.

“Who’s the lucky girl?” You asked, nodding to it as he stopped in front of you. A smirk crossed his face and a brow arched over the top of his wraparounds.

“Is that your way of asking me if I have a girlfriend?” He quipped and you hastily shook your head, lying through your teeth.

“No, I was just…making conversation. Besides, you might be gay for all I know.” You finished lamely and he snorted.

“Well, I’m not, and it’s for my Mom. It’s her birthday tomorrow and she’s a pain in the ass for finding her presents in my room or wherever I hide them. That and I actually only picked it up yesterday and forgot about it.”

"None of my business." You shrugged and at that he sighed, looking down before he glanced at you, chuckling.

"You asked, sweetheart."

The pet name had you feeling a little warm around your neck. Thankfully, Diskant then led you to his car, the conversation moving swiftly onwards as you explained in a little more detail how you’d gotten your injury. By the time you’d finished you were out of the parking lot and had joined the steady stream of traffic on the main road.

“You should count yourself lucky that it was only your arm.” Paul mused, his thumb tapping the steering wheel. “One of the first shifts I ever did ended with the guy I’d been partnered with straddling a piece of razor-wire.”

“Ouch.” You winced and Paul wrinkled his nose.

“Lot of blood and screaming.” He sniffed. “Mind you, every cloud and all that, he said it would save him and his wife a fortune on a vasectomy.”

You blinked before your mouth fell open in disbelief and you scoffed, shaking your head. “Bullshit.”

“I swear down…”

“Don’t believe you, Disco.”

“Well, I’m offended on two counts. First that you think I’m untrustworthy and second you know that’s not my name.” He shook his head, hanging a right.

You shrugged, “I like it, it suits you.”

“I used to get that all the time at school.” He shrugged, “fucking everyone used to sing that damned D-I-S-C-O song in the halls.”

“Okay, now that’s in my head.” You smirked, and you opened your mouth to sing but he cut you off.

“Just, no.”

You laughed and took a deep breath. “Well, if it makes you feel any better my team call me Panny, short for Panic. On account of the fact I never seem to.”

At that he snorted, “yeah, I’m not calling you that, that’s, fucking awful!”

You let out a low chuckle, “Y/N’s fine.”

“Mind you,” he stole a quick glance at you before his eyes went back to the road. “Panic at the Disco, not a bad band.”

You rolled your eyes and chuckled a little. The conversation flowed with little interruption or awkwardness and once you arrived, your time at the clinic seemed relatively fast. You'd figured he'd left as you'd said goodbye to one another when you'd entered the clinic but to your surprise, and catching you a bit off guard, he was still waiting. 

"You didn't have to wait." You smiled at him and he shrugged.

“How else you gonna get back for your car?" His eyes flicked down, noting the clean wound and stitches in your forearm.

“Uber?” You shrugged and he paused, before he took a deep breath.

“Okay, you could have but my mom taught me never to leave a lady in need of help.”

"I was in there for an hour," You chuckled.

“Yeah, and now I’m kinda hungry, are you hungry?"

“Diskant…”

"There's a little place I know where we get some great quick food."

"And if I say no?"

"I'm a gentleman and no is no, I’ll take you back to the lot and you get in your car.” He paused, "and then I'll go home and weep into my pillow as I deal with your rejection."

You laugh loudly, genuinely amused, "fine, take me to dinner."

"Woah, I didn't say anything about dinner. I said food."

"Fine, food, let's get some food."

With a grin he gestured for you to lead the way and you headed out of the medical centre back to his car.

It turns out the place he’d been meaning was the Santa Monica Pier. And the food he had in mind was hot dogs and fries, which suited you absolutely fine.

"Alright, I gotta hand it to you, this is a pretty good hot dog and the beer isn't half bad," You tilted back the drink and smiled. "But, it doesn't beat Coney Island."

"Never been," he shrugged, "so I'll have to take you at your word."

"What else do you take me for? Obviously, you're swindling your way into something."

"I resent that accusation, Y/N."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just suckered me into a date." You teased and he paused, turning to face you. “And, seeing as you said that was what it would take to get you to leave me alone…” “No, this is not a date.” He cut you off, shaking his head.

 “Hmm, just the two of us, you bought me food, pretty sure it counts as a date.” You wrinkled your nose, your tone flirty and Paul shook his head once more.

“Nope. Absolutely not. There’s a vital element missing.”

“What?”

“I haven’t kissed you.” He signed dramatically. “So, I’m afraid that if you want me to count this as a date then you’re gonna have to lay one on me.”

“Oh my God-“ You burst out laughing, “You are-“

“Hey, I don’t make the rules, Y/N!”

“So, to be absolutely clear, if I kiss you this counts as a date?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Well,” You popped a shoulder, stepping a little closer to him, your eyes flicking from his to his lips, “what the hell.”

You brought your lips to his, a littler firmer than you'd thought but the feel of his mouth against yours was soft and in a way delicate and as you began to pull away, his arm looped around your rib cage and pulled you back in for a longer, deeper kiss that if you'd been honest with yourself, made your stomach tilt and your toes curl. The way his tongue dipped into your mouth was delightful, the salty hoppy taste of the beer and fries you were sharing still an essence in his mouth. 

Breathless, you pulled away, “You gonna leave me alone now?”

“Not a chance.” He chuckled and leaned in again for a third kiss. 

"Y/N..." the voice calling out to you was familiar but your head was pounding and nothing but a fog had filtered over you. Tearfully coming out of your memory, you looked up to see Dorothy, Paul's mom standing before you, her husband Jim in the background talking to Sam. 

"Hi," you croaked and stood from your chair. She immediately wrapped her arms around you in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry... I didn't..."

"Its okay, Jimmy called us after Sam had called us both." She tearfully explained. "We came as soon we'd heard." She nodded to James Barnes, Paul's former beat partner who was talking with Jim, Sam and now Steve. 

"Dotty, I... I'm scared." You cried and she took hold of you again. Together you cried until Jim came and hugged you both, his eyes tearful but his demeanour strong. As a force veteran himself, Big Jim Diskant knew all too well how these things could happen but never did he want to believe it'd be his own son wounded in the line of duty. 

Barnes was quick to hand you a tissue and you accepted with a sad, soft smile in thanks. "He's gonna pull through, doll. Just you watch. You can't get rid of him that easy."

Your quivering lip turned to a wobble until you saw the doctor emerge from the double doors that led into the body of the hospital. His scrubs were bloodied and you feared the worst as he called out, "family of Paul Diskant."

The world around you felt like it was moving at a snail's pace, your stomach in your throat as you, Dotty, Jim and those there to comfort you all made their way to the doctor. 

"We've moved him into the ICU. He's critical, however, I'm hard pressed to say stable. He's not out of the woods yet. The bullet hit his carotid artery which supplies the brain, face and neck and while we were able to remove it, he's lost a lot of blood and I feel it's best to keep him medically sedated until some real healing takes place. That's all up to him on how long that will take and how his body works. Unfortunately, until he wakes up, we won’t be able to determine if there will be any long lasting damage due to the loss of blood to the brain. You should know, we nearly lost him once during the procedure and I know he coded twice before arrival. He's a fighter, that's for sure. For now, he just needs time."

"Can we see him?" Dotty asked, the words not able to leave your lips. 

"You can. One at a time," the doctor replied. "ICU rules. I can take the first of you up with me now."

Dotty very quickly turned to you, "go on." You looked at her like a deer in headlights. Jim nodded in agreement with his wife. 

"Follow me," the doctor nodded to go with him and as he did, he handed you a small plastic bag. "We had to cut it off. I'm sorry."

He placed the bag containing Paul's St. Christopher medal in your hand. It was covered in blood, no doubt from what had happened and the weight of it felt heavier than it ever had before in your hand as you joined the good doctor on the lift up.

It had been a month into your relationship when your parents decided to head out for a week trip to New York, your dad making good on his promise to treat your mom for their anniversary. That meant that you and Paul were playing house for the week.

After seeing them off, you'd proudly tidied up and made sure you pampered yourself before your date night to kick the week off. Fridays post shift were usually spent at Jack's but, you were off and Paul and Barnes were already day shift, as if the stars had perfectly aligned for tonight. Your gut was telling you that after a month of heavy, very heavy petting, absolutely breath-taking make out sessions and a few down the pants moments, tonight just might be the night things would change for the two of you. And if not tonight, then hopefully while the two of you were shacked up for the next five days.

A few hours of primping, preening and a ridiculously relaxing bath, setting fire to that very diamonds and pearls side of you, you picked out your nicest lingerie, a little all black set of bra and panties that hid lines well in your selected sleek black dress. Paul had said the two of you were going for a nice dinner, and he promised it was truly a nice dinner, not like the last he'd said was nice and you two laughed your way through burgers at the Beach Hut. He was going to pick you up at five, and you needed to be ready.

Punctual as always, your doorbell rang and there he was, duffle in one hand, flowers for you in the other. He always brought you flowers on your dates and you loved the old fashioned in him that clearly was a product of his parents love story.

You smiled at him from behind red lips and smoky eyes, your hair down and straight. "Hey! Thank you!" You took the outstretched flowers and welcomed him in. 

"Wow," he whispered, getting the full view of you as he stepped inside the doorway. "Sweetheart, you..., wow."

“You said nice... so if you’re taking me to some dive, Disco, when I’m dressed like this there’s gonna be trouble.”

"I promise, it's nice." Dropping his overnight bag next to the stairs, he followed you into the kitchen as you put the flowers in a vase. You turned from the island and his lips were on yours. "You do look beautiful, but if you want to get into trouble, I've got my cuffs in the car." 

You didn't miss the fire in his eyes and the feeling between your legs. “I thought only bad girls get the cuffs?”

"Maybe we should see how bad you can get."

"You're gonna have to feed me first."

“Damn, you drive a hard bargain.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss, fingers scratching at the nape of his neck, "You think that's hard, you should..."

His finger covered your lips, "don't, don't finish that sentence or we'll never make dinner. THAT I can promise."

You smirked and pulled away from him fully, grabbing your hand bag off the entry table, "I'm ready, let's go."

The meal was divine, expensive and rich in place and taste, you dined on steaks and lobsters, Paul pulling out all the stops for such a new relationship and start of a fun weekend. You didn't mind, but you also knew that you'd have been fine with something simple too. 

"You know you didn’t have to spend so much, I’d have laid on my back for a sub," you sighed contently as he drove you two back to yours. 

"Well, in that case, fuck it, next time it's Subway."

"Is that what this was? You buttering me up so I'd sleep with you, Disco?"

“No, that’s...” he stopped and shrugged, “did it work?”

All you did was smirk back at him. From then, until tires skidded into the driveway, Paul drove at lightspeed, making a snarky comment about needing a red light for the dash or wishing he was in his squad car because he couldn't get you home fast enough. You were barely in the door before he was all over you, hands tangled through your hair, you kicking your shoes off at the bottom of the stairs. His strong arms and big hands lifted you off your feet as you clawed at him, your legs wrapping around his slender waist while he carried you up the stairs. It was a mix of breathy sounds and lots of tongue until your back hit the lamp at the landing stair, causing it to tilt, and the bulb to break. 

Shit," Paul cursed against your lips. 

"I'll get that later," you replied, continuing to fight for dominance in your kiss. 

He managed to get you to your room, but your pace slowed down as you entered, the heat lowering to a simmer unlike the two horny teenagers you’d both been in the stairs and hall. Your toes curled into your plush carpet as he set you down. Breathless and chests heaving, you kissed each other softly and slowly as your fingers unbuttoned his shirt, trying to hide your nerves. Your nails raked down the chest of his crisp white tee he wore underneath. You could feel his heart under your palm. 

Your eyes looked into his and you saw deep and beautiful blue pools staring back at you, a soft twitch of a smirk at the corner of his mouth. He took a half breath and his lips covered yours, his tongue slowly rolling over your top lip to pull you in. It made your stomach drop in need, and you wrapped your arms around his neck to close the space between you. 

His big hand splayed over your right ass cheek and held you there against him while the other hand cupped your face. If anyone were to walk in, they'd think you were one person, the two of you were so close to one another. Then you felt his hand trail over the curve of your backside, closer and closer to the start of your zipper. You felt your dress grow looser as he pulled the little metal piece over the teeth of its track. 

His lips trailed over your skin, and you could feel his heart now racing through his pulse point in his neck. Your eyes met his as he pulled away a second, "me too," You whispered.

A breathy chuckle left his lips and you pulled your dress away from your body, allowing the fabric to hit the floor. You felt naked despite the bra and panty set, his gaze taking all of you in. By no means was this your first time with a man, but it was your first time with Paul, and so far, you'd never felt or experienced anything like this and he wasn't even inside you yet. It was like your skin was on fire from the inside out, all of your nerves firing at once, causing everything to tingle and your breath to catch as your heart threatened to leap from your chest. 

His foot stepped between yours and he placed his hands on your hips, gently backing you into the bed, his lips sealing with yours, your hands holding his forearms to steady yourself. His hands cradled you as the two of you fell into the mattress, his body covering yours, his lips traveling down your neck and nipping at that sensitive spot that made your panties pool and your thighs clench. Your hands shoved the material of his button down over his shoulders and, as his lips carried on toward the swell of your breasts, he flung the shirt wherever it landed.

You smirked as he figured out the bra you had on was front closure and with a snap your breasts were freed. 

"Fuck, sweetheart," he said with a tone you'd never heard from him before.

He had his mouth on you before you could reply, your skin flushing and that twist of stomach igniting with pleasure. His hot tongue lolled around your nipple before suckling it between his teeth and giving it a little pull. You moaned as he pulled away, your fingers scratching at his neck. He smirked against your other breast as you arched into him, his free hand running over your hip and behind you to palm your ass as your leg lifted and bent a knee at his hip.

"I....oh God," you purred as his tongue licked and his mouth sucked, alternating between your breasts. "Fuck, I... Paul, please."

He sat back and ripped his shirt over his head, adding it to the pile. You could see he was solid from your foreplay and you knew the size he was packing. Your stomach twisted in anticipation. 

"Please... What?" He said softly as he left hot, wet kisses up the inside of your thigh. "You know, for a trained police officer I would expect you to have a little more self-control, Baby.”

"Shut up..."

He nipped at your thigh, and you moaned obscenely, your muscles twitching. "You gonna tell me what you want?" He nipped again, higher this time. "Or.."

"I need you."

“I asked what you want...”

"Fuck me."

Quickly he was standing, undoing his belt and pants while pulling a condom from his back pocket. You laid there amazed and in awe of the thick muscles of his entire body, the bare chest and tight abs he had on display. You'd seen his thick and full length before, hell, you'd even put your mouth around it but now, all you can think of is how it would feel deep inside you. Your eyes watched him with a hunger you could feel coursing all through you, the way he rolled the latex circle down his shaft and kneeled toward you on the bed. 

He pulled at your panties, peeling them away from your body, your legs lifting to remove them fully. You were soaked as he tested your folds, slicking the head of his cock. It felt so good already, you were squirming by the time his head dipped inside you. He caged you in with his body as he pressed into you little by little until you were both moaning at the perfect fit as he became fully seated inside you. His St. Christopher medal dangled between the two of you as it ghosted across your chest. 

Your hand gripped the medallion as you gave a gentle pull, his lips barely touching yours, "I said fuck me, Diskant." You sealed your words with a hard kiss, nothing but tongue inside his mouth and his hips snapped, again the two of you making lewd sounds as your bodies joined together.

He broke away from your kiss and thrust his hips forward again, slowly pulling out and snapping back in. It was blissful torture, your body experiencing each movement as if it were new. Your walls continuously contracted around him, giving him a pressure around his cock. It was a tight fit, but not painful, not uncomfortable in any way. Your eyes and his never broke away from each other, only lashes kissing cheeks as you would close your eyes for a kiss. 

With a deep, intentional roll of his hips, his lips moved across your jaw and neck, settling near your ear. "I love you," he whispered. 

You gasped as you felt your body react, "Oh fuck!" You moaned, your orgasm coming out of nowhere, tightening around him hard. 

"Fucking hell," Paul moaned as his hips sped up, until he was spasming inside you, his seed filling the barrier. 

He stilled while inside you, pulling out and slipping away with a soft kiss, only to come back cleaned up and pulling the sheet over the two of you. He curled his body around yours, your bare skin against his chest, his hand entwined with yours as his lips kissed your tousled head. "You're amazing."

You turned to look at him with your tired but happy eyes, "did you mean it?" 

A soft smile splayed over his features as his eyes twinkled a bit, understanding exactly what you were referring to. "I was being ironic, as I was, literally loving you." He took a pause and leaned in for a sweet, all lip kiss. "But hypothetically... if I did mean it..." 

You grinned, “then, hypothetically I’d say I love you to."

He chuckled and quickly pecked you again before settling in behind you for sleep. "Good to know."

The bell to the lift beeped and the doors loudly opened, bringing you to the present. It felt like everything took forever since you'd received Captain Biggs' call. You followed the doctor down the hall and after a sharp left, he showed you the doorway to Paul's room. 

As you stepped inside, your heart shattered. The first thing you noticed was how small and pale he looked there in his bed. Paul wasn't a small guy, in fact he was six feet of thick muscle and hard strength. A built frame that loved to wrap itself around you any chance he could. Your firm and well taught body fitting like the perfect piece to him. You swallowed hard as you stepped forward, closer to the edge of his bed. There were so many wires, so many leads hooked up to the various machines that ensured he stayed in his medicinal sleep and keeping him alive. A tube for the ventilator was in his mouth and down his throat while monitoring equipment measured his vitals, IV lines and pumps full of medication surrounded him, a feeding tube was stuck in his nose, and not to mention the various drains and catheters. You found yourself cursing all the episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ the pair of you had watched as you weren't sure if you'd rather not fucking know what the hell they all were. 

Despite the sick symphony of beeps and blips on the screens, the only sound you heard was the sound of his heart rate on its own monitor. A steady, morbid mantra reminding you that he was there but not really there with you. 

Gone were those beautiful blue eyes you loved waking up to each morning or staring deeply into as his pupils, lust blown with deep passion, love and desire stared back you while you made love. Hiding behind an ugly plastic tube were those pearly whites you loved seeing when he smiled or laughed with his whole body, his cheeky grin missing. Silent was the voice that would make your heart skip its beats, your body ignite, that would meet your voice in reply, 'sugar'. 

You held back the sob that was choking you breathless and you sat in the chair beside his bed, facing him. Your warm and soft hand took hold of his, and you were broken at how cold he felt. 

As you looked up for some form of help to the heavens above, your eyes looked back at him and you gave a breathy, shaky sigh, "hey, Stud."

***** Part 3

[introvertguide]

Bonnie and Clyde (1967); AFI #42

The next film that we covered for the group was the period true- crime drama, Bonnie and Clyde (1967). It is the story of the notorious Barrow gang, led by Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, during the American Great Depression. This film features a cavalcade of some of Hollywood's biggest actors including Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Gene Hackman. It is supposedly quite accurate because some of the witnesses and even a couple of the gang members of the actual crimes were still alive during the production of the film. Actress Estelle Parsons won Best Supporting Actress for he portrayal of Blanche Barrow, which I would like to comment on. I also want to speak a little to the accuracy of the story, but first I want to spoil the plot of the film.

SPOILER WARNING!!!! I AM GOING TO REVEAL THE WHOLE MOVIE SO I CAN COMPARE TO WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT THE ACTUAL HISTORY!!! THE MOVIE AND THE REAL LIFE STORY WILL BE SPOILED COMPLETELY!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

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In the middle of the Great Depression, Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) of Texas meet when Clyde tries to steal the car belonging to Bonnie's mother. Clyde had spotted Bonnie hanging out in her room naked from the heat, and she spotted him watching her and was intrigued by the danger. Bonnie is bored by her job as a waitress, which Clyde correctly guesses, and decides to take up with him and become his partner in crime. They pull off some weak crimes including a bank heist at a location that has been hit by the depression and there is no money. Clyde actually makes the teller come out to the escape car and tell Bonnie what the deal is and she just laughs at the situation.

The pair find an extra man in a worldly ignorant but mechanically inclined gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael Pollard). Clyde apparently has a way with words because people just join him for no real reason besides being bored. Clyde's older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons), a preacher's daughter, also join them. The two women dislike each other at first sight because Bonnie thinks that Blanche will ruin their fun (she does) and Blanche believes that Bonnie is evil and wants to get rid of her (she does). Keep in mind while watching this that Estelle Parsons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this portrayal.

Bonnie and Clyde turn from pulling small-time heists to robbing banks since they now have a full gang. Their exploits also become more violent when C.W. comically botches a bank robbery when he sees an open parking spot and decides to parallel park. He can't get out of the space quickly and he delays their escape, forcing Clyde to shoot the bank manager in the face when he jumps onto the slow-moving car's running board. The gang is pursued by law enforcement, including Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Denver Pyle), whom they capture and humiliate by taking his photo and setting afloat on a little dingy on a nearby river.

The group likes to switch out cars because they treat the getaway vehicles very rough. When they are seen stealing a car by its owner, a young man named Eugene Grizzard (Gene Wilder) and his girlfriend Velma Davis (Evans Evans), the robbed couple attempt to follow the stolen car. The gang stops and takes the couple hostage in the chase car and even pull over to get some burgers. They let the couple go when they find out they are in their 30s (too old apparently) and find a roadside stop. A raid later that night catches the outlaws off guard, mortally wounding Buck with a shot to his head and injuring Blanche so she can't see. Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. barely escape alive. With Blanche sightless and in police custody, Hamer tricks her into revealing C.W.'s name, which they use to find any safe places where the remaining gang might go (until then, C.W. was only an "unidentified suspect").

Hamer locates Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. hiding at the house of C.W.'s father Ivan (Dub Taylor), who thinks the couple have corrupted his son (as evidenced by an ornate tattoo that Bonnie convinced C.W. to get). The elder Moss strikes a bargain with Hamer: in exchange for leniency for the boy, he helps set a trap for the outlaws. When Bonnie and Clyde stop on the side of the road to help Mr. Moss fix a flat tire, the police in the bushes open fire and riddle them with bullets. Hamer and his posse come out of hiding and look pensively at the couple's bodies as a nearby flock of swallows fly away.

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This film stood out as it was a comical version of the super violent gangster films that were popular in the 30s. Storywriters David Newman and Robert Benton wanted to punch up the violence with a romantic undertone so they sent the script to French New Wave director Francois Truffaut for contributions. Warren Beatty was visiting Paris and heard about the project then decided he wanted to produce the picture. He was going to have his sister, Shirley MacLaine, play the roll of Bonnie until he decided that he was going to play the part of Clyde. That would have been really awkward, so he tried find a lead actress that he could have a romantic scene with. Many actresses were approached and Faye Dunaway was eventually chosen for the part.

Beatty decided that they needed an American director and offered that job to a plethora of established directors in Hollywood and finally landed on Arthur Penn even after he turned down the position multiple times. What it all comes down to is that not a lot of people wanted to be part of this production. It was considered somewhat of a risky art film at the time because of the questionable sexuality of Clyde and the heavy violence.

So what was so risky? Looking at films that were made only a few later, this seems rather tame. This film came out just a little before the MPAA was established and the writers had been influenced by the French films that didn't have the same restrictive film rules that were present in the United States. It was originally proposed that Clyde be played as bisexual, but the script eventually called for him to be more asexual. The real Clyde Barrow had been sexually assaulted in prison so he would have been scarred by that experience and might not have been interested in Bonnie in that way. This depth into a character's sexuality had generally been avoided in American cinema before this film and there was concern about audience reactions. They shouldn't have worried because the movie was a sleeper hit, eventually making $75 million on a $2.5 million budget.

The number of graphic murders actually shown on screen (especially when Clyde shot a guy in the face who jumped on the car during a get away) was unprecedented at the time. There was also some dismay by critics about the portrayal of Bonnie as sleazy and the whole gang as somewhat stupid. These were a bunch of uneducated folks that grew up in a time when it was more important to find a job. They were smart enough to avoid capture for years, which is shown in the movie, so they had to have some sort of intelligence.

There is a little bit of an elephant in the room with this movie and it involves the historical accuracy. The dates and crimes are well documented and a lot was known about the characters when the movie was produced. However, a major part of the movie was speculation and fabrication about the personalities in the gang. The characters that were based on living people at the time were actually the least accurate as C.W. Moss was a fictional person based on two different gang members (one who was still alive) and the actions of Blanche Barrow were based on a different member of the gang. The real Blanche Barrow lived until the 1980s and famously complained that Parsons's portrayal "made [her] look like a screaming horse's ass!" Parsons is the one the went on to win Best Supporting Actress.

This film was much more enjoyable for me on second watch. The first viewing left me hating the character of Blanche and I wondered if there was some sort of conspiracy to get that actress an Oscar. On second view, I realize that she was necessary to be a foil to the gang. There had to be a weak link in the chain and the audience knew that she would be the downfall of the group. Her presence made the police encounters all the more intense because there was this crazy wild card that could ruin everything at any time. It really adds a touch of comedy along with a bigger element of suspense. She is annoying, but enjoyable, and the people around her react to her behavior in a realistic way, so I appreciate what the character brings to the table.

I would highly suggest looking into the real life of Bonnie and Clyde along with the whole Barrow Gang because they took major advantage of the Great Depression banks, but not so much the suffering people. To some, the members of the Barrow gang were considered celebrities or even heroes because they were getting back at the banks that had mishandled so many people's money. I started my search off with this nice article on the Encyclopedia Britannica site and dug deeper to find out more about the connections between the real people and the film:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bonnie-and-Clyde-American-criminals

So does this film belong on the AFI top 100? I absolutely think so. It has some connections to French New Wave, but it is American directed with American actors and it tells the story of some of the most notorious criminals in American history. It is also a very good film that won Oscars and was a box office success. Bonnie and Clyde are part of Americana and were almost the equivalent of a Robin Hood character to many at the time. Would I recommend this film? I would. Keep an eye out for the Blanche character because she can be annoying, but know she serves a purpose and the movie is not all about her. The connection between Bonnie and Clyde is epic and has influenced a lot of American films, so enjoy it for the cinematic quality, the history in film, and the history of the United States.

[skylarmoon71]

Michelangelo x Reader Fanfiction 2014/2016- Oneshot

"We're not monsters."

New York City was home to a lot of strange things. But never in your life did you imagine that you would actually see mutant ninja turtles. It was crazy. You were a rookie officer. Your world revolves around law and logic. Someone got murdered, there was always a reason. A disgruntled spouse, angered stranger. Or even a pissed off sibling. No matter what, in all your cases there was always some reasonable explanation. Not this time. Not with this.

As you stood with your gun pointed that day, all you could think was not everything in the world could be explained. As you stared at the mutated beings before you, your stomach dropped. Not because the impossible was standing right in front of you. You were thankful there were other officers present to witness this, even Lieutenant Vincent. But what struck you was the look. The look on the orange clad turtle's face. He looked hurt...broken and the words being spat at him.

Monster, freak.

Despite all your training in the academy against lowering your weapon in the face of danger, you couldn't bring yourself to keep your gun up. For a split second his blue eyes caught the movement. And you were positive some of your colleagues were questioning your actions. But you didn't care. No one deserved to be treated like that, human or not.

~~~~

"Are you kidding me! I want a rematch." you grinned. "Not a chance Mikey I have to get to work. Unlike you my job actually requires that I be there during the day. " You spent the majority of your morning absolutely slaughtering Mikey in Call of Duty. And like most guys, he found it hard accepting defeat. You stood up, fixing your belt, and grabbing your hat. "I'll catch you guys later. Lieutenant Vincent told me you're helping out on the sting operation. I've got to say meeting you guys was the best thing to happen. If we keep it up crime will be almost non-existent in New York." Leo offered a smile.

"We do what we can to help." Ever the humble one.

"Yeah, plus I'd never pass up a chance to kick some butt!" Ah and Raph, ever the brute.

"Of course Raph." you laughed making your way out of the lair.

"Hey Mikey don't forget it's movie night. I'm picking the movie this time!"

"Sure thing!" he called back.

It took a while to get used to everything. After they helped take down an actual alien invasion, it was sort of expected that you joined forces. You supposed your boss realized they were way out of their comfort zone, aliens weren't a norm in the police department. The turtles were then awarded keys to the city, and they continued to protect the city from the shadows, offering assistance whenever necessary. When you got to know them, you realized just how amazing they really were.

Their intelligence, strength, loyalty, humor. It was incredible. Like April, you got pretty close to the turtles. You were shocked at the development yourself, because in the beginning you were a little more scared than anything. But, you were also sympathetic. No matter what you did, that look was forever engraved in you. You guessed that's why you were so close to Mikey. You felt like you needed to protect him from the world. Which was ridiculous since he could pretty much handle himself. That didn't mean he was bulletproof. Maybe that's why he shone the brightest. Always cheerful and smiling. That added with his general adorableness, it caught you. Hook line and sinker.

~Movie Night~

As you walked into the lair already changed in a pair of sweatpants and a loose hoodie, you searched the area for the turtles. You tilted your head when you only saw Mikey setting up popcorn and drinks. "Where is everyone else?" you questioned. He perked up when he saw you.

"April invited them to another basketball game." Your eyes grew a little wide. Mikey was never one to pass up a game, especially if April was the one attending it. "Y-You could have gone if you wanted to. We could always have another movie night."

"It's fine, I promised you. And a ninja always keeps his promises. " He placed his hands together bowing and you grinned, jumping unto the couch. "Alright then, let's get started. "

"Shell yeah! " he dropped down right next to you, giving a mini presentation on the snacks he gathered. "So on the right we have nachos with a little cream, if you're feeling a little peckish. On the left, a fresh box of pizza with the ultimate assortment of cheese! And of course, an all time classic, buttery popcorn for your nightly cravings." You were smiling the entire time. The world didn't deserve someone so pure.

"What movie are we watching, please have action, please have action." he was doing a little prayer. You grabbed the remote, clicking through netflix. You stopped on the Legend of Tarzan.

"I watched the trailer, this is supposed to be awesomely epic." you spoke. Mikey peeked an eye open, and you could see the interest spark as he quickly read through the description.

"What are you waiting for, play it!" His excitement was akin to a child, and you stifled your laughter as you clicked the movie.

~~~

To say he loved the movie was probably an understatement. Mikey's eyes never left the screen the entire time. You weren't sure he even really moved when he got some of the snacks. There were so many points where you thought Tarzan was dead. Every part proved to be just a tease. When it was nearing the end you could tell. Jane was standing looking out at the rubble, clearly devastated that Tarzan might have died in the explosion.

You could almost feel Mikey holding his breath, hoping that Tarzan wasn't actually dead. You smiled when he released it softly the minute John walked up behind her. They kissed, and you fought a blush, looking away a bit nervously. This wasn't the first scene between them that left you flustered. The short love scene in the middle had you more than a little bothered. You thought Mikey would make some joke about it, but he was quiet through the whole thing. As the credits started, and the music of Hozier's better love filled the room, you found your eyes drifting back to Mikey. The longing reflected in his hopeful sapphire eyes. "Mikey?" he turned to you, and you swore you saw tears in his eyes.

He wiped it quickly, laughing. "That was an awesome movie brah! It did not disappoint." His usual enthusiasm wasn't there, you could tell. It sounded almost forced.

You took his arm before he could move out of reach.

"I'm sorry Mikey." he was now confused.

"Why are you apologizing?"

In all honesty, you should have done it sooner. That day when they called the turtles monsters. You never apologized. And even though you weren't the one who said the words, for a split second you thought the same. Your ignorance could have cost you the best friends you'd ever had.

"That day with the police, what they said to you, it was horrible. We were all in the wrong. I never told you guys how sorry I was, how sorry they probably all were for judging you guys. It wasn't fair. "

His eyes shifted. He knew exactly what you were talking about.

"It's fine. I guess I sort of expect it. Sensei always told us it wouldn't be easy for people to understand what we are. I guess that's why Raph and I wanted so bad to be human. Deep down I..I still want that. Certain things I won't ever be able to experience, not with the way I am." He must have been referring to the movie. You thought you imagined it, but he seemed extra attentive whenever the couple showed up in scenes.

"You mean love.."

He didn't need to answer, his eyes said it all. "Mikey, I don't think you need to worry about that. You don't have to be human to find love. If someone truly cares for you, they won't care. " you leaned closer, hand reaching out to touch his cheek. You could feel him tense, eyes never leaving you.

"I don't care..." Mustering up all your courage, you raised unto your knees on the couch, matching his height. Deciding that it was now or never, you closed the gap, kissing him softly. The feel of his lips, they were heavenly. Far different from what you imagined. And you'd imagined it a lot. At first he didn't move, you weren't even sure he was breathing properly. And you expected it. After a few brief seconds you pulled back, gauging his reaction. You blinked a few times, licking your lips. Mikey still looked awe struck. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times, trying to search for the right words. Finally he settled on a sentence.

"Did you just...kiss me?"

"I did." you flushed. You hoped It was welcomed, because it was what you'd been longing for shortly after knowing him. Now it sort of made sense. This whole time you thought it was because you wanted to protect him from getting hurt, but the truth was, you cared for him, more than you initially realized.

"I don't get it, you're..you're human (Y/N). Why would you-" you raised a finger, pressing it softly to his lips. "It doesn't matter. I'd like to think if our roles were switched you'd feel the same about me. Do you...feel the same?" You were marking his lips, and Mikey gulped. All the movies, video games and comic books, he thought he would be more ready for such a confession. Yet here he was, completely speechless.

"I....I..." Why couldn't he find the words. He knew how much he felt for you. But as it stood he never even tried pursuing anything for obvious reasons. Now hearing you say you didn't care about all of that, and even kissing him. What else could he possibly hope for. He just wishes he could put that into words.

It was cute, they way he stumbled for the words. Your need to feel his lips again returned, and your other hand came up going around his neck as you slipped into his lap. His hands moved to the couch clearly not expecting the bold move. You snickered, leaning next to his ear.

"You know I used to think you were a player with all your smooth words, but are you secretly shy, Michelangelo." you cooed softly. When you pressed a kiss at the side of his neck, he let out a shaky breath. Your fingers trailed down his chest, so firm, strong. Muscular. You were still littering soft kisses along his neck.

"If I kiss you again, I'd prefer it if you kissed back." Before he could fully prepare you leaned in, sighing in content. Kissing him was everything. When he started to get over the shock of the whole situation, his hands came up hesitantly. You hummed when you felt his hand on your back, and the other slipped into your hair. You were pressed firmly to his body, and the minute his lips slanted over your own, you were sure you went to heaven. How could something so simple feel so good.

Mikey's hands on your body was just what you needed. As time passed, he seemed to be more sure of himself. He opened his mouth, and the moment your tongues touched you moaned. Mikey let out a soft groan, trying to match the intensity that you were pushing. Your hands were wandering over his body, and you should have probably shown some restraint, because even though his brothers weren't in here, they could come back at any minute. Not to mention Splinter was still somewhere in the lair, hopefully sleeping. The sound of bodies filing in alerted you of exactly that. They were back.

Mikey pulled away hurriedly at the sound, and now all three turtles were standing there gaping at the scene.

"I-It's not what it looks like!" Mikey defended.

It was exactly what it looked like.

"Guys seriously, on the couch. " Leo sounded unimpressed.

"No wonder you stayed back. Mikey you sly dog." Raph walked over smacking his younger brother behind the head.

"Come on Raph!" you just stayed planted there, smiling. You liked the little moment, but you really wanted to get back to kissing. When you saw the way they seem to settle around the area to tease Mikey you frowned. Guess there was only one way to get rid of them. You grabbed both sides of his cheeks, smashing your lips to his in a searing kiss. Almost immediately you could hear the groans of disgust.

"Mission success." They didn't stick around after that. And once they were all gone you grinned down at him.

"So...does this mean that you're my girlfriend?" Did he even have to ask. You rolled your eyes, reconnecting your lips.

It was a definite yes.

[notquitecanon]

hello! i hope you’re doing well and staying safe!! i was wondering if you could do a imagine/fic where y/n is also in the bau and gets hurt on the job, and spencer is super worried, protective and sweet when they finally find her? thank you so much!! i adore your work and honestly can’t wait to read loads more!! 🥺👉🏻👈🏻🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

This is way longer than I anticipated. Sorry I got a little carried away.

TW: uh, blood, guns, basically if you can’t watch criminal minds, don’t read this??

_____

Everything hurt as you started to come to, confused and out of it. Slowly, you remembered what happened, raising a shaky hand to find warm, sticky blood on your temple where you had been hit. It was hard to keep your eyes open, even the dim lighting of the basement was too much for your throbbing head. Nevertheless, you pried them open and looked around for anything you could use against your attacker- who, at this point, was undoubtedly the unsub. 

“I knew filling in for JJ while she was on maternity leave might be a little more dangerous than teaching at the FBI academy, but I didn’t expect to get hit in the head just for showing my badge-  I know I retired from the field early, but I used to get a lot farther before someone tried to hit me.”  You thought, wincing as you tried to sit up- everything from the neck down was hurting, “What did he push me down the stairs too?” 

Finally, you were able to push your self so you sat against the wall- which you tried to ignore the dark red smeared and splattered stains on- as you heard the unsub stomping around upstairs. If you strained you could barely hear him talking to himself, definitely delusional, those are the most dangerous types. Delusional or not, he knew you were FBI (and judging by the sun flitting in through the one, tiny window you’d only been out a couple hours) so it wouldn’t be long before people came looking for you. 

Peeling off the blazer you had worn that day, you took a deep breath. You just had to stay alive until they found you.

_______

Meanwhile at the local police station:

Spencer tiredly popped his neck before taking a sip of his coffee (the station hadn’t had Tea and he needed the caffeine), relishing the short mental break before he went back to the board. Morgan was with Lewis going over the latest autopsy results while Rossi interviewed a couple of parents in one of the station’s waiting areas- so the conference room they had taken over was unusually quiet. Not that the genius minded. Those meticulous eyes raked over the map where he’d originally designed the geographic profile, but they’d exhausted every possibility in the area. He glanced over his shoulder at the fresh map where he had been trying to come up with another one, but something didn’t feel right. He knew the original geographic profile was right, they just had to be missing something. 

In his peripheral, he saw Hotch slip into the room with a folder in his hand- like Reid, his mind was stuck on something too- a missing person's case. The only person in the whole town who fit their profile went missing five years ago at fifteen. They’d already interviewed the man’s parents, who just explained that he was a troubled individual and slipped away in the night. That didn’t sit well with Hotch, so he sent you back to their house to ask some follow-up questions since they hadn’t been answering their phone- he just forgot to tell Spencer. 

Spencer hummed in acknowledgment of his arrival, and Hotch gave him a nod, not even looking up. The doctor tapped a finger on the map of the suburban town they were in, sighing “I feel like we’re missing the one piece of information we need to solve this case.”

“Isn’t that how it always goes, though?” Rossi teased lightly as he sauntered in, the three agents could hear the latest victim’s mother sobbing as she left the precinct. They all grimaced but carried on. 

“Yes, but I agree. We’re definitely missing something.” Hotch agreed as Morgan and Lewis rushed into the conference room. 

“You’ll never guess what we just found.” Lewis announced as she pulled two evidance bags out of her coat pocket, tossing one to Hotch who shared with Rossi and one to Spencer. The clear bags both contained a stained scrap of paper, but the writing was clear. 

“I’m Still Here.” Reid read aloud, throwing Morgan a questioning look. 

“These were hidden in the last two victims throats, the ME is reexamining the other victims as we speak.” Morgan clarified, “We only found this because a different ME examined the lastest body.”

Hotch frowned, remember the lackluster medical examiner they first encountered. As the team threw around ideas about this new find, Spencer looked around the room realizing a voice was missing. 

“Hey, has anyone seen (Y/N)? I haven’t seen her since she left to revisit the dumpsites.” He asked, not paying attention to Morgan’s teasing. (You and Spencer had been dating for months before you got asked to temporarily join the team, and the team had only found out about it recently. Hotch agreed to let you stay, since your work with them was only temporary and JJ would be back in two weeks anyway.)  

Hotch glanced at him, furrowing his eyebrows, “After she did that, I asked her to follow up with the Greys since she was already on that side of town.”

Spencer turned his head to gaze out of the large window at the setting sun, Hotch seemed to follow his line of thought, “That was hours ago, has anyone heard from her?” 

The air in the room turned tense as everyone drew up blank, everyone in the room could see the lines of worry and stress tension rapidly appearing in the youngest team member as he left the room. Minutes later, he came back looking even worse, “Guys, her phone is going straight to ‘caller unavailable’”

Hotch pressed a button on the conference rooms phone, near immediately Spencer’s claims were confirmed with a monotonous, “I’m sorry the number you're attempting to reach is unavailable please try again at a later date.” 

Morgan was quick to do something similar, switching to speaker as the line connected this time to a bright, cheery voice as Spencer began nervously picking at his fingernails, foot-tapping as she greeted them, “Hello, crime fighters, what can I do for you!” 

“Baby girl, we need a location on (Y/N)’s cell phone.” Morgan was quick to cut to the chase, negating their usual banter. Even over the phone, Spencer could feel the hacker’s mood change only confirmed by the immediate clicking of keys followed by muttering. 

“Oh, ok, oh no, that’s never good.” She whispered as she worked, “Oh! oh...”

“What is it?” Spencer pressed immediately, almost tripping over a chair leg as if getting closer to the phone would give him answers faster. Rossi tried to comfort him with a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but Reid didn’t even notice it. 

“That last transmitted location was 5 hours ago.” She informed them,  “Address is on your phones.” 

Spencer did the mental math in a fraction of a second, five hours ago was around noon. You’d been missing since noon and he’d just found out? A flash of frustration went through the doctor before melting into an even greater sense of worry- a lot could happen in five hours. 

His genius brain was working so fast in a downward spiral of all the terrible possibilities that could happen that he almost didn’t hear Hotch announce, “That’s Mason Grey’s parent’s house, she was there to ask some follow-up questions.”

“The kid that went missing?” Rossi asked as the missing piece clicked in Spencer’s brain. 

“I’m still here! What if Mason Grey didn’t go missing, but his parents just hid him. He was showing early symptoms of mental problems, and we’ve seen it before.” Spencer almost shouted. Garcia was still on the line, and announced, “And, the house is in the middle of the kill zone” 

“Neither one of the Grey’s showed up to their jobs today or yesterday. That’s not a good sign is it.” 

“That kind of isolation could drive someone crazy, especially if they were already mentally ill,” Lewis added. Spencer had already made up his mind, and every minute that they weren’t on their way to you was slowly driving him crazy.

Hotch only thought about it for another minute, “Vests on, we’re leaving in five minutes.”

Spencer was in the car in two.

__________

You could barely see the sun setting through the tiny basement window, but it didn’t bode well as it was your only source of light. Your attempts to explore hadn’t been very fruitful, as once you finally managed to stand up you were made painfully aware that your knee was dislocated. Nevertheless, with a huff you resigned yourself to limp around. 

Fruitful or not, you made some discoveries. First, you found the remained peices of your destroyed phone- considering it was in four large pieces you didn’t even attempt to turn it on. Next, you discovered the tiny window was sealed shut so you couldn’t even attempt an escape. Lastly, you found a locked room in corner of the room with an all too familiar rotting smell seeping from under the door. That must be the Grey’s you decided solemnly. The door itself was old and rickety-splintering in some places, even with bad leg you figured you could probably get it open. I could probably use my shoulder and ram it down, bodies or not, there might be a window in there that isn’t sealed. 

“Get away from there!” 

A shout startled you, and instinctively you ripped your hand off the doorknob you were jiggling. You didn’t have to turn around to know he had a gun, you heard the safety click off. Holding your hands up, you were quiet. With these types of unsubs, it was best to let him call the shots. 

“T-turn around.” He demanded so you did, slowly. Greeted with the face you’d only briefly seen earlier before he’d hit you over the head with a bottle. The same face from the missing posters Hotch had shown you. This had to be Mason Grey, the missing teenager from five years ago- he’d be something like 20 years old now. He was using both hands to point a gun-your gun- at you, hands shaking as he glared at you. 

Softly speaking, you rose your eyebrows, “Are you Mason?”

He didn’t answer, using the gun to motion you to kneel down. You were already at a disadvantage, and you didn’t like the added weakness of being on the ground. 

“You’re FBI.” It was a statement not a question, but you nodded anyway. 

“Yes, I am, and my team knows I’m here. If they get here and you’re pointing a gun at me, I promise you, it won’t end well for you.” You informed him, voice stern but not malicious. It was a fact, not a threat. 

“What if you’re dead when you get here?” That wasn’t a threat either, a genuine question. Somehow, that was scarier.

“Well, since your parents are behind that door and they’ll connect you to at least five victims? It still won’t end well for you.” You calmly informed him as he moved one of his hands to nibble on his dirty fingernails. His forehead was sweating, eyes darting around, and hair greasy. He was scared.

“You were never missing were you?” You asked quietly, voice soft and sympathetic. His head shook.

“Did your parents make you stay down here?” 

This time he nodded, lip wobbling as he took a sharp, deep breath, “I was different and they didn’t want people to know, so they made me stay down here. If I tried to leave, they’d lock me in there. Once they figured out I was leaving at night to go see my girlfriend, they tried to lock me up again. So I locked them in there, to see how bad it was.”

His girlfriend? Mason Grey’s real girlfriend died shortly after he went missing, maybe he saw all his victims as her? But you couldn’t worry about that, towards the end of his explanation his voice turned angry, erratic. 

“If the FBI comes here. They’ll lock me up too. You’re gonna lock me up! I DON’T WANT TO BE LOCKED UP AGAIN.” He was yelling, inching closer to you and jabbing the gun towards you. He was distracted, so he didn’t hear the sirens approaching. But you did. 

I just have to hold on a little longer. 

“Mason, I don’t want to lock you up. If you put the gun down, I can help you. I’ll tell my friends what happened to you and that you cooperated and didn’t hurt me-” You tried promising him, but you were cut off by the sound of squealing breaks in front of the house. Your eyes flicked to the tiny window, it was dusk which allowed you to see red and blue flashing lights. 

“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” He bellowed, for a moment he clawed both hands into his short greasy hair. Nervously, you strained to hear stomping feet above you. Then you heard the basement door open, and at the top of the stairs, you could see those unmistakeable converse paired with Morgan shouting behind him. 

“Mason Grey, FBI.”

Spencer was here. You thought, sighing in relief, but it didn’t last long. You could see their feet, but not them so they definitely couldn’t see you- couldn’t see the gun. A moment too late, you saw Mason erratically wave the gun towards them, towards Spence. 

“NO!” You shrieked, jumping up and grabbing his arm as you tackled him. The noise and pain came at the exact moment you hit the ground with him, almost immediately rolling off of him and grasping at the warm, wet, extremely painful wound on your stomach as your eyes screwed shut. 

“(Y/N)!” You heard distantly as you tried to bring yourself back to reality, “We need an ambulance!”

You cracked your eyes open to Spencer crouched over you, eyes filled with worry as you brushed the hair off your forehead, behind him Morgan was shoving Mason up the basement stairs, probably rougher than he had to. 

Breathing heavily, one of your hands pawed at the source of pain but Spencer instead took it in his, “You’re gonna be ok, you’re going to be just fine.”

You barely nodded, trying to slow your breathing as the genius grabbed the blazer you had discarded earlier. Balling it up, he pressed against the wound to stop the bleeding. You cried out in pain at the sudden pressure reflexively squeezing his hand, Spencer winced, “I know, I know, I’m so sorry, (Y/N).” 

Everything was hazy after that, you honestly didn’t remember much, just flashes of his face, the EMT’s, him kissing your forehead begging you to stay awake, until finally you were allowed to slip off into a dreamless sleep.

_________

Spencer was sitting in the waiting room, hands still bloody as they clasped tightly. To the untrained eye, it would look like he was praying, but really he was mentally recounting everything he could have done different. I could of asked where she was earlier, I could have snuck behind him instead of letting Morgan announce us, I could of gone with her to the dumpsites so I would have been with her when Hotch asked her to go to the Grey’s home. I could of asked her not to take the job with the BAU. Derek was sitting across from him, watching him carefully and sympathetically. He was the one who had to physically hold him back from following the doctors into the surgery area, besides a whispered apology the younger agent hadn’t said anything to him since the doors closed. 

Spencer had ridden in the ambulance with you, while Derek and Hotch took an SUV behind. Rossi and Tara stuck around the Grey house to finish up the case and were still there. 

Derek watched as Spencer’s knee bounced faster than he thought was possible, the kid’s fingernails were nubs from being bitten, and Spencer had bitten his lip so much that it had started to bleed. The older agent wanted to comfort him, but didn’t know how. “Kid-”

He started, but was quickly cut off by Hotch striding back into the waiting room- he had left earlier to demand information, “She’s out of surgery. The doctor said that even though it hit an artery, the bullet missed all her organs. She’s going to be fine.” 

Derek had never seen Spencer look so relieved, he practically melted back into his chair before bowing his head. Hotch continued, “They’re getting her settled into a room, but I asked them to come get you when she’s allowed, visitors.”

Spencer just nodded allowing his eyes to close as Hotch turned to Morgan, “I’ll call Lewis and Rossi if you’ll tell Garcia.”

Morgan chuckled before agreeing, but all Spencer could think about was that you were going to be ok. 

______

Two hours later, Spencer was sitting beside your bed while you dozed- he’d been informed that you would wake up soon and decided that he wouldn’t move until you did. After the team had all come and checked on you (Spencer might be in love with you, but they were all worried as well), Derek had driven Lewis to your hotel to gather your belongings. Rossi and Hotch periodically checked on him but gave him some privacy by waiting in a lounge down the hall. 

Absentmindedly thumbing through a well-loved copy of War and Peace (the Russian Translation mind you), in two hours he could have read the book four times over if was actually focussed on it, but he was still struggling through the first half of the book. Every time you so much as sniffed in your sleep, the book was discarded not to mention that he was so caught in thought he wasn’t reading anywhere near his usual 20,000 words per minute. Sighing, he moved his eyes back to the top of the page, forcing his eyes to read the lines he’d long since memorized and mentally translate them to English. 

“You look like shit, honey.”

War and Peace clattered to the floor as his head snapped up to meet your eyes.  You hadn’t moved much, but he was the first thing you saw when you opened your eyes. Still a little fuzzy from the anesthesia, you just watched him read trying to ignore how tired and anxious he looked. 

Without thinking you trying to sit up, but both the pain and the man next to were quick to convince you to lay back again. Spencer’s touch was gentle (it always was, but more so than usual), like you’d break if he used to much force. That was going to get annoying quickly, but you’d enjoy the doting for the moment. 

“H-How long have you been awake?” He asked as he sat back down, scooting the chair so close to the bed that his long legs had his knees pressed to the underside of the bed. You smiled softly.

“Not long, I just opened my eyes and you were muttering Russian under your breath. You only read aloud like that when you're worried.” You answered, smile turning sassy as you played with his fingers- something that always calmed him down. He managed the slightest chuckle. 

“Well, when my girlfriend has a GSW, a concussion, and bruised ribs, I get a little anxious.” He nodded, watching your hand in his. 

“Don’t forget the dislocated knee,” Hotch announced from the door, getting yours and his attention. Hotch, Tara, Rossi, and Derek (who was holding Garcia up on facetime) were waiting in the hall. You nodded in stride. 

“Oh, can’t forget about that. Is that all? Nothing much to worry about then.” You halfway shrugged, but threw a glance to Spencer and squeezed his hand as if to silently promise him, I’m ok. 

He just smiled, raising your hand to his lips to press a sweet kiss to your knuckle. Your cheeks reddened, Spencer had never been one for PDA especially in front of the team, so he must have been really worried.  

“Derek Morgan, if you don’t hand me to (Y/N) right now, I’m going to scream!” Garcia demanded, bringing your attention back to the team waiting in the door. You sent Spencer another smile before receiving the phone and tuckering in for a long, classic, Garcia ‘i was so worried’ speech. 

_______

After an hour of visiting with the team, Hotch decided it was time to let you get your rest. Derek ruffled your hair and teased you on his way out, while Tara only told you to feel better soon (you weren’t offended, Tara seemed lovely, you just weren’t near as close to her yet). As they filed out, Hotch poked his head back in the room. 

“We’re needed back at Quantico, but you won’t be cleared for air travel for some time. I contacted JJ, and she’s ready to come in. Once you’re discharged from the hospital, you’ll have to drive back. Reid, if you want it, you’ve already been approved some days off if you’d like to stay here as well.” He paused to smile, “Thanks again for everything you’ve done for the BAU. It’s been a pleasure working with you, but I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.” 

This time, Spencer’s cheeks turned red as he nodded, only blushing more when Rossi winked as he left, throwing a last remark over his shoulder, “Feel free to take the scenic route, lovebirds.”

With the rest of the team gone, it was quiet, but you didn’t mind. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a bit until Spencer spoke back up, “As much as I loved having you at the BAU, it’ll be nice to not be so worried about you all the time.”

“Yeah, there’s only room for one person getting shot at in this relationship, besides I miss my students.” You giggled, leaning back against the criminally uncomfortable pillows, “Just keep in mind that I feel that worried about you all the time.”

You hummed as he pressed another sweet kiss to your forehead before spouting off a long winded mathematical statistic about getting shot. You half-listened, but the complex math was going over your head, so instead, you just thought about having to go back to your old job. You’d miss the BAU, but you had plenty of stories to tell your students. 

Scooting over as far as you could, you patted the newly empty space beside you. Spencer looked skeptical, afraid to hurt you, so you used a tiny bit of guilt-tripping with puppy dog eyes and a quiet, “I’ve been shot and I just want to be near you.”

Reluctantly, he climbed into the tiny bed beside you after slipping out of his shoes. You giggled at the sight of his mismatched socks as he gingerly settled in beside you. He tensed as you moved to lay in the crook of his shoulder but having you so close, he couldn’t help just relax. His long arms reached over and picked his book back up, and as he started to read again he absentmindedly played with the ends of your hair. 

“So, what do you think, wanna take the scenic route with me? We just might get lost.” You smiled up at him after his arm finally, tentatively wrapped around you.  First, he glanced at your hand, which had reached up to mess with his fingers and then to meet your eyes. 

“Is that a promise?”  He asked, taking your hand in his, “Because I kind of like the sound of that.”

“Spencer, I’ll always get lost with you.” You promised, deciding against your better judgment to stretch up to kiss him. You didn’t make it all the way to his lips, so you settled on his jaw before he fussed over you to lay back down. 

“Well, now that that’s settled.” You whispered voice strained at the light pain in your abdomen after you settled back into a comfortable position beside him and closing your eyes. “Read to me?” 

“Always.”

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Club Conservatrice.

Hey! What’s up everyone?

Hey!

...

...

...

I-Is everything ok?

Huh? O-Oh, yeah, everything’s fine...it’s just...I’m a little...you know...

Shocked?

Yeah. I guess that’s the word...

Shocked? About what?

It’s better if I show you guys...

*Kokichi takes everyone to his office. He switches on his radio and puts a tape in. Everyone listens to the recorded news reporter.

Mitsuba: I’m currently standing at the site of what used to be the infamous Club Compositrice, which is now nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Remains...!? R-Rubble.

Mitsuba: Over the course of the last night, the famous club run by recently publicly chastised Yosaku Fujita was demolished. It is unclear how this demolition was authorized or why it happened so quickly and suddenly, but many suspect that founder of the Four Horsemen, Shozo Asayoru may be responsible. Just yesterday, Asayoru leaked a load of incriminating information on debt, shady transactions and gambling histories that all focused around Fujita. One can’t help but think this is Asayoru’s way of teaching his former subordinate a lesson for dragging the prestigious name of his conglomerate down.

*Kokichi switches the radio off.

There you have it...

Club Compositrice...is GONE!?

I went to the scene to see it for myself this morning. There’s pretty much nothing left of it.

I don’t understand...Why would Asayoru do this? ...Assuming he really is the one behind this.

Who else could it have been? Asayoru was clearly angry at Fujita for shaming the Four Horsemen...And when you look at the bigger picture...This goes above and beyond destroying his work...

He’s destroyed every other part of his life too...

Oh my god...!

What? What is it?

Think about it. That reporter said that alongside destroying his Cabaret, Asayoru also leaked the information about Fujita’s debt to the public.

That’s effectively given him a bad public record. Nothing to harbor him a criminal, but I bet the police will force him to spend all that money to pay back his debts.

Since the public are reacting badly to it, I can assume that that debt is a lot bigger than we thought...Fujita might lose all the money he has, and with his image in the public eye already trashed, and his establishment demolished, how is he ever going to hope to recover from this.

Asayoru completely destroyed him...He has almost nothing left to his name...!

Holy cow...!

But wait...! Th-That can’t be right! Because if it is...

...what kind of man did we make an enemy of...?

...

...

...

...

Like it or not, the Horsemen have brought us a war, and we don’t have much of a choice to fight back.

I called everyone here today because I wanted to discuss our next move.

*Kokichi takes out a photo of the Four Horsemen. Fujita’s face is defiled with a big red X.

Very mature boss.

Shush, this makes it easier.

That aside, we’ve talked about it, and I’ve decided that our next target, will be this one...

*Kokichi’s finger lands on the solitary woman of the group with blue hair and glasses.

Her...?

Misako Rokuhana. The Manager of Club Conservatrice. We decided on her because we actually already know a substantial bit about her, thanks to Kuripa...

Kuripa? You know this woman?

More or less. I don’t know her personally, like, as a friend or worker, but I have met her before.

Where?

Hehe. Get ready for a plot twist...

I met her...at the new Hope’s Peak Academy.

Hope’s Peak Academy? 

Why would she be there? Is she a student?

She’s too old to be a student, even though she’s only 23 or something. Even if she was a student, she certainly wasn’t when Kuripa attended.

Wait. Now that I think about it, I remember that there was a file in Branch 14 that Makoto showed me!

It detailed all of the staff members and their positions in the new Hope’s Peak academy. I remember seeing a “Ms Rokuhana” under the teachers section.

So she’s a teacher...!?

It’s kind of like with Kana. During the day, she’s a professional VA, but at night, she’s a hostess.

Yeah, but even still, that combination isn’t too odd, and it works out.

A teacher as a hostess? It’s almost unheard of.

Trust me, there are quite a few anime’s that would say you’re wrong. 

Anime isn’t like real life Kuripa.

I know that, I’m just saying...

Either way, it’s an undeniable fact that Misako Rokuhana is a teacher in her daily life. And it’s also a hard fact that taking her down will be slightly more difficult.

Yeah. We only managed to beat Fujita by bullshitting him...And now that I think about it...

What?

Asayoru leaking Fujita’s info actually turns out to be a big risk for him. 

After all, nosy reporters may dig their noses in deeper and find similar dirt on the other Horsemen.

Which means Asayoru is either super confident they won’t find it...or it doesn’t exist in the first place.

I’m willing to bet that it’s the latter scenario. He was very clearly upset and shocked over Fujita’s debt. If he had similar situations around himself and the others, I doubt he would have gone this far to spite him.

Hifumi’s right. It looks like we can’t scam our way out of this one.

So what’s the plan Mr Ouma?

As opposed to throwing our opponent in the mud like we did Fujita, I suggest for Rokuhana, we go about it more professionally.

We’ll challenge her to a competition!

A competition? Over what?

I don’t know yet. I’ve decided that I’ll leave that decision up to her.

And is this really such a good idea? It’s not exactly surefire.

Yeah, I mean...Rokuhana can just turn it down, and we’d be stuck. Right?

Actually, I don’t think so...

Why not?

Because her credibility is on the line.

Turning down a request for a competition is effectively saying she bends to us. Even if she’s not as criminal as Fujita, her reputation as a manager and her club itself will be threatened.If she has any sense of honor, she’ll respond. Trust me on this.

I’ll go to Hope’s Peak tomorrow morning, and invite Ms Rokuhana to meet up. Kokichi, Syobai and I will go and meet her later with an offer. Everyone else just remain on standby until then.

[fiction-in-my-blood]

Switching Sides: Part 2 (HLITF)

Aaaannndddd once again I would LOVE to thank my girl @theshove for being my editor in chief and making my writing reach a HIGHER level I could never reach without your help. Thank you so much for making sense of my poorly grammar-ed sentences haha. 

Also, if anyone possibly wants to get on a tag list I’d be happy to make one 

👉👈

If you wanna catch up, Part 1 is right here! Happy reading :)

Premise: Growing up in a life of crime in a Japanese mafia, Atsuko Motomori has seen enough injustice to last her a lifetime. To try and give back to the universe her family has taken so much from, she dreams of being a detective from a young age. Her twin, sharing her disgust for her father and many uncles, just wants an ordinary life away from the crime, paing and suffering. Instead, she wants to be in the spotlight with the soft notes she makes with her cello. In their escape of 2015, on their coming of age birthday, they must split ways, never to be together ever again. If one was found, they didn’t want the other dragged down with them. Atsuko, having changed her name and appearance as best she can without a scalpel, sets off to start her life of car chases and arrests.

Four years in a seemingly dead-end police station in the middle of nowhere, being passed over time after time for promotion, Atsuko finally gets a shot at her dream, having been sent to an academy for the best candidates in the country by her boss who had always kept an eye out for her. After discovering her boss may have made her bite off more than she could chew, Atsuko must become the slave of a dominating instructor!? Who so just happens to be the captain of the most famous police unit in Japan? Not to mention a total knockout! Will Atsuko finally achieve her dream? Or will her new instructor put her through the wringer?

Warnings: Language, reference to sexual activity/forceful nature.

~~~~~~

‘A servant? Did he confuse that with a full-time aid?’ I tried to reason with his wording of my job title. As the room was lit by the setting sun and filters out into the corridor, I stood there in silence, thinking about what I'd just gotten myself into.

"Motomori, who will you partner with?" Ishigami closed the book of names and held it under his arm, keeping a close eye on how I was reacting. Letting my eyes meet each one of the detectives' before me, I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves. 

"Instructor Kaga, please," I announced. Although he seemed the most stern out of all the men, I took that as a sign of someone worn away by his experience. Which only meant there was more to learn from him. Right?

The announcement of my choice of instructor led Shinonome to laugh at my bravado. "Now that's something. Choosing Hyogo is pretty fitting for our little overachiever." The youngest instructor couldn't help but sound amused as the man I had chosen showed a concerned expression. As he looked me up and down, I stood with more confidence than I really had. 

After the Captain's silent review of me, Ishigami progressed through the other pairings. I glanced at Kaga and saw him taking a phone call. "Yeah... I'll take care of it." With his back turned to me, I only heard a minuscule amount of the conversation. 

"Kaga, you'll be going after this person." When the other Captain tried to hand over a folder, which I was sure had the case we should be working on inside, Kaga continued his conversation while pointing in my direction. He told Ishigami to give me the folder holding the information we'd need for the undercover assignment. 

"These are documents for the instructor." Ishigami frowned, obviously tired of Kaga's dismissiveness. Kaga begrudgingly took the folder before thrusting it into my chest. 

"Read it." He demanded and then finished his phone call. 

"I'm sure you understand, but-" Ishigami was cut off by Kaga crossing his arms. 

"I understand perfectly well." His mood seemed to worsen as the two talked. They continued to bicker as the rest of the instructors watched. I'm sure it was difficult to butt in on the Captains' discussions. 

"Squad leaders should get along..." Shinonome frowned as we watched, me not knowing what else to do except just stand there. 

"These two will go as far as a fistfight." Instructor Soma's comment made me worry that all the expensive equipment in this room would be damaged if someone didn't intervene soon enough. When Soma directed a question to Goto to see if he agreed, the messy-haired man just stood there in silence. 

"I can hear all of you." Kaga scowled as he took a cigarette out of his suit pocket. I knew smoking wasn't allowed in the building, having seen the signs next to most of the doorways, however I decided it best not to make him aware. ‘I mean, he has worked here longer than me.’

‘He is the freaking instructor, Atsuko.’ The voice in my head made me want to metaphorically face-palm. It was clear just by the way the instructor stood he didn’t care much for rules or regulations. 

"Don't get in my way." As he walked towards the door, Kaga made what sounded like a threat to me. 

"Didn't even think about it." I forced a smile, knowing full well he would likely trample over me if I took even a step out of line. If I was going to learn from this man, I would have to watch what he did instead of asking questions. 

"What're you standing around for? Come." Turning back to where I had been standing, I woke myself up from the pit of despair I had thrown myself into. 

‘What did you think was going to happen?’ I quickly followed as he gestured me over with a jerk of his head. 

~~~~~~

Sitting in the Captain's car, I couldn't help but feel anxious with the silence that thickened the air. According to the file given to us by Ishigami, we had to infiltrate a beach bar... But we were heading in the opposite direction from the sea. We were driving downtown. 

"Umm, sir, the file says the destination is-" Kaga, once again, cutting somebody off mid sentence. 

"Shut up," he spat, taking me aback with how rude he was. 

‘I guess that ‘scum’ comment wasn't too out of character for him, then’ I thought, stricken into silence but sighing on the inside. I turned to gaze out the window, praying that I could get through the day without being caught out for being inferior to what my file suggested. 

~~~~~~

When we stopped, I found myself inside a love hotel. My heart raced with worry, recognising the name as a brand my father ran when I was still living at home. He was a gang leader. With a strong mafia at that. He had his dirty little fingers in every industry that had some form of shady business going on. It's what made me hate him so much. The things he did, the things he made me watch, it's what made me want to become a detective. I wanted to pay the universe back for all the bad stuff he had done, and maybe one day find the evidence to arrest him. God knows, the police he had under his claws and henchmen doing his dirty work had delayed that for long enough. 

We made our way to the room booked for us, or, more aptly, for Kaga. Meanwhile, I tried to hide my face from the receptionist as discreetly as I could, not wanting them to somehow recognise me. Even though I did my makeup differently from when I was younger, had dyed my hair black from its original brown, dressed differently and even held myself differently, there wasn't much else I could do to change my appearance without making it trackable. I couldn't get surgery because then I would be in the government system; I know, somehow, they'd be able to track me, even if the profile I had now was completely different. 

"Hey, um... What're we doing here?"  I asked as I closed the door behind me, the eeriness of the red room making my eyes dart around for any hidden cameras or listening devices. I remembered my father telling me about all the politicians he had on tape and all the people he’d bribed with that information.

"I'm pretty sure I said shut up." Kaga spat, also inspecting the room. I frowned at his rudeness and flipped the switch that turned on the electricity for the room. All the lights went out, causing Kaga to spin around and glare at me in the darkness.

"Don't you know what your position is? Don't interfere." His frown deepened as he stormed back to where I was standing. He was obviously offended I had turned off the lights. 

"Love hotels are famous for secret cameras. They're turned on when the electricity switch is flipped. I thought you wouldn't want to risk getting caught." I smiled up to him with a spiteful thought hidden behind it. ‘This guy…’

Probably annoyed with how much sense my statement made, Kaga turned back to the centre of the room. ‘Is he really that easily annoyed?’ I chuckled to myself, not wanting to be reprimanded for intentionally frustrating my instructor.

The two of us were now alone in a dark room with nothing but a bed and mirrors on the ceiling. Not to mention a love hotel. I was painfully aware of what the room represented and everything that had ever happened in it due to the stillness in the air with the air-con off. Memories of what my father encouraged my sister and I to do in our youth flashed back, causing me to shake them out of my head. 

"Why're you so nervous?" Sitting on the large bed, Kaga raised his brow at me while I stood awkwardly away from him. I could see a concerned look on the Captain's face as he brought me back to earth. I could tell he wasn't concerned about my feelings, but rather about how naive and stupid I must seem. I didn't want to walk any further into the establishment than I had to, so I stuck my ground. 

"N-No reason." I grew shy, knowing I had no connection to my past life on my file and not wanting him to have a clue to think I would. 

"Oh?" A mischievous grin grew on my instructor's face and my senses heightened. With that, Kaga grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down onto the bed aggressively. Even though he was only holding my wrist, I struggled to move. My heart began to race in fear of what he was trying to do. Growing up with the most erratic people as guardians, I didn't want to guess what his plan was. 

"This morning was totally screwed up, thanks to you." He frowned down at me, that same demeaning look conveyed on his surprisingly handsome face. You would never guess his personality was as cruel as he was if it wasn't for the eternal crease between his brows. Feeling the anxiousness of an expected punishment, my breath gets caught in my throat. 

"How do you plan on making it up to me?" His grin returned as he held my wrists harder than necessary. Despite the smirk, his eyes were cold and expressionless. There was no way I was going to allow what he was insinuating to happen, so I pushed against his hands with all my might while somehow snaking my foot high enough to push on his stomach. 

However, before I could attempt to catapult him off, he covered my mouth with his hand. I looked at him like he was crazy, but because I hadn’t done much training lately, I couldn’t push him off me.

"Don't talk." He hissed, rising up from being inches away from my face. Then, I saw him pull something from my ear. It was an earpiece, making me wonder when he was able to put it there, not to mention without my knowing it was there. "This will make for a huge amount of evidence." He explained to himself. My mind, already in disarray, went into a confusion like no other. "It was worth the effort of getting it on." He looked at me suggestively as I sat up with unsure thoughts. 

‘So... He didn't lead me here for something worse?’ My brows furrowed as I thought back to the moments leading up to this, embarrassed and angry that I thought it would come to that. It was concerning to see his demeanour change from what I just saw to the victorious look on his face. He looked down at me, still sitting on the bed with a dejected expression, seemingly noticing my staring. 

"What're you just sitting there for?" He laughed at my appearance, my apprehension rising due to how laid back he was. Maybe it was because of where I was, but I was more sensitive to the casual restriction he just put me in. I looked away, not wanting to say something I'd regret. 

Then, I felt him leaning over me and I quickly turned my gaze back to him. I panicked. His face was nearer than I expected it to be as he jerked forward. I jumped back, the memories of intimidation tactics used on me before resurfacing from my past. 

"Did you really think I was being serious earlier?" He almost laughed at the notion. "Unfortunately for you, I don't have any problems with women." He inched closer again and it took everything in my being to not smack that pretty face of his. If I assaulted a detective, I would be expelled from the academy and likely arrested. Not to mention the scene it would cause being dragged out of here. "I'm not so desperate that I'd go after some inexperienced brat." He smirked before getting up from the bed, talking to me like I was the idiot. 

"What did you bring me here for..." Having had the time to understand that I would be safe and de-escalate my anger, I quickly regathered myself and straightened my back. "...If not for my training?" Looking at his suited back, I started to think back to why I was actually here. 

"I've got more important things to do than that useless nonsense." He explained spitefully. 

‘Then why become an instructor?’ I scowled to myself, knowing full well this man had no intention of teaching anyone anything. 

"Well, thanks to you so boldly choosing me, I pulled off some undercover work." He turned with another victorious smile. I was frozen silent, not knowing what would come out of this intimidating man's mouth next. Then, he pulled out his cellphone. 

"It's me. Yeah... the bug was a success. I've got enough evidence, so I'm withdrawing. You keep on going, sneak in and stay on the guy's tail." When he ended the call with his subordinate, the Captain quickly headed for the door. I was still frozen, trying to calm my racing heart from the panic I was in before.

"What're you doing?" Kaga turned back to me. "Staying?" My gaze darted up at the horrifying idea. 

"If you are, go search the room next door. Make sure you come back here." At the mere notion of real detective work,. Before I could say a thing, the frowning returned. 

"Too bad. You're not ready." The curt response was a deep cut to my confidence. Searching a room for anything fishy was probably one of the only things I came to the academy being able to do. But, before I could speak my piece, Kaga turned and left. 

~~~~~~

By that night, the long, rigorous day had completely worn me out; I'm sure my classmates also fared the same. I arrived at the dorms the academy made us stay in and threw myself onto my couch. ‘Could Kaga's mission possibly be for an investigation on my father?’ I thought back to where the excursion took place and the idea made my heart flutter. For years I had wished and prayed for retribution for all the wrong-doings my father and his goons had accomplished. The thought of his vicious crimes being aired out like dirty laundry brought a smile to my weary face. 

Getting off the comfortable couch, I retrieved a box from under my bed. It was small and light; there wasn't much in it. I opened it to find loads of old photographs. Some of them were heartwarming: my twin sister and I playing around or hugging each other. 

But, I’d only put them in there to hide what I was really storing: Pictures of crime scenes my father had left out in our living room or secluded garden. I once caught him in the act; that photo was in there too. I had an old tie with blood on it. A passport with a different identity than I had registered into the academy with. My mother's ring was knocking around in there somewhere. 

I hardly knew my mother. There are no pictures of us together and no one talked about her after she left us. The ‘family’. She couldn't take what my father and his ‘brothers’ did any longer and ran away, leaving her two daughters behind. I'm pretty sure she's dead now. Otherwise my father would have found her at some point. 

I came to realise that soon before my 18th birthday that my father didn't really care about us; he just wanted a lineage. So, I somehow convinced my sister to run with me. I assured her that I had a plan that would get us the lives we wanted for a little while. I had trained to go on the run; my father taught me all the techniques the cops used to track fugitives. That, along with a little help from a friend from my youth judo club, was all I needed to get us new identities and places to live. It wasn't easy at first, having to split from the person you had literally been with since birth. But, it was the only way to ensure one of us would be safe if the other was caught. 

It was also difficult to work up a good enough resume to get myself into the police force. The name Atsuko Motomori had never existed before four years ago. It was risky to lie about the qualifications I had when, in my past life, I never gained any. I was homeschooled to ensure I wouldn't be coaxed away by true, lawful policemen investigating my father or my ‘uncles’.

Looking through these memories and reliving my awful excuse for a childhood, I happily remembered why I was condemning myself to this place and people like Captain Kaga. I wanted to make sure my sister and I would be safe. And the only way I could do that was by locking them all up for the rest of their lives.

As I mulled over the bloody scenes within the box, I heard a knock at my door. I jumped, not used to company, and knocked the box off my lap. 

"Crap!" I whispered to myself, trying to clear everything away as quickly as possible. 

"Who is it?" I called out after collecting most of the contents, having double-checked the area for any compromising pictures. 

"Atsuko~! I come with food!" The cheery voice of my only female ally chimsed from the other side of the door. 

"Naruko, what're you doing here?" I questioned while opening the door. The food she was trying to bribe me with was a pack of potato chips and a soda from the vending machines downstairs. 

"I'm pooped, so I thought you might be even more worse off." The bubbly attitude helped her push herself into my dorm room. 

"You're not wrong there." Happy to have some form of womanly friendship after so many years of trying to keep to myself, I lazily followed her to the couch. 

"So how was it with the Satan reincarnate?" She giggled to herself, lowering her voice at the insulting part of her question. Maybe she feared he would hear her. I wouldn't be surprised if they had us under surveillance to see what we did after hours. Or if the Captain had supersonic, selective hearing. 

"It was... an experience." Trying to keep up my half of the deal I made with my instructor, I put on a tired smile. Kaga promised to pass me if I didn't tell anyone he had bunked the undercover training. 

"You want a drink? I think I've got some tea somewhere." Quickly attempting to change the subject, I wandered off to the small kitchenette in the corner of my room. 

As I prepared the beverages, Naruko spoke up out of nowhere. 

"Oh, Atsuko, what's this?" She called out and my blood ran cold. ‘Did I miss a picture? Was it something possibly incriminating?’ Wild thoughts circulated my brain at the possibility of getting caught. Having gory images of dead men stored away in my room wouldn't be easily explained. 

Hesitantly, I turned with a questioning smile, just waiting for her to let out some form of horror or disgust. Instead, though, I found her looking at an old polaroid photo with a loving smile. 

"You didn't tell me you had a sister!" She asked and I cocked my head, glancing at the image she waved at me. It was of my sister and I, building sandcastles on a beach when we were kids. My heart stopped as I remembered the scene.

That picture was of the day before my mother left. She had somehow convinced my father to let her take us out- which was a strange occurrence. Even if my father wasn't overbearing, which he definitely was, she didn't like going out much. It was summer and hot, and we would only annoy him, being locked in the house. I'm pretty sure I remembered at least three bodyguards surrounding our section of the sand, though.

I smiled at the painful memory, a happy one buried underneath so much hurt, and looked at the brown-haired girl with two short pigtails, dressed in a pink bathing suit. I don't think I've had a smile that big on my face in a long time. 

"Well, I, uh..." Not knowing how to respond, I just made noises. 

"She must be so proud of you for making it into this academy." She laughed and the statement only hurt me. 

"She's not really in my life anymore." I smiled sadly sitting next to her so I could look at the picture more in-depth. I could see a sliver of a man in a suit to the left of the picture's edge, closest to where I was, and something was slightly poking out of his waistband. To Naruko, it probably looked like a shadow of a tree or something less sinister than what it was, but it was likely one of the bodyguards with a gun hidden away. 

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, Atsuko." Naruko sounded so sad to hear I wasn't in contact with my sister anymore. We did look really happy in that picture. 

"Nah, it's alright. That's just how life goes." I took the picture from her and looked at it for a bit longer, concentrating more on my sister's face, even though it was an exact replica of mine, before slipping it through the crack between the lid of the box and the box itself. I didn't want my new friend catching a glimpse of anything in there.

"You sound so wise," Naruko giggled, maybe trying to help me feel happier again and lighten the mood.

"You make me sound like an old man," I laughed, jokingly hitting her arm like I was offended. 

"You shouldn't say such wistful things then." She laughed back as I headed back to the kettle to pour us some tea. 

We chatted for a little longer, mainly about what her training had consisted of, before Naruko went back to her room. Once she was gone, I sighed, glad that the picture she had found underneath my coffee table wasn't anything more frightening. Sliding the small box back under my bed, I began getting ready for a good night's rest. 

~~~~~~

Waking up the next day was... rough. Staying up later, thanks to Naruko, and the subconscious worry I’d because of what happened at the love hotel, I’d probably only got a few hours of sleep. 

‘Right, I have to get today right, at least’, I told myself, throwing my legs over the side of my bed. Ishigami already had it in for me because of the train situation - I'm sure all of the special instructors did - but I wasn't going to let that stop me from doing my best. ‘For us.’ Thinking back to the picture that had been found on my floor, I used that as encouragement to continue my life as though nothing had happened.

~~~~~~

In my first class, I could see Naruko already sitting down. She commented on how she hadn't seen me in the cafeteria for breakfast. "I wonder whose fault that is?" I playfully blamed her for making me wake up late. As we continued to chat mindlessly, I couldn’t help but think back to the limited facilities the academy had for women. ‘Well, at least the food and living quarters are good.’ 

"The real lectures are finally going to start today." Likely having it easier than I had yesterday, Naruko had a fire of ambition in her eyes. Luckily, our first class was in the classroom and not martial arts training, otherwise her passion might hurt someone. Our lectures consisted of a wide range of expert topics ranging from using tracking equipment to how to de-escalate a situation to undercover work. 

As we discussed what we would be studying here, the memory of how I was handled yesterday manifested on my wrists. I rubbed them, trying to get rid of the feeling of Kaga's hands. 

"Something wrong?" Noticing my anxiousness, Naruko peered into my face. As I told her “I’m fine”, she remembered how we never talked about my experiences yesterday. 

"I'm pretty sure I passed. If not, I don't think I'd still be here." I laughed off the subject, knowing how strict the instructors seemed to my friend. 

"Did you hear? Students who failed were severely punished." An uneasy expression laid itself on Naruko's face and I also started to feel sympathy for those that weren't as lucky as us. As we wondered about what the punishments were, Naruko got that grin she’d had during the ceremony yesterday. 

"I wonder what kind of punishment I would have gotten." The excited aura she was giving off only made a chill run down my back thinking about how much worse the Captain could be.

Intruding on my thoughts, the instructor delivering our lecture walked in and started the lesson. When it was over, I rushed to change into the attire I would need for our next bout of training on the grounds.

~~~~~~

As Naruko and I arrived on the pitch, everyone was lined up in front of Instructor Soma. He frowned at us, stating how late we were. "Sorry about that, Instructor. We took too long in the shower room." Maybe too casual with the man because of his usual laid back aura, we both bowed deeply. 

"Yes, there's no women's locker room, is there?" A small smile finally returned to his face as we rose again. "It's the first time, so I'll go easy on you. But, I won't go easy on you next time." Even though he looked kind, anyone could tell he didn't give any leeway. 

"There won't be a next time, sir," I replied rather confidently and the instructor almost seemed amused.

Naruko and I went to line up in the very back. The girl who couldn't seem to keep her feelings to herself whispered to me about how nice he seemed and how good looking he was. Thinking back to how Kaga treated me, I couldn't help but quietly agree. ‘There would definitely be no such leniency with him.’ I thought about all the awful punishments or torture methods the Captain could know as we continued our training.

Soma had us perform a fitness exam. We hadn't had a break since the class started when he called out my name to be tested. I stretched the pain out of my legs quickly, not wanting to cramp up. 

"Woah, Atsuko! You have a scary look in your eye!" Naruko, as tired out as I was, laughed nervously. You might say I was competitive. I would say I was trying to prove my worth to the classes of men who didn't think I belonged here. 

"Just tryna keep my head in the game." I jumped on my toes as the instructor called out my name again. "Coming!" 

Jogging over to him, I noticed that even the guys were looking visibly tired due to our endless training. I, on the other hand, although exhausted, had trained like this since I could walk. I was used to being able to hide the physical pain in order to not get shouted at for being weak. 

~~~~~~

For our last lecture of the day, feeling like I had been brought through the wringer, we all filtered into the Monitor Room. Maybe too nervous yesterday to get a good look at the room, I overheard my classmates gossiping about the surveillance equipment surrounding us. Not only were there cameras of the school grounds, but some screens showed destinations all over the country. 

"Don't you think just using this room would make for an easy investigation?" Overhearing one student comment, I couldn't help but agree. Knowing how much the pictures under my bed were worth, who knows how vital a video of a crime would be to an investigation. You just needed to be able to prove they weren't doctored. 

As the instructor lectured, I noticed Naruko resting on my shoulder. "Come on, Naruko. Just a bit longer." I shook her while keeping an eye out for anyone that might rat her out. 

"You can talk. You're a machine, Atsuko," she whined under her breath.

Suddenly, before I could laugh at her comment, another voice spoke up behind us. 

"Sasaki, go to the medical office if you're drowsy." Instructor Shinonome piped up and we both jumped to attention, having not felt anyone around us. Even though the man was grinning, there was something evil behind that childish face of his. 

"Ah! S-Sorry! I'm okay!" Naruko instantly woke up at the prospect of getting punished. 

"If anyone else wants to sleep, you can tell me. They put you through it on the first day, so I expect you're all tired." Shinonome's offer almost sounded like a chance to get us expelled. Or, it did to me anyway. Everyone else looked relieved at the kind sentiment. 

"Okay, that's all for today's class then. Great work everyone." A cheerful smile returned to his face as I eyed him suspiciously. The man I saw in the shower room on my first day was hidden under that friendly persona he had on. 

"Oh, right. Can those who I call stay after class for a moment?" And there it was! The not so innocent catch to his kind offer. Those who would be called were definitely being thrown to the wolves in order to save the rest of us.

As Shinonome began to read out the list, he directed his gaze to the monitor. He called out a few names before looking directly at me. "Lastly, Atsuko Motomori." His face had no note of malicious intent, however, I couldn't help but not trust it. As I gasped to myself, he dismissed our classmates. 

"Atsuko, what did you do?" Naruko whispered as our free classmates shuffled out around us. 

"I-I don't think I did anything?" I panicked, thinking back over the day, trying to find anything that could warrant me being reprimanded. Looking over to those also called, I could see they were just as nervous. Why were we the one's held back? 

‘Maybe... Kaga's mission was discovered?’ I couldn't help but wonder if we’d been caught as Naruko left me sitting where I was. 

"Don't be so nervous. I'm not going to get angry." The happy smile on Shinonome's face helped calm the others in the room. Even I was somewhat relieved by his words. "How were they? The lectures?" Directing his question at me, Shinonome looked over. 

"Educational! It's wonderful how good the facilities are." Trying to get on his good side, I didn't want to let myself look withered as I kept my voice light. 

"Well, the class seemed sleepy. Sasaki looked like she was nearly asleep." The comment didn't sit right with me, this being an elite academy and all.

"Well, as you said, they put us through it," I laughed, trying not to put Naruko in any deep water. 

"So, are you going to fall asleep on us as well? I'd have to punish you then." Shinonome cast me a look that probably didn't seem like anything to the other men in the room. But, to me, it seemed as untrustworthy as the rest of him. 

"Don't count on it." Not wanting to divulge my past of intense training, I just showed a soft smile. To be honest, I wouldn't mind a nap right now, but I wasn't going to admit that. The thought of any kind of punishment, which would likely be some form of harassment from him, had me on edge. 

"Too bad. I wonder if any students who I can have fun with will turn up soon?" His mischievous appearance reminded me of the look Kaga gave me yesterday and my eyes darted away. Even though Shinonome seemed actually happy and there was no emotion in Kaga's eyes, the concept of teasing made me uneasy. 

‘It's scary how he can talk like that and still smile.’ I thought about how his words didn't match the expression as the doors of the Monitor Room opened again. 

Throwing my gaze to the door, I watched Ishigami, Goto and Soma make their way inside. "You're all immediately going to be assigned as student aides to the instructors." Ishigami didn't miss a beat as all attention landed on him. 

"Simply put, you'll help the instructors file documents, prepare lectures and such," Soma added, helping the confused students out. I was shocked. I hadn't done anything special to get me a close position to any of the instructors, let alone have to deal with their grunt work. "Since we must continue our normal duties as Public Safety officers while we teach, we won't always have the time." With that comment, I finally understood why Kaga would agree to become an instructor- so he wouldn't have to do any of the work if he had a capable enough aide. I pitied the person that would have to undertake that role. 

"This is good experience, so although it will be difficult, we ask that you try." The encouraging words from Soma were much more trustworthy to me than Shinonome's slightly eerie ones. 

"Each instructor will get a full-time aide. Following the instructors will be an important role." Goto, as blunt as he had been at the introduction ceremony, crossed his arms as he stared down at all of us. Somehow, the silence that followed was more anxiety invoking than anything Shinonome could say. Soma was right, though. Being so close to an instructor all the time would be a perfect learning opportunity. 

"We will now announce the aides," Ishigami announced, retrieving his clipboard once again. "Instructor Kaga's aide will be Atsuko Motomori." The Captain was as stoic as ever as he read out the list. I, on the other hand, couldn't be more shocked. ‘Kaga seemed so annoyed by even my mere presence yesterday, why would he want me as an aide? He already thinks I'm a screw up because of the train incident.’ 

"What?" Ishigami glared at me as he heard my wordless gasp. 

"Nothing, sir. Sorry." I bowed my head in embarrassment of drawing attention to myself as I pondered over the events in the love hotel that could get me the chance to become an aide. ‘Is it because I chose him yesterday?’ I panicked, thinking back to the misplaced bravery I’d had when picking an instructor.

"Isn't this a good thing? You're one of the few to come back with him safely." Ayumu smirked at my worrisome state. ‘The only reason I was safe is because he didn't actually train me. There was no chance to get in harm's way. Except for the possible fallout of someone recognising me.’ 

"Shinonome, refrain from talking." Ishigami quickly progressed through the list of aides. Once he finished, he turned to me once again. He explained that Kaga was on an investigation mission and that I should go see him when he gets back. I hesitantly agreed, glad to have the time to prepare myself while he was out working. Unlike our permanent instructors, the guys from Public Safety weren't always around, which is probably why they need the help. 

As we were dismissed, I tried to remind myself what a good learning opportunity this could be.

~~~~~~

When the time came to see Instructor Kaga, as Shinonome had told me back in the Monitor Room, I headed to their staff room.

"Excuse me." I knocked on the door before opening it to find an office-like space. Kaga was sitting at one of the many chairs at the large table in the centre of the room. I stood in front of him in order to introduce myself. 

"I'm Motomori. Starting today I will be serving as your full-time aide." Straight-backed and trying to not look uncomfortable under his discerning gaze, I explained why I dared talk to him. 

"Oh?" His brows frowned, once again judging me for all I was worth. 

"I just came to let you know Instru-." However, before I could blame Ishigami for sending me here, I was interrupted.

"A full time aide?" He even seemed to ponder the idea before flat out rejecting me. "Useless, I have no need for an aide, so go." His blunt response threw me off a little. To be honest, I was surprised he didn't unenthusiastically jump at the idea for someone else to do his work. Losing the optimistic view of this assignment, I tried to explain that it had already been decided. 

"Don't need it." He quickly interrupted me again before turning his back on me. "Tell Ishigami for me," was the final thing he said before expelling my presence from the room.

~~~~~~

‘That was rougher than I thought it was going to be,’ I thought as I stood in the hallway, looking at the door signed 'Staff Room'. ‘But, I can't afford to back down here.’ More afraid of what Ishigami would say than what Kaga could do, I raised my fist to knock on the door. 

After hearing no reply, I began to get desperate. "Instructor, please!" I call out, not wanting to go back to Ishigami empty-handed.

"Shut up." The door flew open and there's Kaga, glaring down at me. The sudden action made me jump out of my skin in the silent corridor. "Let me spell this out for you since you don't seem to get it." The oncoming lecture was apparent when I felt like he was going to start insulting me for being so persistent. 

"I have no need for some useless piece." 

I won't lie, that statement struck home. The whole 'chessboard' way of thinking about people lower than you was exactly how my father treated us. I once confronted him about my mother's disappearance and all he could say was "she didn't know how to play the game. She's useless to us if she doesn't want to compete." That wording was something I never understood. How were you supposed to lead anyone if you didn't think anyone less than you was capable enough? 

As I thought about Kaga's statement, I tried to ignore the relation to the man who raised me. "If you give me a chance, I'm sure it'll get Ishigami off your back. He'll only complain to you if I go back to him now." I tried to reason with the side of him that hated his Captain counterpart and a wave of irritation flashed through his face. "I can do anything! I can file for you. I'll even do chores. Please!" I begged, hoping I was getting through to him. Maybe the idea of a maid would make him reflect on the idea. Then, he finally looked at me without that concerned expression. 

"Anything, you say?" He looked me up and down as I agreed, not thinking about the consequences of those words. Then, he narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth. 

"You can be my servant." The growing smirk on his face made me a little uneasy. It was that same grin of victory he’d showed when he’d collected the evidence from the love hotel. 

"Excuse me?" Was all I could utter out to ensure I’d heard him right. 

"You can be my full-time servant. How many times do I have to say it?" The disconcerting frown returned as his eyebrows creased together again. 

[redjaybathood]

hey, judas pt 3

pt 1, pt 2

To recap: Jason Todd is serving LWP in Blackgate, Tim is making a documentary about him to keep his Gotham Academy scholarship and chances to get into good college, Stephanie hates when things don’t add up, and Bruce Wayne is not above threats to sue.

"Can you state your name for the camera, what do you do, how you've been able to help us, that sort of thing?"

"Don't worry, it's not my first interview. My name is Barbara Gordon. Up until December 2016, I was doing some police aid work at the same precinct where the Felipe Garzonas case was investigated. I was the one who filed the reports at the time. I also made copies of the case to share with my friend, Dick Grayson. Dick is Jason Todd's brother of sorts. They both were taken in by the same man, Bruce Wayne. Shortly after the fact, my superiors found out that I shared materials of active investigation with a third party, and I was fired. I also had to switch my major from criminal justice to library science. Just as well, seeing what happened two months after that."

The young woman gestures at the wheelchair she's sitting in.

"Why did your friend ask you to jeopardize your career in law enforcement? All the materials of the investigation would have been available to Jason's lawyer, wouldn't they?"

"He didn't have to ask me. I know that while he and Jason were never close, I probably knew him better than Dick, honestly... I tutored him for half a year when he first came to live at the Manor. Jason missed a lot of school, living on the streets, and even before that, after his father was incarcerated. His mother was a drug addict, and Jason had to drop out to take care of her. So, when Bruce adopts him and has this bright idea to put him in Gotham Academy - you go there, Tim, you know what the academic pressure is like... Jason isn't stupid. He is, in fact, a bright kid. But he wasn't able to keep up with classes without tutoring. That's where I come in."

"But you said that the tutoring only went on for six months."

"Yes. Well. He made great progress."

"Is he that smart? He missed school for, what, about three years? And he was able to cover that much ground in that little time, all on the top of going to regular classes?"

"I'm an excellent teacher. And it's not like he had anything else going in his life. Friends or extracurricular activities. To my knowledge, that's what his life consisted of. His new home, and school. But... you are right. He still had miles to go. He refused to continue, though. He overheard a conversation between me and Bruce after one of our sessions. Bruce asked my honest opinion on his progress, and what I thought about Jason overall. Jason didn't like what he heard. He asked Bruce to discontinue the lessons. Bruce, perhaps out of guilt that he was talking about Jason behind his back, and because of what Jason heard had hurt him, agreed."

"So what did you say?"

"I said, that he is a bright boy, but...There is that darkness in him. So if Bruce was looking to replace Dick, he found a bad fit. Jason was never going to be Dick Grayson."

"Wow."

"Yeah. I regret it now. Well, I don't think I was wrong, and I think the events that transpired 2 years ago only proved that. Still, I look back and wonder... Maybe if I haven't said what I said, and push Jason away, maybe he would have had a friend to go to. Maybe I could have stopped him. Maybe, it all could have been prevented. Not that I blame myself for what happened."

"Who do you blame it on?"

"Besides Jason, you mean? The one who actually did it? Bruce, I guess. It was his responsibility, to keep eye on Jason. To teach him right from wrong. But Bruce... Well. He lives in his own world."

"Alright. Let's circle back. You said Dick didn't have to ask, you just did it for him. Why did it feel necessary for him to read those documents?"

"I saw how tormented he was. He left his home, he left Gotham even before Jason ever appeared in Bruce's life. If he stayed, or if he came back when Jason was adopted, maybe things would have played out differently. That's what he thought, I think. And it's not like he could just talk to Bruce about it. Sometimes... It's horrible to even think that, but I have to say it. Sometimes I wish it was Jason who died. At least, then Dick and Bruce could have been brought closer together, could have moved on. But... there's no closure, and there isn't going to be any closure, ever. What happened, it drove them apart even more."

"Thank you, Barbara. That's all for now."

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

So on the Danganronpa subreddit, I usually see posts of people editing a character's sprite to mimic a different character's talent. Like, what if Ibuki was the Ultimate Gymnast, or what if Hajime was the Ultimate Detective. It got me thinking, just how much different would the games be if the talents were switched? So just for fun, I thought I'd write up some ideas on how the first game would differ in this scenario. The one rule here is that the story, twists, deaths, and character relationships remain the same, despite the talent changes. EDIT: Okay, mostly the same, obviously parts of the story have to be updated or changed in order to accommodate the talent changes.

The changes (Junko remains the Ultimate Despair though for story reasons):

Makoto Naegi is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny / Kyoko Kirigiri is the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader

Byakuya Togami is the Ultimate Soldier / Toko Fukawa is the Ultimate Lucky Student

Aoi Asahina is the Ultimate Moral Compass / Yasuhiro Hagakure is the Ultimate ??? (Detective)

Mukuro Ikusaba Junko Enoshima is the Ultimate Fanfic Creator and the Ultimate Programmer

Sakura Ogami is the Ultimate Gambler / Celestia Ludenberg is the Ultimate Pop Sensation

Hifumi Yamada is the Ultimate Clairvoyant / Kiyotaka Ishimaru is the Ultimate Fashionista

Mondo Owada is the Ultimate Baseball Star / Chihiro Fujisaki is the Ultimate Swimming Pro

Leon Kuwata is the Ultimate Martial Artist / Sayaka Maizono is the Ultimate Writing Prodigy

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now the changes I thought of:

1) Makoto is still the wholesome, lovable boy we know him as but this time, his attitude on life has changed thanks to his wealthy lifestyle. He's "humble" for a rich man but it's clear he's not used to living among the "regular" people. Examples of this could be a scene where Makoto is surprised that the cafeteria menu isn't five-star quality, complaining that his shower only has one shower head when the Naegi mansion has five, and mentioning in passing that Komaru's favorite necklace is worth $100,000.

2) Junko says that she specifically messed with Yasuhiro's memory since he was the sole threat to her operation. In the final chapter, she mentions that she had to restart the game since Yasuhiro, with his memory as the Ultimate Detective still intact, managed to solve the mystery within the first few hours. So before she restarted the game, she screwed up Hiro's mind so that he became a bumbling idiot.

3) Kyoko's cold nature now comes from the fact that she's one of Japan's most notorious criminals. However, she secretly despises what she became as apparently, her father disowned her after he found out about her biker gang connections. She believes that her father was trying to protect his reputation as it would be a bad look on the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy if he had a criminal daughter.

4) Sayaka's childhood relationship with Makoto is changed to that her early writing career was supported by the Naegi family. Apparently, she came to the Naegis for help in publishing her novels, which is how she met Makoto.

5) Byakuya's dickish attitude is now more of a tough drill sergeant. He sees everyone around him as "weak" and wouldn't survive a day in the battlefield. (basically, Byakuya in this version is every tough soldier guy stereotype who thinks civilians are snowflakes that need protecting)

6) I'd like to imagine that Mukuro would be somewhat of a zany fangirl. Like, she still has her fun personality, but now it's directed to talking about her favorite fandoms and the latest story she wrote. Then, when we get to the "Mukuro Ikusaba, 16th student, watch out for her" section, we learn that she was actually the Ultimate Programmer. Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya then hypothesize that maybe Mukuro set up Hope's Peak Academy to trap them all in. It makes sense as only a master computer programmer could maintain control over the entire academy. - side note: Alter Ego is also changed to that of a mysterious program with no face. It wants to help the students escape but won't reveal its true face since it doesn't want to expose its "creator's" identity.

7) Okay, I admit, I made Mondo the baseball star intentionally. Just...imagine chapter 2 but instead of dumbbells, he used a baseball bat. But on a serious note, in this version, I imagined that the accident that led to Daiya Owada's death was that Mondo hit a ball right into a drainage ditch during a heavy storm. In a fit of stupidity, Mondo tried to retrieve the ball (the ball could be a heirloom to the Owada family) but got caught in a sudden rush of water. Daiya managed to pull him out but at the cost of his own life.

8) Celestia's arrogant behavior now comes from her being a "celebrity". She believes the entire class loves her music and that they worship her like her legions of adoring fans. Makoto also makes a side comment where he mentions that Celestia attracts people because she has the "alternate, lolita goth" thing going for her, even though her music fits with the typical J-pop scene. When it comes to her name, "Celestia Ludenberg" is her stage name and she refuses to go by her real name as she wants to be seen only for her pop sensation persona.

9) Toko's internal hatred is made even deeper in this version as she thinks she doesn't belong with the class. It's bad enough that she already hates herself, it's made worse since she knows that she doesn't have a special talent as she was just picked on random. However, the luck side also works to her advantage as it's explained that Toko somehow managed to avoid capture from the police even though she's an active serial killer.

10) I imagine that Hina as the Ultimate Moral Compass would be more of an "etiquette cheerleader". She's still fun and bubbly, but now she'll make you laugh while also telling you to eat your vegetables and clean up your room. But she still loves donuts and she fully believes that only a person pure of heart could've came up with the idea of donuts.

11) Not much changes with Sakura's character. She's still best friends with Hina and she still loves the class, enough to commit suicide. This time, she talks about her suicide as if she was making a huge gamble. In her mind, she believes that if she goes "all in" and bets her life away, that will lead to the remaining students banding together to stop Monokuma.

12) Hifumi Yamada is still a gross pervert, but instead of making fanfic/2D art/manga/anime jokes, he now makes clairvoyant jokes. Stuff like, "I see in my future...Ms. Maizono will be my girlfriend!" or "Mr. Naegi, if you keep doing good deeds, I foresee in your future that not only will you live a long, happy life, you will also marry both Ms. Kirigiri and Ms. Asahina!"

13) Kiyotaka is still a really forceful person but now he's all about people's fashion. Stuff like, "MAKOTO NAEGI, FOR AN AFFLUENT PERSON, YOU CERTAINLY DON'T DRESS THAT WAY!" or "MONDO, YOUR ATTITUDE IS AS BAD AS YOUR AWFUL OUTFIT!". Guess you can say he's the actual fashion police. But on a serious note, his backstory is changed to that of a successful male model who has inspired legions of men to always look their best. Something about how you should look your best in order to be at your best.

14) Chihiro is still scared of everything around him but takes comfort in the idea of swimming. He explains that swimming is the one thing he isn't afraid of in life and that by focusing all of his life on swimming, he reached Olympic levels of skill.

15) Leon Kuwata isn't really changed. However, now it's revealed that he managed to block Sayaka's attacks and throw Hiro's glass ball at the incinerator with his ultimate martial arts skills.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 40: Out of the Dark

Friday after her shift at the convenience store, Ren got a call. She answered it. “Hello?”

“Hey kid” Iwai said on the other end. “I’ve got a special job for you tonight. Meet up at the shop, and do as I say, OK?”

Ren was puzzled. “No offence, but an older gentleman calling a young girl, such as myself, and asking her to do as he says isn’t a good thing usually.”

Iwai sighed. Ren giggled. “You know I hate dealing with cops as is. This kind of thing would only attract more unwanted attention.”

“I know I know,” Ren said. “I just like yanking chains.”

“Would that be why you got arrested?” Iwai said, turning it on her.

“Nah” Ren answered. “I only pull chains when I know I can get away with it.”

“Figures” Iwai said. “Just meet up at the shop.”

“I’ll be there in a few,” Ren confirmed. “Later!” She hung up and headed towards Untouchable.

“Good. You’re here” Iwai said. “So you do wanna do as I say?”

Ren smiled. She liked it when people were quick on the uptake. “Well, I could fight you, but I don’t think the police would be on my side.”

“Heh” Iwai laughed. “You could probably murder me and get away with it as far as the police are concerned.” Iwai stood up. “In all seriousness, let’s go.”

“Huh? Where are we going?” Ren asked.

“There’s this diner nearby,” Iwai explained. “I’m meeting someone there. I just need you to hang back and call me when I give the signal. I’ll even pay for your food… Provided you don’t order too much.”

“Question” Ren asked. “What’s ‘the signal’?”

“…That’s fair,” Iwai said. “I’ll just cough. Is that OK?” Ren nodded. “Good. Now let’s head out.” They headed towards the diner. “Alright, I’ll head in first, and then give it a few minutes before I head in. Sit somewhere close by. Oh yeah.” Iwai went through his pockets. “Here’s your spending money.”

Ren nodded. “Thanks.” Iwai nodded back. He walked into the restaurant. Ren let some time pass and followed him in. Ren spotted Iwai and sat at a booth close by. Once seated, she placed her order, and got out a book to make it look like she was studying.

A few minutes later, a man walked in and sat with Iwai. “Hey Mune. What’s the occasion?”

“It’s been a while,” Iwai answered.

“Feeling sentimental, eh?” the other guy asked.

“Well, I also heard some noise about Tsuda when some cops came by,” Iwai said. “I just wanna make sure everything is going OK.”

“Ah, good ol’ classic Mune” the guy sitting across from him said. “Always willing to uphold the oath.”

“...If there’s anything I can do…” Iwai pressed on.

“Heh. You know you’re always welcome to come back” the man said.

“...You know I gave up the life,” Iwai insisted.

“Right…” the other guy said. “Well, if we do need anything, we’ll let you know. After all, you’re our brother, right?”

“Of course,” Iwai said. He coughed. Ren, overhearing all of this, pulled out her phone and called Iwai.

“You feeling alright?” the other guy asked.

Iwai drank some water. “Just a little parched. His phone went off. “He checked it. “I gotta take this. It’s business.”

“I understand.”

“Hello?” Iwai said. “I see.” He placed his hand over the receiver. “Hey, I’m going to need to cut this short. Someone’s trying to mess with me.”

“If you give us a name, we can assist” the other guy said.

Iwai looked at him sternly. “I’m a skilled business professional. I can handle this.” He got back on the phone and started to leave. “OK now, where were we?” Once he was outside, he switched his tone. “OK, stay on the line, but don’t say anything to arouse suspicion. If he leaves, tell me.”

The other guy got out his phone and proceeded to make a call. “Hey Tsuda. It’s me, Masa...Yeah, that meeting Iwai wanted to take. Apparently the police are already looking at us...Right...Of course...No, that's fine...Yeah, it’s probably that deal from the beginning of the year...Huh?...No, you know Mune. He’s just saying this to honor the code. Although he is interested in helping out, provided he doesn’t do anything uncouth...Yeah...No, of course you can handle it…”

Ren got another drink. “Thank you,” she said. The man looked over to see she was also on her phone. Ren panicked slightly, and tried to cover her tracks. “Right, so, your day sounded lovely dear. As for me, I just got off work at the convenience store, and now I’m having dinner while studying...Yeah…”

The man, Masa, turned back to his conversation. “Nah, it was just some girl talking with her significant other...Yeah...Anyways, don’t worry about it...I’ll look into how much the police know, while you think of something for Mune...Yeah...Talk with you soon...Bye.” He hung up, finished his food, and left.

“He just left,” Ren told Iwai, over the phone.

“Alright. Good job” Iwai said. “I’m guessing he gave you a look.”

“Yeah,” Ren said.

“Still, that was some quick thinking,” Iwai said. “I guess it’s a good thing I hired you. If you had ran into Masa on your own, he might have tried to sweep you up into his deal. Although I’d like to think you’re smart enough to avoid that.”

Ren giggled. “Thanks.”

“I’m gonna look into what they’re doing,” Iwai said. He paused. “You know, it’s nice to have someone assisting me like this again. Ever since I’ve been on the straight and narrow, I haven’t had much in the way of assistance. I guess I thought I was used to it. But thank you. I couldn’t have done this alone. I think I’m starting to like you a little more. Enjoy your meal.”

Ren smiled. “Thanks boss.”

Hanged Man-Munehisa Iwai: Rank 2

Ren hung up, finished her meal, and headed home.

On Sunday evening, Ren got a call from Yoshida. “Hello?”

“Hello?” Yoshida said from the other line. “Is this Amamiya-chan from the restaurant?”

Ren giggled. “Yes.”

“I see,” Yoshida said. He sighed. “I’m glad I got the right number. Hey listen, I’m working on a speech tonight, and I was wondering if you could come and assist me.”

“Sure thing” Ren answered.

“Great! I’ll be out by Central street” Yoshida answered. “See you soon.” He hung up.

Ren headed to Central Street to meet up with Yoshida. Once she got there, she tapped his shoulder. “Mr. Yoshida?”

“Ah, splendid!” Yoshida said. “Perfect timing. I still have a few minutes before I go on. So, why don’t we chat for a bit?”

“OK?” Ren said, cautiously optimistic.

“Good,” Yoshida said. He sighed. “While I appreciate the help, I do have to ask: Why are you helping me?” Ren was caught off guard. “It’s just, there are other politicians out there with a more solid foothold in the political world. I’d figure you’d rather place your bets on a winning horse over me.”

Ren looked the man over. He seemed sincere, but a little doubtful of himself. Yet he continued making speech after speech. Ren smiled. “I told you before, I like your message.” Yoshida was stunned. “You stand up for the people. You want to assure people that the government can help them, especially if they can’t help themselves. I can’t help but admire that. Besides, you can’t count out a Dark Horse candidate until the race is over, right?”

“BAHA!” Yoshida said. “You’re quite right. I suppose the impossible COULD happen. Hm. Thank you.” Ren was taken aback. “For assuring me about my message. I wasn’t sure people were listening. So it’s nice to see that people are. Even if they can’t vote yet.” Ren smiled and bowed politely. “And how serendipitous is this: Tonight’s speech is about a couple of Dark Horses in our world today. Are you ready?”

Ren nodded, but then paused. “Um, what exactly am I doing?”

“Oh, right,” Yoshida said. “Well, basically for now you’re going to hold up these cards that advertise what I am speaking about for the evening. I might ask you to assist me in other ways in the future.”

Ren nodded. “Got it.”

“OK!” Yoshida said. “I’m just about on. Grab that sign and let’s go!”

Ren nodded. She went over to grab the sign Yoshida asked her to. When she read it, she was jolted a bit. “Tonight’s Topic: The Rumored Phantom Thieves.” Well, at least we have some attention. She grabbed the sign and headed to position.

Once they were in place, Yoshida began speaking. “People of Tokyo!” A small crowd began to circle around him. Although Ren noted that they mostly seemed apathetic and just wanted a way to kill time. “Tonight I wish to talk to you about the Phantom Thieves! Those rumored vigilantes that have recently sprung up in the city.”

The crowd’s attention was piqued. “While their existence may be unknown, we have to ask: If they are real, why did they show up in the first place? Shujin Academy, the place they made their mark, was home to one of the most heinous scandals I’ve even seen. Students felt unsafe in the very place they should be welcomed.

Furthermore, the person making them feel unsafe was a highly respected member of society; which would make it difficult, if not impossible, to tell someone. They had no other option BUT these rumored Thieves. They uncovered a dark truth surrounding the school, and managed to put a stop to it, which is why people are taking note of them, and some are even showing their support.

However, as a politician, I know that for every one cruel deed you find, there are ten more still lurking in the shadows. The Phantom Thieves arrived because no one else was willing to help! But we can’t continue to rely on the Phantom Thieves forever! The government’s job should be to unearth these dark truths and stop them. Yet the powers that be are doing nothing.

That is my pledge to you! If you elect me, I promise to shed light on the darkness. And I will continue to fight for you all! Thank you.”

The crowd was murmuring. Ren noticed that they started to take interest. However, one man walked up and said “Psh. Chasing headlines to garner support? Don’t pretend like you’re nothing but the No-Good-Tora! I bet those thieves would come after you next!”

“WHA!” Yoshida said, in shock.

Ren was incensed. “HEY! That’s Mr. Yoshida to you!”

“Oh wow!” the man said. “You managed to convince someone to work for you. I wonder how you managed to swing that.”

Ren was seething. Yoshida took a deep breath and motioned Ren to stop. Ren was confused and looked at him. “It’s alright,” he said, nodding at her. He turned to the heckler. “My apologies. As you noted, she IS new. I’ll talk to her about all of this.”

“Hmph” the heckler said. “Whatever.” He walked off.

Yoshida sighed. He addressed the crowd. “Thank you everyone. And I’m sorry about the slight interruption. But please, do take my message to heart.” The crowd once again murmured, and then dispersed.

After they left, Ren and Yoshida met behind the wall. “Well, tonight could have gone a bit better…” Yoshida remarked. “...But it could have gone worse as well. Thank you.”

Ren as a tad confused. “That guy though…”

“Bahaha!” Yoshida laughed. “I’ve been a politician for quite some time now. I’m accustomed to the occasional heckler. But it’s important to remember to let cooler heads prevail.”

Ren sighed. “You’re right.”

Yoshida smiled. “Although I would have been lost had you not stood up for me in the first place.”

Ren was delightfully surprised. “Oh, thanks.”

“Truth is, I have a bit of a troubled past,” Yoshida explained. “And whenever someone brings that up, I feel weakened. But I’ve learned my lessons, and I’m trying to do what’s best for the country now. And that has to involve not letting naysayers get the better of you. Although, I have a bit of trouble in that area. Still, you being here tonight helped me focus quicker. Because I know someone was listening, and if I gave into my worst instincts, they might learn to do the same.”

Ren smiled. She then shifted around. “So, um, your speech… Do you support the Phantom Thieves?”

“Hmmmm” Yoshida pondered. “Well, as I said, I like what they did, but surely there has to be more we can do. The Phantom Thieves can only do so much for us. And their appearance in general is a bit worrying. If they’re our only hope, then the country is heading in a dark direction.”

“I see…” Ren said, taking note of this.

“What do you think of them, Amamiya-chan?” Yoshida asked.

Ren was a little caught off guard, but gave an answer. “Well, I can’t help but be biased,” she said. “I mean, I do attend Shujin, and I have been the target of that man’s actions, as well as several of my friends.”

“Oh my!” Yoshida said, shocked.

Ren smiled. “But it’s because of that that I believe you.” Yoshida was confused. “It’s hard to trust anyone after going through something like that. There are people with a vested self-interest that only look out for themselves, even if they tell you otherwise. But you’re different. When you say you wish to help people, I can tell you mean it. And I want to be there with you to make sure your message gets heard.”

Yoshida smiled. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Amamiya-chan. I’m looking forward to continuing working with you.

I am thou... Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow...

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Sun Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.

Sun-Toranosuke Yoshida: Rank 1

After that, Ren and Yoshida headed home for the evening.

[mst3kproject]

Exo-Man

Failed series pilots were very much part of MST3K’s stock in trade.  We’ve sat through San Francisco International, Stranded in Space, Code Name: Diamond Head and I’m sure there were others.  I generally recall all of those movies being kind of dull and lacking in personality, and I can’t imagine this 70’s superhero mess being much better.  I don’t think anybody in Exo-Man was ever on MST3K but Jose Ferrer (the first Latino actor to win an academy award, for 1950’s Cyrano de Bergerac) was once in a movie called Zoltan, Hound of Dracula, which I am deeply remiss in not having seen yet.  You may also recognize Harry Morgan, who was Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H.

Dr. Nick Conrad is a wacky physics professor of the type nobody has ever encountered in real life.  He’s somehow both smart enough to invent anti-gravity and memory plastic, and stupid enough to chase after a fleeing would-be bank robber.  The latter stunt, set to wakka-chicka Mitchell music, makes Nick the target of a mafia assassin, who kills his lab assistant and leaves Nick himself paralyzed from the waist down.  He wallows in self-pity for a while, but then rediscovers his passion for invention and builds himself a suit of armor that will allow him to walk again… and to take on the mob single-handedly.

I don’t know why they called the movie Exo-Man.  That name is never used in the dialogue.  I guess the more accurate Fiberglass Avenger just wouldn’t have sounded as cool.

The first thing you’re likely to notice from the plot summary is that Nick’s story starts off as Dr. Strange and then takes a hard left into Iron Man.  I’m pretty sure the latter at least was an intentional ripoff, with bits of the first thrown in, knowingly or not, to distance Exo-Man from Marvel’s lawyers. What’s funny is that posterity has actually made it a hat trick: the movie opens with a weirdly homoerotic jogging scene, so now he gets to be Captain America, too!

Exo-Man is a really stupid, often boring, and consistently ugly movie.  The actors are mediocre, the music bland, the effects terrible, and stuff is made to look ‘high tech’ by sticking lots of blinky lights on it.  Way too much time passes before we get to the action and when we do, we find a deep pit of disappointment.  Yet at the same time… I kind of enjoyed it.

A major part of why has got to be the incredibly dopey super-suit the main character wears, which looks less like ‘Iron Man’ and more like ‘Fiberglass Commando Cody’.  It moves really slowly and I doubt the guy in the costume can see very much.  Nick controls the bottom half of it using switches on one sleeve, which appear to have simple functions like ‘sit’, ‘walk’, and ‘jump’ (there is, of course, no ‘run,’ because nothing happens fast in this movie). He puts the thing on by lying down in what looks like a tanning bed (or maybe one of those contraptions from Avatar).  My personal favourite is the warning light labeled malfuntion.

All this is in a movie that sometimes manages to be surprisingly subtle.  We are introduced to Nick while jogging, we watch him play tennis with his girlfriend, and see him maintain this exercise regime even while he’s supposed to be under police protection.  These shots are in brilliant sunshine, and the camerawork is as active as the subjects. Post-injury, Nick never outwardly complains about his inability to participate in sports, but we now see him sitting in his wheelchair in dark surroundings, with the camera held perfectly still.  We feel that he has lost something he loved dearly, and we never need to be told it outright.

We are also introduced to Nick as somebody who is devored to furthering minorities.  His two lab assistants are an east Asian student and a Jewish one (the latter identified as such by a surname, rather than appearance), and the reason he was at the bank was to help a Latino student get a loan.  Again, the script trusts the audience to get this without having to draw attention to it through dialogue.  These minority characters are, of course, still just accessories to Nick’s story. The Jewish guy in particular is there to be fridged – its his death that leads to Nick flaunting his police protection and getting hurt.  But the effort was made to say that minority rights are important to Nick, without hitting us over the head with it.

Theme-wise, Exo-Man is about a man coming to terms with a disability.  I should preface this by saying that I am not disabled, so my perspective is necessarily biased.  If anything I say below is offensive, that is out of ignorance, and please let me know so that I may edit or delete the review and do better next time.  I was actually pretty impressed by how the script and director handled the life-changing nature of Nick’s injury… mostly.  I’ll start with the bad stuff.

The attack on Nick comes with a heaping helping of victim blaming.  As an important witness in the bank robbery, he was offered police protection.  The assassin tries to get around this by putting a bomb in his car, but one of the lab assistants borrows the car for a late-night pizza run, and gets killed in Nick’s stead.  This leads Nick to deliberately place himself in a vulnerable position, hoping to draw the killer out for capture and punishment.  In the hospital with a broken back, Nick blames the police for failing to protect him, but I’m pretty sure the movie wants us to think that this is really Nick’s own fault.  Like the tragic accident victims in Days of our Years, he has nobody to blame for his own misery, or that of his loved ones, except himself.

After that, however, the movie’s treatment of Nick’s disability improves quickly.  His girlfriend Emily leaves him, but that’s not because he’s in a wheelchair, it’s because he’s too busy wallowing in self-pity to even let her into his apartment. Later when he apologizes to her, she takes him back and they resume their happy relationship, and the fact that they can’t play tennis together anymore is not an issue.  She does not treat him as something to be pitied, she speaks to him on his eye level, and they avoid that weird trope of having the abled partner sit in the wheelchair-user’s lap.  Emily loves who Nick is, not what he can do.  His colleagues and students, likewise, treat him with respect and help him with his chair, and never make the latter feel like a burden.

By the end of the film Nick has come to terms with his disability.  The suit he’s built is not a cure for his condition: in fact the first time he wears it out, it breaks down and he needs help getting back to his high-tech armored van.  It’s a tool he has built for a purpose, and he doesn’t feel the need to wear it in non-superhero situations.  Based on what we see, he could have built a legs-only version to wear under his trousers and let him go jogging and play tennis again, but that is no longer who Nick is.  And when and whether to wear the suit is always Nick’s own choice, not something imposed on him from the outside.

Of course, it would also be really helpful in later maintaining Exo-Man’s secret identity, and I suspect the writers were thinking of that a lot more than they were of things like parents forcing questionable ‘cures’ on disabled children.  The secret identity probably would have been a big deal if the pilot had sold, but in this stand-alone story, I thought the suit worked well as a metaphor about a disabled man at peace with himself.

Exo-Man also takes a quick little peek at the morality of vigilante justice, although this comes in pretty late and clearly isn’t something they wanted to get into in any detail.  The first person Nick confronts in the suit is the assassin who actually beat him up. He says he didn’t go into this encounter with any real plan… perhaps he just wanted to scare the guy.  What ultimately happens is that the assassin climbs a drainpipe to get away from the terrifying robot man, the pipe comes off the wall, and the man falls to his death.  Nick feels this is his fault, and so the next time he takes the suit out he does so with a particular goal in mind: he wants to capture the mob boss and provide evidence of his wrongdoing to the police, not to kill anyone.

The mob boss’ name, by the way, is Kermit Haas, which is probably the least intimidating name a movie has ever given to its big bad.

Would that work?  Is evidence a guy in a robot suit left in your dumpster for you admissible in court?  Isn’t where stuff was found kind of important?  I honestly have no idea and I’m not sure how to go about finding out.  People might wonder why I want to know and I don’t think saying it’s for my blog would allay their suspicions.

At the end of Exo-Man, I was more entertained than not, but mostly on the level of laughing at the dumb-looking suit and appreciating the fine art of ripping off comic book characters.  If that’s your kind of thing then this movie ought to put the fun in malfuntion for you. If that’s not your thing, well… this is an MST3K blog.  What are you doing here?

[repulsivepangolin7]

Fic: Why don’t you crash at my place?

A/N: Okay, so I was sitting around and eating some carrot cake, which happened to be my snack this weekend, and I had this idea. So, this is set some time before season one. In other words, Street isn’t a part of the team yet (and Buck is the squad leader). Oh, and I took some poetic license at one point. In my mind it makes sense, but there’s nothing in the show which has pointed towards it (I don’t think anything has pointed away from it either though���)

Word count: 3 042

  She looked over at Luca as she finished up changing into her off duty clothes. Luca was in the process of stripping off his uniform.  

She focused back on her locker and started shoving her dirty work clothes into her bag.

She glanced over at Luca again and saw him limp over to the bench behind them to change out of his pants. He started with taking off his shoes, before he started unbuttoning his pants, still seated. He had taken quite the beating earlier, and he generally looked like he could use a pair of crutches.

“How are you doing?” she asked as she put her hair back up after brushing it.

They were the last two in the locker room. Chris was running late since she had decided on grabbing a shower at work, Luca was still there because he had spent forever limping from the garage and up to the locker room. And then he had spent some time just sitting on the bench, resting.

“Looking forward to a slow evening and a bag of frozen veggies to drape over my knee.” He admitted, “And the day off tomorrow.”

Chris nodded, “I could drive you home, if you want.”

Luca looked down at his knee for a second, they both knew he had handed the keys over to Tan for the ride back to the Metro.

“That would be really nice, thank you.” He smiled, before he sighed heavily, “You know what, never mind. I should probably step into the shower before my knee stiffens up completely. I can drive myself home.”

“No, I can wait. You don’t plan on staying in there for an hour, right?” Chris teased.

He chuckled, “No, I don’t plan on it… But judging by all my aches and bruises, I just might anyways.”

Chris chuckled, “I can wait for you. I can spend some time going over my gear in the meanwhile.”

“Just leave me a note on the locker if you decide I take too long in the shower, and that it was better just to leave.” Luca shrugged.

Chris nodded. She knew she would wait until he was finished up in the shower, no matter how long it would take.

 SWATSWATSWAT

 Half an hour later she returned to the locker room and found Luca almost dressed on the bench.

“Thanks for waiting…” he smiled, tying up his second shoe.

He grabbed his own duffle bag before he struggled to his feet.

He only made it two steps away from the bench, before Chris decided he needed something or someone to lean on and ducked under one of his arms.

“Thanks.”

“You really should get that checked out.” She frowned as they started making their way towards the parking lot.

“It’s not broken or anything.”

“Are you sure? You’re limping pretty bad.”

Before he could stop himself, a low growl escaped his chest.

“Luca…”

“It’s not broken.” Luca exhaled slowly.

“You really should have a doctor check that out.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow, alright?”

She didn’t have to look up at him to know he was rolling his eyes. She didn’t really get the thing about not going directly to a doctor when something was as painful and as swollen as Luca’s knee seemed to be. But then again, she knew he had a thing about needles. The guy was cooler about potentially being stabbed than getting a needle poked into him.

“How about you come home with me instead of going home alone?” she offered, “We can watch 80’s action movies and I can make homemade pizza for us.”

“You sure?”

“My spare bedroom is always ready.” Chris replied, “And I’ve got a few ice-packs and a bunch of bags of frozen vegetables. Sure enough to ice that knee of yours.”

Luca nodded, “You sure make offers which are hard to turn down.”

“So, you’re coming home with me?” she pulled, “The building I live in has an elevator…”

“Alright, you’ve sold it to me…” Luca chuckled, “I’m not up for climbing four floors worth of stairs anyway. You know, unless I have to…”

Chris chuckled, “Good thing you don’t have to then…”

 SWATSWATSWAT

 Chris had supported him all the way to her car, and then from her car and up to her apartment and onto her couch. She helped him pile up a few pillows to rest his leg on and then she found a kitchen towel and an ice-pack.

Luca actually took an uncharacteristic mini-nap, while Chris started making pizza.

 SWATSWATSWAT

 She glanced into the living room right before she put the pizza in the oven. Luca was snoring quietly, and actually looked fairly comfortable.

She finished up doing her dishes after the pizza making. Them just for fun, she looked through her cabinet and found a box of carrot cake mix and powdered sugar. Next she checked her fridge and found carrots, cream cheese and butter.

Then she found a mixing bowl and a spatula to mix it all together with.

The carrot cake batter was ready to go into the oven, about at the same time as the pizza was ready to come out of it. She also had the icing ready, but that would have to wait until the cake had cooled down after the bake.

She turned the oven down a bit, and let the door stand open until the pre-heating light came back on. Indicating that the oven was cooler than the setting. Then she closed the door and waited until the light switched off again, once that happened she put the cake into the oven and set the timer.

She let the pizza rest a bit before she started slicing it up. Then she found two plates, a big bottle of soda and a couple of glasses for them.

Luca stirred awake when she placed the glasses on the living room table and the bottle by one of the table legs.

“Did you have a nice nap?”

He blinked a few times, trying to wash away the momentary confusion. “Yeah.”

“Hungry?”

He nodded and yawned, “Yeah.”

“Good. Pizza’s ready.” She smiled and headed towards the kitchen area to bring the pizza back.

“Wow, smells great!”

Chris nodded, “Dig in.”

 SWATSWATSWAT

 They were a good way into the first Rambo movie when her alarm rang, signaling that the carrot cake was done in the oven.

“What’s that`”

“A surprise.” She grinned and walked over to the kitchen.

“What?” he tried to stretch far enough to see what was going on inside the kitchen, but of course that was futile.

“I made cake.” Chris shrugged as she bent down to pull the cake out of the oven, “I craved something sweet.”

“Nice!” he grinned, “Oh, it smells awesome.”

Chris nodded and set the cake off to cool. “You like carrot cake, right?”

“Like it? It’s one of my favorites!” Luca grinned.

“Good, cause it’s my favorite as well.” Chris grinned, as she headed back to her couch, “It just has to cool for a while first.”

He nodded and they went back to watching the Rambo and eating pizza.

 SWATSWATSWAT

 They had finished the first Rambo movie, and had put on Smokey and the Bandit instead of putting on the sequel.

Chris had put the topping on the carrot cake, and brought the cake over to the table with fresh plates and forks.

“Bet you would have loved to make that run.” Chris chuckled around a mouthful of cake.

“As bandit?” Luca grinned, “Would not have liked those jeans thought…”

Chris chuckled, “You know what, I’ve never seen you in anything else than baggy pants and shorts…”

“Yeah, and there’s a few good reasons for it!” Luca chuckled, “One: It’s not comfortable. Two: There’s very few guys who can pull it off, I’m not one of them. And three: I would never live it down at home, my folks would have teased me until I died.”

Chris chuckled, “Yeah, it’s really not something that’ll pull ladies nowadays. Guess the 70’s were different.”

Luca nodded a bit, “Would’ve loved to take a run in the Firebird though…”

“I could really picture you in that truck as well.”

“The Kenworth?” Luca flashed a grin, “Oh, you know I love driving big rigs as well. Bet it would be a good time.”

Chris chuckled, “Have you always been this into cars and trucks?”

“I guess…” Luca shrugged, “I can’t remember not being interested in anything with wheels and motors.”

“Anything with wheels and motors?”

Luca spent a couple of seconds debating it, “Pretty much, yeah.”

“Motorcycles as well?”

Luca nodded, “Yeah, used to have one. But I traded her for my truck a few years back. The last couple of apartments I’ve lived in hasn’t exactly had the best places to park a bike.”

“But they had good enough parking to park a Chevy?”

Luca nodded, swallowing a piece of cake. “I would’ve had to park it outside the last place I lived. Same deal where I live now, come to think of it.”

Chris nodded, “What’s the coolest thing you’ve driven?”

“Was in the military for a short bit when I was young.”

“I didn’t know…”

“Yeah, I never made it as far as Hondo. I always knew I wanted to join SWAT, but I figured I could learn a lot about tactics that way.” Luca shrugged, “And I got some traveling and world seeing out of my system.”

Chris nodded.

“But yeah, I got to drive a few tanks, MRAP’s…” Luca shrugged, “Even an old truck which looked like it should have been retired after the first world war…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“How long were you in?”

“From I graduated high school and until I was in my mid-twenties…”

“So about three years then?” Chris teased.

“Hah, funny.” Luca actually laughed at Chris’s sting, “No, ended up staying for like seven years.”

“How come you never talk about it?”

He shrugged a little.

“I mean, most guys almost present themselves with their time in the military.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Luca shrugged, “But, it’s not really something I think much about. It’s ancient history by now. Besides, as soon as I finished the police academy, I was definitely a cop, not a soldier.”

Chris nodded, sensing that the truth might have been that there was stuff Luca just didn’t want to talk about. She was curious, but she could respect it.

“Enough about that, let’s just…” he shrugged, “-Watch the movie and eat awesome cake.”

Chris nodded and served herself another square of cake.

Luca almost sighed, when he realized he might have come off as if he didn’t want to talk at all while they watched the movie they both had seen so many times before. “I’m sorry. I just don’t talk or think about that period of my life a lot.”

She nodded. She wanted to ask the reason, but didn’t.

“Let’s just talk about something entirely different.” He shrugged, “Favorite NFL team?”

“Oh, Texans. -All the way!” Chris grinned, happy to get the conversation back on something which would go a lot smoother, “Yours?”

“Texans has a few good players. Got to admit that, but I’ve got to say Raiders.”

“Oakland Raiders, really?”

“Yeah.” Luca nodded, “I grew up cheering for the Raiders. Hasn’t had a good reason to stop.”

“When was the last time they had a good season?”

“They had a dry-spell…” Luca shrugged, “You can’t stop loving a team for just that, plus, I think they’re coming out of it. The new QB looks like he has great potential.”

They ended up discussing football for a while, and then other stuff for a while.

 SWATSWATSWAT

 Before she decided to go to bed, she got up and rummaged through the closet of her guest room. It acted like a mini-storage unit. She found exactly what she was looking for. Her crutches.

She returned to the living room and placed them next to where Luca was seated, “Figured you could use these… But you’re going to have to adjust them yourself.”

“Thank you.”

She gave him a solid pat on the shoulder, “I guess you’re going to be up for a while longer, you know how to work the TV and all… Anything you need right now, except to switch out that cold pack on your knee, which must be near room-temp at this point?”

He shook his head, but picked up the now liquid filled bag from his knee, “Nah, I’m good. But yeah, if you could switch this out for a cold one, that would be awesome.”

She nodded and took the bag, heading towards the kitchen to toss the warm one in the freezer and to bring back a frozen one.

 SWATSWATSWAT*SWATSWATSWAT

 She woke up fairly early the next morning. She never really considered herself awake before she had her first cup of coffee in the morning, so setting the coffeemaker to work was her first stop of the day. Even before she went to the bathroom.

When she returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, she pulled a mug out of the cupboard and poured up a cup before placing the glass carafe back so the machine could drip itself done.

She walked over to the couch and sat down. She turned the television on, and switched it over to the news channel.

The news showed a lot of politics stuff, but nothing she would have had to worry about if she was headed in to work that day. And definitely nothing that would warrant a recall.

The news had just started its first repeat when she heard Luca stir inside the guest room. She figured he would like a cup of coffee as well, when he was finished dressing and had made it out of the guest room.

She stood back up and prepared a cup for Luca as well.

He came hobbling out of the guest room a few minutes later, and Chris could barely keep herself from laughing.

“How are you doing?” she asked, still working to keep herself from smiling too much.

“Good.” He squinted over at her, they both knew it was just the reflexive answer and not necessarily how he really felt.

“You look like an extra in Walking Dead.”

He paused to rub at his eyes with one hand, before trying to muster up a more awake look. “Feel like one too…”

She nodded and tilted her head, “The crutches seem a little short for you…”

“Yeah, newsflash: I kinda have the tall version of crutches at home.” He chuckled a little.

She nodded, “How’s your knee.”

“Bruised.” He frowned, “Sore. Stiff.”

“Are you able to put weight on it?”

“Able, yes.” He nodded a bit, “Willing to do it, no…”

She chuckled a bit. “Do you want breakfast?”

He shook his head a little.

“Coffee?”

“Yeah, please.” He smiled.

“Alright, sit down and I’ll fix you some.”

“Actually, I need to go in there first…” he said, nodding in the direction of the bathroom.

She nodded.

 SWATSWATSWAT

 15 minutes later they both sat in the couch. Luca was sipping on his coffee, Chris was eating her breakfast. She had made sure to offer Luca something to drink a few more times, but he still didn’t want any. She had found a frozen icepack for his knee, which he gladly accepted.

“Ready to get checked out by a doctor today?”

“I don’t need it…”

“Luca…” Chris sighed and crossed her arms, “You really should get it checked out. You’re in pain.”

He sighed.

“You could have a small break, or something else going on… It’s best to get it checked out straight away.”

“Okay-okay-okay…” he rolled his eyes a bit, “You win.”

“Thank you…” Chris grinned, “You think you’ll be ready to go in a half hour?”

He nodded, “Sure.”

 SWATSWATSWAT

 She dropped him off at the hospital and picked him up again a few hours later, after he had been checked out by a doctor and had taken X-rays and an MRI.

She got out of her car to meet him, when he came out of the massive building and started to hobble towards her.

“How did it go?”

“At least it’s not broken…” he answered as he paused to shrug.

“That’s good, but it sounds like there’s some bad news there as well…”

Luca nodded, “Yeah, tore something inside my knee. Might heal on its own, but the doctor figured I had torn it bad enough that it wouldn’t heal without surgery.”

“Ouch…” She frowned, “What was it you tore?”

“It had a weird name, can’t really remember it.” He shrugged, “It basically acts like a bumper cushion or shock absorber for your knee.”

“Meniscus?”

“That sounds about right…” he nodded, “How did you know?”

“My cousin tore one of his, playing football in high school…” Chris shrugged.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, he got the surgery. He’s all good now.” Chris smiled, “Playing college football and all.”

“Cool…” Luca grinned, “Thanks by the way…”

“For what?”

“For being an awesome friend, letting me crash at your place and forcing me to go to the doctor.” Luca smiled.

“Hey, we’ve gotta look out for our family, right?” Chris grinned, “I have to make sure my ‘older brothers’ get the care they need.”

Luca grinned, “I guess we’re all lucky to have you as our kid sister then…”

“So, do you want to crash at my place a few more nights?”

“Shit, I should really call Buck about this…” Luca stopped dead in his tracks, “I’m not going to be up for going to work tomorrow…”

“Well, duh…” Chris almost chuckled, “But do you want to stay at my place a few more nights, or?”

“Can I?”

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t mean it…” she chuckled and bumped her knuckles against his upper arm, “Of course you can.”

“Thank you…”

“But maybe you would like it if we stopped by your apartment and picked up your crutches, and some extra clothes?”

“That would be beyond awesome…”

“Alright, then we do that.” She nodded, “I can go up and grab your stuff while you call Buck and explain things.”

“You’re too kind. I really didn’t look forward to those stairs…”

“I know.”

[firesoulstuff]

A whole lot of Nothing

For @ginger-canary in the @arrowversequarantinefic-exchange!!!

Ship: Dinahsiren

Prompt: Long Distance

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23926276

Laurel hates away missions.

Ok, she doesn’t hate away missions as a concept. What she hates is that every time an away mission comes up it always ends up being her mission. It makes sense; she can’t argue that fact, which is possibly the most infuriating part of it all. Their little team Arrow whatever.0 thing is still new. Mia and Zoe aren’t ready yet, and someone has to stay behind to make sure they don’t do anything too stupid. True, she could petition for that to be her and for Dinah to go on these stupid missions, she could even argue that Dinah used to be an undercover cop and therefor she is perfectly suited for the blending in work that comes with away missions.

But, would she really rather be on babysitting duty? No, she wouldn’t.

What she would very much rather be doing is lounging on Dinah’s couch, sprawling herself across the space like a cat until Dinah decides it’s time to watch some terrible reality TV and kicks at her legs until she moves them. Yes, that would be ideal, certainly more so than freezing her ass off walking across a parking lot in the midst of an April night. April! In Star City it’s a livable sixty-five right now – she checked – and were she back there she might be lounging in shorts just to prove a point. But this is not Star City. This is some no name, nowhere town on the very edge of the East Coast and it is thirty-six degrees with a wind chill.

She really hates away missions.

With her hands already shoved as deep into her pockets at they’ll go Laurel fumbles her numb fingers around the surprisingly warm and sweaty metal of her key, apparently there is some warmth in her pockets, even if she can’t feel it. Bracing herself for the onslaught of more cold on her skin she take her hand from her pocket and puts the key in the lock, turning it and then checking her hip into the door to get it to open.

Inside her motel room is at least warm, even if that warmth does carry a faint scent of burning metal like the radiator isn’t used to being on even after what she can only assume has been sixty years of icy winters that start far too early in the year and end far, far too late.

Still, it wouldn’t surprise her if this room has only been used on a handful of occasions in all that time.

She’s sure she is the only out-of-town guest in this whole place. There are some other cars parked outside five of the eleven other rooms, but she’s gotten the feeling everyone else is either a junkie hiding from a parole officer, a disloyal spouse meeting with a “friend”, or very narrowly avoiding homelessness.

Leaning against the closed door Laurel balances one ankle on her opposite knee and starts untying her stiffly frozen sneaker, and then switches to do the other foot. With her shoes off she pads across the room to the little bathroom adjoined to the main room. The room and the bathroom are, at least, cleaner than she had thought they would be based on the exterior of the motel. Not that it is overly filthy on the outside, but the plastic coverings of the support beams are cracking and stained with dirt, and the walls are clearly in desperate need of a power washing.

She takes a quick shower to get the chill out of her bones then towels off, runs a quick brush through her hair, and heads back into the room to get in her pajamas.

Her pajamas which include a police academy t-shirt she stole from Dinah.

After debating between seeing what’s on TV and going right to bed she takes out her phone and scrolls to Dinah’s contact, then taps it and listens to the proceeding four rings before-

“Hello.”

“I am never traveling for work again.”

There’s a moment of quiet in which she can perfectly envision the amused smirk that must be on Dinah’s face, just as she’s sure Dinah can picture her scowl.

“Strike out?”

“Big strike out.” She deadpans, the edge of a snarl in her voice. “Do you know why all those sappy Christmas movies you like are set in New England? Because there is nothing here! Nothing! No mobsters, no super villains, no mad scientists, nothing!”

What comes through the line next is a genuine laugh and Laurel scowls even deeper, half tempted to add on how cold it is even at this time of year. Not even cold and wet, but dry and frigid and really, really irritating.

“That’s what makes it a perfect place for a crime lord to hide out.”

Laurel rolls her eyes and starts to adjusting herself, pushing her back off the bed’s headboard and getting onto her stomach on the mattress.

“Well there isn’t one hiding in this town.” She says, “Or any of the surrounding ones. It only takes fifteen minutes to cross this whole place so I’ve been to four different towns and guess what? A whole lot of nothing in every single one!”

“New England takes up thirteen states, I’m pretty sure the entire thing isn’t as small as the little corner you’re in.” Dinah mocks her and Laurel rolls her eyes.

“Then next time send me to a bigger part.”

“Sure, as long as the next target’s credit card pops up in a bigger part.”

“Has he canceled it yet?” She asks, slipping back into business mode.

If there is something here, she needs to catch it.

“Yeah.” Dinah answers, sounding disappointed.

She hums, not that they didn’t see this coming. Someone like Zsasz is too smart to use his credit card when he knows he’s being hunted. When they first got the alert they figured it was more likely than not he drove through here, “dropped” the card at a gas station, and let it be picked up by any random lowlife to throw them off his trail. The only reason she’d come to check it out was because they have no other leads, and while he is smart enough to stop using the card he might also be crazy enough to do it anyway just for the rush of playing them.

Either way, it’s useless now.

“So we’ve got nothing.” She laminates, and she can easily picture the disappointed pursed lips of Dinah on the other end.

The thought of that lingers in her mind maybe a little too long.

“Yeah.” Dinah huffs, “Looks like we sent you on a wild goose chase.”

“Well then we’re in luck, this place has plenty of those.”

Dinah laughs on the other end, and she laughs too, then it’s quiet.

Of course it’s quiet, that’s all she’s had for a report. Nothing. There is nothing here; they have nothing to go on, nothing.

She isn’t ready to hang up and stop talking about nothing.

“So what are you wearing?”

She’s almost disappointed she doesn’t hear even the smallest hint of Dinah choking, as she is surely sitting on the couch with a glass of wine by now. The line is quiet, no mocking or gasping for a dignified answer, and then it isn’t.

“Jeans and a shirt.” Dinah replies almost casually, evidently choosing to humor her for once, therefor wine is most definitely involved. “You?”

She hums, “Flannel pants, and one of your shirts.”

She raises her voice into a more suggestive register, to which she is sure Dinah is rolling her eyes.

“Any reason?”

She shrugs innocently, not that the action can be seen, or even is all that innocent for that matter.

“I just figured I was going to miss you while I was away.” She answers, pushing herself back up into a sitting position and stretching out stiff muscles; four nights on this sorry excuse for a mattress has not been a highlight of this trip.

“Well since there’s nothing out there you can get back to your usual routine of annoying me soon enough.”

“See? I knew you’d miss me.”

There is a small, breathy chuckle on the other end of the call and it makes her heart flutter.

Not that she’ll ever admit that.

“Goodnight Laurel, see you when you get back.”

It warms her heart a bit that she doesn’t say “call me”. It could be simply because she knows by now it’s pointless. Laurel rarely ever calls. She much prefers dropping by in person when she can. The apartment, the bar, the newly resurrected bunker, Queen Manor; wherever. If she isn’t actively engaged in not dying or some other vigilante business such as extracting information, she would rather debrief in person.

Dinah could have also forgone saying “call me” because she genuinely misses her.

Laurel will say it’s about 70-30 either way.

“Night, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

With that she hangs up the phone and pulls her laptop from under the bed’s second pillow, opens it, and starts searching for the next flight to Star City.

If she’s lucky she can be on Dinah’s couch by morning.

[ask-the-phan-site]

Phan Cam: Thanks all around.

>November 26. Thanksgiving.

>The Virtual Track of Racer Academy. The Thanksgiving Day Race was now under way. The racers were ready.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! Happy Thanksgiving! This Thanksgiving is different due to circumstances. However, we decided not to let that stop us from celebrating. Which is why we will still be having our annual Thanksgiving Day Race. Now, let us introduce the racers in our race. First up, my oldest nephew, X!

I hope you’re all ready for this! This is going to be unforgettable!

Headmaster Spritle: Next up, my younger nephew, Speed Jr.!

NOTE: I apologize, but this is the only image that could work.

Thanks, everyone! I hope this race will light up your day!

Headmaster Spritle: Next, Jared and Jesse Deucey.

Slice: We would like to dedicate this race to our dad, Ace Deucey. Sadly, we could only spend our Thanksgivings with plait glass between us and can only see our races on TV.

Dice: But if he could be here now, we know he’d be proud of his boys.

Slice and Dice: Pops, this is for you!

>Meanwhile, in a prison, someone was watching TV in the prisoner lounge.

(with a tear hidden being his glasses) My boys...

>Back at Racer Academy.

Headmaster Spritle: Next, from one of our overseas schools and has just made her transfer here despite the pandemic, Annalise Zazic!

I know most of you have your doubts about me, being the daughter of a mechanical menace. But I can assure you that while I’m here, you won’t have to worry... (now sounding threatening) I mean it. I’m nothing like him!

X: (whisper) It’s here, alright. Not a robot this time.

Headmaster Spritle: Next up, our student lesion from Alpha Academy, Alpha Leader!

This race will be a victory for both Racer Academy and Alpha Academy. And since the twins were honorable enough to dedicate this race to their father, I also like to dedicate this race a couple of close friends of mine... Wish me luck, Bobby and Cameron.

Thanks, Alpha. You’re a true pal.

You bet! Hey, we should go to Superboy’s bachelor party as soon as they give they okay!

Alpha Leader: We’ll see.

Nearby Race Fan: Question... Why is there a supervillain here?

Relax, that’s why me and the merman came along. To make sure he behaves himself.

Icicle Jr.: (trying to sound innocent) Can’t I help it that Sterling jerk hurt my fellow ice-guy?

We’re not going to take that chance. Miss Martian and Superboy would kill me if you did anything to hurt anyone. Especially in these times.

Icicle Jr.: Okay, okay.

Headmaster Spritle: Moving on. We have in the Mitch-mobile, Mitch Mitchson!

Aww, I’m just doing this for the people who can’t come here... That, and I’m hopin’ to get more subscriptions for Mitch-Per-View. And more subscribers means more money in the back.

Headmaster Spritle: And now, for our special guest racers! First up, the young genius inventor who will be driving the Mach 60, Ronald Multon!

(in an obviously fake accent) Roe-nald! It’s Roe-nald Muu-tan!

Oh no. Don’t tell me in this timeline, Ronald is still...

Ronald Multon: ... (laughs and speaks in the normal accent) I’m just kidding. Still, it is a pleasure for you all time see me here.

Conor: (a bit relieved) Well, at least he’s using his real voice.

Headmaster Spritle: Our next guest was once a student here, but he’ll be participating in this year’s race. Trey Sterling!

>Everyone was surprised to see... Trey’s spot on the starting lane was empty.

Headmaster Spritle: Mr. Sterling, you did say your son was coming, right?

Well, when I found his bed empty this morning, I assumed he already got up and got ready for the race.

Headmaster Sprtile: Are you sure about that?

Mr. Sterling: I’m sure he’ll be here any- Oh, here he is!

>Trey appears on the commentator’s balcony with an almost depressing air around him.

Mr. Sterling: Ah, Trey, you’ve come! The question is why are you up here when you should be down there with your car?

... I have... something... to say...

>Trey goes up to the podium and Headmaster Spritle moves aside for him.

Trey: I... I won’t be in this year’s race.

>Everyone gasped. Especially Mr. Sterling.

Trey: The reason is... Because me and my father had the race fixed.

Mr. Sterling: (shocked) What!?

Headmaster Spritle: (grinning a bit) I figured as much.

Trey: I had some of the racers attacked or paid them to either lose or drop out... I especially attacked those who disagreed with me... I became a race champion through a lie... I’m not a champion... I’m a cheater... In both sports and in love...

Icicle Jr.: (grinning widely) I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! JUST LIKE THE CALLING CARD SAID!

Kitty Pryde: (quickly) Yes, I know! Now shush!

Trey: I cheated on Bobby Drake and Annalise Zazic because I thought it would make me more popular... And I thought that because I was rich, I could get away with it... I treated them terribly... I even told everyone I would propose to Annalise at this race... But it was a lie just make more money...

Annalise Zazic: (shocked and enraged) WHAT!? You lying bastard! You never loved me, just my money!?

Bobby Drake: (smiling a bit) I know how you feel.

X: (thinking to himself) If Trey and Annalise are through, does this mean I have a chance at her? Wait, no, the race might still go on. I’ll think about this later.

Trey: But the one I need to apologize to most of all... is fellow Bostonian, Zack... Whose last name I never bothered learned... I treated him and his sister like like amatures when I myself was the real amature... (begins tearing up) They were a real professional team and I was just some spoiled brat living off his father’s money... I didn’t deserve that money... I’M THE REAL FAILIER! I’M SORRY! TO ALL OF YOU! (breaks down crying)

Mr. Sterling: (now sounding impatient, a first) Trey, my son, pull yourself together. You’re making a scene.

Trey: ...

Mr. Sterling: (now trying to pretend that this was all very normal) Come now, son, quit joking around, you have a race to win.

>Trey just sat silently without a response. Then, Mr. Sterling did something no one ever saw coming...

Mr. Sterling: (angry, real angry) Now you listen here, you piece of shit, I didn’t pull strings and bribed the board to let you back into this garbage school just to blow it! I swear... Sometimes I think I should have invested in Zack after all. At least he has real talent instead forcing me to fix races so I can bet on them to pay back Sharkhead Eddie for giving me the money start this wretched team!

Trey: (shocked) What?

Mr. Sterling: (realizing what he just said) !

Something tells me you have some explaining to do, Mr. Sterling.

Mr. Sterling: (trying to compose himself) You can prove nothing.

Are you sure about that? Because, we got this recording of you in our inbox this morning and we found the something very interesting about it.

>Mrs. Racer takes out a tablet wirelessly connects it to a holographic screen to show a scene of Mr. Sterling on the phone.

Holo Sterling: Relax, Eddie, I’ll get you your money. Me and my boy have this race in the bag. We fixed it. I paid some of the racers to go away for ‘certain reasons’.

Sharkhead Eddie’s Voice: Good. With this virus still going on, I think it would be best to gather up on old debts while I still can. So you better get me my money soon. Because if you don’t, then perhaps I should pay a visit to your mother at St. Terrence Retainment Home, unless she, like most of everyone else there may have COVID. Or maybe I should go see you sister, the beloved Dr. Sally Sterling, at her clinic in Chinatown, if she isn’t busy with the same virus. Or perhaps your brother, Samuel Sterling. I hear he could use more patrons at his restaurant. Or maybe your other brother, Professor Shelby Sterling, at Harvard University. Yes, I think we should visit him since his students switched to online learning. So, are we clear?

Holo Sterling: (scared) Y- Yes.

Sharkhead Eddie’s Voice: Good. Sharkhead out. (hangs up)

Holo Sterling: (nervous and enraged) That spoiled brat better now blow it.

>The recording ended and everyone stared at the nervous Sterling.

Mr. Sterling: Well, (nervous chuckle) I guess this is quite the predicament.

>Some security guards came and and cuffed Mr. Sterling.

Trey: (still sobbing a bit) I want to make up for what my father did. I will use the money I did earn and donate it. If that is alright.

Mr. Racer: Well, what you did was still a bit unforgivable, but I guess it’s a start. How about to us since the money your father donated to us is clearly not his?

Trey: I could. As long as I have enough for B.O.M.G.T.M. or W.E.B.

Mr. Sterling: (in disbelief) W.E.B.!? You want to give money to those idiots? Especially the fat homo who disappointed me by not rebuilding the school that I was actually hoping to invest in it this time, so instead, came up with that?

Trey: (getting upset) His name is Max Modell. And it was his old lab partner, Peter Parker, who came up with W.E.B.

Headmaster Spritle: He’s right. I think you should start there... But for now, all your attacks on the students and other racers could have gotten them hurt. Even killed. So you still have to answer to the police.

Trey: I... I understand.

>The guards came and cuffed Trey and lead both him and Mr. Sterling away.

>Down in the pits, we saw the whole thing unfold.

Yes! We got it.

We shouldn’t forget to thank Futaba for recording that conversation. We had a feeling something was up.

I just happened to be browsing the school security system and just happened upon this footage. I just thought that something like this needed to come out.

You did well, Futaba chan. I’ll see if you can get an extra helping of pumpkin pie.

X: Forget it. Grandmom says you only get one each. She said getting second helpings of anything wouldn’t be fair for the others.

Speed: It’s true. You should have seen her at the Easter Party. I’ve never seen anyone so mad just for asking for another chicken leg. But there might be some left-overs. We’ll see.

I call dibs on the left-over turkey and ham!

Oracle: Not before I get the turkey first.

Hands off the stuffing.

I would like try all of them. I remembered the last Thanksgiving Dinner we were invited to and liked it.

Yes. I miss that tofu turkey. And I should really ask Dogg what herbal spices he used in it.

If there are any left-overs, I wonder if Grandmom Racer will let me take some back to my father.

I doubt you can get any of it past customs. Especially during a pandemic.

Oh, we have our ways.

(on Carmen’s phone) I’m not sure what that means, but okay.

Oracle: Wish you could be here, Player. It’s way more better than having to see it from a “dark little cave”.

Player: Hey, I’m happy in my dark little cave. Besides, you know us Canadians have our Thanksgivings way earlier than Americans.

Hold on, I think they’re continuing.

>Back on the balcony.

Headmaster Spritle: With that out of the way, we should move on. Good thing we only have one left. And now coming all the way from Los Angeles...

>The sound of an engine can be heard coming. But sounded more like... the roars of flames.

Th- That car!?

That’s a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner. And it appears to be in great condition.

I think they’re more concerned on who is driving it.

Joker: Fox?

Fox: It... It can’t be...

>The car opened... and the driver came out.

Here I am, Racer Academy. Happy Thanksgiving.

D- Dad...

REMINDER: This is a fanmade timeline. Fox and other Persona characters are not really related to characters from other franchises as according to ATLUS. These relations exist only in this fanmade timeline. Please do not hate or sue me for this. Thank you.

Everyone: (except Joker) WHAT!?

Shush! I don’t think he heard you guys!

>But he did. The man the Fox and I were going to see was right here. He turned to us. He seemed to have recognized Skull as an Idol, Panther as a model, and Crow as a famous detective. Then, his eyes fell upon Fox... He was slightly shocked.

Taro Kitano: ... Kitagawa Sensei?

Headmaster Spritle: It looks like the Leader of the Scorchers has seen a ghost. But let’s not cross into that thorny territory. Now, we shall-

If I may, Headmaster Racer, but now we have an empty space in the starting lane. This simply will not do.

Headmaster Spritle: But we’ve had races with one less racer before. I don’t see why that should be a problem.

Professor Aniskov: True. But this time, I must insist. We need someone to replace Trey Sterling.

>Back down with us.

*Chirp*

Conor: Chim-Chim’s right, Zack, this is your big chance to race again.

That’s great, Conor. You, too, Chim-Chim. It would be like a dream come true... But I’m gonna have to turn it down. My racin’ days are long behind me now. Me and Ivy got a new goal in life.

I’m sure we will race again someday. But right now, Carmen needs us and we need her. Until V.I.L.E. is down for good.

Carmen: And besides, Player says our little calling card got A.C.M.E.’s attention. They’re on their way here now, so we gotta leave.

Joker: I see. That’s a shame.

Carmen: Hey, we had a wonderful time with you guys. We should try this again some time.

Sophie: Will we see each other again?

Carmen: (winking) Sooner than you think.

Joker: Carmen, before you go...

If you ever cross paths with my favorite cousin, tell him I said “Hi”... Even if they will happen soon.

Carmen: I’ll be sure to do that.

Player: Hey you guys, they just passed the gates.

Carmen: Happy Thanksgiving. And Happy Holidays.

>With that, Carmen, Zack, and Ivy run off and were gone... Who knows when we’ll see them again. Then, a black car drives up to us and two people in suits came out.

La Femme Rouge! We just saw her here! Where did she go!?

Joker: I’m afraid we have no idea who you’re talking about, Agent Devineaux.

Agent Devineaux: (a bit surprised) How did... Never mind, I know you saw her!

Calm yourself, Devineaux! If we just saw her, then we should follow her where she might have went.

Agent Devineaux: ... I knew that. I just wanted to see if you knew.

Oracle: (whispering sarcastically) I’m sure.

Agent Zari: Happy Thanksgiving.

>With that, the two A.C.M.E. Agents leave.

Conor: I wonder if I should have told them that I put cloaking technology in their getaway car?

As detectives, me and Wolf frown that you aided and abetted a criminal...

But as Phantom Thieves, we say “Right on”.

Conor: Thanks.

Headmaster Spritle’s voice on the speakers: Speed, X, can you send our Japanese guests up here, please? We wish to talk to them.

Speed: Alright! You guys better go. We’ll meet up after the race. If we’re still having it.

Joker: Right. See you all later.

>With that, we leave Conor and the others for now.

>Meanwhile, with Taro Kitano, he goes back inside his car... He is not alone.

Taro Kitano: So the rumors are true. Aren’t they?

I am truly sorry you had to find out this way.

Taro Kitano: So what now? You want me to talk to him? To get to know him?

Goemon: (shaking his head) Yusuke's in no hurry to meet you. Right now, he is content with how things are. He’s in college, he’s a talented artist, he has many good friends... And even someone he can share his heart with.

Taro Kitano: You mean that frizzy-haired guy with the glasses? I see. They look so happy together. It definitely reminds me of... me and her. When I look at Yusuke, I see his mother. And when I see his boyfriend, I can’t help but see myself. And I don’t even know the guy... Except in the ring.

Goemon: You’ll know soon enough... Speaking of comparing yourself with Ren, I have a favor to ask you.

Taro Kitano: (confused) Me?

Goemon: Or rather, someone on your team.

>Up on the balcony, we meet up with Headmaster Spritle, Speed Racer Sr., his wife Trixie, and Professor Aniskov.

Queen: You wanted to see us, Headmaster?

Headmaster Spritle: Professor Aniskov insists we can’t start the race without someone taking Trey’s place... And he suggests one of you do it.

Phantom Thieves: WHAT!?

Professor Aniskov: If it’s not too much trouble.

Mona: Well don’t look at me, Ryuji, Yusuke, Futaba, Haru, or Sumire. We’re still learning.

Wolf: Me and Akechi were asked to assist things with the Sterlings. They thought having a couple of detectives would make things a little more smoother. So we’re out.

Queen: I don’t think Sis would be too happy for me to spontaneously join in a big race like this.

Panther: And I promised the modeling agency I would take a few pics here as inspiration for their next session.

Fox: Then that would just leave...

Me?

?????: Pretty much.

>Then, my parents arrived with the wheelchair bound Defensive Driving teacher, Professor Winn, and Speed and X’s grandparents, Mom and Pops Racer..

Joker: Mom, Dad, so glad you guys decided to stay.

You didn’t think we’d actually miss this, did you?

Nor I. This is proud day for all of us.

Jonny: And who knew it would be on Thanksgiving.

Mrs. Racer: What do you mean?

As some of you may not know, but Mr. Amamiya here had just taken his driving examination with me as the supervisor.

Jonny: I’ve been helping him, too. Ever since last summer.

Professor Winn: Well, after much evaluation and seeing how well you managed your driving, whether it be regular, casual, cruising or even racing, I can honestly say... You passed.

For real!?

Queen: Congratulations, Ren.

Crow: Well done.

Mona: That’s our Joker.

I’m very proud of you, Ren.

Thank you all... Especially you, Yusuke.

>Me and Fox embrace each other lovingly.

Professor Winn: (taking a camera from her chair) Okay, smile!

>Everyone and Fox moves aside as Professor Winn takes my picture. Then, something prints out and she gives it to me.

Jonny: (smiling) You did good, kid.

Mom: Yes, well done. We’re so proud of you.

Thank you all.

Professor Aniskov: (clapping a bit) Now that that’s settled, I think we can get this race started.

Joker: I’m still not sure about this. I don’t even have a car. I mean, I do have one, but I don’t think it’s meant for racing.

Jonny: Professor Aniskov says he has that covered.

???? ??????: Hey, down here!

>We look down at the track. We saw that members of the Scorchers were hauling in a car.

Taro Kitano: Everest is letting you borrow his car for the race! So you better get down here, now!

Mom Racer: Well I’ll be.

Pops Racer: Yeah... (We finally have a speaking role here.)

Speed: (calling from down below) I have something for you, too! Chim-Chim!

Chim-Chim: *Chirp*

>Chim-Chim takes a package up to the balcony and give it to me. I open it up to find it had a white racing suit with some black and two patches on the chest. One a red circle with a white 5 on it that looks like it came from the logo our game. The other patch had a picture of a white coffee cup with some steam coming out with a fancy CL on the cup. There was also a white helmet with a large black stripe in the middle with a red line on each side of it.

Speed: (calling through Chim-Chim) It’s my old racing suit. I don’t use it anymore, so you can have it. But I did change the patches. Consider it an early Christmas present. And a thank you.

Joker: You’re welcome.

Mr. Racer: (a little confused) Thanks for what?

Speed: (awkward) I’ll tell you later, Dad. Right now, we have a race to get going.

Pops Racer: (looking stern) You better tell us later.

Mr. Race: (also looking stern) You bet.

>Chim-Chim climbs back down to Conor. Panther snaps her fingers and I magically change into the racing suit.

(this is the only picture that could be found that is similar) How do I look?

Headmaster Spritle: A bit like Speed when he first started here. Seems only yesterday he first started here... Wait, hasn’t he always? Never mind. It suits you well.

I think my heart just skipped a beat. If only I had my sketchpad, I would preserve this moment for life.

Joker: (smiling) You can do it later. I’ve got to head down.

Wolf: And me and Akechi have to deal with the Sterlings.

Crow: I just hope Trey will be cooperative.

Panther: And I have some pictures to take.

Queen: The rest of us will be at the stands if you want to join us. Text us when you’re ready to join us.

Mom: We will join you.

>We leave. Then, Professor Aniskov stops me for a bit and does something no one would ever think he would do... He gave me an encouraging smile... And a wide one at that... Wait a second.

Professor Aniskov?: (whisper in a very familiar voice) Good luck out there... Favorite cousin. (wink)

Joker: ...

(also whispering) Thank you, favorite cousin. (out loud) It’s showtime!

>We leave the balcony.

Headmaster Spritle: Ladies and gentlemen, filling in for Trey Sterling is one of our Japanese visitors, Ren Amamiya!

>I get in the Thunderbird. Then, I get a call from Speed, X, Slice, and Dice.

Dice: Good luck, Leader!

Slice: You’re gonna need it.

X: Hope you can keep up.

Joker: Can you?

Speed: Pretty bold. Let’s race!

>With that, we begin our engines. A holo-screen shows staring lights.

>Ready... Set... GO!

>We drive off. We go around the regular track once before the arch to the Virtual Track opens.

Automatic Voice: Virtual Track, activated!

>We drive into the Virtual Track. The track was made to look like we were on a giant table where a giant Thanksgiving Dinner was set up. The dishes, foods, and drinks were the obstacles, including a gravy boat spilling gravy around.

>In the stands, Fox, Mona, Skull, Queen, Noir, Oracle, Violet, and Sophie were watching the race when Bobby Drake, Kitty Pryde, Icicle Jr., and Lagoon Boy come to them.

Bobby Drake: Enjoying the race?

Queen: Well, Ren is still in 7th Place. But all in all, it’s going great.

Icicle Jr.: I don’t know about him, but I’m rooting for Alpha Leader. Look, he’s already in 4th.

SPLAT!

Oracle: (laughing) Until he drives into the mashed potatoes.

Commentator: Oh, right into the mashed potatoes.! Hope Alpha Leader can dig his way out. Now, Annalsie Zazic has passed him, narrowly missing the yams! But can she get by the slicing ham?

Kitty Pryde: (cheering) Don’t give up, Alpha Leader!

Yeah, you can do it, Alpha Leader! Keep going!

Skull: (surprised) Yoshizawa san, just who’s side are you on?

Violet: (a bit surprised herself) Sorry, senpai. I can’t just disagree with my favorite X-Man when she’s sheering for her favorite racer.

Kitty Pryde: (smiling a bit) I’m your favorite? I’m quite honored.

Violet: I’m so glad to hear that, Shadowcat san.

Kitty Pryde: Oh, you can just call me Kitty, Sumire Yoshizawa.

Violet: You know about me?

Kitty: I know a thing or two about the world of gymnastics. Plus, we know Spider-Man and the Future Avengers and they told us a lot about you guys.

Bobby: Yeah, we recognized you guys from what they told us, the past two Dream FESs, and those Dancing in Starlight videos.

Lagoon Boy: Yeah, Nightwing and the others told me about you as well. And a certain connection.

Queen: I see. So you have also been having dreams.

Lagoon Boy: How do you think we came to know Alpha Leader and each other?

Icicle Jr.: Yeah, we’ve been having dreams about him and each other for a long time. Ever since the last Dream FES... Along with that guy.

Skull: What guy?

Bobby: Well, maybe it would be better to show you. If you don’t mind.

Fox: Actually, I wish to stay and support Ren.

Sophie: I can record the race for you so you won’t miss much.

Mona: Thanks, Sophie. Okay, we’re coming.

>With that, Mona, Skull, Queen, Noir, Oracle, and Violet follow Bobby, Kitty, Icicle Jr., and Lagoon Boy.

>In a parking garage, they arrive at a black SUV with the X-Men logo on it. It was parked next to an old fashion roadster. Then, Lagoon Boy knock the back of the roaster with the “Shave and a Haircut” rhythm.

??????: Finally! I thought we were gonna die in here!

??????: Hurray! This lovely bear can become the prince he was meant to be! It was getting cramped in here.

??????: Only because you were wearing the suit when we got taken! You should have taken it off when we were leaving!

??????: But I lost my mask! I needed something to protect me from the virus!

??: I’m sure you were only doing what you needed to do.

??????: Thank you for that, Sensei.

??????: Kiss up.

??: Don’t worry, Yosuke, you’re still my best partner.

Yosuke?: (happily) Thanks, Partner.

Kitty: Okay, enough with the shouting, we’re getting you out now.

Bobby: Just try not to kill us when we let you out.

>Bobby opens the trunk. And out comes...

Ah, at last, fresh air! You guys know we can’t get to close like that, do you? We might get the virus.

I feel like an can survive anything with Sensei around. Even in enclosed spaces.

What!? You guys!?

Ryuji san? And the others? You’re here, too?

Queen: Yes, but how are you three here?

Yosuke: (unhappy) Ask him. (points to Icicle Jr.)

Icicle Jr.: (putting his fingers together) Well...

>Flashback.

>Junes Department Store, Electronics Department in Inaba. Yosuke had just finished work for the day. However, it was a slow day.

Teddie: Not many customers today, huh, Yosuke?

Yosuke: What did you expect? Because of the virus, only essential businesses are allowed to open. So the customers are only going to parts of the store that sells the essentials. And I doubt they include electronics unless they need replacing or if they want to do some early Christmas shopping.

Teddie: I see. (sighing sadly) I sure miss playing with the kids that come here. I haven’t even seen Nana chan in a long time. I miss her.

Yosuke: You just video chatted with her this morning.

Yu: (coming in with three take-out bags from Aiya) Talking to each other on the computer and talking in person are very different from each other.

Yosuke: Yu, you’re here?

Yu: I didn’t have time to make dinner tonight, so I picked up some take-outs. I would have ordered it, but due to the lockdown order, Aika’s really busy with other deliveries... There should be some left over to take to Nanako and Dojima san. So I guess we can visit them after all.

Teddie: (dramatically) Thank you so much, Sensei!

Yosuke: (unimpressed) Don’t get too excited, bear. We need to save some for Nanako and Dojima san.

NOTE: Before we go further, let me explain. By this point and time in this fanmade timeline, Yu, after graduating, moved back to Inaba. This time, for good. Yosuke had also moved out of his parents’ house. However, Mr. and Mrs. Hanamura didn’t want to be left alone with Teddie because of the messes he always leaves behind, so they convinced their son to take him with him. Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie all move in together in an apartment that was just a block away from the Dojima residence so they can visit each other whenever they want. Yu and Yosuke attended college in Okina City, though, Yosuke continued to work part-time at Junes and Yu started work as a gas station attendant at Moel. After they finished college, they still work their jobs because Yosuke is still trying to figure out what to do with his life. Though, after a long time of always listening to music on his headphone, dancing at the Love Meets Bonds Festival, and performing at the Dream Festival, he might consider something in music. As for Yu, he wishes to work in Psychology, but that requires him to study a little more into it, so he’s still works at Moel. And Teddie... Well, he does have an “exclusive contract” with Junes.

>Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie make their way through he parking lot to Yu’s car where Yosuke’s scooter was also parked. Then suddenly...

?????? ??: Hey, are you Yosuke Hanamura?

Yosuke: Yeah, who wants to-

>They turned and are surprised by who they saw.

Yosuke: Y- You’re...

Icicle Jr.: Sorry about this. Don’t worry, I’ve been training with Iceman.

>With a blast of ice, Icicle Jr. froze Yosuke and Yu. Luckily, they were both still alive.

Teddie: (boastful) Ha! Betcha didn’t know that ice doesn’t work on moi!

BANG!

>Teddie is suddenly knocked out by a wrench. He didn’t see who did it.

>End of flashback.

Teddie: So that explains the small bump on my head. Good thing I was wearing my bearskin or else it would have been serious.

Queen: So you kidnapped three people from Japan and smuggled them across the sea to America in the middle of a global pandemic?

Yosuke: I think the real question is... Why?

Icicle Jr.: I just wanted to confirm some stuff... Like that you guys are the Phantom Thieves. Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to book a flight overseas in a global pandemic?

Noir: So you know who we are, huh?

Lagoon Boy: Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. This is out of respect for your friends. And we warned Icicle Jr. that we would send him off to Belle Reve this holiday season.

Icicle Jr.: I’m really hoping to spend it with an old friend of mine... To help her get over that her boyfriend isn’t around to spend it with her.

Kitty: (unsure) I don’t think she’s ready to go back into the fray yet.

Lagoon Boy: It’s true.

Icicle Jr.: (shrugging a bit) I don’t know. If Superboy and Miss Martian can even get engaged, there maybe hope for me yet.

I think we got bigger issues here. Like how you brought these guys here without even testin’ ‘em first.

Kitty: Got you covered. (takes a scanner from the SUV) We bring some with us whenever we go looking for new mutants. We may have powers, but apparently, we’re not immune to COVID. (scans Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie) They’re good.

Yosuke: Well that’s a relief. (rubbing some sore spots) But even though I’m not sick, I’m hurting all over from being stuck in there. Why couldn’t you have just kept us in the nice roomy SUV instead of the tiny trunk of this antique? Who owns this thing anyway?

Bobby: Another good friend of ours... Including you, Yosuke.

Yosuke: (confused) Mine? Who would... Wait, now that you mentioned it, I have seen this car before... in a dream.

Yu: Same here. When I think about that dream, I have the oddest feeling that I should thank you. But for what? I know you helped me a lot, Yosuke, but what I should thank you for is something else.

Yosuke: Yeah. But I just can’t remember. Then again, that dream isn’t as clear as... No, we should think about that one.

Yu: I agree.

Teddie: (confused) I don’t get it.

Yosuke: If this car is what we think it is... Where’s the owner?

Lagoon Boy: Most likely outside watching the race.

Yu: Race? What are you talking about? And where are Joker and the rest of the Phantom Thieves?

Sophie: (on Oracle’s phone) You’ll meet Fox, Panther, Crow, and Wolf in the stands. As for Joker, you should see for yourself.

>Sophie was now showing me now neck and neck with Annalise on a bridge over a casserole.

Yu: Is that a casserole?

Violet: We’ll explain later. Right now, they’re waiting for us.

>With that, they all head back to the stands.

>Back on the stands, Fox, Panther, Crow, and Wolf were surprised to see Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie here. They explained what happened.

Wolf: (whining) Please, one crime at a time. We already just dealt with the Sterlings, and we’re celebrating here.

Icicle Jr.: I just said I was sorry.

Queen: By the way, where is this friend of yours?

Bobby: I guess he stepped away for now.

Yosuke: Can you blame him? It would be awkward for a French guy to be at an event for an American holiday.

Violet: Hey, Senpai’s catching up to Taro!

>In the Virtual Track, I was catching up to Taro Kitano with rows of glasses of sparkling cider surrounding us. Some of them kept falling to try and drown us.

Commentator: Ren is gaining up on Kitano. Can fresh college student pass a seasoned pro?

Just so you know, I’m not going easy on you just cause you and my son are dating, kid.

Joker: I don’t expect you to. I wanna beat you fair and square. We’re all equals here.

Taro Kitano: Good. Hope you’re ready for this.

Announcer: This is it, folks! Speed, X, Kitano, and Ren are at the final part of the race. The man course itself: THE TURKEY!

>Before us was a giant cooked turkey the was guarded by robot turkeys with titanium drills for beaks.

Speed: Time to carve this bird!

You bet! It’s showtime!

>We managed to tear are way through the robot turkeys. They drill hard, we be are harder. Then, some of them were now ganging up on Speed and X.

Joker: We can’t let them get drilled by robot turkeys, will we?

Taro Kitano: I guess. Fine, we’ll save them from the robot turkeys... Now that’s something I never thought I’d say.

>We managed to drive up and beat the robot turkeys with the cowcatcher on the Thunderbird and Taro Kitano with his car’s hook. Finally, they were gone and Speed and X drove up ahead.

X: Thanks for that.

Speed: Now let’s go!

>We make it to the end of the rack. The exit portal arch looked like an eaten-through pumpkin pie. We drive in and back into the real world. Once out, Speed was the first to cross the finish line, then X, then Taro Kitano, and I was the last one. The remaining racers followed.

Commentator: And that’s that! Speed Racer Jr. comes in a spectacular 1st Place! His older, brother, X, in 2nd! Taro Kitano in 3rd! And Ren Amamiya in 4th!

>The crowd was cheering loud. I could see my friends in the stands. Wait, why are Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie here? Actually, never mind, this is a great moment for me. Then, I look up to the commentator’s balcony. The Racers were smiling and waving that Speed and X came in 1st and 2nd. Then, I look to my parents who are waving to me. Then, I looked to “Professor Aniskov” who was also waving to me. Finally, I turn back to the stands and see Fox.

????????? ???????: WHERE IS HE!?

>Uh oh, the jig is up. I see the real Professor Aniskov wearing nothing but his boxers, a white tank-top, and a very angry look on his face. With him is my favorite cousin’s favorite every-vigilant inspector.

Excuse me, Racer Family, but I found this man tied up in a closet somewhere. You wouldn’t happen to know where to find a man who looks just like him, would you?

>The other Aniskov was already gone.

Jonny: (smiling) Not at all, Inspector.

Mr. Racer: ... Not me, either.

Headmaster Spritle: Nor me.

>The other Racers just shook their heads.

Professor Aniskov: (upset) Are you serious!? He was just here!

Inspector Zenigata: Don’t worry, Professor. I’ve been chasing Lupin for the longest time. Knowing him, he can’t be that far.

>You don’t know that half of it, Pops.

>In the same parking garage, the other Aniskov had just come in when a car shows up.

Cutting it rather close, aren’t we? I’m not sure Fujiko would want to spend Thanksgiving alone this year.

Professor Aniskov?: (laughing) Don’t forget, Jigen, I have family, too.

Jigen: Even though he’s not related to you by blood?

>Then, the other Aniskov removes his disguise.

True... But do you want to tell his Persona that?

Jigen: ... Good point.

>Suddenly, someone comes running in. It was Pops Zenigata.

Inspector Zenigata: LUPIN, YOU’RE UNDER ARREST!

Lupin III: Took you long enough, Pops. Probably because ACME came here looking for my rival and told you to stay back. But I’m afraid I have other plans to get to. Happy Thanksgiving!

>Lupin III gets in the car where Goeman was already seated and Jigen drives them off. Pops tries to chase after them... But the car they my friends were just at drives up and blocks him. Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon get away.

Inspector Zenigata: (angry) Hey, what’s the big idea!?

>Icicle Jr. walks in.

Icicle Jr.: Sorry, Inspector! My friend was just leaving.

Inspector Zenigata: I should have known crooks like you and him stick together.

Icicle Jr.: Hey, don’t blame me for that thief’s escape. I was just seeing my friend off before I go to the feast with my other friends.

Inspector Zenigata: Grr! Fine. But you better watch yourself. One of the heroes you face is here today.

Icicle Jr.: (smiling) Who do you think invited me?

>The inspector just stood silent with his teeth gritting. Then, he ran off after my favorite cousin. Then, Icicle Jr. goes over to the driver of the car.

Icicle Jr.: Hey, thanks for helping Lupin and his friends escape... And thanks for helping me bring Yosuke and his friends here. I really appreciate it.

Anytime, Cameron. Anytime.

>Another successful heist.

NOTE: I apologize that this post was a bit long, we tried to cram as much of this day in as possible.

[ihavenoside]

So, it’s almost a yearly tradition at this point that he seem to like to spice things up and switch his career path or take on a new one. 

In 2039 he was a paralegal assistant for 11 months and dueled as a patrol officer in the evening. The paralegal job made him some nice income plus coupled with his evening job that he stated about 3 months after getting the paralegal job made it that he could live very comfortably if he was any good at all with money lol.

Then in 2040, he quit the paralegal job to follow in his brothers footsteps and get his police badge while still working his evening shift. Now that he technically has it, he should technically be allowed to legal own or have a gun? and for the sake of my next comment, I think its fair that any androids that's graduated from the academy can apply for a license to own a gun, despite the US being really relaxed on gun laws. Anyway. point is, he spent 6 months in school and worked the year and will keep working the year as a patrol officer but... it’s coming to a new year and this is how the conversation went.

Connor: How have I not thought of becoming a bounty hunter??? I’m built to do just that! Me: You are NOT becoming a bounty hunter. Connor: Give me three good reasons not to. Me: 1. you care about what people think of you, thus becoming the thing you denounced so strongly is kinda weird? 2. While being a bounty hunter seems flexible, it isn’t. you want to keep working for the DPD, well you might only have access to your suspect at the same time your on duty, which could technically put your DPD job at risk. 3. Your family would worry about you? Being a bounty hunter is far more dangerous and your not protected the same way you are if things go wrong when your on duty, which could land you in jail and lose much more then just your DPD job. Connor:... fair points but. Me: NO. Connor: BUT! 1. I’m an android, I have facial recognition software which make me less likely to get the wrong subjects. I’m also an skilled shot and can avoid hitting vital area’s and still subdue the subject. I also have some defense attorney connections thanks to my short time as a paralegal assistant which could help me get out of any hot water I land in. 2. I only work at the DPD for about 8-10 hours, which leaves me with 14 to 16 hours of the day to get my suspects. 3. You can’t control me and I’ll do what I want.

So guess who’s heavily considering becoming a bounty hunter because you can make an easy few grand in a night (which he doesn’t need) because it pays well and he can work out of Detroit because Detroit averages 62,000 annually where Warren and Sterling Heights will bank 92,000 - 93,000 annually and is only 30 minute drive from his house lol.

[tomeandflickcorner]

Umbrella Academy Rewatch 1x08

1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07

The race is now on, as Allison attempts to find Vanya, in order to warn her that her boyfriend, Leonard, is actually Harold Jenkins, a convicted murderer who is believed to be the man who will bring about the apocalypse. 

As Allison drives out to the cabin that had belonged to Harold Jenkins’ grandmother in the hopes that she can find Vanya there, she remembers an event that had happened a year ago. She had been putting her daughter, Claire to bed and had just finished telling her a bedtime story about some of the exploits of herself and her brothers when they were still involved with their superhero stuff with the Umbrella Academy.  Particularly a time when they stopped a bank robbery.  When the story is over, Claire kept insisting on hearing another story, but Allison insisted it was time for her to go to sleep.  When Claire started to get demanding, Allison ended up using her power on her, by saying ‘I heard a rumor that you’re really tired, and what to go to sleep.’  This ended up getting Claire to back down and go to bed without a fuss.  Unfortunately, Allison’s now-ex-husband, Patrick, had witnessed this, and is clearly not happy.

Okay, so... is this the incident that resulted in the courts stripping Allison of her custody to her daughter, mandating that she had to take court-ordered therapy sessions before she could get visitation rights?  If so, that’s really stupid.  It’s possible I’m just not getting it, but why exactly was this such a big deal?  I don’t get if.  It’s not as if she was using her powers to force Claire to get her beer while she sat in front of the TV all day instead of taking care of her kid, or anything neglectful like that.  She was getting her kid to go to sleep.  I think we can all agree that kids that age need a consistent sleep schedule.  I’m fairly certain any mother in the land would have done the same thing if they were in Allison’s shoes.  Was there more to this story?  Was their some sort of concern that Allison using her power on Claire would have caused her permanent brain damage?  Was it a case of X-Men-esque paranoia?  I believe, in the X-Men comics, a lot of people feared the mutants on principle simply because they had out-of-the-ordinary abilities and therefore persecuted the mutants.  Did the courts have similar prejudice against Allison going on?  I don’t understand!

Regardless, this incident has ended up being traumatic to Allison, as she’s now sworn off using her powers ever again. And this is driven home when we hear Allison’s memories of other times she used her power on others.  Some seem pretty innocent.  Case in point one moment when she used her power to get someone (probably Claire) to like broccoli.  Eating vegetables is important, after all.  But with others, I can see why Allison is feeling like she was abusing her powers.  For instance, there were apparently times she used her power to force someone to be her friend, land an acting role, or even got someone to love her.  Yeah, I can agree those examples are pretty bad.  Eventually, Allison makes it to the cabin,  But when she gets there, nobody is home.  Which makes sense, since Vanya and Harold/Leonard are still at the hospital following the incident the night before.  

Speaking of which, we then switch over to them.  Harold/Leonard wakes up Vanya, who had been sleeping in the chair next to his hospital bed.  Vanya is surprised to see he’s already dressed, and even more so when Harold/Leonard announces he’s leaving.  After all, he probably still needs to be observed one more time before being officially discharged.  But Harold/Leonard states that’s not necessary, as the hospital just wants him to come back tomorrow so he can be fitted with a prosthetic eye.  Vanya, upon being reminded that he lost an eye, starts to apologize, but he waves her apology off.  They then head off.  But on the way, they’re stopped by a nurse, reminding Harold/Leonard that the doctor hadn’t discharged him yet.  Vanya is momentarily confused by this, as that statement has contradicted what he’d told her, but Harold/Leonard insists that he’s ready to leave, so he simply signs the voluntary discharge papers.  Before they leave, Vanya asks about the three other men that had attacked them, who were also brought into the hospital after being injured by Vanya’s power explosion. The nurse informs her that two of the men were DOA, but the third man was still alive, though in critical condition.

Back at the Umbrella Academy mansion, Luther wakes up with a massive hangover from his night of drinking at the rave.  He is shocked to find that a naked woman is lying in bed next to him, indicating that he brought someone back from the rave for sex.  Klaus then swings by Luther’s room and proceeds to simply be a typical brother, good-naturally teasing the flustered Luther for it, especially when he realizes this was Luther’s first time with a woman.  Klaus then gets serious, telling Luther that they’re having a family meeting downstairs.  

When Luther makes it down to the kitchen, Klaus pours him a cup of coffee, which Number 5 (who is clearly feeling better) promptly steals.  Ghost Ben is also there, but of course, only Klaus is aware of that.  While Klaus voices his awareness that Diego and Allison are absent, he nevertheless begins the meeting, informing his brothers that he managed to make contact with Reginald last night.  Luther is confused, reminding Klaus that he claimed he hadn’t been able to conjure up anyone in years.  Klaus admits this is true, but states that he’s now completely sober.  He goes on to inform Luther and Number 5 that Reginald wasn’t murdered but that he committed suicide in order to trick them into getting together again.  Luther, however, refuses to believe it, accusing Klaus of playing games again.  Until Pogo enters the room and confirms Klaus’ statement, also admitting he and Grace had assisted with the suicide, with Grace’s programming being altered so she wouldn’t be able to administer first aid on that fateful night.  Reginald had believed that, if the Hargreeves Siblings had banded together to try and solve the murder mystery, it might inspire them to want to be a team again, so they could save the world. Luther is incensed over this bombshell, especially since he was still feeling hurt over the revelation that his mission on the moon had been meaningless all along.  He berates Pogo for not saying anything sooner, despite watching him search for answers.  Pogo is visibly remorseful, but tells Luther that he had only been honoring Reginald’s dying wishes and that he had no choice.  This isn’t good enough for Luther, though, and he storms off, telling Pogo that there’s always a choice.  Number 5 also teleports off to think, leaving Klaus alone with Ghost Ben.

Sometime later, Vanya and Harold/Leonard return to the cabin.  Harold/Leonard attempts to reassure Vanya that what happened to the three toughs wasn’t her fault, and that she had acted in self-defense. Vanya is still shaken up, though, stating that she shouldn’t be able to do something like that.  It’s clear that, while she is starting to accept the fact that she does have powers, she’s upset that she can’t control them, with them only exploding out of her when she’s not trying to use them.  Harold/Leonard consoles her, stating he’ll help her learn to control it.

While all this is going on, we also get the subplot with Hazel and Agnes.  They did indeed run away together, but are now stuck in a traffic jam. Hazel grows morose when he sees that Agnes’ road trip has three years worth of sights in store, with her happily stating they have time to see them all.  After all, she doesn't realize the apocalypse is supposed to happen in just two days.

In a curious coincidence, Allison is also stuck in the same traffic jam.  Why she didn’t stick around at the cabin is anyone’s guess.  She ends up driving past the same restaurant where Vanya’s powers went haywire, seeing the police are there investigating the incident.  As Allison glances over at the crime scene, she notices Vanya’s scarf hanging from the restaurant's sign, making her realize that Vanya had been there.  So she gets out of the car and ducks under the police tape to investigate.  Allison is immediately stopped by a cop, Sergeant Cheddar, who is investigating the scene.  She tries to question him about what happened, but he insists that she simply read about it in the paper tomorrow.  Although, Sergeant Cheddar’s tune completely changes when he recognizes her.  It turns out Sergeant Cheddar and his wife are huge fans of Allison’s movies.  (Remember, Allison is a big movie star.)  Taking advantage of this fact, Allison tells him that she’s actually going to portray a cop in her next movie and is looking to do some research on law enforcement.  She asks if she can shadow him for the day, as it could help her develop her character if she could witness him in action for the day.  Sergeant Cheddar, being a huge Allison Hargeeves fanboy, agrees to this almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Diego is still in his jail cell.  He is visited by Detective Beeman, who informs him that they’re transferring him to upstate that afternoon.  He also states that he does believe in Diego’s innocence, knowing that he wasn’t the one who murdered Detective Patch.  However, that’s not enough to get the suspicion against him thrown out, since Diego was placed at the scene of the murder, and people on the force had witnessed the two arguing on more than one occasion.  Detective Beeman then reaches out to shake Diego’s hand, wishing him luck.  After they shake hands, Detective Beeman walks off, leaving Diego alone with the key he stealthily slipped him.

Back at the cabin, Vanya is practicing her violin, getting ready for her big concert.  As she’s practicing, Harold/Leonard secretly consults Reginald’s journal, which includes Reginald’s notes on Vanya’s powers.  The notes reveal that sound can help activate Vanya’s abilities.  This is further illustrated in a flashback, where Reginald, during a training session, managed to get Vanya to shatter a wine glass simply with the sound of a tuning fork.  Taking advice from this, Harold/Leonard takes Vanya deeper into the woods and instructs her to try and recreate the scene last night.  Vanya then thinks back, remembering the men laughing, the sound of them kicking Harold/Leonard and the rumbling of the car engine and a dog barking nearby.  Instantly, Vanya realizes that it was the sound of the car engine that did it, as that sound ended resonating in her mind to the point where it was the only thing she could hear before her power unleashed itself.  She finds the whole thing terrifying, but Harold/Leonard insists that its extraordinary.  He then convinces Vanya to try and tap into her powers again, getting her to focus on the sounds of nature around them.  Such as the wind chimes hanging from the cabin nearby, a squirrel in a nearby tree and the water rushing along a creek.  Harold/Leonard tells Vanya to focus on one sound in particular, with Vanya zeroing in on the sound of the water in the creak.  This results in Vanya’s power manifesting again. Harold/Leonard is ecstatic, but he sees Vanya is starting to panic, so he calms her down, informing her that her ability is tied to her emotions.  Vanya is confused how he knows this, as she doesn’t know about Reginald’s journal.  Harold/Leonard is able to cover up his slip up by claiming he made a lucky guess, going on to ‘theorize’ that Vanya can convert the sounds around her into energy when she is feeling strong emotions.  Vanya accepts this explanation and kisses him.  Though she has to push him out of the way when a tree branch falls towards them,

Of course we also get a reminder of how dangerous Vanya’s power can be.  In another flashback to her training sessions with Reginald, Young Vanya not only shattered all of the wine glasses, she also ended up cracking Reginald’s monocle.  Which also apparently left a cut along his cheek.  Reginald seemed almost fearful of the raw power she possessed, as he announced their training sessions were over for the time being.

We then cut back to the Umbrella Academy mansion.  Klaus is in his room knitting something when Number 5 walks in, trying to wrap his head around things.  He starts to discuss with Klaus his confusion about something that he can’t figure out.  He only learned about the approaching apocalypse by travelling to the future.  But Reginald, who can’t travel in time, clearly knew enough about it to know to kill himself a week before it happened.  Number 5′s musings are interrupted when Diego rushes in, having just escaped from jail with the key he got from Detective Beeman.  He informs them that Allison may be in danger, as he knows she went off to track down Harold/Leonard alone.  They search for Luther, locating him at a bar, still drowning his sorrows.  Diego tries to offer him some comfort, telling him that their father lied to all of them.  But Luther just wants to be miserable, stating he’s done with all if it- with Reginald, his brother and the whole family.  He states that if if the others want to save the world, they’re welcome to try, but he’s going to stay put and keep feeling sorry for himself.  Until Diego tells him that Allison headed off on her own to find Vanya, as Vanya’s boyfriend is a convicted murderer.  The knowledge that Allison was in danger pushes Luther into action, with him telling Diego he should have led with that detail.

Elsewhere, we see that Cha-Cha has managed to get free from her handcuffs.  She heads right over to Griddy’s Donuts, but finds the place is closed, with a sign from Agnes on the door informing customers that she’d decided to close the doughnut shop.  Angered, Cha-Cha breaks in to search for clues on where Agnes and Hazel were going.  In doing so, she finds a brochure for some bird sanctuary.  And then, for good measure, she blows up the building by turning on the gas burners and leaving a lit candle behind.

We then cut back to Allison and Sergeant Cheddar.  The latter is questioning Mr. Luntz, the guy who survived the incident with Vanya’s powers the night before.  Mr. Luntz reveals that it was all a setup. Turns out, Harold/Leonard had actually paid them to pick a fight with him, saying he wanted to impress his girlfriend.  But they had gotten drunk and got a bit carried away.  Allison cuts in, asking Mr. Luntz about the description of the guy who paid him, also showing him the picture of Vanya on the back of her copy of Vanya’s autobiography and asking if that was the girlfriend.  Instantly, Sergeant Cheddar realizes that Allison had lied to him and confronts her over it.  Allison apologizes for lying but explains that it was the only way she could get answers, and that she’s trying to find her sister, who might be in trouble.  While Sergeant Cheddar still isn’t happy, he seems to understand Allison’s reasons.  But before they could question Mr. Luntz further, the nurse stepped in, stating they’d have to come back later so they could run more tests on the injured man.

Returning to the cabin, Vanya announces that her concert is tomorrow, and she wants to practice her violin a bit more.  Upon hearing this, Harold/Leonard gets a bit petulant. He tries to coax Vanya to practice mastering her powers some more, as they already had a breakthrough and Vanya mastering her powers is important.  Vanya counters this by stating her music is also important.  Harold/Leonard instantly backs down, but he doesn’t seem to happy as Vanya steps out to practice her violin.  While she’s occupied, he quietly steps out.  So, when Vanya is done with her practice session and comes back inside, she finds that Harold/Leonard is gone.  Immediately, she starts to panic, searching the cabin for him frantically.  In her panic, she has a flashback to a point in her past, most likely after Reginald started to grow fearful of the magnitude of Vanya’s powers.  One evening, Reginald had brought Young Vanya down to a chamber deep beneath the mansion and placed her into a soundproof cell, telling her she needed to stay in a controlled environment.  Once she was sealed in, he left her down there for an undetermined amount of time.  To try and settle her nerves after that flashback, Vanya starts to practice her violin, simply focusing on the sound of the violin.

Meanwhile, Hazel and Agnes have arrived at the bird sanctuary.  Hazel, still mulling things over, asks Agnes what she would do if she knew she only had two days left to live.  Agnes replies she’d choose to be anywhere Hazel was.  Which is just too sweet!  I can’t with these two!  Anyway, Agnes notices that Hazel seems distracted about something and she asks him what’s going on.  Hazel tells her he can’t really explain at the moment, but there’s something he has to take care of before he can join her.  He tells her to go enjoy the bird sanctuary and that he’ll come back for her as soon as he can.  So, after sharing a kiss, Hazel drives off, with Agnes watching him go.  Of course, Hazel may have made the wrong call in leaving Agnes alone, as we see Cha-Cha is already on her way to the bird sanctuary.

Back at the hospital, Allison and Sergeant Cheddar are waiting to question Mr. Luntz some more, but the nurse comes out to inform them that he’s gone missing.  She had taken him out to for x-rays, but he disappeared.  Sergeant Cheddar states he’ll call it in, in case anyone spots him.  Allison then asks the nurse if she’d seen Vanya and the nurse confirms she had been there that morning.  Allison realizes that Vanya and Harold/Leonard had been there when she’d stopped by the cabin earlier and decides to try going back.  Sergeant Cheddar instructs her to not go anywhere, as Harold/Leonard might be dangerous, and they have a missing person to boot.  But Allison chooses to not listen to his instructions and heads off anyway.  

She arrives back at the cabin while Vanya is still playing her violin.  And Allison immediately notices the lights and rocking chairs out on the porch. are swinging from side to side, as they’re being manipulated by Vanya’s powers.  Allison quickly heads inside and finds Vanya, who is surprised to see her sister.  Allison is equally surprised when Vanya tells her of her newly discovered powers, but she pushes her amazement aside to focus on the more important task of getting Vanya to safety.  She tries to break the news to Vanya about who her boyfriend really is, telling her that Leonard Peabody doesn’t exist and that he’s really Harold Jenkins, who murdered his father when he was 13 and spent 12 years in jail as a result.  Vanya, of course, doesn’t believe her.  Allison tells her that the proof is all in the police file, which is waiting in the car, also telling her of the whole murder shrine of the mangled and defaced Umbrella Academy memorabilia they found in Harold/Leonard’s house.  She goes on to try and reassure her sister, saying that she can understand how it must be a lot for her to take in, but that she loves her and wants to be there for her sister.

Understandably, Vanya has an emotional breakdown.  She’d fallen in love with Harold/Leonard and can’t believe any of this stuff about him could be true.  Not to mention the revelation that she’s had this power all her life and never even knew it.  At that moment, Allison remembers an old childhood memory of hers.  One that never really made sense to her, but now that she’s learned of Vanya’s powers, she’s able to look at it again with fresh understanding.  It turns out that, while Vanya was being kept in that soundproof room when they were all 4-years-old, Reginald had told the other Hargreeves Siblings that Vanya was sick and had to be isolated.  But then he brought Allison down there and instructed her to tell Vanya ‘I heard a rumor you think you’re just ordinary,‘  (It was at this time that Reginald also started putting Vanya on that medication, which we now can see was meant to nullify her powers.)

So obviously, Reginald had been so fearful of Vanya’s raw abilities, he chose to simply keep them hidden from everyone rather than continue to train her to control them, and had even manipulated Young Allison to assist him in his goal.  And it kind of makes sense how nobody remembered that Vanya used to have powers when they were very young.  After all this all went down when they were 4. Not many people can have clear memories of their life that far back.  Anyway, When Vanya learns of this, she is understandably furious.  But in her anger, she ends up blaming Allison, accusing her of knowing she had powers the whole time and choosing to keep them a secret because she didn’t want Vanya outranking her.  Vanya continues her rant, declaring she plans on staying with Leonard, who was the only one who ever really loved her.  As Vanya’s rage builds, the light fixtures around the house start to go haywire and eventually explode, and Allison’s attempts to calm her down only enrage her further.  In sheer desperation, Allison elects to use her powers to calm Vanya down. But before she can complete her statement, Vanya lashes out with her bowstring, which ends up slicing through Allison’s throat.  

The moment this happens, Vanya’s rage vanishes, being replaced by horror over what she’d just done.  She dashes forward to catch Allison as she falls to the ground, clutching her heavily bleeding throat.   As Vanya cries out her apologies for hurting her sister, Harold/Leonard returns to the cabin.  He takes one look at the scene before him and seems to figure out what just happened.  So he grabs Vanya and physically drags her away, telling her that they have to get out of there, during a deaf ear to Vanya’s cries and sheer reluctance to leave Allison bleeding on the floor.  In the end, however, Harold/Leonard manages to drag her away and he drives them away from the cabin, driving right past the body of Mr. Luntz, who he must have killed to keep him from blabbing.  By the time, Luther, Diego, Klaus, Number 5 and Ghost Ben make it to the cabin, Allison has lost consciousness and appears dead.  And so the episode ends on that cliffhanger.

Final Observations/Questions:

Is Allison going to live?

What’s going to happen to Vanya?  Will she get away from Harold/Leonard?

While I do understand Vanya’s fury, it wasn’t fair of her to blame Allison for what happened.  Allison was just as much a victim as Vanya had been.  Thy were toddlers at the time.  Of course they wouldn’t question what Reginald was telling them.  And I believe Allison was telling the truth when she said she didn’t understand what happened that night until now.  And the fact that they all forgot that Vanya had powers at the age of four is also believable, since they were still very little back then.

What exactly did Reginald do to get Pogo to go along with everything he did.  It was clear from his facial expressions that he wasn’t happy with what he was doing to Vanya, but he still went along with it.  So what kind of psychological hold did Reginald have on him?