#and he’s trying to make casual normal conversation & asks her who her parents are

[itsalwaysforyou]

just remembered a wip i had which was jay at uni meeting normal people and desperately trying to act cool and normal whilst internally screaming about being in a whole new place with all new people and not having his gang with him

[adore-laur]

hmmm maybe dadrry where he pretends to make her jealous but it doesn’t work bc they’re so secure in the relationship they just smirk and tease them, or that yn gets mama bear when she sees other moms hit on harry at school or daycare

——

In a couple of weeks, the preschool your eldest daughter attended was going on a field trip to a petting zoo in Montebello, California. Chaperone sign-up sheets were recently emailed to every parent, and you were debating with Harry about who should be the one to tag along. It wasn't a requirement to be a chaperone, but your worrisome maternal instincts sure made it one.

Harry was lying on the couch, his socked feet dangling over the armrest. You sat normally, your legs bent over his straightened knees, as you stared into space. The conversation kept hitting dead ends, but you were insistent on coming up with a solution as soon as possible. You had enough on your plate to deal with in the weeks ahead.

"Only one of us can chaperone the field trip," you repeated for probably the fourth time that night.

"I'm more than willing to take off work for it," Harry replied, his fingers casually laced over his chest. His eyes were closed since it was nearing ten p.m. and you hadn't been able to make up your mind about which parent should volunteer their time and energy toward the field trip. You had cornered Harry when he went to shut the living room lights off and forced him to sit down before he retreated to bed. It wasn't that you didn't trust him to be a chaperone—he'd definitely handle the controlled chaos that came with supervising a group of kids in an environment full of animals to gawk at. You just considered yourself a more watchful person, but really, it was an excuse to witness your daughter's interactions with her classmates and make sure she was adjusting well to being in school.

"I'm more than willing to as well. So..." You tapped your fingers against the couch cushion. "We need to make a decision right now. Signups are first come, first served."

Harry hummed in acknowledgment. "I can go."

You slowly nodded and said, "Okay. Well, so can I. You know, if you're not able to take off work."

He snorted a laugh and shifted his head, getting more comfortable. He was going to get a crick in his neck if this conversation didn't hurry along.

"What?" you asked, unsure why your reasonability was so amusing to him.

"You're funny."

You tilted your head back against the couch and sighed toward the ceiling. "Harry, I'm trying to get us ahead of the game. Otherwise, neither of us will be able to chaperone, and then our child will be in the care of a random parent."

Your trust in the preschool was substantial, yet a part of you was still cautious about the parents. You hadn't had the chance to build relationships with them since you started working part-time again. Your little girl was a wanderer, and if something caught her attention, she was off and admiring it without notice. Other parents didn't know that about her. What if they didn't pay close enough attention and accidentally let her get lost? The mere thought was why you were determined to claim an open spot as a chaperone.

"You're not making this particularly easy, honey," Harry said lightheartedly, tiredness rasping his voice. "I am actively telling you that I would love to be a chaperone instead of a chef for a day. Getting to pet adorable animals is also a plus."

"Maybe we can write both of our names down," you replied, deep in thought. Half of what Harry had said ricocheted off your brain.

"I don't think that's allowed." He yawned, stretching his arms. "Just put my name down. If work ends up being a problem, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you taking my place."

You contemplated his decision, then asked, "Did you read the chaperone responsibilities list?"

He frowned. "No, but there's time. The email was only sent this morning."

"You have to read it," you said firmly. He needed to be as prepared as possible. This was the first field trip of many, and rules have most likely changed since you were a kid.

In a lull of silence, Harry's hand caressed your ankle. "What are you so anxious about? Talk to me."

You wanted to say everything, but not even someone as wise as Harry could procure a remedy for that. "Nothing," you mumbled. "Just trying to have a solid plan in place."

"Are you worried the moms will be all over me? Pulling me aside and asking me"—Harry paused for dramatic effect—"burning questions?"

You looked over at him, taking in his sly little smirk. He was being like this on purpose. Not to make you jealous, since you were years past that phase—instead, it was a way to distract you from ruminating over minuscule matters.

"I’m not worried at all," you said confidently, flashing him a grin. "Because you know what to do if that happens, right?"

Harry wordlessly lifted his left hand, showing off his gold wedding band snugly fit on his long ring finger. Exactly, you thought to yourself.

"And what if they persist?" he asked, enjoyment clear on his face. You knew he loved this type of banter.

"You show them the picture of me that you keep in your wallet." You leaned toward him. "Then your last resort is calling me and putting whichever mom is flirting with you on the phone."

His teeth bit into his soft bottom lip. "Yes, ma'am."

You crooked your pointer finger, beckoning Harry closer. He sat up with a groan, his face now mere inches from yours. The hypothetical scenario caused misplaced jealousy to surge through your bloodstream, and you had to remind him of some things.

"You're my husband."

Harry traced the tip of his nose along your cheekbone and said, "Loud and proud, baby."

Your breaths became shallowed. "Father of our two children."

"And counting."

You pinched his waist, and he writhed with a heavenly laugh. "You're conventionally attractive, which piques a lot of people's interests. And while it used to bother me in the past, I know that your soul is tethered to mine."

His hands traveled an intimate path up your thighs. "It always has been," he said, his eyes sincere.

"So," you said with finality, your heart racing from his words, "I will let you chaperone the field trip. Because you always come back to me and our family, and I know work has been keeping you away from our girls."

"How do you turn the most mundane thing into a romantic declaration?"

"With you as my muse, it's pretty simple."

Harry moved closer and brushed his lips against yours. "If you keep melting my heart, I'm going to lay you down on this couch and make love to you until the sun rises."

"Risky," you whispered, smiling against his mouth. The kids were asleep down the hall. Any lovemaking would no doubt be interrupted by the baby monitor.

"Tell you what," he said, stealing a hot, deep kiss from you that left you briefly stunned. "This weekend, I'll have my parents take the girls for a day so you and I can love on each other without any distractions. I miss having you all to myself."

"I'm right here," you said, cupping his face. "And I'd appreciate it if you kissed me some more."

"I thought you needed to sign me up as a chaperone."

You kissed him three times in quick succession before saying, "Shut up and make out with me."

"Roger that," Harry murmured, towering over you until your back sank into the couch.

——

[russo-woso]

We’ll always be there for you || Lionesses/Arsenal/Alessia Russo

Request | Masterlist

Warning pregnancy, morning sickness, horrible cravings, labour and delivery

Summary Pregnancy is hard for anyone, but it’s even harder when you’re young and it’s unexpected. Luckily, you have some of the best teammates who’s always there to help you.

“Fuck.” You whispered, your eyes glossy with tears as you looked down at the stick in your hands.

Pregnant 2-3 weeks

You didn’t know what to do. You didn’t know whether to scream, or to cry.

Your emotions were already high, having broke up with your ex boyfriend two weeks ago, but having his baby? That was whole other type of emotion.

You’d always known you wanted children, you wanted to be a mother, but later in life, once you’d retired from football.

Currently, you were playing for Arsenal and England, frequently having a spot in the starting line up or if not, definitely coming on later in the game.

Barely just turning twenty, that was an amazing achievement and were expected to be one of the best by the time you were 25.

That’s gone out the window now.

Thoughts flowed through your mind as you continued to stare at the stick.

You were supposed to be playing France on Friday, you couldn’t play whilst you were pregnant.

“Y/N, is that you? Are you okay?” You heard Alessia ask, gently knocking on the door.

You were so wrapped up in your own bubble that you hadn’t realised you’d been crying and sniffling, Alessia clearly hearing your muffled cries and sniffs.

Not coming up with an excuse as to why you were crying, you thought you’d just tell her the truth.

You trusted Alessia like a big sister so you knew she would never judge.

You leaned forward to open the door, Alessia slowly coming in.

You watched as her eyes travelled down to your vulnerable body curled up on the floor of a cubicle in St George’s park.

Her eyes widening as they landed on the stick in your hand.

“Are you…?” Alessia questioned softly, crouching down to sit on the floor next to you.

You nodded, before breaking down.

Alessia held your shaking body as you sobbed.

“I’m here. I’m going to be here with you whatever you decide to do.” Alessia whispered, rubbing your back. “No matter what.”

—

You spoke to your ex over the phone and had told him about the pregnancy, but there was no surprise when he put the phone down as soon as the words left your mouth.

There was a sense of happiness when he did it because quite frankly, he was a dick and you didn’t want a kind of man like him in your babies life.

You’d also told your parents. That conversation went okay.

Your mum and dad lived over in America, moving there when your older brother decided to. After all, he was their favourite child, it was obvious he was, so they were always going to follow him.

They said they would help no matter what and that they were excited to meet their grandbaby.

As for the England and Arsenal team, that went better than you expected.

You were scared some of your teammates would judge you.

Judge you for being careless. Judge you for being a young mum. Judge you for your decisions.

You stood in the Arsenal changing rooms after a training session, you having to go off and have a separate session.

You’d already told the Arsenal staff, obviously having to notify them of why you causing participate in normal training and games.

“Why didn’t you join us today, kid?” Katie asked, ruffling your hair as she walked past to get to her cubby.

You didn’t know whether to say the truth or not.

Alessia was the only one out of all of them who knew.

You’d spoken to less just a few days prior about telling the team and it had been decided you’d do it soon since you were approaching 12 weeks.

“Umm, tweak in my knee. Just precautionary.” You replied, quickly, truing to make it believable.

“Oh, kiddo, how long did they say you’d be out for?” Steph questioned

“A few weeks.” You said, casually, trying to take the attention off of you.

You looked at Alessia who sent you a saddened look.

The room went silent for a few minutes as you slowly built up the courage to announce it to them.

“Actually…” you began, looking around the room as all your teammates looked at you. Locking eyes with Alessia, she nodded encouragingly. With one final breath, the words fell out your mouth. “I’m pregnant.”

The room fell deathly silent again, to the point where you’d hear a pin drop.

You wanted the world to swallow you up.

You looked at your teammates blank faces, no expressions on them at all.

But then they all turned to smiles.

“Congratulations, kiddo.” Beth exclaimed, tackling you into a hug.

“Thanks, beffy.” You smiled softly as you hugged her back, a sigh of gratefulness leaving your mouth at your teammates reactions.

“My turn for a hug now.” Leah said, pushing Beth out the way. “Congratulations, star. You’re going to be an amazing mama.” Leah told you, using your nickname she’d given you from when you first joined arsenal. “I’m gonna have to come up with a nickname for your baby now.”

“Pain in the ass, that would be a good one. Waking me up every morning to be sick.” You explained, resting a hand on your slightly curved stomach.

“We have another partner in crime!” Kyra cheered, nearly jumping into your side.

“Careful of the baby! She’s carrying arsenals next best player.” Leah scolded Kyra

“I’m fine, le.” You said before turning to Kyra. “Think of all the pranks we can pull with the baby.”

“It’s going to be so fun.”

Everyone came and hugged you, congratulating you on the news.

The England girls reacted all the same.

You’d messaged the group chat with all the lionesses in and explained that you’d be out for a year because you were pregnant.

That afternoon, your phone was blowing up with messages from your teammates congratulating you.

You cried at their reactions, really happy that you could welcome your baby into a world where they’d be loved so dearly.

—

The next few weeks went by quickly.

You were ten weeks pregnant when Alessia suggested you moved in with her.

If you were to describe Alessia, you’d describe her as an overprotective older sister.

So when you let it slip that you had been sick all night and morning, she insisted that you moved in with her.

She couldn’t stand the thought of you being that vulnerable on your own.

You told her that it wouldn’t just be you moving in, it would also be the baby, but she didn’t care.

She wanted what was best for you and the baby and that meant not being on your own when you’re that vulnerable.

You were grateful that she had offered to move in with her because the day after moving in, you had the worst wave of morning sickness.

Alessia was up immediately, rubbing your back and holding your hair up.

“This is fucking ridiculous. I thought morning sickness was supposed to last a few weeks.” You mumbled, leaning against the wall as you finished the first round of throwing up.

“I know, hon, but you’ll have your baby at the end of it.” Alessia pointed out and you nodded, going to respond but instead having to throw your head in the toilet. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

—

“And if you look just over here, there’s your baby.” The nurse said, pointing to the screen.

“That’s your baby, Y/N.” Alessia whispered, her eyes stuck on the screen.

Since your parents were in America and you had no other family living in England, you’d asked Alessia to go with.

She said yes immediately, pulling you in for a hug at how honoured she was.

“And if you listen, that’s your babies heartbeat.”

A soft rhythm of a heart beating filled the room as stared in awe at the screen.

Alessia squeezed your hand, and you looked up at her with a smile on your face.

You watched as she blinked back tears.

“Why you crying, lessi?”

“I’m just proud of you, kiddo.”

“Your baby looks perfectly healthy. They’re the perfect size for 12 weeks.” The nurse said, as you nodded along, but you couldn’t really hear anything else because you were so focused on the heartbeat. “As you can see here, there’s their arms and their legs. Their head is resting just on the left side of your womb there. And their nose is just there.” The nurse pointed to them all on the screen.

You watched the screen closely as you watched your baby move.

“They’re saying hello.” The nurse joked as you let out a small laugh.

The nurse continued to go through things with you, before printing off some pictures and booking in your next scan.

“You best send a picture to everyone, they’ve all been messaging me asking if everything okay.” Less said as you got in the car.

You took a picture of the scan pictures, sending it to the Arsenal and England group chats.

You sent them a follow up message explaining how everything’s perfect.

Everyone messaged back saying how happy and proud they were.

—

You’d finally reached 20 weeks, the half way mark.

Your bump had grown a lot and so had your need for sleep.

Your baby has started kicking a lot.

Two weeks ago, you felt the first kick, and then they never stopped.

All day, every day. But it was even worse at night time.

Barely getting three hours sleep at night, you struggled to keep your eyes open.

You were exhausted and you were only half way through the pregnancy.

Today though, you were pushing your exhaustion to the side because today was your gender reveal party.

You weren’t having anything big. Just a few teammates and a cake with either pink or blue in it.

Unbeknownst to you, it had been arranged that loads of your international teammates were travelling from all over the county to come.

Tooney was obviously coming, in fact she’d spent the night as well.

Viv had organised everything for the party, including the cake, because she was one of the only ones you trusted not to tell anyone.

She’d dropped the cake round earlier and had helped Ella and less decorate the house before everyone came.

You’d been stuck inside your room all morning, Alessia and Tooney wanting the decorations to be a surprise for you.

So when you were finally allowed to leave, it felt like you were leaving jail.

You were all ready, your hair and makeup done.

You wore a white dress that showed off your baby bump.

Walking into the living room, you were met with a room full of your teammates.

“Surprise!” They exclaimed, your eyes widening in shock.

“Y/N, you’re glowing.” Chloe said, getting up to hug you.

“Thanks, Chlo.” You replied, shrugging it off, not believing her.

“She’s not kidding, kiddo. You look great.” Mary told you

“It’s all makeup, I look exhausted without it.” You sighed, plonking yourself down next to Leah on the sofa.

“How’s bubba doing?” Leah asked, rubbing her hand over your bump.

“Kicking a lot. Feel.” You moved her hand to the right side of your bump, exactly where the baby was kicking.

“They’re kicking hard. Gonna be a defender just like their auntie le.” Leah told you and you scoffed in response.

“No, they’re going to be a midfielder like their mama.” You said, rubbing your bump.

The room fell into a light chatter, everyone talking to one another.

Eventually, it was time to cut the cake.

Everyone crowded round the table where you stood waiting.

“Before I cut the cake, I just want to say thank you to all of you who have turned up today. It means a lot to me, knowing how much you love the baby. So thank you.” Everyone cheered before encouraging you to cut the cake.

They counted down from three and on zero, you cut the cake.

Slowly, you pulled out the slice, revealing a baby pink colour inside.

A girl

Everyone cheered at the sight, the England girls happy that another lioness was joining the squad.

You cut the rest of the cake, sharing it round to everyone.

Everyone sat in the living room, full from their cake, as they spoke some more.

They all stopped their conversations one by one when they heard small snored filling the room.

They turned to you, delicately holding your bump as you sat leaned up against Alessia, fast asleep.

Everyone got their phones out, taking a picture, awing at the sight in front of them.

“Bless here. She needed this sleep, didn’t she?” Millie questioned as Alessia nodded.

When you awoke, everyone had gone and it was back to being just you and Alessia.

“Did I fall asleep?” You mumbled into Alessia side, rubbing your eyes.

“You did, hon, but it’s okay everyone knew you were tired.”

“Did I at least get round to cutting the cake? God, don’t tell me I fell asleep before cutting the cake.” You panicked as Alessia laughed slightly.

“You cut the cake.” Alessia confirmed. “A baby girl. You’re a having a little girl, Y/N.”

“Good, I don’t think I could’ve coped with a boy.” You joked, your eyes still full with exhaustion.

“Go back to sleep if you want to, hon. We don’t need to go anywhere.”

—

“How you feeling?” Alessia asked, rubbing your shoulders as you sat bouncing up and down on a yoga ball.

“They’re getting worse.” You respond, holding your now nine month bump.

You’d started getting contraction yesterday afternoon and they’d continued all throughout the night.

“Fuck.” You mumbled, grabbing your bump as a contraction hit.

Alessia rubbed your back comfortingly, helping you get through your contraction.

“Missy needs to come out soon, auntie lessi wants to meet her.” Alessia said, using the nickname you’d created for your baby girl.

“I know, I can’t wait to meet her either. It also means I don’t have to be pregnant anymore.” You said, sighing.

“I know, hon.”

“Less go get ready, you’ve got training in an hour.” You pointed out to her

“Y/N, you really think I’m leaving you whilst you’re in labour? There’s no way I’m leaving your side.” Alessia told you

“Less, you’re going to training. My contractions aren’t that bad for you not to go to training. You’ve got a match Saturday that you have to train for. Please go.” You begged, feeling guilty for being the reason why she wasn’t going to training.

“Fine, but if anything happens, you ring me straight away.” Alessia said and you nodded.

“I will, I promise. Can you help me up? little miss is kicking me right in the bladder.”

Alessia helped you up before you waddled to the bathroom.

Just as you were reaching for the door handle, you heard a pop before a gush of water.

“Less? Forget about you going to training. My waters just broke.” You told her, looking down at the puddle by your feet.

“Your waters broke? Fuck, what do we do? You go wait in the car, or go change it’s up to you. I’ll grab the—” Less rambled, clearly panicking.

“Woah, lessi, calm down. You go take a seat. I’ll go upstairs and change and then we’ll head to the hospital. Oh and also, take a chill pill, yeah?”

—

“So close, hon. She’s nearly here.” Alessia encouraged you, wiping your sweat drench hair out your face.

After nine hours of gruelling active labour, the time had come to finally push.

Alessia had stayed by your side the entire time and most of your teammates were already waiting in the waiting room.

“I can’t do it, less.” You said, breathlessly, throwing your head back after pushing for ten seconds.

“You can, Y/N. Your baby girls gonna be here soon. I know you can do it.” Less told you

“She better be worth it after this.” You remarked, squeezing Alessia’s hand as you felt another contraction come which meant one thing, it was time to push again.

“She will, hon, I promise.”

“Her heads out now, one more big push and she’ll be here.” The midwife announced after another torturous push.

“Never have children, less.”

“Okay, hon.” Alessia said, letting out a laugh. “One more push. That’s it.”

The next moments went by in a flash.

All the pain disappeared as you pushed for the final time.

A cry filled the room as your daughter was passed onto your chest.

“Hi, baby.” You smiled, tears and sweat rolling down your face, as you looked at your baby.

Alessia watched, tears flowing from her eyes.

“Who’s cutting the cord?” The midwife asked, holding up a pair of scissors.

“You cut it, lessi. You’ve been with me the whole pregnancy.” You told her, taking your eyes off your baby girl to look at her.

More tears welled in her eyes as she cut the cord.

The nurses took your daughter away to be cleaned and checked over.

She was perfect, ten toes and ten fingers, and weighed in at just under seven pounds.

When she was handed back to you, she was wrapped in a blanket with a small hat upon her head, covering her small tuffs of brown hair.

“She beautiful, hon.” Less whispered, looking at the baby on your chest.

“She is.” You agreed, stroking your finger up and down her cheek. “I have a baby, less.”

“You do indeed, hon.” Less laughed before a small silence filled the room.

“You want to know her name?” You questioned, Alessia nodding straight away, desperate to know.

“Her name is Missy Alessia Y/L/N.” You revealed, looking up to see Alessia’s reaction.

Alessia just burst out crying, leaning down to hug you.

“Thank you so much.” Alessia said in between sobs.

“Thank you, lessi. You know, when I first saw that I was pregnant, my first thought was to put the baby up for adoption. It wasn’t that I didn’t want a baby or I wasn’t ready for one, it was that I didn’t have anyone to help me. But then you saw me, and in that moment, When you said you’d be with me the whole way, I knew that I wanted to keep the baby. We have you to thank.” I explain to her, getting emotional. “Here, hold her.”

“Hi, missy.” Alessia cooed, staring in awe at the baby in her arms.

—

The rest of the girls came in shortly after, looking in awe at Missy snuggled up in Alessia’s arms.

“Hey, kiddo. How you feeling?” Leah asked, gently hugging you.

“Exhausted, but it’s so worth it.”

“I bet.” Leah kissed the top of your head before walking round to see missy.

“She looks just like you, kid.” Beth said, sitting on the edge of your bed.

“Lessi said that too.”

“Are we late? Has she been born yet? Oh my god, them hallways are long. I feel I’ve just ran ten miles.” Tooney shouts, bathing into the room.

Cries fill the room, everyone turning to see missy.

“Tooney!” Less lectured her, passing the crying baby to you.

“It’s okay, mamas got you.” You whispered, missy immediately calming down from your voice and touch.

The girls watched, most of them getting emotional at you and missy.

“Tooney, you can’t just—” Mary started shouting but everyone shut her up by shushing her.

“We’ve just got missy to sleep.” Leah told her. “What is her name? We can’t just keep calling her missy forever.”

“Of course you can. Her name is missy after all. Missy Alessia Y/L/N.”

“See, I’m the favourite auntie. She’s named after me.” Alessia told Ella, a playful smirk on Alessia’s face.

“Welcome to your crazy family, missy. Where all your aunties are all weirdos, except for me.” Millie whispered, stroking her cheeks.

“Welcome to your family, kid.” You repeated to Missy, pressing your lips delicately to her head.

—

• Y/N_Y/L/N04 posted •

Liked by alessia, leahwilliamsonn, and 72,753 others

My little love 🤍

Comments disabled

[kizzer55555]

Ultimate Escape Room

Sam, Danny, and Tucker are bored. Nothing seems to be a challenge anymore. Summer vacation is coming up but they can’t agree on anything . Themepark? What’s a better roller coaster than Jack driving? Scary movie? I’m sorry, nothing beats Fright Knight’s nightmare realm. Bungie jumping? Danny can fly. Then Tucker, who’s been typing on his computer, asks “what about an escape room?”. The others are about to shut the idea down because seriously? Easy. But Tucker just grins and shows them his computer screen.

“Ever heard of Arkham?”

Danny and Sam lean over to read the description and all three turn to each other and grin. 

Now, what’s the fastest way to get into Arkham?

…

So the chaos trio do ✨something✨ that gets them locked up in Arkham and then try to escape and they keep. You know, normal stuff for Arkham inmates. Except this trio? Keep. Getting. Out. Of. Their. Cells. So they are just passing by locked up rogues and waving at them as an army of prison guards chase after them. Sure they could get out the easy way (Aka powers) but no, this is a challenge so they have the normal rules of an escape room. Aka, you can’t break anything and an extra rule where if a guard catches you, then you can’t fight back (also, no one can get hurt). (They make fake identities and everything). So they need to go through the whole process. Figure out how to unlock cuffs. Could be learning to pick a lock with a spoon/stick/long nails. Then find the keys. Possibly having to crawl through vents to get in the warden’s office. Or making deals with prison inmates. Like, I’ll get this for you if you give me that (however they extract a promise that the rogue can’t kill anyone with whatever they help them with.) So they are in prison literally doing errands like find freeze’s weapons in exchange for him telling them the passcode to the gate or something. Or getting Waylon some meat from the cafeteria and he’ll break the lock on this movable vault that has materials to make smoke bombs they can use to distract the front guards. 

These kids are just going wild and it gets to the point where Arkham has to call the bats (like no Waylon, we won’t escape with you, we have to do it without breaking any walls!) So literally the only reason they are not escaping is because they want to do it ‘right’. But they are also aiding other rogues in their escape (at least certain ones. They aren’t helping joker no matter what he offers)

It’s driving the bats mad. They have vigilantes stationed in each hall, in multiple monitor rooms.

They aren’t even using anything clever to block the cameras. They’re using mirrors. Mirrors! Where did they even get so many handheld mirrors! 

They are running circles around the bats. The escaped rogues literally aren’t doing anything yet because they want to see how the three hellions will escape the entire bat clan. They have bets going. So there is a temporary truce.

Just imagine the conversations/interrogations the bats will have with trio, trying to figure out their master plan - because surely there's something more going on than three chaos young adults playing a game, right?

They trio each have a different story. And they are so passionate/convincing actors that no one knows which story is real. At least one of them told a sob story with legitimate tears.

Danny: (all mysterious) You shall never know our master plan….until it is too late. And just casually dropping hints that there is something greater or that the bats are playing right into their hands. Even using ridiculous scenarios like yesss the ketchup explosion in the cafeteria….We are one step further….Mwa ha ha! (Rubs his hands together)

Sam: (absolutely distraught with literal tears running down her face and ruining her mascara.) There is a terrible organization holding their parents hostage. They had been framed and forced to be in Arkham. If they don’t do exactly as they are told, their loved ones are in danger! Should we stay? Should we escape and help them!? No one will believe us and what if we make things worse? We don’t know what to do!

Tucker: (takes a long slurp of a smoothie. Where he got one? No one knows). Yeah we were bored and had nothing better to do than mess with you guys. (Sluuuuurp).

The bats are trying to figure it out. Is the black haired guy telling the truth and the other two are just manipulating them? Is it the girl and the others are only following the plot of the organization? IS THE BARET KID RIGHT AND THEY’RE JUST MESSING WITH US!? WHICH STORY IS IT!?

Under normal circumstances, Sam wouldn’t give a sob story because It’s not really her vibe. But Sam has the opportunity to pull one over on a bat. Do you honestly think she won’t take a chance to mess with them? Also, Dick is the one who is interrogating Sam.

He’s crying too by the end of the story.

Poor guy, Sam will play his heart like a fiddle. 

Also, their fake identities are Jordan for Danny. Mortica for Sam (or Macey for short) and Phineas for Tucker. The fact that they are using fake identities is the only thing they all agree on in the interview. But the bats find nothing on them and the identities are so realistic they wonder if they are even fake at all. If the three are faking fake IDs to throw them off their tail from looking deeper. Apparently their ‘parents’ having a missing persons report.

Damian is interrogating Danny. It’s just so easy to rile him up and get under his skin. It’s absolute drama in that interrogation room. 

Danny: ah yessss. Master plan.

Damian: you shall never succeed! Justice shall prevail evil scum!

And Duke is interrogating Tucker. He just…has no idea how to respond to this. He wasn’t trained for this response. Hostile, yes. Mysterious, yes. Scared, yes. Civilian, yes. Even Flirtatious! YES! But not…this. What does he do? should he take out his note cards?

Also, I’m adding a mix of home alone elements to this. They have to get past the bats somehow and it can’t be lethal. Poor Jason and Steph who are patrolling the halls fall victim to most of this.

At one point, both of them are tied up together and hanging from the ceiling. While the trio just casually walk by under them. 

It’s dental floss. Really strong dental floss.

Then the bats start taking sides. 

Jason? once he hears Sam's story, he's immediately willing to help her. He and Dick are searching for that missing person's report almost religiously.

Tim believes Danny's story. part of it is because it makes the most sense, and the other part is that he's slightly biased from becoming an evil megalomaniac in every timeline he's seen so he's subconsciously trying to stop that from happening here.

Cass believes Tucker because come on, it's Cass.

Steph is siding with Tim because her father was cluemaster so same reasons.

Bruce is trying to fact check all of them and is failing desperately.

Sam added some ‘clues’ in her interrogation and basically threw the GIW under the bus as the organization. So the bats do find a shady organization but so far no missing persons so the other bats still don’t know if what Sam is saying is true or not while Dick takes this as absolute proof and Jason feels like it doesn’t matter if she’s telling the truth at this point. It’s a corrupt organization. So he’ll still blow it up.

I think in this AU, the GIW isn’t a threat and more of an annoyance so Sam just plays them up as even worse. Like, she doesn’t say anything untrue just makes it sound worse out of context. Oh yeah, they opened fire on this random kid. (Gregory when they thought he was phantom) Oh yes, they have destroyed Danny’s house at one point. (The prank war with Vlad) Yes, the have an unhealthy obsession with dissecting people. (Even though they are too incompetent to actually catch anyone).

So again, they don’t know if Sam is telling the truth of the organization or they just used this random organization to draw their attention away from the three’s plans (as Danny implied). Possibly an enemy organization or a competitor.

I know everyone makes the GIW a big threat but I decided to change it up. They aren’t a threat but still get obliterated by a pissed off Red Hood and Nightwing.

And that’s  another reason why Sam gives the sob story. Danny and Tucker are great but they wouldn’t actually sick a crime lord on the GIW. Sam? Absolutely would. She does not care what happens to them. They tore up her garden one time with a stray shot. She wants revenge. And sure, she didn’t actually know what would happen to them after the bats find out but she still doesn’t care.

And through all of this, the rogues are sitting back and eating popcorn while Joker screams bloody murder from his cell. 

[hannyoontify]

casual - yoon jeonghan [teaser]

member | childhood best friend!jeonghan x fem!oc

genre | fluff, angst and angst and lots of angst, childhood best friends to ????

teaser word count | 1k (full fic est. 12k)

synopsis | throughout her childhood, jeonghan was the one constant in jeong-ah's life. he was her rock and she was his, but there was always an unspoken tension between the two, something that made jeong-ah's stomach flutter and her pulse race. was it casual, like jeonghan said? or was there a possibility of being something more?

warnings | none (in teaser)

notes | inspired from this post i made a while back! bc this was inspired by events that happened irl, i had to make it an oc so that things made sense (like their names) read the fic here!

“You should ask me why we’re in here instead of sleeping like everyone else.”

I let out a sigh that ended in a laugh. “Okay, Jeonghan. Why are we in here instead of sleeping like everyone else?”

Jeonghan immediately straightened his back and turned his body to face me, and I mirrored his movements. The way he looked at me with shining, excited eyes reminded me of the same 5-year old who enjoyed pulling on my pigtails and playing hide-and-seek.

Despite growing a lot in the past decade together, there were still some parts of Yoon Jeonghan that never seemed to change. For example, that mischievous look on his face whenever he was about to do something he wasn’t supposed to. 

“Wait here.” Jeonghan disappeared outside and I couldn’t help but smile at his excited, almost child-like demeanor. Resting my head against the wall, I looked up and saw the sloped ceiling decorated with glow-in-the-dark stars.

The door soon opened again and Jeonghan reappeared with a single cupcake, a match, a candle, and two mini party hats. “I know we all got in trouble with our parents today so we can’t celebrate New Year’s, but I still wanted to do something for you. I know how much you love New Year’s celebrations.”

It was true. When all six of us had gotten in trouble earlier that evening because Jeonghan convinced all of us to try and help him set up a booby trap in his grumpy neighbor's backyard involving popping firecrackers, I was greatly disheartened when our parents decided that our punishment would be a bedtime of 9:30 and no New Year’s celebration.

I was particularly more upset than others because my parents had promised me a year ago that this New Year’s celebration would be the year where I finally got to try champagne.

“Jeonghan, I-” I faltered. I couldn’t find the words to describe how grateful I was to have him at that moment. 

Jeonghan scrambled to sit in the empty spot next to me. “You can thank me and be impressed later, just put this hat on. We only have a minute left.” He snapped on his own party hat before sliding its identical piece over my own head.

With a shaky hand, Jeonghan struck the match and lit the candle that was stuck atop the cupcake. We had made these cupcakes earlier today, with the help of our siblings. It had always been a tradition of ours.

My family would go over to the Yoon family’s house for the New Year’s and we would spend the night. Jeonghan, his older brother, and I were the older ones so we usually resorted to playing video games, board games, and baking while our younger siblings played with toys or watched TV. Our time together was always fun and a big highlight of my winter break every year.

But two years ago, when Jeonghan and I kissed in the summer, something changed. Our conversations became more stiff and awkward and he seemed to avoid me and my text messages more often.

When I consulted my mother about this situation (minus the kissing part), she had laughed and told me, “It’s because both of you are going through puberty now. It’s okay, it’s natural! Your relationship is going to return to normal in no time.”

Albeit it did take two years and a global pandemic for the two of us to be back on speaking terms again, but I was thankful to have my best friend back.

Jeonghan looked at me with a bright smile as he softly began to count down, his phone propped up against the wall so we could keep an eye on the clock. The single flame of the candle seemed to reflect the hundreds and thousands of stars that Jeonghan held within his eyes. His long lashes fluttered against his pale cheek bone and that tear-shaped mole on his right cheek that I had always been fond of. 

“Five… four…” I joined him in the count down, our hands holding the small cupcake together. 

I’d grown to accept the fact that Jeonghan wanted to pretend that kiss never happened. I did a lot of thinking and reflecting to realize that it was our silly pre-pubescent emotions that had gotten the best of us in that moment. It never meant anything.

“Two… one! Happy new year!” Jeonghan cheered. “One, two, three!”

11 years of friendship helped me to immediately recognize Jeonghan’s intent when he began counting again.

When he reached 3, the two of us blew at the single candle and the flame flickered for a moment before it disappeared, leaving a small trail of white smoke in its wake. Jeonghan pulled the candle out of the cupcake and I dipped my finger into the frosting and smeared it across my best friend’s cheek.

Jeonghan smiled with a mischievous glint in his eyes before dipping this thumb into the white frosting and spreading it across my forehead. “Simbaaaaa.”

We both erupted into a fit of childish giggles as I tried to smear another glob of dense, sweet frosting onto his face, but he dodged my hand successfully. But because Jeonghan was blessed by the genetic gods and had much longer arms than I did, he was able to reach over and smudge another spot of white frosting onto the top of my nose.

“Ewww!” I cried loudly.

Jeonghan tried to shush me but it was too late. We heard a door upstairs opening, and a pair of footsteps moving down the stairs. Jeonghan and I held onto each other with bated breaths and when we heard the footsteps slowly fade away, we let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Maybe they’re just grabbing water or some-” As Jeonghan whispered into my ear, the doorknob of the small door rattled and opened, revealing Mrs. Yoon, half disheveled with a face mask.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to suppress the giggle that was threatening to erupt as Jeonghan fumbled to find the right words. “H-hi, mom. We were just-”

“Out. Both of you. Now.”

Uh oh.

PLEASEEE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

and as always, reblogs and feedback is always appreciated ^-^

[bunnysnuff]

Elphaba meeting the readers family headcannons:

Pairing: Elphaba Thropp x reader.

Trigger warning: nervousness, vulnerability.

Request.

Initial Nervousness:

Elphaba is terrified about meeting your family. She’s used to being an outsider, and the thought of being judged or misunderstood by people she hasn’t even met makes her anxious. She asks if you’re sure your family will like her, but you assure her they’ll love her for who she is.

First Impressions (Reader’s Parents):

Your parents, depending on their personality, may either be warmly welcoming or a bit cautious. Your mom might go all out with an elaborate dinner, trying her best to make Elphaba feel at home, though Elphaba is uncomfortable with the attention.

Your dad might be quiet at first, sizing her up, giving her probing questions about her background, but he's genuinely interested in getting to know her.

Elphaba, used to being treated like an outsider, becomes a little defensive, but she quickly picks up on your family's attempts to make her feel included. The tension eases when she realizes that they’re not out to judge her, but simply curious.

Meeting Siblings (If Applicable):

If you have siblings, Elphaba might have a harder time with them. She’s not accustomed to casual sibling banter or playful teasing, so at first, she’s a bit aloof or distant.

However, if your siblings are kind, they quickly see through her initial coldness and start offering her little glimpses of warmth. One of your siblings might share an inside joke with Elphaba, breaking the ice, and Elphaba loosens up a little.

She’s also a little envious of the ease with which your family interacts, but it’s clear that she’s touched by their warmth and start to warm up herself, though still a little guarded.

Awkward Moments:

At some point, there might be a moment where Elphaba says something too blunt or unintentionally standoffish, and the room falls silent. Everyone stares for a brief second, unsure how to react.

You quickly defuse the situation with humor or by redirecting the conversation, but Elphaba looks mortified, and you can tell she feels like she doesn’t quite belong in a “normal” family setting.

Afterward, she quietly apologizes, feeling like an outsider again. You reassure her, letting her know she’s perfect just as she is.

Shared Vulnerability:

At some point, perhaps during dinner or a quiet conversation afterward, Elphaba opens up about her past, the difficulties she faced growing up, and how hard it was for her to feel accepted.

Your family, seeing her vulnerability, responds with empathy, and they reassure her that everyone has their struggles. Your parents especially might share a tender moment with Elphaba, telling her she’s welcome here as much as anyone.

Elphaba, though surprised, is moved by their understanding, feeling for the first time like she might actually belong somewhere.

The End of the Visit:

By the end of the visit, Elphaba has relaxed considerably. She still might retreat a little, especially if things get too chaotic or emotional, but she’s clearly grateful for your family’s acceptance.

Before leaving, your mom gives her a hug, telling her that she’s welcome to visit anytime, while your dad shares an approving nod.

On the way back, Elphaba reflects on the experience. She’s still unsure about the whole “family” thing but admits, albeit begrudgingly, that it wasn’t as bad as she expected. “Maybe... it’s not so bad to have a family after all,” she says quietly, looking at you, a soft but meaningful smile on her face.

[sweetadonisbutbetter]

hiii, could i request general blitzø x reader content?? honestly anything, i’m begging for crumbs at this point, there’s like no content for him 😭

OMG YES UGHHHH BLITZø MY BELOVED AUSB i have a few other prompts of him (that aren't ask) and he is jushfgshg i love him reader is implied to be an imp but can be read as any type of hellborn

He makes me laugh | Blitzø x GN!Reader

Relationship: Romantic Warnings: Mentions of NSFW but nothing too serious

Blitzø couldn’t understand how he got so lucky. His tail flicked behind him as he watched you interact with his daughter. Loona, who normally snarled at people to back away, was engaging in a conversation with you about a shared interest. Shockingly she was the main one talking, as you listened. That was possibly his favorite thing about you, that you lent an ear to those who believed that they didn’t have a voice. 

You were his most healthy relationship, by a long shot. Being patient with him, picking up the shattered pieces of his shell,  and helping him back together, no matter how many cuts you received. If he could compare his relationship to anyone, it would be M&M, which was a just compliment in his mind. You looked at him from the corner of your eyes, before smiling at him. 

Blitzø swears that if he was capable, he would have exploded. He let out a soft purr as his tail flicked harder. He was so caught up in staring at your perfectly hand-crafted face, that he didn’t notice that a client had walked in, standing in front of him while waving their hands. It took Loona yelling his name for him to snap out of his thoughts. With a slightly embarrassed look, he took the client into his office. Loona huffed and turned to you.

“Seriously, what do you even see in him?” She asked, propping her paws on the table. She began to scroll on her phone as you plopped right onto the table and looked at the office door, trying to think of a way to answer her question. The real answer was what he didn’t see in him. 

You had met him through horse riding lessons, being the teacher. Though you normally dealt with kids, be it their parents who paid for the lessons or a school trip, there was always the odd adult who wanted to say they rode a horse once in their life. Though Bliztø was far from the regular adults, his excitement reached that of a child. Throughout his lesson, you both talked and it led to him walking away after his lesson, overjoyed to have ridden a horse and your number in his hand. 

Though it took him a couple of days, he did get back to you, inviting you to hang out with him. You agreed, thinking ‘What the hell,’ and gave it a shot. Safe to say, you woke up the next morning sore, and your clothes were everywhere. 

It didn’t take long after that for you to start falling for the imp; however, through the late-night talks you had with him anytime you two either slept with one another or you had a casual sleepover, a relationship was the last thing that he needed. So instead of rushing into one and possibly blowing the thing up, you decided to be his rock, what kept him grounded. By being there for him, you could ensure that he was able to have someone to lean on. While you had no way of knowing if you were truly helping, you could for sure count on his actions to tell you.

It started small, with Blitzø holding your hand when you went you both went out. Then it slowly escalated to small kisses, first being played off as platonic, nights in which you two would just enjoy each other's company and ended with Blitzø asking you out. While your first date with him wasn’t fancy, it was the fact that you and Blitzø had spent the night with each other, cooking and watching movies. Of course, that night there was a serious, yet open and honest conversation about your relationship moving forward. You both had put on the table that you wanted a relationship, however, Blitzø wasn’t entirely sure about the idea of it, given his track record. You were the one to propose an open relationship, which could work with the proper boundaries. Explain it as a way for him to test the waters without necessarily being tied down. He agreed to it, though he was slightly reluctant that he would do something to screw it up.

It had been a couple of years since that conversation, and you both met more people. Blitzø took you to the adoption of Loona, you were the one to break out Blitzø and Moxxie, and you were there when the I.M.P opened for business. Of course, Blitzø had his off days, where he would shut the world off and retreat into himself, but you stayed. You couldn’t leave the very demon that brought you joy and leave the little found family that was started all by him. With your answer, you look back to Loona who was scrolling on her phone. You smiled softly and said,

“He makes me laugh.”

sigh...i love u blitz...wanted to include stolas in this but i have plans for him...

[remotepixel]

Hi, it is a bit angsty, but imagine yandere platonic avengers with an outcast/wanderer teen mutant reader (maybe some elemental powers like fire) who is cynical because her parents kicked her out because they discovered her powers and thought of her as a freak? Can you please write how would they react to her and what kind of thing would they do to make her trust them? Thanks a lot.

Hiii! Thank you for requesting and sorry this took me so long <3

TW: yandere themes

-Assuming the reader didn’t want to become a hero in fear of being outcasted even further, it’d probably be someone like Clint who met you first - someone who isn’t immediately spotted by the public.

-As a father (or, to be fair, just a normal empathetic person), seeing an obviously homeless/mistreated kid would be setting off a series of alarm bells and a want to help. Since he’s trained for stealth, I think he’d be able to recognize the distrust in your overall posture and gaze, so he wouldn’t push too much. He’d probably hand over some money, a simple suggestion to stay safe, and head on his way.

-Obviously, his concern starts to grow into obsession (you’ll start seeing him more, he asks a few more questions than last time), but he wouldn’t mention it to the avengers unless he felt there was a higher need to: like seeing you start a fire with just your hands.

-As you can probably guess, they’re not a big fan of hearing some kid could just burn down the entire street if they wanted to, but, since, at the end of the day, you’re just a kid using your powers to survive, they wouldn’t be trying to hunt you down or anything of the sort. In a mixture of sympathy or some member’s wariness, they would be joining Clint in his (now daily) check up on you.

-Natasha is an expert in reading body language and changing hers to get what she wants, so she could smell your distrust from a mile away. She’ll keep up a emotionless façade despite your best efforts to make her leave.

-It’d probably annoy you more at first, the fact she’s so calm when you’re having the worst time of your life, but she’s careful to not cross any boundaries she knows she won’t come back from and you start to feel bad later on, thinking of your emotional outbursts against her stoicism.

-When you’re starting to trust her more, she opens to you in return. She don’t ask about your home life or what happened, she mostly listens or sits in the quiet with you, with the hopes of becoming a safe place against everything (or anyone) else.

-Bruce would be another more comforting figure out of them all. He knows how it feels to be judged for something - destructive - out of your control, and it would offer a comfort to know you’re not alone.

-I don’t see him visiting as often as some of the others (he’s too nervous to do so - just in case he messes anything up), but normally brings something when he does; something small like a trinket or a book. He doesn’t want to come off as pitying, and he assumes you won’t be accepting of any ‘extravagant’ gifts, so he hopes you would at least accept those - a way of showing he cares and something to do for you.

-He wouldn’t push his luck, similar to Nat and Clint, but he would suggest moving into the tower or similar thanks to him being science bros with the pushiest member of the team: Tony.

-Tony would be the worst person in this scenario. Sure, he knows his way around the social scene, but normally that’s with fellow arrogant businessmen, not angsty teens.

-Despite understanding your distrust, he doesn’t have the subtle cues mastered like Nat. His first line to you is probably a question/joke about your powers, which definitely doesn’t help when that’s the reason you’re cynical in the first place. He’ll attempt to be casual, then just blurt out how the tower has extra rooms - an not-very-subtle offer you have declined too many times in the past week.

-What he makes up with badly-formed conversations, he tries to make up with gifts: blankets, shoes, way too much cash he just shoves into your hand before leaving. He doesn’t view you as a charity case, but he hopes his attentiveness to your needs/wants solidifies the fact that he’s trying to help.

-Steve’s a 50/50 I think. He’s an easy person to trust, but once his obsessive thoughts start taking over, he gives off heavy ‘i’m going to gaslight every interaction into something positive and you’re never getting rid of me’.

-Like, even if you don’t trust him (yet), he’ll be sitting next to you with a smile on his face thinking about how well this is going. It clear he’s trying though. He’s persistent in his efforts - making sure to visit everyday at a set time - with either food or maybe his drawing kit if you’re interested in that.

-He’d probably pull out the ‘:(’ face if he deems you haven’t opened up enough to him, and basically try and guilt-trip you into doing so (because he’s the epitome of goodness, right? Shouldn’t you trust him at least?)

-Thor probably doesn’t realise you don’t trust him. As long as you stick around, cowering in the corner or not, he’ll happily talk about his newest adventures or how much you would like Asgard (never mind the fact you won’t even think of the idea of following him somewhere and he’s already trying to bring you back to his home realm).

-He’d be similar to Tony in terms of being overly-interested in your powers, but his is out of such pure enthusiasm that’s it hard to completely brush him off. He doesn’t even flinch if you decide to show how dangerous your powers can be on a stray piece of trash, he’s just happy to see you using them.

-When you eventually open up about your parents, the avengers aren’t happy obviously. They knew you probably weren’t living in the streets for fun, but to hear that the people you were supposed to trust most were the reason?

-Don’t be surprised if you hear your parents have suddenly gotten fired from their jobs and moved across the state (or, at least, that’s what people think since they’ve also cut off any contacts they had).

-However, in a twisted way, there is a sense of satisfaction that your parents were fully out of the picture, no ways of them ever being able to regain your trust. It leaves an open spot for the avengers to swoop in; pick up the broken pieces and claim the number one spot in your heart.

-You can happily stay in the tower with them, far above the streets you once lived in, knowing that they’ll never let you leave go back.

[atiianeishaunted]

some canon stfuf about the sonder cast bwaa :33 you can have ur own hcs btw id love to see them <3 but!! yeah,, i feel liek infodumping a teensy bit hrgfrhfh mainly cuz im not in an art mood 2day sigh doesnt include everyone bc this is only stuff i can think of off the top of my head atm but :3

lance: canonically bisexual, might be a trans man (havent decided? its honestly up 2 the audience, could go either way), was a huge moviestarplanet player when he was a kid, would probably play dress to impress methinks, for the LONGEST time was convinced something was going on between allura and keith and was insanely jealous and bitter, has the worst gaydar ever TRUST, figured out he was bisexual while playing msp but it only got worse when he met keith and hes really pissed about it

keith: gay as hell but hasnt exactly processed or accepted it (just knows hes scared of women) (for many reasons), transgender (will respond to anything besides feminine pronouns n such), most likely did his own piercings dont ask how or why, allura is the only woman thus far hes comfortable with because she reminds him of a certain someone, allura and him r huge gossips, jack of all trades but really does not know what hes good at like he doesnt know a thing about himself (one time lance challenged him to try out his sniper bc they got into an argument and keith was surprisingly good at it, he was evidently more confused than lance somehow?) (think that one family guy audio where s liek "how r u doing that" "i dunno ;;; O_O"), if you ask him ANYTHING about himself he will most likely just say "yeah i dont rememebr" or "I dont know", often talks very old school and "retro" (in lance's words), surprisingly a decent cook/baker, not as good as hunk of course but can keep up, despite this it was revealed in a conversation with hunk that keith was eating glass among other inedible things while going crazy in the desert (his feral era <3), can diy explosives among other things and no one acknowledges it because it scares them, this boy is very autistic, audhd in fact, im right and you all know it allura: lesbian but doesnt realize it just yet, would probably love the idea of neo/xenopronouns she'd find them whimsical, surprisingly prefers moths over butterflies (mainly after a talk she and keith had one night), huge gossip and loves romance but not in a "i need to date a man" way but "i want to play cupid" (think mabel from gravity falls) (she did have a phase of being boy crazy but that quickly went away when she was brought out of stasis), she loves dressing up but mainly dresses down and more casually because she doesnt go out as much thanks to altea going kaput and all that, she adores gardening and likes to make dyes and such from her flowers, huge diy queen (TRUSTT) she can sew and all that, probably real crafty, keith and allura are close friends and both extremely out of touch with normal human people, she frequently asks him for advice due to their closeness and they just make eachother worse /aff, unironically used wicked in a sentence and was very proud of it (lance almost threw keith out of an airlock for this one), not the best cook but tries her best and is fairly confident with her skills (vicecore if you play alchemy stars) (keith almost banned her from the kitchen) (they agreed on supervised kitchen hours)

pidge: aroace and agender, literally a chronically online cosplayer tech nerd, probably has been cancelled multiple times to the point where matthew had to take every piece of tech they had in the house, has doxxed people before, obsessed with vocaloid and anime, wants to get piercings really bad but their parents wont let them, uses any pronouns and if you ask for their gender they will change their answer everytime or answer with something silly like "the void", their favorite person is Hunk but beyond that prefers robots and tech as their companions, keith is their favorite victim of pranks (save him), the only one who isnt scared of keith even a little bit, evil scientist coded, too smart for their own good, not very socially smart and misses social cues but doesnt really care, very picky about the food they consume, iconic 13-14 year old who is a bit too excited at the prospect of having an excuse to build weapons

[skyloftian-nutcase]

There was a little place in Castle Town that had been one of the most popular businesses in the entire city before the Calamity. It had called itself The Royal Eatery, and its idea was a novel one - a place for people to gather and relax, to eat and drink as if it were a tavern or an inn, but simply without sleeping amenities. The citizens of the Castle Town loved to visit it, to try new cuisines from the chefs who shared all the culinary delights Hyrule had to offer.

When the Calamity had come, the eatery had been nearly destroyed. However, through the efforts of the locals, it was finally running again.

This was already a celebratory matter, but The Royal Eatery had steadily become famous for its patrons. The Champions themselves loved to meet there, choosing to get a nice meal and hang out somewhere that wasn’t quite as overbearing or formal as the castle. Some days people swore they saw the queen herself there.

Nembia knew better, of course. She was one of the servers at The Eatery, and she often saw famous customers. At first it had been quite the surprise, and her parents naturally didn’t believe her, but now she was growing accustomed to it and even having fun with it.

Because they were fun. And funny. And interesting! Nembia loved people watching, learning about others and observing the world around her, and she was happy she found a place that suited her perfectly.

All the Champions were so much fun to watch. There was the stuffiest one on sight, the Rito Champion Revali, but he always left great tips and was very polite to Nembia, so she loved having him around. He often fluffed his feathers when certain champions arrived, trying to make himself look impressive, but oftentimes when he arrived at the eatery first he would just sit and observe people and look relaxed. Nembia had even gotten into a conversation with him about their favorite kind of weather. It wasn’t much, but it made her happy. He even remembered her name!

Next was her favorite, the Goron Champion, Daruk. He always greeted her with a booming voice, a smile that could light up the world, and occasionally a big hug. While he didn’t eat anything that they could serve, he at least always had some water. Nembia was working on getting some rock roast available just for him, but it was still a work in progress.

The Gerudo Champion and chief, Urbosa, had honestly intimidated Nembia a little at first. The woman was formidable, confident, and despite the softness of her voice, she held an authority and power to her. She was always very kind when speaking to Nembia, but the server had to admit she hadn’t worked up the courage to speak casually with her quite yet. The fact that she was the leader of her people didn’t help.

That was, of course, where the problems arose with the rest. Nembia enjoyed all of them, but she still had to get over the formality of it sometimes. Princess Mipha, Prince Link, and Queen Zelda were literally as normal as people could be, but the titles did lend to some anxiety. Nembia was working her way through it, though - she’d even gotten into conversations with the queen herself about different food items and ingredients!

Princess Mipha was always so polite and sweet, asking Nembia about herself. She even knew about Nembia’s younger brother and her parents, and often inquired after them when she came to visit. Nembia liked her. Prince Link was the sweetest, and oh how Nembia wished she could catch his eye the way the Zora princess had (a girl could dream), but he was also very quiet and soft spoken, shy to the point of difficulty trying to pull conversation out of him. It was Nembia’s goal to try and actually make him laugh too, and she was figuring out all the different ways to do so.

Today seemed to be a particularly special day as all the Champions gathered together. It had become tradition for them to meet up here, rather than in the castle, before they attended to whatever formal duties called them to the capital. Nembia knew and prepped the various drinks for everyone - water for Princess Mipha, Revali, and Daruk, Gerudo coffee for Chief Urbosa, tea for Queen Zelda, and milk for Prince Link.

But something was different, Nembia could tell. She squinted her brown eyes from around the corner, noticing that Princess Mipha and Prince Link were standing closer together than usual. And… Zora were strange in that they didn’t wear clothes, but it seemed that Princess Mipha seemed particularly self conscious of her abdomen, though it didn’t seem like there was a huge difference…

Nembia gasped, hiding in the kitchen. Could it be?

Of course, to the Champions, who knew the Zora princess well, it was immediately apparent. They’d already been informed via letter (the instant Zelda had found out she had told literally everyone), so when they met up in person Daruk immediately picked Mipha up in the gentlest hug the Goron had ever given. He spoke to her softly, making her smile before placing her on the ground as if she were made of glass. Then he grabbed Link with such excitement that he nearly snapped the poor Hylian Champion in half.

“Congratulations, brother!!” Daruk boomed merrily.

Revali huffed a little at the display, but he tipped his head to the Zora princess nonetheless. “I… didn’t think you two could have children, but I am happy for you, Mipha.”

“Right?” Zelda said eagerly, her face flushed. “Oh, it’s so exciting and wonderful! And so fascinating, too! I wonder what such a child could look like, and—”

“All right, little bird,” Urbosa interrupted with a chuckle. “Let them breathe and try to remember they’re having a child, not a science experiment.”

“Oh, of course I know that,” Zelda huffed as if she hadn’t just been theorizing about the baby’s phenotype.

“How far along are you now?” Urbosa asked as everyone sat at their favorite corner table.

“Only seven weeks,” Mipha answered as Link smiled at her happily.

“But you must tell me all about Zora pregnancies!” Zelda insisted with delight. “I imagine it’s a little different from Hylian ones—”

“Maybe later,” Urbosa again redirected the young queen as Revali seemingly tried to disappear into oblivion at the thought of the direction this conversation was going. “We’re all very excited for you two. It’s a beautiful gift and responsibility. I trust you two are up to the task.”

Link and Mipha nodded, their hands finding each other’s as their eyes sparkled.

“That’s just delightful, truly,” Revali said, though there was little bite to his usual sarcastic quips. “In the meantime, perhaps we can catch up on other affairs, since we all knew this news coming in. For example, I have managed to achieve a new height with my gale, climbing higher than ever and beating every Rito in known history.”

”That’s very impressive, Revali!” Mipha commented with a small gasp.

Nembia came at this point, settling the drinks at the table as she smiled at everyone. The brief interruption inspired Zelda to speak up, and the queen said, “Well, we’ve been able to fully restore the travel gates to allow for multiple people to travel at once! It takes quite a bit of energy, though, so it still isn’t the most convenient form of travel. The last of the repairs on the stables have been completed, and our roads are better than ever. Hyrule is finally completely connected again.”

As Nembia got food orders and eavesdropped occasionally, she put a little treat together. When the Champions were rising and ready to head to the castle to address matters related to their various peoples, she left a treat and a congratulatory note for the Zora princess, slipping into the kitchen and peeking around to see the young woman notice the note underneath. Prince Link peered over her shoulder, hands gently wrapped around her as he read it as well, and then the two’s faces lit up with smiles.

Nembia giggled, entering the kitchen entirely. She loved working here.

[diazsdimples]

Fuck It Friday!!

Tagged by @theotherbuckley @wikiangela (go check out her new Christmas fic!!!) and @steadfastsaturnsrings please go read all their wips right now!

Today I have a bit of Buck and Eddie's first meeting for the Single Dad's AU!! This bit is a work in progress and will probably be tweaked a bit so would appreciate some feedback (please be nice lol, it's been a long week)

Snippet under the cut (it's a bit long but what's new!)

Buck’s standing outside Carrie’s classroom when he notices the new guy.

It’s not weird, okay, but Buck knows all the parents of kids in both his daughters’ classes and he’s positive he hasn’t seen this guy before. He wouldn’t forget someone so perfectly handsome quite so easily.

The man looks a little apprehensive as if this is the first time he’s done pick up before (and maybe it is, Buck doesn’t know the guy and he’s not about to judge), and Buck instantly remembers what it was like for him when he picked Carrie up from her first day of school. All the moms had flocked him like hungry chickens and grilled him about why he was there, who was his kid, where was his wife, questions that he got all too often as a single dad, but it didn’t make them any easier to answer.

He figures, if this guy is going through half of what Buck went through on his first day of pick up, he’s gonna need a friend.

Buck takes a breath before making his way over to where the guy is standing. He’s hot, that much is blatantly obvious. He’s not overly muscular but the muscles he does have are beautifully toned as though carved painstakingly out of marble. He’s got a light dusting of stubble on his jaw and his hair is fluffy and is styled into what Buck reckons the guy hopes looks like a casual quiff. His hair and eyes are both dark, like melted chocolate, which is unfortunate because that is exactly Buck’s type. In summary: he’s a fucking god.

Buck can definitely be normal about this.

He clears his throat nervously before taking another step closer.

“First time at pick up?”

The guy’s head flicks up so fast Buck swears he can hear it click. “What was that?”

“Is this your first time at pick up? I just – I haven’t seen you here before, not that I’m keeping track but I know most of the parents here, so I was just curious when I saw you and –“ Buck swallows. He’s rambling, like an idiot, and the guy is looking at him with an expression that looks to be a mixture of confusion and amusement, as if he can’t quite figure out if Buck’s a threat or just some dumbass that won’t shut up.

“Sorry, I swear I’m not weird, I’m just –“ Buck holds out his hand. “I’m Buck. Well, Evan, but everyone calls me Buck.”

A wide grin spreads across the guy’s face and Buck heaves a sigh of relief as he takes Buck’s hand, shaking it firmly. His hands are warm and calloused, a sure sign of a man who’s good with his hands. Buck tries very very hard not to think how good he might be with his hands.

“Eddie,” the guy replies, his teeth flashing as he smiles, “Eddie Diaz. Yeah, first time at pick up. Yesterday was actually my kid’s first day here but my Abuela got him.”

Buck leans against a pillar and him and Eddie quickly strike up a conversation. It’s clear the poor guy’s frazzled as hell, Buck learns quickly about how Eddie’s new to town (to be fair, Eddie doesn’t provide all this unprompted, Buck’s asking him a load of questions and Eddie indulges him with answers), how he’s been struggling to find somewhere for his son, Christopher, and how he’s trying to navigate life as a single dad. Buck can certainly sympathise.

“Yeah, I get you, when Carrie and Lily’s Mom died, I had no idea what I was going to do, but we worked it out. They’re such great kids -”

A flash of recognition passes over Eddie’s face. “Wait, you’re Carrie’s dad?”

Buck pauses, mid-sentence. “Uhhh, yeah?”

Before he has a second to breathe, Buck’s being pulled into a bone-crushing hug, and it knock the air out of him. He makes a surprised “mmfff” into Eddie’s shoulder and he pats his back, a little bemused, until Eddie releases him.

“Sorry,” he says gruffly and Buck swears he sees the slightest hint of a tear behind Eddie’s eyelids. “It’s just – Christopher told me how she stood up for him in class yesterday and he was so happy, he’s never had a friend like that before. You’ve done an amazing job with her, man.”

Buck can’t help but swell a little from the praise. “Yeah, she’s a great kid, I’m so lucky she’s mine you know. And she told me all about Christopher yesterday, she’s so excited to have him in her class. Apparently, he’s her new best friend.”

Eddie laughs loudly at that, the noise warming Buck’s chest and spreading through his fingers. “Yeah, well, that’s seven year olds for you.”

(No pressure) tagging @daffi-990 @hippolotamus @rainbow-nerdss @loserdiaz @malewifediaz @thewolvesof1998 @jesuisici33 @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @housewifebuck @disasterbuckdiaz @callmenewbie @cal-daisies-and-briars @wildlife4life @spotsandsocks @smilingbuckley @fortheloveofbuddie @nmcggg @fruitandbubbles @watchyourbuck @fionaswhvre @evanbegins @buckbuckgoose @bucksbackwardcap @aspecbuddie

[wearentdelulu]

Into you~ Chapter Seven

Kook watched as his family sing happy birthday to his father. He sung along but his mind was elsewhere. Although it was his father’s birthday Kook couldn’t even focus on it. He puts on a fake smile and pretends to be involved even when he’s far from it. Anya’s address was in his phone. The place where she lives. He couldn’t just pop up there without warning right? Then again it’s not like he could call or text her to ask. He’s supposed to be staying here with his parents for the weekend but he’s debating if he should make an excuse to leave early. He obviously feels bad for not being more present in the moment, he hardly sees this family anymore and he should be talking and catching up with them. Not imagining different scenarios in where he pops up on Anya.

“Jungkook?” His mother says lightly tapping his shoulder. “You okay honey?”

Kook shakes out of his thoughts and looks around seeing all eyes on him. “What?” He looks at his mom.

“You’ve hardly said anything since you got here. Is everything okay?”

Kook gives her a small smile hoping that she’ll believe him and drop the topic. “I’m fine mom it was just a long drive so I’m pretty tired.” He lies. He’s far from tired right now.

“Or it’s that gaming you’ve been doing.” Kooks dad interjects. “We told you that’s not a real career son. You need to finish school and study politics like me and your mother.”

“Right.” Kook nods. His parents never liked the idea of him being a streamer. They thought he was scamming people for their money which is ridiculous isn’t it? At least he’s taking his school work seriously. To be fair he hasn’t failed a class since the beginning of the semester. That should count as something right? He understands he’s the oldest child and his parents expect more from him but he really didn’t want to have another argument about his gaming life, especially on his father’s birthday. So he just nods like he normally does.

Junghyun looks at Kook as if he could read his mind and maybe he could because he completely changes the subject and talks to his parents about how much the food tastes better when the whole family is together. Kook mentally thanks him and takes a bit of the food that is now cold from his daydreaming. He decides to at least try to make conversation with his family instead of thinking about Anya but it was really fucking hard.

After dinner Kook takes his bag and goes upstairs into his old childhood room. The smell of nostalgia fills his nostrils. He sets his bag down and looks around the room. Everything was still in place just how he left it. All of his trophies and medals were still up, slightly dusted. He feels like he’s looking at a whole different person. The man he was years ago was completely different from him now.

“Going down memory lane?” Junghyun says leaning against the door frame so casually. Kook looks up at him nodding as he picks up an old picture of him and Junghyun. They were at Kooks first baseball game many years ago. Kook looked so small and so carefree. He couldn’t even remember the last time he felt like his old self. Too caught up on the modern day stuff he completely forgot who he was. Well that was before he met Anya. She lit that fire that burned to ashes inside of him. She saw through him without even looking at him face to face. She woke him up. She made him feel like he could be himself. She saw the difference between Kook and Jungkook. And now…..Kook wants to feel like….Jungkook again and he hasn’t in so long. He always thought he had to be the best at everything. Sports, women, money you name it. He wanted to be this version of himself that could get anyone and anything he wanted. It worked for years but what’s the point of having everything you’ve wanted but not having who you wanted……no…..who you needed. He needed her in ways he didn’t even know. He hates that it took her to cut him off to see how much he cared about her and now he doesn’t even know if she feels the same way. Kook wants to give up and just move on with his life maybe forget this happened, but Jungkook wants to keep trying. He doesn’t want to give up, but a part of him inside is still insecure and doubtful. More importantly he’s terrified. Terrified in both ways. If she takes him back and decides to actually build a relationship with him he’ll be terrified because he’s never done that before. Never let any woman get too close or too comfortable with him in fear of abandonment. Although if she decides she doesn’t want anything to do with him he’d be terrified but at least he’d tried…..

Junghyun sits on the edge of his bed. He watches Kook take a seat next to him, still holding the picture frame in his hand. His eyes never leaving it. “Is this……is this about Anya?” Junghyun asks cautiously. “What happened?”

Kook clenches his jaw fighting the back tears that are trying to escape. “I um…” he chokes out, his voice becoming more hoarse. “I…I think I lost….her. And I don’t know what to do or…..or how to get her back.” He wanted to fucking slap himself for tearing up like this. It’s embarrassing that he couldn’t even keep his emotions in check.

Junghyun wraps his arm around Kooks shoulders. “Since when have you ever given up on yourself? I think you’re underestimating yourself Jungkook.” Kook sighs feeling grateful for his brother’s words, but he also felt a sense of determination within him. Junghyun was right, Kook wasn’t the type to just give up so easily especially for not something he’s passionate about. Or someone he’s passionate about.

“It’s not that easy. I don’t want to overstep her boundaries.” Kook knew his brother was right but in this moment he was making excuses for himself. Trying to make up scenarios that’ll make him back out. “What if it goes wrong? What if she tells me to fuck off?”

“At least you tried and at least you had an opportunity to be truthful with her.” Junghyun replied. “Whatever happens be honest with her no matter what.”

Be honest. Tell her everything. Okay yeah he could do that and if she still hates him afterwards he’ll just…..gosh he doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to find out either. She deserves to know how much she’s affected his life since they met. He needs to tell her how much he……loves her. Love? That’s a strong word but Kook couldn’t think of anything else to describe his feelings for her and ‘love’ seems like it fits well. Kook loves Anya. Kook fell in love with Anya without even realizing it. All the nights he’d fall asleep to her voice. In the mornings when he’d jumped up out of bed to see if she texted him. All the stupid conversations they had. All the times he’d just let her rambling about whatever just so he could hear her talk more. When he jump on stream searching each individual viewer just to find hers. The way his heart would beat so fast when he’d see her contact calling him randomly. All of that and he’d didn’t think it was love. A crush maybe but love? No he didn’t think he was capable to feel that…..but he did. So fucking badly.

Kook let’s out a deep breath. “You’re right…..but I don’t even think Mom and Dad would let me leave randomly because of it. I might have to wait until tomorrow.” He looks at the clock and it’s already half past ten. He’s supposed to stay for the weekend but it’s becoming extremely difficult. At least he’d have enough time to go over what he wanted to say to her.

“What are they going to do? Ground you?” Junghyun comments. “You’re a grown man and I know for a fact they’re both sleeping as we speak.”

He did have a point. There was nothing stopping him from heading to her house and before he could make an excuse for not going he gets up before he could change his mind. “I should go before I talk myself out of it then.” Kook grabs his bag and places the picture frame back on his desk. Junghyun gives him a smile of encouragement and understanding. Kook walks out and heads towards the front door, grabbing his car keys. He turns around to see Junghyun holding the picture frame of them two in his hand. “Here take it with you.” He suggests. “It’d make me feel better if I knew it was with you. Maybe you won’t forget about me when you’re busy.”

Kooks eyes softened at his words. He’s been so caught up with this situation with. Anya he didn’t even spend any time with his brother. “It’s just…..we used to be so close and now we only speak when I’m….doing something reckless or on holidays. I thought the motorcycle accident would…..get your attention. And it worked.” Junghyun admits. Kook could see the tears falling from his eyes and immediately drops his bag and walks towards him. He made two people cry about him in less than 24 hours, he needed to fix this.

“Hey hey don’t cry.” Kooks says wiping the tears away. He couldn’t believe how selfish he’s been recently and he hates himself for it. “You don’t and will never need to hurt yourself to get my attention. You’re my brother and I love you. I’ve should’ve been more communicative with you and our parents.” Kook sighs feeling a wave of guilt. “Junghyun I haven’t forgotten about you just because I live far away now. I worry about you all the time, ask Jimin I’ve been venting to him recently about how reckless you’ve been.”

Junghyun looks up, his eyes full of hope. “Really?”

“Really.” Kook pulls him in for a hug. “You’re my best friend you know that? I’ll always be here for you, no matter the distance.”

Junghyun nods as he holds on to him. “I’ll stay the entire weekend with you. Say the word and I’ll go back upstairs and we can play video games like we used too.” Kook always used to put Junghyun first. It’s time he start acting like it.

“Yeah that sounds good but um….” Junghyun pulls away. “I think you should talk to Anya first. If you stay now you’ll be moping around about her the entire time anyway. It might ruined the mood.” He says with a small smile.

“No Junghyun it’s okay I’ll stay-

Junghyun picks up his bag and hands him the keys. “I promise it’s fine. Just visit more often before I graduate.”

“Are you sure?” Kook asks, needing to make sure he was okay with this.

Junghyun nods. “Yeah get her back.”

Kook smiles softly hugging him one more time. “I fucking hope so…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anya couldn’t sleep no matter how long she kept her eyes closed. All she could hear and see was Kook. It also didn’t help that the harsh words Haein said were also on a loop in her head. She tosses and turns in the bed unable to find a comfortable position. She feels helpless. Like she’d be in the mental state forever. Is that possible? Could she actually die because of this? It felt like it. She sits up and walks into her living room. The darkness making her feel even more empty and alone.

She looks outside and sees a couple of people walking the empty streets and she can’t help but wonder what’s it like to be so carefree and happy. When the was time Anya has been genuinely happy? Before Kook? After Kook? No it was with Kook period. Every moment when he was there Anya was happy. He made her happy. He never judged her. Never called her nasty names she calls herself. He always listened to her even when she was half asleep on the phone and her words didn’t make sense. The worst part of that was she hated hanging up the phone. Hating being apart from him in any way. He just made life so much better. When she wakes up in the morning she feels excited to have someone to talk to. Or when she’d watch his streams it always felt like she knew him. Kinda like they knew each other in their past lives. Anya knew that was probably reaching things but it’s true. She doesn’t know how to feel about this situation but she does know that she misses him. Gosh she misses him so much. A part of her blames herself for eavesdropping in the first place. If she’d just mind her business this wouldn’t have happened but no. Anya was feeling really happy in life to the point where the universe told her to not be so naive. Prepare for the worst and she didn’t. She wonders if she deserves this? She is always meant to be heartbroken and lonely? Will she die alone with no one to love her? It certainly feels that way.

Still distracted by her thoughts she sees a bright light pulling her back into reality. She looks outside and sees a car pull up in the front of her apartment. It was a nice car she immediately thinks about one of her rich neighbors who buys cars like their clothes. The front door opens and a tall figure steps out. Anya couldn’t quite make out who it was but she was curious nonetheless. The mystery man gets out the car and stands still for a moment. Could he be a robber? Or a murder? This is the perfect atmosphere for both. The man runs his fingers through his hair and makes his way up the stairs. Unfortunately for Anya she’s not able to see which direction the man is walking but she stills locks her door just incase. Few seconds later she hears a knock on her front door and her heart drops. Could it be that mystery man? Will he try to kill her or worse? Anya stood still in the middle of the living room. She wonders what she can use to protect herself-

“A-Anya it’s me…..Jungkook.”

Anya pauses. No no no that’s not Jungkook. If anything that could be a skin walker pretending to be him. Kook didn’t care about her, she knows that now. She already accepted that. He doesn’t even know her address either because she never given it to him. So who the hell is this?

“Can we talk please?”

She wants to grab the sharpest knife in her kitchen to defend herself but she doesn’t want to make any movements.

“I can hear you breathing Anya….”

“G-Go away.” She mumbles out. “I’m not opening the door.”

Kook sighs but nods as if she could see him. “Then don’t……just hear me out, please?”

She moves closer to the door waiting for what he’d say next.

“Anya…..fuck….I’m so fucking sorry. What you heard with me and Jimin wasn’t about you.” He takes a deep breath controlling his emotions. “Ever since we’ve been talking on stream other people have been texting me and asking me inappropriate things and that’s what me and Jimin were talking about. They’re jealous of you Anya and they want me.”

She remains silent.

“You mean so much more to me than them. I fucking mean it Anya. You’re the one I want…..and need.” Kook was sounding more and more desperate. “I understand why you’re upset with me but I would never call you an annoying fan, because you’re not.” He rests his forehead against the door feeling helpless but chooses to continue with his words. “You’ve completely changed my life for the better Anya and I want you in it. So please…..be in my life because I don’t think I can ever go back to the way I was before you…”

Anya feels her heart racing as he continues. She’s never seen him so open and vulnerable.

“Look Kook…..I mean Jungkook…” she sighs. “I don’t even know what to call you.”

“Call me whatever you want. You can call me Kook, you can call me Jungkook.” He pauses for a second. “You can call me a hypocrite, call me a fucking liar an idiot a bastard.” He sighs closing his eyes. “You can call me in the middle of the night…….call me when you’re sad…….or angry…….or depressed but please Anya never stop calling me. I’m…..I want….I just…” Kook stops talking for a moment. He needs to breathe and make sure he doesn’t let his emotions take over his mind. He didn’t want to scare her off. He lets out a low chuckle with no humor in it feeling stupid, confessing his feelings like some teenager. “I fucking sound pathetic.”

Anya was leaning against the door, her back against it. His words made her heart flutter in the best way possible. She sighs softly as she thinks of something to say.

Kook hears her sigh and immediately feels like he fucked up again. “Anya I’m sorry I……..I don’t want to make you comfortable I’m just feeling really fucking desperate right now.” He breathes out. “I just…..if you’re going to hate me forever then…..then I can’t stop you. But before you do…..…can I…..see you?”

“Why?” Anya asks quietly. “I’m not the type of girls you would like. I know you’re with Yuna and I’m nothing like her…….at all.”

“That’s the point Anya.” He replies. “I don’t like Yuna or care about her trust me. She’s just someone I used to sleep with that’s all.” He bites his lip nervously. “You’re the type of girl that I like Anya……maybe more than like.”

More than like? Does he mean-

“I…..” he sighs. Just say it Kook. Say the truth. Tell her how she makes you feel Kook you got this. He clears his throat, his fingers trembling and his heart racing. He’s doing this and there’s no backing out.

“I…..I lo-“ He was cut off by the sounds of the door unlocking. One click. Two clicks. Time froze. His breath quickened. Kook watched the door slowly open, revealing a dark room.

“C-Come in…..”

[nothing0fnothing]

My mums favorite hobby when I was very young was to instill an irrational fear inside me for days or weeks before exposing me to whatever she'd taught me to be afraid of all at once, in public, so she could bask in the chaos and play the long suffering, saintly mother.

One time, she did this to me with ice skating.

My mother one day, decided to start telling me "real" stories from her childhood about the dangers of ice skating; broken bones from failed tricks, frozen rug burns from being dragged across the ice, shards of ice stabbing eyes and blinding people, kids falling down and having their fingers sliced off as someone skated over them, people getting tangled up in the ice cleaner. Just some real fantastical Final Destination shit. I was nine and she was my mother so I believed these absolutely insane stories of hers, and had nightmares about horrific ice skating accidents for days. She would tell these stories casually, on the drive to school or while she made dinner, every few days for a few weeks. Always when I was alone. I'd listen intently and go wide eyed and ask questions she would gleefully respond with the most gorry and horrifying answers to. So in few weeks, guess what I was absolutely terrified of.. and guess where she surprised me with a super fun day out of?

She had planned with her friends to get us kids all together and all go ice skating. Obviously to everyone else, this sounded perfect. Kids love ice skating, we were kids, who would have a problem with that?

I begged my mum to please say I didn't have to go on the ice. Couldn't I just stay in the cafe with the grown ups and watch the other kids have fun? "No. We've paid all this money for you to skate so have fun like the normal kids and skate."

"Please" I begged. "I promise I'll be quiet and I won't listen to your conversation and I won't ask for tea or cola. Just don't make me go on the ice"

Sometimes she would have allowed it. She'd have sat across from me and spat the occasional hurtful comment my way to ensure we could both look a sorry sight and she could bask in the image that it was hard to be my mother. Not today though. Today, had more drama potential and my mum was milking it. Responding in cruel, unfeeling short responses to get me as upset as possible so the other grown ups would look over and see the small scene I was creating.

She dragged me to a bench, forced me into some skates a size too small, tight laced them painfully around my feet and practically shoved me into the rink.

I tried for a while. I gripped the side and tried to feel confident. And then I cried and hyperventilated on the ice until one of my mothers friends came and collected me.

He was a sweet man with two daughter's around my age who he adored. He reassuringly held my hand while I gripped the side of the rink with the other and at my pace, guided me off the ice. Once we were on solid ground he gave me a tissue to wipe my tears, gently helped me to take my skates off and sat me down with his wife while he bought me a cup of tea. I put four sugar cubes into it and ate three more. They asked me about my special interests and told me all about their gardening plans. Within minutes I was smiling and chatting happily. It meant a lot to me. I knew grown ups take their kids to these places to have some peace away from the kids, yet they'd gone out of their way to make me feel like they were friends.

My parents had actually told him to leave me on the ice. They told him I was throwing a tantrum because I wanted to go to the cinema instead, and in spite I was trying to ruin everyone elses fun. They said I was difficult and selfish and manipulative, and everything always had to go my way, that I would ruin the whole day for everyone if they indulged me, and to pay attention to me was to give me what I wanted. They painted me out to be some kind of tiny tyrant, effortlessly manipulating grown adults to my childish whims.

Some of the other adults clearly believed it. I could feel it in the nasty glances and sharp tones they took with me. They would ask me why I was crying and roll their eyes when I honestly answered that I was scared. I could see in the way they reacted to me, they were wondering what kind of kid was that scared of ice? Why would her mother lie?

I know why she did it. She liked to see me afraid and distressed yes, but she loved the sympathy even more. How sad for her, trapped in a home with a petulant bitch like me, willing to turn on the waterworks at an ice rink to ruin everyone's good day. How hard must it be for her, to be the mother of a nine year old with the manipulation skills of someone in their thirties. There was no sympathy left for me, she took it all.

Except on that day, when a very kind man decided to not believe her, and instead saw little me crying on the ice for what I was, a sad little girl who deserved a friend.

[alexanderlightweight]

hello! Happy Wednesday 💛

a prompt idea: someone tries to convince alec that magnus has/will inevitably cheat on him. Maybe even magnus finds out?

so i had to think about how to do this because i hate cheating and then i realized there was a canon scenario that i could use and just somewhat rewrite to my own preferences ^_^

i hope you enjoy!

<3 lumine

-lu

“Alec, you need to be prepared. Mentally, going into a relationship like this.”

“Because he’s a man?” Alec asks, casually uninterested in where Robert is trying to take this sudden and strangely personal meeting. “Or because he’s a warlock?” Alec really isn’t interested in the opinion of an ex-Circle member regardless of their status as his parents and it’s amazing how freeing the knowledge of your parent’s sins can be. The sudden release of a burden that was never yours to carry, but you were made to and blamed for it anyways and Alec is feeling lighter than ever… and less inclined to listen to his parents than ever before.

“Alec, that’s not why I wanted to talk.” Robert says and he grimaces, like this conversation isn’t going the way he wanted which is great. Because Alec enjoys watching him sweat and stumble over his stupid, prejudiced words.  “It’s about the type of person Magnus Bane is. And it’s not the kind of person I ever wanted any of my kids with.”

“Well, I didn’t want to find out that the reason my parents were pushing me to enter an arranged marriage was because they followed a genocidal maniac and contributed to his treason, genocide and terrorism. So… dad—” and Robert winces, because Alec’s never really called his parents informally and certainly not in meetings unless he’s being condescending.

“I think your opinion is not only irrelevant, but also unwelcome. Especially when it involves the level of hypocrisy that it does, coming from you. So, if you’d like to keep your tongue and not have to have Idris regrow it, I suggest you stop talking.” Alec smiles, the one that Izzy always says reminds her of sharks, and Robert pales further, “and leave. The sooner the better. Or I’d be happy to make your stay here a more permanent one. There are plenty of places here for you to rest.”

It’s the most blatant threat Alec has ever made to a family member and for a minute, he’s worried he’s too subtle like he normally is. However, Magnus is an incredible influence and Alec smirks as his point is firmly made and Robert backs up, sweating as he leaves, and Alec rolls his eyes. Whatever Robert wanted to tell him, was going to use over his head like a witchlight to guide Alec to the ‘right path’ isn’t going to work. While information is always powerful, you also need to be wary of where the information comes from and the price it will cost.

And there is a great many things Alec is willing to do to get information, but listening to someone insult Magnus and his relationship with Magnus will never be one of them.

Alec will accept the end of the world before he lets anyone insult Magnus in front of him, especially people who are supposed to be Alec’s family.

If needed, Alec will purge his life of whatever he needs to, in order to keep Magnus protected, even if it’s only from words and looks and insinuations. Magnus is older than him and knows so much more of the world, but Alec often finds himself wondering who protects Magnus, when Magnus protects the world.

Alec never had anyone to protect him until Magnus and now, Alec is going to return the favor, even if it’s only in small, invisible ways that Magnus may never find out about.

It’s with satisfaction that Alec goes to the loft that morning and is greeted with kisses and laughter and a deliciously dark smirk that Alec smiles contentedly against.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Information Retrieval

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 29

First Part | Previous Part | Read on AO3 at CrystalNinjaPhoenix

Time for more of this AU! Yay! This chapter is all about the guys finding stuff out. Trying to figure out more about Anti-Virus. He's clearly still around, after all, and he's probably planning something. That's what villains tend to do. Jackie visits a hospital, trying to see if he can track down Timekeeper from the records there. And meanwhile, Schneep dons his Specter disguise again and sneaks into SepTech to have a look around. Just in case Marvin is right about McLoughlin being connected. Hope you guys enjoy :)

===============

It felt very strange to casually walk into a hospital wearing his supersuit. Jackie was certainly attracting a lot of stares from people in the waiting room. But he remained calm, walking up to the reception desk like this was the most normal thing in the world. He glanced around the waiting room as he did. St. Ellen’s Hospital was an older one than Greengate General Hospital. That was the one he was used to, the one Schneep worked at. That one had sleek modern furniture and lots of glass decorations, this one was more closed-in, with boxy furniture from the 70s or earlier.

“Ah... can I help you, Windstorm?” Asked the nurse behind the reception desk. He looked nervous—young, too, probably still doing his studies or whatever people did to become nurses and doctors.

“I need to look up the records for some patients who were admitted about two and a half years ago,” Jackie said, silently impressed at how calm he was. 

“Of... course.” The nurse nodded. “Um... one second. Let me... page someone more qualified for this.” He reached down to his belt and fumbled with something.

“Right right.” Jackie nodded. “Take all the time you need.” He shifted on his feet awkwardly, looking around the waiting room again. Yep. Everyone was staring. Literally everyone. They all glanced away once he noticed, of course. Except for a couple kids waiting, sitting next to their parents on plastic chairs and holding coloring books and small toys. He smiled at them. Their eyes lit up and they waved back.

Another nurse hurried over from a hallway to the side, joining the first one behind the desk. “Hello, Windstorm,” she said cheerfully. “We’re happy to help. What did you need?”

“I need to look up some records for patients,” Jackie said.

“Which ones?”

“The ones who were admitted after that fight with Timekeeper and Earth Shaker.” Jackie had decided last night to ask for all the patients. It would seem less like he was looking for Dahlia specifically. “The one that knocked down the East SepTech building.”

“Of course.” The nurse smiled. “Ryan here will be happy to pull up the records for them.”

“Um, can I see the physical copies as well?” Jackie asked.

“Of course. Ryan can take you to our records room.”

The young nurse—Ryan, apparently—raised his eyebrows slightly, clearly not expecting to be told to do that. But he nodded. Jackie smiled at him sympathetically. “I’ll be as quick as possible so you can get back to work.”

“No, uh, it’s no problem, sir,” Ryan said. “Follow me this way.” He walked around the desk, down another hallway of the hospital. Jackie followed him silently.

They walked a short way to an elevator at the end of the hallway. Ryan pressed the button to call it, then they both stepped inside when it arrived. Ryan tapped a keycard against a scanner in the elevator then pressed a button for the basement.

The ride was more than a bit awkward.

“So... I guess you don’t get many Heroes visiting,” Jackie said, trying to make conversation.

“Um... not at all while I’ve been here, actually.” Ryan laughed a little. “But uh... June—that’s the lady who showed, uh, showed up at the desk—she said that they used to get Heroes here. Like, uh, Moonstone? Have you heard of her?”

Jackie nodded. “Yeah. She’s cool.”

“Y-yeah, seems like it.”

The elevator arrived, and Ryan led Jackie out into a hallway leading to a +-shaped intersection. This was clearly a more administrative part of the building, with short dark carpet and walls painted pale blue. The lights were a bit dimmer than upstairs. Or maybe they were normal and the clinical lights upstairs were especially bright. “So, uh... the records are archived in, like, alphabetical order,” Ryan said as they walked down the hall and turned a corner. “So it’ll probably be hard to find the people related to this incident just using that. But, uh, I can pull up the records on the digital database and you can look them up with that.”

“That’d be great, Ryan, thanks,” Jackie said.

“No problem.” They arrived at a door with ‘Records’ written on a plaque nailed to the front of it, right under a tinted window. Ryan pressed his keycard to a scanner next to it, then opened up the door. The room was dark. Even turning the lights on, it was still a bit dim. Aside from a desk to the side with an older-looking computer—though not old enough to require a boxy monitor—there were rows and rows of shelves filled with boxes. Ryan hurried over to the desk and sat down at the computer. “The East SepTech incident... wh-what was that, June? May?”

“Late May,” Jackie said. “The date was somewhere in the twenties.”

“Right.” Ryan typed for a while, then nodded. “Here’s a list of everyone admitted because of that super fight.”

Jackie walked to his side and peered at the monitor. He gave a brief scan of the list, but then his eyes landed on a singular name. Jackson, Dahlia. So she was admitted here. As herself, not as Timekeeper. There were a ton of names besides hers. The numbered list ended in the thirties. “I had no idea there were so many people.”

“W-well, do you have any other information you want to know?” Ryan asked.

“Can you narrow it down to the more serious injuries? Like... the really bad ones?”

Ryan nodded. He clicked a little box on the side and most of the names disappeared, leaving only six, Dahlia’s name among them.

“Perfect,” Jackie said. He could pretend to be interested in five other people. “Let’s go in alphabetical order.” He stood up straight. “You stay here, I can do everything myself.”

“Are you sure, uh... sir?” Ryan asked.

Jackie laughed. “Just Windstorm is fine. And I’m sure. I’m a superhero, after all. If I can’t handle looking through some boxes, what can I handle?”

Ryan laughed nervously. “Just... let me know if you need help.”

“Of course.”

Jackie hurried through the first three files. He felt a bit bad just skimming them, but he didn’t really have to know about these guys. And he didn’t want to look at random people’s medical files without their permission, even if it did help disguise what he was really looking into. He occasionally asked Ryan if there was any additional information on the digital database, and Ryan pulled it up in turn. There were no differences for these first three files. The digital database was just as accurate as the paper copies. 

Then it was time to look at Dahlia’s. Jackie found it in the J’s—right next to another file with a familiar name. Jameson Jackson. Jackie started slightly, and then noticed two other names nearby. Philip Jackson and Elsbeth Schneeplestein Jackson. So... this was the Jackson family’s preferred hospital. Made sense, then, why JJ would take Dahlia here. Jackie hesitated, then decided to leave the rest of the Jackson family untouched, only taking Dahlia’s—and promising to only look at the information related to the incident.

According to the file, Dahlia had been admitted to the hospital by her brother, Jameson. Just as Jackie suspected. Rubble had landed on her, causing severe injuries, including to the head. That’s what put her in a coma. She also had some broken bones, but given how this was two and a half years ago, those had healed by now. She had been stable besides that, no show of recovering or getting worse. And... nothing more. No records of transfers or anything. “Hey, Ryan?” Jackie called. “Any more information on Dahlia Jackson? Like... this seems pretty serious.”

Ryan already had the file pulled up. “Um... well, it seems she’s not in the hospital anymore.”

“Oh?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah, this says she was transferred to Overridge Hospital in Evoritch. It’s a specialty place for long-term care.”

That was not in the paper copies. “When?”

“Back in July of this year.”

That was also not in the paper copies. But it seems like the paper copies had also been updated in July—probably right before Dahlia disappeared. It was possible that someone forgot to file a notice about the transfer... but Jackie doubted it. He looked back down at the paper copy. The doctor in charge of this was one Dr. Eric Simmons. A neurologist, of course. “Hey, actually. Do you know if I can contact any of these doctors? If I want to follow up on their injuries.”

“Um... I-I’m sure you can find them on our website,” Ryan said slowly. 

Website, huh? Not good. Jackie wanted to keep this as offline and away from technology as possible. Who knew what Anti-Virus would do if he knew Jackie was looking into the hero he was holding hostage? “Can I talk to them in person, you think? Since I’m already here?”

Ryan froze, looking very confused for a moment. “Um... you’ll have to talk to June about that, I think?”

“Right.” Jackie nodded. “I’ll do that once we get back up. For now, let’s keep going. Who’s next?”

He quickly passed over the other two files. He pretended to take notes on them, the same as he’d done for the others—and actually done for Dahlia’s—then put everything back and told Ryan he was ready to go. The two of them headed out.

Honestly, the whole thing had slightly disturbed him. The fact that he could just say he was a Hero and walk in and get access to all this private information. It did make things easier, but... there had to be a few other safeguards. They didn’t even ask him to show his League badge, and he’d at least expected that.

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. He had to focus on Anti-Virus and Timekeeper. If he could find her, if he could defeat him, then Anti-Virus wouldn’t have any power over Jameson. He wouldn’t have to stay in prison, and could come home... or at least get transferred to a prison with less security, one where Schneep and the others could visit.

Jackie spent the rest of the morning getting information about the various doctors from that nurse, June. She was even kind enough to write down their office hours for him. Apparently the doctor who treated Dahlia, Dr. Simmons, wasn’t in today. This was his day off, he wouldn’t be called in unless it was an emergency. Jackie made a note of that, and said he’d be back tomorrow to talk to this Simmons guy (and, supposedly, the other doctors) in person. Then he turned and left, heading home.

===============

Jackie returned home through his bedroom window. Chase was at work, so he had some time to himself. He didn’t do much, though. Changed out of his supersuit, took a nap, then called the police again to ask about the evidence he’d turned in. The operator directed him to Ace, who said that they would finish examining the tape later that day. “Call back again in the evening, I’ll have an update for you then,” Ace said. “And uh, remember to use the non-emergency line.”

“Right. Sorry.” Jackie had been so worried about the evidence and possibly getting JJ a real trial that he dialed 999 right away. The poor operator probably thought something was really wrong.

Not long after that, Jackie heard the front door open. He stood up from where he was lying in bed and opened his bedroom door, just in time to see Chase and Frosty walking down the hall towards him. “Hey, bro,” Chase said, giving him a tired smile. “You had that hospital thing today, right? How’d it go?”

“Well, turns out I’ll have to go back tomorrow,” Jackie said, sighing.

“Aw, really? That sucks.” Chase shook his head. “I know all about frequent hospital visits, trust me. Never gets more convenient.”

Jackie laughed. “Yeah. How was your day?”

“Dude, I’m exhausted. I’m gonna change out of work clothes and take a nap.”

“Your work clothes aren’t that different from your regular clothes,” Jackie pointed out. “Just another T-shirt and jacket. You could totally nap in that.”

“Shhh, it’s the idea of it. It’ll help me get more comfortable. Gotta change into some sweatpants, too.” Chase headed into his room... then hesitated. “Uh... actually, first, maybe I want to get a snack or something.” He took his phone out of his pocket and set it on the desk. Then looked at Jackie significantly. “Want anything?”

Jackie nodded slowly. He’d left his phone charging on his dresser, so no need to leave it behind. He understood what Chase was getting at.

The two of them went into the kitchen. “D’you think he can affect our TV?” Chase whispered.

Jackie glanced at it. “Maybe if we had a smart TV,” he muttered back. “I’m actually glad we have an old model like that. The game consoles can connect to the internet... but I don’t think they can do that while they’re not on.”

“Let’s keep quiet anyway, just in case,” Chase said, still in that low tone. “Um... so... did you find out anything about Dahlia?”

“Nothing all that new, just that what JJ said on his video about her being supposedly transferred is true,” Jackie confirmed. “The transfer only exists on the digital records, not the paper ones.”

“What if someone just, like, forgot to print that out?”

“It’s possible. But knowing what we do about you-know-who, I’m willing to bet he got into the hospital system and made a fake note about a transfer.”

Chase shivered. “It’s... really fucked that he can do that.”

“Tell me about it. I’m going to talk to the doctor who supervised her tomorrow. Try to see if there’s anything he can tell me.”

“Um...” Chase paused, looking uncertain. “Do you know if... if there were... other people, uh... recovered from the... building? Like... with Dahlia?”

“Yeah, a whole lot,” Jackie confirmed. “And I’m sure there were more in other hospitals, too.”

“Y-Yeah...” Chase trailed off.

Jackie narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

“I, uh... You know, I was... in that same incident,” Chase said quietly. “That’s how I... lost my memory. And uh... why I need Frosty.” Frosty wagged his tail at the sound of his name, ready to spring into action. “I keep thinking about this... the fact that... I was there. I wonder... if I... saw her.”

Jackie blinked. “Timekeeper?”

Chase nodded. “The outfit... wh-when I saw it, and when I smelled the, uh, concrete dust, I... for a moment, it was like... I was somewhere else.”

“Well... smell is linked to memory, apparently,” Jackie said.

“Maybe... maybe she saved me?” Chase wondered. “Or... something like that?” He shook his head. “I... I want to find her to... know if... we met. Or if... she would know something about me. I-I doubt it, but... I don’t know. It’s worth a shot. But... I know that’s really selfish. So, if you don’t want me to help anymore because of that, I understand.”

“...wait. Are you telling me this because you think I’ll like... kick you out of the search if I find out?” Jackie asked.

“I just... thought you should know about my secret reasons,” Chase said. “My ulterior motives.”

“I don’t think that counts as ‘ulterior motives,’ really,” Jackie said. He put a hand on Chase’s shoulder. “It makes sense that you’d want to learn more about yourself. It’s not a bad thing that you want to find Dahlia so you can talk to her about that.”

Chase hesitated. “I... But like, it’s not... it’s not like I’m just doing it to help—”

“But you’d still want to help even if she didn’t know anything about you, right?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Then it’s not ‘ulterior motives.’ That implies that you wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t think she could help you find out about yourself. But you still would. So it’s like... additional motives.”

Chase looked down at the ground, shifting slightly on his feet. “I just... feel bad about it.”

“Why?”

“Cause it’s like... it’s selfish, like I said. And I don’t want... to bother you... with my shit. You know?”

“I don’t think it’s selfish at all,” Jackie whispered. “And I’d never be bothered by that. I want to help you find out more about your past. I mean, unless you wouldn’t want me to. It’s up to you.”

“I... if you want to help me, I’d like that,” Chase said slowly. “But like... I don’t... I’m not too concerned about actively seeking out my past. I mean, if no one came looking for me after I got fucking... horribly injured, then... it’s probably not much of a past in the first place. But... now that there’s a chance right in front of me... I-I think i have to take it. Does that make sense?”

Jackie nodded. “Yeah, of course. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not like you’d leave her if she didn’t have anything for you.”

“God no.” Chase shook his head, looking aghast at the very thought of it.

“Exactly. So it’s not selfish.”

“Not even a little?”

“I guess technically, but everyone deserves to be a little technically-selfish every so often. The trouble begins when you stop caring about people other than yourself. And I know you care a lot about people, Chase.” Jackie smiled, and put a hand on Chase’s shoulder. “So head up, okay?”

“Head up.” Chase nodded. “Uh... do you think I’ll be able to help much? I mean, I dunno what I can do... compared to you and everyone else. Like, you’re all... super at what you do, you know?”

Jackie laughed. “Yeah. I guess so. But you’re super in our hearts, Chase. And hey, who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to find something that the rest of us can’t.”

“Maybe.” Chase smiled weakly.

“...hey.” Jackie lowered his voice. “Don’t... don’t compare yourself to others. Especially not the rest of us. It’s not... i-it’s not fair.”

“I know, I know, it’s not fair to compare myself to, uh... guys with your abilities,” Chase muttered.

“I-it’s not just...” Jackie hesitated. “One of the reasons I put off telling you about... my secret for so long... was because I... I didn’t want you to feel bad about yourself.”

“Oh.” Chase blinked. “That’s... nice.”

“I had a feeling you might do this comparison thing if I told you,” Jackie continued. “And I really didn’t want you to do that. You don’t—there’s nothing you—Y-you’re really great. A-and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for not being an exact copy of the rest of us.”

A bit of a smile flickered across Chase’s face. “Thanks, Jackie.”

“No, I really, really mean it,” Jackie insisted. “You’re really great. You’re like—the first roommate I’ve ever lived with who I’ve a-actually been able to make friends with. Y-you’re so supportive and fun and—and—I-I can’t stress how much you’ve done for me, like, letting me stay in here, a-and being so chill about my secret—You were so genuinely concerned that I was getting into something bad, and so caring in how you approached it—and—and—” He took a breath, and shook his head. “I just... really care about you, and I don’t want you to think that you’re less than the rest of us, not after everything you’ve done.”

“...oh,” Chase breathed.

Jackie nodded. “You’re great, man. I love how chill you are, and how you’re so dedicated to your channel, but how you still have time to have fun with me and Schneep and everyone... even though you have work, too, like, that’s gotta tire you out, but you just don’t give up, you know? I mean, you should rest, of course. I don’t want you to get too tired. And you’re real funny, too, you know?”

Chase laughed. “Alright, alright, I-I get it. You don’t have to pile it on, you know?” He rubbed his eyes. “But... really, thanks. You, uh... really went off there.”

“I’ll gladly go off on this,” Jackie said firmly. “You’re great, Chase. And I don’t want anyone to tell you otherwise. Even yourself.”

“Thanks.” Chase gave him a crooked smile. “Now, uh... I’m actually a little hungry now that I think about it. So I’m gonna heat up some leftover pizza before my nap.”

Jackie laughed. “Oh hey, that doesn’t sound half bad. Maybe I’ll heat up a slice, too.”

“Great, we can put two slices in.”

About ten minutes later, Chase had returned to his room for that nap, and Jackie sat down on the sofa to play some games until dinner. He probably should have been working on finding Anti-Virus, but honestly, he wasn’t even sure where to start. Maybe if he had some time to relax, he’d figure something out.

The problem was that they had absolutely no leads on Anti-Virus. Other than him being a technopath. And that didn’t tell him much. Normally he’d be doing research on weird stuff that might be because of a technopath, but... all that information would be online. And Anti-Virus would probably know that Jackie was doing research on him. It was a bit of a Catch-22, really, he had to look online for information, but he had to avoid being online to keep Anti-Virus in the dark.

He would have to look around the city in person. He highly doubted that Anti-Virus lived outside of Daindover. Otherwise, why would he be so interested in attacking it? SepTech had businesses all over the country. Even if this was SepTech’s home turf, Jackie knew they had big locations elsewhere. And even if Anti-Virus was originally from out of town, Jackie had no doubt he would want to be close to his target.

Jackie’s mind began to wander. Yes, he should look around town for anything suspicious. Maybe this guy had a base of operations somewhere. He’d have to be pretty thorough. Maybe he could get help from Schneep and Marvin on that. The two of them were certainly experienced in sneaking around.

===============

After a couple days of scouting, Schneep felt confident enough to actually venture into the North SepTech location. Only at night, though, when almost everyone had gone home. Apparently the building was never totally empty. There was always a security team guarding the area, even after all other employees had gone home. And the security system seemed pretty high-tech. Schneep recognized a couple camera brands during his scouting—though many of the cameras were nondescript, no doubt made by SepTech themself.

Donning his Specter outfit again felt strange. The last time he’d worn this, he’d tried to break JJ out of jail, tried to convince him that living on the run would be better than living in prison. He couldn’t help but think about that last conversation while he pulled on the coat and boots. But also, he’d done many things he was proud of while wearing this outfit. Maybe it was unusual for him to think of his heists as things to be proud of, but he was. The suit felt like an old friend every time he put it on... even if he couldn’t help but be reminded of Jameson this time.

But that was why he was doing this, wasn’t it? If he could figure out if McLoughlin and SepTech really were connected to Anti-Virus, then he could rescue his cousins. Protect them from him.

Schneep took the train most of the way to the North SepTech building. It was very easy; he just had to hop on when it stopped at the station. He didn’t have to worry about the fare. After all, you could only check people’s tickets if you could see them. Schneep just had to be quiet as he sat there, completely invisible, and waited for his stop. 

Some of the SepTech buildings were fancy. The North location was not one of them. It looked like an ordinary office building with a yellowish facade and big windows, the SepTech logo plastered to the top. Schneep circled around to the side. Even while invisible, he preferred to avoid cameras, just in case one of them had infrared vision he didn’t know about. And something he’d learned from years doing this: businesses tended to put their cameras around doors and windows. Which made sense, because most people would need a door or window to get into a building. But Schneep was not “most people.” He could walk right through a wall, where a camera blind spot was.

After walking through his chosen wall, Schneep ended up in a small unisex bathroom—just big enough for two stalls. He headed through another wall and into a ground floor hallway. This was just going to be a short excursion to get the lay of the building. Figure out where they were keeping things, and how much time McLoughlin spent here.

Jackie let it slip to the rest of the group that McLoughlin had a lab here. Schneep was very curious as to where that was, and what was in it. He figured that was a good place to start. Now... where was it? Would it be high in the building? Or below ground? Was there a directory in here somewhere?

There was—Schneep found it in the front entrance hall—but it didn’t say anything about a laboratory. Even so, he looked it over. Nothing much of note. A couple floors of call centers, a couple floors dedicated to SepTech’s marketing, some offices for company bigwigs—oh, there was a floor in the middle completely devoted to file storage. That was worth noting. But no laboratory anywhere, even though every single floor was covered. Meaning either the directory was lying about the contents of its floors, or the lab was underground, in an unlisted basement.

Schneep started looking around for the stairwells and elevators. He’d managed to find an old copy of the SepTech blueprints from a contact of his, but they were, as said, old. The building could’ve been renovated since then. Best to get a lay of the land.

A couple security people were patrolling the area. Every time one approached, Schneep made sure to stop walking and remain intangible so they wouldn’t run into him. He eventually found an elevator at the end of a hallway that wasn’t on the blueprints. And as he looked it over, he saw that the call button was undecorated, unlike all the others that had an arrow pointing upwards. Hmm... suspicious.

Schneep leaned forward, sticking his intangible head through the closed doors and into the elevator shaft. He looked up, then down. The elevator was currently on the next floor down. And the shaft didn’t extend upwards at all. So this must just lead to a basement, not the rest of the building. Jackpot. This must be the lab.

He considered his options. He could just call the elevator and hope nobody noticed, or that they waved it off as a glitch in the system. But he didn’t want to risk that. This was too important. So instead, he took a deep breath, and walked through the closed elevator doors.

Halfway through the short fall, he became solid again, and landed on the roof of the elevator. “Oof!” The elevator jolted a little. He felt the jolt travel through his legs, knees and ankles aching for a moment. But he soon recovered. He became intangible again, dropping through the roof of the elevator and into it. As expected, there was only one button on the inside. There was only one destination. Schneep then stepped through the doors, into this basement floor.

Well, wasn’t this a change of pace? Instead of the office decorations he’d seen on the floor above, this area was more industrial, with white walls and perforated metal for a ceiling and floor. There was only one destination, at the end of a short hallway. Schneep walked down it to a set of double-doors, poking his head inside...

Well. This was definitely a laboratory. Schneep looked around at the wide space, decorated with conveyor belts and monitors and robotic arms. He started wandering around, getting a lay of the land. Looking for anything suspicious. 

There were doors lining the sides of the room. Schneep poked his head into them one by one. There were too many to investigate thoroughly, but he could at least figure out what their contents were, if there were any that might have helpful information. The first few he checked had nothing interesting, just a bunch of robotic and metallic parts. One had a bunch of SAMs inside, all turned off. Many of them had compartments open on their side, with half-completed attachments sticking out. SAMs were well-known for their variety of functions, but... something about these attachments... bothered him.

Schneep stepped farther into the room, examining the nearest one. A SAM with blue casing, two compartments open on either side. The lights were off in the room, but Schneep reached up and pressed a button on his goggles, activating night vision. He leaned closer to examine the attachments coming from the compartments—

And jolted back in surprise. “Heilige Scheiße,” he muttered, the words slipping out despite his need for stealth. He recognized these attachments. These were weapons. Specifically, these attachments looked pretty similar to some weapons he’d seen for sale in the underworld. The design was first made by the villain Riot Queen, and it fired beams instead of bullets, but it could still pack a punch.

Schneep quickly turned and examined the other SAMs. He recognized a couple more weapons that were often sold in the black market. And the ones that he didn’t still looked like guns or cannons of some kind. What the hell? Weapons were definitely not part of the SAMs shared with the public!

He quickly left the room, returning to the main lab. The weaponized SAMs weren’t concrete proof that McLoughlin was working with Anti-Virus, but it certainly wasn’t a good sign! Especially since they were tucked away in a side room off his own lab. That probably indicated they were a secret.

Taking a deep breath, Schneep decided to continue checking the rooms. But quickly. He ran into the next side room, and from there continued passing through the rooms through the walls, not even bothering with the main lab. He ran through them quickly, finding not much else of note—

Until he ran into a room with something slightly different. It was still full of mechanical parts, including a big monitor on the wall, but there were a couple more things. A small side room with a toilet and sink, a desk piled high with paper dishes and cups stained with old food, and a bed shoved in the corner of the room. And sleeping on it... was a man.

Schneep stopped in his tracks, staring. Was that... Dr. McLoughlin? He’d done some brief research in preparation of it, and the man’s face resembled the pictures he’d seen. Why was he sleeping here? Didn’t he have his own place? Maybe... this was a spare bedroom? In case he worked late in the lab?

He couldn’t help but step forward, leaning close to McLoughlin. Yep, he was fast asleep, tangled up in the gray blankets on the bed. It felt wrong to just... stare at a guy while he slept. He should get out of here. He could come back some other time, when the guy wasn’t here. With that in mind, he started to turn away—

The monitor on the wall suddenly turned on, its screen pure red. BRAP. BRAP. BRAP. “Intruder alert,” said a robotic voice. “Intruder alert.”

Schneep stiffened. How?! Was there an infrared camera in this room?! Why?! Who would put that in the room they were sleeping in?!

McLoughlin jerked awake with a strangled scream. Over on the desk, something flew up from the surface—a smaller SAM, green and blue, which had been sitting on a small pillow partially hidden by the dirty dishes. “What?! How?!” McLoughlin’s eyes darted around, and Schneep froze. Would he hear his footsteps? McLoughlin pressed a hand to the side of his head. “God...damn it. I told you to change the sound of my alarm! I-I don’t want to hear that sound ever again!”

“Intruder alert,” continued the robotic voice.

“...oh fuck it’s not my alarm,” McLoughlin whispered. He scrambled to his feet—yep, he was probably just crashing here, given how he was still wearing his day clothes. “Intruder alert?! Where?!”

“Motion detection set off in Storage 18,” said the robotic voice.

McLoughlin blinked. “My room? That was probably just me rolling over.”

“Unlikely. The motion was outside the field of the deliberate blind spot.”

McLoughlin looked around the room, not seeing an intruder. “Is it still being set off?”

“No.”

“Display main lab cameras on the monitor in Storage 18.”

The monitor changed from red to a series of boxes—views from security cameras. Schneep’s eyes flicked over to it, quickly taking in the information. Maybe he’d be able to figure out where the cameras are from their view.

McLoughlin leaned close to the monitor, squinting. “Turn down the brightness, fucking hell.” The brightness lowered on command. He scanned it. “Turn on infrared view.” The cameras all switched to the distinctive blues and greens of infrared view. There wasn't much giving off heat in the laboratory. Some comes from machines, some comes from the overhead lights, and that’s just about it. “I don’t... see anything. Can you point out any differences? SAM, you help, too.” The small SAM flew over to his side.

A moment passed. Schneep tried not to move, tried to breathe as evenly as possible. Then the robotic voice returned. “No movement or anomalies detected.” The SAM also shook side to side, a bit like it was shaking its head.

McLoughlin sighed. “Where in Storage 18 was the motion detected? Show me on the camera.”

One of the views filled the whole screen—thankfully, this one didn’t seem to have infrared vision, otherwise Schneep would have been in plain sight. It was a view of this very same room. The footage rewinded the past couple minutes, and a red circle appeared on the screen next to the bed—right where Schneep had been standing. “Here.”

“Yeah, that’s probably just me passing out of the blind spot for a moment,” McLoughlin said. He glanced around the room uneasily. “...I hope.” A moment passed in tense silence. “It’s... 2 o’clock, right? Uh... I’m gonna... go home for the night. Deactivate all security protocols so I can leave. And remember to reactivate them after I leave.”

“Security deactivated,” the robotic voice said.

Schneep immediately turned and left the room, carefully stepping quietly until he passed through a wall back into the main lab. Then he bolted. He ran all the way to the elevator in the hall, where he pressed into the corner. McLoughlin walked into the elevator a while later, activating it, going back to the ground floor. Luckily, the ride was short. Schneep let McLoughlin walk out first, then quickly followed, walking straight through the nearest exterior wall and back out into the night.

God, he hoped McLoughlin hadn’t figured out he was there. He didn’t want a man involved with weaponizing flying robots to know he was in his lab.

===============

“There were guns on the SAMs?!”

“Don’t shout so loud,” Schneep muttered. He’d been unceremoniously awoken that morning—on his day off, mind you—by a knock at the door. Marvin said he was in the area and wanted to stop by to talk about “that stuff I mentioned in your office.” But he’d probably just gotten anxious for results or something. Schneep knew his apartment was pretty out of the way, there was no way Marvin would just be in the area.

“Sorry.” Marvin glanced around. “You don’t... have a computer in here, though. And I left my phone in my bag in the hall. Do you have your phone with you?”

“I do not, I left it in my bedroom, but I want to go back to sleep after this.” Schneep rubbed his eyes. He was leaning back against his sofa while Marvin stood nearby. “I do not have work today, and I had a late night, as you just heard.”

Marvin winced. “Sorry,” he said again. “I didn’t... think about that.”

“Is fine.”

“...but seriously. Guns on the SAMs?” Marvin asked.

“I do not think they were the type to fire bullets, but yes,” Schneep said. “There would probably be no room to store them in a SAM and have them still function. But a couple may have been functional for darts.”

“That’s... very fucking concerning,” Marvin said. “D’you think Anti-Virus asked McLoughlin to do that? Or—do you think he did that on his own as Anti-Virus?”

“I have no idea.” Schneep shook his head. “I found no direct link to Anti-Virus before I had to leave.”

“What would serve as a direct link?”

“Hmm... that is a good question,” Schneep said slowly. “Anti-Virus never directly appeared, so it is not like we will be able to find a supersuit stored somewhere. He may not have one in the first place.” He frowned. “And all of Anti-Virus’s actions have been digital so far... So there may not be physical proof at all. The SAMs may be the best we are getting.”

Marvin shook his head. “Still. Guess we’ll have to look some more. Um, I can probably get into the SepTech buildings and look through files and shit. But... I think you really need to keep an eye on McLoughlin.”

“I will do all I can, but I cannot spend every waking moment spying on him,” Schneep said.

“I wouldn’t make you,” Marvin said. “I just... Jackie really trusts this guy. A-and I don’t... I don’t want to see him make a mistake.”

Schneep looked at Marvin thoughtfully. “You do not want to see him make a mistake you would have.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Marvin said, his face expressionless. But Schneep picked up on that slight tremor in his voice. “Um, I’m sorry for waking you up. You can... go back to bed. Let me know if you find anything.”

“Of course.” Schneep nodded. “See you later, then.”

“See you.” And with that, Marvin turned and headed towards the door. But then he hesitated, turning back. “Should we tell Jackie about this? It’s concerning, even if it’s not Anti-Virus related.”

“I will think about it,” Schneep said. “I think it would sound better coming from me, so do not approach him, yes? If I want to share, I will. For now... I need rest.”

“Right.” Marvin nodded. “Bye, then.”

“Goodbye.”

And Marvin left.

Schneep got up, stretching, and headed back to his bedroom. Should he tell Jackie about the weaponized SAMs in McLoughlin’s lab? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want Jackie to trust the wrong person. But he knew that Jackie would want solid proof. This seemed pretty fucking solid to him, but he didn’t know if it would pass Jackie’s standards.

He’ll think about it some more once he woke up again. For now, sleep. And later, more planning. McLoughlin was doing something. And they had to figure out what. If he truly was in league with Anti-Virus... or if he was the face behind the mask.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

Good Cooties

Nobody:

Nesha: Takes a very traumatic horror story and instead makes it fluff.

They generally checked in right before bed and then again, first thing in the morning. Chris had never been so communicative with somebody before, but after everything that knowing Dalton had put her through, she didn't mind going a little above and beyond with check-ins.

Whenever one wasn't feeling 100% at bedtime, they had a sleepover, just in case something would go down. Time passed, and nothing did. Well... nothing too unusual, at any rate. He had nightmares sometimes and they'd wake up and sort through it. Sometimes he simply couldn't sleep, so he'd just watch her a while, glad that she wasn't losing any rest on his behalf, but annoyed that the bed was so small that they both couldn't really fit on it without being cuddled up.

Upon mentioning it, she reminded him that when he was trapped in The Further, "Your little booty body was nestled right here, between these yummy thighs." He couldn't argue with it, and the description of her thighs made him want to drop the conversation completely, so he'd said, "Well, you said you have good cooties," laughing awkwardly, and snuggling up behind her, hoping his body wouldn't betray him for the closeness of a soft, warm body and the unavoidable friction of natural sleep movements. Fortunately, that never went down. Even more fortunately, neither did any wild trips to The Further.

Things that did go down: her roommate absolutely thought that he was an obsessive boyfriend and his new roommate was confused that she slept over but they never had the need to tie something on the doorway for him to give them some time. "So... she just sleeps here sometimes?" He'd asked, "Or are you just always finished by the time I get in?"

"We're just friends!" Dalton had said, uneasy and blushing.

Foster, when they got alone, asked, "But, seriously. You're definitely smashing that, right?" It irked him. Him speaking about her like that. "I mean.. I know that you aren't that much of a lover, but I figure it's different with you two, because of, you know... the stuff.."

It was... true, officially. But, he knew how this looked. Even his mom would ask about her in the same way that she'd asked about people he'd dated previously. Was Chris coming home with him during the holidays? "She has her own family," he'd casually mentioned, then had to pretend not to notice as his family gave each other knowing looks because he spent most of the holiday texting, calling, or video chatting with "Chris" They said her name in a certain way too. A singing way, obviously taunting him. Well... his siblings did. (Foster had roped Kali into this mess, too). His mother instructed them to leave him alone, though he could tell it amused her, from her face, and he knew she liked Chris. She always asked about her.

That was why they probably would never happen. He had nightmares sometimes, panicking about being possessed again, about hurting her. Sure, he would wake up to find her there, safe and sound and if awakened by his nightmares, quick to comfort him, but.. that entire thing was now forever a part of their story. And what type of love story could come out of something like that?

His parents had loved each other for years, and this entire ordeal had separated the two of them. Foster broke into his thoughts with, "I think that I'd want somebody who already understands what you've gone through. I imagine by the time I wanna meet people, it's gonna be a whole damn thing trying to make it normal, when the topic inevitably comes up. You've got a cute girl who still bothers with you after literally seeing you at your worst. Possessed by an entity. How could it get better for you?"

"We're just friends!"

"She let you blow on her hooter the first night!" Foster teased. Dalton wasn't a big fan of Chris and his brother exchanging words, but they had each other's information, so now he always had at least this one story for ammunition to make Dalton a little bit uncomfortable, and Chris was the type to overshare casually. Chris and Foster got along well. Dalton could only imagine their powers combined if she did come around the whole family...

Which, eventually, she did. By then, they were dormed together, again. She had gone to see housing about it. Her best friend, suffering from a sleep issue, their roommates, often inconvienced when he woke up, the fact that this very office had already roomed her with him before, so what was the big deal? Chris either could talk you into hating her guts and wanting her gone, or doing whatever it is she was saying, and that day, with that member of staff, she got herself back into the room with him.

Now, they could go to sleep in their own beds, and if something happened, there the other was, just on the other side of a small room. They didn't even have to cramp themselves into his little bed as much, and whenever they did, she didn't have to get up earlier to get ready from a different room, or to go back to her own. It was cozy, and comfortable, and they had a routine.

They had gotten numerous sleeping masks, so that Chris could find something to assist her through the nightlights. Whenever she was in Dalton's bed, she didn't really notice, because her face was usually burrowed in the bed or his body, for lack of room. By the time it was time for her to go home with him, she knew which mask she needed for which type of night, whether or not she should have earphones, and how many pillows she could bring before the bed couldn't fit the pillows and two people their sizes.

She had been in his corner since the moment he confided in her, and even when she didn't want to engage, she found herself unable to just leave him alone, and now she feared that she was far more comfortable with this man than she ever planned on being with anyone. But. She was never one to reject a good thing, and it seemed like maybe Dalton Lambert was a good thing. It certainly always felt good to fall asleep in his arms and wake up next to him. Chris was a fan of feeling good.

His family was nice. She was excited to finally shoot the shit with Foster, in the flesh, and that did not disappoint. Dalton had been hoping that she would help dispel the rumors the Lamberts ran wild with, but despite pursuing math, Chris had a deep passion for chaos, as far as Dalton was concerned. "So, he never told you that we made out at a frat party?" She had asked a VERY intrigued and impressed Foster.

"He never told me that he WENT to a frat party!" He complained.

"Yeah, I sorta made him. That's a gift I have, getting Dalton to do stuff that he is not fond of doing.." Dalton pressed his lips together and continued working on a drawing.

Whenever Foster heard about the frat boy who called her ugly, he looked livid but was soon appeased by the thought of him being promptly kicked in the dick afterward. "I used to say that I wouldn't wish that on anybody, but it sounds like this is the guy that makes me change my beliefs.." They chatted for a little while longer before Foster was going to leave to go hang out with friends. "I'm super glad that Dalton has you," he said on his way out. She simply offered a salute, then looked at Dalton's jaw tense as he pretended not to hear that.

"You okay?" She asked. He shrugged. "You know... whenever I was with Grandma Perkee over the last holiday, she told me that you are very pretty and that she'd love to meet you. I said, "Yeah. He is very pretty, huh? He's kind too. A little introverted, but such a likable person. I don't think he likes me like that, though, Grandma. You might want to be less excited about meeting him." He paused and looked at her. "Well, next she told me, "If somebody is in you life, and they're nice to you and you like them and you're both having a good time together, that's gonna excite me, no matter what you call each other..." They stared at each other a moment, before she concluded, "So, we don't really need to discourage or encourage your family from thinking I'm your girlfriend or into thinking it. They see how we are together, and they know you're in good hands. Whether we're friends or more, they're gonna feel the way that they feel about me because they love you and you like me."

He gave her a little smile. That was a good way to put it, and made it less stressful for him whenever he overheard Kali ask, "Is Dalton your boyfriend?"

Without missing a beat, Chris answered, "Well, Dalton identifies as a boy, and he's definitely my friend, so what would you do if I said, "Yes?"

Kali gasped and with a wide smile asked, teasingly, "Do you loooooooove himmm?"

Chris smiled right back and asked in a whisper, "What would you do if I said "yes" again?"

Kali giggled and covered her mouth, either in excitement or surprise. Dalton never said stuff like that. He didn't smile about it. He always got irritated and denied it all. Kali smiled, and offered, "I'd say, I think that Dalton loves you too."

Chris's smile changed, ever so slightly. Dalton noted it as he finally stepped into view. She leaned towards Kali and told her, "One thing about me? Everybody loves Chris." Kali nodded in agreement, then finally noticed Dalton.

"Oh! It's your boyyyyyfriiiiiend," she sang. He just smiled, shaking his head.

At bedtime, Chris offered, "Pretty cool that your mom doesn't mind our sleeping situation. I'd say it's because she knows we aren't doing it, but she kinda seems like she'd be cool with it, even if we were."

"She is a part of the 'everybody' that loves Chris," he said, casually, preparing the nightlight. Chris paused, with a grin, then silently resumed putting on her bonnet.

By the time that they climbed into his bed, she pushed close and started wrapping her arms around him. He froze and gave her a confused look. "What? This is how we sleep."

"Yeah, in the dorm on the tiny bed. This one has room for us to stretch out more."

"Yeah, near the edge of the bed, where the monsters are. Your sister tormented me with Barbie play today. I wanna be up on you tonight." His body relaxed a little bit. "Besides, I sleep better when we're cuddled up." It tensed again. "My God, Dalton... are we not allowed to say stuff like that to each other?"

"No. Yeah... I just. Yes..." His Adam's apple was leaping in his throat and she watched it bob as he nervously searched for his next words, "I, uh... sleep better with you right here, too." She nodded once, settled her body around his and stared a little bit longer. Dalton's face came in closer, but then he stopped and just looked into her eyes. Her normal playfulness was never present when she was sleepy, but whatever else was there in her eyes, he wasn't exactly used to.

Chris offered a smile and teased, "What? Were you about to kiss me?"

Quickly, he said, "I would never do that without asking first." She closed her eyes, smiling, and nodding. "Cou.." Her eyes opened and he was staring at her lips, "Could I? Kiss you?" Chris smiled and moved closer for him to do so. It wasn't caught off guard like the first time, and it wasn't long or steamy or deep. It was tender, and quick, but lingering.. "Good cooties," he mumbled against her lips, with a smile.

"Very," she said, smiling against his, as well.