#as i was typing this i was explaining fallout new vegas to my friend

[bonnieisaway]

Thoughts/interpretations of past seven? (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)

MY FAVORITE SUBJECT WAHOO! !!!!!!!!!

Okay I've said it like a lot in the past but I do not believe past Seven is different from the current Seven. I will DIE on this hill, they are the exact same person. There is no two different versions of Seven.

'past Seven' is often seen through the eyes of very unreliable narrators. It is very difficult to discern what is and isn't true about Seven, because in the past he was so outwardly emotionless that everybody else would project their own ideas onto him, so any assessments of his personality from Captain Jack and Redtooth are not actually factual. Green Phoenix is the most impartial in his retellings of past Seven, so we can only trust when other characters tell us about the EVENTS that happened, not about how they thought Seven felt.

With the preface, Seven is just as sympathetic and caring in the past as he was now. This is factual. We can learn this from three key things:

He refuses to fight outside of missions, and does not draw his blade unless his life is threatened.

He did not kill Ouyang Zang when he killed his master.

He did not kill the man from season 3, who recounts the story of when Seven was chased by all the killers in Xuanwu, and Seven noticed how scared he was and chose to walk past him.

From these we can gather he does not like killing, and he more often than not is spares people he does not need to kill, even if it is in the future, possibly detrimental to him. Both of the second points come back to bite him later in season three - and that is something he would have known could happen. Ouyang Zang is actively grieving when Seven notices him, but he is not a threat to his life, so he does not kill him.

And there's a pattern set of other assassins willing to kill any witnesses or people who do not, in the current moment, cause them any harm. The assassins that killed Thirteen's mother planned to kill them both - not only for the sake of trying to hurt her father, but they were willing to kill an innocent child. Manjusaka also murders three people in a restaurant for shit-talking Redtooth. Most assassins do not care to spare innocent bystanders or people that are bad mouthing them.

So we can reasonably assume that Seven is not like this, and does not like killing people senselessly. He only ever does it to survive. And that might not entirely sound like he's still an empathetic person - which I think it does but I'll be damned if I won't drive my point home - but we KNOW he is because he scarifies everything for the Girl in White.

Somebody who is ruthless, unfeeling, and a cold hearted murderer - as Seven is often painted as by other character - would have never crumbled for the Girl in White, because they never would have had a reason to. There would never be any empathy within them for her to set free. Seven walked into a trap and committed treason to save her life, for no discernable reason. It is the first time he has ever outwardly protected somebody. Seven, in his past state, has to be an empathetic and caring person in his heart, because only an empathetic and caring person would have put everything on the line to save her. The 'ruthless, unfeeling Shadow Killer' he is painted as has no reason to do this, and would never do this, because he understands the harms way he puts himself in doing this.

These previous instances, of him sparing people and only drawing his blade to protect his life or for a mission, are our first hints that he was not the person people believed him to be.

But then you ask, if he was an empathetic person, who never wanted this, then why did he become a Shadow Killer at all? And the simple answer is: He had to be.

Seven is fifteen years old when he joins the Shadow Killers. He has zero affiliations to any clan, family, or school, and the only other person we've ever seen from this part of his life, is an unnamed, unarmed woman who unexpectedly dies. Leaving Seven alone and fighting to survive for most of his life.

We know from Thirteen's backstory that children are not seen very empathetically in Xuanwu, at the very least, her mother's assassins were not afraid to kill her, too. And we've learned in several instances that the wildlife in Xuanwu is dangerous, there is an entire species of serpent people who shapeshift into humans to try and fucking eat you. It's also incredibly hard to make a living in Xuanwu, as we know from Meowcai, and the most lucrative, easy option is becoming an assassin. Seven is a child who is, presumably, living on his own. I think it is more than reasonable to assume that Seven ended up somehow on the path to be an assassin in order to survive, and he never left because there was nowhere else for him to go. So he grew up to learn to ignore his empathy and compassion because it would only get him killed, because it was nothing but a glaring weakness. So he always keeps a straight face, never lets anybody get close, does his job, and always masks his emotions. This bottles up inside of him up until the incident with the Girl in White, and then he cannot ignore it any longer and risks his life to save her, despite only ever being a killer, and never protecting anybody before.

Seven was always an empathetic person, and he grew up in an environment where he never could be. When he washed up on Chicken Island, he was nothing but his bare bone personality. His core personality never changed, just his environment, and his care free environment allowed him to be a more goofy, loving person than he ever could've been in the past. When people say Seven is 'reverting' to his past self in season four- he's not. He is the same person, in the same environment, who cannot afford, or have the time to be fun loving and goofy. That is why he is a doomed Shadow Killer. Not because he wants to be, or because it's in his nature to kill, but because he will always end up in this situation again, and he will have to resort to killing to protect himself once again. And that 'fun loving' part of his personality will never get to show, because he'll never feel safe enough to let it. Past Seven and Seven are the same person, just in different environments. Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk

[nethandrake]

For the fanfic asks, 14, 24 and 25

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write

My most recent fic, i will never be your type. I never thought I’d ever write a ‘Bucky comes back’ fic since I don’t think I could do the trope justice. But @maguna-stxrk commissioned me with this prompt and I figured I’ll try my best to do it justice shsakjajskskajs.

Also, you're in my blood, you're in my veins. and my heart is driftwood, floating down your coast. because I wrote both of them when I wasn’t in a good headspace and I didn’t think I could write either of them while I was in such a state.

Besides that, I fell in love with Tonyjan this year and actually wrote a fic about them called those nights.

24. favorite fic you read this year

Oh god, I think I have...so many. I will do my best to narrow it down to ten, one fic per writer.

always winter, always spring by mizzy // @mizzy2k

(groundhog day) trapped in an ever-replenishing room with an impossible puzzle to solve, Steve and Tony learn a thing or two about each other and about themselves

Meet Again by dirigibleplumbing // @dirigibleplumbing

It's been 5 months since Steve and Tony last saw each other in Siberia, and Tony has just resurfaced after being missing for several weeks. Through a series of emails and text messages, they work to figure out what their friendship is going to look like in the future. But first, they have a lot of the past to contend with. And for some reason Tony keeps bringing up the topic of soulmates.

Formerly by laireshi // @laireshi

A week ago, he touched Steve at night. A week ago, he kissed him. A week ago, Steve kissed him back.

(A week ago Steve was dead, and Tony deleted his brain.)

Role of a Lifetime by Annie D // @no-gorms

It’s been almost a year since Tony was rescued from the Ten Rings by SHIELD. In this time, Tony has forged a new path for Stark Industries and taken on a new under-the-radar role as a consultant for SHIELD. Tony’s SHIELD job eventually brings him into contact with the newest Captain America, who’s a pretty cool guy, though for security reasons Tony can’t know his real name or see his face without the Captain America mask. This is also about the time that Tony notices a certain Mr. Stevens, a new hire in SI’s corporate office...

An Inglorious Affair by ann2who, morphia

In 1944, Steve's commando team, The Basterds, are off to fight nazis in France. Tony joins their efforts after intelligence suggests that Herr Kleiser, a German scientist, has set his sights on making a massive nuclear bomb. Their mission: Get to Kleiser before he completes his evil plan. What neither of them had planned for, however, was to fall in love in the middle of the worst war either of them had ever seen.

Hallow the Soul by Ironlawyer

After Steve's return from the dead, Tony has never had the courage to tell him all the things he wanted to. Now, worlds away, it may be his last chance and Tony takes it.

i'll stop the world and melt with you by fantalaimon

Inside were a bunch of shivering lab techs and a bigass block of ice. Tony could make out the impression of a body inside it, but he was hesitant to rush forward for a closer look.

“Recalibrating sensors for the decreased temperature, sir,” JARVIS said, and then lights were flashing up on the display, and Tony just about pissed himself.

“Holy shit.”

the honeymoon suite by CapnShellhead // @capnwinghead

Wade Wilson is getting married and he's assembling a team to get him to Vegas for his bachelor party. Requiring a team with a special set of skills, he asks Wolverine, Spider-Man, Special Agent Preston and Captain America to come along. Steve decides this would be a wonderful opportunity to fix a rift between him and an old friend.

the bullet, in its hunger by foldingcranes

Steve had stopped wearing his wedding band a long time ago.

(Tony still wore his. This, Steve knew from staring too long at press pictures of Tony.

From the time that Tony sought him out at the ruins of their first home and asked him to stop.)

The Culling of the Stars by anonymous (this is part of the on-going holiday exchange so the author hasn’t been revealed yet)

Tony dies saving Steve's life on the courthouse steps. Now Steve is left with the fallout of their Civil War, expected to take charge and preserve Tony's legacy. He doesn't know how he can do it alone—not when he can't stop thinking about Tony, or keep track of the days, or even feel.

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

Listen, everyone NEEDS to read mizzy’s // @mizzy2k’s Where Our Restless Monsters Sleep. I don’t know how to explain why everyone should read it without sounding like an idiot but I highly recommend this fic. This is the best Endgame fix-it and one of the best fanfics I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

fanfic end of the year asks

[concussed-to-pieces]

The Mettle Of A Man; Part Six

Fandom: Fallout (4)

Pairing: Eventual Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Enjoy!

Part One: ArcJet

Part Two: The Prydwen

Part Three: Orders

Part Four: Finding Brandis

Part Five: Weston Water And Oberland

“General!” 

  The unfamiliar voice roused Danse from his staring match with the coffee pot and he lunged to his feet, Righteous Authority at the ready.

  “At ease, Paladin. It's one of my friends.” Backhand soothed him, waving at the young man striding through the tatos towards them. “Preston! What brings you to this corner of the wilderness?” 

  Preston was on the taller side, well-built and wearing a strange combination of period clothing that Danse quickly identified as a higher-ranking Minuteman’s uniform. A scar hugged the brown skin on his left cheek, its path similar to Maxson's (though not as deep). His eyes, while kind, were haunted even in the bright light of morning.

  “We got the radio set back up in The Castle, and then we tuned into a repeating distress signal from a weird short-range frequency. Figured it was worth checking out.” The Minuteman touched the large brim of his odd hat while speaking to Backhand, almost like he was deferring to her. "You might have sent a message warning us that a Brotherhood research contingent was on their way. I'm not sayin' we would have left the queen untouched , but...well, you know how much folks around here like their seafood."

  Preston Garvey ( head lieutenant of the Commonwealth Minutemen ) didn't appear to have a malicious bone in his body, his handshake for Danse firm when Backhand introduced him. Danse found himself pinned by those intense brown eyes, the paladin squirming inwardly while the dark-skinned man studied him. 

  “You Brotherhood boys are bad news for the Commonwealth, but we can't exactly afford to be picky,” Preston stated bluntly with a disarming smile. “So, welcome aboard!”

  Danse felt his face go hot at the insinuation, opening his mouth to say... something , he wasn't sure what, but Preston was already refocusing on Knight Vega. Or should he say General Vega? This was the second time someone had referred to her as ‘General’. 

  Danse wasn't used to being so simply dismissed. He was, after all, a paladin . An overgrown specimen of a man in or out of his armor, with a carefully-crafted demeanor of stern authority. Preston didn't seem particularly rude though, mostly just exhausted. He had propped himself up with his laser musket as Backhand explained their mission of the day. Mainly, reacquire Danse's armor and mop up any remaining threats in Weston. 

  Danse realized he had no control in this operation as he was sans-armor and he almost laughed aloud at the role reversal in the field. Playing the damsel was definitely a novel sensation for the hulking paladin and he said as much, prompting Backhand into a fit of giggles.

  “Pretty sure I was the damsel at first, this guy has a hell of a throwing arm!” She informed Preston, thumbing the reinforced strapping of her combat armor. “Tossed me like I was a skipping rock!”

  “You threw the General?!” Preston sputtered.

  “It was a reflex .” Danse stressed the word, flustered. 

  “Yeah but you threw a whole human being? ” The Minuteman asked incredulously. “I mean, damn, what do they feed you guys?”

  “To be fair, the power armor enhances-”

  “Oh yeah, and he can move his armor even when the core's blown.” Backhand tacked on like she was a proud parent. Preston looked at Danse a little sideways, as though he suspected Knight Vega was talking him up. 

  But the Minuteman simply shrugged after a moment, adjusting his hat. “So what's the plan, General? I'm going to assume it's his armor that was pinging the distress signal.”

  Danse's breath hitched as it dawned on him that yes , that was exactly what was happening. The severe damage would have activated the emergency beacon, just like with Brandis’ team. And if some haphazard, ramshackle radio at Fort Independence could pick it up…

  If it's been going off since last night ...

  Their beacons carried their call tags. The Prydwen would have known it was his armor specifically. They had vertibirds to spare, despite Maxon's posturing when they had departed. Surely there had to be some logical reason as to why no one from the Brotherhood had come to investigate the signal. Danse couldn't think of anything at the moment, but surely …

  …

  The armor was exactly where it had been yesterday, a protective shell resting on a leg and three-quarters. Seeing the damage up close was sobering for Backhand, and judging from Danse's stony expression he was in the same boat. 

  “At least it was super mutants. If it had been raiders or, God forbid, gunners …” Preston trailed off, touching the brim of his hat. His hand shook a little.

  “I know, trust me. We would have been in for a really terrible time.” Backhand muttered.

  Danse, who had been essentially silent, abruptly began speaking. “Back in the Capital Wasteland, I once took an Enclave bullet to the leg. Hit a rust patch just right. Penetrated my armor and shredded my calf. I learned then that our equipment is not infallible by any stretch of the imagination.” Danse's fists were tight at his sides. “It's... distressing when a soldier jettisons his gear in combat, but I'll be fine.”

  "You think you can get it working again?"

  Danse scoffed at Preston's query, a grin quirking his lips as he tugged a fresh core out of one of his utility pouches. "Give me an hour. I'm no proctor, but I know a thing or two about my own armor." 

  The paladin muscled his armor onto its back, looking for all the world like he was slowly grappling with the empty suit. Backhand fought the urge to snort, shifting her attention back to Preston instead. "So how's Independence coming, hot shot?" She jibed, making him give her a tentative, self-conscious smile.

  "Really well, I'd say. Crops are planted, we have 'round the clock radio coverage and old Minutemen are showing up to get their transponders re-tuned for our new frequency!" Preston replied excitedly. "We gotta' get yours fixed up too, General."

  "You're still accepting the deserters?" Backhand wasn't exactly surprised , but it was a little strange to see how enthused Preston was about welcoming old Minutemen back into the fold. 

  "W-Well, new recruits are coming in too! We needed more trainers and-" Preston hurried to justify himself and Backhand jostled his shoulder.

  " Relax , tight lace, I'm only teasing. It's any port in a storm. No matter what you've done, you know I'm proud of you." She said softly. Preston's cheeks darkened further with a ruddy flush, the young man coughing and tugging bashfully at the brim of his hat. 

  "That's...real kind of you to say, General." He muttered after a second. 

  "I try to only speak the truth with my friends." Backhand gestured vaguely towards the paladin who was straightening out the plating on the torso of his armor. "Sometimes they're a little... hardheaded , but I know it'll get through to them eventually." Her statement was pointed enough that Preston raised an eyebrow. "He's a decent man. Something is fucked up between him and their leader, Maxson. I'm not quite sure what ." She continued in an undertone.

  "Careful about how deep you're digging the hole, General." Preston warned. "Brotherhood's got a fanaticism that's borderline religious."

  "Garvey, I was in the original . If there's one thing I'm familiar with, it's military maniacs."

  "Fair enough I suppose." Preston fanned himself with his hat, idly watching Danse beat his armor back into shape. "He's good looking, I'll give him that. Penchant for a type, General Vega?" He teased with a smile.

  "I can neither confirm nor deny!" Backhand laughed, "you're nosier than a pre-war tabloid journalist, Garvey. Planning on taking up with Piper?"

  "If it helps spread the word about the Minutemen, absolutely!" 

  The two of them lapsed into a companionable silence for several minutes. Danse abruptly glanced up, the lack of conversation seeming to penetrate his single-minded focus. "Am I being too loud?" He asked awkwardly. "I can try to be quieter." 

  "Nah, keep doing what you were doing." Garvey gave him a wave that was almost lazy. "I'm just taking in the scenery." 

  …

  The plan that Knight Vega proposed was ludicrously simple. 

  She had found a metal bucket in one of the trailers beside the water treatment plant. She would put her Pip Boy into it, turn on the radio and set the volume to max. Hopefully the racket would lure any remaining mutants out of the facility, wherein the all too eager trio would fall upon them with gusto.

  Preston was game for it as well, already cranking up the power in his laser musket as Backhand settled the bucket on its side by the front doors. 

  The usual vein of music issued from the Pip Boy, echoing a little in the bucket. Blaring brass overpowered any of the more delicate parts of the tune and Backhand laughed, playfully extending a hand to Preston. "Dance with me, LT? I'm sure we've got a few minutes."

  To Danse's utter dismay, the Minuteman did just that. Surely, this was some breach of protocol? The young man referred to her as his superior officer! Regardless of how lax their standards were, this couldn't possibly be proper. This…

  This was the most precious thing he had ever seen.

  Danse would be eternally grateful for the rigorous self control that enabled him to school his face into a neutral expression. Preston wasn't a half-bad dancer but Backhand was terrible , just downright uncoordinated. 

  The two of them were laughing like they had forgotten the issue at hand and for one blissful second, Danse found himself strangely at peace. Just watching both individuals fumble through some semblance of a dance he would never know, grinning and poking fun, entirely unconcerned about the world around them. 

  Danse was used to being watched. Scrutinized. Held to a higher standard than anyone else around him due to rank or simple expectation. Knight Vega...he should say something. Tell her to shape up. This behavior was unacceptable . Maxson could have her stripped of her probationary knight rank for this. Maxson could…

  Maxson . 

  The paladin gritted his teeth. 

  Elder Maxson could do a lot of things. The intensity of the depression that followed the thought startled even Danse. It was like a wet blanket wrapping itself around his entire body. Maxson could do a lot of things. He could have ended this before it even started. He could have mounted the assault when Brandis' team vanished. He could have-

  The doors to the complex swung wide open, four super mutants sprinting out. Danse's heart leaped into his throat. 

  Backhand and Preston-!  

  His body moved without thought, the armored paladin placing himself between the threat and the two who were now scrambling to prepare themselves. Danse cracked his knuckles in his gauntlets, bullets whipping through the air by his head. Three of the mutants were only armed with boards and sledgehammers, but the largest one carried a rifle of some kind. 

  A musket shot boomed from behind the paladin, pulping the head of one of the mutants. Danse surmised coldly that it must have been Preston's kill. Danse wasn't unarmed, but the enemy also wasn't inclined to give him the time to sling his laser rifle back around, and so it was with his armored fists that he rushed the trigger-happy mutant.

  …

  "Gotcha'!" Backhand's shotgun sounded off, the loud report muffled by the way she had rammed the barrel into the mutant's chest. Beside her, Preston kept winding up his musket to power his next shot. That first shot had been just what the doctor ordered, quickly putting the odds more in their favor. 

  There was a loud, angry grunt and Backhand looked up to see a super mutant go sailing past her and slam through the side of one of the trailers. Preston gaped at the sight, ceasing to crank his musket momentarily. 

  A roar of " abomination! " echoed through the courtyard, the sheer volume of it enough to give Backhand pause. The paladin had gotten too close to the mutant with the gun for the creature to continue to use it effectively and Danse pressed his advantage. Backhand watched slightly dumbfounded while the large man went toe to toe with the massive mutant. 

  The mutant yammered at Danse, nonsensical rambling about cracking him open and the paladin repaid those threats with his metal-plated fists. "Should we…?" Preston queried. Apparently neither of them needed to worry as Danse proceeded to shoulder check the mutant, forcing it backwards through the doors into the building.

  "It's probably therapeutic for him. He really, really hates muties." Backhand couldn't help but still feel slightly concerned and she sighed. "C'mon, let's make sure he's not getting devoured."

  …

  Danse manhandled the beast through two walls until he found one sturdy enough for him to pin the mutant against. It squirmed and struggled against the iron grip he had on its throat, choking out more insane nonsense. "This is for Cutler, you freak ." Danse's voice cracked as he drew his fist back.

  "You okay in here, Paladin?" Backhand's voice distracted him momentarily and the paladin paused. " Danse? "

  His fist crushed the mutant's skull, sending bone and brain flying. Danse released the now-dead mutant, shaking his gauntlet and hissing at the pain. Inadvertently punching a wall was assuredly not his finest moment. "Yes, Knight Vega?" He called.

  She carefully picked her way over the two piles of rubble that had previously been walls, her shotgun ready. Behind her came Preston, sweeping corners in a practiced manner. "Just making sure nothing happened. You know we're supposed to be sticking together." Her tone was playfully chiding, even though her eyes betrayed a startling level of concern.

  "Figured I should grab the opportunity by the throat." Danse answered after a moment of silent contemplation. 

  To his credit, Preston did attempt to keep his laughter under control. Vega grinned at her snickering lieutenant, patting his shoulder and then squinting at Danse. "You better watch it, Paladin. I'll have you written up for bullheaded heroics or something."

  "A fate worse than death." Danse replied dryly. "Though I'm afraid your report would fall on deaf ears."

  "Too true. You would probably be promoted to...double paladin, or whatever the next rank is for you." 

  "Knight sergeant."

  "What?! But paladin sounds way cooler!" Backhand protested indignantly while Preston started laughing all over again. "The whole point of moving up in the chain of command is to get a better name! Even I know that." She teased.

  Danse felt like he was back on the Prydwen attempting to educate a mess hall full of squires. "Well, I could be promoted to star paladin. But that's very unlikely." He explained. "They are exceptionally rare, akin to sentinels."

  " Star paladin?" Backhand looked like she was about to burst with curiosity. 

  "Yes. They are paladins who have been specially recognized for their dedication or ferocity in battle." 

  "Uh General, not to cut this short, but-" Preston began hurriedly, rechecking the levels on his undoubtedly finicky musket. 

  "Right, yeah, job to do." 

  Danse finally swung his rifle around, doing a quick run-through of all the switches before he turned on the tact-light, beautifully illuminating the dust his demolition-style entry had stirred up. 

  He proceeded deeper into the facility, purposely taking point despite his unarmored head. Preston flanked him on the left while Backhand walked drag, their footsteps all but silent in the wake of the larger man's sabatons. "Remain vigilant." Danse cautioned.

  "D'you think there's anything else in here?" Preston whispered, "I feel like they would have come for us."

  "I've actually been in here before, last time the basement was flooded and there were mirelurks," Backhand muttered. "I was doing a favor for those 'bots at Graygarden."

  "No rest for the wicked when it comes to you, eh General?" Preston quipped.

  "Listen, I feel like making friends with the agriculturally-inclined robots is definitely a good strategy." She reasoned. "After all, they can work around the clock and everything!"

  Danse hushed the two of them, leading with the barrel of his rifle. The tact-light flickered as he continued their sweep, ears open for any signs of hostiles. 

  ...

  Backhand tapped at the compass of her Pip Boy, scrolling the compass display a full three hundred and sixty degrees. Her scroll jerked to a halt when two red ticks appeared, ahead and to the right.

  "Bogey at two o'clock." She whispered. Danse nodded grimly and Preston flipped the crank over to prime his musket. 

  Now Backhand could actually hear sounds, an odd snuffling and scraping noise. A hound, maybe?

  Danse clearly heard it as well, the man advancing into the next room and sweeping the corners with his rail-mounted flashlight.

  Something skittered by just outside the light, vanishing into a gap in the crumbling wall. Danse wordlessly stormed forward and with one brutal motion he rammed his gauntlet through the plaster and heaved out--

  A child?

  The paladin froze, one large metal hand wrapped around the leg of the waif he had just forcibly extracted. The little boy screamed and flailed in Danse's hold, tiny fists beating a tattoo on the gauntlet that suspended him upside down in midair. He was filthy , clad in a dingy pair of overalls. He had a cut over his right eye, possibly from Danse's speedy removal.

  For the barest, heartbreaking second, Backhand thought that it was Shaun. But no, no, she was imagining things. 

  "Whoa, easy there." She breathed, trying to get her heart to stop hammering. Danse still hadn't moved. "Hey, hey hey, look at me." She caught one of the child's arms, easily dodging the bite he aimed at her hand. " Easy big fella', we aren't going to hurt you." Backhand soothed, "you're okay. Were you hiding from the muties?"

  "Big d-d-dog tried t-to eat m-m-me." The little boy hiccupped, changing his tune instantly and clinging to her arm as Danse carefully, carefully set him down. "H-Hid in the wall. M-My mama, she told me not t-to wander off, b-b-but it got dark and I g-got lost." he sobbed, rubbing his eyes. 

  Backhand reached into her satchel and pulled out Sergeant Cathan's 'lucky' bandanna. With gentle precision she wrapped it around the little boy's hand, knotting it at his wrist. "I need you to do me a favor, okay?" She asked seriously. "I need you to hold onto this bandanna for me. It's lucky, but only if you're holding it super tight. Can you make sure we stay lucky?"

  The child frowned after a moment, sniffling and then gripping down on the bandanna. Backhand heaved a mental sigh of relief, thankful that the distraction tactic had worked. Sometimes she couldn't get her target to buy into the grift; it was always a gamble. Sergeant Cathan had taught her (long ago and far away now) the benefits of implication, suggestion and placebo effects on survivors. She had carried the 'lucky' bandanna since her honorable discharge, it being one of the few possessions she had refused to relinquish even while being sealed in cryogenic stasis. It made her feel a little warm inside to be able to use it's so-called powers for good once more.

  " It doesn't have to be real. It doesn't have to be lucky, or important, or special in any way ." The sergeant had informed her when he explained the trick of distraction. " All it needs is belief, Backhand. That's it. If you can get them to believe in it, the hard part is already over ." 

  "Okay kiddo, how about we bring you back outside?" Preston cajoled gently with a smile. "You want something to eat?" The little boy nodded furiously, his eyes wide in the glow of Danse's rail-light. "Alright, take my hand. You're gonna' be just fine." 

  A loud howl echoed down the hallway and Danse jerked to attention, his rifle snapping upwards. "Go, get out!" He demanded Preston, "pick up the child and go! Knight Vega, on my six, now! " He barked.

  Backhand thanked God that Preston was the type to help first and ask questions later, the young man easily scooping the little boy up in his arms and ducking out in the direction of the foyer. Danse shone his light back down the hallway, illuminating a hound so old its green skin had gone gunmetal gray. It sampled the air and bayed hoarsely, milky eyes staring ahead. It was ancient, obviously blind, possibly deaf-

  Danse pulled his trigger once, and then a second time for good measure. Backhand noticed that his hands were shaking as he straightened up. He strode forward to the end of the hall, shoving the dog's body aside without so much as looking at it.

  Backhand looked down at her compass, scrolling it this way and that. But it was empty, no signatures reading on it whatsoever. "Paladin, I think that's it." She said, holding her arm up so he could see her use the compass.

  Danse nodded in an absent manner, still looking down the hall and running his light over the walls around him. 

  "We should get back outside. Make sure Preston and that kiddo are okay." Backhand suggested gently.

  "I could have killed that child."

  Ah . Backhand understood why his hands were trembling now. She let him carry on with his double-check, giving him the time he needed to decide whether he would say more.

  "I...I could have…" Backhand heard him swallow, the noise loud in the silence. " Christ , Vega. I'm not setting a very good example for you, am I. We were almost killed by a behemoth due to my own inattention, I had to jettison my power armor, my helmet is unsalvageable , and I very nearly slaughtered a lost child."

  "It's been a hell of a shakedown campaign." Backhand agreed, pushing the glasses up on her nose. "Imagine the trouble we could get into if we keep sticking together." 

  Danse's laughter was a grim bark of a noise, the paladin nodding his head ruefully. "Just imagine. If I keep up my trajectory, the Commonwealth will be in flames by tomorrow morning."

  Backhand placed a wary hand on his gauntlet, fingers grazing the worn red-orange paint that denoted his rank. " Or it'll be a better place." She reasoned, patting his arm and turning on her heel. "Now, c'mon. We've got a little one to return to his parents." She urged, waving the paladin on.

  Preston had made it safely outside, the man still cradling the child as Backhand emerged from the double doors onto the front steps of the establishment. He raised his brows in question. 

  "There was an old hound, probably too old to hunt anymore. Blind." Backhand explained, sliding her satchel around and digging through it until her fingers brushed the plastic-wrapped snack. "Ah, here we go. You must be hungry, right slugger?" She asked the little boy, extracting the snack cake from her bag and waving it to catch his attention. "How about you munch on this until we get back to Oberland, and then my friend Preston will see about finding your parents. That sound good to you?"

  The boy nodded, still sniffling but eagerly accepting the pre-war confection. 

  "You still got that bandanna? I know you must have held onto it real tight, because that hound didn't even know we were there!" Backhand praised with a grin, thrilled when the child gave her a weak smile in return.

  Danse emerged from the building, towering over the trio in his armor. "It seems that beast was the last holdout." He said finally, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Have you checked the child for injuries?"

  The cut over the little boy's eye had already stopped bleeding, and aside from a few minor scrapes and bruises he appeared to be fine. Obviously his largest issues were being lost and hungry. Preston continued to hold the child while Backhand cleaned the dried blood off his forehead, well aware of the eyes trained on her. "There. You'll be just fine." She assured the boy, barely resisting the urge to kiss the bandage and instead kissing her fingertips to press against the bandage. After all, she wasn't this kid's mom. 

  "A-Are you the Minutemen?" The little boy asked after a moment of hesitation. "My papa said you guys help people."

  "We are! Good guess." Preston praised, adjusting his hold on the kid so he could tip his hat. " There at a minute's notice , or that's the idea anyway." 

  "Let's move out. The sooner we get to Oberland, the sooner you can broadcast your APB on him." Vega adjusted her satchel and began carefully picking her way back through the flooded area, boots sloshing in the water. "What's your name, wall boy?"

  "Matt." The child replied through a mouthful of cake. "Mat'ew Amadeus O'Brian."

  Backhand blinked, a little stunned at the elaborate name that the kid had rattled off. "Well, Matthew Amadeus O'Brian , my name is Elizabeth Backhand Vega, and the nice man being your legs right now is Preston Garvey." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the silent paladin who was bringing up the rear of their little party. "The big one is Paladin Danse."

  "He's big," Matt repeated, watching the paladin narrowly before tacking on, "An' scary ."

  "He's not really scary, but it's easy to think that." Backhand could almost feel Danse growing more and more tense. "He's sorry for surprising you earlier, I promise!" 

  Matt's eyes stayed suspiciously squinted at the paladin, the little boy continuing to inhale the snack cake. "Are you sure? " He asked in a stage whisper. "'Cuz he looks angry. Like how my papa looks when he says I'm bein' too os'servant ."

  Preston snickered at that. "You must be real observant then, if your folks are scolding you for it."

  Matt puffed out his chest a bit, stating proudly that, "My mama says I've got good eyes and nothin' between them. Then, she laughs."

  Danse made a choking noise, the large man obviously attempting to stifle his mirth. "Your mother sounds immensely charitable." He remarked, a faint smile playing across his mouth.

  The little boy looked befuddled for a moment, pursing his lips. "I 'unno what that means, but I love my mama. So that better not be somethin' nasty." Clearly, the child had recovered some of his original pep, no doubt aided by the copious amounts of sugar in that snack cake. "Otherwise I'll kick your butt." 

  "Whoa now, language." Preston chided gently.

  "He started it!" Matthew protested, "callin' my mama some...carrot, carrotible ."

  " Charitable . It means good, kind. Even when you don't have to be." Backhand laughed as she explained, watching the realization dawn on the kid.

  "Oh. Okay then. That's fine." The child allowed, "as long as it's nothin' bad."

  ...

  Danse wiped the sweat from his brow, hammering the last nail into place. There . With the metal scrap and lumber they had salvaged from the area surrounding the station, Danse actually managed to cobble together a half perimeter fence that was a bit more fortified than the old chain link lining the once-uniform garden. It wasn't anything incredible , but it wouldn't fall over at the next stiff breeze. 

  Upon their arrival, Knight Vega had sat Matt down by the old pump out front of the station and carefully scrubbed the rest of the child's face clean. The boy somehow managed to keep up a constant stream of chatter even as he was being scoured to within an inch of his life. Danse knew he ought to find it irritating, as his entire military career he had been taught that squires should be seen and not heard, but instead he found it oddly endearing. 

  Preston had eventually managed to raise the Castle (or rather, Fort Independence), the Minuteman relaying the information that they had acquired a precocious young man by the name of Matthew Amadeus O'Brian. 

  Preston and Backhand had kept busy in the aforementioned garden for most of the day, tearing up weeds and tilling the soil. The two had an easy rapport, going back and forth on a variety of topics. Matt occasionally chimed in around a mouthful of almost gone-by tato, the child more than eager to assist in the stripping and demolishing of the plants.

  Danse had half-listened to their chatter while he engaged wholeheartedly in building the defenses up as best as he could, wanting desperately to make himself useful even as he soaked up the conversation. Agriculture had never been his strong suit. Coming from the Capital Wasteland, he was incredibly leery of any produce borne of the radiation-rich soil. He certainly didn't eat any of it without properly preparing it. This led to less adventurous but also less dangerous meals, the vegetables usually gray and tasteless from their time in the pot of his mess kit.

  Danse took a step back to admire his handiwork. It had been too long since he was able to actually devote the time to a task that it required, instead of just smashing resources together and hoping they held. He knew it was technically a fence made out of the refuse of the area, nothing to be proud of, but he relished the opportunity to craft something useful.

  He heard a low whistle from behind him and realized that Preston was looking up at the fortifications, a massive grin on his face. "Damn, we could have used you at the Castle!" The Minuteman commented, clapping a hand on Danse's shoulder. "You got the place squared away in half the time, color me impressed."

  "Being able to find or create a defensible position is a necessary skill for field ops. You never know when you may need to bivouac in less than hospitable territory." Danse knew he must sound unbearably stiff, and he grimaced inwardly at his casual usage of the word bivouac . That had been something from Cutler's verbiage. "This wall should function optimally, but it can always be improved upon."

  "I appreciate it. The Minutemen thank you for your assistance." Preston said warmly, his hand squeezing Danse's shoulder gently before he turned back towards the garden. "General, we should probably break for dinner! I know you two will be leavin' early tomorrow, wouldn't want you to be overtired." He called to Backhand, who tossed him a thumbs-up.

  Danse opened his mouth, hesitated, and then carefully stated, "if we stay another day, I may be able to erect something for the lower side of the hill. It won't be as tall as this, but as it's the lower hillside, inhabitants will have a better chance of spotting the enemy and preparing."

  Preston's eyebrows shot up. "You'd do that for us? I'd be incredibly grateful, I'll be honest. We're spread so thin, I'm probably only going to have one armed individual to assign to this outpost. Whatever help you can give-"

  "Only one?" Danse looked at the copious tilled soil, his brow furrowed in thought. "You may have too many resources here for you to defend them with just one gun and a wall of scrap, Lieutenant Garvey."

  "At the moment, the only resource is the water pump. I'm hopin' by the time the crops pop, we'll be a little fatter in our ranks. If not, well, I'm always up for extra field duty." Preston drew a finger along the brim of his large hat, sighing. "Nobody said it would be easy, y'know?"

  Danse nodded. He knew overwell the disproportionate work load that a commander must shoulder in exchange for the safety and stability of their regiment.

  After a hearty supper of some of the remaining tatos (safely over-stewed to within an inch of their lives), canned beans and fresh-last-week bread that Preston had brought with him, Danse took up his post along the defenses he had built. His armor creaked a little louder than normal, but he supposed that was to be expected after the beating it had taken.

  Backhand had been quiet during their dinner. He assumed she was simply tired. He could hardly blame her; it had been a very eventful few days. 

  Danse bit his lip. He knew he ought to be rushing back to the Prydwen, but he felt an odd sense of responsibility for this new development. After all , he reasoned, what better way to win hearts and minds for the Brotherhood? Showing that they were benevolent, willing to work with existing factions regardless of their differences…

  Well, at least Danse was at any rate. And with a little luck, his obviously-high rank would convince the battered survivors of post-apocalyptic New England that the whole of the Brotherhood was here to help.

  Possibly in spite of Maxson's lofty aspirations for wiping out the Institute. What good was it to remove the proverbial boogeyman of the Commonwealth if the Brotherhood's resources were stripped from the campaign? The more prudent option would be to gain the trust of the locals, and then press them for support should the need arise. 

  That was all he was doing. Gaining the trust of the locals.

  He glanced up at the light that wavered in the window of the towering station. He could imagine Knight Vega tucking the little boy in, maybe pressing a kiss to his forehead…

  Danse's heart ached. She had lost her son, he recalled, though she hadn't said how . He couldn't even begin to imagine the agony of losing a child. Losing Cutler was devastating enough.

  When Vega came out to relieve him at two hundred hours, Danse noted that she still looked worn. Her eyes were puffy, like she had been crying. "Tell me about what happened to your son, Knight." He requested quietly. 

  "That's...it's kind of a long story, Paladin." She tried to brush him off, fiddling with her combat armor straps. "You should sleep."

  "That's an order, Knight."

  Vega hiccupped, her sob rattling Danse's composure. "The Institute. They...they ripped him right out of my arms in the Vault." She whispered. "The stasis was put on hold, somehow , and they just...they took him. The next thing I knew, I was waking up alone." She stared at the ground. "I know it was the Institute. I know there's a way in. But I don't know...God, Danse, what if he's dead? " She asked helplessly.

  Even though he hadn’t known, Danse still felt like a bastard for making her relive that horror. She had been so sure before, so certain that her child was alive. But now for whatever reason, she was entertaining the alternative and Danse was lost . What the hell could he even say?

  "You didn't let me give up on Paladin Brandis." He pointed out. "So I'm not letting you give up on your son."

  "Is that an order, sir?"

  "A promise , Knight, not an order." Danse saluted her sharply, his gauntlet clattering on his breastplate. "As a Brotherhood of Steel paladin, I swear to you that I will do all I can to help uncover the truth of what happened to your son. And for as long as feasibly possible, we will operate under the assumption that he is alive and well. If we give in to despair, then they've already won."

  Backhand looked up at him, her expression distraught. Danse didn't expect her to wrap her arms around his armor, the woman barely able to reach past his sides due to the bulky frame. She tucked her face against the handles on his breastplate and Danse was terrified of making the wrong move. So he stayed still, one massive gauntlet eventually moving forward to cautiously rest on her back. 

  "We will find him." He assured her softly. "I promise."

Part Seven

[radioactivereactions]

Friend do you have anything for my lesbian needs pertaining to lingerie headcanons for the female companions of Fallout 3, 4, and NV (Mostly Piper as she is the love of my life)???

Yes, I indeedy do my friend.

Piper is also my one and only wife in all of the fallout games tbh, probably because I see a lot of myself in her but fhskf shes a cutie.

Also, I didn’t add Lilly and Star Paladin Cross since I find them to be more motherly type figures and I don’t think I’ve met anyone who finds them to be more than that so—

Fallout 3

Clover

- She has scavenged quite a lot of Lingerie. While she was in the “care” of Eulogy he actually had bought many articles of clothing for her and Crimson… She wore them better though, obviously.

-Out of all of her pieces though, her favourite is a red velvet chemise gown. Simple, but effective in showing off her greatest assets

Fallout New Vegas

Cass

- A simple bra and underwear is all Cass needs to feel badass. So she never has any reason to look or shop for that stuff for her own needs

- She also has a way to make the rattiest bit of clothing look amazing

- Even if she does come across any, it’s likely she won’t wear it, complaining that it’s just ‘gonna come right off anyway’

Veronica

- She would have an absolute ball over finding out what Lingerie is. Being trapped in a clunky suit of armour and a potato sack for most of her life, and only recently wearing a dress for the first time has made her desperate to feel sexy in her own body

- Because of this enthusiasm shes made it mandatory for Six to watch her show it off in front of them

- By far the best thing Six has done is find her a working camera, you best your ass shes got them getting every single angle of her, so when they’re travelling and she’s unable to wear the outfits, she can at least look at them and remember how she felt 

Fallout 4

Cait

- She isn’t normally one to go out of her way to dress up or make herself look sexually appealing. Shes never had any reason to

- However, she is a big fan of corsets (hence why she wears one in the game) and incorporates a few scantily clad outfits from using them

- The majority of, if not all of her lingerie are one piece’s which are tighter around the waist and stomach area to help define her bust and hips a lot more than they are already

Curie

- Being the curious little mind she is, she would ask Soul to explain different types of Lingerie (and what lingerie even is) were before the war

- After getting every bit of information possible, she would actually start to make her own lingerie if she was unsuccessful in finding any in the wastes

- Her reasoning behind this is so she can feel what real female confidence is and takes great pride in showing off her adorable little body to Soul 

- Her finest piece of work and the article which she wears the most is a sheer two-piece consisting of a freeform, thin shoulder strap top and matching colour lace underwear

Piper

- No one can convince me otherwise on the thought that she constantly wears a Garter Belt regardless if she plans to show it off or not. It just helps her feel sexy and empowered.

- The belt also really helps accentuate that ass

- Her entire ‘aesthetic’ while wearing lingerie is the slutty reporter vibe (unsurprisingly), so that would include her heels, chiffon or fishnet stockings that are a little tight around her thighs, a garter belt and a sort of Bustier top. Shed hide it under her trench coat and reveal it to Sole by dramatically dropping it to the floor.

- Though while things like showing herself off, especially with only one person watching, would make her feel embarrassed as hell, hearing and seeing Soles approval and encouragement allows her to open up a lot more

- She found the majority of the lingerie she wears at an old building in the middle of the commonwealth, they assumed it was some sort of photography building after finding a bunch of cameras strewn about, but quickly found out that it was actually just a porn producing company

- She taught herself how to sew simply so she could repair any articles of clothing she can find

[god-hunter]

Adjusting to Singledom

It’s about time for an update on my Single Situation, if that’s what we’re calling it.  I’ve been meaning to clarify some things since unofficially starting these rants back in 2018 anyway.  It might be short, it might be long.  So let’s run through it and see.  I’m gonna be talking about 6 girls that I’m talking to, so pay attention and keep up.  This rant is going to be interesting.

First of all, the Work Crush that I had brought up originally back in 2018 is NOT Dancing Girl.  Nono, Work Crush, or Original Crush was a 28 year old Barbie lookin’ Office Hottie that had so much bubbly energy about her, I didn’t know what to do with it.  I never resolved that story, btw.  After we became Friends on Facebook, she was that type of person that didn’t really message much.  Eventually group hang outs happened and she met my Then-Girlfriend.  And the two got along so well that we just became Couple Friends.

Post break up, she had reached out to me.  I’m going to refer to her as Twin, because that is what she used to refer to me as at work, affectionately.  First of all, Twin & her boyfriend were supposed to come over for dinner, but it didn’t work out.  It’s just as well, because my Ex and I got into a fight while fixing up the apartment before they had cancelled.  Then we broke up.   So with this bizarre scenario, Twin had still wanted to see me.  I’ll be 3rd Wheeling it and checking out their new apartment instead [which is not so new at this point.]. That plan has never surfaced as of yet, due to general busyness, but now Covid-19 is affecting our plans. Since time is moving on, by the time this outbreak calms down I’ll probably be settled into my own place.  And she is very much looking forward to visiting me with her guy one day, but I’m not holding my breath.

I mention Twin, because she’s a former crush that won’t go away.  I’m not trying to do anything, obviously. She has a great boyfriend who likes me a lot.  But she’s definitely a significant girl in my life, and I would be very happy to hang with her (and him) more in the future.

Speaking of couples, I’m going to refer to my Beautiful Friendship as the Significant Couple.  They are certainly a collective and I still like talking to them a lot.  I won’t deny that I’ve been hoping to be intimate again since that one awesome night, but the differing schedules make that very difficult.  Still, one thing worth noting is that I’ve spoken to both parties about the idea of... not hanging up the phone when They want to get intimate, and neither are opposed to it.  So for the moment, I’ll just leave it at that =).  I respect these 2 immensely for being so open to their experiences.

But now it’s time to add some new names to this mix.  This was the purpose of this entry.  Let’s talk about Bakery Girl.  This too, is a former co-worker and friend of Twin.  I call her Bakery Girl because she literally left our job to work in a new office for better pay, but hated it so much that she ended up quitting and working at her favorite Bakery that she’s now a Manager of.  So, that seemed to work out for her, for now. Well, this is a person that was always pleasant at work.  She was always nice, and nice on the eyes lol.  We always got along, but didn't really interact or ever flirt.  Still... Facebook can be a real beautiful thing.

Before she had left our job, she had mentioned that she wanted to get drinks with me.  (Not just me, but a bunch of us from work.). Of course I said yeah as this was just a friend thing.  ...It never happened.  Instead Dancing Girl came out and.. that crush began, I guess.

But anyway...  Since the Breakup I opened up to a bunch of people.  And I suppose it was week 3 or so, that I had told her about it on FB.  I’m not quite sure when we first spoke about my new situation, but I do remember being in my old bedroom and not feeling miserable, because she was so fun to talk to.  I wasn’t moping about my last chapter, but merely informing her as we caught up.  And then as we talked, the energy felt borderline flirty, or sort of like this friendly vetting process.  What I mean by that is we’ll tell each other stuff, and see how the other feels about the topics.  Most we agree on.  Some we definitely differ on.  But respect is there. Anyway, more-to-the-point.  After a couple of failed attempts at talking on Facebook, I tried one more time last night and got another good conversation with her.  And this time, I was able to bring it over to the phone.  I got her number!  So who knows if it’ll go anywhere, but for now I’ll take that victory. This girl’s definitely a good person, and even if it’s a long-term developing thing she is someone definitely worth keeping in touch with.  It really helps that she’s 28 and not 21.  Or as she refers to Dancing Girl... she’s not 12, lol.  [Yes, she knows Dancing Girl too from work, but she has no idea that I was into her.  I plan to keep it that way.]

Speaking of Dancing Girl, her and Dante are fucking annoying, yo.  We barely talk at breaks now, because I’m not trying.  Instead Dante’s either being an idiot or just cooing at her, and the two of them are just obnoxious with each other in my space.  But I’m learning to put it in its place.  Literally everything is changing.  Breaks now seem to get split up between us all chilling and talking, then the two of them splitting off to smoke weed, while my other dude in his 40′s goes and smokes a cig by himself.  Today I took it upon myself to make it my new normal to join him when he smokes that cig.  Since no one else really talks to each other any more...  We just literally hang around each other while everyone’s on their phones.  It sickens me.  But I guess that’s what happens when Millenials see each other every day...  [And no, I don’t smoke, but I’ve always gone outside for the fresh air and good company.  Now that company ain’t so good any more, but they’re still my friends.]

There’s another former co-worker I hit up, but nothing to really report yet.  I don’t have a codename for her yet, but I asked if she’d like to catch up over dinner and she said, yes.  But after the Coronavirus passes, if that’s okay.  I told her it was, and instead we caught up on Facebook for an hour or so.  For now I’ll call her the Social Distancer... =P

And lastly, I’m going to bring up Gamer Girl.  This one’s a slippery slope, but it’s very important to talk about now, because I do not know what is going to happen next.  She is my Ex’s friend, but ever since we dated, she was always into both of us.  Like, she literally would’ve swung with us if my Ex was into that.  I’ll never forget, she was like, “Wow. You two are hot.”   She’s been referred to as a Unicorn, because she loves getting into sexual situations, but she has no romantic attachment to any of it.  And this is why I’m bringing her up. Again, it was about 3 weeks after the break up.  The Ex and I had gotten into a fight post-break up, which propelled me to really want to leave.  And at the worst time, she messaged me starting with, “I hope this doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable...”  And then she proceeded to talk about how she was lonely and not good at making friends and needs an area friend to hang out with.  She brought up a past divorce and that she doesn’t want anything romantic, but she wants to play video games and have pizza with me.  She opened it up as a night where I could vent to her and just have fun.

Against my better judgement, I said yeah.  Plans weren’t made until this week.  Literally tomorrow night, I’ll be seeing what this actually is.  Now, on paper, it might simply be pizza and video games.  But we’ve talked a little since then.  In the first place, she was flirty and brought up her whole schedule for the week.  Then she said, “On this day I’m off and have no plans other than to have no pants on.”  Something like that.  Now, why would she say something like that to me, if not to get a rise out of me...? Then I gagued it a little further when we made the plan.  She brought up that Free Pizza is best pizza and I told her, “No way. I’ll happily pay my share,”  then she explained to me that she has so many points that it’ll be a completely free pizza.  So instead I offered to supply the drinks and asked what she likes. “Rum and Coke is my poison of choice,”  o.o. “Rum and Coke it is!!”

So we’re drinkin’ now...

I’m trying not to get my hopes up.  I’m trying not to make it weird. But knowing that this girl didn’t want to make me uncomfortable, but she's been lonely since her divorce and wants to hang out, but doesn’t want anything romantic...  and knowing that she’s the type of person to screw without attachment...  and then she’s telling me that she wants to drink, now...

I mean, how can I not get a little excited!?  Also, we’re playing Fallout Vegas, so that’ll probably be very fun. Right now my plan is to expect nothing, but be prepared for it to get weird.  The Ex will inevitably be brought up, along with any venting that goes along with it.

I don’t expect to win her over that way, and I’m not exactly trying to do that anyway.  But who knows how she gets?  Maybe she’s just casual as fuck and she’ll want to cuddle??  For comfort??  I have no idea.

But as a Single Dude, I am fucking Game.  This is my new Revolution, man.  I don’t care.  Between the randomness of this hang out, Bakery Girl practically interviewing me about the Ex - asking if I’m over her and then giving me her number, and the Social Distancer being interested in dinner, I’m feeling Really Confident right now.  Not to mention that the Significant Couple is chill as fuck and I always like talking to them.

Things are interesting now...  Things are definitely different.  My New Normal isn’t here yet.  But I’m adjusting all the same.

[fierypotatogay]

Answer all the odds about any OC that you want!

So I couldn’t choose and that means you’re getting answers for two of them: Murphy, my Courier in Fallout New Vegas, and Ryan Becker, my Sidestep in Fallen Hero: Rebirth

Murphy

1. Would they choose the beach on a warm sunny day or a starry forest night?A starry forest at night. A forest on a warm sunny day is even more her brand, but ultimately the location is more important than the time of day of the two options and she’s spent most of her life inland.

3. They meet up with their best friends after a long time without seeing them, what are they gonna do?Okay, so Murphy lives with her best friends (all of the companions), so assuming she had a good time while she was away from them, upon returning home she will go in for group hugs, recount her adventures, shower them with gifts, and probably pass out on them after a few hours. If Murphy had a bad time, she’ll just…explain the bare minimum, get her wounds tended to, and then isolate herself.

5. What is their go to comfort food? Sunset Sarsaparilla and Brahmin steak. Not only is it tasty and easy to make, but it reminds her of family dinners on her folks’ farm.

7. What is a phrase they use often? “How can I help?” She’s always up in everyone’s business trying to make life in the Wastes easier. 

9. They are hosting a get together at their place, who do they invite and what do they have planned for the night? As I mentioned above, Murphy’s best friends all basically live with her, but sometimes she’ll plan outings to the casinos on the strip or meals where they all gather together to eat and drink and recount tall tales of past adventures. 

11. If they had a picture frame with slots for 3 pictures, who/what would be in the picture frames? Definitely a group photo with all of the companions, a family portrait her and her parents, and a photo of her childhood-best-friend-turned-first-love. She likes to keep her families close to her.

15. What is an outfit they feel most confident in? Murphy is most confident when she is impervious to most forms of physical attack Seriously though, for dangerous situations Murphy prefers the Riot Gear/Ranger Armor both for the look and the function, but doesn’t always want to be in armor. When it comes to casual settings she feels best in a brown Ranger hat, soft plaid shirt over a white undershirt, jeans, and a pair of well worn cowboy boots. She always wears her turquoise beaded hair tie.

Ryan Becker

1. Would they choose the beach on a warm sunny day or a starry forest night?A beach on a warm sunny day. The beach on a starry night fits better, but (like with Murphy) the location is ultimately more important than the time of day, and there’s something about the ocean that draws Ryan to it even (or perhaps especially) though it’s toxic.

3. They meet up with their best friends after a long time without seeing them, what are they gonna do?Flee So this basically happens in canon and Ryan’s reaction is to a. remember how to feel emotions, b. have her crush on said friend reignite with a vengeance, and c. throw caution to the wind in order to keep in contact. Though, to be honest, the only reason Ryan didn’t flee is because Julia saw her first.

5. What is their go to comfort food? Does coffee count? She does need it to live. Other than that, Ryan’s always enjoyed really decked out baked potatoes when she’s feeling bad.

7. What is a phrase they use often?“Shitsticks” is her go-to swear word, and probably the thing she says with the most frequency. 

9. They are hosting a get together at their place, who do they invite and what do they have planned for the night? Bold of you to assume anyone is allowed in Ryan’s apartment To be honest, Ryan’s not in a place right now where she feels comfortable letting anyone know where she lives, let alone letting anyone into her apartment. I would say that in the past (during her vigilante days) she would occasionally have Julia and/or Anathema over to her place if she wanted help trying out new magic tricks or if they invited themselves over to make sure she was eating properly.

11. If they had a picture frame with slots for 3 pictures, who/what would be in the picture frames? I don’t think Ryan has any personal photos in her apartment, for…a number of reasons, but if she could have any three pictures (without having to worry about someone seeing them or how she could’ve acquired them) they would be a photo of Julia taken when she wasn’t expecting it (and therefore wasn’t putting on her Charge Publicity Persona), a selfie of herself and Anathema she’d been bullied talked into taking, and a photo of Doctor Mortum and Eden (Ryan’s puppet) from their gala date.

15. What is an outfit they feel most confident in? Ryan is most confident when she is impervious to most forms of physical attack Okay more seriously, I’d say it varies based on the type of confidence we’re talking about. Ryan feels confident, in control, and powerful in her villain armor. Alternatively she feels confident, relaxed, and emotionally safe in her puppet any outfit Eden wears. Additionally she feels confident, on her way towards recovery, and almost okay with her own physical body when she’s in a snazzy blazer, turtleneck, and slacks combo (with her penny necklace/bracelet hidden underneath).

[my-one-love-is-music]

The Proposal Proposition

Summary: Tim knew getting involved with a scheme that required him to be in any form of pretend romantic relationship with Jason Todd was a terrible idea. He'd had a crush on him since they'd met during his first year of college and now they were going to get married to win more financial aid. Tim was an idiot for doing this and he knew the fallout would kill him when it came but he was finding it hard to care when it meant he got to have Jason pressed against his side as they walked across campus and matching rings decorating their fingers.

A/N: My prompt fill for day four of jaytimweek: vegas wedding/college. I had a lot of fun smashing these prompts together and have wanted to write a fic with this premise for a long time so I'm happy to finally share it with all of you!

Also on AO3!

Jason: Okay, so I know this may seem kind of weird and I know you don’t exactly need the money, but have you ever considered those schemes where people get married to get extra help with their financial aid?

Tim stared at his phone, eyes wide and trying to make sense of the text that he’d woken up to. The text that was timestamped at 3:45 that morning.

He didn’t even bother typing out a response and called Jason instead. He didn’t know if he would be up, but he didn’t have a class, so any loss of sleep was his own fault because you didn’t just text people talking about getting married for financial aid and in the middle of the night no less.

He tapped his finger against the back of his phone as he walked across campus, mug of coffee held tightly in his hand. The air had a bit of a chill to it. The cooler fall weather would be coming soon. He’d need to remember to unbox his countless hoodies that he’d managed to collect over the years to keep warm on his way to class.

“Hello?” Jason finally answered, sounding groggy. “Is this…? Tim? Why are you calling so early?”

“Maybe because you decided to text me in the middle of the night asking about people who get married to get additional financial aid benefits for college,” he answered, taking a sip of his coffee. “And I have one question in response to that: what the fuck?”

“Oh that,” Jason said, sounding more awake and Tim could almost imagine him flopping onto his back in bed, one hand resting on his stomach as he stared at the ceiling with his phone pressed against his ear. “Yeah, I found out that you can get added financial aid if you’re married and I know you don’t really need it, but I’ve kind of been struggling with finances and figured that the less debt I have to pay, the better.”

Tim froze, coffee halfway to his mouth. “Jason,” he asked slowly, “are you asking me to marry you for financial aid?”

“Kind of?” he said. “I mean, I guess, yeah. There’s no one else I can really ask, and I know it’s kind of stupid, but I thought…I mean if you don’t want to that’s fine…”

“Okay here’s what we’re going to do,” Tim said, fighting down the butterflies in his stomach. “I’m going to go to class and you’re going to go to class. And then tonight when we’re both done with class, we’re going to order a pizza and sit in your dorm room and talk about this because I’m still really confused.”

“Oh, sure,” he agreed. “We can do that. You want pepperoni and mushroom?”

“Duh,” Tim said with a grin as he rolled his eyes. “And don’t forget the breadsticks.”

“What kind of monster do you take me for?” he scoffed. “We can’t order pizza and not get breadsticks.”

“Is five good?”

“Not today. I have to meet with my advisor after my afternoon class. Make it six?”

“Sure, works for me,” Tim said, finally getting his feet to move again.

“Cool. See you later.”

“Later,” Tim said, ending the call. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and adjusted the straps of his backpack on his shoulders. Today was going to prove to be an interesting day and he knew that his curiosity over what Jason was proposing was going to make his classes nearly insufferable to sit through.

~~

“So, what you’re saying is that you want me and you to get married so that you can get more financial aid benefits for college?” Tim asked around a mouthful of pizza.

“Yeah, basically,” Jason said, finally getting over his initial embarrassment at having to explain the whole situation.

Tim nodded and continued to chew. He was a little amazed at how much work Jason had put into the whole idea and the research that had gone into it. It also explained why he’d gotten the text in the middle of the night and not a more reasonable hour.

The idea wasn’t terrible, and they could get a divorce once college was taken care of. They’d been friends for years so getting along wouldn’t be a problem, even if Jason kind of deplored Tim’s living habits when he didn’t clean for a few weeks.

The only hiccup that could happen would be Tim’s problem. Which could prove to be difficult if he was in close proximity to Jason for a long time.

“You do realize we’re going to have to live together to make this work, right?” Tim asked, trying to make Jason reject the idea instead of him since he liked the thought of them being married a little too much.

Jason shrugged, and Tim squinted when he thought his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Yeah, I thought about that. But I don’t have a roommate right now, so you could always move into my dorm with me. I’m sure it won’t be too difficult to work around with housing, especially when we show them our marriage certificate and all that,” he explained, reaching over to swipe a breadstick from the box.

Tim nodded. “Our friends are going to lose their shit.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, I assumed as much.”

“The media probably will, too. Are you prepared to deal with what comes with being with a Drake?”

Jason shrugged. “I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t deal with.”

Tim nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Jason asked. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “You’ll do it?”

He nodded again, trying to push down the sour feeling that none of this would mean anything to Jason, but it would mean the world to him. “Why not? It’ll help you and I’ll get some benefits, too. And I think it could be fun. We just have to figure out who’s doing holidays.”

“We’ll probably have to do Christmas with your parents since they throw that big party every year,” Jason said, finally sitting back to munch on his breadstick.

“Yeah,” Tim sighed, rolling his eyes. “Plus, all of the socialites are going to want to see my new husband.”

“Am I allowed to scandalize them?” Jason asked with a grin.

Tim grinned. “Stumble out of the coat closet with our clothes rumpled to make them think we were doing things?” he asked.

“That’s not a bad idea,” he mused. “I was thinking more of sticking my tongue down you throat under the mistletoe.”

“That would give them the chance to take more pictures, but the closet would really get them talking. So, if you want to be the hot topic of all the gossip circles, that’s how it’s going to be done.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jason said, snagging another breadstick. “And for Thanksgiving we can chill here and watch ridiculous movies while we eat takeout in our pajamas.”

Tim groaned. “That sounds so much better than the four-course meal my family usually sets up for the holiday. I have to wear a suit. There’s three of us and I’m expected to wear a suit. It’s ridiculous.”

Jason made a face. “Ew. I’m surprised your parents don’t host a whole charity gala since it’s the perfect time to be thankful and help others be thankful too or some shit.”

“That’s Bruce Wayne’s thing,” Tim said, waving his hand. “And my mother and father don’t want to seem like they’re copying or trying to compete with him. Even though everyone who’s rich is actually competing with each other to hold the best parties and have the best houses and belongings, there’s this unspoken rule that it can’t look like they’re competing. Although we might win Christmas this year thanks to you.”

“We could probably win Thanksgiving too if the media scandal doesn’t die down enough.”

“Speaking of,” Tim said, straightening. “When are we doing this?”

Jason hummed and twisted around, grabbing his planner from his bed. He flipped open to the current month. “We’ve got fall break coming up. We could fly out then and make this happen if you’re good with that.”

“That’s just a couple weeks away, right?” Tim asked, pulling his laptop from his backpack.

“Yeah,” Jason said with a nod.

“Let me pull up flights to Vegas to see what we can do…”

Jason chewed on another slice of pizza while Tim skimmed the flight times and prices to get out there.

“Hey Jay?” Tim asked, looking up with a smirk pulling at his lips.

Jason raised an eyebrow in silent question.

“How do you feel about flying first class?”

Jason grinned. “I think it’s only appropriate for a pair of newlyweds.”

“And the honeymoon suite?” he asked, pulling out the credit cards his parents had given him to keep him occupied and out of their hair.

“Could we really stay in anything less?” Jason scoffed.

Tim snickered. “We can fly out there on a Tuesday morning and fly back on Saturday so we have time to settle in. We’ll have to start working out the legal stuff as soon as we’re back though.”

“Sounds like a great vacation,” Jason agreed. “Do we have to make reservations at Vegas chapels?” He opened the lid of his laptop and started on a quick search of Vegas wedding chapels. He grinned when he clicked on the first service that popped up. “Hey Tim, how do you feel about getting married in a Gazebo at sunset?”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “Fancy.”

“We can get the cheapest package since we’re not going to have any guests. What are we going to wear?”

“Tuxes, duh,” Tim mumbled, reading over something on his computer. “We have to make it look good.”

“Oh my god,” Jason breathed, feeling glee fill him.

“What?” Tim asked.

“You can live stream other people’s weddings,” Jason said, mirth shining in his eyes.

Tim frowned and set his laptop to the side, crawling over to him so he could look at his screen. “You mean you can just watch a complete stranger get married?”

“Yes,” Jason said, laughing. “We should totally do this! The media would go crazy!”

Tim grinned. “I can tweet out the video link before our wedding.”

“We even get roundtrip limo service to the venue from our hotel through this package,” Jason continued.

“What do they have open?”

Jason hummed and clicked on the dates for when they’d be in. We could do that Wednesday at 8?” he asked, looking at Tim who nodded.

“Sounds good. Let me get my wallet and we can reserve it.” Tim grabbed his wallet from where he’d been sitting and leaned against the bed next to Jason, their thighs pressing together as Tim took Jason’s laptop and continued to the booking page.

He typed in his personal information and paused when it asked for a phone number. “Do you want this under your name or mine?”

“Do you know anything about wedding decorations?” Jason asked.

“No. Do you?”

“Nope,” Jason said, crossing his arms. “But you do have more experience with fancy parties and shit.”

“Okay,” Tim sighed and shrugged, putting in his phone number. He waited as the screen refreshed and their package page was brought up. “Do you want to change any of these details or are you fine with the default?” Tim asked, scrolling down the page.

“How do you feel about red roses?” Jason murmured.

Tim shrugged, changing the color scheme and the rose petal choice to red. “Works for me. Anything else? We aren’t exactly going to have any guests unless a sudden influx of reporters show up.”

“What about a cake or reception?” Jason asked. “We can’t not have wedding cake. You only get married so many times.”

Tim chuckled. “We can order champagne and dessert from the hotel. I’m sure they’ll have lots of options that are ten times better than whatever grocery store cake these people buy.”

“Fair enough,” Jason agreed.

“We don’t need their tuxedo rental either,” Tim said. “I have my own and I know a place here in Gotham we can get you fitted at.” He clicked through the rest of the options, confirming the details before he was brought to a payment page. He selected to pay in full and pulled his credit card out of his wallet, filling in his information.

The mouse hovered over the ‘Pay’ button and he looked up at Jason.

“Last chance to back out,” he said.

“Do it,” Jason agreed.

Tim hit the button and the screen changed, wedding bells and confetti floating down over the screen as a large ‘Congratulations!’ flashed.

“You are the one who’s going to carry the bouquet, right?” Jason asked.

Tim rolled his eyes and shoved at Jason’s shoulder as he laughed. “I’m so going to be the one who proposes the divorce,” Tim muttered.

“Damn, we haven’t even gotten married yet and you’re already planning on pulling the plug.”

“I would say I’m marrying you for your money, but you don’t have any,” Tim said, sticking his tongue out at Jason.

“Why you little…” he grabbed Tim around the waist as Tim screeched, kicking out his legs to try and get away from the merciless dig of Jason’s fingers into his sides.

He dissolved into giggles, bucking and squirming in Jason’s arms during the relentless attack.

“Jason noooo,” he cried around gasps for air. “Let me go!”

“Haven’t you realized it yet, Tim?” Jason said, voice low and dangerous in his ear. “We’re about to be married. You can’t get rid of me that easily anymore.”

Tim hoped his shiver was hidden while he continued to try and extricate himself from Jason’s grasp. He didn’t need the lick of heat in his stomach to get the better of him and make him do something stupid.

But he was already doing something stupid. Because he’d agreed to marry his best friend for financial aid when he was already practically in love with him.

~~

School helped to keep Tim’s mind off the countdown to the wedding. What sent him spiraling back into horrified acceptance as he tried to deal with his little problem was the phone calls from the wedding chapel.

“Hello?” he asked, picking up his phone that was vibrating for attention in his pocket.

“Hello is this Tim Drake?” a woman asked.

“Yes,” he hedged.

“Hi Tim, this is Debbie with Chapel of the Flowers. I’m going to be your complimentary wedding planner as we approach you and your fiancé’s big day,” she explained brightly.

Tim’s steps faltered. “I thought that everything was already taken care of through the booking on the website.”

“Oh most of it is,” she reassured. “But in case you want to change any arrangements we can take care of that over the phone. And we’ll also confirm your hotel details to make sure the limousine picks you up at the correct place and time. Now, I noticed that you didn’t include a wedding cake or reception in your service. Is that correct? Because I can assure you the cakes we supply are absolutely to die for.”

Tim smiled wryly at the statement. “We’ll keep that in mind, but at this point we weren’t planning on a reception. This…ceremony,” he said carefully, “is more of a private matter between my fiancé and I. We don’t have any other guests who will be attending the wedding.”

“I see,” Debbie said, sounding unhappy. “Well, if you do change your mind, we have a staff that can come and act as guests for your wedding if you do decide you would like other people present.”

Tim practically gaped, trying to find something to say. “Um, thanks,” he said slowly. “I’ll let you know if that’s an offer we’d like to take you up on.”

“Of course the pricing for that arrangement is dependent on how many guests you would like, but we can work out the details of that later.”

Tim nodded even though he couldn’t see her and rubbed his finger against his temple, wondering what the hell he’d gotten involved in. “Well, if that’s all…” he hedged.

“Right, of course!” she said. “I will mark down that you would like everything as you’ve already specified. I’ll give you another call when we get closer to the date of the wedding and if there’s anything you’d like changed before then or if you’re anxious about the big day you’re more than welcome to call me back at this number.”

“What do you mean anxious?” Tim couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Oh you know, we have some couples who’ve had anxiety with something that’s such a big commitment and they might have a little bit of doubt after making the deposit. Small cases of cold feet and things like that. I help counsel couples through it.”

“Okay, well if I need to talk to you about any of that I will certainly let you know,” Tim said, starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

“Certainly! Have a good day, Tim!”

“You too,” he mumbled before hanging up the phone. He shook his head and shoved it into his pocket, hurrying up the steps to the dining hall where he was meeting Jason for dinner.

He swiped his student ID as he walked in and slipped around the corner to get to the back corner of the dining hall. The table he usually occupied with Jason was empty. He dropped off his bag and made for one of the food stations, grabbing a burger and fries for dinner.

Tim sat sideways in the chair closest to the wall so he could lean against it and prop his foot up on the chair next to him. He swiped a fry through his ketchup and looked up to find Jason stomping over towards him, fists clenched at his sides and scowl gracing his face like he was on the verge of murdering someone.

“You okay?” Tim asked.

Jason dropped his backpack in the free chair across from him and held up a finger. “I need food first. Maybe dessert before anything else.”

“Grab me a brownie if you’re going over there,” Tim called as he spun around and made his way to the meal lines.

Tim managed to finish his burger and was almost done with his fries before Jason made it back with his own bowl of stir-fry and a generous plate of desserts in tow. He set the plate in the middle of the table and angrily scooped up a bite of stir-fry with a spoon, shoving it into his mouth.

“What happened?” Tim finally asked.

Jason glanced up at him and sagged against his chair. “My fucking science professor has a paper due next week and we were supposed to get the assignment for it two weeks ago and he expects all of us to write this eight-page paper with graphs and an appendix by Monday even though he just gave us the assignment. And that doesn’t even count the fact that he hasn’t returned our last papers so none of us have any idea if we’re on the right track with what he wants as far as writing style goes.”

He huffed and stirred the food in his bowl. “I wouldn’t even be in this class if it wasn’t required. I don’t know anything about science,” he mumbled, finally losing steam.

Tim frowned. “So, he’s making this paper, that he just gave you, due right before Fall break?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Shit.”

“I know.”

“Good luck.”

Jason smiled ruefully. “I’m going to die.”

“I’ll mourn you.”

“You’re going to be a widow.”

Tim smirked and swiped a brownie from the plate. “Can’t be a widow if we’re not even married yet.”

“Hopefully the police won’t come after you.”

“If they do, I’ll just tell them what happened: you had a heart attack from the stress of having to write a paper.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “So, you already know how I’m going to die? That’s not suspicious at all.”

Tim grinned, his teeth glinting dangerously underneath the dining hall lights despite the flecks of brownie stuck between his teeth. “I know how to make things look like an accident.”

“You’re evil.”

Tim shrugged. “Maybe a little bit. But I can’t be that evil if I agreed to marry you for a scam to get more federal loan money.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Jason said, some of his good cheer returning. “It’s not a scam. We’re actually getting married. We’re not lying about anything.”

“Except our undying love for each other,” he muttered, even though it wasn’t exactly a lie for him.

Jason waved his hand. “That’s what marriages of convenience are all about. By the time senior year rolls around, the stress will have become too much for us and made our marriage fall apart.”

“Now who’s being suspicious and planning things ahead of time?” Tim asked.

Jason scoffed. “You love it.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He swiped another brownie from the plate just to make a point.

~~

Tim carefully cradled one of the two coffee cups in his elbow to free his other hand to knock on the door. He heard a muffled groan come from inside before something creaked. A shout sounded and a loud thump.

Tim stared at the door when the lock and handle started to rattle. It was pulled open to reveal an exhausted and messy Jason in the doorway. He fought to keep his gaze off how Jason’s hair stuck up in four different directions, wondering how it would feel to run his fingers through it and comb it back into place.

“Oh my god, is that coffee?” he asked, staring at the drinks in Tim’s arms. “I fucking love you if one of those is mine.”

“One of them is,” Tim said, holding out the right cup. “I didn’t buy two coffees for myself.”

“You have before,” Jason mumbled against the lid as he proceeded to chug half the cup. He stepped to the side and let Tim inside. He walked over to the beanbag in the corner of the room and sat down while Jason closed the door behind him.

The coffee table was covered with books and papers, Jason’s laptop sitting open in the middle of it all. Jason sat down in front of it, legs splaying out over the carpet.

“What was that thump earlier?” Tim finally asked when Jason was slowing his coffee intake.

Jason coughed and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, cheeks turning pink. “I um…I tripped and fell.”

Tim stared at him for a minute before he broke out into hysterical giggles, hand clutching his side as he fought to keep from spilling his coffee.

“Oh my god,” he gasped when they finally started to subside. “How tired are you that you tripped in the middle of your own dorm room?”

“I’m exhausted okay?” Jason snapped, setting his cup down on the coffee table. “I’ve been working on this paper all weekend and haven’t even touched the reading I have to do for my three literature classes.”

“How much do you have left?” Tim asked, taking a sip from his cup.

“I just told you I hadn’t started on it! It’s 600 pages of-“

“Not the literature reading,” Tim said with a roll of his eyes. “How much of the paper do you have left.”

“Oh,” Jason said. He grinned, and it looked as manic as he was probably feeling after foregoing sleep and busting his ass to write a paper over the weekend. “I just have the conclusion left to write and then I need to slap together a works cited page.”

“Then don’t let me stop you,” Tim said, waving his hand. “Get it done.”

Jason looked at his computer and grimaced. “I think I’ll finish my coffee first.”

“Yeah, but the sooner you get done, the sooner you can nap,” Tim pointed out.

“This thing isn’t going to get edited.”

Tim snorted. “Do college papers ever?”

He grinned. “Nope.”

Tim kicked off his shoes as Jason bent over his computer and started typing. It wasn’t long before the last paragraph was done and he was flipping through the articles he’d borrowed from the library to take down his source information.

“There,” Jason said, clicking something on his computer before he sat back. “I’m finally done.”

“Time for a nap?” Tim asked.

“I think I might be too wired from sleep deprivation and caffeine to sleep. Movie?”

He shrugged. “Sure. I don’t have anywhere else I need to be.”

Jason pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his computer. He climbed onto his bed, pushing all the pillows against his headboard as he pulled up Netflix on his computer. Tim didn’t hesitate, climbing into bed next to him and fluffing the pillow behind his head as Jason rested the computer on both of their thighs.

Tim sighed, relaxing into the unforgiving university-distributed mattress as best he could as they settled in for what was probably going to be a t.v. show binge or mini movie marathon as Jason fought to forget the horrors of the past few days.

~~

Jason pushed through the door to Tim’s dorm room, stomping angrily across the floor. Tim raised an eyebrow where he was seated on his bed, shoving a handful of cheeseballs into his mouth while sitting around in one of Jason’s hoodies that he’d stolen and his boxer briefs.

“What’s up?” he asked, setting his business ethics textbook to the side.

“So you know how my professor assigned that stupid paper that he made be due today and I busted my ass all weekend to get done?”

Tim felt his stomach sink. “Oh no.”

“Oh no is fucking right,” Jason snarled, staring down at the floor. “He decided to postpone the deadline until after fall break so now I’ve got this monster paper done and haven’t done any of my literature reading for my classes today or tomorrow.”

“On the bright side…at least it’s done?” Tim offered, knowing nothing he could say would be enough to cool the fury that was consuming Jason. And which had every right to consume him when it was caused by shitty professors and a stupid educational system.

Jason deflated and walked over to his bed, leaning against the edge next to him. “Yeah,” he sighed. “You’re right, but it’s still so frustrating.”

“Cheeseball for your sorrows?” Tim asked, holding out the bag.

Jason gave him a soft smile and reached into the back, pulling out a handful.

“And on the other bright side,” Tim continued. “Tomorrow night you get to leave on an awesome fall break vacation with me that’s going to let us fool the student loan system so we can get more money.”

Jason laughed as he chewed on his snack. “Yeah, you’re right. And at least I don’t have to worry about interrupting our vacation with stupid homework troubles.”

Tim’s stomach twisted at the word ‘our.’ “See?” he asked, trying for a smile that didn’t feel like it was concealing his rolling emotions. “Now you’re thinking!”

“What are you doing anyway?” Jason asked, finally changing the topic.

“Some class reading for business ethics for tomorrow,” he said with a shrug. “It’ll be my last class of the day and I know it’s going to drag, especially with the topic.”

“Which is?”

Tim smiled, knowing it was as ugly as it felt. “Ethical management systems of course.”

Jason made a fake gagging noise and Tim nodded, completely in agreement.

~~

Tim took a shaky breath and held up his phone, his camera open.

“You ready to do this?” he asked, glancing around at the few people in the seats around them at their departure gate.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Jason said, scooting closer despite the armrest separating them. He threw an arm around Tim’s shoulders and pulled him against his side.

“Smile,” Tim said, holding up the camera. He tilted his head towards Jason and snapped a picture of them leaning close, obviously in the middle of the airport.

“Is that going on Instagram or Twitter?” Jason asked as Tim lowered the phone to inspect the picture.

“Both,” he answered, opening Instagram first. “Might as well cover all the bases.”

He typed out a quick caption. “At the airport with the fiancé! Can’t believe we’re finally headed to Vegas to tie the knot. Been waiting for this for so long.”

He swallowed and added a bunch of heart eye emojis.

“Seems kind of cheesy,” Jason commented over his shoulder.

“Then it’s perfect for you,” he shot back.

“Hey…” Jason said, pulling Tim against his side.

Tim chuckled and switched to Twitter, posting the same photo and message. It had barely been posted before his notifications started to climb.

“What the hell?” Jason asked, looking at the bottom of his screen.

Tim bit his lip, thumb hovering uncertainly over the icon before he opened them. A string of likes and frantic comments appeared. There was a mixture of incredible excitement and shock. More than one person was desperate to know if it was true or not.

“You’re going to have so much damage control to run,” Jason muttered.

Tim smirked, trying to feign more confidence than he actually felt. “Don’t speak too soon. You’re going to have to deal with as much of this as I do. Be glad I didn’t tag your accounts or your stuff would be blowing up. Although they’re probably going to track you down anyway.”

“You can’t be serious?” Jason asked. “That’s kind of creepy.”

Tim shrugged. “Check your phone.”

“I swear to god, I’ll never forgive you if you basically ruin my social media experience.”

Tim laughed. “What experience?” he asked. “You barely post and even when you do it’s pictures on Instagram. You hardly use Twitter.”

“Shut it,” Jason grumbled. He sighed after checking both of his accounts. “Okay, I’m safe for now,” he said, sagging back in relief against his chair.”

“Now boarding for flight 2335 for Las Vegas, Nevada.”

“Well, that’s us,” Tim said, standing up. “Time to get hitched.”

“Don’t sound like you’re dreading it,” Jason said, pulling him over to the gate.

“Are you kidding?” Tim scoffed. “Being married to you is probably going to be a nightmare,” he said, the statement going soft because of the grin pulling at his lips.

Jason laughed and pulled out their tickets, both of them completely unaware of the pictures some of the other travelers were sneaking of them as they passed.

~~

The heat of Las Vegas smothered them when they stepped through the door to the line of taxis waiting outside the airport. The air was cleaner than what they were subjected to in Gotham, but the humidity pressed down on Tim’s chest.

“Are we sure an outdoor wedding was a good idea?” Tim asked as Jason helped the driver load their suitcases into the trunk of the taxi.

“We’ll make do,” Jason said. “If anything, it’ll prove to be a very interesting ceremony.”

“Ah, you two are getting married, how splendid!” the driver interrupted with a grin. “I’ve had many, many couples ride in my car and all of them have stayed together many years! My taxi is very good luck.”

Tim and Jason shared a skeptical look as they climbed into the back of the car, both knowing there was no way he could know the people who’d come here to get married were still together.

“Now, where am I taking the beautiful couple?” he asked, looking in the rearview mirror.

Tim rattled off the name of their hotel, glad it was immediately recognized. He squinted against the bright sunlight when they pulled out from underneath the overhang. He took a deep breath, his heart gaining speed in his chest now that the wedding was on the horizon.

He hoped he wasn’t about to destroy his life with a colossal mistake.

~~

Tim fell back heavily on the mattress of the resplendent bed of the honeymoon suite. The air conditioning was a sweet relief from the few seconds of oppressive heat they had to walk through to get through the sliding doors of the hotel. He could feel the beads of sweat pressing into his back, making a face at the ceiling.

“So,” Jason said, falling onto the covers next to him. “What are we going to do until tomorrow?”

“Hell if I know,” Tim said, rolling his head to the side to look at Jason.

Jason grinned. “Think we can fuck with the concierge?”

“Isn’t there a pool here too?”

Jason nodded. “Think so. Did you bring swim trunks?”

“Nope,” Tim said. “Shopping?”

“Meh,” Jason said.

“Yeah,” Tim agreed.

~~

Tim tugged at Jason’s tie, securing it around his neck as he shifted in front of him. “Stay still,” he admonished.

He let out a long-suffering sigh. “I feel like I’m being suffocated.”

“Well get used to it,” Tim said. “You’re going to have to wear ties at least every other month from now on.”

“Only if you promise to take them off for me,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Tim rolled his eyes. “Keep that up and you’re sleeping on the couch over there.”

“Not even married yet and you’re kicking me out of our bed.”

Tim felt himself flush and didn’t say anything. “Let’s just…get going,” he muttered. “The limo is going to be waiting downstairs for us and we don’t want to be late for our own ceremony.”

Jason chuckled and slipped the hotel key into his pocket. Tim stalked past him, valiantly trying to keep his mind off what was coming. And that his first kiss with Jason was going to happen because they were getting married for financial aid and not because Jason harbored any sort of feelings for him.

“Hey, you need to tweet out the link to the livestream, right?” Jason asked as they stepped into the elevator.

“Oh shit, yeah,” Tim said. He pulled out his phone and pulled up the wedding chapel website on his phone, scrolling through the weddings from that day until he got to his own. He copied the link and opened Twitter, typing out a quick message for all his followers before hitting send.

He let out a shaky breath before he shoved the phone into his pocket, knowing he’d have a million notifications before the ceremony even started.

They stepped out of the elevator when it reached the first floor and strode through the lobby. A white limo was waiting in front of the steps of the hotel. A man in a suit holding a sign with Tim’s last name on it smiled at them.

“Welcome,” he said, pulling open the rear door. “Are you excited for the big day?”

“You have no idea,” Jason said genially, placing a hand on Tim’s lower back to guide him into the backseat.

“There is champagne and snacks in the fridge and you’re welcome to help yourself, although I would recommend waiting until after the ceremony in case your nerves get the best of you,” he said with a lowly chuckle.

The statement left Tim knowing that he’d probably witnessed more than one couple spew chunks before or during the ceremony.

Tim took a shaky breath as the driver climbed into the front seat and pulled away from the curb. Jason’s hand found his on the seat and gave it a squeeze. He looked over at him and Jason offered a small smile that Tim returned.

“We can still back out if you want to,” he whispered.

Tim shook his head. “No, we…we already agreed to do this, and I wouldn’t want you missing the chance to get more financial aid. Besides, it’ll be fun. An adventure of sorts.”

Jason chuckled and squeezed his hand again. As they drove through the streets, Tim belatedly realized that Jason didn’t pull his hand away.

~~

Tim was valiantly trying to keep his breathing under control and stave off a panic attack as the officiant made it to the vows. Jason was holding his hands in a death grip as they stood under the wooden canopy of the gazebo. White string lights wrapped around the rafters and the sky was pink and purple above their heads because of the sunset.

He hoped the camera that was carefully sweeping around them to capture the video from all the right angles wasn’t picking up on his inner turmoil because he didn’t need hundreds if not thousands of people picking up on his panic and questioning what he was doing getting married to Jason if his heart wasn’t really in it.

Jason met his eyes, gaze soft and supportive and Tim knew if they were anywhere else, he would’ve been asking Tim if he rally wanted to go through with this. Tim gave him a small nod, hoping the reassurance would be enough to counter the panic in his own eyes.

Jason squeezed his hands tighter as he began to repeat the words the officiant said to him. He released one of Tim’s hands to reach for the silver band resting on a velvet pillow on the pedestal beside them.

Tim swallowed, straining to hear over the blood rushing through his ears and discern the words being said aloud.

The kiss of metal that slid over his finger was shocking and Tim looked down, hoping it didn’t look as jerky as it felt. He wiggled his finger, catching the movement of the light from the string lights as it wiggled and waved over the curved top of the band.

“Tim?” the officiant prompted.

Tim swallowed and nodded, slowly repeating the words that Jason had just said. He picked up the other ring, holding it tightly between his shaky fingers. Jason’s hand was warm under his touch and he slid the band on his ring finger, leaving it to settle into its new home.

As soon as his hand fell away, Jason gripped his hand, linking their fingers together.

The officiant smiled at them both, closing the book in front of him.

“I now pronounce you, husband and husband. You may kiss the bridegroom.”

Tim tried to smile but knew it was shaky. Jason lifted his hand and cupped Tim’s cheek, stroking the soft skin with his thumb. He stepped forward and ducked his head, pausing long enough that Tim’s thoughts started to run in a panic. This was his first kiss with Jason and it was because they were getting married, not because they were actually in love.

It made his heart ache.

The ache didn’t last long when Jason’s lips pressed against his. His eyes slid shut, but they broke apart quickly, Tim mourning the loss of contact. Their first kiss was their wedding kiss. Their first kiss was their wedding kiss that had just been livestreamed over the internet to an unbelievable number of people.

“Congratulations Tim and Jason. I wish you the best in your marriage.”

Tim smiled. “Thank you.”

Jason squeezed his hand and the man held out his hand, directing them back into the main building. Tim was glad to see the camera had been lowered and they were given their privacy once again.

“We can take a few wedding photos inside now that the ceremony is complete,” he continued, walking behind them.

“Sounds great,” Jason said, and Tim wondered if he was imagining the tightness in his voice.

Tim swallowed then the photographer arranged them in front of a tasteful backdrop, directing Jason to keep an arm around Tim’s waist which he apparently had no trouble doing. They were arranged in five different poses, subjected to the click of the camera as they smiled, trying to seem as relaxed as possible.

“Now kiss for me,” he said with a grin.

They both froze.

“Just one little kiss,” he prodded.

Jason was the first to move. He turned to face Tim, placing a warm and comforting hand on his hip. He cupped Tim’s cheek with his other hand, giving the camera an open view of their profiles. Jason’s eyes searched Tim’s and Tim rested a hand on his chest.

Jason ducked his head and then they were kissing again. It was different from the first kiss and he knew in the back of his mind he’d have to get used to this if they were going to make everyone believe they were ridiculously in love.

Jason’s lips were soft, and the kiss lasted longer than the one during the ceremony, the shutter clicking several times as the photographer took their pictures.

Jason pulled away and it took a minute for Tim’s eyes to flutter open. He met Jason’s sharp gaze watching him intently, searching his face for…something.

“That looked wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. If you’d like to head to the front of the building, your limo should be waiting to take you back to your hotel. I can have these developed tomorrow and delivered to your hotel before the day is over.”

“Thank you,” Jason managed since the words stuck in Tim’s throat. He was still watching the side of Jason’s head, trying to capture every moment and movement and feature of him.

He knew they’d be stuck together for three years at least. They had to get through the rest of college and he wasn’t sure how long they had to stay married after they graduated to make sure it stayed legit, but once that day came and they were no longer tied together, Tim was sure he wasn’t going to be the same.

He’d break, coming apart at the seams. He just hoped that Jason could stand to be around him and stay friends once it was done. Because torturing himself for three years was one thing, but torturing himself and then losing one of the few good people in his life would drive him insane.

“Tim, you okay?” Jason asked, meeting his gaze when Tim hadn’t made a move.

Tim forced a smile on his face, aware the photographer was still standing close by, listening to their conversation with intense interest.

“Of course,” he said, making his voice light and airy. “I was just wondering how I managed to snag the best man in the world for a husband.”

He saw the photographer grin out of the corner of his eye and Jason’s expression softened but he could still see the question lurking behind his eyes.

“Come on,” Jason said. “We should get back to the hotel and start celebrating.”

Tim grinned, his stomach tightening as he wished that he was actually going to get a true wedding celebration.

~~

“So,” Jason said as he clacked away on his computer while Tim sat next to him and fiddled with his phone since his Twitter notifications hadn’t slowed down at all. “I’ve already emailed housing to let them know what happened. Once they get back to me you’ll probably be moving in with me in the dorm. Unless they decide to make special arrangements. Now we just need to take care of the financial aid paperwork to get this finished.”

“Do you know what we need to fill out?” Tim asked absentmindedly as he scrolled through several tweets that featured screenshots of the wedding ceremony. Most of them included their kiss.

“Yeah, I’ve got all that pulled up. We just need to change our marital status and submit the forms for review to get more aid. It shouldn’t take too long and if they need proof, we can scan our marriage certificate and send them a copy when we get back on campus and can access a printer.”

Tim nodded. “Okay. You want to get your stuff done first and then I can do mine?” he asked.

“Sure,” Jason said, clicking and typing in the silence between them.

Tim glanced up at him and found all his attention on the computer where he was reclined on the bed of the honeymoon suite that was eagerly provided for them. Although knowing Vegas and this hotel, there were probably a hundred more just like it so everyone could experience their honeymoons at once.

He pursed his lips and looked back at his phone, clicking the link to one of Gotham’s online tabloids that was constantly posting stories about him. They had several screenshots of the wedding video and were making their own suspicions as to the purpose of the wedding, but no one had tried to get in touch with him for a comment and he was more than a little grateful.

He’d already been put through a major emotional step the night before and he wasn’t ready to play the part of the newly married husband yet. He’d get enough of that when they returned to school. The isolation that came with their hotel room was the biggest comfort he had.

Tim’s phone vibrated in his hand and he swallowed when his dad’s name flashed across the screen. He winced and slid his thumb across the screen.

“Hello?” he croaked.

“Timothy, we need to have a talk,” his father said, voice low and stern.

“Yeah, sure Dad. What’s up?”

The sounds of Jason’s typing stopped, and Tim glanced at him. His eyebrows were drawn down in concern and Tim grimaced, catching his thumbnail between his teeth to chew on it lightly. Jason sat up, setting the computer to the side so his focus was on Tim.

“I’m…concerned,” he started.

“Oh?” Tim asked, hoping he sounded innocent.

“Is there a reason that the tabloids are covered with pictures of you getting married and that I’ve gotten calls from more than one socialite asking why you haven’t introduced your now husband at any of the social functions you’ve attended in the past year?”

Tim swallowed. “He’s not exactly partial to social functions and we were aiming to keep things discreet,” he lied easily.

Tim wasn’t sure where his ability to lie was coming from. Maybe from the years of distance he already had with his father. He could say anything, and it would probably sound believable. Most of his antics were overlooked because his father failed to pry into his life, they never came because he needed to make up an excuse for what he was doing.

“And it never occurred to you, or him, to share the little bit of information that you were engaged? He never thought to ask for my blessing or I don’t know, meet me in person before you decided to fly off to Vegas to tie the knot?” his father asked, voice filled with disappointment and what Tim was sure was anger for the trouble their recent nuptials were sure to cause.

Tim winced, trying to pick his next words very carefully. Jason’s long fingers wrapped around his free hand, pulling it from his mouth so he wouldn’t do even more damage to his nails.

“Look, Dad. I’m sorry that this seems sort of backwards and confused. This wasn’t a spur of the moment decision as much as it seems to be. We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it and getting married in Vegas seemed like the best option,” Tim explained, his fingers wrapped tightly around Jason’s hand to try and ground him.

“And you didn’t think that I might want to be there for this? You only get married once if you’re lucky.”

Tim blinked. His relationship with his dad hadn’t always been the best one. There had been times when they’d gone days without talking simply because his dad hadn’t taken an interest in his life. It had never occurred to him that his dad might feel hurt over not being included on such an important day.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” he admitted, a potent sense of guilt weighing down his stomach. “I’ll introduce you as soon as we get back to Gotham. We can go out for dinner and you can sufficiently question and threaten Jason since you missed out on all those opportunities in the past.”

Jason huffed a snort and Tim glanced up at him, offering him a small smile.

There was a pause on the line. “I’d like that. When are you set to get back?”

“We’re flying back on Saturday. Does Sunday dinner work for you?”

“I’ll make the reservations,” he agreed.

Tim nodded even though he couldn’t see him. “Okay. See you then.”

“Bye, Tim.”

“Bye, Dad,” he said, ending the call. He sighed and dropped his hand to his lap.

“You okay?” Jason asked.

“Yeah,” Tim sighed. “Yeah,” he said again, voice stronger. “Dad wants to have dinner with us when we get back. Sunday dinner. He wants to meet with you since we kind of bypassed all of that.”

“Meeting my father-in-law already. We’re moving fast, aren’t we?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow. “We’ve been married less than a day.”

Tim huffed a laugh, feeling himself relax. Things were going to be fine. Jason was his friend and they were going to work through all of this together. Tim might struggle with his feelings and Jason was completely oblivious to it all, but they had each other.

“Moving’s going to be a bitch when we get back,” Tim mused.

Jason squeezed his hand where he was still holding it. “You’re the one who has to move, but I guess I can help you to make it more bearable.”

“People might question it if you didn’t. We wouldn’t want to seem distant in our relationship,” he drawled, rolling his eyes. “You done with that paperwork yet.”

“Oh,” Jason said, pulling his hand away to turn back to his computer. Tim missed the warmth of their hands together. “Almost,” he said, typing a few more things on the computer. “There. Now it’s your turn.”

Tim took the computer and set it in his lap, logging into his account. Jason waited patiently next to him as he went through the necessary forms, getting everything filled out.

“You haven’t heard back yet from housing, have you?” Tim asked as he skimmed over his information to recheck the necessary changes. He’d never get used to being listed as married. And certainly not being listed as married to Jason.

Jason leaned to the side and pulled out his phone, checking his email while Tim was using the computer.

“Nope,” he sighed. “I just emailed them a few hours ago so should hopefully be hearing back soon. It’s break so I would think they wouldn’t have too much on their plate. Unless they’re making special arrangements for us,” he muttered.

“I don’t know why they’d need to. I’m perfectly fine moving into your dorm room. It’s not like we need our own apartment or anything.”

Jason shrugged. “Who knows? We’ll find out soon, so no use worrying about it.”

Tim nodded and saved the changes in his information as he submitted the new forms for financial aid. “There,” he said, passing the computer back to Jason. “Now, we wait.”

Jason grinned and closed the lid of his computer. “What do you say we have some fun?”

“Might as well. We have the rest of the week.”

Jason slipped off the bed and held out a hand to Tim. He swallowed, trying not to focus on the silver band wrapped around Jason’s fingers as he let himself get pulled to his feet.

~~

“Oh hey, I got a response from residence life,” Jason said as they lounged on the deck chairs next to the pool.

A large umbrella was keeping the sun off Tim and despite the layer of sunscreen he put on earlier, he was glad to have the added protection.

“Really?” Tim asked. “What did they say?”

“They said that they can put us in one of the on-campus apartments if we’d like that, but you can also move into my room. Normally they wouldn’t allow a room change in the middle of the semester but considering we have pretty specific circumstances, they’re allowing it with no added charge. We can get you moved within the next week. I’m sure it’s going to take more than one day to get everything packed up and moved over,” Jason said, typing out a reply email on his phone.

Tim sighed, thinking about everything that would have to get packed up and then he’d have to unpack it again. “I’m not looking forward to this.”

“Don’t worry,” Jason said before locking his phone and tucking it away. “I’ll help you out and it won’t be that bad. At least you’re only moving from one room to another.”

Tim groaned. “That almost makes it seem worse. I won’t even get to ignore the boxes for a few days because I’ll need everything that’s packed up.”

Jason hummed. “You could always put the essentials in a duffle bag to make it easier to live out of and get the rest unpacked as you go.” He smile turned into a smirk that immediately put Tim on the defensive.

“What’s that look for?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“You could always share my bed if you don’t want to make your own.”

Tim huffed even as his chest tightened at the thought of getting to be wrapped around Jason as they slept. They were kind of already doing that, but this would mean it wouldn’t have to end.

“I doubt the two of us could fit in one of the twin beds we get blessed with by the university,” Tim muttered instead.

Jason shrugged. “People do it all the time.”

Tim swallowed, trying not to think about all the implications that statement held.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Tim looked up, blinking in surprise at the hotel waiter that stood in front of him, holding a tray.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I have a bottle of champagne and two glasses for you and your companion. They were purchased as a gift from the pair across the pool.”

He set down the drinks without another word and Tim looked across the pool to see two men with their chairs pushed together. They had their own bottle of champagne and one of the men raised a glass towards them, his other hand twined together with the man next to him.

Tim caught the glint of gold on their fingers. He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the flush that flooded his face as Jason had no issue pouring them each a glass.

“Cheers,” Jason said, handing Tim one of the glasses.

Tim clinked their glasses together before taking a large gulp of the champagne.

~~

“I don’t know how I’m going to get this all packed,” Tim groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face. He was surrounded by piles of clothes. His bed had already been stripped of its bedding and Jason was nice enough to take that back to his room and make Tim’s bed for him.

“You’ll get through it. You have a couple of days to get everything moved over so just worry about the most important things first,” Jason said, rubbing Tim’s shoulders where he was standing over his kneeling form.

Tim swallowed and glanced over at his roommate who was studiously working at his desk and ignoring them. He hadn’t had much of a reaction when Tim had told him he was moving out and Tim didn’t know if it was because of the photo of his wedding that was plastered everywhere on the internet that kept him from being surprised, or because he was never the type of guy to put up much of a fuss.

Tim’s gaze dropped to the piles of clothes in front of him and the suitcase he was valiantly working to stuff them with. He knew that some of his added stress was because he’d be going to dinner with Jason the next night, but nothing could make packing up his life much better.

Especially when it was because he was getting ready to fool the federal loan system with Jason for the next few years to make college expenses easier on them.

He grabbed a stack of clothes and shoved them into the last available space in his suitcase before he let the lid fall shut and yanked the zipper around the edge.

“I’ll take this over,” Jason said, reaching over him for the handle.

“Do you mind taking my backpack too?” he asked, looking up at him and trying not to jerk back at their proximity.

“Sure. Is it ready to go?” Jason said, straightening and navigating the suitcase around where Tim was sitting on the floor.

Tim nodded. “Yeah. It’s got my computer and my schoolwork and books inside. Well, most of my books. I’ll have to shove the other ones that don’t fit into another box.”

Jason slung Tim’s backpack over his shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few. Try to have some more stuff packed by then. We might be able to get this done tonight if you keep going like you have been.”

Tim pursed his lips as they twisted into a smile. “If I do get this done, don’t expect me to have all of this unpacked by tonight.”

Jason chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’d have to seriously bribe you with something and since we’re having dinner with your dad tomorrow, I don’t think there’s anything I could use.”

Tim watched as the door shut behind him. He checked the heavy sigh he wanted to heave when he glanced over at his roommate. He went back to studiously packing and was glad when the piles started to shrink and his side of the room looked less like a warzone.

~~

Tim tried not to pace across the floor of Jason’s dorm, but he knew it was futile. Having moved to a new dorm in the span of a day and now being faced with dinner with his father was wearing him down. His nerves were on edge and he’d seen more than one man with a camera hiding out in the bushes on campus.

“Tim, it’s going to be fine,” Jason huffed from where he was sitting on the edge of his bed, tracking Tim’s movement across the floor.

Tim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t ready for this. He wasn’t ready for anything even remotely close to this.

Jason stood from his bed with a squeak and stepped in front of Tim. He wrapped his hands around Tim’s wrists and kept him in place. “Look, I know you’re worried about how your dad is going to react, but it’s going to be fine. He’s met me before and liked me well enough. This isn’t going to be the end of the world.”

“I know, but we’re going to meet him and have dinner as a married couple and he’s already hurt enough that he didn’t know about the wedding let alone that we had to supposedly date before this and I just…I don’t know how this is going to go.”

Jason sighed and threw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. “It’s going to fine, alright? I promise. And if it all blows up then we don’t have to worry about having dinner again and we can just come back here and goof off and watch movies before we have to go back to class tomorrow.”

Tim slumped against him, his head coming to rest on Jason’s shoulder. “Okay,” he muttered. “I hope you’re right about this.”

“Just trust me on this. What could possibly go wrong?”

Tim made a noise in the back of his throat and Jason chuckled. “I could list about ten different things that could go wrong,” he muttered.

“Think positive, Timbo. Think positive.”

~~

Tim bit his lip as they stepped out of his car in front of his father’s house. He shut the door and Jason walked around to meet him and grabbed his hand, linking their fingers together. Tim jolted and stared down at his hand.

“Married couples hold hands,” Jason murmured next to him.

Tim swallowed. “Right,” he agreed, squeezing Jason’s hand as he took a steadying breath.

Jason took the lead while Tim reluctantly followed and knocked on the door.

It was pulled open moments later to reveal one of the manor staff in all black.

“Welcome home, Tim. Your father is waiting for you in the dining room,” she said, standing to the side as they stepped in.

“Thank you,” Tim said as she shut the door and walked away. He led Jason through the hall to the dining room, surprised to the find the door had been propped open.

His father was sitting at the head of the table with the two adjacent spots having waiting place settings for them both.

“Welcome home, Tim,” his dad said, standing. “I’m eager to hear all about your trip. And Jason,” he said holding out a hand. “Nice to see you again.”

“Mr. Drake,” Jason said, shaking his hand politely.

“Let’s have a seat and we can get our evening started,” Jack said, taking his seat again.

Tim and Jason slipped into their chairs and Tim took a sip of water to steady him as the first appetizer was brought in and set before them.

“So,” Jack started. “How long were the two of you dating before you decided to run off and get married?”

Tim checked a sigh and picked at the vegetables on his plate with his fork.

“We’d been dating for about a year,” Jason supplied smoothly, punctuating the sentence with a bite. He watched Jack as he chewed, and Jack did the same.

“And why didn’t you think to tell me about this little arrangement? The fact that you were dating or that you’d decided to get married?” Jack asked, gaze sliding to Tim.

“I wasn’t sure how you’d take it,” Tim hedged. The statement wasn’t a complete lie but would give them something to work with.

“Were you afraid I’d react badly? Because of how soon it’s been or were you worried because Jason’s a boy?” Jack asked.

Tim hesitated, it was the perfect opportunity. The only opening that would make sense in the grand scheme of things.

“We never really talked about my sexuality or the other politics surrounding the queer community,” Tim said slowly, keeping a careful eye on his father. “And I always thought there was a part of you that would prefer me to marry a socialite who was prominent in Gotham’s business venues.”

Jack sighed and when Tim looked at him he was startled to see he looked older than he’d ever seen him before.

“Tim,” he started, sounding exhausted and hurt. “I know that my views on business have always been intense. But I never wanted you to feel forced to have to comply with my life in who you married. Sure, I had dreams of you marrying someone prominent who attended our fundraisers and that you’d take over the family business one day, but I never would’ve wanted that at your own expense.

“Now I see that I probably should’ve talked to you about other options, but I’d hoped that you never would’ve felt the need to hide something like this because you were afraid of how I might react.”

Tim swallowed, losing his appetite as guilt coiled in his stomach. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t realize how important this was to you.”

A little bit of sadness cleared from Jack’s eyes as he looked between Tim and Jason.

“Thank you, Tim. But I’d like to see you both more often. We should have dinner once in a while,” Jack said.

“I wouldn’t mind having dinner once a week,” Jason broke in. “I know that I’d like to get to know you better now that you’re my father-in-law.”

Jack smiled softly. “Then I’ll expect you here next week at the same time.”

“Sure thing, Dad,” Tim said, meeting Jason’s gentle gaze across the table. He couldn’t help but smile and ducked his head to stare at his food.

~~

“Tim! Wait up!”

Tim looked up from his phone and glanced over his shoulder, finding Jason running after him. He grinned and turned to face him.

“What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t have class until later.”

“I have to get to a meeting with my advisor. I have a few questions about the courses being offered next semester and want to make sure I can take what I want,” he said, falling into step beside Tim.

Tim opened his mouth to reply when he saw a couple of people watching him on the other side of the quad, looking inquisitive. Before he could second guess himself, he shoved his phone into his pocket and moved his coffee cup to his left hand. He grabbed Jason’s hand and linked their fingers together.

Thankfully, Jason kept from looking down at their hands and gave him a curious look instead.

“A group of people are watching us,” Tim whispered. “We have to keep up appearances.”

Jason chuckled and squeezed his hand. The warmth of his palm and the slide of Jason’s callouses across his skin made his stomach swoop and Tim quickly took a drink of his coffee to hide the smile that pulled at his lips.

He was in deep shit with their idea to get married, but he couldn’t find it in himself to really complain while he was walking across the quad to class.

“Are we still on for lunch later?” Jason asked as they reached the main cluster of academic buildings.

Tim nodded. “Yeah. Meet in our usual spot after class?”

“You know it.”

“Cool. Since I get out an hour before you, I’ll probably head to the library to get some work done on my research paper.”

“Don’t work too hard,” Jason muttered. “I don’t need to come and drag you out of the library because you forget to eat.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s only October, there’s no reason for me to fall down that hole yet.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t be so sure. You’re always on the verge of pushing your boundaries even when you don’t need to.”

Tim huffed and tried to pull his hand back, but Jason tightened his grip. “Are you going to let me get to class?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jason hesitated, looking a little uncertain as he glanced to the side. Before Tim could follow his gaze, Jason ducked his head and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“There are a couple people staring at us,” Jason murmured.

“Oh,” Tim said, hoping it didn’t sound as forced or strangled as it felt.

“See you later?” Jason asked, looking like he was about to be drop-kicked across the quad for offending Tim.

Tim let his expression relax and smiled. “Yeah. Meet you at lunch.” He squeezed Jason’s hand and let it go, turning towards his academic building. His eyes did a sweep of the quad and he saw the people who were watching them, clearly interested in their relationship.

He didn’t look back as he hurried up the steps and pushed through the double doors to the building. Several gazes followed him through the hall and Tim was really starting to regret the huge media spectacle he’d made of their marriage.

Tim slipped into his classroom and made his way to one of the tables in the back. He set up his computer in front of him and curled up in his chair, eyes flicking around the room to gauge the reaction to his presence.

People kept glancing in his direction while talking to their friends and Tim ran a hand down his face, feeling the cool metal of his wedding band. He just had to trudge his way through class and in a couple weeks, no one would even remember that he was married to Jason. And if they did, they would probably stop caring.

He hoped they would, anyway. He really hoped they would.

~~

The door to his private study room burst open and it still took Tim another five seconds before he was able to tear his gaze away from his computer screen.

“Jason?” he asked, brow furrowing. “What are you doing here?”

Jason huffed and crossed his arms. “We’re supposed to be meeting for lunch remember?”

“Yeah, but don’t you still have class?” Tim asked, gaze flicking down to the time in the corner of his computer screen. “Oh,” he said softly.

“Yeah, oh. I knew you wouldn’t be able to pull yourself away from your work once you got started.”

“Sorry,” Tim said, rubbing the heels of his palms against his eyes. “Guess I lost track of time.”

“What am I going to do with you,” Jason muttered. “Let’s go. I’m sure you’re starving and just haven’t realized it yet.”

Tim nodded and packed up his things, tossing them into his backpack with less grace than he normally would. He slipped his arms through the straps and Jason pulled him through the door, keeping an arm around his shoulders as they walked.

Tim fought down a shiver, wanting to lean into Jason’s warmth and plaster himself to his side. Anyone looking at them wouldn’t question it, but he wasn’t willing to have that conversation later when Jason inevitably called him out on it.

“Are you cold?” Jason asked as they crossed the quad from the library towards the dining hall.

“Not really,” he mumbled, burrowing further into his hoodie. The temps had only dropped slightly so it wasn’t bad enough that Tim was at the point he couldn’t get warm no matter what he did.

“You get cold when the temps drop though, don’t you?” Jason asked, tugging him up the steps to the dining hall.

Tim ignored the warmth that spread through his chest that Jason knew that. It was from their years of friendship and not because he cared enough to remember that.

“Yeah…” he muttered.

Jason directed him inside and he relaxed at the warm air that surrounded them. He pulled out his student ID and handed it to the woman working the sign in for the dining hall. Jason did the same and they slipped through the lines of students towards the back where they usually sat.

He caught sight of a few glances that were shot in their direction but ignored them. They would go away soon enough and he didn’t have the energy to worry about it.

“Grab me a soda?” Jason asked once they set their backpacks down in the extra chairs.

“As long as you get me dessert,” Tim countered with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jason said, throwing an arm around Tim’s shoulders as they moved back towards the lines of food. They split off, going to their favorite food stations. Tim grabbed his food quickly, glad to have missed the lunch rush because of his focus on his homework.

He gripped his plate tightly in his hand and stopped by the soda fountain, filling a cup for him and Jason. He pressed one into the crook of his arm and carried the other one. He made it back to the table before Jason did and set the second drink in front of Jason’s seat.

Tim tucked into his burger, glad for the warm food. Jason offered him a smile when he set the dessert plate between them both and started in on his own food.

~~

“Follow my lead,” Jason hissed next to his ear.

“What-“ he started when Jason pressed a quick kiss to his lips. He kept the shock off his face when Jason pulled back, keeping his head tilted up towards Jason, letting the question seep into his eyes.

“Paparazzi,” Jason explained.

“Where?”

Jason put on a small smile despite their conversation and let his features soften. “Behind you,” he said, the geniality from his expression not seeping into his voice. “They can’t see your face, but other people are watching too since it’s not a small group of people toting cameras around.”

Tim nodded, snaking his arm around Jason’s waist. “Are they following?”

“Not right now. I think it helps that it’s late. Although we are headed back to our dorm so that’ll get them talking.”

Tim sighed, ducking his head against any possible scrutiny. Jason’s arm tightened around his shoulders and pulled him tighter against his side.

“Almost there,” Jason whispered.

Tim nodded and smiled. “You know, you’d think from your attitude, you’re the one with experience dealing with the cameras instead of me.”

Jason chuckled. “Yeah, but I’ve been around you long enough that I know how to handle it without making it into a big deal. We just have to put on a show for them.”

Tim nodded even though his stomach sank at Jason’s words. He didn’t need another reminder that for Jason this was still just pretend and something he was only doing to make sure he didn’t suffer crushing debt for years to come.

Jason trotted up the steps to their building quickly, pulling Tim along until they were safely inside the doors of their building.

“You okay?” he whispered, pulling him into the stairwell.

“Fine,” Tim said, feeling more exhausted then he had in a while. “Just tired.”

“Sounds to me like a night of Netflix in bed is just the thing you need.”

“You know what? I think you might be right,” Tim said.

Jason grinned and pulled his arm from around Tim’s shoulders to unlock their shared room door. He pushed inside, and Tim shut the door behind them. Jason pushed Tim’s backpack from his shoulders much to Tim’s amusement and dropped his own on his chair.

He pulled out his laptop and shoved Tim onto his bed, grabbing his own pillow before he settled down on top of the covers with him.

Tim watched as Jason pulled up Netflix and pulled up a show they’d both been watching, loading the next episode.

Tim wiggled around on the bed as it started, getting comfortable. After a moment of hesitation, he rested his head on Jason’s shoulder, curling into his side slightly. Jason pulled his arm out from in between them and shoved it under Tim’s head, giving him another pillow to lean against.

Tim smiled and lost himself in the show, ready to enjoy an hour or two of relaxation time before he’d be forced to return to the realities of his life and school.

~~

“Tim. Hey, Tim.”

Tim groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, curling into the warmth against him.

A chuckle washed over his head, warm breath ruffling his hair.

“You have to get up Tim. You’re going to miss your class if you don’t get out of bed.”

“No,” he grunted. “Fuck class.”

“You’ll miss breakfast. You won’t get any coffee once breakfast is over.”

“Lies. The dining hall always serves coffee and if they didn’t I could just go to the campus Starbucks.”

Jason heaved a sigh, causing Tim to be jostled where he was suddenly very aware he was leaning against him.

“You can’t stay in bed and avoid class all day, Tim. If I have to go to class, you do too.”

“Noooo,” he whined.

“You can stay if you want to, but I’m getting out of bed.”

Tim made a strangled sound in the back of his throat as Jason pushed him off his shoulder. The bed shifted as Jason swung his legs over the side and stood up.

Tim tried to find a comfortable position and settle back in for a longer bout of rest, but he tossed and turned, rearranging the blanket over him and the pillow under his head, unable to relax now that the warmth against his side was gone.

He huffed a sigh and stared at the ceiling for a moment, listening to Jason in the bathroom brushing his teeth before he shoved off the covers and climbed out of bed.

“So, you’ve finally decided to join the land of the living?” Jason asked behind him.

“Shut up,” he grumbled. “I couldn’t get comfortable.”

He pulled out a change of clothes and was about to push into the bathroom when Jason stopped him with a hand.

“You going to the library later?”

Tim nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to get some work done on my paper later this afternoon after lunch.”

“Mind if I join you when I get out of class?”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you need to ask? You usually just come and sit down and tell me to deal with it.”

Jason shrugged, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Sorry, just thought I’d ask.”

Tim cleared his throat and slipped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He took several breaths to calm down his heartbeat as it hopped and skipped joyfully.

This was bad. This was so very bad.

~~

Tim didn’t look up when the chair across from him was pulled out and someone took the seat across from him. He assumed it was Jason but when no books were set on the table he paused his own work to look up.

He blinked at the strange, smiling woman sitting across from him.

“Uh…can I help you?” he asked eloquently.

Her smile widened into a grin. “How’s married life treating you?”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “And why would I tell you that?” he asked. “I don’t even know you.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can’t blame someone for being curious. You’re the talk of all the tabloids. Everyone’s dying to know all about your new husband and the things you do together.”

Tim narrowed his eyes and shut his laptop. “None of that is any of your or anyone else’s business,” he said, grinding his teeth as he shoved his computer into his backpack.

“Look, you really don’t need to leave,” she stared, putting up her hands.

“No, I really think I do,” he growled, shouldering his backpack.

Her gaze slid past him, face lighting up with delight. She slapped her hands on the table and stood up.

“Just the person I was hoping to see.”

Tim turned and found Jason standing behind him, eyes narrowed at the woman.

“I really think I’m not who you want to see,” he said. “It looks to me like you’re bothering my husband.”

“I wouldn’t really say I was bothering him,” the woman said, raising a hand.

Jason rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Tim’s shoulders. He guided him away from the table even as the woman called for them to wait.

Tim glanced up and saw Jason’s face set in a scowl. They were out of the library before Tim worked up the courage to say something.

“Are you okay?” Tim whispered.

Jason stiffened before he let out slow breath, the tension seeping from his shoulders. “I think I should be asking you that. She wasn’t too much of a nuisance, right?”

“She was just searching for information about us. Wanted to know more about you and our relationship. I’m thinking she was probably a reporter posing as a college student,” Tim explained.

“Sorry,” Jason muttered.

Tim shook his head. “How about we just go back to our room? We can worry about this later.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“At this point I’d rather order in than deal with all of the stares we’ll get otherwise. Not to mention the paparazzi that are going to be hanging around campus. Especially after that last encounter.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jason agreed, dropping a kiss onto the top of Tim’s head.

Tim’s heart stuttered, and he forced himself to keep walking and stay calm. Jason was relaxed beside him and Tim glanced around trying to find any paparazzi or students that might have been watching them but couldn’t find any overt gazes staring at them.

He swallowed and forced his feet to keep moving.

~~

Tim’s stomach grumbled as Jason unpacked the bag of Indian food that had been delivered minutes ago. The floor was covered with books and papers and both of their laptops sat open with half-written papers on the screen.

Tim pulled up Netflix and scrolled through the list of movies he had saved that he hadn’t gotten to watch yet.

“Does this look good?” he asked, turning the computer to face Jason.

He glanced up and nodded.

Tim left it to play and took a spoon and the container of curry he’d ordered. Jason pulled two sodas from the mini fridge next to his bed and crawled around to sit next to Tim, their sides pressed together as they leaned against Tim’s bed.

After a moment, Tim let himself relax against Jason, soaking up his warmth and the comfort that came with being together.

Jason stared into his food, stirring it around.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Tim froze and looked over at him. “What?”

“This is all my fault. People are bugging you because of my stupid idea.”

Tim shook his head before Jason even finished talking. “I didn’t have to go along with it. I chose to do this with you. It’s not your fault that people can’t keep their business to themselves.”

“Are you sure?” Jason asked. “I’d understand if you wanted to call it quits and stop.”

The thought made his stomach turn. “Do you want to?” he asked instead.

Silence fell between them. It stretched on, the only sound was the soft dialogue from the film.

“No,” Jason finally admitted.

“Then I’m okay with keeping this going,” Tim agreed, looking down at his food. “Besides,” he said trying for a smile as his tone lifted, “my dad already approves of you.”

Jason grinned. “He hasn’t seen me at any of his fancy parties yet, though.”

“I might never forgive you depending on what you’re planning,” Tim said.

“So what would you forgive me for then?”

“I don’t know. It depends on what you’re planning and how much entertainment I get from it.”

“I will start plotting with gusto.”

Tim chuckled and scooped up a spoonful of his curry, shoving it into his mouth. His earlier anxiety was gone. He was happy. As happy as he could be while trying to pretend his feelings weren’t so real.

“What do you think about a rainbow tuxedo?”

Tim choked and coughed, trying to clear the food from his throat he’d just inhaled. Jason thumped him on the back and offered him his soda.

“What?” Tim asked.

Jason chuckled. “A rainbow tux. It would make any black-tie event I go to with you more fitting for the two of us.”

Tim grinned. “Only if I get to wear one that’s hot pink.”

“I knew there was a reason I married you.”

Tim kept his grin steady even as his heart skipped a beat. The words felt too true to be meaningless, but beyond that Tim knew Jason couldn’t mean he held anything more for him than friendship. Life didn’t work out for him like that.

~~

Tim skirted around the refreshments table. He’d been pulled away from Jason twenty minutes ago and although both of them were wearing black, they’d still been stared at by Gotham’s elite because of their newfound reputation.

He had no idea where Jason had gone and was hoping that being around him would offer a reprieve from the questions being directed at him and the sadness that the parents had exuded over him not being able to marry their daughters. Not that that was ever an option anyway.

He jumped when an arm wrapped around his waist and a low voice chuckled in his ear.

“Looking for someone?”

Tim sighed, relaxing into Jason’s hold. “Just you, you ass,” he grumbled.

He grabbed Jason’s hand that was around him and tugged him towards an array of potted plants, hiding behind the leaves. He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure no one had followed them.

“I swear I need a break from being paraded around this ballroom.”

Jason hummed. “I think I could offer a pretty ample distraction.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face Jason. “By doing what?”

Jason grinned, and Tim blinked, his heart jumpstarting from a mixture of arousal at the heady look in Jason’s eyes and slight fear at what he was about to do.

Jason looked around before walking him backwards. Tim swallowed, feeling heat lick underneath his skin when his back hit the wall. He sucked in a breath and Jason cupped his face. He tilted his head back and covered Tim’s mouth with his own.

Tim grabbed Jason’s shoulders, nails digging into the soft fabric of his suit jacket. Jason bit down on Tim’s bottom lip before he swiped his tongue over the soft skin.

Tim unconsciously parted his lips, letting Jason’s tongue into his mouth. Tim’s eyes closed in bliss and he sucked greedily on Jason’s tongue, earning a low groan from Jason.

Jason pressed closer, covering Tim’s body with his. Their proximity made him squirm as he tested the boundaries and learned how little room he was given to move.

A throat cleared, and Jason pulled back harshly. Tim’s eyes flew open and he tightened his grip on Jason to keep him from moving away. His father was standing a few feet from them.

“Sorry to interrupt but you were drawing quite the audience from your antics Timothy,” he explained.

Tim’s face flamed, and he saw several older women behind his father’s shoulder who were watching them curiously and one camera that had snuck into the mix.

“Sorry, Dad,” he mumbled.

He smiled. “Socialize for a bit longer and I’ll let you leave early if you’re that impatient.”

“Thanks.”

Tim slowly dragged his gaze up to meet Jason’s eyes. Jason grinned at him.

“Care to dance?” he asked.

“You know how to dance?” Tim asked, quirking an eyebrow as the heat in his veins started to dissipate.

Jason chuckled and tugged Tim away from the wall and towards the couples dancing along to the string ensemble.

~~

Tim sighed and opened his eyes when his alarm went off. He stretched his arms over his head and groaned as his muscles tensed and relaxed. Something heavy was draped over his waist and Tim reached down to shove it away.

He froze when his hand touched skin and became aware of the warmth pressed against his back.

“Jason?” Tim asked, voice soft.

“Go back to sleep,” he groaned, burying his face in the back of Tim’s neck.

Tim forced himself not to shudder at the feeling. This early in the morning, Jason had stubble prickling his chin and cheeks, giving Tim beard burn on the back of his neck.

“Jason, I have to get up for class.”

“Since when do you care about going to class. Sleep. Sleep is good.”

Tim couldn’t help himself, he giggled. The change was so different compared to the other morning they’d woken up together. Jason’s grip tightened around his waist.

“Come on,” Tim said, patting his arm. “Let me up and we can go have breakfast before my class.”

“Fine,” he huffed, pulling his arm back.

Tim pushed himself up but Jason didn’t make any move to get out of bed. Tim rolled his eyes and made to climb over Jason, but an arm snaked around his back and pulled him down. He sprawled against Jason’s chest, arms splayed out to the side.

“What are you doing?” Tim grumbled, his face smashed against Jason’s chest and muffling his voice.

Jason heaved a sigh and pulled his arm back, releasing the pressure on Tim’s back.

Tim felt his face heat up and climbed off the bed. He kept his gaze away from Jason and dug around in his dresser, pulling out a fresh pair of jeans and a tee. He slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, shivering as the warmth in his limbs started to dissipate.

He stripped out of his pajamas and shoved his legs into his jeans, jumping in place to tug them up his thighs until he could button the front. He threw his shirt on and quickly brushed his teeth.

Tim stared at his reflection and met his own gaze. He took a deep breath, trying to center himself when all he really wanted to do was throw himself back in bed with Jason. The pull to him never waned and one of these days it would become too much and he’d crash.

He nodded and forced himself towards the door. He pulled it open and blinked when his eyes met Jason’s chest.

“Aren’t you-“

Jason made a noise in the back of his throat and shuffled around him.

“Give me a minute and I’ll go with you to breakfast,” he said, shutting the door behind him.

Tim blinked and shook himself. He stuffed his books and laptop in his backpack and tugged a hoodie over his head.

The toilet flushed in the bathroom before the door was pulled open.

Jason sighed as he stepped out. “Much better,” he said, sounding more awake than he’d been a minute ago.

“Ready to go?” Tim asked, shouldering his backpack.

“Yup,” Jason said, shoving his feet into his shoes. He plucked his leather jacket from the back of his desk chair and grabbed his backpack, following Tim out of their room. They’d barely made it a step before Jason’s arm settled around his shoulders and pressed him close to his side.

Tim smiled and settled into his warmth.

~~

Tim groaned and buried his head in his crossed arms on the table in the study room he’d snagged. The research paper he was working on was killing him even with the head start he’d gotten.

The door opened to his room and he expected someone to splutter out an apology for walking in on an occupied room.

He huffed and raised his head, finding Jason standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

“Time for a break?” Jason asked.

“Only if I get to take a break from the rest of this semester. This research paper is killing me,” he sighed, letting his eyes slide shut.

“Come on,” Jason said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Pack up your stuff and let’s head back to the room. You’re going to feel like shit if you fall asleep at this table.”

Tim grumbled but did as Jason suggested. He shoved his things into his backpack and lethargically pushed his chair back, getting to his feet.

Jason grabbed his hand and linked their fingers together, pulling him from the room.

Tim felt heat flood his cheeks and ducked his head, hoping to hide it. Jason squeezed his hand, looking perfectly content as they walked through the main doors of the library.

Tim shivered at the sudden chill of the late autumn air. He stepped closer to Jason, hoping to steal some of his warmth. Almost as though Jason was on the same wavelength as him, he pulled his hand from Tim’s and draped his arm around Tim’s shoulders, pulling him tight against his side.

Tim smiled, finding comfort in the silence between them. Whatever was going on between them, Tim was finding it less heart-wrenching then he had when they’d first gotten married. He was starting to think that maybe he could make it through the next couple years of their marriage regardless of the paparazzi and the other people who made their relationship into a spectacle.

Tim hesitantly slipped his arm behind Jason’s back. Jason tightened his hold on Tim’s shoulders and he slipped his fingers gently into Jason’s back pocket.

He let Jason direct him towards their dorm. He caught sight of a few people giving them curious looks, but he was starting to think their attention was beginning to wane.

They climbed the stairs sluggishly and Jason unlocked their door before manhandling him inside. Tim pulled away from Jason once they were inside and let his backpack drop to the floor next to his bed. He stared at his rumpled sheets, wanting to toss himself onto it, but a hand on his hip stopped him.

He furrowed his brow and turned to look up at Jason who stood over him.

“Jason?” he asked.

Jason pressed their chests together, fingers tangling in the strands of hair at the back of Tim’s neck. He ducked his head and covered Tim’s lips with his own.

Tim gasped, eyes going wide as Jason kissed him. Jason’s tongue slipped between his lips and a high noise sounded in the back of his throat. Jason groaned and wrapped his other arm around Tim’s back and Tim clutched at his shoulders, nails digging into the fabric of his hoodie.

Jason broke the kiss with a sigh, pressing their foreheads together as Tim sucked in desperate breaths, trying to calm his pounding heart.

“Jason?” Tim asked, feeling more raw and vulnerable than he thought he’d ever be with him.

“Sorry,” Jason apologized. He stepped back, releasing Tim from his hold and Tim felt cold.

He turned on his heel and stalked towards the door.

“Jason, what-“

Before he could finish the question, Jason pushed through the door to their room and disappeared. Tim stood frozen next to his bed as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

The door slammed shut with a finality that chilled Tim to his core.

It took him too long to snap out of it before he was crossing the floor of their room. He threw the door open and looked up and down the hallway, but Jason was nowhere in sight.

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath.

He slipped back inside and the let the door shut behind him, pulling his phone from his pocket. He dialed Jason’s number, pacing back and forth across the small floor space they had around their furniture.

It rang five times before going to voicemail. Tim growled and ended the call before he redialed. The same thing happened and he huffed, waiting for the beep to come.

“Jason, I don’t know why you decided to kiss me like that and walk out but you need to get your ass back here right now.”

He hung up and tried calling him again. It didn’t even make it to the second ring before he was sent to voicemail.

“You fucking idiot,” he hissed under his breath.

Tim opened their text message thread and angrily tapped against his screen.

Tim: Jason get the fuck back here.

Tim: Jason I know you’ve got your phone and you’re seeing this.

Tim: We need to talk about what just happened so don’t fucking ignore me.

Tim: Jason I need to talk to you.

Tim: Answer me you asshole!

He stared at his phone, waiting for a reply even as the read receipts kept coming back to him. But Jason never started typing.

“He has to come back sometime,” Tim fumed, gripping his phone so tightly that if he was thinking clearly he almost would’ve worried about breaking it. “And I’m going to be ready for him.”

Tim made sure his ringer was on so he wouldn’t miss any text or call, as unlikely as they were. He tried to find a comfortable spot on the floor and pulled out his homework, determined to get something done while he waited for Jason to get back.

He managed to last through five frustrating minutes of homework before he gave up and pushed it away, too distracted by what had happened and the lack of response from Jason. He pulled up Netflix and left something to play, not really focusing on what happened on the screen, mind still too preoccupied with thoughts of Jason but needing the background noise.

Tim stared at the door, eyes locked on it as he waited. He crossed his arms. He’d outwait Jason. He could do it. He would do it. And when he did, he was going to get to the bottom of whatever the fuck was happening.

~~

Tim groaned when he woke up. He blinked his eyes open and found his face smashed against the floor. He’d fallen to the side after passing out. He straightened and stretched his arms over his head, feeling his muscles and neck pop from sleeping in such an awkward position. He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing at the kink and the soreness.

He didn’t feel rested at all and going to class was the last thing he wanted to do, both because of how awful he felt and being away from the dorm would give Jason a chance to sneak in and out without him knowing about it.

He sighed and pushed himself to his feet. He grabbed a change of clothes and slipped into the bathroom, turning the water on as hot as it would go in the hopes of washing away the gross feeling that was overwhelming him.

Tim stared at his reflection before the steam eclipsed the mirror. He had bags under his eyes and looked exhausted, face and hair rumpled. He sighed and stripped out of yesterday’s clothes, leaving them in a pile next to the door.

He stepped into the shower and braced his hands against the wall, letting his eyes shut as the hot water beat against his back. He could get lucky if he went to breakfast and Jason ended up being there too. It wasn’t a guarantee that he would catch him, but there were so many places on campus that Jason frequented that there was no telling where he’d be hiding out.

Tim reached for his shampoo and lazily popped the cap, squeezing some into his palm to wash his hair. He didn’t come back during the night which meant Jason had no intention of coming back to the room while he was here.

But most of the time Jason was a stickler when it came to class. There had been more than one day when Jason had dragged Tim from his room to make sure he got his ass to class and got his homework done.

Tim tilted his head back and let the water run through his hair, washing the soap down his back until it swirled down the drain. He was going to fix this. He was going to make it better even if Jason decided to be an idiot about it.

~~

Tim felt like his skin was too tight. He was seated in the middle of the dining hall for once, giving him a view of both entrances. He did a walkthrough of the hall when he got there to make sure that Jason wasn’t already there and found their usual spot empty. His eyes kept shifting, waiting for Jason’s familiar figure to walk through the door but he hadn’t shown up yet.

It was getting close to the start of Tim’s class and breakfast continued for another hour after he’d have to leave. Jason would have plenty of time to sneak in after he was gone to get something to eat and the knowledge that Jason was avoiding him made his stomach twist.

“Hey, aren’t you Tim Drake?”

He stopped chewing and glanced away from the door he’d been watching to find a boy standing in front of his table.

“Yeah?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and fighting not to let his eyes flit to the entrances of the dining hall again.

“Didn’t you just get married or something? Where’s your husband?” he asked, bracing a hand on the table across from Tim.

“He’s got class,” Tim lied, pushing his chair back. “Which is where I need to be in five minutes.”

He slipped his backpack on and grabbed his dirty dishes, heading for the return line as the boy spluttered behind him and tried to call after him.

Tim tossed his dishes onto the belt with little care what happened to them. His stomach was twisting in on itself and his heart felt tight. He swallowed, trying to clear his throat but something was stuck, lodged there and making it difficult to breath.

He glanced behind him and when he didn’t find anyone giving him much attention he slipped around the corner from the doors and into the blessedly convenient single stall bathroom. He locked the door shut behind him and pressed back against it before sliding down to the floor.

Tim tried to even out his breathing, but everything hurt. He wanted it fixed. He wanted Jason.

He hugged his knees close to his chest and tried to let his breath out, but it hitched and stuck, sounding on the verge of a sob.

Tim’s eyes burned, and his vision became blurry. He buried his face in his knees, heart clenching with every hitch in his breath and the first few tears that slid down his cheeks.

“I hate you so much, Jason,” he whispered into the tile around him. “I hate that I love you so much.”

~~

Tim stayed in the bathroom until someone came knocking on the door asking if it was free.

“Just a minute,” he croaked, voice sounding raw.

He pushed himself onto shaky feet and stumbled over to the sink. His eyes looked red and sunken, irises dull in the low light of the bathroom and his cheeks adorned with a splotchy flush. He turned on the tap as cold as it would go and cupped the water in his palms, wiping it over his face to cool his overheated skin.

Tim patted his skin dry with a paper towel and tossed that into the trash. He was steadier on his feet when he moved to open the door.

“Sorry I took so long,” he apologized, unable to meet the next person’s eyes.

“No worries,” she said, voice bright as Tim moved out of her way.

The door snapped shut behind him and Tim wrapped his arms around his stomach. He felt drained and was already late for class. He didn’t have the energy to show up late to his first class and couldn’t even contemplate going to his second one.

What he needed was Jason. Jason, who’d consumed his every waking thought for months. They’d laughed over movies and eaten takeout together and worked to fight off the stress that came with school. And now he was going to lose him.

Tim bit his lip, twisting his wedding band around his finger.

He took a shaky breath before finally forcing his feet to move. He was sluggish at first as he made his way down the stairs to leave the dining hall, but his desperation made itself known when he hit the sidewalk and started sprinting towards the academic building Jason had his morning class in.

Tim checked his watch. He had ten minutes before Jason’s class started and if he was lucky, he could catch him before he went inside. If he wasn’t lucky, maybe he could convince Jason to step out of class to talk to him.

Unless he was done pretending, they still needed to look convincing in front of other people and Tim knew Jason wouldn’t want to jeopardize that my ignoring his supposed husband when he came to talk to him.

Tim took the stairs two at a time and reached the second floor in seconds, bearing a sharp right and barely managing to avoid a couple of tired college students on their way out of their early morning classes. He caught a few looks of pity from them and they were most likely thinking that he was incredibly late for class.

Tim turned the corner, his breath catching in his throat when he spotted Jason stepping onto the second-floor landing. He looked exhausted, hair disheveled and bags under his eyes, movements sluggish as he shuffled along.

He glanced up and froze and Tim took that as his chance, barreling down the last distance between them until he skidded to a stop in front of Jason, chest heaving. Jason’s hands instinctively reached for him to keep him from crashing into something or tripping over himself.

They retracted a moment later as Jason’s eyes became guarded and he stepped back.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, voice cold and accusatory.

“Looking for you, you dumbass,” Tim huffed.

“I…what?” Jason asked, his defense falling away.

“You’re a dumbass,” Tim said. He stepped into Jason’s space and wrapped his fingers around the back of his neck and pulled him down, smashing their lips together.

Jason made a sound in the back of his throat, arms snaking around Tim’s waist to pull him close.

Tim broke the kiss and Jason made a low sound in the back of his throat, trying to follow him.

“Why did you run off last night?” he asked.

Jason blinked his eyes open, processing Tim’s words before he sighed, looking tired. “I thought you wouldn’t want me like this,” he admitted, voice low.

Tim huffed, feeling the anxiety that had lingered in his frame since the night before finally disappear. “Jason, I’ve had a ridiculous crush on you that’s probably bordered on love for at least two years now. I’ve been dying to kiss you since I first saw you. I agreed to marry you. Of course I wouldn’t be against this.”

Jason’s eyes widened, and his lips parted as he struggled to find something to say. Tim laughed and pressed closer, wrapping his arms around Jason’s shoulders.

“So, does this mean you’ll finally come back to our room tonight?” he asked.

“Why wait until tonight when we could go back now?” Jason asked instead, grip tightening around Tim’s waist.

“Aren’t you concerned with missing your class?” Tim asked.

“Nope,” Jason said. “I’d much rather be with you.”

Tim chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to Jason’s lips, stepping back and forcing Jason to release his hold on him before he could get any ideas.

“Go to class,” he said, keeping a hand pressed against Jason’s chest when he tried to close the distance between them. “I’ll be in our room when you’re done. You made me stress since last night. It’s your turn to agonize over being separated and you only have to struggle through an hour.”

“An hour and fifteen minutes,” Jason grumbled.

“Well too bad,” Tim said, smirking at him. “Time for you to learn some self-control.”

“I have plenty of self-control,” Jason argued, trying to get closer even as Tim took a step back for every step forward he made. “I’ve kept myself from kissing you senseless for months. And then from ravishing you in bed these past few weeks.”

Tim grinned. “Go to class. And you can ravish me all you want when you get back.”

He turned on his heel and walked away as Jason groaned behind him. Tim glanced over his shoulder and shot a wink at Jason where he pouted after him.

He felt so much lighter than he had since the night before. He was happy. And he could finally enjoy himself and everything he was going to be lucky enough to have.

Tim bit his lip as he started down the stairs to the first floor. He was giddy and couldn’t wait for Jason to get out of class. There were so many things he could do now. So many things he could do with Jason that he’d wanted to do for so long. And now he finally had the chance.

~~

Tim scowled at his computer when he heard the room door open. He clicked several times, trying to get the program for one of his classes to work properly instead of what it was currently doing shitting all over his efforts to get his homework done.

His laptop disappeared from under his hands and he opened his mouth to shout something accusatory at the culprit when Jason’s smiling mouth pressed against his.

Tim made a happy noise in the back of his throat, arms automatically going around Jason’s shoulders as Jason crawled onto the bed, forcing him backwards.

Jason swiped his tongue along Tim’s lower lip and he parted his lips eagerly, letting his tongue slide inside to brush against his own.

“And to think we could’ve been doing this for years,” Tim grumbled when Jason pulled back to kiss across his cheek and down under his chin.

“Well we’re doing it now,” he mumbled into Tim’s skin, dragging his teeth along his pulse.

Tim shuddered, tightening his hold on Jason’s shoulders.

“You better not try and leave again,” he said, voice low and serious despite the arousal that was starting to flood his veins and cloud his mind.

Jason pulled back, meeting his eyes and Tim wanted to mourn the loss of contact but Jason’s gaze held him in place.

“I agreed to stay by your side in sickness and in health, Tim,” he said, reminding him of the vows they’d shared in Vegas mere weeks ago. “I meant those words with every fiber of my being even if you didn’t think I was serious. I’m not going to leave you again. Not now that I know you feel the same. You’re stuck with me the rest of your life so you better get used to it.”

Tim beamed, smile nearly painful as his eyes crinkled in happiness. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he whispered before he pulled Jason’s lips back to his.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[dealusis]

This is completely unfinished and unedited. I’m sure his character has actually changed SO MUCH since I initially wrote this so enjoy a Relic

OCs as Companions - “Bishop” Fallout New Vegas

Basic info:

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Affiliation: Independent, Courier *optional*

Role: Companion

Location: Pioneer Saloon, Lucky 38 Penthouse

Base SPECIAL: S2 P8 E4 C6 I10 A9 L1

Tagged skills: Medicine, Survival, Speech

Perks: Logan’s Loophole, Confirmed Bachelor, Fast Shot

You meet Bishop at the bar in the Pioneer Saloon. When approached, he asks you snidely if you’re looking for repentance too. If the courier says yes, he asks for 50 caps then expresses that he used to let people confess for free but caps became more important than his good faith. If the courier says no, he says that any church he belonged to is gone anyways, and that he lost his ticket to paradise years ago, but people pay good caps for a little reassurance and will continue to do it for a good price.

If the Courier has [Confirmed Bachelor], the option “I could use a little faith” will cause Bishop to flirt back. Asking him to follow you at this time will not result in recruitment.

Any option calling Bishop a Fraud or greedy will cause him to become completely unrecruitable.

Later, you meet Bishop again in the Lucky 38 after your first meeting with House. He says that he’s sorry for spying, but Benny’s too big of an idiot to be allowed out on his own.

Francis is now recruitable

If you called him mean names during your first meetings he’ll reside in the Lucky 38s Casino and be a big ol bitch.

Companion Perk: Faithful - Gives the Courier a higher chance of critical hits while using VATS

Companion Perk after Dealt a Bad Hand: Bishop gives the courier 33% bonus damage or some shit

Companion Comments:

Use Melee: “If you think that’s a good idea”, “If you want me to”

Use Ranged: “Good choice”

Open inventory: “No need to get handsy”, “Hey! Do unto others? please?”

Stay close: “We sure ain’t leavin’ room for Jesus like this”,

Keep distance: “agreed”

Be Passive: “Alright.”

Be Aggressive: fuck idk

Wait here: “Right.”

Follow me: “No time for drinking with you huh?”

Sneaking: “I’m thinking my hair might give me away.”

“Let’s travel together” (already have a companion): “I suppose three’s a crowd?”

Leaving companion at Lucky 38: <long drawn out sigh>

“I wanted to ask you some questions (pre Dealt A Bad Hand)”: “Sure, as long as you don’t pry.”

“Tell me about yourself”(pre Dealt A Bad Hand): Ain’t much to know. Grew up in a Vault. Families long dead. The usual wasteland shit.”

“I wanted to ask you some questions (post Dealt A Bad Hand): “Ask away.”

“Tell me about yourself”(post Dealt A Bad Hand): “Well, my first name's Francis. Bishop’s my last name. I was raised in an east coast vault, made my way over here after everyone else died some years back. I hopped from settlement to settlement before landin’ here. Never got to come here before the war so I figured it was now or never. Turned out to be one of the best decisions i’ve ever made”

“What do you think of the NCR?”: “Those republic types have always existed, pre and post war. They usually end up fallin’ in the end, regardless.

“What do you think of the Legion?”: Don’t that Caesar guy know what happened to the original?

“What do you think of Mister House?”: He’s my employer. I’d hesitate to call him anything other than that. We’d be friends, maybe. If he thought I wouldn’t betray him.

“What do you know about Benny?”: Bastards an idiot. I don’t know why House thought he would make a good protege when i’ve been the one pulling all the weight anyway.

“What do you know about the platinum chip?”: Just about as much as you.

Trivia and additional information:

Bishop is taller than most wastelanders

Male couriers with [Confirmed Bachelor] can flirt with Bishop I’d flirted with initially

Having a reputation higher than Neutral with Caesar's Legion will trigger a conversation in which Bishop bluntly tells you he’s only staying with you because of his obligations to Mr. House and that if it was his choice he’d have left you already. Bishops personal quest becomes locked as well as any additional dialogue.

Killing or Disabling Mr. House causes Bishop to begin a conversation where he says that he’s upset Mr. House’s knowledge is no longer attainable, but won’t leave or treat you any differently. He says that since he’s out of a job he might as well continue to work for you. (Edit: he def leaves u now if u kill him LOL)

Bishop has a 9mm pistol named “St. Francis” in his inventory, a twin model to Benny’s “Maria” as well as an old Vault canteen with no number.

Bishops’ default armor is lightweight leather armor

Bishop will comment on the Old Mormon Fort, saying that he’s happy the best parts of religion have survived the war.

Placing cigarettes, whiskey, or chems in Bishop’s inventory will cause them to disappear

Unmarked Quest Walking by my Side

Placing a Scripture book in Bishop’s inventory will trigger a conversation where he thanks you and tells you about his family's old church.

Personal Quest

Quest Triggers: Completing 6 quests with Bishop as a companion

Quest Description: Bishop starts dialogue with the Courier and asks them if they’ll help him collect the ingredients he needs to finish off an experimental chem he’s been perfecting. He keeps it’s function extremely secretive. The Courier needs to collect and mix together Bleak Venom, Absinthe, Psycho, and a Stimpak. The Courier has the option to replace 1 Item with a random material, like Nuka Cola or healing powder. After giving the mixture to Bishop he will explain that due to a mysterious serum he took after leaving his vault over 100 years ago, he can no longer age despite his non-ghoul state. After realizing he could not age he started trying to develop a cure, which he could not. He will ask you to inject him with the mixture and kill him.

If the Courier can pass a [Speech 75] check, they can convince Bishop to not take the serum

A [Medicine 60] check can convince Bishop to keep perfecting the serum and cure himself.

If the Courier tampered with the mixture and used healing power or any other healing substance besides Bleak Venom, Bishop gains 20% damage increase and +3 strength.

If the Courier gives Bishop the mixture and did not replace the venom with healing materials he will die.

Outcomes:

Bishop doesn’t take the chem and while he remains disheartened he says that he’ll keep trying to find a cure

Endings

All Endings, Bishop died: Bishop’s true identity and knowledge goes to the grave with him. He never

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

@turianosauruswrex wanted to know about people’s Fallout OCs and I was going to just send a message but then realized a) this is probably going to get long, b) I wanted it on my own blog, and c) pictures. So: as a rule I’m not great at RPG OCs; I really only have one (my Sith Inquisitor) who’s become her own character to the extent that I made a few decisions based on what I thought she would do rather than what I would do. Generally my RPG characters tend to just be…me playing the game (which generally means making exclusively good/Light Side decisions) with some character decoration on top, and I don’t know how to improve that, partly because knowing more about a character seems to require knowing more about the world than I already do.

So, for Fallout…I’ve completed Fallout 1 and I’m partway through both 3 (just hit level 20, recently left the Citadel) and New Vegas. My Fallout 1 character was also just me playing the game, and my Courier isn’t much better; I’ve thought recently that she should be a descendant of my Vault Dweller because that’s kind of cool, but that’s all I’ve got. My Lone Wanderer isn’t well developed, but at least I’ve got something. Most of which I also came up with recently rather than when I originally started the game like four years ago. Partly she was easier because everything is as new to her as it is to me, so it’s a little easier to figure out, whereas my Courier probably knows a lot more about the dense factional politics of the area than I do.

Right, so, my Lone Wanderer: her name is Lissa, which might be short for something or might not, I don’t know. She has really short, bright blue hair because I felt like it, which I also don’t really know how to explain, because of course she had the same hair at her 10th birthday party but also like, I don’t think she’s the type of person who’s so committed to her #aesthetic that she keeps dyeing her hair while traveling the Wasteland? I don’t know. She looks even younger than she is, she’s small, she looks really sweet, basically she’s easy to underestimate under normal circumstances, but she is perfectly capable of using her favorite laser rifle to fuck up people who come after her (or her best buddy, Dogmeat). She’s always been tougher than she looks, although living outside Vault 101 has necessarily made her harder and angrier—she doesn’t go looking for fights, but she also doesn’t lose sleep anymore over killing raiders or mercenaries in self-defense, for instance. Taking finger trophies for the Regulators doesn’t bother her either, aside from occasionally worrying Dogmeat’s going to snack on one during their travels and lose her some caps. (He won’t. He is a good boy.) Ultimately, though, she’s still a reasonably hopeful person in general, despite the genuinely horrible stuff she’s seen in the Wasteland—a lot of which was less shocking to her anyway than seeing the Overseer kill her dad’s friend. She’s well aware that people can be awful, but she also tries to help people and avoid violence when she can and appreciates decent people when she meets them. She’s not sold on the idea that Project Purity will ever really work, but she’s still going to do what she can to make it happen, because she wants to honor her dad and believes in his vision of bringing hope and life to the Wasteland. She believes in people too, to some extent—seeing that people can survive in such a harsh place despite ridiculous odds and build something new out of old-world scraps, like Megaton and her house there, which she genuinely loves. Like, it’s a shithole, but it’s her shithole, you know?

Lissa was really close to her dad growing up, for obvious reasons, and she takes after him in many ways; she’s smart and resourceful, and she likes figuring out how things work, which among other things means she got in trouble a few times as a kid for taking stuff apart. She likes to tinker, and she prefers to repair her own stuff rather than have somebody else do it. She’s also damn good at hacking, which at this point mostly means she wishes she’d tried harder to dig into the Overseer’s secrets when she was younger and then…who knows, maybe she could’ve prevented some of what happened. (The worst thing, always, is thinking about what she should have done at Project Purity, because she’s done so much other wild stuff, surely she could’ve saved her dad if she’d just done something differently. And yet.)

Also! Lissa is aro ace. This caused her some definite unease growing up because in Vault 101, procreation is kind of everyone’s duty, which she was never very thrilled about, but she kind of figured…like, a switch would flip and it would be fine? Except she was never interested in boys the way most of her classmates eventually were. For a while she thought maybe she was interested in girls instead, partly because her closest relationship was always with Amata. They experimented a little as teenagers, though—just a few furtive makeouts because Amata’s dad would’ve been furious if he’d known—and it was fun but she also…didn’t feel a need for it, when they weren’t making out, or like it added anything to their friendship, and never had a switch-flipping moment of “yes let us do the sex now” either. Fortunately for their friendship, what Amata learned from this experimenting was that she was bi but she didn’t actually have non-friendship feelings for Lissa specifically, so it remained a happily mutual “I love you as a friend and occasional cuddle buddy” situation. Also fortunately, Lissa’s dad was a decent person who’d met enough people and read enough books to know that non-straight people existed, so eventually she was able to talk to him about stuff and find out that asexuality was a thing (no, I don’t know how this all works out exactly with the real world/Fallout world timeline divergence, it just does somehow, at some point before the Great War terms like “asexuality” came into use in the same context as today, the end). It still would have been her duty to procreate for the good of the Vault, of course, so that was still a vague anxiety hanging over her head all the time, that sex (no thank you) and pregnancy (no thank you) would have to happen eventually—so when she had to leave the Vault, as sudden and terrifying as it was, there was still a significant sense of freedom, and relief that she didn’t have to worry about doing her duty anymore, and that still hasn’t gone away.

[narrative-arts]

Daniel’s really cool script for the group project, which is here because I don’t have MS Word anymore as my computer decided to break and I sure as Hell ain’t gonna pay for MS Office, especially since I got it for free in the first place: Version The Second

Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer FPS. Game modes usually consist of one team having to capture or push an objective whilst the other team must thwart their efforts to do so. There are of course other multiplayer classics such as: ‘King of the Hill’ and ‘Capture the Flag’. Since it’s strictly a competitive multiplayer game, it features no linear storytelling. There are narrative elements, such as heroes talking to each other before games start and in-game cosmetic items that suggest some sort of character background, but other than that, there is no storytelling.

Blizzard (the game developer) decided to tell the story of Overwatch across different mediums as they realise that certain mediums are better for telling certain types of stories. As senior game designer Michael Chu said, “Like if we do a comic, comics are better for telling certain types of stories”.

Prior to the games release, Blizzard released six comics and nine animations. Not only were these created in order to get people excited for the game, these comics and animations were released as a way to give certain in-game characters some sort of context. Despite the games release on 24th May 2016, Blizzard continues to produce comics and animations as a way to develop their characters.

The comics started initially as promotional material for the game. The first comic ‘Train Hopper’, released 21st April 2016, establishes the character ‘McCree’. Of course this may get people excited for the game as some people would want to play as McCree, hoping that he is as exciting in-game as much as he is in the comic. Although the game has been released, it continues to be updated on a regular basis, with new content and events that usually contain new customisation options for characters. The most recent comic, ‘Uprising’ (released 5th April 2017), tells a story that occurs previous to the time that game is set. It features many of the in-game characters looking somewhat younger and some of which wearing outfits that at the time, weren’t available in-game. This led to speculation that this comic was being used to tease the newest in-game event and what new cosmetic items it might contain. It turns out that these speculations were correct, as on 11th April, the ‘Uprising’ event was added into the game, along with the skins featured in the comic. 

The comics and animations continue to be the games main storytelling device. An example of this would be the character ‘Ana’. She was the first character included into the game after its initial release. She was given two comics as well as a comic-styled animation as a way to give her some sort of context and show how she fits in with the other characters. Her animation for example, revealed that she is the mother of Pharah, a character already included in the game. Two days after Ana’s release into the game, the comic ‘Old Soldiers’ was also released as a way to develop her further and to tell her current story. A lot of Ana’s in-game quotes are stereotypical of what a mother would say, such as “Want me to tuck you in?”, and some of in-game imagery of her features her taking care of a young girl. Although this makes it obvious that she is somebody’s mother, this may be somewhat confusing to someone who hasn’t watched Ana’s accompanying animation.  This shows that both the comic and animations are used as the games storytelling device, as there is almost no way to get any sort of narrative satisfaction from the game, without having knowledge of the comics beforehand. At least this is used to be the case.

Not only did the Uprising event include many new cosmetics, it also included the addition of little information boxes that explain characters, as well as some of their skins. Moreover, the new gamemode is a co-op mode lets you and four other friends take part in where the comic left off. I am aware that there was a similar co-op gamemode for the Halloween event that did the same thing, but for the Halloween comic. However, I am going to continue to ignore this as the Halloween comic serves no part in the overall plot of the Overwatch franchise, as it was a one-off fun event.

So essentially, this update added story to the game. Well, I say story but it isn’t exactly “storytelling”. If you’re playing the game for narrative satisfaction, then chances are that reading these information boxes is going to give you just as much narrative fulfilment as reading ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. I sincerely doubt that anybody has noticed these, let alone taken out the time to read any of them. In fact, I’m willing to bet that I’m the only person who has scoured the entire hero gallery for every one of these information boxes and read them all in order. Do they add anything? No, not really. They’re more of a way to say, “This person is…”, or, “This skin looks like this because…”. Sometimes they just point out the obvious, such as how we are told that the ‘Young Genji’ skin, is young Genji. Thank you, but I kind of figured that out already, due to the fact that the skin is called ‘Young Genji’, and that he looks like a normal person as opposed to some sort of ridiculous armour mod for ‘Fallout New Vegas’. I didn’t think that the context to some skins was that important. I just assumed that they looked that way because they’re more interesting than the regular skins. I suppose I shouldn’t be too harsh though; some of the information is completely new and unheard of before. Whereas some information could only previously have been found out by reading through the Overwatch wiki, I suppose this makes it a tad bit more convenient. Although, knowing that this is what Soldier 76 wore when he was in the army, really doesn’t immerse me anymore into the game. If anything, it takes me out of the immersion, as this states that this is what he looked like when he younger, yet the skin clearly shows him being older and looking more like ‘Major Chip Hazard’.

Anyway, moving back on track, fans who have read the comics may get more satisfaction from the game as they will know more about the history and personality of the characters. In the comic ‘Reflections’, it is revealed that the character ‘Tracer’ is a lesbian. Those who personally identify as LGBT may therefore enjoy the game more as they will now know that the game is giving them some sort of representation. The game itself makes no reference to Tracer’s sexuality, so this knowledge can only be gained by those who read the comics.

Moreover, the Overwatch comics and animations exist simply as additional content. The game can still be enjoyed without any of this content, but those who are left still wanting more can also be satisfied. For example, the comic ‘Junkenstein’ was created to promote the in-game Halloween event, as well as to give it some sort of story. The events of the comic are non-canon as it features certain characters that don’t align with each other, altogether in a cosy suburban home. Similarly, the little advertised ‘Winston’s Journey to the West’ is a tapestry that was created as a parody of the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’. It coincided with Chinese New Year, which was the in-game event at the time and so the characters featured in the tapestry are seen with their Chinese New Year inspired skin. As this was all done for free, this shows that Blizzard may be doing this as a passion project and simply because they want to create more content to add to the universe of the game. Neither of these two necessarily add anything to the game, however, they are both nice additions and show how dedicated Blizzard is to making Overwatch an enjoyable experience. Similarly, the comic ‘Reflections’ doesn’t necessarily make sense as it doesn’t really take place in the same dystopian world as the game does, however, it is interesting nonetheless to see characters outside of a combat situation.

The comics and animations are all available for free on the Overwatch website and YouTube, meaning that anyone can get involved in the world of Overwatch. Also, the fact that they continue to make comics shows that although they may have started as promotional material for the game, they are now simply made out of passion for the game. Blizzard themselves actively encourage fan-made content, therefore, the constant flow of comics and animation can be seen as inspiration for fans.

All of this is done for free. Blizzard made a net income of US$ 223 million in 2015. Being the same company that made ‘World of Warcraft’, they simply have the money to create content for free. On release, Overwatch was available for £36 on PC, or £45 for the ‘Origins Edition’, which is the standard edition for consoles. Many people were unsure if this price was unjustifiable for a multiplayer only game, however, once you have paid for the game, you get all of its current and future content for free. Any extra money comes from Overwatch merchandise and the in-game microtransactions, which only get you in-game cosmetic items that can be earned for free anyway. As the comics and animations are available for free, this shows that they exist perhaps as a way for people to feel as if they are getting their money’s worth.

Although the comics and animations can be enjoyed on their own, chances are that they’ll be much less enjoyable if you haven’t played the game. Each comic and animation tends to focus on one character or small group of characters, meaning that each comic doesn’t really connect as they don’t follow an overarching plot. For example, in the three most recent comics, we go from Tracer during Christmas in ‘Reflections’, to Torbjörn and Bastion in ‘Binary’, and then to a whole cast of characters in ‘Uprising’, which acts as a prequel to the time in-game.This may make it difficult for those who haven’t played the game to get all that invested in the Overwatch franchise as its narrative is told in such an unconventional way.

In conclusion, comics compliment the Overwatch game by developing and providing context for the in-game characters, as it would be much less effective if the game did so itself. Although they may have started as promotional material, the fact that Blizzard continues to create Overwatch comics and animations on a somewhat regular basis shows that they create this content out of passion for the game, especially since it is all for free and available to anyone.