#because wally Knows. and he's likely in the 'i need to let everyone figure it out when theyre ready'

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Do you mind if I share some speculations on our favorite bug man?

I think you're right in that Howdy has caught onto something being off about their world. But he can't just jump up and tell everyone that they are living in a simulation. So he has to watch and wait for everyone else to realize it in their own time.

But

In his heart, he is a lovable asshole. And an asshole he will be!

Sally got close to figuring out that the food are props, but it hasn't clicked yet. Until then, the lable on the "mashed potatoes" is just a marketing ploy.

And sure, Howdy knows the blowing balls are made of foam, but Eddie doesn't know that! So Howdy sends him off, watching him struggle to carry something that weighs next to nothing.

Maybe if they interact with enough props, they'll catch on, too? In the meantime, Howdy is gonna have fun messing with everyone.

ohhhh i Do like this interpretation! where he's actually trying to clue them in, not just going "well. this might as well happen". and doing it his own... uh... Special way....

[puppetmaster13u]

Thinkin’ of This Au where Jason ends up collecting all of the de-aged liminal class which causes his plans to spiral. And am also thinking if he found them even earlier, before he made his big debut with 6 heads in a duffle bag, back when he was a mere whisper. Y’know, something minor the bats seemingly didn’t have to worry about. 

Like he still has his goons, even if less than he would because he is still taking over the underbelly, it’s just far slower because suddenly he has like, twelve small children to keep safe along with defending the alley from these government goons. 

Like I want the GIW to full on build files on this (to-them) half rabid ghost prowling crime alley whenever one survives to retreat and lick their wounds. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to notice a pattern. Enough to figure out when their lost specimens are not with the very dangerous ghost. 

Enough to catch the babysitting goon off guard, to overwhelm them with numbers. 

Enough to take his children. 

And Jason has seen those labs, he’s torn apart several, but they aren’t in Gotham anymore, they’re goneGoneGone and he needs to get them back. They’re just babies, they’re his babies, and he’s not going to let them be cut into again. 

And there is no warning on the Watchtower when the Zeta activates. There is no alarm when a hulking figure enters during their weekly nearly full-team meeting. A figure that could pass as both human or not, with sparks trailing behind barely restrained movements as they get ready to fight this masked intruder. 

“Diana Prince, Wally West, Clark Kent, John Jones, Arthur Curry.” There’s this deadly calm as he speaks, because otherwise he would only be feeling rage. “I know each and every one of your identities, and if you don’t help me everyone is going to know them.” 

[clockwayswrites]

Not Exactly Cinderella Part 1

WC: 1350

CW: mildy raunchy talk

Dick/Danny/Wally

Wally still didn’t really get why Dick hated galas so much. The outfits were a little stuffy, but Dick always looked amazing in them and these days he found ways to have fun with the looks. The people could be stuck up, sure, but there were always lots of Waynes and other supes to talk to. And the galas could drag on a little, but Dick was amazing at finding dark corners to duck into and make out in.

The worst part, really, was the photos going in. That was mostly because Wally felt so utterly inadequate standing next to Dick, but he doubted Dick had any issue with that part. Still, every time that Dick begged Wally to come along with him to one, he acted as if he was going to his execution. For a guy who fought crime and had literately been at his own attempted executions before, it felt a little extreme.

“You know, we could still have the driver turn around,” Dick suggested hopefully.

“Put those baby blues away because we really, really cannot,” Wally said, but he softened his words by reaching out to twist their fingers together. “You have to be at this one, babe. Part of what they’re trying to raise funds for is your idea.”

Dick groaned and let his head fall back against the the black leather seat. It made Wally want to lean over and kiss along that length of neck as beautifully highlighted by the passing neon lights as it was, but he managed to resist. Dick really shouldn’t be marked up before photos.

(Which was a shame.)

“Hey, I’m with you at least?” Wally offered. He knew it was paltry compensation, but it was at least something.

“You are. Thanks for coming,” Dick said. He lifted their hands to press a kiss to the back of Wally’s hand. “I know—”

“Hey, I’ve said it lots before. I don’t mind coming to the galas with you at all. Where else am I going to get to eat so many tiny foods?”

“Tiny food is overrated.”

“It’s the best.”

“Speedsters,” Dick said, rolling his eyes.

Wally elbowed Dick for saying ‘speedsters’, even if the driver wasn’t supposed to be able to hear them right then. Dick, of course, was completely unrepentant and just stole a quick kiss instead as the car rolled to a stop.

Dick took a deep breath. “Okay, time to look pretty, Wally.”

Wally’s ‘easy for you to say’ was lost to the sounds of flashing cameras and shouted questions as the door opened and Dick stepped out. Wally tamped down the urge to fidget and took Dick’s hand, joining him in the lights and noise.

-

For the most part, Wally was glad that he wasn’t expected to contribute to the conversations as they made their rounds at the gala. He got the basic ‘how are you’ or ‘so what is it you do’, but really no one wanted to know, not unless he ran into other scientists. Wally knew he could be a bit… much to talk to, so he let Dick lead for all the important conversation. Wally figured he could slip off to talk to the other nerds later, if they were around, but he’d stick by Dick for the first part at least. This obligation would probably wind down soon, even those coming in fashionably late had arrived by now.

Wally scanned the crowd as they headed up to the second floor to make sure they had caught everyone they needed to. Ah, there were some people he recognized from WE Research, as well as some new faces. They looked like they were having a good time. The group laughed and one of the people Wally didn’t know, turned with the act and looked over the crowd too. For just a moment his eyes and Wally’s caught.

His smile was brilliant.

Suddenly Wally found himself tipping forward, toe caught on the step. Only Dick’s quick reaction time saved Wally’s face from meeting the marble.

“Shit, Wally, you okay?” Dick asked, clutching Wally tightly to him.

Wally buried his blushing red face into Dick’s shoulder. “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Dick said, drawing the word out. He guided Wally upstairs and into one of those dark corners, not taking his bracing hand off Wally’s back. Voice quiet, he asked, “Is it something from the… work issue earlier today?”

“No,” Wally said, but his word was muffled by the his hands pressed over his warm face. “I didn’t get hurt.”

“Okay,” Dick said again.

“Stop saying okay. It’s nothing. I’m just being… ugh.”

“Walls, sweetheart,” Dick pried Wally’s hands away from his face, holding them gently, “you’re worrying me a little here.”

Wally sighed. “I tripped because a cute guy smiled in my direction, alright?”

“What?” Dick asked. He covered his laughter with their clasped hands.

“I tripped because I’m an idiot and got flustered when a cute guy smiled my way.”

Dick pouted, still snickering. “You’ve never tripped up because of my smile.”

Wally just stared at Dick.

“What?”

He couldn’t believe it. “Do you really not know how many walls I ran into because of your smile, Dick?”

“No.” Dick was grinning now, bright and wonderful. “Give me a number here. Ten? Twenty?”

“So many, Dick, so many. So no getting jealous, you’re still way in the lead.”

Dick sobered instantly. He reached out and caught Wally’s wrist again, running his fingers along that too fast Speedster’s pulse. “Hey, no, you think I’m being jealous?”

Wally just shrugged. He did and he didn’t. He really didn’t know what to think. He didn’t think Dick was the jealous type, but it hadn’t exactly been put to the test. When this thing between them had turned from fooling around into something more they had agreed on an open relationship and worked out the details. And Wally would talk about someone being hot, sure, but they were always someone unobtainable. It’s Dick who had actually gone out and dated, or at least slept with, other people.

“Oh sweetheart, no,” Dick murmured, closing the distance between them to nothing. “I was just teasing. I think it’s adorable that his smile made you stumble— and at a ball too! That’s some real fairy tale stuff right there.”

“Okay, but fairy tales usually ended pretty horrifically,” Wally pointed out, though he could feel his own smile tugging at his lips.

Dick rolled his eyes. “Alright, a Disney style fairy tale then.”

Wally’s nose wrinkled. “Too wholesome.”

“Picky, picky, picky. An adult film knock off of a Disney story?”

“Dick!” Wally laughed and gave the other a little shove. The bastard didn’t even budge.

“Sorry,” Dick said without sounding sorry at all. “Come on, let’s go talk to him.”

“What?!” Wally squawked. “No! Dick, no, why?”

“Because you thought he was cute. It can’t hurt.”

“Yes it can! He’ll talk to me and…”

“Walls?”

Wally looked down at their feet, scuffing his banged up toe around. “He’ll, I don’t know, get bored of me? Or at least it won’t go anywhere.”

Dick ducked down so he could see Wally’s eyes. “Hey, no, sweetheart, why do you think that? You’re a catch.”

“I’m pretty sure only you think that,” Wally said.

“Lies,” Dick said, giving Wally a peck. “I’ll prove it. Come on, let me be your ‘wing man.”

Wally snorted at that.

“You know I’m a great ‘wing.”

“You are,” Wally said, unable to help the fond smile.

“Then come on. I know all your virtues, including how good you are at blow jobs. Let me extol them.”

“Dick! You are not telling a stranger I’m good at blow jobs!” Wally hissed.

“But you are.”

“Yeah, I am, aren’t I?”

Dick backed up, tugging Wally out of the nook. “We’ll do a quick pass up here and then go find him. See if we can’t get you lucky.”

“I was supposed to get lucky with you tonight,” Wally reminded him.

Dick just shrugged, still smiling. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I’ll still be around after you have some fun.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

--

AN: So I didn't really have anything else that fit Tooth-Rotting Tuesday in my current wips (not where they were at least) and somehow this got in my brain soooo.... hopefully you enjoyed it?

I love how gung-ho Dick is about getting his boyfriend laid. His plan is to get them started flirting and then just slip away. But will he be able to pull that off?

Sorry for any mistakes. A pressure migraine on top of my other migraine rolled in with the front yesterday so I am KOed.

Stay delightful darlings!

[whoopsyeahokay]

October Sun

summary: a near-death experience hadn't been enough to deter you from getting to the bottom of things. one of those things had been, holy shit, Maddie!? and there had been questions, and Ajay and Wally hadn't known what not to say, but who'd cared because, "Oh my god, Maddie, I can see you!"

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.

bon reading, frens

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.23

With great reluctance, Wally separated from you, his heart still lodged in his throat from what had almost unfolded. He scanned you up and down to ensure you were in one piece before he turned and walked toward Maddie. She looked distressed, wracked with guilt, her eyes watery and her mouth severely anchored at the corners.

She gazed up at Wally, utterly distraught, and sniffled, "I didn't...I didn't mean to. She can see everyone else, I just wanted..." Her shoulders shook with the effort it seemed to take not to break down right then and there, "Tell her I'm sorry, please, Wally, tell her I didn't mean it."

Wally wanted to fold Maddie into a bear hug like the ones his grandma used to give him; to give her the solace she seemed desperately to need, but first, he had to understand why you'd asked him to touch her shoulder. It'd taken him a second to figure out that that's what you meant, that something had happened when he'd tried to pull Maddie back before she'd collided with you in her effort to get your attention, but once he'd realized, he couldn't suppress the hope that blossomed within him.

With a sympathetic look, "I know," he told Maddie in a quiet voice, "it was an accident." She nodded miserably, body curling away from Wally even as he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. He turned to look at you, and asked, "Like this?" before stepping aside to see if anything had changed.

Indeed, something had shifted, Maddie becoming just that little bit more solid under his hand. He'd never noticed how she'd been slightly apart from himself and the others, a faint breadth less tangible, until it was made abundantly clear when you gasped and bolted forward, gathering Maddie against you in a wholesome embrace.

Wanting to give you and Maddie a moment, Wally removed his hand and, instantly, you were left holding nothing, arms collapsing against yourself and your body slouching sideways, out of Maddie's hold.

"Do it again!" You implored Wally, clutching his wrist and yanking him back into place. The connection flushed under the skin beneath your palm, white-hot through his veins, and it took everything in him not to pin you to him and kiss you deeply; to stake his claim in front of the others. You must've felt similarly because your next instruction was forced out, breathy, "And don't let go of her."

He did as told, placed his hand back on Maddie's shoulder, and felt her become a sturdier presence once more. Wow, Wally gaped, acutely aware of how in the dark Rhonda and Charley must feel, probably unable to tell the difference between Maddie before and after. You bundled Maddie into another hug, Wally's hand forced to fall to her shoulder blade, his other hand unconsciously moving to rest on your hip.

"I'm so sorry," Maddie apologized in a quick current of words, "I swear, I didn't mean to make you fall! I would never hurt you."

"I know, it's okay," You squeezed her tighter, "Oh my god, Maddie, I can't believe I can see you!"

"And...touch her, apparently..." Charley commented, making a close circle around you, Wally, and Maddie in examination. "How can you do that? Living people can't touch us."

"Yeah, we usually repel them like a bad smell," Rhonda added, voice marginally less spiky than before, "But Wally grabbed you like it was nothing."

The interrogation concluded with Charley asking, "And why couldn't you see Maddie until Wally touched her?"

That's when it clicked, "You have to invite her in..." Wally muttered, remembering the conversation you and he had had about the intricacies of In Betweens. At once, everyone's eyes slashed to Wally and he gulped, sweat gathering at his brow as it dawned on him that he'd spoken his thought aloud.

Thankfully, you dove in to save him, cutting to Ajay and giving him a pointed look. "You told Wally about In Betweens, huh? I asked you not to do that."

Ajay nodded, lips pressed into a line, "He's my bro," he shrugged stiffly, taking monumental strides to keep up with the lie as it developed. "I told him everything you told me about In Betweens, which are things I know about because you and I talk about them. In Betweens. C r a z y."

Rhonda rounded on him, a whiplash scowl that Wally was eternally grateful not to be on the receiving end of, even though he was the one who deserved it. "And you decided not to share with the rest of the class because...?"

"I told him not to and he probably made Wally swear to keep it a secret, too," You interjected. "Look, my family has a very strict rule against speaking to the dead. If anyone finds out I've been talking to Ajay—" Wally "—and now you guys? I'm fucked. My mom or my great-aunt will step in and I don't exactly know what'll happen, but it won't be good for me or you."

Charley seemed to contemplate your warning, fiddling with the cuffs of his jean jacket, then supplied, "We already decided it's better if we don't tell anyone about Simon." He gave Rhonda and Wally a curt nod which they both reciprocated. Wally didn't know what else to do but play along and consent to something he'd been doing since yesterday. "I think we can all agree to keep this between us, too."

"Yeah. You and Ajay aren't the only ones who can keep a secret." Rhonda commented, every letter dripping with condescension. She barreled ahead like a battering ram and imposed, "You wanna tell us why you couldn't see Maddie until Romeo over there got his mitts on her?"

"And what's an In Between?" Charley included, though he wasn't looking at you. Instead, he eyeballed where Wally's hand rested on your hip, his gaze flicking between there and Wally's face.

Wally did his best to avoid Charley's intense scrutiny, looking everywhere but at him and, oh, the moon was bright; was that garland of stars Orion just above the trees over there? Yeesh, someone should've cleaned up the littering of cigarette butts in the corner... Nothing to see here. Totally normal. Innocent whistle. Moving right along.

Or not.

"Actually, if you wanna start with whatever this is," Charley flapped his hand at you, Wally, and Maddie, though it was very clear what he meant to encapsulate with the gesture, "that'd be nice."

Wally barely held back the whimper of dread that tried to squeak out of him, his grip tightening on your hip.

"That would be nice," Ajay agreed, "I've always wanted to know. Especially after the hoops I had to jump through trying to keep you two apart."

Your face scrunched up adorably in confusion, "Hoops?" Ajay's eye twitched just before Rhonda and Charley served their attention to him. "Hoops!" You rectified. "So many hoops. All those things you did to keep me outta trouble when this weird, mysterious connection tried to derail my life..."

"Okaaay," Charley surveyed you with a trickle of doubt in his tone.

To your credit, you didn't let Charley deter you as you proceeded, "I've never felt it this strongly before. It's like a pull that I can't resist."

"Same," Wally wheezed, "It's like I have to be near her or I'll explode." He used his excuse to his advantage—at least he wasn't lying—and dragged you into his side, wrapping his arm more securely around your waist, all while maintaining contact with Maddie's back.

Rhonda arched a brow, "Explode, huh? Kinky." Wally opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, "Is that why he spent months following you around like a puppy a couple of years ago? I've seen him moon over plenty of little crushes on the living, but that was a lot, even for him."

"Thanks. Rhonda. Really." Wally glared, eyes darkening at her further when a surprised laugh bubbled out of Maddie. You shifted to look up at him, a sweet, playful smile on your lips that Wally wanted to feel on his skin.

"I remember that," You said, quiet, private, just for him, although you had to be aware the others were listening. "I'm sorry I... If I'd thought I could get away with it, I would've said something back then," You confessed and Wally's pulse quickened. You panned back to the others, offering each a significant look, including Maddie whose hand you scooped into your own, "I'm sorry I never reached out and tried to help you, but I'm here now and I will do everything I can to make it up to you."

Finally, Rhonda appeared to soften—not by much, but by enough that Wally felt himself relax for the first time since stepping foot on the roof. Her shoulders sank away from her ears, stance loosened marginally, and she nodded in acknowledgment of your apology.

"Alright, strawberry pie," Rhonda invited, "does this magical connection between you and lover boy have anything to do with why you couldn't see Maddie?"

Wally sensed your relief as if it were his own, your body melting into his side. You and he were off the hook, even if he did suspect he'd be questioned about the connection later. He could already hear Rhonda and Charley (even Maddie) grilling him for information: Why didn't you say anything? Did you always feel it? What does it mean?

"Honestly?" You began, "I don't know how the two are connected but I think they have to be. Not that the connection is responsible for why I can't see Maddie but why I can if Wally touches her. The only logical thing I can come up with is that the connection Wally and I have is actually some kind of manifestation of a soul-tie and that's why he can invite Maddie into my, uh, okay, so the thing about In Betweens—"

"Which is a thing I know about." Ajay inserted.

"—is that they're really...hard...to explain..." You rubbed your temples, obviously trying to gather your thoughts. Wally began to stroke his thumb over your sweater to encourage you to continue. Sinking into him further, you appeared to center yourself, flashing him a small, grateful smile before launching into the same spiel you'd given Wally. As you spoke, Wally pondered the complexities of In Betweens. Now that he thought about it, the fact that you and he shared a soul-tie that transcended life and death and time totally explained parts of why the connection existed in the first place.

He didn't know how or why whatever higher power had decided you two were meant to be whatever you were meant to be, but he felt all the more compelled to preserve the connection. The amount of devotion he'd developed toward you in under twenty-four hours was proof enough that you were or had been or were going to be someone profoundly important to him and he didn't want to lose that. Didn't want to lose you. A feeling he could only convey by pulling you as close to him as possible.

Charley, Rhonda, and Maddie (with Ajay forcefully maintaining an air of previously informed) listened to you, rapt, absorbing the information silently until you finished. Your brief lecture ended with a comment about Maddie and Simon's ineffable bond, that one of them likely had latent abilities similar to yours that allowed them to reach through the veil and communicate with the other.

"Right," Ajay seemed comfortable enough to drop the charade and ask genuinely, "But if Maddie's dead, why is she In Between and we're not? What makes her so unique?"

Wally felt you go rigid beneath his touch and he pressed himself into you, his front a hard, reinforcing line at your back. He observed the others slowly coming to the same conclusion as you struggled to say what needed to be said. To relieve you of the burden, Wally uttered, "She's not dead...is she?" sliding his hand up Maddie's back to hold her shoulder. A friendly, supportive touch that she seemed to appreciate when his statement sunk in.

She gaped at you, "Is it true?"

With a weak smile, you said, "Yeah. At least, it's the only thing that makes sense. Mads, I can see dead people, but I couldn't see you until Wally invited you into my circle. You can't be dead."

"You're sure it's not a fluke?" Maddie asked as tears sprang to her eyes.

"No," You shook your head, "Like I told Wa—Ajay, this shit," A swiping motion in front of your face, "Doesn't get glitchy. I've seen people leave. their. bodies. If you were dead, you and I would've been having a lot of conversations a lot sooner."

The instant you mentioned having witnessed death firsthand, Maddie's face crumpled in anguish. "You mean Ai—"

Rhonda interrupted, "Even though you're not supposed to talk to ghosts?" her snide remark disguised behind a question.

You didn't back down. Gripped Maddie's hand and brought it to your chest, swearing in no uncertain terms, "She's my friend, I would've risked everything to help her," your features fixed in resolution.

And then, just like that—

"Ack!" Wally sprung back, shaking his hand after a jolt of what felt like electricity pricked his palm. The palm of the hand that had been on Maddie's shoulder.

At the same moment, you released her, shifting away, cradling your hand as if you'd also been shocked, staring in disbelief at your hand, then back at Maddie, then back to your hand. It took several beats before either you or Wally realized you could still see her without Wally's intervention, but when it clicked, you darted forward and embraced her all over again. Maddie sniffed into your shoulder, whispering something Wally couldn't hear though it sounded like she was coming to terms with still being alive.

"Are you guys okay?" Charley wondered. He glanced between you, Maddie, and Wally, shifting closer, one arm out in front of Rhonda in an action that reminded Wally of his mama when he'd been in the passenger seat of the car and she'd hit the brakes too hard. Protective in a situation Charley didn't understand the makeup of. "What's going on?"

"The universe just needed to hear me say it," You grinned, parting from Maddie to explain to the others and Wally, "We can Travel the same stream now," and, damn, you were cute when you were excited, eyes alight and cheeks dimpled.

It took tremendous effort not to throw you over his shoulder and carry you away to somewhere you and he could be alone. Wally grinned back when you looked at him. And then his eyes widened in surprise as you decided for him that his effort wasn't necessary and jumped into his arms. He caught you easily, one hand shamelessly on your ass while the other spread wide at the middle of your back.

"Thank you!" You said, face tucked into his throat, and hugged him tightly. "It wouldn't have happened without you." Leaning back slightly, you smiled, as bright and beautiful as springtime, and Wally had to worry that his limbs were about to turn to Jell-O.

"Yeah," He replied, "Anything for you, pretty girl."

From behind Charley, Rhonda announced her disproval to the open display of affection, "Blech," and then shared, "Great, so cherry pop is alive," Wally detected a bitter note beneath the pragmatic tone she used, "Now what? Do you escort her out of here and back to her body?"

"I wish it was that easy." You admitted, brows furrowing. Wally placed you gently back on your feet with a kiss to your hair, no longer concerned that the others would find it suspicious now that you and he had established you were both under the influence of a mysterious connection. He hooked an arm around your collar, placing himself at your back as you reported, "But, according to...Ajay... something is keeping you guys stuck here. The fact that you supposedly can't leave school grounds isn't normal. As ghosts, you should have a lot more agency than that, like, way more than the living."

"And the plot thickens..." Rhonda muttered, the muscles in her jaw ticking as she ground her molars.

Charley and Maddie wore identical expressions of alarm. Recovering quicker, Maddie asked, "You're saying that someone is trapping ghosts here on purpose?"

"Seems that way, yeah."

"What about Mr. Anderson?" Wally could see the gears turning in Maddie's head, "Could he have done this somehow?"

"He wasn't around until ten years ago," Wally answered her, repeating what you'd said that morning, "He might've just taken advantage of the situation."

You nodded to confirm, "Simon and I definitely think he's got something to do with how Maddie was forced out of her body in the first place." Looking at Maddie, you said, "Simon told me about the phone call he overheard and the money in the supply closet. I'd hoped he'd be able to get something out of Anderson's phone but—"

"He stole Mr. Anderson's phone?" Maddie gawped, "Is that why the cops took him?"

"Possibly," You replied, "And now they're not even looking at Anderson because they think Simon had something to do with your disappearance."

Maddie's temper flared, "But he didn't!"

"I know that and you know that, which is why I'm here. We have to find something that'll make the cops take Anderson in."

"We should try the theater," Wally suggested, recalling how freaked Anderson seemed when he'd found you. "He went nuts on a student in there last night."

Rhonda studied Wally briefly before asking, "Is that where you went after supper?"

"Yeah," Wally cleared his throat, "Just wanted to zen out for a bit, but a freshman came in looking for something in the seats," Oh hell yes, he could do this! He stuck close enough to the truth that he could fill in details if anyone tried to poke holes in his defense, probably more proud of himself than he should be for fabricating a decent lie. "Mr. A found them and lost his shit. There's probably something in there he doesn't want anyone to find."

Rhonda gave Wally a look of sardonic glee, "See, doesn't it feel better to act normal instead of pretending you're an idiot?"

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Wally grumbled while Charley unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh behind his fist.

"What's going on?" You asked.

Wally huffed, "Don't ask. Rhonda is a lying liar who lies."

Rhonda snorted, demeanor adjusting to something Wally hadn't expected from her. Casual, borderline friendly—well, less standoffish which was as friendly as Rhonda got toward newcomers. "I'll tell you about it sometime," She offered you, a rare olive branch in the shape and weight of Group gossip. Then she brought everyone's attention back to more pressing matters, "Okay, so we check out the theater, right?"

Staring at Wally carefully, Maddie fished something out of her pocket and held it up for everyone to see, explaining, "Simon told me about something that went down in the theater last night." Wally's stomach clenched. Busted. "I tried talking to Mina. She wasn't exactly a fountain of information, but I found this on the floor. I was hoping to ask her about it..."

You reached for what Wally identified as the Split River High Devils patch Maddie had shown him, Rhonda, and Charley just before Ajay had retrieved them. Maddie handed it over and you inspected it, chuckling, "Wow. I didn't think these were still around."

"You know what it is?" Maddie asked, "Because I didn't until tonight."

"Rora was a Blue Devil," Ajay said as if lost in thought, staring at the patch. "She played tuba."

"Which is something I told you because we talk. About things. Like my sister." You blurted to cover Ajay's mild fuckup. "Yeah, she was in the band. She still has her uniform and everything."

Maddie mumbled, "I keep forgetting she's, like, twenty years older than you."

"Seventeen," You corrected, and then, "She could've easily ended up being one of the bus crash kids, but she was sick that day. I wasn't even born, so I don't know much, but the way Rory tells it she got food poisoning from the cafeteria lunch the day before. Best worst day of her life."

"Jesus Christ," It fell out of Wally's mouth before he could stop it, stunned that your sister had almost wound up a ghost like the rest of them. Would she have been a looper, too? Or would she have been the only one of the bunch to snap out of it? Fuck, it wasn't worth thinking about, Wally reprimanded himself, his arm sliding down to band around you, his hand unconsciously slipping under your sweater to rest, skin-to-skin, on your waist.

"I know," You mused, solemn, "If she hadn't eaten the fish sticks, she'd be dead."

"This was on the floor in the theater and I think there's something to it." Maddie said, "I don't know if Mr. Anderson is involved or not, but Mina must know something and we need to find out what. It could be what we need to help Simon."

Everyone gave their assent, ready and willing to help, as you offered, "Tell me what to do, Mads, and I'll do it."

Filled with determination, Maddie said, "We need to find some flowers."

"Butter Mina up a bit, huh?" You grinned conspiratorially, "Alright, I'm on it. I can get something together in the morning and bring them to school with me."

"Can you come early?"

"Not gonna lie, I already intended to. Zav agreed to pick me up at dawn so we could sniff around." The face Maddie made when you mentioned Xavier was cold and angry. Wally wasn't sure what you knew and what you didn't, but he remained certain of the fact that you had no idea Xavier had been cheating on Maddie with that cheerleader. "We're all on Simon's side," You assured Maddie, "Even if he and Zav didn't get along before, Zav wants to help."

Maddie cut the conversation there, "Yeah, I'm sure he does," forcing a smile.

"Great, now that that's settled," Rhonda began in an uncharacteristically helpful redirect. Whatever moment she and Maddie had shared during Field Day seemed to have established a fledgling bond between them, Rhonda actively changing the subject so Maddie didn't have to. "How about we go back to why Goldilocks can't get back into her body because we're trapped?"

As you were about to answer, Wally glanced at Ajay and saw him steeling himself for what he was about to expose, "Uhm, about that. There's something I want you guys to see."

‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗

Ajay was ahead of you; Rhonda, Charley, and Maddie brought up the rear, leaving you and Wally to walk together in the middle.

"I thought I was going to have a heart attack," He admitted, slinging his arm around your shoulders and pressing a tender kiss into your hair. Butterflies erupted in your belly, the casual affection he'd been doting on you during and since the rooftop making you swoon, pleasantly dizzy from it. "I think Maddie figured out that I wasn't alone in the theater last night."

"If she did, she won't say anything," You promised, cheeks pinking as you regarded him. Wally looked particularly handsome in the moonlight, his features striking. Your pulse quickened as you soaked him in, those sweet-sultry eyes blinking at you when he panned his head to grin down at you. "She's loyal like that," You finished, tongue suddenly sticking to the roof of your mouth.

Ajay stopped a few meters in front of a tree you recognized as one of several that students carved their initials into. It was unspectacular, normal; bushy leaves in autumn colors, and twisty with knots and thick roots. The others caught up eventually, Charley marching a couple more steps ahead of Ajay before Ajay caught him by the back of his jacket.

"Don't want you to end up back in the cafeteria," Ajay said, pulling Charley back to a safe distance.

So, this was the almighty barrier Wally had mentioned. At least, a section of it. You produced your phone from the pocket of your sweater, turned on the flashlight, and carefully neared the tree. With great mindfulness, you picked your way around the bottom of the tree, still managed to stumble and trip here and there where the roots were difficult to see. Nothing stood out to you; some hearts, some graduating years, even a few profanities and one clumsy dick with a crudely marked phone number beneath it. Ordinary stuff that most high schoolers thought was hilarious or edgy.

Returning to the starting point, you placed your hand on the truck, the bark ridges rough under your palm. Closing your eyes, you focused on your breath, deep and even inhales and exhales as you attempted to connect to whatever magic might be hidden within the tree's heartwood. You'd never tried to feel out another person's magic before. You'd never truly referred to it as magic before, either, so this was a night of firsts in many ways. You could sense the spectral weave of the ghosts behind you, the vibration of their buoyant, antigravitational energy. You felt something else ahead of you, barely a hum, as if caged within a lead box—blurry and distant and altogether difficult to pinpoint. In tandem phantom and human.

Then, quite suddenly, a piercing thrust of malicious, vantablack magic made itself known, shoving into you through your palm and sending you stumbling back over the raised roots. Your heel caught and you landed hard, phone falling face-down in the dirt.

"Are you okay?!" Charley called, arms braced against Wally who'd clearly tried to dash forward to your rescue, likely forgetting that he'd be transported back to the football field.

"Babe!?"

You raised a thumbs up and took a moment to let the adrenaline settle. "Fine," You assured, "Probably gonna bruise nasty, but nothing I can't handle." You heaved yourself into a sitting position, eyes scanning up the tree, following the cone of light from your phone to just above the faintest part of its reach. Frowning, you rolled yourself forward onto hands and knees, grabbed your phone and held it up to bring more light to a specific portion of the tree.

"No. Fucking. Way." You gawked.

"What is it?" Rhonda wanted to know, staring at you with a hard expression before glancing between the others. They all shared her question, each taking tiny, measured steps forward.

"It's...it looks like a ritual mark." You told them because, above all the depravity and memory-making, a strange symbol was etched into the bark, the cambium beneath blackened with age. A vertical line that bisected an unsymmetrical diamond with an X slashed through it. You took a picture of it, examined it on your phone as you rejoined the others. The symbol was as familiar as it wasn't; something in its nature niggled at the back of your mind.

In the years before everything had gone to shit, Ginny had spent countless afternoons delighting you with lessons on the craft. She'd taught you about the flora and fauna that harbored ancient energy; what talismans actually benefited the wearer and what were cheap, souvenir shop gimmicks. You'd enjoyed two whole days listening to her lilt the runic alphabet—fehu, uruz, thurisaz, and so on.

The symbol in the tree appeared to be a personal representation of a ritual rune, unlike any you'd seen before; its design unique to the individual and whatever purpose they'd needed it to serve.

"The barrier feels weakest here," Ajay said, "I'd hoped you could find a way to break it."

You hummed in acknowledgment, completely transfixed as you continued to search your memory for the runes Ginny had shown you. "Yeah..." And then, when you'd processed what Ajay had said, "No. Even though it feels weaker, it isn't. The energy is just stretched outward."

"What does the mark mean?" Wally asked, arm already outstretched for you to tuck yourself under. An invitation your body instinctively accepted before your brain caught up to how you'd slid into Wally's space like you were meant to be there.

You lifted your phone to show him the screen, "It looks like someone just hacked random runes together to make their own, but..." Skirting your attention to Ajay, "I bet there are other places around the school where the barrier feels different, too?"

"Four others." Ajay nodded.

"About equidistant apart?"

"That sounds about right, yeah."

Maddie ventured closer, "What does it mean?"

A shiver ran down your spine as you shifted your gaze back to the tree, the weight of the truth looming in the deep, eerie blackness behind it. "It means this was planned."

At that precise moment, a twig snapped in the shadows. Wally repositioned himself, shoving you behind him so he could put himself between you and whatever was out there. The others were on-guard around you as well, the circle they'd stood in shrinking as a figure appeared from out of the darkness. You held your breath, heart racing, and took an instinctive step back. Wally's form blocked you from seeing who it was, but your gut screamed at you to run run run, get out, leave, run, that sense of phantom-human energy shuddering through your veins.

You were ready to submit to the feeling only for, "There you are!" a familiar voice to split through the night, god dammit, seriously?!

"Who the hell is that?" Charley inquired to the group at large.

Quickly, you shoved your phone back into your pocket, moving around Wally in as natural a manner as possible to call out, "Jesus, Dave, you nearly gave me an aneurism!"

Dave emerged from the shadows, blond hair and bright white teeth catching the distant lamplight. He wore an expression of concern, eyes boring into yours, steps measured and steady as he treaded over the raised roots and pitted dirt toward you. Despite predicting what was about to happen, you weren't ready to have Dave haul you into a friends-and-family hug, his arms pinning your elbows to your sides and wringing you hard enough to expel the air from your lungs.

"Aurora sent me out to look for you," He told you, his tone grating against your ear. "I've been driving around for an hour!"

"Well, here I am," You coughed with as much enthusiasm as you could muster. Which wasn't much considering how pissed you were that Dave of all people had been the one sent to perform a search and rescue. And, of course, that your progress with the barrier had been interrupted. Mostly that.

You wriggled out of his embrace, putting some necessary distance between you and him as he motioned to usher you to his car, "I parked down the street. Come on, let's get you home."

"I'm fine, Dave." You said, really, really fighting not to sound as unpleasant as Aurora nagged that you always did when speaking to him. You wanted to argue, to stay and have Ajay show you the other points where the barrier's intensity was altered, however, Dave seemed insistent on returning you to the house. Covertly, you glanced at Wally, wordlessly asking for his input.

"It's okay, baby, we can show you the rest tomorrow morning." He said and the others followed, murmuring their reassurance at separate intervals. All but Rhonda who peered intently into the darkness where Dave had materialized.

"We've totally got this," She added belatedly, distant, distracted, but you took it for the endorsement of your surrender that it was and resigned yourself to trailing Dave to his car.

A scant step or two from the school property line, you heard footsteps behind you. Dave was far enough ahead, nattering on about whatever Aurora or your mother or Nanna had said about you sneaking out at midnight on a Thursday, that you risked turning to see who it was.

Wally jogged up to you, all cheeky smirk and boyish charm, and grabbed you by the arm, abruptly drawing you flush against him and, in a flash, delivering a deep, heated kiss to your lips. His large hand cradled your jaw, thumb caressing your cheek, as he teased your bottom lip with his teeth. A streak of want burned through you, coiling in your belly. A whimper escaped you that Wally swallowed greedily and you could feel the shape of his smirk against your mouth.

As soon as it had begun, it was over. A one-and-done moment. So fast that by the time Dave noticed you weren't at his back, Wally had already detached from you, cheeks flushed and eyes glassy. "Been wanting to do that all day," He chuckled, licking his lips as if to savor the taste you'd left behind.

You hated him just a little bit because you couldn't say anything back. Couldn't tease him or tell him how much you wanted more; couldn't yank him into another searing kiss and have him lay you down in the grass; couldn't do anything except—

"Let's go, champ!" Dave called with his patented Real Estate smile, jingling his keys to signal for you to come. Like a dog. Your faced pinched in bitterness, an expression Wally seemed to find endearing because he chuckled and shook his head fondly.

"Better go, baby, or he might try to hug you again."

"Oh my god, I hate him so much." You grumbled under your breath and Wally all but cackled as he retreated toward the school, catching up with the others as they filed through the door.

‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗

In the darkness, meters from the tree you'd been inspecting only minutes ago, a girl wearing your friend's face scowled down at a hand that didn't belong to her, biting her tongue as she pulled one of the loose fingernails from its bed.

Time was starting to run out.

💀___________________________

PART TWENTY-TWO - PART TWENTY-FOUR

also available on AO3!

MASTERLIST

[sunnie-writes]

is loving as good as they say?

pairing: wally darling x reader

tags: romantic fluff, love confessions, reader is a hopeless romantic !!

plot: a hopeless romantic all your life, you dreamed about the love you saw in movies and series, the type you would read in books that left you kicking your feet and giggling. cupid never seemed to be by your side, everyone who you fell in love with ended up not liking you back, so of course you were scared of another heartbreak when you moved to a new neighborhood and ended up falling for your newest neighbor, wally darling. although, it seemed that cupid didn't miss this time.

talk that talk, sunnie !!: so, this has been rotting in my google docs for almost a year already, so i thought i should post it already!! i hope you guys enjoy it, and you're more than welcome to read my other wally fics. thank you, and let's get to it!!

this fic is also available on ao3, you can click here to find it!!

A hopeless romantic, that's what you could call yourself.

You crave the love you would see on TV, those movies and series about romance had a grip on you that no one could explain, and don't get me started on the books. Even while being that amazed by the concept of being loved and cared by someone who you felt the same with, Cupid seemed to always miss his arrows.

Unrequited love was painful, you learned that the hard way. In your high school, you would watch all the high school sweethearts make their ways to classes while holding hands or eating lunch playfully with all the romantic atmosphere that came with it. What was the word you felt? Ah, that's right, you envied them.

Moving away from your town was both a relief and a scare, you would now be open to meeting new people, watching them enter your life. You hoped that they would stay.

And that's how you ended up here, in the lovely and colorful neighborhood that was Welcome Home. The name seemed silly, but you quickly learned that it was because of all the friendly behavior that those who lived there seemed to have. So friendly that they're always welcoming everyone.

All of the stars know that you would be lying if you said you weren't nervous. You never dealt good with talking to new people, you hoped that they could be friendly enough to start introductions first. Even if you were repeating how to introduce yourself like a mantra in your head, you were anxious about meeting so many people in just a day.

"Oooh! Are you the new neighbor?!" And that was your cue to use up all your social skills.

"Uh- yes?" You turned around to see who screamed, eyes meeting with a puppet girl with long blonde hair, and were those candy corn horns?

"Welcome Home! I was so excited to meet you! What is your name? What do you like?" She jumped up and down while popping multiple questions.

"I'm Y/N L/N, nice to meet you." You smiled, she's like a puppy. "I like reading and... animals, and I would love to be your friend!" There was no need to reveal your secret interest yet.

"That's amazing! You remind me of Frank, he also likes reading and animals! Well, specifically, flutterbies!" She spoke rapidly.

"Julie for the last time, they're called butterflies!" You looked to the side, seeing a gray man coming your way. "Oh, hello, I'm Frank."

You settled for waving at him. Julie, noticing your behavior, told him your name and interests. You're starting to think that Julie was sent from the angels as a way to help you enter this community.Then, you were pulled away from your thoughts as more puppet people started to gather in front of you.

"Oh my, the new neighbor has arrived already?" A girl with a sun head happily said. "My name is Sally Starlet, and you?"

"I'm Y/N L/N... nice to meet you!" You gave your best friendly smile.

Everyone introduced themselves to you, all colorful and adorable. Poppy was a pretty chicken who turned out to be an immediate mother figure to you, we also have Barnaby who is a big blue dog with a chill, kinda laid back personality that made you comfortable with his presence. Eddie Dear was the mailman, who Julie alerted you to not catch feelings for since Frank already had his eyes on him, and Howdy was a sweet man who owned the local market.

Judging by the numbers of houses, only one neighbor was missing. You pondered on how the last person could possibly be like, smiling at the idea of them being just as friendly as everyone in this colorful place that had you looking around nonstop.

"Ah, I see… am I late?" Someone spoke up, you turned around to finally meet your last neighbor.

And at that moment, you knew you were in trouble. He was absurdly pretty, with a blue pompadour and yellow skin, along with colorful clothing and eyes that pierced your soul and sent chills all over your senses. You felt your cheeks burn up, Cupid did it again and you weren't sure on how to stop staring at him.

"Woooow Wally, being late to meet our newest neighbor? How dare you!" Barnaby playfully dramatically gasped.

"I apologize, let me introduce myself." He went in your direction, standing right in front of you, who was currently almost out of breath. "I'm Wally Darling, the artist of the town, it's a pleasure to meet you…?"

"Y/N, Y/N L/N." Your voice almost cracked for a second, making your cheeks heat up even more. "Nice to meet you too…"

"How adorable, surely you're a great addition to our lovely neighborhood." He picked up your hand, giving a kiss on the back of your palm.

Stuttering, you thanked him for the compliment while trying your best to not fall on your knees. Julie came into the scene again and began telling Wally your tastes, he listened carefully while nodding and looking at you with a relaxed smile.

Eventually, everyone began slowly saying their goodbyes and going to their homes or jobs. You waved as Julie was the last one to leave and entered your house, closing the door behind you and holding your heart. It was racing, and you were well acquaintanced with the feeling.

Well, you failed, love followed your way again.

And now, what to do? You couldn't lie to yourself but it was hard to face the truth. It seemed too early for falling in love, you can just call it a crush and try to get over it, maybe this time it'll work! 

Yeah, just give it some time and it'll pass, you were sure of it!

— 

So, it didn't work.

That was obviously going to happen, and now you had your head in your hands while you walked around your house. On your bed, a pretty bouquet with your favorite color layed prettily there. Wally gave it to you, as a way to celebrate "your first week in the neighborhood", how sweet!

Your heart kept beating faster and faster each time you thought about the way he showed up on your doorstep, with his smug smile and bouquet in hands. He looked so innocent as your insides felt like melting from all the sweetness that gesture had.

And before you could control your feelings, you were already catching yourself humming to cheesy love songs and even singing them while cleaning the house. The radio echoed around your house, romantic tunes that you requested on the telephone to play there were all over the place.

Your once retired love books were now scattered across the floor as you giggled by imagining the scenarios with Wally. You didn't try to make a move and ask him out, your heart already had many bruises from past love delusions, and you really didn't feel like piling up another one for your heartbreak wonderland.

Instead, you just tried to become his friend while also trying to get your feelings to go away. That was, obviously, not a good idea, how could you try to stop falling for someone who you interact with everyday?

Before you could think properly on a better plan, a month had gone by. You still had your late night scenarios to giggle about, along with your hopeless romantic dreaming that pulled you into a cycle of trying to stop loving Wally Darling and learning how to love him all over again because of your weak heart.

Curse the Cupid, curse him and all of his pinkish love arrows who never found your way before. Of course you would be giving up on the first month, he never gave you what you wanted before, what could possibly make you think that now it would all go the right way?

Stupid, selfish Cupid.

—

Three months had passed, and you could say you were tired of waiting for the feelings to suddenly disappear.

You played with a doll's hand, carefully moving the antique treasure in your arms. Currently, you were at Julie's house, who was the only person who was aware of your huge crush on Wally. She giggled as she asked you questions of all the time you and "lover boy" had passed together.

"He just wanted to paint with someone, it's not like he wanted to paint alone with just me and nobody else!" You blushed while looking at the ground.

"I don't know, he never really let me or the other neighbors touch his painting supplies." Julie then whispered in a teasing manner, "Maybe he thinks of you as special, in a like-like way!"

You lowered your head while choking on your water, feelings all over the place. If there was something that Julie liked to do, it was to tease relentlessly. After you calmed down, you both started to ask each other random questions to pass the time.

"Now, as a hopeless romantic, what is your ideal date?" She questioned, looking happy as ever in your direction.

"Hmm, stargazing seems like a great date, picnics look a lot of fun too!" You bashfully chuckled. "Oh, a picnic on a sunset, that turns into a stargazing session! With sweet apple pies and cake, along with refreshing drinks!"

"Ooh, tell me more!" Julie smiled.

"Okay, then a cold wind blows and suddenly I shiver, then Wally puts his cardigan on me and hugs me closer!" You could easily feel your cheeks heating up just from your imagination.

And that earned a screech from Julie.

“Ugh, how are your scenarios always the best?!” 

“It’s the prize I get for being a dreamer.” You chuckled lightly.

—

Today was a special day in the neighborhood.

Apparently, everyone was going to the nearest lake, which is gigantic, you can say, and pop up some balloons and light up some fireworks because it was the neighborhood’s anniversary! 

You were currently trying to pick your best outfit, and that was because Wally was going to pick you up since you didn’t know the way to the lake. At least that’s what you told yourself so you wouldn’t freak out at the scenario. Seriously, that sounded like a romantic comedy.

After a while, you ended up settling for one of your favorite outfits, one that had stars on them. Then, a knock on the door was heard. You quickly put on your shoes and ran to open it, coming face to face to an adorable Wally, looking at you while holding a bouquet of red tulips and some amaranth.

“There we go, a bouquet of beautiful flowers for an even prettier one.” 

“Oh! Wally, you shouldn’t…” You blushed and took the flowers.

“Nonsense, you deserve only the best!” He chuckled raspily.

You giggled as he gave you his hand, pleading eyes for you to walk with him. You two started walking while holding hands in the direction of the lake, talking about everything that was going on in the neighborhood. It was a nice atmosphere, comfortable enough, and dare you say, romantic.

As you arrived there, Wally smiled and kissed the back of your hand before going to talk to a knowing Barnaby, who stared at you with a big smile and wiggling his eyebrows. Julie, who saw all of that, pulled you towards her and Frank immediately.

"Oh. My. Stars! What was that? Is that a bouquet? Are you two going on a date?" She excitedly spoke while flapping her hands.

"Julie, calm down. Pretty sure she is malfunctioning." Frank told the girl by his side. "But yeah, what exactly happened there?"

"I don't know, and I'm freaking out about it!" You giggled while holding the bouquet close to you, smiling.

"That was absurdly romantic, I think he is head over heels for you!" Julie exclaimed while whispering. "Besides, look at these flowers, they are so pretty!"

"They also have an exquisite meaning, you know?" Frank randomly spoke, dropping the fact like it was nothing.

You proceeded to hint at him to keep going.

"Amaranths mean eternal love, red tulips mean true love." Frank looked at you while raising his eyebrows. "That is literally a confession."

Julie, who was holding her energy back, gave a screech and started shaking your arm. Meanwhile, you had just bluescreened. Your cheeks heated up, and you felt your heartbeat increase rapidly, like it was trying to burst out your ribcage in a desperate manner. At that point, you were checking if you still even had some pulse.

Suddenly, someone started ringing a bell, and so, everyone looked to the front, seeing Poppy there. She smiled before starting to explain that there was food on the foldable table, fireworks and water guns, everything for fun. Poppy then started handing out glasses with juice to everyone before raising a toast for the neighborhood's birthday.

After that, all of you started talking to each other. You looked around, smiling when you saw Eddie talking to Frank, who was trying his best to cover up a blush while Julie looked at him with a knowing smile from across the field, Sally was braiding some of her long hair. Poppy and Howdy were discussing random things while Barnaby just laid down at the picnic blanket and stared at the stars.

And there, from across the room, your eyes met his. Something electrical went through your body, and you could swear you felt your world stop. Suddenly, there were no more friendly neighbors around you, the festivities and candy long forgotten in your mind. No, none of that mattered anymore, did it?

It was just you and him, across a field as he slowly made his way towards you.

Wait.

You were too late to process it, he's already in front of you.

"So, dearest, how are you enjoying the party?" Wally asked, igniting a fire in your belly to light up the butterflies who panicked and fluttered along you.

"Good, I- I think everyone is having fun, what about you?" You responded, trying your best to hide your reaction with the nickname.

“I could say I am.” He looks at you, up and down, down and up. And it sets your skin ablaze.

Icarus wasn’t able to resist the beauty that was the Sun to him, and maybe you wouldn’t survive the flirt that was Wally Darling. Every single thing he does sets you on fire, butterflies infest your stomach, it’s magical and so cheesy, all at the same time.

“Come with me, I wanna show you something.” His honey-laced words get to you, and you comply with a nod.

He holds your hand, and starts going into the trees, between all those primary colored leaves. You can feel your heartbeat increasing, all your muscles about to give up, it’s like dying but not exactly that, living in ecstasy, better than any drug.

You two stop at Swan Lake, where the stars reflect on the water and the feathered bEINGS float elegantly. Your eyes shine as you see them doing their little synchronized dance, until you notice that they end up doing a heart. You sigh, real romantic.

“Darling, could you look at me, please?”

You turn to see Wally, on one knee, his hand holding yours. You might start crying.

“You see, Y/N, ever since the day I saw you, I knew there was something special about you. With your smile, your way of expressing yourself, I knew you were gonna steal my heart, and I knew that I would never have it back. I’ve heard stories in the past about soulmates, loved ones made for you, and I didn’t believe any of that, before I met you. I’m an artist, not a poet, but you make me inspired dear, to dedicate you the most beautiful forms of art out there, paint and frame your face, have millions of words dedicating my love to you, and that still wouldn’t be enough for you to understand how much I desire you. I want to see your resting face every morning, I want to hold you in my arms and sleep for eternity, I want to grow every day by your side. Would you do me the owner, Dearest, and accept my confession? To finally be mine and let me be yours?”

You, unable to hold the feeling, giddily jumped around before throwing yourself on him, both of you falling on the ground. You cried tears of joy as you said yes a million times, while he patted your back and chuckled, kissing your forehead.

—

“You know,” Frank started with crossed arms while looking at you and Wally, happily holding hands while sitting on the picnic blanket, “One could say that you two were perfect for each other.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Julie exclaimed, happy that you and your Darling were together, finally together.

“Ha ha ha, oh well, I knew they were the one for me since day one.” Wally answered, pulling you into another sweet and quick kiss, making you squeak.

“Ugh, don’t leave the picnic all sappy with your love.” Frank rolled his eyes at the sight.

“Don’t be jealous Frank, everyone knows you want to live that with Ed-” He covered Julie’s mouth before she could say anything else.”

“... Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like I just won the lottery.” You proudly stated.

“Oh, they grow up so fast…” Poppy hiccuped for what seemed to be the eleventh time, being real emotional with your fresh new relationship.

“There there, Poppy.” Howdy patted her in the back.

“I’m really happy for you guys!” Said Eddie while sitting down next to Frank.

You smiled at him while Wally thanked the mailman. You grabbed yourself a piece of lemon pie to eat.

“Sooo, when’s the wedding?” Barnaby jokes.

And you proceeded to choke on your lemon pie.

[aerkame]

A Spell For a Hoard Part 1

Thought I'd give you guys a lil' treat before I go off to sleep (I need to fix my sleep schedule lol). Also because I wanted to do a little bit of world building. Let me know how I'm doing! Fandom: Welcome Home Finfolk AU Relationships: Implied Wally x Reader Summary: Wally completes a deal with the stranger to get what he needs.

Note: Sorry there will be a part 2, I just got too tired to keep writing xd

______________________________________________________________

Everyone knew what the finfolk were capable of, if you were knowledgeable enough that is. This world was full of all kinds of creatures; but some creatures like his own kind, the finmen and finwomen of the sea, were not as known as the more infamous species such as the fae, dragons, orcs, vampires, and mermaids. The usual creature that comes to mind when one talks about myths and folklore.

Not being as well known of a species has its perks though, that's how Wally found himself here.

No one batted an eye at the short customer that made their way through the crowded town and into a nearby tavern. No one said anything or had shown any suspicion when said customer went into the back of the employee's area and up the stairs. It was almost funny really. Wally could walk around with his fins and scales in full view and not one person would know what he really is. If anything, the average person would probably mistake him for a siren or a mermaid, perhaps even a hybrid offspring of a land-dweller and a mermaid. And yet, there are so many out there that pride themselves in being oh so knowledgeable on every creature to ever exist. What prideful idiots.

Staring at the door, Wally squinted. There were faint glowing swirls and lettering of unknown origin engraved into the framing and wood. It took a bit of thinking. Draconic tongue, a protection spell from what it looks like.

With a droopy eyed smile, he straightened his clothing before gingerly knocking, arm folded behind his back to keep the friendly appearance.

Clicks and moving gears could be heard within the locks of the door. It only took a moment before the glowing lettering disappeared and the door slowly creaked open. Two glowing red eyes stared at him from the dark of the room. Lightning flashed briefly, revealing the humanoid, but clearly, draconic figure sitting at the desk.

"Take a seat."

A female's voice rang out throughout the office, it was commanding and demanded respect.

Wally gave a warm but lazy smile as he stepped in, the door shutting behind with a slam.

"I didn't take you as the type for protection spells." His voice came out buttery smooth, innocent, and comforting to listen to. He sometimes wondered if there was siren somewhere in his family tree. Wally lifted himself up and kicked his feet slowly while seated in the the chair, one far too big for him. He didn't feel like shifting to be bigger though.

"Don't be daft, you and I both know it would be unwise of me to leave myself unprotected." Those red eyes glared down at the 'puppet' man. Void and dreamy half-lidded eyes stared back.

Wally tilted his head to the side cutely, finger to his lip as if in thought. "Oh? Is it because you're expecting dangerous company?"

Claws dug into the desk, splintering the wood. "Don't you DARE get those half-witted detectives involved or so help me!-"

Putting hand up to stop whatever was next, Wally bent forward with a widened grin. "Oh, I won't tell anyone, I swear it." He began to lean over the desk itself, resting his face into the palm of his hand with those same sleepy eyes.

"That is if you keep your end of the deal. Riiiight?~"

His words were sickly sweet, Wally having sang song the last part as if he were talking to a child. It was adorable to anyone else, but here, it was a clear threat.

[potatowoogan]

My Options On a WH Hospital AU?

Soo I just wanted to make this AU rant. I've seen a couple hospital/doctor AUs of WH and as someone who has been in and out of a hospital I better understand a lot of the roles Doctors, Nurses, CNA’s (according to google CNA stands for Certified Nursing Assistant) Ect.

I just wanna note for anyone who doesn’t know, that I didn’t come up with the original idea of making a hospital AU. Until I find out who made the first one to make the Hospital AU I will leave the credits to the original AU maker unknown as I truly don’t know who did do it but if ya know please let me know.

Some context

So a little context to better understand this version of this AU not everyone is a hospital staff member like in the other hospital AUs. You and or your ocs or the WH characters can literally just be existent in the AU as serving no serious purpose to the story (if you’d like to place yourself or an Oc into the AU you can comment what you/oc would play a role in I’d like to see what ya come up with).

Wally:

I have seen Wally be out as more so a director/doctor Also known as the Chief of medicine in the hospitals I have gone to (or can be known as the Medical Director depending on what ya call it at your hospital ya go to).

personality I just don’t see Wally as being a doctor, but if ya really wanted him on the team as one of the main medical staff then I’d see him more as a CNA. Anyways only because if we were to go off the cannon way that he understands stuff, he could help in assistance with nursing stuff. And not have it be souly on him to figure out all of the solutions to the problems, and instead he’d have a lot of guidance while being there to help. Also because is more less demanding role I’d say he would fit better in a hospital story as a CNA. That’s what I have him as in my personal hospital AU aka personal as in its in my head not on paper (the one I am kinda sharing a little of rn I guess, though I won’t share a lot as it’s more so one that I’ll keep to myself for now). Cause if we were to go based off of the cannon attributes that he displays it would match him because they don’t do as much as a full time nurse but still can help people (and or puppets in this case).

So Yeah I think that would fit him, especially in the children's ward or the general inpatient stay floor, definitely NOT the ICU where I go when I need to go to the hospital. Form what I know that’s one of the busiest floors

CNA Explained (For those who needs it)

According to Google’s description of a CNA with a little bit of my input. it’s an Entry-level role the providers for patients and nurses and can help in transfer of a patient (for those who don’t know what I am referring to when I say transfer, that’s when a patient arrives form an ambulance and can’t move themselves from the stretcher to the hospital bed), bathing help usually done with a nurse as well (or do form my experience that’s my understanding), feeding the patients. And also restocking the medical storage closet rooms and logging down patients information and history)

Julie & Barnaby (what I see them as)

As I mentioned I have spent a lot of time in a hospital. A good member/role of the staff that have seemed to help me get through stuff are Child Life/Volunteers. They help kids greatly with distractions like playing games that the child/children choses (lol ya kinda see where this is heading but for real that’s what the Child Life’s job entails)

Julie was portrayed as a nurse in a lot of the AUs and as for Barnaby I don’t know because I haven’t gotten that far into knowing the hospital AUd too much (as info on a lot of them is limited but, I would like to know so if ya have known about a hospital Au post or make one of your own ya can link it or send me the post) anyways I’d see those two working as a Child Life specialist because they are into games and support kids ect. Also I’d see Barnaby as the Head of the Child Life team as he can keep a conversation more straight than Julie but either way I’d see them as being on that team more that the main medical staff also Wally could go there too but yea either works for your mind and opinion.

Howdy, Eddie, Poppy, & Sally:

Personally again, I don’t see em as being on a medical staff team whatsoever. so they’d just merely exist and serve no purpose like explained above. And also I don't know what role would be good for them if ya did put em in (what roles would ya have em in and why?).

Frank:

Yes the Grumpy Man’s himself lol. If ya were to have him as any doctor in a hospital AU and or your Hospital AU then I’d see him as being an anesthesiologist (in a children's Ward mainly though can see some adults if that’s what ya wish to have in mind) and here’s why. The patients would be put to sleep anyways so he wouldn’t need to chat with people too much. Ya can through his grumpiness and sternness and he’s still kind hearted on the inside (a tough but caring for patients surgeon vibes though I absolutely don’t see him as a surgeon but what do ya think? Would you have him as a surgeon in your AU? And or see him as being one in a hospital AU?). I feel like for kid patients he’d be more explanatory towards them if they need to. Also with the professionalism he has the potential to have (at almost any career in almost any AU) he would probably stick up for what’s right for the kiddos/patients.

I might draw a little sketch of Frank in bug scrubs soon so Yee I’ll post that whenever I’m ready.

Ya can reblog or whatever. If ya do take inspiration off of this AU I don’t care about credits as idk how to explain it but I don’t necessarily feel the most comfortable being an AU creator I just wanted to put my thoughts out there.

Also I will probably add in the other characters at some point (Seeya and Latter as they were in this AU dream of mind but I don’t really feel ready to share)

(As y’all know) WH is owned by Clown :)

[tiredly101]

Devilish handsome singer part 4

Pairing: Mafia leader!Waly Darling x Mafia leader singer!Male reader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7,

Summary: Wally decides to go visit M/n at the wrong time and instead falls more in love while he is punishing a traitor.

Illustrated Mafia Au, picture done by @clownsuu

Extras: wrote a little bit in Spanish but do use translation if you don't understand, some gore mentions and Mario and Gepeto ain't happening because I live Gepeto to much to leave him be with Mario- you'll see Gepeto's future boy in the next part!

Wally hasn't been able to get M/n out of his head since that talk they had at his house when he broke in to see him but M/n seemed more amused than anything which is a good sign... Right?

"Howdy, I need you to take me to Gepeto's...," said Wally and Howdy nodded not daring to question it. As they were driving to their destination Wally's mind drifted back to how their conversation finished.

"Well Mr. Darling I believe you should go porque aunque seas una muy atractiva visual I see no need for you to stay longer," said M/n making Wally scrunch his face in confusion.

"I don't know spanish," said Wally making M/n laugh softly while opening the door and when Wally stepped outside M/n said a soft "letting a ""I know" fly around the air before closing the door of his house leaving Wally puzzled.

"Sir, we are here, should I keep the car running?," Said Howdy snapping Wally out of his thoughts before nodding while getting out the car. He entered the bar to see M/n sitting in a table wearing some black dress pants with a navy blue silk shirt that was tight on his figure. All the staff was standing around him in a circle and he laughed.

"Mario, Mario, Mario... I remember when I picked you off the street, made you part of this family and I believe everyone remembers what happened to Selene, right? Giselle can you please remind Mr. Genapetti what happened to Maria since he doesn't seem to remember?," Said M/n with a kind voice but his eyes held no kindness in fact his eyes didn't show any emotion but rage in them. Giselle Shaked like a leaf but took a deep breath before talking.

"You ripped out her vocal cords and after a week you decided to hang her on the street lamp as an example for us," said Giselle shakily making M/n clap his hands in a "proud" way as if she had passed a test.

"Good memory Giselle, I indeed did that to stupid Selene! Now Mario, do you think you deserve such punishment for giving Mr. Darling my address and for trying to sell me to multiple businesses partners?," Asked M/n while lifting with his shoe Mario face that had multiple tears running down it. Mario softly said "give me one more chance... I won't let you down again" which made M/n chuckle before kicking Mario's face.

"Your lucky that you are dating Slevia because she is the only reason why I'm giving you a second chance... don't become a Selene, understood Mr. Genapetti?," Said M/n making Mario scramble to his feet towards Gepeto who hugged him. Wally was still at the entrance with a cherry red color in his cheeks at the scene he had witnessed, Wally got off the bar and went back to his car which made Howdy drive away from the bar.

Part 5? Will be made so let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

Tag list:

@darling-w @mythjustiice @lotusflowerexe @whynot5243 @vampyrefay @frindtheshapeshifter405 @unluckyredflames @elegantkidfansoul @fluffyart5000 @totofranken @sjalyne @thezhephir @mythjustiice @waywardstardustcollector @thezhephir

[incorrectcomicbookquotes]

Flash Family Reunion 4

Wally: Okay, guys! We need to figure out who reverse-engineered Brainiac's tech to take over the world!

Wallace: It was Bart.

Wally: Huh?

Avery: After Max came back to life again, he decided to brainwash everyone in the world so no one would hurt him ever again.

Wally: How do you know this?

Jay: He told us.

Wally: Wha-?! Well, why didn't you stop him?!

Jay: Because, it's Bart. He's really cute!

Avery: (chuckles) Yeah, you should've heard him! He was all like; (impersonating Impulse) "All resistance is futile!"

Wallace: (impersonating Impulse) "Those who stray from the path will be corrected!"

Jay: (impersonating Impulse) "Today, a safer Central City! Tomorrow, a safer world!"

Wally: Are you crazy?! How could you not see that he was dangerous?! Actually, now that I think about it, that must've been adorable.

Flashfam: D'aaaaaw.

Wally: Okay, let's take that cutie-patootie down!

[circethesinner]

blueberry ⟐ wally clark

pairing: wally clark x reader oneshot (second person pov - she/her pronouns used for reader - occasional use of Y/N)

warning(s) : mild language, mentions of death, canon character death, mild angst, fluff

word count: 3.5k words

⭑•⊱✩masterlist✩⊰•⭑

═══ -ˋˏ *.·:·.⟐.·:·.* ˎˊ- ═══

summary: adjusting to the afterlife was easy at first, but when something stirs up emotions you need a shoulder to cry on

═══ -ˋˏ *.·:·.⟐.·:·.* ˎˊ- ═══

“This… is so embarrassing,” You groaned as you looked down one last time at your own body as it was zipped up into the bag to be carted away to the morgue.

“At least you know how it happened,” You recognised the voice immediately and turned to see your missing classmate, Maddie. The two of you hadn’t exactly been friends, but you’d worked together during class enough to just awkwardly nod and smile in acknowledgement whenever you passed one another while out and about. Sometimes a stray “hey” would be thrown out there, but that was about it.

“Oh shit, we’re really dead, aren’t we?” You groaned as you scanned her outfit. It was what she had been wearing the day she disappeared. Something in you had hoped she was still out there, alive, but that was clearly just wishful thinking. The words she had said sunk in suddenly. “You don’t know what happened to you?”

“Not a clue,” She sighed. “So I guess you can count yourself lucky.” You turned your head as there was some commotion behind you, only to catch one of the paramedics stumbling slightly and dropping the stretcher that carried your body.

“Yeah… Lucky is definitely what I’m feeling right now…” You shook your head as the paramedic tried to pick you up again, only for his hands to slip a second time. The third time was a charm as they finally hauled your body through the fire exit in the cafeteria to the waiting van outside. “What sort of idiot chokes to death on a blueberry? I mean, I don’t even like blueberries! They ran out of chocolate chip muffins, so I figured the lemon and blueberry would be fine.”

“If it helps, you died really quietly and gracefully,” Maddie shrugged. “No one even noticed until your face was purple and you were on the floor.”

“Surprisingly, that doesn’t help,” You sighed as the lunch ladies started to clear the tables of abandoned trays when the teachers ushered everyone out.

“It was really impressive how far the blueberry launched when they did try to do the Heimlich manoeuvre on you,” You noticed the boy with glasses behind Maddie for the first time when he spoke, your mind having been preoccupied. “It’s just a shame it was too late.”

“Thank you, person I don’t know,” You tilted your head as you assessed him. “I’ll be sure to submit the results to the dead council of blueberry launching.”

“I’m Charley; I died in the 90s,” He held his hand out for a handshake, which you hesitantly took.

“Y/N; died 10 minutes ago,” You scanned the room again as you let go of the handshake. “So, what? Are we stuck here forever or something? Kind of a bummer.”

“Until we cross over,” Charley explained and motioned for you and Maddie to walk with him. “Come on. We’ll introduce you to the group.”

“The group?” Your eyes widened as you trailed along after the two. “Jeez, I know I used to joke about how much of a death trap this school is, but for there to be an entire group of dead people seems a bit extreme.”

“It’s not like a huge group,” Maddie explained, glancing back at you as you walked. “Half of them don’t even talk.”

“But not everyone ends up with the group. There are some people stuck reliving their final days over and over again,” Charley added. “The group is to hopefully help avoid that from happening.”

“Trust me; I won’t be reliving today,” You shuddered. “I’m never touching a lemon and blueberry muffin again. In fact, I’m never touching a muffin again- actually, no, that’s too far. I don’t have to punish all muffins because one betrayed me- wait, can I even eat muffins anymore?”

“Yes, you don’t really need to, but it's nice to feel normal sometimes,” Charley confirmed with a sweet smile. He pushed the door open to the gymnasium, and your eyes landed on the small circle of people sitting on white plastic chairs in the corner.

“Urgh, I’m getting flashbacks to group therapy,” You mumbled, trying and failing to suppress a grimace. 

“You’re gonna hate this; it is exactly like group therapy,” Maddie laughed a little, but it was more of a sad, knowing laugh.

“Better start pulling out my old excuses for not attending,” You dug back in your mind to find one. “I’m so sorry I can’t attend today, my goldfish just died, and I need to hold a Viking funeral to honour him.”

“Wow, people are really dropping like flies in this school,” A girl dressed in black spoke up as the group turned to look at you. “How did you die?”

“Rhonda, we’ve been over this,” An older-looking man chastised her before standing up to greet you. “I’m Mr. Martin. Would you like to introduce yourself to the group?”

“I wouldn’t exactly say I’d like to, but I suppose I probably should if I’m going to be stuck here,” You sighed and turned to the group while Charley and Maddie took their seats. “I’m Y/N, and to answer your question,” You pointed at the girl who Mr Martin had referred to as ‘Rhonda’. “I choked on a blueberry which, I know, sounds embarrassing but also is embarrassing. I died to a fruit whose name is a lie because they’re more purple than blue, almost as purple as my face apparently went when I croaked it.”

“Right… well…” Mr Martin seemed almost put off by your brashness as you spoke. “I must say, you’ve adapted to being dead remarkably well. It usually takes people at least a few days to accept it.”

“My dad used to say that I’d never make it out of high school alive with an attitude like mine,” You sighed and lounged back onto the only free chair. “And he claims to have never been wrong about anything, so I prepared for this.”

“Sorry, I’m late, Mr M!” A taller boy came charging through the door. “I saw them carry a body bag out and wanted to find out if they had found Maddie, but it was apparently just some girl who choked on a muffin. Do you think she-”

“A muffin would never betray me like that,” You looked up as he froze when he spotted you. “It was the demon blueberries hiding within like a Trojan horse.”

“That’s my seat,” He pointed at you, a small pout on his face.

“What’s wrong, jockey-boy?” You teased. “Not feeling strong enough to go and get another one?”

“Don’t tease him, Y/N,” Maddie laughed as the late arrival ran off to grab a chair. “He’ll end up making us all sit on chairs while he weight lifts them.”

“That’s not a joke. He’s done that before,” Charley added.

“On seven different occasions,” Rhonda rolled her eyes as the guy lifted up five chairs at once and turned with a proud grin on his face.

“Now juggle them!” You called out. A grin spread across your face like wildfire as you watched him seriously consider doing it.

“Wally, ignore her. Sit down,” Charley instructed. You could tell he was holding back his laughter.

“Blueberry is going to be trouble. I can already tell,” Rhonda smirked as she took the lollypop out of her mouth.

“Oh god, please don’t let that be my nickname,” You groaned, putting your head in your hands. “I should have said that I choked on a tiger or something.” Wally placed his chair next to you and sat down on it.

“How would you choke on a tiger?” He asked, looking confused as he pondered it.

“Wait- No! No, no, no! That would imply I was su-” You were cut off by Mr Martin speaking up again.

“I think it's best if we change the subject,” He smiled an awkward smile as he desperately tried to prevent you from continuing that train of thought. “So, Y/N, this is the Split River Afterlife Support Group. We hold meetings to talk through our thoughts and feelings and plan fun activities together.”

“We’ve got enough people now that maybe we can watch something other than the same five movies Wally insists on,” Charley smiled as Wally opened his mouth to protest, but Mr Martin cut him off before he could.

“Let’s start with the basics first, shall we?” He looked around for approval but received nothing but a couple of uninterested nods. “Y/N, while you have seemingly adjusted remarkably well to the afterlife, it may help you to write an obituary. I have some samples that you can review if you need them.”

“Sure, I’ll write one,” You shrugged. “I was born, existed for a while, then I croaked it. Done.”

“It’s more for you to talk about your achievements in life,” Mr Martin tried to explain, but you brushed it off.

“The biggest achievement I have had in life is that I have 6969 hours on The Sims 4,” You scoffed.

“I don’t know what those words mean, but if that’s what you want to write about, then you are free to,” He seemed taken aback by your attitude.

“Really? 6969 hours?” Maddie leaned back, looking mildly impressed.

“No social life, baby,” You did the rock horns with your hands as you spoke.

“We can change that!” Wally swung his arm over your shoulder. The moment you flinched, he pulled away sheepishly with a muttered ‘sorry’.

“The man baby is still learning the concept of personal space,” Rhonda waved her lollypop over in Wally’s direction.

“I’m really trying,” He held his hands up in defence. “There’s just no personal space in football.”

“One of the many reasons I hate football,” As soon as the words left your mouth, Wally took a sharp intake of breath as though he’d just been physically slapped.

“I am going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that so we can still be friends,” He took a deep breath as though he were calming himself down. “People like different things, and that is perfectly fine.”

“I didn’t say I liked other things, though. I just said that I hated football,” You teased, watching him intently for a reaction.

“Y/N, don’t antagonise him,” Maddie sighed, putting her head in her hands. She could recall the multiple times you’d been sent out of class for egging people on. You just couldn’t help yourself when the opportunity presented itself in front of you.

“But look at how cute his little red angry face is!” You protested, pointing at Wally as the red deepened and his eyes widened. “Oh my god, his embarrassed face is even cuter! Look at it!”

“Seriously, blueberry, you might wanna stop before he breaks out in hives,” Rhonda looked mildly bemused as she smirked at the sight.

“Well, I uh… Think we may have derailed a little here,” Mr Martin tried desperately to grab everyone’s attention again. “Let’s get back to what we were doing…”

═══ -ˋˏ *.·:·.⟐.·:·.* ˎˊ- ═══

As great as Maddie and Charley had been when it came to showing you the ropes, the biggest help had come from Dawn.

Dawn knew everything and everyone. She knew who you were before you even introduced yourself. She even knew your phone passcode and social media handles, which you decided not to linger on the thought of too long, or you’d get weirded out.

“You sure you don’t want to come with me to the group today?” You asked her as you finished braiding her hair. You’d managed to weave in a string of fake flowers, so she looked like a real flower child of the 70s. In life, you’d never been the sort to hang out with friends, braiding one another's hair and gossiping, but Dawn brought that out in you. It was a nice change.

“No, the class coming out of the theatre are so forgetful. They always leave goodies,” She smiled and hopped down from the lockers, holding her hand out to help you down, which you gladly took.

“Oooh! Save me some mints, please!” You pleaded, pulling her in for a quick hug before you went your separate ways.

While walking down the halls, you tried to ignore the “in memory” poster of you pinned to some walls. The picture that had been used wasn’t great, but you knew it was one of the only ones your dad had access to. He didn’t have social media, and physical pictures got lost over the years. You knew he had done the best he could, but you wished he could have let someone else design it.

“Hey, blueberry, been painting nails with your new bestie?” Rhonda caught up with you, one of her usual lollipops poking out of her mouth. She’d never tell you where she got them from.

“Braiding hair, actually,” You let out a little snort laugh as you saw the disgusted look on her face. “You’re free to join us! You’d look so cute with a flower crown.”

“I’d rather die again,” She groaned, but you could see the smallest smile she was trying to hide. You pushed the doors to the gymnasium and walked over to the circle of chairs, taking the one you’d grown accustomed to over the week you’d been dead, right between Maddie and Wally.

“Right, now that everyone is here,” Mr Martin stood up and looked around at everyone. “Let’s get started.”

The session went on as normal, you didn’t participate all that much, but you managed to beat Wally 2 - 1 in thumb wrestling while no one was looking. The session was unfortunately cut short when the doors opened, and a group of people started filing in. You recognised most of them but got caught up when you saw your dad.

“It looks like your memorial is about to start,” Charley said as you watched your dad help some teachers set up a picture of you. It was the same one that you hated, in a frame that really didn’t match it.

“We’ll cut the group short here,” Mr Martin announced. Everyone got up and started to clear their chairs away. Wally grabbed yours while you stood and watched the people in what was once your life settle down for the service. The other ghosts split up, some filing out of the room, others going to the viewing gallery. You just stayed where you were standing, watching everything unfold.

“Should I leave you alone or-” Wally had returned back to you once he’d put the chairs away. Next to Dawn, he’d probably become your closest friend in death. He was like a puppy in all the best ways and very fun to tease.

“Stay,” You whispered, grabbing onto his arm. “Please.” Using your grip on his arm, he guided you over to the bench on the sidelines. You were close enough to hear and see everyone but far enough away not to feel like you were caught up in the crowd.

“Is your family here?” Wally asked, leaning closer to you than usual so he could whisper. You could tell he was trying to be extra gentle.

“See that man in the leather jacket who looks like he’s just been pulled straight out of a motorcycle gang?” You pointed in the direction, and Wally nodded. “That’s my dad.” “Wow,” He seemed both shocked and impressed. “What about your mom?”

“She’s in the locket he’s wearing around his neck,” You explained. “Well, some of her ashes are anyway.”

“Shit, sorry,” Wally apologised, wincing at himself. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s fine, really,” You did your best to smile to show you were okay, which was unsurprisingly difficult to do at your own memorial. “It was a long time ago.”

The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a moment as you waited for the memorial service to begin, but something caught your attention.

“I’ve never seen him cry before,” You watched the tears silently roll down his face, trying to hold back your own. You hated crying. You felt weak for it. You knew he hadn’t meant to, but your dad had drilled that lesson of crying equals weakness into you from a young age because he would never cry or comfort you when you cried.

“Not even when your mom died?” Wally asked. You felt his eyes on you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look anywhere but the podium where your dad was preparing to talk.

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t know,” You shrugged. “I was only three, so I don’t remember it. I don’t remember her at all. I would always pretend I did to make him happy, regurgitate the same stories he’d tell me of her as though they were my memories, but I don’t remember her at all.” 

“So, was it just you and your dad?” Wally had shuffled slightly closer to you. You hadn’t even realised you were still holding on to his arm, but you didn’t let go of it.

“That’s… complicated,” You sighed, finally pulling your eyes away from the podium, only to briefly glance at Wally before returning back. He was looking at you intently. You didn’t have to look long to know he was genuinely interested in learning about you. “My dad was- is- in and out of jail a lot. I ended up in foster homes every other month, but he always managed to get out and get me back again… I know that sounds bad, but… He was a good dad. He did his best with what we had and made sure I was always happy when I was with him.”

“My daughter Y/N was… the best kid I could have ever asked for,” You held your breath as your dad finally began talking. His voice was gruffer than usual. He’d been crying for a while. It broke your heart even more. “I won’t stand up here and say that she was a good kid because if you knew her, you’d know that was a lie.” People laughed at this, and you saw a small smile appear on your dad’s face. “She was a troublemaker. I take full responsibility for that, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. She would always encourage everyone to do what made them happy, even if it got them in trouble, but she would always take the fall if it did. I used to call her Robin Hood because she wouldn’t take the jacket off her own back if you were cold; she’d find someone with two jackets and steal one for you.” People laughed again, and you couldn’t stop the tears from falling anymore. As quick as they appeared, Wally had leaned over to use the sleeve on his other arm to wipe your face for you. You couldn’t look at him, so you just squeezed the arm you still had hold of as a sign of appreciation.

“My life will never be the same without her. No one to colour code my wardrobe from black to darker black. No one to blast ABBA in the car and sing at the top of their lungs. No one to sit on the roof with in the middle of the night and point at all of the different constellations. Y/N was the light of my life, and now I’m lost in the dark. Wherever she is now, I know she’s causing mayhem and spreading laughter.”

The rest of the memorial was a blur. Teachers stood up to talk about you, and a couple of friends shared stories that you’d forgotten. People laughed just as much as they cried.

Even when it was over, and they were packing up, you didn’t move. You’d let go of Wally’s arm so he could leave, but instead of leaving, he wrapped the arm over your shoulders and pulled you towards him into a hug.

That’s how you stayed for a long time. He held you while you cried, the weight of being dead finally hitting you.

At some point, you must have fallen asleep because the next thing you knew, you were on a couch in the teachers’ lounge with Wally sitting on the floor next to you, flipping through a book. He practically dropped it when he noticed you stirring.

“Morning,” His voice was calm and peaceful, the perfect alarm clock. “I hope you don’t mind. I figured the bench wasn’t the nicest bed, so I carried you here. Dawn stopped by with some mints earlier, and I will admit I did take one, but to make it up to you….” He reached over to the coffee table and produced a CD.

“ABBA Gold, Greatest Hits?” You read the CD through your still sleepy eyes.

“Yeah, when your dad mentioned that you would sing it at the top of your lungs, I knew I’d seen a copy, so I went looking for it,” He handed it to you, and you cradled it carefully as though even breathing on it would break it. “I hope it’s okay.” Instead of answering him, you acted impulsively, as usual. You leaned forward and pressed a feather-light kiss to his cheek as a thank you.

“It’s perfect.” You smiled at him, the grin that spread across his face giving you hope that, even in death, everything was going to be okay.

a/n - uh oh besties... I have a new obsession... get ready because I already have another wally clark x reader in progress

let me know if you want a part 2 for this one!

[experimentfae]

Welcome home x Gn Musician! Reader

Various/ platonic

⤹˚˖♬୭

“I can’t figure this out.” You grunted feeling frustrated at not having any clue what music notes you should use. “There has to be something I could use… no wait I could just ask for help.” You got your instrument and walked out of the house.

“Ok but who can I ask first.” Then it immediately came to you “duh Sally she all into the arts as well i’m assuming it’s also music.” You practically ran towards Sally’s place. 

When you made it you knocked on the door thankfully she was inside her home “huh? Oh! (y/n) the neighbors most graceful musician, what brings you to my lovely abode?” “I’m here because I need your help with my first song and need the neighbors help as well, I need all perspectives after all.” You asked desperate for help.

“Of course I love music after all music and the theater work hand and hand together, just wait here for me.” She closed the door before you can respond “she’s more excited about this than I am.” You spoke to yourself then you see that Wally was walking near Sally’s place.

“Hey Wally!” You called out he then turned his attention to you, he walked towards you “hello (y/n) how are you.” “I need help, me and Sally are gonna tell all the neighbors about me needing help to make lyrics and tune.” He seemed to take it all in “wow I would love to help (y/n).” Wally agreed, happy to learn more about music.

“Great! I was thinking we will all meet at home, home loves music I’m they would love to help as well.” He nodded his head “oh home would love to help.” Just then Sally door open “ok I’m ready… oh walliford! You are coming to help (y/n) as well?” “Yes I am Sally, I would love to learn more about music.”

You told Sally that you’re going to home since Wally and you know home would like to help so she agreed. You noticed that she brought a speaker “hey what’s that for?” You questioned “oh for this.”

“EVERYONE MEET AT HOME WE ARE GONNA HELP (Y/N) WITH THEIR FIRST SONG.” she immediately turn the microphone off “was that really necessary?” You questioned “I’m not gonna go to each and every person that is to much work.” Explained sally “seems fair.” You replied.

You, Wally and sally made it at home “hey home.” You said and home seems to say hello back with his creaks “home said hello back.” Answered Wally “oh then I guessed right, learning Morse code is hard tho.”

“I’m glad you’re learning (y/n) and I know home especially appreciates it.” Based on the creeks you knew that home agreed “of course home is a neighbor too.” You assured, setting your instrument against as home, thankfully home didn’t mind.

You then see the other neighbors coming towards you guys “is it true what sally said (y/n)?” Questioned poppy “yeah I thought it would be easy at first but… it’s taking me two weeks now.” You admitted “Oh I’m so excited we all wanted to know a bit more about music, especially me.” Cheered Julie as she dragged frank with her.

“I do agree with Julie, I learned through books that music helps with the brain and makes it stronger so I would like to see how music works.” Agreed frank as he carried music notes book with him “we would all love to help and we get to teach the new neighbor’s.” Spoke Wally as he seemed pleased to teach the audience.

“All right so let’s get started then.” You stated bringing out your instrument “we’re ready.” Spoke Sally other agreeing.

You played a couple notes and asked for suggestions they all gave you pretty good suggestions except for Wally, Julie and frank who kept asking about you’re instrument, didn’t mind teaching them especially for the neighbors watching, after all kids need to learn.

“Ok guys I think I’m getting a tune, this is amazing my first song.” You said in amazement “we’re so glad to help dear.” Replied poppy “yeah this is really interesting stuff love hearing the tune already.” Spoke howdy. “There’s still something missing tho.” You still couldn’t find the missing piece of the song.

“You forgot lyrics.” Answered frank “Right of course I need great lyrics.” You replied “no worry we just need to know what style of song you want to do, I think some with jokes would be fantastic!” Barnaby Suggested “no way one words of love and passion would be grande.” Butted in Sally “I think something like the mundane things or country feel to it would be good.” Spoke Eddie, “creek, screek… creek” “home said he likes the idea of folklore.” Answered Wally.

“Hey this (y/n) song, only they should be the one deciding this it’s their first song after all.” Advised Poppy “thanks poppy hmmm I think my lyrics will be about (your choice).” “Great choice (y/n).” Agreed Frank “yeah it’s sounds fun… wonder what it would sound like.” Replied Wally.

“No worry you guys are about to be amazed!” You boasted already getting a good idea for lyrics “really that was fast.” Spoke Eddie “yeah it was really the tune I needed help with honestly.” You admitted “well we can’t wait to hear the song, take it away (y/n)!” Cheered Julie.

Home agreed with creeks seeming excited to see what you came up with, You let go of your nerves and begin to play the instrument then begin singing. you didn’t expect it to sound so good together, but you didn’t notice that it enchanted all your neighbors.

“Wow.” Whispers Wally glad he now knows what music is and seeing how good you are in music. After the song was done, all the neighbors cheered “wow you did lovely (y/n).” Complimented Poppy “you must play your music in my next play if anything for once I’ll allow to be a star or better in fact the second star for the next show.” Spoke sally hoping you agreed.

“Sally that sounds great and Thank you poppy, thank you all, no worry I didn’t forget about you home.” You replied home seemed very happy “glad that we helped (y/n), you left everyone dumbstruck.” Spoke howdy.

“Funny enough kid you inspired me to make a music joke.” “Alright let me hear it.” You replied “what do you get when when you drop a piano down a mineshaft?” “A what?” “A-flat Minor!”

This made all you and the rest of the neighbors laugh “good one barnaby.” Complimented Julie “thanks Jules.” “Can’t wait to hear more from you (y/n).” Spoke Wally “thanks definitely will be officially performing.” You stated making everyone cheer.

Everyone eventually left one by one giving more compliments and their goodbyes before they left. You were now at home feeling glad that, you finally made you’re first son especially with all you’re friends.

<- Back to MasterList or back to welcome home

Tbh just wanted to leave this here gotta put it somewhere

[dickgraysonwayne]

Figured Out

Ao3

Summary: Being Batman’s most trusted is not all it’s cracked up to be. Young Justice cartoon verse, season 1

@dickgraysonweek 2024, Day 4: Batman’s Most Trusted | Trauma Reveal | Reverse Robins

“Hey, Rob? Will you come see this?”

Wally’s voice sounds hesitant. Which usually means something extra bad is going down.

Dick makes a beeline past M’gann and Artemis on the couch, dodging Superboy right beside them. “Sorry!” He chants. “Sorry! Just gotta get to th—oh.”

Oh, man. This sure is extra bad.

Wally’s staring at the wall mounted TV, looking grim. It’s playing a news story, live from Gotham. Police cars surround City Hall, armored trucks stretched out at every direction. A group of men, armed to the teeth, stand at the entrance of City Hall, one of whom has stepped forward with a megaphone. Batman stands near the steps, arms up, staring coolly at the barrel of the gun aimed in his direction.

Scrolling text across the bottom of the screen proclaims: CITY HALL TAKEN HOSTAGE, BOMB FOUND IN UPPER FLOORS

The leader of the hostage takers raises his megaphone to his lips. “Batman,” He booms out. “You have the code we want. If you do not give it to us in a three hours’ time, then we blow up the building, and everyone in it.”

He taps the side of his head, where a gray metal box is infused to his temple. “And don’t think of lying to me. I can read your thoughts.”

“Here,” A piece of paper is placed in his hands. “This is a code. I need to keep it safe. Keep it on you and don’t lose sight of it, no matter what.”

Oh. Oh shit.

Dick turns instantly. “Where’s Kaldur?” He asks. “We should—I mean, I should…I should go. I need to help him. Batman, that is. I need to go help—”

“I’m here,” Kaldur says, running into the room. He’s already suited up. “Just saw the news. I’m going to go talk to Red Tornado, get this to the Justice League. If needed, we’re ready to provide backup, but Superman alone could help out…”

“And I thought I was fast,” Wally comments. Everyone ignores him.

Dick shakes his head. That’s a non starter. “Kaldur,” He says. “The League’s out on a space mission. Batman told me this morning.”

“Why?” He stares down at the paper in his hands. “What is this?”

“Aw, damn,” Wally mutters. M’gann covers her mouth with her hand.

“So, what does that mean?” Artemis asks, looking between them. “Does that mean we go in and handle this?”

“We gotta,” Dick says, a sinking feeling in his stomach. “I mean. I gotta. You guys don’t have to—”

“Don’t be stupid, Rob.” Wally says. Superboy nods in assent. “Of course we’re coming. It’s our job.” Wally looks at Kaldur, inclining his head. “Right?”

Kaldur hesitates. “I…” He says, conflicted. “I think we should. However, I need to make sure that we’re prepared, I don’t want anyone getting hurt on my watch.”

“C’mon Kaldur,” Dick pleads. “This is why we’re here, right? Sidekicks are around for when superheroes are doing something else, right? So let’s sidekick and…kick sides.”

Kaldur wants to go in too. Dick sees it in his eyes.

“I’ll probably go in anyway,” He warns. “Because, you know. Gotham business and all.”

This gets Kaldur. “Fine,” He sighs. “You’re right. We’re here to cover for anything the Justice League can’t handle. This very much falls in our purview.”

Dick nods. “Thanks, guys,” He says. “But. I mean. There’s kind of an extra element to this.”

“Just keep it,” Confused, he hides it in his pocket. “I’m trusting you to keep this safe. Do the right thing.”

“What do you mean?” M’gann asks. “Because it’s Batman?”

“I mean,” Dick says. “Sure. But there’s something else too. I’ll explain on the way, but we gotta go. We gotta go now.”

-

“So,” Artemis says, eyes locked on the world below the bio-ship. “You have what those guys are after, huh?”

“Yeah,” Dick says. His fingers clench inside his gloves. “At least, I think so? Batman gave it to me this morning. All casual-like too. I didn’t think it was something like this…he just handed me a piece of paper and told me to keep it safe. Why he didn’t put it in the cave instead, I have no idea—anyway. I’m literally the only person who had this info so I think I’m needed there right now.”

Wally gives a low whistle. “Well, damn,” He says, shaking his head. “Classic Batman, huh? His secrets have secrets.”

“Wally!” M’gann hisses, but Dick can only chuckle without humor.

“He’s not wrong,” Dick says, shrugging. “Everything’s need to know with him. Even if it’s something I need to know. Especially if it’s that.”

“He trusts you,” Superboy says, simple, direct. “He wouldn’t have given you that information if he didn’t.”

“Still,” Artemis says, hesitant. “Kind of a dick move. Sorry, Robin.”

Wally and Dick exchange quick, amused glances. “No arguments here,” Dick says. He frowns. “But, like. You guys know Batman. He always has a plan. He must’ve known he was gonna come handle this after I left to come here. So why did he give me this? What was his play here?”

Kaldur steps in here, ever analytical. “It is possible,” he begins. “That he gave it to you so you would return now. And he would have a plan that he needs you to complete.”

Well. That does sound like Bruce. “You think he’d warn me beforehand,” Dick muses. “Or not. I mean, look who I’m talking about right? Keeping me in the dark is probably part of whatever grand plan he has in mind.”

“If that’s the case,” M’gann says. “Then we should trust his process. Right?”

“Sure,” Dick says. He pictures the gun in his mind, pointed at Bruce’s head. He looks down at the ship. “Let’s go faster.”

-

The land the bio-ship in the park a couple blocks behind City Hall.

“Right,” Kaldur says. “Gather up, everyone,” He gestures at them all to huddle up. “Our goal is to get Robin to Batman. It’s us against a group of men with advanced weapons capability. We don’t have a lot of information about these guys, so be cautious. We might run into a surprise or two.”

“One of our missions? It’s guaranteed,” Artemis mutters

“Too right,” Wally mutters back.

“Shut up,” She says, rolling her eyes.

“Anyway,” Kaldur puts a pointed emphasis on the word. “Here’s our plan of attack. Artemis and Superboy are the first prong of attack: you guys need to draw fire and attention away from the doors to City Hall. Artemis, park yourself at a distance and fight ranged. Superboy…” He points at him. “Cause chaos.”

“Smash!” Wally says, enthused.

“Oh my god,” Artemis groans.

“Once you two draw some fire,” Kaldur continues. “M’gann, help us get in unnoticed. Then you and I will be prong 2, and we’ll engage anyone else inside the building.”

M’gann gives him a quick salute. “You got it!”

“And finally,” Kaldur turns to Dick and Wally. “Kid Flash. Grab Robin, and try to locate Batman as fast as possible. If needed, you can draw the fire of anyone else around him. That way, Robin’s path is free and clear. If you need backup,” He taps his forehead. “Let us know.”

Wally also salutes, but there’s a…less sincere quality to it. “I can do fast,” He says.

Kaldur turns to Dick. “Robin,” He says. “Link up with Batman. He’ll probably let you know how to proceed. If he can’t…use your own intuition. It’s better than you think. And be careful about that leader, his potential ‘mind-reading’ may be an issue.”

Dick nods. “Right,” He says. “Okay.”

-

“When are we going in?” Wally complains.

Kaldur gives him a look. “Soon,” He says. “The moment Artemis and Superboy are situated and get started, we move.”

“They’re taking forever,” Wally sighs. “Aren’t we on a time limit?”

“They know,” M’gann steps in, ever patient. “They’ll get it done. Just wait and see.”

Wally sighs again. “You ready to roll, Rob?” He asked turning to Dick.

Dick tries to give him a ready-to-roll smile. “Of course,” He says, stomach in knots.

It’s not like he hasn’t saved Bruce before: he has. It’s not even like he’s gone in on his own to save Bruce: he’s done that too. Hell, he’s doing it with a team now. It’s so much better than it was before.

But.

Bruce giving him the code nags at something inside his head. Why would he do that, and why wouldn’t he explain what it was? He can’t figure it out, can’t tell if this is the right thing to do, if this is what Bruce has been telling him without saying it out loud…

Sometimes, Dick thinks he can read Bruce better than anyone in the world. Other times…other times, he knows Bruce is inherently unreadable.

Wally must notice. “Hey,” He says, elbowing him lightly. “Dude. You good?”

Dick swallows. “Yeah,” He says. “Just, you know. Feeling the ‘over’ in the whelmed right now.”

“Rob,” Wally says, but before he can continue, they hear a commotion up near City Hall.

“Get ready!” Kaldur says, and Dick tenses instantly. “They’ve started!”

Kaldur holds an arm out, and they wait for his signal. “Okay…” He says. “They’re drawing them out. More have emerged…okay, now. Go!”

Dick runs, feeling more than seeing Wally hold himself back to keep pace with him. He follows the path Kaldur has chosen, ducking behind cars and items and people, before slipping to a side door and shutting it.

The GCPD quietly let them go through without comment.

“Alright,” Kaldur says, breathless. “Kid Flash. Can you run a quick check through-”

They’re interrupted by a shout, and Dick hears the pounding of footsteps coming in their direction. “Never mind,” Kaldur says, adopting a fighting stance. “Grab Robin and run. We’ll take care of this group here.”

“Aye aye, Captain!” Wally says, instantly grabbing Dick into a carry.

“Hey,” Dick says, a little embarrassed that Wally can carry him so easily. “What—”

“Hang on,” Wally says, and Dick slams his eyes shut before he’s hit with a burst of speed, and he can barely breathe. He hates this, he hates this so much, how can Wally stand feeling like this all the time…

Wally stops, and Dick almost passes out from the suddenness of it. “So I checked the building,” He whispers. “Twice over. There’s a group of guys guarding one particular door. We’re just around the corner from it. So that’s either the bomb, or Batman, or both. I’m gonna get you in there, okay? I’ll distract the guards and you can run in. Ready?”

Dick nods. “Ready,” He echoes.

“Okay,” Wally says. “Three, two, one.”

He zips forward, disappearing around the corner. “Hey, fellas,” Dick hears. “You know where to go for a building permit round here?”

“Get back!” A voice yells.

“It was just a question,” Wally huffs. “But fine. Got to go!”

“Get him!” He hears yelled back, followed by thundering footsteps.

He waits for them to subside, then peers around the corner. Only one guard is left outside the door.

Dick smiles to himself. Easy work.

He sidles up to the side, takes a breath, then pulls out a batarang. He lines it up, then tosses it. It makes a sound on the wall opposite, and the guard whirls around to look.

Dick moves, running up and grabbing a couple more batarangs from his belt. He flips onto the man’s back, delivering a kick to the face, then tossing the batarangs to knock him to the ground, unconscious.

He runs to the door, pulling out his lock pick and making quick work of it. He takes another breath, pushing it open slowly.

Don’t think his name, he tells himself sternly, remembering the leader’s mind reading. Think of him as Batman. Just Batman.

Behind the door is what is clearly some sort of large meeting space, largely empty except for Batman, who is chained to a chair in the middle of the room.

Dick gives a quick glance around the room and, seeing nothing, darts forward. “Batman,” He hisses, grabbing his lock pick again. “You okay?”

Batman looks up. “Robin,” He says, voice tight. “You—”

“Well,” A voice booms from a darkened corner of the room. “Look who we have here.”

-

Dick whirls around, grabs his batarangs from his belt. He prepares to toss them, and then freezes in place.

The leader’s gun is out, and pointed in the direction of B—Batman’s head. The gray box on his temple shines in the dim light.

His lips tighten. “Whoa,” He says, slowly putting his weapons back in his belt. “Okay. Let’s calm down here.”

The man raises his eyebrows. “I’m calm,” He says. “Now. Are you here for a specific purpose, or do we need to do something about this?”

Help, Dick thinks, trying to reach the rest of the team. “That depends,” He says. He glances at Batman (think Batman think Batman think Batman). “What exactly do you want here?”

“I made that pretty clear,” The man says. The safety clicks off. “I’m looking for a particular code. Since you’re Batman’s little sidekick, I’m assuming you have it?”

Dick keeps his eyes on Batman. “What is it for?” He asks. Batman doesn’t move a muscle.

The man raises an eyebrow. “The bomb, of course,” He says airily. “It’s experimental. Very powerful. It’s on a countdown at the moment. The code gives whoever inputs it control over when it explodes. So…” The gun light rests against the exposed part of Batman’s cheek. “Do you have it?”

Dick grits his teeth. He can’t give them the code. With this many people at stake, and an apparently accidental bomb? He can’t do it.

But…

He glances at Batman again. He can’t let him get hurt, either. But between Batman and a big block of Gotham? He knows what he should choose. He also knows what Batman what have him choose too.

“Ten seconds,” The man says, flat in tone. He starts a countdown. “Ten,”

Dick stares at Batman so hard his vision starts to blur. What do I do? He thinks frantically.

“Nine,”

Batman isn’t making eye contact with him. Give me something, Batman. He thinks, and then What if there’s something wrong with him? How was he caught just like that?

“If you tell him anything, Batman, he’s paying for it. Eight,”

Batman had given him the code. So he must have known something like this would happen. Which would also mean he needed something from him.

“Ah, so you do have it. Seven,”

Shit. Mind reader.

But what could it be? Did he want Dick to stay away from this completely with the codes? Is that why he gave them to him, why he didn’t tell him anything?

“Six,”

That didn’t make sense though. If he wanted Dick to stay away, he would’ve said so. Why did he tell him nothing? This means he needed to be here, right?

“Five,”

But if he’s needed here…what does Batman want him to do? Does he give them the code? And why would Batman want him to do that?

“You’re thinking quite hard there, sidekick. You don’t have much time left. Four,”

“Three,”

He’s out of time. He needs to make a choice, now. Batman stays silent and still.

“Two,” The man’s finger drifts towards the trigger.

Use your own intuition. It’s better than you think.

“O—”

“Stop.”

Dick’s voice is cracked, determined. “Fine,” He says, praying he’s making the right move. “Fine. I’ll give you the code. I have it right here.”

“Oh?” The man says. He keeps the gun trained on Batman. “Let’s hear it, then.”

Dick feels around in his pocket, pulling out the piece of paper. He unfolds it, then reads out the string of numbers. “39. 62. 40. 27. 14.” He pauses, then reads the final string. “84.”

Finally, finally, the man puts down the gun. He taps the side of his head “You’re telling the truth. I could hear it. Excellent,” He says. “Thank you most kindly.” He speaks into an earpiece. “You got that, fellas?”

Dick runs towards Batman. The man lets him do it. “Seems like your trust in the kid was misplaced, Batman.” The man says. “You’ll both be blown sky-high soon.”

Dick’s hands shake around the lock pick. “Sorry,” He chants, working to free Batman. “Sorry.”

He thinks he did the right thing. He thinks so. But he’s getting nothing from Batman, and the ominous feeling in his stomach grows…

The chains fall off, and Batman pounces.

He leaps, grabbing the gun from the man’s hand and tossing it away. “Robin!” He snaps. “Secure the gun!”

The man laughs. “It’s too late, Batman,” The man says. “We have the code. You can’t do anything about…”

He pauses, frowning. “What…”

Batman reaches a hand out, ripping the device from the man’s head. He screams, dropping to the floor. “No more of this,” He says. “You’re not reading anyone’s thoughts any longer.”

“Batman!” Dick runs up to him, gun tucked in his belt. “The code. He’s—”

“Nothing will happen,” Batm—Bruce says, whirling around to make his way out the room. “The code you have is a kill switch. The bombs are disarmed. All we need to do is clean up the scene now.”

Dick’s head spins. “What…”

“Get your team,” Bruce demands. “Reconvene and return with them. I’ll see you at the Batcave this evening for the debrief.”

He sweeps out of the room without another word.

Dick breathes in deeply one, twice. Then, only shaking a little, follows Bruce out of the room.

-

“What was that?” Dick demands.

He paces the floor in the Cave, running a hand through his hair. “Bruce? What was that?”

“You did well,” Bruce comments, stepping out of the Batmobile. “Your friends, too. You all handled yourselves exactly as you should.”

Dick gives a disbelieving laugh. “Okay. Thanks. Can you tell me what all that was? What happened?”

Bruce hooks his fingers under the cowl and removes it in one quick motion. “Simply put,” He says. “I’d been following this group’s activities for a while. And their experimentation with mind reading. And their attempts to get their hands on the bomb. So, I got there first, and got the kill switch.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Dick asks. He peels off his domino mask. “I really should’ve known—”

“You couldn’t know,” Bruce says. He starts to make his way towards the Batcomputer. “Because of the mind reader. I needed to set this up so he thought he would win, so that he would reveal himself and use the kill switch on his own. And to do that, you had to believe what was happening at face value.”

Dick follows him. “Why?” He asks. “Because he would read my mind and find out?”

“Precisely,” Bruce says. He takes a seat in front of the computer, completely unbothered. “So, I gave you the code without explanation. I sent you on your way. I made sure Red Tornado turned the televisions on to Gotham News. I needed you to come in, ready to help, thinking you had the codes they needed. Therefore, when your mind would be read, they’d thing they would have exactly what they needed.”

“But wouldn’t they read your mind too?” Dick demands. “And know you were planning this?”

“Not if I keep the plan away from my surface thoughts,” Bruce says. He begins to type. “You’re not well versed in this yet. However, it requires concentration. So I needed someone else there who could handle the part with the code, and I’d take care of the rest.”

Dick collapses in the chair next to him. “So,” He says. “You were banking on me showing up there and knowing to give them the code? What if I hadn’t?”

Bruce nods. He still doesn’t look at him. “You would,” He says simply. “Because you would think it through and approach the answer logically. Which you did. I trusted you to do this, and as you can see, I was correct.”

Dick just sits there, mind whirring. He shouldn’t be upset about this (Bruce trusts him) and yet.

Yet…

“You always do this,” Dick says, frustrated. “Over and over again. When you tested my team. When you made us think we were in danger. When you,” And here he feels a phantom pain, somewhere deep in his tooth. “The owls,” He mutters to himself.

Here, Bruce’s typing pauses. “What?” He asks

Dick shakes his head. The pain subsides. “I—it’s nothing. You did it for a reason. But…” He crosses his arms. “I…I don’t want to be kept in the dark. We’re partners.”

Bruce gives him a weird look. “Yes,” He says. “That’s why I trusted you with this. Nobody else could’ve done it.”

Dick looks down at his lap. “I…I guess so,” He says.

“Good,” Bruce’s typing resumes. “Go get some rest. We’re heading out again later tonight.”

Dick hops off the chair, heading towards the exit. The sounds of typing follow him all the way to the door.

Trust, He thinks, trying his best to believe it. Trust.

[nashscribblings]

Christmas Space Heater

I swear to god, I have an actual Christmas story this morning.

It's like the Christmas Shoes except it doesn't involve god showing someone the true meaning of Christmas by giving a kid's mom cancer.

Are we seated comfortably?

So as some of you have been following along, Sarah and I are taking care of some stray kitties that showed up on our doorstep. One, then two, then three, then three and a half (he's an orange one and the other three don't seem to like him much). Friendly cats, but strays.

We can't bring them inside with us because we already have two indoor cats, and these are definitely outdoor cats: ear tipped, chipped by the shelter, all of that. Community cats, they're called. So we've been feeding them and being friendly with them, making sure they're okay.

But this week we have these temperatures that are harsh for the season where we are. It's 18F/-7C right now, which isn't bad for lots of you but we're not used to it here in Charleston. It's been down to 10F/-12C with the wind chill at night.

So they need shelter.

We have a screened in porch that we've covered in plastic for the winter, so we decided we'd just bring in the outdoor cats for the worst of it. I set them up with food, water, litter, some cheap heat-reflective beds I got ($11 each, nice deal) and a space heater.

The space heater is a problem, though. It just isn't powerful enough. Plus there's some gaps and drafts I need to deal with using some weatherstripping and such. So I ventured out this Christmas Eve morning to get a (sigh) much more pricey unit. Was looking at $100 USD or more.

We're doing okay, but I've got taxes coming up, groceries are more expensive, I have doctor's bills (and another ultrasound soon, yay) so we're watching out money the best we can overall. But on the other hand, can't just let the cats freeze. They need their comfy room.

Went off to Wally-world and it's Dec 24th so nobody wants to be there, not the shoppers, not the employees, nobody. And it's also 7am so everyone's tired and miserable. Made my way over to the space heaters and as I was looking them over this nice older lady came down the aisle.

Now, two things: one, I do not like talking to strangers. Ever. I feel awkward and weird and I generally don't like people. Two: I'm not a space heater expert unless you count computers that use way too much electricity, and that did not apply.

But she seemed like a nice lady.

So I tried to go over what I know, infrared is fast but not efficient, ceramic is safer but not as powerful, oil radiators are efficient and good but really slow to get going, etc. Must have spent ten minutes or so asking her how big her room is, what she needed it for, etc.

We're really not built for the cold in Charleston, in most cases quite literally. Almost every house has some form of air conditioning but usually heating a place isn't a priority. Last Christmas it was something like 60F/15C. So lots of us aren't well versed in heating.

After a bit she turned around and asked me what I was getting, and I explained to her about the cats and looking after them and then she asked for pictures and she was all "awwww" and then she was talking about her kitties.

Her name is Anna and she had two (and of course she has pictures), but her senior kitty Misty passed just before Thanksgiving so we talked about that a little. Finally she decided on an oil radiator (we have those for inside and I told her they worked well for long periods).

So I figured she was about to get on her way and I was about to get back to getting mine, but then she says "And I'm getting whichever one you're getting."

"Well, you don't really need two of them."

"No, young man, I'm getting yours for you."

(And I gotta say, getting called "young man" was a Christmas present all by itself.)

I tried to talk her out of it of course, because that's just weird and we could handle it but she wouldn't hear of it. Like, she was really insistent because it was for the cats. I did manage to keep her from buying the weatherstripping stuff for me, at least.

But yeah, she got us a pretty beefy little ceramic heater that'll hopefully shore up the porch for the rest of this cold snap (which is looking like the better part of a week).

As we were checking out I was sure to tell her that Sarah works at the animal shelter and if she was looking for another cat to come by on the weekend and ask for her and all that. She said she would.

And then it was "Merry Christmas" and we were on our way.

Not a real big twist or surprise here at the end, sorry. But yeah, that happened. It's not a huge deal but it helps us some. So happy holidays and all that. Hope you enjoyed that.

[mamawasatesttube]

38 for the dialogue prompt… maybe with some bart and kon?

also prompted by an anon!

38. "I'm going to be sick."

There are upsides to getting sent to New Orleans to deal with a surprise villain attack, starring Metallo. Like the pecan pralines from this one shop near the French Quarter that Wally has never shut up about since Bart's known him. Or the cajun fries. Or the beignets.

There are also downsides. Like the heat and the humidity. Seriously, how does anyone live down here? Running interference, and then helping with cleanup, has never been sweatier. Why'd that asshole have to damage so many buildings, anyway?

At least Café du Monde is still intact. Rob promised he'd buy everyone beignets and coffee when everything's settled, and Bart's gonna hold him to that.

...Except that right now, he kinda doesn't want to eat. Probably 'cuz it's so hot out. But it is kinda weird to not be hungry after a big battle.

Oh well. Shit needs doing, so shit's gotta get done, and Bart's gonna be a shit-doer. He chugs some tepid water from the bottle at his hip, grimaces as nausea pulses through his stomach, and starts to run again.

Five minutes later, his legs give out.

It comes as a shock: one moment he's moving some debris to free a couple trapped cars in an alleyway, and the next, his leg cramps up so bad that for a second he swears he's just gotten shot again, and he goes crashing to the ground before he even realizes he's falling.

What the fuck?!

Sweaty, exhausted, nauseous, in pain, and miserable, Bart gives up. Something's wrong, but he can't figure out what. Someone else can handle that; he digs his thumbs into the meat of his calf and whines, "Kooooon..."

A whoosh of air and a red, blue, and black blur drop out of the sky almost instantly. Kon, damn his Kryptonian genes, isn't sweating at all; his cyan gaze pierces right through Bart as he drops to his knees next to him. "Imp! What's the matter?"

Bart groans, stomach churning. His leg still hurts like a bitch. "I think," he says, "I'm gonna be sick." He whines again.

Kon's eyes widen. He reaches for Bart's shoulders to help him sit up, then hisses. "Shit, dude, you're burning up! Have you had any water?"

Bart nods miserably. Now why the hell is he shivering? That seems wrong. Uuugghhh, he's so nauseous. "Jus' a minute ago. Made me feel more sick. I don't think water's supposed to do that. It's just so fucking hoooot..."

"Oh, man. Okay. I think you're overheating, buddy." Kon exhales slowly; the air he blows out over Bart's face is blessedly cool, and Bart almost topples over from his precarious sitting position just trying to lean further into it. "Yup, okay. Gotta get you somewhere cooler."

"But... the cleanup," Bart balks.

"Dude." Kon gives him a disappointed look—aw, beans, that's his disappointed Ma Kent look. Bart would squirm under his gaze, if he wasn't so close to puking. "It's, like, literally a hundred and ten degrees out, and super humid, and you've always run hot even without strenuous shit like a villain fight. Muscle cramps? Nausea? Feeling faint? Classic symptoms of heat exhaustion."

As he speaks, he gathers Bart up in his arms; Bart whines again, just to reiterate that this sucks balls, but then a tendril of TTK works its way along his cramping leg and presses in against his aching muscle just right, and he shuts up instantly. Fuuuck, that feels good.

"What are you?" he mumbles, a full second or two late. "WebMD? Why do you know all that off the top of your head?"

Kon snorts. He blows cool air against Bart's sticky forehead again, rising into the air in a smooth arc (Bart appreciates that, because neither of them would have a good time if he emptied his stomach all over them both mid-flight). "Imp, c'mon. They programmed field medicine into my head back in the tube, man."

"Oh." Bart huffs. "That makes sense." He lets his head loll against Kon's shoulder as Kon picks up speed; the Mississippi River sparkles in the sun far below. "Where're we going?"

"Back to base," Kon answers. The air up here is cooler; Bart sighs in relief. "You're gonna sit in a cool shower, and I'm getting you some Gatorade."

Kon's always so good at taking care of him, Bart thinks. His leg already feels way better. Of course, he can't just say that normally. "Okay, mom."

Kon scoffs. "Excuse me for being a good friend who worries about you!"

"You're excused," Bart assures him, closing his eyes.

For a few moments, the whistling of the wind is the only sound. Then Bart heaves a massive sigh.

"Hey, Kon?"

"Yeah, bud?"

"I still want beignets later. Can you make sure Rob remembers?"

Kon's rumble of laughter reverberates through his chest as the clouds pass them by. "Yeah, Imp," he promises. "I'll be sure to let him know."

[hyperfixingfr]

may I ask who the non problematic 1/362 shipper is and if they have content? I love the ship but am ashamed to admit it because you are so right with everything you said. People making straight ships not be creeps challenge imposible, apparently.

that aside, how would you describe Rachel’s relationship with your sector V? but maybe more in depth with Hoagie. I feel those two interacting isn’t shown a lot

fluffernuttermushroom is the user and I'm not sure there's currently any content on the page.

Rachel's relationship can get a bit complex with them because of the authority differences between sector operatives and the leader of the whole earth organization. It's slightly changed in authority gap with Nigel, but the power over still remains.

Nigel and Rachel are how they're implied in the show. Rachel admires Nigel's dedication and efforts, but can get a little pissed off with how much extra he makes her work because of his desires to disregard orders if he has a gut feeling they're not the best action. He can act very independently, and it causes the workload for Rachel to go up if he fucks up. Nigel has a lot of respect and admiration for Rachel, and thinks she's a great replacement for Chad. It's not like Chad let him do the crap he did either. He wants to get to know her more and hang out with her because he always loves speaking to people who are dedicated to the KND... But she's too busy for that.

Hoagie and Rachel are unique. Hoagie is naturally aversive and fearful of Rachel because of her status as an authority figure, given his trauma with authority figures. Although she's the age of his peers, she has the power of an authority figure, and that scares him shitless. It's nothing personal. He's traumatized, and Rachel tries to keep her tone leveled but assertive when he's involved in a scolding. Over time, he does eventually become less tense around her. That fear still remains even if only sometimes, as his home life still remains the same. He'll have nice conversations with her if she speaks to him first. This has only happened a few times, usually when he's apart of those events that specifically put priority on the 2x4 tech officers. Otherwise, she has no reason to speak to him independently. They haven't a single common interest.

Kuki and Rachel are pretty well connected for such a huge gap in power. Rachel is admittedly aware of how Kuki's trauma response of acting oblivious is affecting mission outcomes and is trying to work on her with that. She knows Kuki is powerful and very, very intelligent. She simply locks up and automatically shifts into this act of stupidity as a defense mechanism, though. They all have their own unique problems with how they were raised or how peers impacted their learning. She feels Kuki is unfairly untrustworthy, and is determined to help her fix this issue so she can show her power to everyone. Aside from that, Kuki is willing to help Rachel keep people away from her while she works when Kuki herself doesn't have anything to do by creating distractions so intriguing that the operatives that see it have just gotta check it out. It keeps them away from Rachel, makes them forget about what they needed from her, and Kuki has some fun being creative.

Wally and Rachel's connection is also a bit complex. It's mostly a connection that Rachel has to Wally, while Wally remains oblivious to it. Just like it's nothing personal with how Hoagie is fearful of Rachel, it's nothing personal with how Wally is defiant of Rachel. Unlike most people in the KND, Rachel actually seems to understand WHY he is. She recognized very early on that this was a kid who was just so pissed off that not one authority figure could understand him that he just began defying them all. This includes Rachel, who holds the status of authority figure even though she's around his age. She wants to do the same thing he does to people sometimes because she is treated very similarly by people at school. However, she's not an impulsive person. Wally is. That prevents her from acting out, while Wally can't control it. She tries her best to figure out what exactly is the thing that's so different about him so that she can show that he's understood by at least one person... And maybe give him some relief to the pain of not knowing what his problem is. Wally never wants to talk to her for long enough for her to get stuff outta him, so she just goes through numerous files of battles or reports that include him to get an idea of what's going on with him. He happens to have a lot of reports made on him from school that get filed in by hidden KND operatives and cameras throughout the school due to him getting in trouble one way or another. Although his defiance is annoying and can make things difficult, she tries not to hold it against him. It's a lot easier to handle if Hoagie is there, because those two are the one thing keeping the other at bay. Their traumas show way less when they have the company of one another. That one always baffled Rachel, because she thought Hoagie was gonna get mauled to death by Wally less than a week into him being assigned at Sector V. She doesn't complain, because they both needed someone who cares for each other. Society deems them both unlovable in different ways, and she knows how that feels.

Abby and Rachel are pretty similar to Kuki and Rachel. Abby respects Rachel, and doesn't defy her a single time because Abby can understand where she's coming from far more than anyone else. Rachel appreciates this a LOT. Less defiance is good. Abby is also able to speak whatever idiotic language the other four do, while Rachel isn't. She's like the translator of their idiocy when Rachel can't understand it. Rachel feels bad giving them group scoldings because Abby always seems upset, even when she wasn't doing anything wrong. Rachel also seems to recognize Abby's odd attachment to Hoagie, which has gone unnoticed by everyone... Including themselves. She'd look like an idiot to them if she pointed it out, so she watches from afar hoping they'll figure their shit out eventually. She finds it humorous to see a side of Abby she never thought existed around the kid who cries over the microwave being too loud. Chill, level headed kid becoming a mess around a kid who is ALWAYS a mess? It's like the mess is spreading.

[spicedwatermel0n]

Teen designs ‼️

Feel free to ask questions about them, I'll answer a few that might've already come up in your head here but if I didn't answer them here feel free to send an ask!

- Nigel quickly began growing facial hair, which he originally liked because it made him look tough, but it became clear that it just ended up making him scarier. Hoagie also has gone through puberty a bit faster than everyone else, and has quite the hairy body. He shaves his face, but tells people the arm hair and leg hair needs to stay because it makes him look "like a dad". They all just assume he wants to look like a father figure because he doesn't have one in his life and hasn't since he was six. Rest in peace, Sr.

- the high school is very strict with dress code (no hats is the biggest) and is also under transphobic protocols. Although Kuki managed to fool the system with her gender being displayed as female in the system, Wally didn't get that luxury. He had his name changed in the system, but his gender still says female. Due to dress code, he isn't allowed to bind. He doesn't pass very well, and it means he has to use the girls restroom and is referred to as "she" by teachers and students. He still has his name change in, thankfully, so they only know him as Wally.

- at the beginning of high school, Wally was diagnosed as autistic and suffering from dyslexia (ADHD was diagnosed a year before). This gave him anxiety about his image, which causes him to freeze up when he's being bullied. He's a fighter, sure, but the names he's called causes his body to lock itself up and just let people treat him like a punching bag. He's frequently assaulted, sometimes even in front of staff, but no one does anything besides his friends, girlfriend, and boyfriend. This led to him stealing stuff like weed and cigarettes from stores and smoking it as a coping mechanism.

- Hoagie goes to smoke with Wally all the time. They run off into the forest and get REALLY high. Hoagie gets even more romantic than he already is when he's high so the two spend more time locking lips than actually smoking. They've accidentally left marks on each other's shoulders, necks, and cheeks from holding onto them for too long during their red eyed kissing sessions. They always get bullied for that the next day because high schoolers sexualize anything.

- Kuki finds Wally after school and takes him to her house to spoil him. She knows school is hell for him. He usually cries a bit, eats a small bag of chips, and falls asleep cuddling with Kuki during a TV show she put on for him.

- Abby has gotten in trouble a lot because she ends up getting physical with Wallys bullies. No matter how many times she teaches them a lesson, they don't learn. They still assault him. Wally appreciates it, though, since Abby is usually a good student, and her breaking it just to stand up for him makes him feel loved.

- Nigel only makes it to school once or twice a week. During those days, he'll try to stick around Hoagie and Wally so they don't get bullied. Nigel intimidates everyone, so their bullies just watch them from their lockers, knowing what will happen if they try anything.

- Nigel is feared because he supposedly ended the life of another student with his bare fists. Did he? No. It's a rumor everyone believes. The "dead" student in question was brought to the KND Arctic Prison, which is why they haven't been seen.

- Wally got the name "freak" in many ways. Some call him that for being autistic. Some call him that for being transgender. Some call him that for being bisexual. Some call him that for being polyamorous. Some just think he's ugly. The school was practically made for bigoted students, so he doesn't do very well there.

- Hoagie learned he wasn't going to escape the bullying very quickly, so he just started dressing as he wanted within the dress code. Many, many piercings. Wally can't get over the piercings. He thinks it's "super duper extra handsome of him".

- Kuki has the best reputation of Sector V. This is really only because every boy wants to date her, and every girl wants to be her best friend. Some of these people started poking at her after learning who she's dating.