#blackout tuesday

[speedbooster]

I feel so childish rn

I am so excited for Sonic X Shadow Generations that I can't sleep. Even though I pre-ordered the game physically for the journal, and the earliest I can go pick it up is 11...

It is currently 7 AM, and I'm lying in bed kicking my feet with anticipation because GOD I WANNA PLAY IT SO BAD!!

I'm glad I have other things to keep me busy because otherwise this would be the longest 4 hours of my life-

[etlu-yume]

Pro of bullet journalling: Keeping a better sense of the passage of time Cons of bullet journalling: what the fuck is today. What the fuck was yesterday. HeLP

[kickassclefable]

BLACKOUT

never eat tacos on tuesday again

the world is a cold place, full of rust and resentment. sickness and despair are carried by the wind and seep into the cracks of society. it was a hot day. the scorching sun baked the dying grass surrounding the isolated building with slightly grey peeling walls and covered with the smell of sweat and blood and dirt. the days pass endlessly slowly, dragging out in a wretched place, yet each…

[violent138]

Things people from Gotham find weird when they visit most other cities:

Lack of easily accessible propane grills (basically everyone in Gotham has one to deal with the power blackouts)

Landlords that actually fulfill repairs at some point (meaning a friend doesn't know how to do it themselves)

People don't religiously water their houseplants (in Gotham buying a houseplant might become a death sentence if Ivy finds out you're a murderer)

A lack of emergency supplies and first aid kits everywhere

Other people do not contemplate being covered in blood/condiments/clay during the day and don't routinely take extra clothes around

What would be considered another Tuesday in Gotham actually makes the news and a public figure does something about it

Strange absence of heroes popping out of the woodwork

The tap water is a normal colour and there is little to no risk that it's poisoned

[cleolinda]

The #RedditBlackout hashtag started trending on Twitter after the blackout began, with more than 4,238 tweets associated with the term as of Monday. Reddit was trending with more than 112,000 searches on the social media platform. Twitter users as early as 9 a.m. noticed that Reddit was experiencing technical issues. [...] Although the website resumed functioning almost two hours after the early reports of an outage, a coalition of Reddit moderators and users continue to engage in a standoff with the company Monday and Tuesday. More than 7,808 unique subreddits planned to participate in the blackout starting Monday, with the largest being r/funny, a community with more than 40 million users, according to an index by r/ModCoor. Around 7,260 subreddits are private as of Monday afternoon, according to a real-time stream of the protest on Twitch.

[pixiefelixie]

𓆝..°°𓈒 ⋆ (필릭스) : REMEMBER THIS SUMMER "TUESDAY"

𓆉 °°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ synopsis felix is living the summer every teenager dreams of, with a perfect beach house on the east coast of australia and an even more perfect girlfriend. by taking the best of both worlds, felix invites her to experience the world he grew up in to make this the best summer ever. amidst bonfires, romantic sunsets, and seagulls, felix has one goal this summer: to finally tell her he loves her. with just one week to do so, felix is met with a challenge to make his feelings known before time runs out. 

pairing: nonidol!felix x fem!reader, series warnings: felix + reader are intended to be 17-18, established relationship, fluff, underaged drinking at a party (again), very very suggestive (marking, tons of making out) under 16 dni, indirect mention of sex but nothing happens, sorry this chapter is so long 😭 important notes: The content of this work is purely fictional and is not intended to endorse or encourage any behavior, especially among minors, that may be deemed inappropriate or unsafe. This story is created solely for entertainment purposes and should be understood as fiction. Reader discretion is advised.

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chapter under the cut! ~13k words

day 3 - 10:30

from what you could remember from last night, surely felix couldn't have been that drunk. you had to have been blackout drunk to forget last night's events. however, felix did remember most of it. he remembered the way griff feinted a hit to scare you, his hands stopping just short of your face. and he even remembered the kiss you two had under the fireworks, which he described as "super hot". but somehow, he completely forgot about the most important thing—the thing that had left you staring at him, waiting for a response with a knot in your stomach.

"wait—so you don't have any memory of the promise?" you asked him, your voice strained with disbelief. you stared at him, expecting him to laugh or at least offer some kind of apologetic look. but instead, felix nonchalantly shook his head, as if the whole night was just another ordinary evening to him. he took a casual bite out of his blueberry bagel, letting crumbs tumble onto the plate below it.

"i mean, if you could give me some context, i might have a clue," he said, shrugging casually, completely unfazed.

you groaned, burying your face in your hands in frustration. of all the things you had hoped for today, this was the last thing you wanted to deal with. explaining last night to felix felt like stepping into a trap you had no idea how to escape. how could you even bring it up? what were you supposed to say? well, felix, you told me you loved me and kinda threw a marriage proposal at me! the thought made you want to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"well, you said some things last night," you began slowly, your voice quieter now, as you gathered the courage to push through. "and we agreed to talk about it today." you stared at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but his expression remained completely neutral, unbothered by the conversation you were trying to have.

"i really wish i knew what you were talking about so i could engage in this conversation with you, but unfortunately, i have zero idea!" felix exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defense as if he didn’t realize the gravity of the situation.

"so you wanna know what you said to me?" you queried.

felix shrugged and took another bite out of his bagel. "i mean now that i think about it. do i really wanna know?" he said, his voice muffled by food, making you want to scream.

you scoffed, shaking your head in disbelief. this was ridiculous. how could he be so careless about something so important? "you're unbelievable," you muttered under your breath, loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough that it almost felt like you were talking to yourself.

but as you stared at him, something felt off. you weren’t stupid. there was something fishy about his reaction. his complete lack of curiosity about what he'd said or what had happened—maybe it wasn’t that he couldn’t remember. it was that he didn’t seem to care enough to find out. 

was he purposefully avoiding the topic? maybe he was too scared to confront what he’d said, or maybe it just didn’t matter enough to him.

you’d kept quiet, too, trying to protect yourself from the awkwardness that might follow. you hadn’t even mentioned what he’d said to you. you hadn’t shared how you felt when those words had left his lips, how they had shaken something deep inside you. so, maybe you weren’t exactly innocent in all this. you hadn’t opened up either.

your thoughts swirled, caught between feeling confused by felix’s reaction and frustrated by your own silence. neither of you had taken that first step toward addressing the elephant in the room. and in the stillness of the morning, you realized that maybe neither of you was ready to face it yet.

felix watched you carefully, his lips parting like he wanted to say something else, but he hesitated. then, as if deciding to let it slide, he quickly changed the subject. “by the way…” his tone shifted, lighter now, almost hesitant.

you glanced over your shoulder at him, your eyebrow arched. “yeah?”

a small smile tugged at his lips, his freckles catching the sunlight in a way that made him look softer. “thank you,” he said simply.

you blinked, confused. “for what?”

“for standing up for me last night. when griff was being… you know.” felix’s voice faltered slightly, but his eyes didn’t leave yours. he scratched the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. “i don’t think i would’ve ever said anything myself,” he admitted with a small laugh. “it was lowkey badass.”

you chuckled softly, setting your mug down on the counter. “well, someone had to do it.”

“sorry, i wasn’t much help, though. i was so out of it,” he said, his tone apologetic.

you waved him off with a smile. “it’s fine. honestly, it was kind of fun.”

felix raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter with a teasing smirk. “you like arguing with people, don’t you?”

you laughed, shaking your head. “well, no. not really. i don’t go looking for a fight or anything. ”

“oh, sure,” felix said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “you were just so reluctant to call griff out in front of everyone.”

you narrowed your eyes playfully, crossing your arms over your chest. “i had to. there’s a difference between picking a fight and needing to speak up. but i guess you’re right. it’s fun knowing that you get to put someone in their place, you know?”

felix nodded in agreement before his voice turned soft again. “i really am sorry, though,” he said quietly. “for being useless. you had to deal with griff and me at the same time… i should’ve been better.” 

you tilted your head, narrowing your eyes at him. “really sorry?”

“as sorry as i can get,” he confessed, his voice steady but quieter now like he meant every word.

“i think there’s a way to prove you’re not completely useless.”

felix blinked. “oh? and what’s that?”

you stepped closer, closing the gap between you with a sly smile. “i think a kiss would help show your worth, sunshine,” you said, your voice sweet.

felix’s eyes lit up, his mouth curving into a cute smile. “is that so?” he murmured, already leaning in.

“just to be thorough,” you added.

“with pleasure,” he whispered.

he didn’t need to be told twice. felix leaned in, his hand brushing your wrist before deciding to clasp your fingers in his, holding them lightly between you. his lips met yours in a kiss that started slow but quickly deepened, the kind of kiss that made your heart race and sent warmth spreading through your entire body.

his free hand found its way to the back of your neck, his touch featherlight as though he was afraid of overstepping. the world around you seemed to melt away. the soft scent of his cologne, the warmth of his lips, the way his thumb gently grazed your knuckles—it all made your stomach twist in the best way.

when he finally pulled back, his forehead rested lightly against yours, his breath coming in short, warm puffs against your skin. his dark eyes flickered to yours, and a grin tugged at his pink lips.

“thorough enough?” he asked his voice low.

you let out a soft laugh, still catching your breath. “yeah, very,” you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper.

his dark eyes searched yours, his smile softening as he took in your expression. then, without another word, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to your lips, leaving you dizzy and breathless all over again.

when he pulled back, his gaze flicked to your cheeks, now flushed a deep pink. his smile turned into a full-on grin, and a playful laugh escaped him. “you’re blushing,” he teased, his voice light and affectionate.

you felt your cheeks heat even more, and before you could come up with your usual retorts, felix cooed softly, his teasing tone making your embarrassment worse.

“aww, don’t hide it,” he said with a laugh, wrapping his arms around you in a warm, easy hug. you froze for a second before melting into him, your face buried against his shoulder as his scent wrapped around you.

“felix, shut up,” you muttered against his shirt, though there was no real bite in your words.

he chuckled again, resting his chin lightly on the top of your head. “what? it’s cute,” he said, his voice smug.

you sighed, your lips curving into a smile despite yourself. “you’re so annoying,” you mumbled, though you didn’t move to pull away.

“what happened to the tough girl from yesterday, mm?” he teased, his voice low. “the one who told off griff without even blinking? where’d she go?”

you pushed him away, narrowing your eyes, “she’s gonna kill you,” you said, looking up at him.

felix’s grin only grew as he looked down at you, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief. “you’re so scary,” he teased.

you rolled your eyes but didn’t miss a beat.

felix let out a sharp, dramatic hiss as your fingers pinched his arm hard enough to make him flinch. he gasped, biting his lip. “ah—okay, okay! i’m sorry.” 

day 3 - 19:00

by the time 7 pm rolled around, the sun was beginning its slow descent, casting warm hues over the water and sand. the day had been nothing short of productive. you first went paddle boarding at noon, the crystal-clear water below while you snapped countless photos with your camera. you could see schools of tiny fish darting under your board, their silvery scales flashing in the sunlight. 

fishing came next, and felix took it far more seriously than expected—at least until he caught one. his yell echoed across the water as he held up a ridiculously small fish, his grin so wide it was impossible not to laugh. that is until he leaned in and kissed the fish’s slimy mouth, making you gag.

afterward, tanning became the perfect way to wind down. you both stretched out on towels, as you took turns rubbing sunscreen on each other’s backs. the two of you chatted about everything and nothing, your voices mingling with the sound of seagulls squawking as if they wanted to join in on your conversation. at one point it turned into a gossip session, both of you spilling drama about high school back in sydney. felix whispering in your ear as if there were people around you and dropping the bomb of a certain teacher spending too much time with one of the students.

the tide crept closer by each hour, signaling that the day wasn’t quite over yet. there was still more to come. at around 21:30, the two of you had plans to attend a birthday party on a yacht—one of felix’s old friends was celebrating in typical over-the-top fashion, and you were both invited because their parents were connected to felix’s.

felix came from money. you’d always known that; it was evident in the way he carried himself, in the lovely beach house where you were staying, with its polished wood interiors and floor-to-ceiling windows that framed the ocean like a painting. but it wasn’t something you questioned. to you, felix was just felix—playful, sweet, and a little bit reckless, no matter how gilded the edges of his world seemed.

now, as the sun dipped lower, the promise of sunset hung in the air. it had become your quiet tradition, something neither of you ever put into words. sunset was your favorite time of day, and somehow, you both just knew that about each other.

felix had promised to take you to the cove to watch it, a little secluded spot just down the beach. the party would come later, with its loud music, glittering lights, and crowded yacht decks, but this? this was your moment, one that belonged only to the two of you.

the walk to the cove was anything but smooth. the path wound between jagged rocks, some of which jutted up like teeth, forcing you to climb over them while also struggling to stay upright. algae clung to the stones in slippery patches, squishing under your sandals.

“this is a bit more intense than i expected,” you muttered, glancing at felix, who was a few steps ahead.

“the best spots take a little work to get to. you’ll see.”

then, just as you stepped onto a flat stretch of rock, something slender shifted near your feet. you froze, your breath catching in your throat as your eyes darted down.

a snake. a long, thick snake slithered across the rock, its scales catching the last glimmers of sunlight.

“what the heck!” you yelped, stumbling back a step as your heart raced.

without thinking, you bolted toward him, grabbing his bicep with both hands and leaning into him as if he were a shield against the creature.

he immediately turned, concern flashing across his face. “what? did you hurt yourself?”

“just a snake,” you managed to get out, your voice shaky but with relief now that you were away from it.

felix blinked, his lips parting in surprise. “was it big?”

“massive,” you said, still holding onto him. “i’ve been bit before as a kid, so forgive me if i don’t want to relive that.”

“wait—you’ve actually been bitten by a snake?”

you nodded, your voice steady but a little distant as the memory resurfaced. “yeah. my family was on vacation in hawaii and i accidentally stepped on one when i was a kid. it bit my leg, and it was venomous. just a bit though.”

his brows shot up. “what happened?”

“our tour guide had anti-venom and they rushed me to the hospital,” you said, glancing at him. “i remember the panic more than the actual pain. everyone around me was freaking out, but i was just sitting there, i couldn’t even bring myself to cry.”

felix tilted his head, studying you with a mix of disbelief and concern. “you didn’t feel it?”

“i mean i just remember sweating a ton and feeling really sick,” you admitted. “probably because i was in such shock. but once i was in the er and the doctors were talking about how lucky we were to get there so fast, it all started to sink in.”

his expression softened, a trace of a smile on his lips. “and here you are, like a champ.” felix laughed, a warm, comforting sound that echoed off the surrounding rocks. “but seriously, that sounds terrifying. glad you made it out okay.”

you shrugged lightly, letting go of his arm and giving him a small smile. “it’s not exactly a fond memory, but it’s a good story to tell. just… let’s avoid making it a sequel, alright?”

felix chuckled softly, “as long as neither of us steps on one, i think we’re good.” his hand slid from your grip and he pulled you closer, his arm wrapping around your shoulders.

up ahead, tall shrubs swayed lightly in the breeze, and through the gaps in their leaves, you caught the faint shimmer of water.

“is it… here?” you asked, tilting your head toward him.

felix’s lips curled into a soft smile. “you got it,” 

he clasped your hand and guided you forward, pushing the plants gently aside with his free hand. the greenery gave way to an opening, and as you stepped through, the sight in front of you took your breath away.

the cove was stunning. turquoise water lapped gently at the sandy shore, its surface glinting under the fading sunlight. smooth rocks framed the secluded spot, their edges catching the golden hues of the approaching sunset. above you, an arc of smooth rock curved, like the natural ceiling of a cave. the whole scene felt untouched, utterly serene as if no one else in the world knew it existed.

felix let go of your hand briefly to take a step ahead, turning to watch your reaction. “what do you think?” he asked, his voice softer now, almost shy.

you looked at him, your mouth slightly open as you tried to find the right words. “it’s… beautiful,” you finally said, your gaze shifting back to the water. “it’s like it’s out of a dream. how does something like this even exist?” you said, reaching out for his hand again, squeezing his fingers gently. 

felix followed your gaze and grinned, giving your hand a gentle tug. “this way,”

he led you toward a quiet spot on the sand, where the gentle waves crept up slowly, leaving faint trails of foam before retreating. the ground was warm beneath you as you both settled down, the sound of the ocean filling the silence between you.

in front of you, an opening in the rock framed the horizon perfectly, like a natural window to the sunset. the fiery oranges and soft pinks melted into purples, casting shimmering reflections on the turquoise water.

felix lowered himself onto the sand, stretching his legs out in front of him and patting the spot between them. “come here,” he said softly.

you didn’t hesitate, a soft smile tugging at your lips as you stepped closer. his hand pulled yours, his touch steady as he guided you down in front of him.

“how did you even find this place?” you asked, your voice quiet as your eyes wandered over the cove. you shifted to get comfortable before finally resting your head on his lap. 

felix leaned forward slightly, his arm curling around you to pull you closer. his free hand drifted to your hair, his fingers threading through it in slow, soothing strokes. “chris and i were out looking for good spots to surf,” he said quietly while reminiscing.

“surfing? here?” you turned your neck to glance up at him.

“yeah, i know. doesn’t seem like the best place, right? too calm.” he chuckled, the sound low and warm. “we never did end up surfing here. but i got curious when i saw this little path through the trees, and… well, i found this.”

you looked back at the cove, the secluded beauty of it almost overwhelming. “and you kept it to yourself?”

he shrugged, his hand never leaving your hair. “yeah, i never told chris at all. later that day i came again alone.” felix lowered his head closer to yours, his voice softer now. “i never brought anyone here before. i wanted it to be a spot i could go to whenever.”

as you nestled against him, you let out a soft breath. “okay,” you said. “so, why bring me here?”

he knew why. he’d known for weeks, maybe longer. because i love you, he thought. the words hovered on the tip of his tongue, so close he could almost hear himself saying them.

the cove, the sunset, the two of you sitting this close—it would’ve been perfect to tell you now.

but his chest tightened, and the words wouldn’t come. 

“am i that special?” you asked suddenly, saving him from his spiraling thoughts.

a soft laugh escaped him, and he tilted his head, looking at you with pure affection. his hand slipped down to your cheek, brushing a thumb along your jaw. “you have no idea,” he whispered.

your smile softened at his words and suddenly, the teasing felix you knew was gone. he looked at you in a way you hadn’t seen before, something that made your heart flutter. was it love?

“you’re so pretty,” he said, his voice low, like the words slipped out without him even meaning to.

the air seemed to shift between you. he had never said anything like that before—not in that way, not with that much weight behind it. for a moment, you couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think of what to say.

you sat up slowly, turning toward him, and leaned in just a little. you glanced at his lips, then back to his eyes, searching for something you couldn’t quite name. and then you closed the distance, pressing your lips to his in a long, still kiss.

it was so soft. his lips were warm and gentle against yours, and for a moment, the world felt like it had stopped spinning entirely. when you finally pulled back, your heart was racing, and his gaze hadn’t wavered from you.

“can we…” you began, the flush of color still tinting your cheeks. “can we do what we did yesterday?”

felix blinked, pretending as though he didn’t understand. “what do you mean?” he asked, his tone almost innocent, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

“you know,” you said, swatting his arm lightly, your grin growing.

he chuckled, low and warm, and before you could say more, he leaned in and kissed you again.

his lips moved against yours as if he were savoring the kiss, letting himself sink into it. his grip on your hand tightened, grounding both of you and his other hand slid up to the side of your neck, his fingers grazing your skin as he tilted his head slightly.

you couldn’t resist any longer. with a soft, breathless sigh, you parted your lips, meeting his tongue with your own, guiding the kiss deeper. the heat between you both intensified and as your tongues danced together, you slowly moved the hand he was holding, shifting it from your grasp to your waist.

felix hesitated for a moment, but then he let go of your hand and placed it firmly on your body. you wrapped both of your hands around his neck, pulling him closer, pressing your body against his as you kissed him deeper.

but after a few moments, you pulled away slightly, breathless, a smile tugging at your lips. “so much for being responsible,” you teased, your voice light as you brushed your hand down his chest.

felix immediately frowned, his eyes darkening, “stop talking.” without hesitation, he chased after your lips, catching them in another desperate kiss. you smiled into it, the heat between you both intensifying. his lips moved urgently against yours, and as you tried to pull away again, he followed you, not giving you a chance to break this. his hands were now on your waist, pulling you even closer as if he couldn’t bear the distance between you.

your hands instinctively moved up to his hair, grabbing a fistful of it. his tongue slid into your mouth, exploring, and tasting, and you responded equally. this cove was magical. it made you feel like it was just the two of you in this world.

finally, after a long moment, you both pulled away, lips swollen and red. you caught your breath, smiling softly. “we’re gonna miss the sunset,” you said, your voice teasing. “that’s what we’re here for, right?”

felix pouted, his hands still on you, it was clear he wasn’t thinking about the sunset. “sure, sure,” he replied distractedly, his eyes still on your lips. “can we stay like this?” he asked, his voice almost shy, his arms wrapping around you tighter.

you leaned in and kissed his cheek softly, your heart racing as you nuzzled into him, settling between his legs. his warmth surrounded you, and for a moment, everything felt right. but felix, despite this, seemed far away in his own thoughts. you could feel him shift slightly beneath you, his breath a little more uneven, as if something was weighing on him.

inside, felix’s mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. his heart raced in a mix of emotions, but the one who showed its face the most was a deep, nagging guilt. he couldn’t ignore the feeling that he hadn’t said those three words.

he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be moving this fast, feeling this much, especially without telling you how deeply he felt. part of him wanted to just let go, and embrace the closeness and intimacy without worrying about the timing.

another part of him felt guilty, like he was rushing things before he was ready to say what truly mattered. 

then, your voice broke through. it was so soft, so gentle, the kind of voice that made him feel like everything in the world could pause for a moment—like he could breathe for the first time in forever. “are you okay, lixie?” 

his throat tightened as he met your gaze, his heart pounding in his chest. he wasn’t sure how to respond to the sudden rush of emotions, but your simple care for him, your concern, made him feel like he didn’t deserve it. he wasn’t sure if he could ever truly put into words what he was feeling, but you were making him want to try.

“yeah, why wouldn’t i be?” felix finally said, his voice unsteady. then, in an almost whispered tone, he said, “quick, look at the sun, it’s setting.”

you turned your head, following his gaze. the sky stretched out in front of you, the colors shifting as the sun dipped lower, casting a breathtaking, fiery orange glow across the horizon. the waves shimmered beneath the light, reflecting the warm hues, as if the whole world had paused to take in the beauty of this moment.

you sat there for a moment, completely in awe of the breathtaking sunset before you. it was impossible not to be captivated by it, and in that instant, you reached for your camera, wanting to capture its beauty. you snapped a picture, the vibrant colors of the sunset perfectly framed in the shot.

the picture was beautiful—perfectly still, a moment in time frozen forever. as your gaze shifted to him, you caught his soft smile, his eyes reflecting the glow of the fading sun. it made your heart skip, and for a second, everything else seemed so distant.

felix took your hand, his fingers brushing against yours gently, and kissed your hand softly, the warmth of his lips sending a shiver up your arm. you brought your camera up again, capturing the moment and when you looked at the photo, you couldn’t help but smile. your boyfriend was so incredibly handsome. the orange light cast across felix’s face, making his features even more striking, his eyes looking up at your camera as his lips lingered on your hand. his gaze was both loving and full of warmth.

you leaned back against felix’s abdomen, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing beneath you. his arm moved, wrapping gently around you as he grabbed your hand, his thumb beginning to trace soft, slow circles on the back of it. the gesture was calming, soothing even, as the warmth of his touch seeped into your skin. the two of you sat in silence, the sound of the waves lapping against the shore blending with the serene hues of the sunset.

as your gaze remained fixed on the horizon, your thoughts drifted. being back in sydney, you hadn’t expected a trip like this to bring you and felix so close in such a short time. three days now. that was all it had taken for him to feel like home—like someone you could lean on, quite literally.

you smiled softly to yourself, thinking about how much he had changed in your eyes. not that felix hadn’t always been attractive—he was, undeniably—but there was something different now. the way he looked at you, the way he spoke to you, even the way he touched you—it all felt deepened in ways you couldn’t explain.

your old self, the one who had just started dating him, would never have guessed this moment would come so soon. if she could see you now, sitting between his legs, leaning back against him with his hand in yours, watching the sunset in the most breathtaking place, she would have been surprised. you weren’t sure what would shock her more—that you’d let yourself be this vulnerable with him, or that you’d never felt more at home than you did right now.

a question pressed itself into your mind. do you love him?

it was such a big word—love. it carried weight and meaning you weren’t sure you fully understood yet. you were young, after all. could you really know what it meant? but as you sat there, feeling felix’s steady warmth against your back, his fingers brushing slow circles over your hand, you couldn’t help but think that this was what love must feel like.

felix’s thumb paused for a moment on the back of your hand, and then he shifted, wrapping his arm more firmly around you. it was such a small thing, but it made your breath hitch. if this wasn’t love, it was close enough to leave you wondering if it could ever be anything else. 

the sun slowly dipped lower and lower until the last sliver of light disappeared beneath the horizon. the sky deepened into a rich navy, streaked with the faintest traces of orange and pink clinging to the edges.

felix let out a soft breath and shifted behind you, his voice breaking the stillness. “well, that’s that,” he said quietly.

you tilted your head slightly, looking up at him. “can we come back someday?” you asked with a hopeful voice.

for a moment, felix just looked at you, his gaze lingering on your face. something in his expression softened, his lips curving into that smile that always made your heart flutter. he leaned down and kissed you, the warmth of his lips against yours, answering the question. when he pulled back, his forehead rested against yours. “of course.”

day 3 - 21:45

the moment you stepped into the interior of the yacht, it felt like a whole new world. the bass from the heavy music reverberated through the walls, the beat syncing with the pulse of strobing neon lights that bathed the space. the air was filled with laughter, shouts over the music, and the clink of glasses.

felix’s hand stayed firmly on your lower back as you both weaved through the crowd. the room was packed, bodies moving to the beat in a rhythmic blur. you caught flashes of shiny dresses and sharp suits as the lights danced across the room, amplifying the wildness of it all.

“felix!”

the booming voice cut through the music just as the host appeared, his figure swaying slightly.

he was Korean, his dark hair tousled as though he’d run his fingers through it a hundred times that night. the stark contrast between his hair and felix’s blonde locks was striking. teenage boys rarely dyed their black hair, but felix’s golden strands were such a fixture of his personality by now that they felt like a part of him—he was practically a natural blonde.

the host flashed a wide smile that revealed perfect teeth and lit up his handsome face. his shirt, unbuttoned far enough to reveal a gold chain. a glass of amber liquid sloshed precariously in his hand, droplets threatening to escape with every exaggerated gesture he made.

“you made it!” the host said, pulling felix into a lopsided hug. his cologne was strong, an earthy mix of spice and wood that lingered in the close quarters. 

felix grinned, stepping forward to meet him. “jake!” he called back, raising his voice to be heard over the relentless bass thumping through the yacht. “happy birthday!”

jake beamed, his drink sloshing dangerously close to spilling as he clapped Felix on the back with more enthusiasm than coordination. “thank you!” he exclaimed, pulling back. “welcome aboard!”

“this is my girlfriend,” felix gestured toward you, his smile growing wider. “she’s visiting the beach from sydney.”

jake’s glassy eyes lit up with excitement as he turned his attention fully to you. “girlfriend? well, aren’t you just full of surprises, felix,” he teased before leaning toward you with his arms wide open. “nice to meet you! i'm jake. jake sim. sim jake. whatever works.”

caught off guard, you laughed but leaned in anyway. jake enveloped you in a hug, swaying just enough to make you wonder if his balance was going to hold out. “nice to meet you too,” you managed, pulling back with a polite smile.

jake gave you a once-over, waving his drink in felix’s direction with a playful smirk. “she’s stunning, felix,” he declared, then turned to you with a wink. “good on you for putting up with him.”

you grinned, deciding to play along. “oh, you have no idea,” you replied, shooting felix a look. “he’s a full-time job, honestly. i deserve an award.”

felix gasped, his hand flying to his chest as if you’d mortally wounded him. “wow,” he said, shaking his head. “i see how it is.”

jake threw his head back in laughter, nearly spilling his drink again. “i like her!” he declared, pointing at you with his free hand. “she’s got spirit. you’d better hold on to this one, felix.”

felix squinted at you, trying to look stern, but the smile tugging at his lips gave him away. “oh, i’m well aware,” he said.

jake clapped felix on the shoulder again, already turning toward the crowd. “alright, lovebirds,” jake said, already turning toward the crowd. “come grab a drink with me and the others.”

felix slid his hand down to yours, guiding you as the three of you wove through the pulsing crowd toward the bar area. the energy of the room only intensified, the music pounding in sync with the flashing lights.

as felix guided you both through the crowd, a sudden bump jolted you out of your focus. you turned to see a girl with sleek, jet-black hair and a dazzling blue dress staring back at you, her expression apologetic.

“oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” she said, her voice soft but clear as she lightly touched your arm.

you smiled, shaking your head. “no, you’re fine, really.”

then her eyes widened slightly as she glanced past you. “lee felix?” she asked, her voice brightening with surprise.

felix’s head tilted, and his lips parted in realization. “jenny?” he asked, his voice rising.

jenny broke into a broad grin and threw her arms around him in a hug that suggested they were old friends. when she pulled back, her gaze shifted to you, and her smile turned curious. “is this your girlfriend?”

felix gave a proud nod, smiling. “yeah, she is.”

jenny’s expression softened into something warm and welcoming. “oh my goodness, it’s so nice to meet you!” she exclaimed, extending her hand. “i’m jenny—jake’s twin.”

your eyebrows shot up. “oh! happy birthday!” you said, shaking her hand.

jenny laughed, clearly delighted. “thanks for coming! it’s not every day felix shows up to one of these.”

felix rolled his eyes. “don’t act like i'm some hermit that doesn't leave his cave.”

jenny gave him a teasing grin. “well, you don’t, at least not without chris.” you swear you saw felix’s mouth twitch at that comment. she turned back to you, leaning in slightly. “you look amazing, by the way.”

your cheeks warmed under her compliment. “thank you. you look incredible too.”

“why don’t you come join me and the girls for a bit?” she turned to felix with a grin. “i hope you don’t mind if i steal her for a while.”

felix raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “i don’t know, jenny…”

jenny rolled her eyes, swatting his arm lightly. “ugh, shut up. you’ll be fine without her for a moment.”

you glanced at felix, giving him a gentle squeeze on his arm. “i’ll be back,” you said.

he sighed dramatically, though the smile on his face was impossible to miss. "fine. but I’ll be timing you.” he joked.

jenny reached for your hand, tugging you gently. “come on!” she urged, her excitement contagious.

without a second glance at felix, you let her lead you through the thrumming crowd. “this place is amazing,” you said as you followed jenny through the packed yacht, the thrum of the music vibrating through the walls.

jenny glanced back at you with a bright smile. “thank you! my parents bought it, like, fifteen years ago. i basically grew up around it. every birthday since i turned sixteen has been on this boat.” she laughed, stepping lightly to avoid a tipsy couple dancing too enthusiastically. “it’s kind of like home.”

“that’s incredible,” you said, genuinely impressed.

jenny led you into a quieter room off to the side. the lights were dimmer here, but the ambiance was still lively. a sleek bar ran along one wall, staffed by a bartender expertly shaking up cocktails, while plush couches lined the room. a group of girls was sprawled on one of the larger couches, their laughter spilling over as they chatted loudly, drinks in hand.

one of them noticed jenny first and called out with an exaggerated wave. “jenny! finally! where have you been?”

jenny grinned, tugging you closer. “i’m here now! everyone, this is felix’s girlfriend,” she announced with a casual flourish, glancing at you.

the girls turned their attention to you, their eyes alight with curiosity. “oh my god, you’re gorgeous,” one of them slurred, leaning forward with a dazed but kind expression.

“stop, you’re going to scare her.” jenny teased, rolling her eyes and turned to you. “they've started drinking too much already. come, sit.”

jenny motioned to the couch beside her, and you took a seat next to her while she grabbed her old drink off of the table. one of the girls, a brunette with a wide smile, leaned forward. “what’s your name?” she asked, her voice warm and curious. you introduced yourself, saying your name and her smile widened. “that’s so pretty,” she said, leaning back in her seat.

another girl, her lipstick slightly smudged and her drink held precariously in one hand, leaned forward, squinting at you through the dim light. “i’ve never seen you before,” she said, her words slightly slurred but still curious. “are you visiting for the summer?”

you smiled, adjusting the hem of your sundress. “yeah, i’m here with my boyfriend. i’m staying at his beach house for a bit.”

a couple of the girls perked up, their interest piqued. “who’s your boyfriend?” another one asked, her voice sharp with intrigue.

before you could answer, jenny leaned back with a smirk, swirling her drink dramatically. “lee felix,” she said, her tone casual but clearly enjoying the reaction she was about to provoke.

the room went still for a moment as the name sank in. then, almost in unison, the girls reacted.

“no way,” one of them exclaimed, her jaw practically dropping. another sat forward, her drink forgotten. “felix? you’re joking.” you blinked, caught off guard by their sudden intensity. 

one of the girls sighed dramatically, leaning back on the couch as she gestured toward you. “ugh, you’re so lucky,” she said, her tone teetering between admiration and envy. “felix is like, the unattainable guy everyone secretly—or not so secretly—has a crush on.”

the girl who had choked earlier nodded fervently. “but honestly, looking at you, i’m not even surprised. you’re stunning. you probably swept him right off his feet.”

you felt your cheeks heat up at her words. “thank you,” you said softly, smiling at them. “that’s really sweet of you.”

one of the other girls leaned in, curiosity lighting up her face. “he’s from sydney, right? are you from sydney too?”

you nodded. “yeah, we go to school together,” you explained.

“that’s so cute! i’m not even surprised he has a girlfriend now. it was about time he stopped walking around looking gorgeous and actually did something about it.”

another girl chimed in, sipping her drink before adding, “i swear, he gets hotter every year. especially that one summer when he came back blonde.”

jenny leaned back with a knowing smirk, pointing her glass toward the girl. “that’s because you’re crazy about blondes, emma.”

emma whipped her head around, glaring at jenny. “shut up.”

jenny raised her eyebrows. “then why’d you hook up with griff sanders and his brother?”

emma’s eyes widened in outrage, clutching her glass as if to throw it. “jenny!”

jenny let out a high-pitched squeal, ducking behind one of the other girls for cover. “i’m just saying!” she shouted, laughing uncontrollably.

emma burst out laughing too, shaking her head as she put her glass back down. “you’re the worst,” she said, her voice laced with amusement.

you couldn’t help but chuckle along with them, though the mention of griff made you feel a bit uneasy after last night. you tried to push the thought away, not wanting to let it show, but it lingered in the back of your mind.

just as the conversation shifted, another girl, who had been quiet up until now, leaned forward with a mischievous grin. “i don’t know guys,” she said, twirling her drink in her hand. “i’ve always been a chris girl.”

the group gasped in unison, then erupted into teasing laughter. “you creep,” jenny said, nudging her playfully. “he’s in college!”

the girl shrugged nonchalantly, her smile never faltering. “and?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “doesn’t mean i can’t appreciate the view.”

jenny snorted, and the others continued to laugh, but then one of the girls leaned toward you, eyes lighting up with curiosity. “you’re probably really close with him, right? i mean, you’re with felix, so you must know him.”

you paused, feeling a little out of place. “actually,” you began, shaking your head with a small smile, “i’ve never met him. but felix goes on about him all the time.” you chuckled lightly.

the girl suddenly leaned forward, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. “he’s just so big it feels like he could just—”

before she could finish, one of the other girls slapped her arm, cutting her off. “stop talking!” she laughed, her voice full of exasperation.

the whole group burst into laughter, and you couldn’t help but join in. the ridiculousness of it all, combined with the fact that you barely knew most of these people.

just then, a man appeared beside you, catching your attention. he was holding a small tray with a cocktail glass on it. you turned to face him, and he smiled politely. “a cocktail, my dear?” he asked smoothly.

you shook your head, smiling. “no, thank you.”

before you could even say more, jenny was reaching for the drink, practically snatching it. “thank you, mr. arthur!” she said cheerfully, her tone more playful than sincere.

the man nodded with a smile and walked off, leaving jenny to pass the cocktail to you. you hesitated for a moment, holding up your hand to politely refuse. “i really don’t drink, jenny,” you said, giving her a gentle smile.

jenny raised an eyebrow, unfazed. “oh, come on, just one drink. it’s not like you’re going to get hammered, we’re just having fun,” she teased, her voice laced with persistence.

you shook your head, still trying to resist. “i’m good, seriously.”

but she wasn’t giving up. she leaned in closer, her voice dropping into a more convincing tone. “look, you’re not going to regret it. just for tonight, please?”

you glanced around at the laughing group of girls, all of them looking at you with wide, eager eyes, and felt a slight pressure to join in. “just for tonight,” you muttered, taking the drink from her hand.

day 3 - 22:30

an hour ago, you'd promised yourself it would just be one drink. just one. you weren’t going to get hammered, not here, not now, not ever. 

but clearly, you hadn’t listened.

the room wasn’t spinning anymore; it was tilting, lurching like the yacht had been caught in a storm even though it was only floating along a miniscule coast of australia. your head throbbed in time with the bass-heavy music pounding through the speakers, and your throat burned faintly from whatever concoction you’d downed last. it had started innocently enough. jenny had shoved a fruity, neon-colored drink into your hands, her smile too bright and her insistence too sharp to refuse. one sip had turned into three gulps, and before you could process it, the glass was empty, replaced with another as if by magic.

or rather, by mr. arthur—the server who seemed to materialize at the best possible moments, tray balanced with another round of deceptively sweet cocktails. and each time, despite your better judgment, you’d reach for another. 

the room spun, like a carousel at twice its speed, and the flashing lights only added to the haze enveloping you. everything felt a little too loud—the music pounding like a second heartbeat, the girls’ voices blending together in a swirl of laughter and words you couldn’t quite piece together.

you’d lost track of felix somewhere in the haze. the last memory you had of him was faint—him grinning, his hand brushing yours before disappearing into the crowd with jake. that could’ve been ten minutes ago or an hour. time had dissolved into a mess of strobe lights, slurred voices, and the sharp tang of too many drinks.

“why are you just staring at nothing?” jenny slurred, her elbow jabbing into your side. you clutched your drink tighter, spilling a few drops onto your fingers as you turned to her. her mascara was smudged, her hair sticking out at odd angles, but she didn’t seem to care—or notice. “are you okay? or, like… dead?”

you giggled, though it sounded more like a hiccup, shaking your head a little too forcefully. the motion made the room tilt again, and you pressed a hand to your forehead. “not dead,” you mumbled, words dragging like wet paint. “just… thinking about felix. where is he?”

jenny squinted at you, then at the room around her, her gaze as unfocused as your own. “he probably, like… fell off the boat or something,” she said with a snort, her laugh dissolving. she waved her hand vaguely toward the crowd. “or he’s with jake. they definitely fell off together.”

you groaned, slumping deeper into the couch, which felt like it was swallowing you whole. “i should find him,” you said, though the words came out more like a mumble. “i should… i don’t know… make sure he’s okay.”

jenny laughed, leaning so far back she nearly slid off the arm of the couch. “you can’t even stand, babe. what are you gonna do, crawl around yelling his name?”

her teasing earned a weak glare from you, but the grin tugging at your lips ruined the effect. “i’m fine,” you argued, though you didn’t believe it. your legs felt like jelly, your head like a balloon barely tethered to your body.

jenny opened her mouth to retort, but her attention suddenly flickered over your shoulder, her expression shifting. she nudged one of the other girls, and soon all of them were staring behind you, their giggles quieting as they stared at something—or someone—behind you. 

“what?” you asked, your voice thick and slow. you turned to look, blinking through the dizziness, you finally spotted them: felix and jake, stumbling toward the couch like a pair of toddlers who’d had too much sugar.

felix’s cheeks were flushed a deep shade of crimson, his shirt almost halfway unbuttoned, exposing his collarbone. his blond hair stuck up in wild tufts and jake was equally disheveled, his arm slung around felix’s neck as he laughed so hard he nearly doubled over. whatever joke he was telling clearly wasn’t meant for anyone else—it was lost in the garbled mess of words and wheezing breaths.

“felix?” you murmured, your voice breaking as you pushed yourself upright—or at least tried to. the room pitched sideways, and your body refused to cooperate, leaving you half-sprawled against the cushions. felix’s gaze met yours, his lopsided grin widening as he stumbled closer, jake still clinging to him for balance.

before you could get an answer, the boys collapsed onto the couch like puppets with cut strings, their combined weight squishing you deep into the cushions. felix practically melted onto you, his entire body slack as his head lolled against your shoulder. jake sprawled sideways, his legs slumping on jenny’s as he flopped into her lap like an oversized golden retriever.

jenny shrieked, her voice cutting through the music like a foghorn. “ew! get off me!” she shoved at her brother with all the force her petite figure could muster, her hands smacking into his chest. “you’re disgusting!”

jake only laughed in response, his head tipping back as he made himself even heavier, fully collapsing into her lap. “oh, come on, jen,” he slurred, his grin stretching wide. “i’m your favorite brother, you love me!”

“like hell i do!” jenny screeched, red-faced and furious. she shoved again, this time with both hands. with a yelp that sounded more like a laugh, jake toppled off the couch entirely, landing on the floor with a loud thud.

meanwhile, felix was burrowed deeper into you, his giggles vibrating against your shoulder. his breath, warm and tinged with whiskey, tickled your neck as he whispered, “hi,” his voice soft and slurred, his lips brushing against the shell of your ear.

you turned your head slightly, trying to suppress the grin spreading across your face. “hi, felix,” you replied, your voice teetering on the edge of laughter.

and then, without warning, felix’s expression shifted like he’d just witnessed a ghost. his lopsided grin disappeared, replaced by a look of wide-eyed, exaggerated shock. he jerked back slightly, squinting at you as if you’d suddenly grown a second head. “do my eyes deceive me?” he asked, his tone dripping with dramatic flair.

you frowned, confused. “huh?”

“you’re drunk!” he declared, pointing at you with the wobbliness of someone who had clearly lost a fight with gravity. he leaned in closer, his face mere inches from yours. “i can’t believe it!”

you frowned, furrowing your eyebrows as if the very suggestion was an insult. “i’m not that drunk,” you insisted, your voice defensive and a little too loud, though the way you swayed slightly in your seat betrayed you. you raised your thumb and forefinger, holding them close together with exaggerated precision. “maybe a little.”

felix gasped as you’d just admitted to committing a heinous crime. his hands found your face, cupping your cheeks with gentleness despite his shaky coordination. his thumbs brushed over your skin as he stared at you with narrowed eyes, his nose nearly touching yours. “what… have they done to you?” he whispered.

you squinted at him, the corners of your mouth twitching despite your best efforts to stay indignant. “says you,” you shot back. you poked his chest, or at least aimed for it, your finger landing somewhere near his jaw. “you’re the one who’s, like… like…” you waved your hand vaguely, searching for the right word. “practically swimming in drunk.”

felix’s jaw dropped in offense, and he clutched his chest like you’d struck him. “me?” he slurred, his voice pitching up like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “how dare you? i am as sober as a… as a… um…” he paused, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

you rolled your eyes, biting back a laugh. “a nun?” you offered, smirking.

“yes!” he exclaimed, pointing a shaky finger in triumph. “i am as sober as a nun on… on a sunday!” he blinked, his grin faltering for a moment. “wait. do nuns drink on sundays? like… wine and stuff? he persisted. “i don't think nuns even drink real wine. what if it’s… holy fuck, what was the question again?” felix raised his hand to pinch his nose bridge, in deep thought. “like, they pretend it’s wine, but it’s actually like…like”

you sighed loudly, dragging your hands down your face. “felix, shut up.”

just then, as if saved by the bell, mr. arthur appeared, looking as polished and composed as ever, his crisp white shirt spotless despite wading through a sea of people. in sharp contrast to the fluorescent cocktails he’d been serving earlier, this time his tray was lined with plastic bottles of water, gleaming under the strobe lights like they were filled with liquid salvation.

“water?” he asked, his voice calm and knowing, as if he’d seen this exact scenario play out a thousand times before.

you reached for a bottle, the cool plastic smooth against your fingers. “thanks, mr. arthur. you’re such a gem,” you said, throwing in a cheeky wink for good measure.

mr. arthur gave you a polite, professional smile—the kind of smile that servers master when they’ve decided you’re absolutely wasted—then turned on his heel and disappeared back into the crowd.

as soon as he was gone, felix was staring at you, slack-jawed, like you’d just declared your intent to marry the guy. “what the hell was that?” he demanded, voice thick with incredulity.

you blinked at him innocently. “what was what?”

“that!” he waved a hand in the general direction of where mr. arthur had been standing moments ago. “the whole flirty wink thing. seriously? who does that?”

rolling your eyes, you cracked open the water bottle. “he’s just looking out for me. what’s wrong with being polite?”

felix leaned closer, pointing at the bottle like it was exhibit a. “polite? that wasn’t polite. that was—you know what? i can’t even find the right word for it. extra. yeah, that’s what it was. extra.” he pointed accusingly at the water bottle like it held undeniable proof of your crimes. “what next? gonna slip him your number in morse code using bottle caps?”

before he could launch into another drunken rant, you had enough. without a word, you tilted the bottle and shoved it toward his face, pressing it against his lips until he had no choice but to take a gulp. water spilled over his chin as he glared at you.

when you pulled the bottle back, he coughed lightly, the back of his hand dragging across his chin as he stared at you. but something about his eyes made your stomach turn.

“that’ll shut you up,” you said, trying to sound smug, but your voice came out a little too quick, a little too breathless.

felix didn’t move. he just kept staring at you, the smirk on his face lazy and infuriatingly attractive, like he knew exactly what he was doing. he tilted his head slightly, eyes trailing over you in a way that made heat crawl up your neck.

“careful,” he murmured, voice low and teasing. “you keep bossing me around like that, and i might actually start listening to you.”

you pointed at him, narrowing your eyes to hide the way your pulse had kicked into overdrive. “don’t start.”

“what?” he grinned wider, all dimples and trouble. “i’m just saying, you’re kinda scary when you’re mad. but, like, in a cute way.”

“just drink the water and stop being weird.” you snapped, more flustered than you wanted to admit.

felix leaned back, finally breaking eye contact as he unscrewed the cap from his bottle, but not before giving you one last smirk. “fine. but for the record, i’m not worried. you’re not into guys with mustaches. but i still don’t get the wink.”

“oh my god,” you groaned. “it wasn’t a wink, it was gratitude,” you grumbled.

“sure, sure. gratitude with a side of ‘call me.’”

“felix.”

“okay, okay! hydrating now. see? i’m such a good boy.” he took a slow sip of water, deliberately dragging it out, and right before tilting the bottle back for another gulp, he winked at you—cheeky and entirely infuriating.

“please never say ‘good boy’ again,” you deadpanned.

the smirk lingered on felix’s lips as he tilted his head back, downing more water like he was trying to prove a point. but then he paused, lowering the bottle slowly. his eyes darted around the room, a flicker of focus cutting through his usual chaotic energy. the others were too distracted—jenny was still half-heartedly shoving jake off her lap while the other girls were either whispering in small groups or half-asleep, heads drooping like wilting flowers.

felix’s gaze returned to you, softer now, more intent. the teasing grin faded, replaced by something quieter, something that sent a ripple of heat through your already alcohol-fueled haze. he shifted closer, his knee brushing yours, and the movement was deliberate enough that you noticed.

your heart thudded against your ribs as he leaned in, his eyes fixed on yours, and for a moment, the pounding music and chatter around you seemed to fade into nothing. his gaze dropped to your lips, lingering there for what felt like an eternity.

“felix…” you murmured, unsure if it was meant to be a question, a warning, or something else entirely.

he didn’t answer. instead, he closed the distance between you, his lips brushing against yours with a gentleness that caught you off guard. the kiss deepened slowly, unhurried but purposeful, his mouth warm and tasting faintly of whiskey and something sweet. the world spun, but this time, it wasn’t the alcohol—it was him.

your breath hitched as his hand cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing your skin in a way that sent shivers down your spine. his kiss was intoxicating, the kind of slow, deliberate connection that pulled you under, drowning you in the heat of it. every move was deliberate yet tender like he was memorizing the shape of your mouth, the way you tasted.

the way his lips lingered just a moment longer than necessary before pulling back sent a thrill coursing through you, leaving your heart pounding harder than the bass reverberating through the yacht. when he leaned closer, his breath warm against your ear, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of you.

“let’s get out of here,” he murmured, his voice low and laced with something teasingly intimate, sending a ripple of heat down your spine.

you shot him a playful look, fighting the urge to grin as you turned toward the room. “guys, i’m feeling a bit seasick, i’m gonna get some air,” you called out, your voice carrying over the chatter and the music. a few heads turned, some murmured half-concerned responses, but most were too engrossed in their own revelry to notice.

felix didn’t miss a beat. “i’ll come with you,” he said casually, pushing himself up from the couch. he straightened his jacket, brushing off dust with a flick of his hands. the corner of his mouth quirked into a smirk, and for a split second, his gaze flicked to the others in the room, almost daring anyone to object. no one did.

without hesitation, he reached for your hand, his fingers sliding effortlessly between yours. his touch was firm but unhurried as if he had all the time in the world to pull you along. you let him guide you toward the exit, your heart racing in time with the pounding music.

the music grew louder as you climbed the stairs, a deep bassline thrumming in your chest like a second heartbeat. the soft glow of neon lights filtered through the narrow stairwell, going dimmer until you reached the deck. outside, the air was crisp and carried the faint saltiness of the sea.

the deck was just like downstairs—bodies dancing in rhythm, laughter ringing out above the pulsing music, and bursts of celebration as corks popped from champagne bottles. felix’s hand brushed against yours, and when you glanced at him, he raised an eyebrow. away from the clamor, tucked into a shadowed corner where the neon lights softened to a subtle glow, felix found a small, secluded alcove near the railing. it felt like a world apart, a quiet pocket of peace with nothing but the open ocean stretching beyond.

you drifted toward the railing, your steps slow and deliberate as if drawn by the water’s quiet pull. leaning forward, you rested your arms on the smooth metal and gazed down at the foam churning against the yacht’s hull. the faint, rhythmic lapping of the waves was a soothing counterpoint to the muffled music behind you.

the weight of felix’s gaze was unmistakable, and you felt it like a physical thing pressing against your back. when you glanced over your shoulder, his eyes were locked on you, dark and unreadable, but with a heat that made your breath catch. the way he looked at you like he was memorizing every detail, sent a shiver skimming down your spine.

without thinking, you turned fully to face him. the faint curve of his smirk faltered, replaced by something softer as you took a step closer. his name lingered on the tip of your tongue, unspoken, as your hand reached for his, threading your fingers through his in a single, decisive motion. then, with a steady but gentle pull, you guided him backward until his shoulders met the smooth wall of the yacht.

"not wasting any time, are you?" he murmured, his voice deep and teasing.

instead of answering, you stepped into him, your body aligning with his, and brought your hands up to rest lightly on his chest. his breath hitched as you tilted your head, your lips brushing his in a kiss that started soft before deepening. your mouth parted upon reaching his lips, before closing fully around them. the moment your mouth fully captured his, he groaned softly against your lips, the sound vibrating through you. 

his hands found your waist, his grip firm yet deliberate, like he couldn’t decide whether to hold you closer or let you take the lead. you didn’t give him the chance to decide. your fingers slid up to tangle in his hair, pulling him down to you as your body pressed flush against his.

his lips parted under yours, the faint taste of whiskey and something sweet lingering on his tongue as the kiss grew deeper, messier. you couldn’t help the quiet, breathless sound that escaped you, and the way his grip on your waist tightened told you he’d noticed. one of his hands slid up your back, fingers brushing along your spine in a way that made you shiver. the other stayed on your hip, steadying you as your knees threatened to give out.

you broke apart just long enough to gasp for air, your lips brushing against his as you whispered his name, your voice low and shaky. his forehead pressed against yours, his breath coming in quick, shallow bursts. “you’re killing me, you know that?” he murmured, his voice rough with something between a laugh and a groan.

your only response was to kiss him again, this time slower but no less heated. his hands roamed your sides, slipping under the hem of your top just enough for his fingers to graze the warm skin beneath. the feeling sent a jolt through you, and you pulled back slightly, your lips swollen and your breath ragged as you met his gaze.

his eyes were heavy-lidded, his pupils blown wide, and the way he was looking at you made you feel like the only person in the world. “you’re so beautiful,” he said softly, almost like he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. 

the corner of your mouth lifted into a lazy smile as you reached up, your fingers feather-light as they traced the edge of his collarbone where it peeked out from the neckline of his shirt. felix’s eyes dropped immediately, watching the movement like he was mesmerized. his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, the sound audible in the quiet.

you tilted your head, studying him through half-lidded eyes. “what?” you teased, your voice low, a little slurred. “something wrong?”

his gaze snapped back to yours, and the way he looked at you was almost disbelieving. “you can’t—” he stopped, his voice catching slightly. he exhaled sharply, his hands tightening on your waist. “you can’t look at me like that.”

a laugh escaped you, soft and teasing, before you leaned down and pressed your lips to the curve of his collarbone. his reaction was immediate—a sharp intake of breath, his head tipping back slightly as his hands twitched against your sides. encouraged, you kissed the spot again, this time letting your lips linger a fraction longer.

“is that okay?” you asked, your voice quieter now, almost shy.

his response came fast. “yes. god, yes.”

you smiled against his skin, your drunken mind letting go of any hesitation. you kissed the same spot again, slow and deliberate, before moving down the line of his collarbone, your lips parting slightly to trail open-mouthed kisses along his skin. his chest rose and fell under your touch, each kiss drawing a sharp inhale or a quiet sound from him that only spurred you on.

when you reached the base of his neck, his breath hitched audibly. without thinking, you pressed your lips there, rougher this time, and his hand gripped your hip like it was the only thing keeping him steady. you nipped at the skin lightly, testing, before sucking harder, your teeth pinching it just enough to make him jolt.

“shit,” he hissed, his voice strained but desperate. “don’t stop.”

you paused just long enough to laugh, the sound vibrating against his neck. “seemed like it hurt though” you teased, kissing the spot softly as if in apology.

“yeah, but…” he admitted, his voice cracking slightly. “don’t stop, baby.”

“what?” you muttered, your lips brushing his skin as you pulled back slightly. you tilted your head, looking up at him through your lashes, your fingers toying with his shirt.

a flicker of nervousness flashed through his eyes. “it just… spilled out, i don’t know, i’ve drunk a lot,” he said, his voice quieter now, like he wasn’t sure how you’d react.

you smiled, slow and warm, and your fingertips grazed his jaw. “i like it,” you murmured, your voice soft but certain. you leaned back in, pressing a kiss to the spot just above his collarbone, your lips lingering. “baby.”

felix let out a shaky exhale, his hands twitching on your hips. “god,” he murmured, his voice low and strained. “you’re gonna kill me.”

you hummed in response, your lips curling into a sly smile against his skin. you kissed him again, harder this time, your teeth grazing the spot. he melted into you, his head tipping back against the wall, exposing more of his neck to you like an offering.

his chest rose and fell with unsteady breaths as you continued, planting kiss after kiss along his collarbone, pausing only to flick your tongue against the skin before pulling back to suck just hard enough to leave your mark. you didn’t hesitate, letting your drunken instincts guide you as you pressed your lips to his pulse point. it was warm and steady beneath your mouth, and the sound he made spurred you on. you sucked harder this time, your teeth grazing his skin just enough to make him suck in a sharp breath.

your lips were still pressed to felix’s neck when, suddenly, he stiffened under your touch. his hands, which had been steady and reverent on your waist, tightened abruptly. before you could react, he pulled back, his eyes dark and wild, his chest heaving like he was struggling to catch his breath.

“felix?” you whispered, your voice unsteady as you tried to read the storm in his expression.

he didn’t answer—not with words. instead, in one fluid motion, he grabbed your wrists, his grip firm but not painful, and spun you around. your back met the cool surface of the wall with a soft thud, and you let out a surprised gasp, your eyes wide as you stared up at him.

his body was so close, his heat pressing into you, his hands now planted on either side of your head as though to cage you in. he lowered his head, his face dipping into the crook of your neck, and you froze, your breath catching in your throat.

the sound of him inhaling deeply, his nose grazing your skin, sent a shiver skimming down your spine. “you smell so good,” he muttered, his voice rough and barely above a growl. the raw intensity of it made your stomach flip, your heart hammering in your chest.

“it’s okay,” you murmured, your voice soft, and soothing, though your own breathing was uneven. you brought your hands up, your fingers brushing over his arms lightly. “felix, it’s okay.”

he nodded against your neck, his movements almost frantic, and then his lips were on you—hot, open-mouthed kisses pressed to the sensitive skin beneath your jaw. his hands gripped your hips, rougher now, his fingers digging into your flesh like he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go.

his lips trailed fire down your neck, each kiss igniting a blaze that spread through your body. his mouth was rough and hungry, his teeth grazing your skin just enough to make your knees weak. you clutched at his biceps now, your fingers curling into the taut muscle beneath his shirt as if that was the only thing tethering you to reality.

the roughness of his grip on your hips contrasted with the tenderness that usually radiated from him. felix was different now—less patient, less careful, his every touch desperate, insistent. it was like he couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t have enough of you, and you felt yourself sinking deeper into the haze of him.

your back pressed harder against the wall as he leaned his weight into you, his body completely crowding yours. all you could feel was him—his warmth, his need, the way his lips desperately painted you, dragging you impossibly closer.

the sharp edge of his jaw brushed against your cheek as he kissed his way back up, lips meeting yours in a kiss that stole the air from your lungs. his movements were messy and unrestrained, and you matched him with equal fervor, too lost in the moment to care about anything else.

the wind whipped around you, the faint scent of salt and sea lingering in the air, but even that was overpowered by the heady scent of felix. the muffled sound of waves lapping against the yacht seemed so far away now, as did the thought that anyone could stumble across you like this. you should care—you would care—but his hands slid up your sides, rough and commanding, and every coherent thought you had dissolved into nothing.

your world narrowed down to him. his touch, his lips, the way his voice came out rough and broken when he muttered your name like a prayer against your skin. you forgot where you were, forgot everything but the way he made you feel—like the storm he carried inside him had seeped into you, leaving you breathless and burning.

“god, i just—” his voice was muffled against your skin, broken and desperate. “i can’t— i don’t want to hold back anymore.” he bit lightly at your neck, making you gasp, and he froze, pulling back just slightly. “was that too much, baby? tell me if it’s too much.”

you shook your head quickly, your own body trembling with need. “no, it’s not. i like it. i want you, felix.”

that seemed to snap the last thread of his restraint. with a low groan, he tilted his head, capturing your lips in a kiss so hungry, so full of need, it left you dizzy. his hands slid up your sides, pushing under your shirt to rest against the bare skin of your waist, the heat of his touch making you arch into him.

“you drive me crazy,” he murmured against your lips, his voice thick and heavy. “you don’t even realize, do you? how much i like you?”

“i do,” you whispered, threading your fingers through his hair and pulling him closer. “i do.” you repeated.

his eyes darkened, and he leaned in again, his kisses rougher now, more insistent. his hands moved with the same urgency, one sliding up to cradle the back of your neck while the other trailed down to your thigh, gripping it firmly and hitching your leg up to his hip.

“you’re so…,” he muttered, his voice low and almost reverent as he looked down at you, his gaze raking over your form. “so perfect. like you were made to fit right here, with me.”

your cheeks burned at his words, but before you could respond, he pressed his body closer, pinning you against the wall with a desperation that sent your pulse racing. his lips were everywhere—your neck, your jaw, your collarbone—leaving a trail of heat in their wake. every kiss, every touch, was filled with an intensity that left you breathless.

“god, i can’t get enough of you,” he groaned, his voice raw. “i feel like i’m losing my mind.”

you smiled softly, reaching up to cup his face and grounding him with your touch. “then lose it,” you whispered, your voice steady despite the tremble in your body. “i’m right here.”

felix’s breath was ragged as he pulled back slightly, his forehead pressing against yours, his eyes squeezed shut like he was fighting an internal war. his hands were still on your hips, trembling slightly as though he were using every ounce of willpower to keep himself grounded.

“baby, i can’t,” he muttered, his voice hoarse and filled with regret. he opened his eyes, meeting your gaze, and the conflict there made your chest tighten. “not here. not tonight. you deserve better than a drunken night on my friend’s yacht.”

you blinked at him, your lips parted as his words sank in. “then we stop where you want to. wherever feels right for both of us,” you whispered, your hands sliding up to rest against his chest, feeling the frantic beat of his heart beneath your palms.

felix’s chest rose and fell under your touch as your words hung in the air between you. slowly, his hands on your waist tightened slightly, grounding himself. “i’m fine with what we’re doing right now,” he murmured, his voice softer now, but laced with a quiet intensity. his lips curved into a faint, almost shy smile, and you felt your heart skip at the way he looked at you—open and unguarded.

“me too,” you whispered, your fingertips brushing lightly against his chest before trailing up to his collarbone. your gaze dropped, catching sight of the faint marks you’d left on his skin. the sight sent a jolt through you. “they look good on you, by the way,” you said, your voice soft as your fingers hovered over one of the marks, resisting the urge to touch it again. the blush that crept up his neck only made him more endearing, but there was no mistaking the way his pupils dilated at your words. his lips parted slightly, his breath hitching.

“yeah?” he rasped, his voice lower now, rough around the edges. his gaze flickered over your face before it dropped lower, catching on the curve of your neck.

you tilted your head, a teasing smirk playing on your lips as you raised an eyebrow at him. “you’re gonna walk back out there like this?” you asked, gesturing vaguely to the blooming marks trailing along his neck.

felix’s brows furrowed for a moment, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. “why shouldn’t i?” he replied, his voice steady but laced with something darker—something that made your pulse quicken.

you let out a soft laugh, shaking your head at him, though the sound was cut short when he shifted closer, the wall behind you pressing firmly against your back. “oh, i don’t know,” you mused, looking up at him through your lashes, “maybe because your parents trusted their angel son to be responsible with his girlfriend for the week.”

felix’s jaw tightened at your words, but there was a flicker of a smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips. he leaned back slightly, giving you just enough space to meet his gaze fully. “so what if they see?” he murmured, his voice low and deliberate. “i mean, if anything, this just shows how you’re not the angel they thought you were.”

your eyes widened, and a mix of surprise and indignation flashed across your face. “are you framing me right now?” you asked, pouting as you jabbed a finger into his chest. “you’re the one who couldn’t keep his hands to himself, lee felix.”

he let out a soft, breathy laugh, the sound rumbling through his chest as his hands settled on your waist again, his thumbs stroking over the fabric of your dress. “i’m just looking out for myself,” he teased.

you scoffed, narrowing your eyes at him as a smile tugged at your lips despite yourself. “fine, then how about this,” you said, tilting your head as you slid your hands up to his shoulders. “why don’t you just return the favor? that way, we’ll split the blame fifty-fifty when your parents come back.”

felix’s smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with something dangerous and teasing all at once. “now that’s fair,” he murmured, his voice dropping as he leaned in closer. before you could respond, he ducked his head, diving into the curve of your neck with no hesitation. his lips pressed hot against your skin, his teeth grazing just enough to make you gasp as he worked with full intent to leave hickeys. 

god, you really wished you didn’t have to regret this tomorrow.

[fuck-customers]

L M A O

I think my boss is realizing way too late that she fucked up big time. Oh well. Not my problem.

My boss, to put it nicely, is stupid. She very obviously does not know how to run a store in any capacity. She does not schedule people for stocking or schedule an extra person for backup on regular days. Of course she's too stupid to think ahead for Black Friday week.

I worked yesterday (Tuesday) and we easily had triple the amount of customers we usually have. This did not surprise me at all, because I have a brain, but obviously my boss did not anticipate this and scheduled 2 people per shift and left when things were starting to get busy and screwed the lead over.

On the schedule, she scheduled shifts as if this were a normal week. 3 hour shifts, 1 cashier, 1 MOD, no backup. Obviously I saw that and immediately knew shit was gonna hit the fan in a big way. It must have hit a little earlier than I expected, because she's trying to call me to come in to my shift early. Nope. I will not. It's Wednesday before Thanksgiving and our store is closed for Thanksgiving. You should have put 2 and 2 together. You seemed to think scheduling me as the only cashier for one 3 hour shift was the right move, so I guess I'll just trust your judgment, huh? LMAO

The one thing I am grateful for is that for some reason, she had us give our availability for Thanksgiving week specifically. Which is odd, as usually these are blackout days, but whatever. I foresaw a shitshow and made myself unavailable on Black Friday weekend. I guarantee it will be a disaster. I'm kind of looking forward to hearing about it.

Posted by admin Rodney

[afreakingdork]

Soft Spot - Chapter 27

RotTMNT Donatello x Reader

Everyone knows I will preach @garbagemilkshake 's talent until the end of time, but DAMN did she outdo herself this week!! Wah!

Rated: Explicit

Warnings/Tags: Romance, Established Relationship, Married Couple, Married Life, Aged-Up Mutant Ninja Turtles, Villain Donatello (TMNT), Love, POV Second Person, Babies, Pregnancy, AFAB reader, Vaginal Sex, Rough Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Creampie, Breeding Kink, Multiple Orgasms, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Fertility Issues, Pregnant Sex, Pregnancy Kink, Reader-Insert, Cunnilingus, Fellatio, Cum Eating, Turtle Noises (TMNT), I have a Biology Degree and I’m Using it, Menstruation, There WILL NOT be any Miscarriages

Synopsis: First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes the next step about as smooth as the others arrived. The baby-oriented sequel to Weak Spot.

Also available on Ao3

First 💜 Previous

You were exhausted. The rapid contraction of muscles associated with shivering was wearing away your very being. From around you, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. pulled you closer to the dying flame of his warmth. In a gentle rev, he conjured up more of his heat, but it was an energy transfer. His lights became dimmer and his expression thinned out to its barest lines. You felt the dire forewarning of his weakening being and searched Donnie.

Your mate was only a few steps away and a shell of himself. Amongst the dark, his visage began to bleed where he was losing color. He tried in vain based on the pinched lines of his face to conjure his ninpo again, but it was just as depleted. He came out of the summoning with swirling pupils that he had to squeeze into line. He fluttered his lids open for consciousness and, without the metaphysical, he tried to reignite the tangible generator that had long run out of fuel.

Donnie could only muster enough energy to thump his hand against it. 

It was a far cry from banging an appliance in hopes of getting it running again. 

The machine stayed dormant. 

“D-D-D-D-Don?” You despised the chatting of your teeth.

“Dad…” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. added. “I’m sorry. I only have 15 minutes left at this rate.”

Since you were pressed to him, you felt something in your son power down.

Your shuddering attention turned to him. “S-S-Shell-ly…!”

“Scanning…” A synthetic version of his voice came out.

“No evacuation.” Donnie took his coat off.

Your protest warbled on cracked lips.

He draped it around you. “State of emergency. Shelters’ full. Turning away all else. Hospital running out of back-up power…”

You shook your head as it was within a withered movement.

“This blizzard...” Donnie murmured and glanced to where your kitchen window was frosted shut.

You reached for your husband despite the cocoon you were entrenched in. Donnie leaned into you and, through the many layers, his skin felt iced. You knew exactly how you got here, but the cold was freezing your neurons. You closed your eyes and Donnie added his warmth to the pile.

The weather had been average just a few days ago. On Tuesday, you were thriving in the late October temperatures. They were just cool enough that they helped soothe your all too warm body. Donnie still fussed about you taking a jacket, but you liked to lean against the kitchen window sill with the pane hiked up. It was positioned so you could perfectly enjoy the evening chill that occurred when the sun dipped out of sight. You had done your routine as usual and there was no sense of what was impending.

You had gone to bed, spent hours getting comfortable, slept, and were woken up in the wee hours of the morning with the ability to see your breath. Donnie was already sitting up beside you and looking out at the steam pouring from his nostrils. He moved immediately to the thermostat and you watched him try to activate it to no avail. You pulled your phone and saw the blackout alerts littering your screen. Over the course of three days, the city fell apart. Disinformation spread as the burroughs shut down. Trapped in a veritable snow globe, a trapped blizzard wreaked havoc, and took with it all power, safety, and transportation.

You hunkered down and were alright at first. Donnie made a few generators from what he had around the apartment. He fussed about emissions, but negating them helped to pass the time. You were both of the mindset that this freak storm would pass. It was on the second day that Donnie managed to conjure a fuel with his ninpo. He became the safest power source and easily fed the machines. The churning of fuchsia lights continued to make your apartment a safe haven.

After that, you invited any neighbors still in the building to join you. Food was communally shared and the others prided Donnie on his good work. Mrs. Kaczmarek had a slew of anecdotes to bend your ear until her grandson came by to get her. Emergency services came in waves. The first shelters that were temporarily set up failed in one way or another, but need meant restructuring birthed new ones. Millions of city residents poured into these buildings or found other ways to maintain themselves amidst the bizarre storm.

Your son showed up around the time your home was thinned out to its usual tenants. He had tried to come as fast as he could via his drone form, but the winds proved impossible. He was stuck on foot and the trip had taken him through a series of adventures. He stopped again and again to save those in need and used his sturdy body to help. He dug people out of where they were trapped and aided rescue efforts until he finally made it to you.

Donnie was growing weak. He found a new limit to his ninpo by constantly using it. The 24/7 brunt burned some metaphorical mystic candle at both ends until this very morning the generators sputtered and died out. He had almost collapsed in the process, but his drive to protect you superseded all else. You weren’t sure he had slept, as he had to be awake to fuel the generators. It just happened to be a terrible coincidence that he had hit his wall around the same time S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s battery was at its limit.

“No change.” Your son spoke with that voice that wasn’t quite him.

Donnie clicked his tongue. “Scan for suitable burnables.”

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. didn’t waste energy responding and must have done so because he went back to barely whirling.

“Our home is no longer suitable. Our first priority is warmth.” He adjusted your bundle. “We could start a fire here, but to what end? Destroy our home and others while risking smoke inhalation?”

You tucked your burning nose into a scarf.

He pulled your hood a little tighter. “All adjacent buildings are the same. Fires outside in barrels are infeasible with the winds. Trying to travel…”

His inhale quaked with the cold and you knew he was horrified by the thought of you slipping on the ice.

“The pipes have already burst and frozen.” He looked out weakly. “S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., we require that update.”

“Dad…” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s eyes suddenly brightened to their usual hue.

Donnie looked at him.

“I’m noticing something… There’s this account called SHERLOCK_CORN. They’re flooding the area with this message. It’s going up over and over to every available board or public service account. I think… it’s for us.”

Donnie’s brow lowered.

“The account… There’s no data. I can’t trace it…” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s eyes dimmed and he shook his head a little. “So tired… I think it’s her. That quick lady… Encoded message… with coordinates…”

Your son’s arm limply rooted against you. You couldn’t see, but he dug against your layers to find the hem of your sleeve. With a few twitchy wipes, you felt something small and sharpened prick out of one of his finger tips. It was quickly followed by the gentle flow of what you identified as a pen. He quickly scrawled out a short message that you bet was the coordinates he spoke of.

“That’s… Go…” His head started to loll.

“Sh-Shelly?!” You tried to turn to him.

You watched him go limp.

It was a waste of your energy, but you shook him as best as you could.

He was a lifeless metal shell.

You sent a weepy gaze to Donnie.

He stared with a shuddering breath.

You scrambled to pull your arm free. “H-h-he…!”

Donnie tried to stop you.

“N-n-no!” You pushed back and he didn’t have the strength to fight it.

You pulled back your sleeve and showed him the scrawl.

Donnie stared at it for a moment before he moved.

You could feel how it was a last ditch effort. In stumbling desperation, he got your go-bag and tossed more into it. You heard a rustle from the bathroom of what you assumed was your vitamins, among other things. A few drawers opened and he appeared to you while zipping your bag shut. He paused only for one thoughtful moment before he dropped down and activated the mechanism for where his villain suit was hidden away.

You knew the secret drawer it was hidden in had some sort of electrical quality to it and you were surprised when it split open with its purple lights just how you remembered. You squirmed in the cocoon of blankets you were tucked in and watched Donnie pull the case out. Whatever hesitance he had, he left during his pause because he immediately cracked the lid to the case and dove into the fabric. With a speed that kicked in like muscle memory, he was zipping up the panel in seconds. He swapped out his current boots for the heavy lace up ones and he unceremoniously shoved each hand into their gloves. His only pause came when he stared at the mask, which he closed his eyes for before he put it on.

The final flick was putting his hood up into place and you knew the second his lids lifted because that fuchsia light broke into the room.

“Y/N.” His voice sounded like his own.

“Y-y-yeah?”

“We’re going.”

You tried to say ‘okay,’ but the word wouldn’t solidify so you shook into a nod.

Donnie came with tenderness and dimmed lights as he readjusted your bundle. You felt a little like an overdressed kid from a movie as you got onto your feet. You had to stand a certain width not just because of your pelvis, but because of the layers. It matched the way your arms stuck out to a certain degree and your husband checked you over before darting away one last time. While his body moved one direction, the mechanicals arms sprouted to do their own work. You watched one limb pick up your go-bag and tuck it safely into Donnie’s person for storage. It melded somewhere between where the arms sprang forth from the battle shell and you lost track of it when he returned to offer you some safety goggles.

You put them on and gave him the sturdiest look you could.

He nodded appropriately and one of the arms wrapped tightly around S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’S lifeless form before he picked you up. You knew he didn’t want you in the cold long and his hold made for the quickest travel. You both burst out into the hallway where the temperature dropped significantly. You thought your apartment had lost all heat, but the little hall in your building was a stark reminder that the two men in your life were trying to preserve your comfort. In increasing bounds, you flew down the stairs before hitting the ice of the lobby. The cold took your breath away and you hid into Donnie. He squeezed you with reassurance before you heard his boots crunch snow.

It made little sense as he hadn’t used the door, but you knew you were outside from the sudden blinding whites that seemed to pour from every angle.

“The storm stopped.” He spoke.

Against the scream of your body, you peeked over his shoulder.

Everything you could see was white.

There were barely shapes amongst the void. You had to squint against the fog in your goggles, but it was true that you couldn’t see any snow coming down. There was also an absence of that wind that seemed to always be howling. There was no sound at all outside your clothes brushing your mate’s. Donnie shook his head slightly before he moved.

He trudged forward first a few readying steps before the mechanical arms kicked in. They took you leagues above the many feet of snow and into the air. They felt no effects of the ice and moved with a steady crunch. Those razor tips dug in to grab whatever was necessary and you swung forward a few blocks before you reached the arch of what remained of a subway station sign. It barely peaked out from the packed snow and it was there that Donnie swept his body. It rocked you a little like a chilly breeze and you heard falling snow before you were set on your feet.

The moment you were sturdy, he let go. You took a shy moment, just in case, before you looked up. Buildings clipped the similarly white sky and continued that edgeless façade. You had heard the phrase ‘the calm before the storm,’ but there was something far more ominous about the silence after. It spoke of how gutted the blizzard had left the earth and you wished you could hear the endless dripping that accompanied melting snow. You sank down into your multiple coats and were about to wonder what came next when you saw a rush of black movement.

It was Donnie flinging his arms out to steady against a guardrail that appeared. In a thunderous roar, the mechanical arms had broken through some ice layer and revealed the tunnel down into the subway. They halted in a screeching swipe and the only one among the four that was still was the one that held S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. Your vibrant son was strung up limply like some sort of doll. It ached deep in your chest even though you knew he just needed a charge. You wondered about the uranium in his core. You bet some part of him might still be conscious, but it looked like a moot point.

Donnie tested how slippery the stairs were before he returned to you.  

“D-down t-there?”

He nodded.

You wanted to ask him if he could speak, but snow was clawing into the crevices of his suit. You had little dexterity under two layers of gloves, but still tried to swipe it away before it sank into his zipper. You saw it as a flaw in his suit and he waited until you were satisfied in your dusting before he scooped you up. You settled into his arms and he didn’t bother with walking himself. The mechanical arms traversed the icy cavern and you felt a little like descending into a cave.

Donnie’s light led the way and, down past where the storm could reach, the station was all but preserved. Darkness reached out, but otherwise this space was exactly how you expected. The arms stretched long to lift you over the turnstile and you approached the platform. Donnie scanned the ground with swipes of his light before he set you both down. You felt no ice underfoot and clung to your husband as he was the only source of light.

He looked down one tunnel before he turned toward the other. It was odd to see just the limit of his beams because they seemed unable to permeate the inky blackness. As if waiting would thaw the solid wall of darkness, Donnie continued to stare with intense focus. You blinked into him before following suit and the quiet thundered in your ears until you heard a soft sneeze.

You twitched and Donnie held you close. His head didn’t budge, but he clearly moved the light just enough to scan as far down the tunnel as he could. When no further sound leaked out, you saw fuchsia light reflect off one of the mechanical arms as it covertly slipped down to the tracks.

“Ahh….” You heard a weary groan.

Donnie reared slightly.

You turned your head to listen.

“Don’t know if they got the message. Can’t get a response... How long to wait…? How long…?”

“Mikey…?” You found yourself croaking.

The silence was oppressive.

Donnie shifted to push you behind him.

You held onto him and wove a hand into one of the loose straps of his suit.

“Hello…?” The voice sounded very much like Mikey.

Donnie squeezed you with the intention of keeping you quiet.

You checked with him once before looking back out.

You weren’t completely sure, but you were pretty confident that was Michelangelo.

“And I’m hearing things…” That had to be Mikey.

“Mikey!” You tried again against the tug of your mate.

“Wait…” There were a few clattered footsteps. “Y/N?!”

A walk turned into a run that echoed with a sinister edge in the tunnel. It thundered toward the platform and Donnie coiled around you. You had your own grip on him and it impeded this curl. It caused him to look away and toward you. You turned away from the light. He immediately looked back and, in a crack of your lids, you saw the beam shine up Mikey’s beaten form.

You and Donnie stalled out.

That cloak you had only seen Mikey in one other time was torn up around him. As he stood like a deer caught in purple headlights, you identified that this outfit wasn’t quite the same. Tufts of fleece flecked out around the hood of the cloak. The neckline sat far higher in what was probably an attempt to protect his face from the cold. It currently acted to further accentuate the pair of exhausted eyes that were underlined in bags so deep that they looked like they were stolen from your mate’s face.

Mikey animated with a shudder and the swish showed that the bottom of his cloak was in shreds. “Donatello, can you… not…? You’re here… so… you got the message…?”

You now knew why your mate had been suspicious.

While it was clear Mikey was in some sort of skirmish, he also wasn’t acting at all like you had ever seen him. He was a shell of himself and all playfulness was devoid of his tone. He appeared like a sort of shaved down version of the joyous man you knew. All delight had been surgically removed and what was left was a body snatched person of Michelangelo.

“Explain the contact.” Donnie eventually spoke.

“Turn down the lights.” Mikey spoke flatly.

There was a quiet stand off the likes of which you only ever saw reserved for Leo and Donnie.

Donnie waited out a moment before the lights from his gaze switched out for the glow of the inner part of his hood.

It shined softer, but carved out how weak Mikey looked.

“You’re okay…” Mikey saw you with the first bit of warmth you had seen from the man.

“C-cold…” You admitted.

“Right…” A wave of memories seemed to crash over him before he sent a plea toward Donnie. “We have power. Please come to the lair. I know you don’t like us helping, but…”

The mechanical arm down amongst the tracks shifted and you were brought closer.

“You have heat?” Donnie wondered simply.

Mikey nodded.

It moved his hair.

You saw a bandage tucked up underneath.

“You will take Y/N…?” Your husband asked in a quieter voice.

“Both of you.” Mikey tried taking a step closer.

Donnie didn’t flee or budge.

“It’s chaos, but we noticed you weren’t in any of the shelters. It didn’t seem like you evacuated and every second Raph wasn’t fighting, he was worried. He couldn’t reach you on the phone… but there was… There is still so much to do, but we’re…” Mikey’s steps loosened as he got closer.

More damage to his body became visible.

Angry red scratches weeped across his dark green skin.

A strange blue hue took his elbows in a way that spoke of frostbite.

The same color dripped down his knees where it disappeared into strangely shaped boots that carved out space between his two toes.

His eyes reminded you of the power-saving mode color that S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. had taken on right before he shut off.

“I got just enough juice to get you guys there. Ready?”

Donnie inhaled sharply. “Leonardo-”

“Portals are maxed out. We don’t even have the pin drops left. Long story. He’s not back yet. He’s still out there…” You watched a crack form and it split in Mikey’s pupil.

It looked to be anguish that dotted the corners of his eyes.

You pulled free from Donnie to reach out to him.

Mikey didn’t do the same.

It struck you with fear-induced adrenaline and you got hold of his cloak before you could think better of the move.

You yanked one side of it back and revealed one arm of his arms was crossed to hold the other which hung limply at his side.

It looked broken and you sent as much horror as you could up through your layers.

Mikey gave his weakest smile. “We need to hurry.”

“I’ll set that.” Donnie suddenly spoke.

It was a rushed response that reminded you of someone in some kind of debt.

Mikey managed a puff of laughter. “Who’da thought?”

“Don’t-!”

“I’d see the day…” Mikey swayed.

You immediately pushed up into him and Donnie appeared right behind you.

“You… bandaging… me… up…” Mikey’s eyes closed as his weight fell into you.

Orange fire engulfed you the moment his head hit your shoulder.

Donnie’s mechanical arms snapped around you like a cocoon and all gravity disappeared.

You were momentarily weightless in an orange bathed void before all weight doubled.

You collapsed in a heap with one man under you and one man on top.

Donnie’s mechanical arms immediately went into action and Mikey’s unconscious body was lifted away.

Another coiled around to help you sit on the floor and you stared out at the blurry glimpse of the lair.

Your hands shot to your face to pull your goggles off.

The moment they left your skin, you felt the testing lick of heat.

Of hot air blowing.

You searched the ceiling until you found the vent and crawled the few inches over so it was blowing directly on you.

You melted on the spot.

“He got them!” Splinter’s voice burst forth. “They’re here!”

You heard him stumble down the stairs before he appeared in the portal room.

He took one watery look at you both. “Donatello! Y/N!”

His eyes fell on his son and he scrambled forward on his hands and knees.

“He fainted.” Donnie supplied and brought the mechanical arm holding Mikey around to show Splinter.

“They have been fighting non-stop for days now…” Splinter’s hands hovered.

“Your medbay?” Donnie asked.

“Don’t bring him there! We’ve converted the living room! We have a fire! Come, come!” Splinter waved you all and headed back to the stairs.

You checked the vent one last time before you heaved your weight up to follow.

Donnie hovered just behind you and toted two lifeless bodies.

You emerged in the TV room and found the entire space changed. The only mainstay was Splinter’s recliner and almost everything else was a mountain of blankets. The projector had been replaced with a roaring fire that crackled in a huge bowl-like pit that was barely suspended off the ground. A safe distance away from it sat a collapsed pile of logs and a bucket that you guessed was the Hamato’s greatest form of safety. Another scan found Raph half reclined amongst one the linens. He had a few bandages littering him, but he looked peacefully asleep. You hobbled over to him to double check and watched the slow rise and fall of his huge chest.

“They’re all at their limits. I should have been out there helping…” Splinter moved some blankets. “Bring orange here!”

Donnie laid Mikey’s body down in the divot Splinter created and the man’s father tucked him in.

Once he was satisfied, Splinter turned to you. “Y/N, you next! You are wet. We have warm blankets. Come! The baby!”

You checked with Donnie and he nodded once.

It felt strange that he didn’t hesitate and you tried to reach any button on your outermost jacket, but couldn’t. Splinter softly offered to help and you agreed with slight embarrassment. He scoffed the sound away and freed up your hands. Shedding the many layers you had been wrapped in went on for what seemed like an eternity, but it was worth it. Eventually, you felt the lick of the fire. It pleasantly coated your back and soon your front after Splinter spun you around so he could throw a heavy robe over your shoulders. You bet this was the one he had once mentioned before and you shoved your arms through the bulky sleeves before you sank down in cozy bliss. 

 You should have been more worried about Raph.

You should have mentioned Mikey’s arm.

You should have made sure Splinter was okay.

Instead, for the first time in over 24 hours, you felt a taste of warmth and bent completely to its will.

“Donatello!” Splinter laid a blanket over your lap and folded it so it was doubled over your belly. “Take that off! There are dry clothes you can use!”

“My suit is resistant to all inclement weather.” Your husband responded. 

“I see the zipper!” Splinter huffed. 

“Purposeful. Interior storm guard.” 

Your head tipped and the flames tickled the ice on your cheeks.

“You’re dripping.” Splinter changed his tactic.

“Do you have an outlet?” Donnie asked without interest.

You heard Splinter grunt. “Yes. Over there.”

Donnie walked over and a clunk of metal moved.

He was just outside your periphery and it took a slight tilt of your head to see him propping up S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.

He clicked through a few panels on your son’s body and pulled out a plug, which he plugged in.

Your husband sat back on his haunches and waited.

A small battery icon appeared in S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s eyes and you watched your mate exhale some relief.

You smiled to yourself and let your lids fall shut.

“The storm…” Donnie spoke softly from that same spot. “The cause was yokai-related?”

“Not exactly.” Splinter sounded like he was behind you and fussing with Mikey’s form.

You heard Donnie turn and look.

“We do not know what activated it, but a mystic artifact was unleashed. The name roughly translates to ‘The Heart of Winter.’  Legends says it was created by the power of the ice dragon clan’s chiefs. It is meant to maintain their kingdom, but it showed up here and boom.” Splinter went on.

“The usual players…?” Donnie’s voice led for whatever person he was implying.

“No. Its container was opened somewhere in Manhattan. We believe it was a rich human collector. Maybe won in an auction. That is still being researched.”

Donnie made a noise and you heard him approach.

You spared him a sleepy look.

He softened as he leaned down to you.

“No!” Splinter intercepted with a towel that he shoved into Donnie. “You are cold and wet! You will not get them sick!!”

“You-!” Donnie snapped and yanked the towel away.

Splinter appeared on your other side and tucked your blanket under your legs. “You are warm? Do you feel sick? How long were you outside? Cold? I will make tea!”

He hopped away.

“Don’t get Y/N wet!!” He called as he disappeared.

Donnie exhaled with the wheeze of irritation.

You could feel your hands again and got his zipper for him.

He sighed softly as you undid his top down to his battle shell belt.

You reached up with care and removed his mask.

He appeared to you looking like a shriveled version of himself.

“Rest with me?” You asked, wanting to curl up with him in front of the fire.

“I need to examine Michelangelo.”

Little bubbles of worry surfaced. “His arm…”

“Broken.” Donnie said.

“How do you know?”

He took off his mask just enough that you could glimpse his expression. 

You knew it had an x-ray mode, so that made sense.

He gave you a quick chilly kiss before he put the mask back on and moved to said man. Your front was feeling particularly warm, so you rotated on the spit. It allowed you to watch as Donnie prepared by selecting a small blanket from the pile. He ripped and tied it off into a form of a sling before he freed Mikey’s injured arm. Your mate looked over him in slow study before he dug into his suit. A knife emerged which he used to cut the wraps on Mikey’s arm.

Donnie carefully laid Mikey’s limb down as he removed his glove. Reaching into his baggy sleeve, he removed one of his own wraps before he pulled his glove back on with a snap. He then double checked Mikey’s form before getting a firm grip on his elbow. His other hand caught the orange man’s wrist and he rotated it a few times before he snapped to pull both pieces.

Mikey screamed awake and his sclera oozed orange sparks.

Donnie stiffened in preparation.

Mikey’s gaze swirled, the orange fizzled out like a dying flashlight in blinks before he shut down and collapsed again. Donnie waited a few seconds before resuming his work. Whenever he had presumably set Mikey’s bones, he used his own bandages to wrap up the other’s arm. He then slipped the blanket sling around him and pressed Mikey’s limb akimbo across his body before he sat back.

Splinter returned with a tray full of cups and a teapot. “What was that?”

“Donnie fixed Mikey’s arm.” You spoke and readied yourself to get up.

“Please!” Splinter ushered and headed over. “What was it?”

“Broken ulna and radius fracture.” Donnie offered.

Splinter was oddly quiet as he set the tray beside you.

“You okay…?” You finally asked.

“We…” He got a cup ready and poured some tea to steady himself. “We have not had broken bones in this house for years.”

“Mikey does good bone work…”

Splinter gave you a wry glance and passed you a cup.

It stung your fingers, but you cradled it close.

“Donatello.” Splinter didn’t gesture as he poured another cup.

Donnie approached while removing his mask.

Instead of giving the cup to him, Splinter left it to pour another.

Donnie took the tea.

“Green tea, my favorite blend.” Splinter clarified before taking his own and a sip.

You joined him.

Donnie watched on and eventually brought the cup to his lips.

“The Heart of Winter is a force. When open, only those of the ice dragon clan are said to have the power to stand in its presence. All else will freeze within seconds.”

Donnie swirled the liquid he had.

“Not to mention the guardian deities housed within! Spirits to protect the immense power! The ice dragons have always been show-offs!” Splinter snorted.

You stifled a giggle.

“The cold allows the spirits to reform their bodies over and over.” Splinter looked at his two sleeping sons. “They fought with all they had. Saved everyone they could. The Heart of Winter was finally closed again as of last night. Instead of taking a moment of rest, my boys continued to help.”

Donnie turned his head to keep from rolling his eyes.

“Leonardo has not yet returned. Their powers are weak. Donatello, you…” Splinter eyed him.

Donnie snapped back to attention and his lips twitched around his teeth. “Don’t presume I would have aided your cause.”

Splinter blinked wide before he lowered his gaze to his cup. “I do not. Your power is similarly drained. I only wonder-”

“Used to protect my own.” Donnie spoke with a low pitched threat that dared Splinter to complain.

Splinter allowed a moment to pass and took another drink before he spoke again. “If I was in your place, I believe I would have done the same.”

Donnie stewed before something occurred to him. “You haven’t opened your doors to the masses.”

Splinter’s eyes narrowed with some guilt.

You drank more tea and felt it trickle internally to where your baby seemed to stretch and languish under the warmth.

You placed a hand on your stomach.

With all your shivering it had been hard to do any sort of kick count lately.

Donnie’s head pressed into yours before you realized he had moved.

Splinter’s ear flicked, but his mouth stayed a steady line.

“Why do you have electricity?” Donnie barely pulled away from you.

“I’m told we pull from a source other than the city.”

“Mystic in nature?”

“Both?” Splinter didn’t seem to know, but his eyes pivoted as if there was something else that he did.

Donnie saw it too, but dropped it. “I dislike debt. How are Raphael’s injuries?”

“You don’t-”

Donnie was up before Splinter could move.

He used his villain mask to examine the largest brother.

“His external temperature is reading below average. Dehydration?” Donnie surmised. “He has the same signs of frostbite. What sort of equipment do you have available? Where is the medbay proper?”

“Yes, well-!” Splinter hesitated.

“A bulb is out.” Donnie spied a lamp across the room and headed there.

Splinter looked furious for a moment before he breathed in deep as if to settle this was how it was going to be and stood. “Okay.”

Donnie had already extracted the light bulb.

“Drink up. Stay warm.” Splinter told you before chasing after Donnie.

You watched on as the two bickered. Donnie was staunch in needing to keep himself busy and, without the other Hamato to keep him in line, he shifted his attention to working with his hands. That meant repairing whatever was broken in his eyes and Splinter followed him with complaints. The older man didn’t dare protest outright for fear of putting off the younger that he saw with hope as his own. This was only offset by how possessive Splinter was of his belongings. He snatched things from Donnie and declared them well-loved instead of broken and Donnie had sharp words for the garbage.

Eventually the conversation veered to Splinter pleading with Donnie about how helping one another was not about paying debts or obligation. Donnie scoffed verbally at the insinuation and harshly spoke about how the double standard laced under their catchall well of family. Splinter did his best to explain otherwise, but the moment he brought up your baby, Donnie checked out. Your husband clung to the lamp, one that had a history of electrical shorts and one of the few objects Splinter allowed him, and set up on the other side of the room near S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. to toy with it.

Splinter stood sadly with a few old rusted things in his arms before he moved to put them back on shelves.

You watched, having finished your second cup of tea and your lids threatened to swallow up your vision.

You heard Donnie get closer.

You felt yourself only blink before he was around you and whispering in your ear. “Rest, my heart.”

“You need to too…” You slurred softly.

“Not here.”

“Donnie…”

He shushed you and scooped up the bundle of blankets with you in it.

You tried to complain but it came out as sleepy sounds as you were nestled into all the blankets.

The moment you touched down you smelled the faint scent of fire that had baked into them and cuddled up to the roast.

“Good.” Donnie churred into your ear before he kissed the side of your head. “I’ll be a step away.”

“M’kay…” Your lids refused to lift.

You felt Donnie press a few more kisses into you before you drifted off.

-

Your flickers of consciousness came with a squeeze to warm metal. You had drifted in and out with your son as a personal heater, so you were used to the feeling. How he was able to modulate his temperature  always astounded you. You held his hand tight and felt the shifting click of him returning the pressure. It was another of his wonderful marvels and you blinked away the last memory you had of watching your son disappear in real time.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. appeared across from you with a big fat smile projected across his beak.

The crescent of his eyes turned up before they switched over to an emoji of a small face holding a finger to their lips.

Be quiet.

You blinked at him a few times and let the memories flood you.

The storm.

The lair.

The Heart of Winter.

You sat up and tried to mitigate your groan the best you could.

Your baby seemed to sense the moment you were awake and was restless.

You had been so busy keeping warm, you hadn’t had much to eat.

You needed to get something.

That and your vitamins.

Donnie had brought a bag.

You meant to look for it, but the crevasse left from Raph distracted you.

He was no longer laying in the pile.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. rolled over to look where you were.

You rotated around because you knew Donnie had placed you between Mikey and Raph.

The youngest wasn’t in his spot either, but the remnants of where he had been were also carved out.

You studied the scene closely and felt your son sit up behind you.

There were dragged blankets, as if Mikey had been taken by his ankles and pulled.

You trailed them and found one of Mikey’s boots.

You hefted up your stomach, but weren’t able to lift, so you had to crawl over to get upright. It got you up on your knees where your lifting head made a large structure appear in your eyeline. On the far side of the room, near where a cable trailed from where S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was plugged into the wall, was what you could describe as a giant lamp.

It looked exactly like the small one Donnie had last been seen with, only it was now a hundred times its original size. It bent over on an adjustable hinge and its base had been widened out to that of the platform. A warm beam of honey light poured out of it and perfectly covered the space. It drenched its occupants, which you counted as exactly Raph, Mikey, and your husband.

You drifted to your feet.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. came with and draped a Sherpa blanket over your shoulders.

You held it closed to your chest and kept moving.

Raph had collapsed on his plastron as the largest mass in the dead center of the circle. His tail curled up around the edge of the platform and that’s where your mate was. Donnie was sitting within the groove created by Raph’s tail. His head lolled back where he was soaking up the rays. Mikey was less ceremoniously placed and indeed appeared to have been dragged over. You wondered by whom because Raph had an arm secured tightly around the youngest as a child might squeeze a teddy bear. If he were any other person, they might have been crushed, but Mikey was adjusted just so his injured arm was still in a safe position to heal.

Donnie built the contraption and you had a sense of how the events played out.

You vaguely remembered him saying something about body temperature. This whole lamp looked like something for heating reptiles in a pet store, but on an absurd scale. You bet Donnie roused Raph to get him under it for his health. Raph must have made the journey, but demanded Mikey join. You could see the larger man grabbing his brother like a blanket and letting him limply drag on the floor as he took him with him. Donnie was less inclined to help the youngest, but attended to his injury after Raph settled in. When both men fell asleep, your husband felt that same reptilian pull and found a spot where he could easily flee if necessary.

The perfect space for innocent culpability.

Your heart tugged and you turned watery eyes on S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.

Your son beamed in a way that said everything you thought was right.

You hugged him.

He smiled and had to rotate to show you he was still charging.

You minded his cord, but pulled it to accentuate how there was obviously a bunch of connected extension cords added to it.

He shrugged playfully and threw a thumb backwards.

Tucked into his chair, with his mouth open, and a fire poker loosely leaned beside him was a snoring Splinter.

You wished you could have seen their meeting and squeezed S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. tighter.

Your son bobbed with obvious, but silent laughter.

Your stomach growled and you were thankful it wasn’t very loud.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. generated a hologram of the time, along with your medication intake.

You nodded to him and signed about the bag Donnie had brought.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s head swiveled side to side in search before he pointed behind you.

The backpack was set by the mouth of the stairwell you had come up and you gestured for him to come with you as you went to get it. You crept as a comical pair with your waddling and his overplayed footsteps. You made it to the bag and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. bent over to scoop it up before he froze mid-motion. You glanced at him once before turning your head to look into the stairwell where his gaze was trained.

Leo looked up at you where he was clearly ascending the steps.

Like the others, his entire being was creased with exhaustion, but he was a little different.

Instead of evidence of having been in a battle or out in the snow, he was wearing a pair of worn scrubs.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was slow and methodical as he moved to block you with an arm.

Leo glanced at him with little energy before his pupils darted to take in the scene.

You watched him bounce from your bag, to your son, and then beyond where he spied some part of the giant lamp. It took all his attention and he went incredulous. He walked sideways up the stairs with an opening jaw. As soon as he got a glimpse of the whole unit, its occupants, and his dad beyond by the fire, his vision went completely dull.

He threw you and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. an emotionally absent glance and gestured for you to follow.

You checked with your son who shrugged as you both followed after Leo, who moved silently. He led you to the kitchen where he immediately went to wash his hands. He hissed at what you presumed was the icy temperature and leaned against the sink while the water ran to warm up. “You got my message. Good.”

He hadn’t left you space to respond.

“Bring food or need it?” He managed.

You checked with S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and your son seemed to remember that had been your goal.

He set the bag on the counter and opened it up. “Inventory: wholegrain crackers, lentils, couscous, rice cakes, and trail mix.”

“Not enough protein…” Leo finally washed his hands, but was straining to look over his shoulder at the options. 

You nabbed the crackers and pulled one out to nibble on.

Leo eventually wandered over while drying his hands with a paper towel. “Let’s see… a warm veggie couscous salad could be…?” He deviated in his path to check the fridge. “Tinned fish is… safe…? Was that right…?”

You and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. both stared at his carapace.

“Ah, we have that good Greek yogurt…” Leo reached in and pulled out a tub. “This’ll work.”

Without saying anything more, he grabbed a few more items until his arms were full. He laid a medley of vegetables for you to review and got a pot of water boiling. He dozed where he stood after he had the pot in place and shook himself awake.

“Gonna shower.”

He was in motion and walked away before anyone could say otherwise.

“Uh…” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. drawled before he immediately went for a knife block and yanked out a knife. “What was that!?”

You were reaching for another cracker and popped up. “Right?!”

“He did not insinuate that he was SHERLOCK_CORN!” He turned and acquired a cutting board with alarming accuracy considering he had never been in this kitchen before.

“How is that even possible?”

“It’s not!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. huffed and grabbed some veggies to cut up. “I don’t know, know, but I know that SHERLOCK_CORN is that lady! She’s my arch nemesis.”

“What?! You can’t just say something like that after Leo is also being insane!”

“It has to be her!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. cut with a blurring speed and at a pace that made his chops almost silent. “This is the first time I’ve ever gotten a screen name. There’s no other way to explain it.”

“Shelly…!”

“The lady!” He gestured up toward the ceiling.

You stared at where he pointed for a long moment before it hit you.

April.

That’s why he had said ‘fast.’

You hadn’t shared her name with him or Donnie.

She had unplugged when S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. had taken over the lair’s system all those years ago.

He said he never got a read on her.

“Here’s my conspiracy theory: she’s their ‘guy in the chair!’” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. went back to cutting vegetables. “I don’t have any evidence because gah, but it’s like her residue is sprinkled over everything. She’s a ghost in the Hidden City and up here! I think she’s the reason they have all those mystical wall bearings up. I voided the data-”

He shot you a sharp glance and it conjured guilt that you munched away in a cracker.

“-but I feel like I remember the ruins. The Hamato dummies don’t need to write spells. Who else would? Why would she know how to run by unplugging? You gotta know tech to know tech! The only people who need to write spells are those without inherent mysticism. That totally explains it. If she is combining mystic and tech, she’s the reason I’ve never been able to get dad down here or crack these guys’ network. It never made sense that they were able to keep me and dad out. They were not and are not that tech savvy.”

“Okay…” You shook your head as it was a lot to process. “That’s… something, but what’s with Leo?”

“He musta asked her to send it.” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. pouted and finished cutting to pour over the board. “This meal…”

You were back on a track you recognized. “It’s totally balanced, right!? It sounds like something Donnie’s algorithm would come up with! And the thing he said about tinned fish?! Is he reading up on pregnancy stuff?!”

“Yeah!!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. came up to share your frustrations once again. “Why!? He was totally scary from what you told me about when he found out you were preggers!”

“Don’t!” You laughed. “Say it like that!”

“Pragnent!” He snickered.

You flicked cracker dust at him.

He pretended to protect the veggies.

“And the scrubs!” You gave him mercy.

“I mean, he has a medical degree.”

“He, what?!”

“Yeah, he’s registered with the state. Leonardo Hamato, he can add MD to his title… or doctor to the front duh, pfft. General practice, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. I think that’s why he wanted you to go to a Sinai hospital when you got hurt.”

You balked.

You also felt a weird sense of déjà vu.

It wasn’t exact, but you had an inkling you sort of knew this.

Like Leo had mentioned medical training, but not that he was a registered doctor.

“Does he have a practice?!”

“Not one that’s legit!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. shrugged as to him it was as simple as a fact.

You continued to stare.

“He’s probably helping out at the hospitals.” He looked at you earnestly.

“Y-yeah…” You wilted. “I guess…?”

“It’s still weird, for sure.” He glanced off to the side.

“Yeah…”

You scrubbed your face.

Leo being up to things was never new, but you wished he would stop being bizarre. He had all the room in the world to go back to being a mystery. You hadn’t needed to see him or talk to him in a long time. Maybe the status quo would return if you pretended all of his sleepy revelations hadn’t happened. You doubted he would have been so obvious if he wasn’t at the end of his rope. It was odd to think he seemingly had the most stamina outside of even Donnie.

You hoped your husband was still peacefully snoozing.

“The water’s about to boil. Where is he?” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. wondered.

“He did say he was going to shower…”

“Average length of dad’s showers are six minutes…” Your son’s head tipped. “Oh… Eugh… What if he fell asleep?”

“He wouldn’t-” The response was automatic, but the dull look on S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s face made you pause. “Seriously…?”

“With him?” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s digital tongue stuck out.

“Who’s gonna check?” You sighed.

“Rock, paper, scissors!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. cheered.

“No! I’m not falling for that again! You can read micro movements faster than me!”

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. snapped his ‘drat.’

“You know how to cook this?” You gestured around the kitchen.

“Yeah! I scanned the room for inventory and looked up a recipe based on what Leo said. I think the yogurt is supposed to be the sauce! There’s tinned mackerel in that cabinet over there!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. pointed.

“I’ll pull his head out of the water so he doesn’t drown and come get you if we need to move him.” You shook your head.

“Sounds like a plan!” He got the yogurt and shook it.

You waved as you turned and headed back to the TV room. You had a vague idea of how to get to the closest bathroom from there and headed down the stairs. You clung to the wall since there wasn’t a railing and took the steps with care. Once you were flat on the next level, you took a breath for having made the journey and patted your belly before looking out and stopping.

Very clearly having jumped onto the top of the pile, was Leo sticking out like a sore thumb.

He was laying the opposite of Raph and had all his limbs spread out to get as much light as possible.

He was also clearly unconscious by the way a drip of drool hung down and threatened to go into his eye where his head was nearly upside-down.

You softened at him and the others.

You wanted to take a picture, but was sure it would wake them.

For this moment of peace, you decided to preserve it and turned to head back up the stairs to tell S.H.E.L.D.O.N. that everything was alright.

For once, Leo was far from drowning.

💜 NEXT 💜

I will also thank my betas @tmntxthingstmntxthings and @unrestrainedhotsoup until my dying breath!

[ddejavvu]

but like poly! with hangman and rooster though 🤤 the lingering touches, longing looks and sneaking off in and out of the base because the rest of the dagger squad is yet to know of your unconventional relationship with the twoㅡthough it's safe to say that they have the tiniest bit of clue; the taped picture of you in jake’s locker and the necklace of your initial that hangs alongside bradley’s dog tags that may or may not have caught a sliver of their prying eyes.

Natasha waits until both Mickey and Reuben have had their post-hangover breakfasts, buttered toast and a single scrambled egg to go easy on their stomachs. Last night had been wild, and she'd volunteered for designated driver to gather intel while everyone else got drunk. She'd let them wake up on their own time, but once they'd come down for breakfast, she'd decided to ask for their help. When they're downing the last of the orange juice she'd poured for them, she braces her chin in her hands, "Boys?"

They share a look, suspicious when they turn back to her. Reuben speaks first, "Uh oh. Is this why you were bein' so nice to us? You've got some evil plan going?"

"Evil plan," She scoffs, wiping a crumb off of their communal kitchen table, "Don't be so dramatic. I need your help."

"With what?" Mickey's brow wrinkles in a frown, "You're probably the strongest at the table, there's nothing in here you can't move by yourself."

"I need your help spying on Rooster," She informs them, "I think he's got a girlfriend."

Mickey's brow straightens itself out, soaring towards his hairline, "Girlfriend?"

"And I think it's one of the maintenance women on base."

"What makes you say that?" Reuben leans over the table towards her, eager to hear the gossip.

"He's got this necklace that he wears on top of his dog tags," She explains, it's got her initials on it. I know it could be someone else, but I saw a picture taped in his jet the other day, and it was of her. I think they're sneaking around or something."

"Woah!" Mickey snickers, "A picture in the jet? He's already gone. So what, he's keeping her a secret or something?"

"I don't know!" Phoenix urges, "That's what I want you to find out. Don't pry, just keep an eye out with me this next week. I've asked Bob to do the same."

"Will do, Phe," Reuben nods once, headache long forgotten at the prospect of a secret mission, "Fanboy and I'll have the juicy details in no time."

--

On Tuesday, Fanboy had caught a glimpse of your picture in Bradley's jet. Armed with your appearance, he'd described you to Payback, and the pair had scanned everyone in their vicinity until positively identifying you.

"That's her! That one," Fanboy points, glad that your back is turned so that you can't see the scene he's making, "That's Rooster's girl."

Feeling triumphant upon their discovery, the pair returned to Phoenix, announcing their victory. The trio had set out especially happy that Friday night, planning on getting Bradley blackout drunk and prying the answers out of him.

Friday night drinks are now a sacred ritual among the proudly proclaimed Dagger Squad, and it's not uncommon to see Jake perusing the patrons with one hand on his beer. He doesn't always stick around to play pool, but Bradly's bent over the table now, the necklace with your initials on the chain dangling low over the surface. Phoenix shares a sly grin with Fanboy and Payback over it, and notices Jake wandering off towards the bathrooms.

"Lucky guy," Coyote whistles lowly, "Have you seen the woman he's been messin' around with?"

"Bradley?" Phoenix's brows furrow, but Javy looks confused.

"No," He laughs cautiously, "Hangman. Rooster's got someone too?"

"Whatever," Phoenix shakes her head, "Doesn't matter. I pity the poor girl Jake's got."

Natasha makes it her business to get Rooster drunk, Fanboy and Payback holding back to question him once he's wasted. They're patient enough in their endeavors, sipping their own drinks in the meantime, but Fanboy excuses himself to the bathrooms while they wait.

He comes back entirely too fast, eyes blown wide and hands urgent where they wrap around both Phoenix's and Payback's wrists.

"Guys," He pants, "Get- come with me!"

"What- Hey!" Phoenix grunts as he yanks them off towards the other end of the bar, cringing when he heads straight for the men's bathroom, "Dude, whatever gross shit you found in there, I don't wanna see it!"

"It's not-" Fanboy shakes his head, speechless and gushing all at once, "Just look!"

He swings the door open so hard that it hits the tile on the wall. It also interrupts Jake, who's pressing someone up against the door of an open stall. Oh shit, he's pressing you up against the door of an open stall, his mouth hot and heavy on yours.

You stare wide-eyed at the three intruders, though perhaps if you wanted more privacy you could have let your boyfriend drag you into the supply room out back. It is a public bathroom, it just tends to stay empty except for couples hooking up.

Natasha's previously nice impression of you, only forged by the fact that one of her closest friends loved you enough to make you a permanent fixture in his jet, turns sour instantly. She can't imagine what Bradley will feel when she tells him you've been cheating on him, much less with Jake.

"Hangman," Payback's sharp voice cuts through the awkward silence of the bathroom, "What the hell are you doing, man?"

"I'm kissing my girlfriend," He drawls, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "Could you give us a little privacy, guys?"

"That's Bradley's girlfriend," Natasha narrows her eyes at you, "He's got a picture of you in his jet, and a necklace with your initials on it."

Your eyes widen slightly, and you murmur, "He's got a picture of me in his jet?"

Jake stares between you and Phoenix, watching as her face turns down in a disapproving frown, "Yeah, he does. He must really like you, and you're out here with someone else?"

"Oh-" You start, eyes widening along with Jake's, "No, it's not-"

"Oh, it's not what it looks like?" She interrupts, scoffing disgustedly, "Save it. Listen, I'm gonna tell Bradley about this, and then I'm gonna tell Penny you're bumming around here breaking hearts. You'll be lucky if you get away with a ring of the bell."

"No!" You cry, and Jake shouts sternly, "Phoenix, wait!"

But it's too late, and she's gone, wandering through the seat of people to find Rooster.

Jake lets his arms fall from around your waist and you both start towards the door, but Fanboy and Payback don't budge where they stand. Both are regarding you with disapproving looks, and you feel defensive as Jake's shoulders stiffen at their behavior.

"Listen, guys, you've got it all wrong. I know about Rooster, and he knows about me. We-" Jake runs a hand through his hair, "We're doing this- I dunno, throuple thing. He knows we're in here together, he chose this outfit for her tonight."

It's a flattering outfit, of course. But you're sure it's the least of their worries, as they process what Jake's just told them.

"Oh." Fanboy mutters, "So you're- it's all cool?"

"Well not now," Jake sneers, "Phoenix is about to have us thrown overboard!"

"Right," Payback steps out of the way, already intent on tracking the brunette down, "Phe- wait!"

He stops her just before she reaches Bradley, and she looks back at him exasperatedly. You're quick to follow, and she looks at you with her face wrinkled in disdain.

Bradley's, however, lights up at your arrival, and he sets his cue down, "Y/N! Hey, baby, wasn't sure I'd see you tonight. Thought Hangman might keep you in that shitty bathroom the whole time."

Phoenix's head snaps towards Bradley, her brows furrowed as she watches him keenly.

"Bradley, uh- I wanted to-" You sidestep his hug, approaching Phoenix with shame in your chest that you shouldn't be bearing. Somehow she's made you feel guilty for something you haven't done, and you want to make things right.

"I'm dating the both of them" You inform her in a meek voice, "Uh- Bradley and Jake. I would never cheat on anyone, or- or prowl a bar just to break someone's heart. I know what it looked like, but- I'm really sorry we confused you. If I had known you knew, I- I would have said something."

All in all, Phoenix feels a little embarrassed. She knows she did the right thing by trying to tell Bradley about it, but she'd jumped to the wrong conclusion, and all eyes are on her as she figures out how to proceed.

"So they know...?" She glances between both men, who nod casually.

"Yeah," You join, "It's- it's something we're trying out, a polyamory sort of thing."

"Oh." Is what she settles on, "Uh- I'm sorry. For threatening you, and lecturing you, and... yeah."

"It's alright," You assure her, sticking your hand out for a handshake. She goes to take it, but backs off last-minute, and something spikes in your chest straight at your heart.

"Uh- no hard feelings." She promises, hand down by her side again, 'But I saw you and Hangman in there, and I don't know where that hand has been."

[starry-bi-sky]

okay so i was thinking of a joke earlier about how in DPDC Amity Park's slogan "a great place to live" is not only city propaganda but also the city lording it over the rest of America for being normal. But then I remembered that, despite how many DCU Cities with heroes in it there are, the amount of cities in America without heroes still far outnumber the amount of cities in America WITH heroes.

So I did a little digging so the joke would still land. Something most heroes have in common is that they operate in major cities. What makes a major city? I found that the general consensus is that the population is roughly over or around a million. THEN I looked up the populations of cities in the DCU that I thought of off the top of my head. So Gotham, Metropolis, Starling City, Central City, Jump City. All of them ranked up to millions in population (most of them were in the tens of millions).

Amity Park's wikipedia describes it as being similar to specifically Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Philadelphia's Population: 1.576 million as of 2021 Chicago's Population: 2.697 million as of 2021 San Francisco: 815,201 as of 2021

Whiiich means that Amity Park if we take that from canon, is probably a major city. There are approximately 19,000 cities in America with probably less than a hundred that are major cities. Adding the DCU major cities wouldn't skew the data too much.

Which MEANS that I can make the joke that Amity Park's "great place to live" is not only just typical city propaganda, but also its Amity Park lording it over the other major cities for being one of the only major cities that doesn't have problems bad enough to warrant a superhero or a vigilante. Cue stage left the Fentons and Phantom :)

Amity Parkers were probably SO proud that they didn't need a superhero. They didn't have to worry about things like 'world ending threats' and 'super-powered individuals' and 'staggering property damage'. And then enter Fentons.

It also could be used as an excuse for why nobody took notice to Amity Park getting ghosts if folks like me aren't huge fans of the notion of a media blackout via Tucker, Technus, or the US Government. Or if you want to keep Amity Park as its urban city self. Amity Park's news on ghosts gets drowned out in a week because there's news on more popular, well-known cities going on every other day. The shit going on in Amity Park is every other major city's regular Tuesday and it gets filtered as such.

[green-eyedfirework]

Dick sighed as he dragged himself up the stairs, eyes dry and gritty.  He hadn't slept properly all week and he finally, finally had a weekend off.  All he wanted to do was sink into bed.

There were several downsides to not being a corrupt ass-kisser in the Bludhaven PD, and one of those was that his captain hated him.  He was pretty sure Redhorn would love if he expired of exhaustion, but Dick wasn't going to give the bastard the satisfaction.  He joined the police to do good, not take money and look the other way, and he wasn't going to let anyone bully him out.

Unfortunately for Redhorn, Dick was also damn good at his job, and overbooking his schedule was about the only thing the man could retaliate with.

It took him three tries to get the key in the lock--he was tired enough that his vision had started to go hazy, and every second he stayed slumped against the door increased his chances of falling asleep on his doormat--and he yawned jaw-creakingly wide as he stumbled inside.

Bed.  He was so close to sleep.  He didn't care if it was eight in the morning, that was what blackout curtains were for.  He was just musing on whether he should choke down a microwave meal so he wouldn't wake up feeling like his stomach was trying to digest himself when he saw the guy with the gun.

Dick, three steps into his living room, froze.

The guy with the gun smiled.  Before Dick could reach for his own gun, or drop to the ground, or let his sleep-deprived instincts catch up to the danger of the situation, his exhaustion-addled senses noticed the second guy with the gun.  And the third.  And the fourth, though this guy didn't have a gun pointed at Dick, he was just casually poking around Dick's bookshelf like breaking into a cop's home to examine his interior decorating was something he did on a casual Tuesday.

Was it even still Tuesday?

"Detective Grayson," the silver-haired asshole examining the pictures on his bookshelf said, not even turning to look at him.  "Can I trust you not try anything stupid, or do you need to be disarmed?"

Dick's fingers twitched to his gun, but he didn't think he could unholster it and fire before the other three did, not with his current level of exhaustion.  He mentally mourned the loss of his planned sleep.  "Depends on why you broke in here," Dick said evenly.  There was no cover between him and the door, so he couldn't even head out that way.

"If I meant to kill you, Detective Grayson, you'd be dead," the man said, finally turning around.  "Come in and have a seat."  One ice blue eye glittered dangerously.  "Get comfortable.  You look like you've had a long day at work."

Dick's heartbeat was pounding in his ears, everything abruptly clearer with the sudden surge of adrenaline.  He did as he was told, crossing the room slowly and sitting stiffly on the sofa, never moving his gaze from the tall, broad, one-eyed man smirking at him.

"You have a lovely family," the man motioned to the pictures.  "They seem very happy."

Dick resisted the urge to curl his hands into fists.  "Is that a threat?" he asked as evenly as he could.

"A threat?" the man looked amused.  "You're certainly very paranoid, Detective Grayson."

"One of the biggest mob bosses on the East Coast is holding me at gunpoint in my own apartment," Dick said tersely, "I think it's justified."

Slade Wilson shrugged, as if to say can't argue with that.  He turned back to the pictures, as though he was studying them, and Dick went tenser.

Bruce was rich, he reminded himself.  They had security.  Tim was resourceful, Jason was destruction on two legs, and Dick pitied the poor fool that tried to kidnap Cassandra or Damian.  They would be fine.

"No," Slade said finally, "it isn't a threat.  Merely an observation.  Family is important, isn't it?"

Dick forced his racing heart to slow down.  "What are you doing here, Wilson?" he said, just shy of a growl.  "Cut it with the cryptic bullshit."

Slade arched an eyebrow, but Dick didn't take it back.  He was already being held at gunpoint in his own home, he wasn't sure his situation could get much worse.

"I came here," the mob boss said, "because I have a case for you--"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No," Dick repeated, keeping Slade's gaze even when he felt like flinching back at the dark scowl on his face.  "My loyalty isn't for sale, Wilson.  I'm not going to take your money, and I'm not going to be your lackey."

Instead of being met with a bullet to the head, Dick was met with, shockingly, a smile.

"I'm not asking you to do anything other than your job, Detective Grayson," Slade said, retrieving an envelope from his side pocket and tossing it onto the coffee table in front of Dick.  "There's been a kidnapping--"

"Go to the station and file a missing persons report," Dick said evenly, not picking up the envelope.

"Unfortunately, circumstances require discretion," Slade said, expression darkening again.

"And half the department is in your pocket," Dick argued.  He’d found that out the hard way when he’d been forced to watch as Grant Wilson strolled out of the interrogation room with a smirk.  "Why did you decide to come to me?"

Slade was silent for a stretching moment, and then he sighed.  "There's a traitor in my organization," he said plainly.  "I don't know who it is, and unfortunately, that means there's very few people I can trust.  In the absence of those whose loyalties may have been shifted," Slade pushed the envelope closer to him, "I decided to find a cop that was loyal to his job."

Dick kept Slade's intense gaze for a moment longer before reaching for the envelope.  "I'm not going to do your dirty work," Dick reiterated, pulling out the papers inside.  "If this person hasn't been kidnapped and doesn't want to be found, I'm not--" his words trailed off into empty air when he saw the photos.

A young girl, not yet a teenager, scowled at him in the first picture, hair the same color as the man she was sulking next to.  The second, third, and fourth pictures showed the same girl, but tied up and gagged, her surroundings dark, looking up with wide, bright eyes at the camera.

"My daughter has been missing for five days.  They've increased the ransom demand twice."  Slade's expression is a mask of fury, but Dick can hear the desperation in his voice.  "They're hurting her."  Dick withdrew more papers, all the evidence that Slade had apparently collected.  "I don't know who was involved, and I'm not going to risk my daughter's life on it.  Can you find her or not?"

Dick looked again at the first person.  'Dad & Rose' had been scrawled on the back of it, and despite the sulking of the preteen, Dick could see her leaning into her father's side.  "Yes," Dick said quietly.

"Great," Slade said.  "You have twenty-four hours before the ransom drop."  Wait, what?  "And if anything happens to her, Grayson," Slade's expression was colder than ice, "I will ensure you share her fate.  Do you understand?"

Dick swallowed and nodded.

~#~

Twenty-four hours.

The first thing Dick did once all the criminals were out of his apartment was set a timer.  The second thing was to scarf down a microwave meal as he glanced through the evidence and wrote down preliminary thoughts.  The third thing was to take a nap, because Dick was going to get nowhere on fumes.

Eight hours later, Dick felt marginally more human.  Unfortunately, he was also a third down on his time limit, and most of his previous notes were utter gibberish.

Dick took a deep breath, put aside the indirect and direct threats of a mob boss that had broken into his home and held him at gunpoint--Dick was moving after this--and thought about this logically.

Rose Wilson had been kidnapped five days ago.  The fact that she hadn't been found already meant that the mob's resources couldn't find her.  Slade said that he hadn't contacted anyone in the police department, so police resources hadn't been exhausted.  However, if Dick treated this like any other missing persons case, he ran the risk of tipping the kidnappers off and getting a bullet in the head.

Dick checked the time.  Fifteen and a half hours left.

Maybe--maybe he was looking at this the wrong way.  Slade had mentioned several offhand things--if they were all connected, that would give Dick a starting place.

So.  Assume there was a traitor in the Wilson Family.  Assume that they were working with corrupt cops.  Assume that they had used police resources to snatch Rose Wilson.

Dick needed to get to the precinct.

He made it all the way to his building entrance before halting in the street.  There was an expensive black car parked--illegally--right in front of him.  One tinted window rolled down, and Dick met Grant Wilson's unamused expression.

"Get in," the other man ordered.

Dick wanted to point out that he didn't work for the younger Wilson, but getting into a shootout on a busy street seemed like a spectacularly bad idea.  Plus, the clock was ticking.

"Where are you headed?" Grant asked, voice terse.

"Precinct," Dick responded warily, but all Grant did was nod and pull into traffic.  "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think, asshole?" Grant gave him a dirty look.  "You spent nine hours in your apartment.  Did you find Rose?"

Dick decided not to tell him that he'd been asleep.  "Your father told me I had twenty-four hours until the ransom drop," Dick pointed out.

Grant jerked the car to a hard stop and turned to glare at him, eyes burning.  "That's my baby sister that's missing, you fucking pig, so you're going to get one thing straight," he hissed, not noticing or not caring that Dick's hand had immediately gone to his gun.  "If there is so much as a single hair missing from her head, I'm going to make personally sure that you regret it for the rest of your miserable and agonizing life, do. you. understand?"

Dick met his vitriol with artificial calm.  "Was that supposed to incentivize me to work with you?"

Grant growled, actually growled, and Dick remembered that antagonizing the guy rumored to have a hair-trigger temper was not the smartest of plans.

"Look," he interrupted before Grant could speak, "I said I'd help, and I swear, I will do my best to find your sister.  Which means going to the precinct to follow up on my lead, unless you think that being threatened is a better use of my time."

Grant's glare didn't diminish, but he did start the car again.  Dick sat there in silence and wondered how the fuck he was supposed to explain this to anyone.  Sorry, Internal Affairs, I was briefly held hostage by the Mob, but instead of reporting it, I investigated one of their cases and continued working with them.  Redhorn would have a field day if he learned about this.

"So what's your lead?" Grant asked tersely.

Dick decided not to point out that they were going fifteen miles above the speed limit and answered the question.  "I'm going to check if any of the cops have been investigating you guys recently.  If you're worried about a traitor, I thought it was a good place to start."

Grant didn't seem to think so, between the mutters of "Jesus, did Dad tell you everything?" and "it took you nine hours to come up with that, genius?" but he dropped Dick off a street away from the precinct.

"Fifteen hours," he reminded Dick with a glower as Dick slipped out.

The precinct was marginally more tolerable.  Dick made up an excuse that he needed to check something for a case, and it looked like most people bought it.  Redhorn, of course, continued scowling at him from his office, but Dick ducked quickly into the records room, where it didn't take much to sweet-talk the sign-out list from the records keeper.

It turned out that there were a lot of people in here looking up records for cases Dick was pretty sure they weren't working on.  But checking the sign-out list for the last month, there was only one who'd checked the Wilson Family open cases.

"Well, I always knew you were a bastard," Dick murmured, staring at Redhorn's name.

[inthefallofasparrow]

Attention:

To all members of the 21st Digging Corps, let it be known that this evening, Captain Siltsmear has succumbed to his illness, namely dust pneumonia and acute silicosis, and is gone from this place. Jasper T. Siltsmear was Head of Unit 23 for twelve years having climbed the ranks from humble beginnings as an itinerant shaftsman out of Pearlridge County. He lost an eye during the '37 Blackout and more recently, his decisive actions brought a swift end to the Dirty Tuesday Revolt as perpetrated by the short-lived Trespassers' Alliance. In accordance with his will, his body shall be hollowed out, filled with dynamite and lowered into the pit. He leaves behind an estranged nephew, 3 parakeets, and a mouth organ.

May he know lighter work.

[lance-thunder-reporting-live]

Good morning Amity Park, I'm your ghostly weatherman, Lance Thunder. Today's Tuesday, April 30, and there’s a 0% chance of rain. Highs are in the mid seventies, and the lows are in the mid forties.

The entire city of Amity Park lost all electronic connection at 10:23 AM on Friday the 26th. Televisions, Phones, Computers, and many other electronic devices were rendered useless. This was likely the work of Technus, though he was not seen at all during this time luckily, the issue was resolved at 1:53 AM this morning.

Several ghost attacks occurred during this communication blackout. The Wisconsin Ghost was sighted several times, but did not attack, several animal ghosts attacked, causing injury and damage to public property, Skulker fought against Danny Phantom, causing damage to roads with stray missiles, and the box ghost wreaked havoc in the post office.

A number of robberies were attempted during the blackout, including one successful robbery of a blue 2005 Honda Civic from a used car dealership by the name of Pete’s Auto Sales. Luckily, nobody was injured in any of these situations.

The Fentons will likely be driving today.

[dailymothanon]

Bro doesn’t know how to stop drop and roll 🙁 that’s uncool and not swag. I don’t know.. What urged me to draw him on fire. I promise I’m not malicious, i just had to do a quick sketch because i wanted to take a nap i will make it up to this bear boy

Him every Tuesday, someone get him an otter pop 🤧

I heard Maine and the other northeast is gonna get hit with a hurricane so good luck to y’all 🥳 up here in AK last year September we had a typhoon but it’s usually super windy and rainy this time of year so like literally everyone sorta thought it was just a little more windy than usual despite the fact there were blackouts

[silentcartoonist2018]

Chapter 8: The Redo Date

With the rest of the school week about to become a pure nightmare, Mr. Krupp almost felt inclined to call in sick for the rest of the week. But knowing Edith, this potentially runs the risk of her having to reschedule their Redo Date. Plus, payday’s just around the corner and he needs the money to pay for food and tickets this weekend. 

Mr. Krupp kept asking Mr. Ree for updates on the hypno ring, but the janitor kept saying there were none. 

All he could do for now is to put himself on complete lockdown. Which means he’s gotta repeat all of his preventative maneuvers on Monday…four more times. Worst of all, there’s no rain to act as a safety net for him. 

Tuesday

In preparation, Mr. Krupp brought in a plastic water basin and extra hand towels to keep his face wet. He essentially had to beg Ms. Anthrope to clear his schedule for the rest of the week, except for an appointment for repairing his office window, that he just noticed, had a crack on the sill, stemming from where he slammed it closed a little too hard. 

He made an extra attempt to ask Mr. Ree to leave the sprinklers out front, but the janitor warned him that this would max out this month’s water bill. 

To Mr. Krupp, it was worth it. 

Mr. Ree, meanwhile, had nothing new to report on repairing the ring. 

Today’s music playlist was Amadeus Mozart.

Wednesday 

Mr. Krupp insisted that Reid stop delivering his morning coffee for the rest of the week and take a break from reporting misbehaving students. Reid reluctantly agreed, but her usual unsettlingly, disapprovingly cold glare became 10 degrees icier. It thawed out shortly after she was told she was still allowed to use the coffee maker in the teacher’s lounge. 

Mr. Ree reported no new developments except he started to identify some serial numbers on the Hypno Ring’s incredibly tiny components.

Today’s music playlist was Vivaldi. (He quit Mozart after listening to —and looking up—“Lich mi….” Um….well….ask someone who knows a lot about Mozart, he’s a bigger rascal than you’d think.)

Thursday

The window repair guys came at the worst possible time—during recess. Krupp was able to clearly hear the kids playing outside and feared for his life that whoever it was he turned into would jump out the window and run amok through the entire neighborhood. While the window sill was being repaired, Mr. Krupp excused himself from his office to give the workers some room and attend to other duties. 

And by “other duties” he meant hiding inside the library. Ms. Singerbrains (Yes, she’s still working, surprisingly) found it odd that Krupp sandwiched his head between two beanbags for an entire afternoon. 

Mr. Ree was too busy to work on the ring last night because he was going out to see a movie with Ms. Yewh.

Today’s playlist was Hans Zimmer. (Krupp got bored of listening to classical music)

Friday 

Mr. Krupp triumphantly accomplished having gone through all five days of school without a blackout and felt a significant increase in his confidence. 

Plus today was payday and he planned to pocket $300 for his weekend budget. 

Unfortunately, amidst his emboldened confidence there was a significant slip-up.

All that could be said was that the office window was completely broken through, and the other red curtain had been ripped off. 

In the dreamscape, Krupp had caught Wiseguy having a spat with someone who seemed to be trying to get through a strange booth that popped up out on the water labeled “Unnecessary Cameo”. He could have sworn he could see something yellow and flat with a black top hat.

Wiseguy, finally having shooed away the stranger, closed the door, pulled out a ridiculously large hammer and hit the extra door back into the water.

He adamantly insisted that it was no one important. 

In the short 10 seconds he spent stuck in his head, he would later wake up in front of the school half-naked again.

The good news is that the sprinklers did their job and almost everyone went home. 

But the bad news is that the office window had completely shattered. 

Today’s playlist was supposed to consist of Kenny G, yet somehow, he completed the entire playlist and it automatically started playing songs by some lesser known Japanese comedian. 

And guess what? To Mr. Krupp’s utter frustration, he would later find out that it was a song that was LITERALLY about finger snapping!

………………………………

Saturday

He woke up this morning only to realize that He overslept. 

Of all days, it had to be on his redo date. 

She was probably waiting for Him right outside His front door. 

Somehow He got himself fully dressed and yet He couldn’t shake off the notion that He might have just spaced out for too long. 

Maybe it was just brain fog?

He reached out for the front door intent on getting to His car and driving over to Her house. 

But before He could unlock the car with His key fob…

…something caught His attention off the corner of His eye. 

She was walking away from His house…

…with someone else….

…someone who dresses the same way He does…

…even His hairstyle. 

At least, that’s what it felt like to Him. 

“Uhh…*****? Who is that?” He thought he said to Her. 

But She just laughed. 

Seemingly as if She were answering His apparent doppelgänger. 

He ran over towards Her and “Him”. 

“What are you talkin’ about? It’s just us right now.” He thought She said, holding “His” hand. 

“Ah, of course!” He said in an uncharacteristically jovial manner. 

He stopped in His steps with His mouth covered. 

That answer came from His mouth.

But it wasn’t what He said.

Not just that, it sounded like “He” answered at the same time He did. 

She laughed again.

And “He” started laughing too. 

They were laughing the same way He and She did on their first date. 

It wasn’t fair. 

He ran up to them just trailing behind like a third wheel. 

He reaches out to grab “His” shoulder, but in half a split second “He” vanishes and His hand is in Her’s. 

He looked behind, but no one was there. 

Suddenly, She grabbed onto his arm affectionately. 

“I dunno why, but you’re so much fun to be with when you have a blackout!”

He felt frozen up until the point He felt His foot landing in a puddle. 

He looked down at His reflection. 

He didn’t see Himself….

He saw a silhouette with a long red shroud with black stars.

…..grinning right back at Him. 

“It” grinned at Him.

Mr. Krupp sprang up in his bed breathing heavily, the events of that night’s dream still fresh in his mind. Once he settled, he slid his hands down his face.

………………………………

Real Saturday

Wallet. Check.

Keys. Check. 

2 32-ounce water bottles attached to belt. Check.

Belt to carry water bottles with. Check.

After giving it a lot of thought, Mr Krupp realized that going out in public is a lot more precarious than he previously thought. There were too many OTHER factors he’d forgotten to consider. 

He was about to enter an unpredictable environment beyond the scope of his authority as a principal where there will be an unpredictably large crowd and there is absolutely no telling when or how he was going to encounter a finger snap, unpredictably. 

So he spent time gathering up a “Sanity Survival Kit” to bring along with him, consisting of two filled jugs of water bottles and a cooling towel of course. 

He judged that he would most likely be safe at the science museum. Museums are boring and there is absolutely no reason for anybody to snap their fingers there. 

But the Farmer’s Market is going to be a triple threat. One, he hasn’t been to one since he was a kid. Two, he’s going to one to actually buy all sorts of delicious food and will likely let his guard down. Three, the market is outdoors, which is a lot noisier and all the more terrifying for a man in his situation. And just being outdoors in general is already risky enough. 

For this specific circumstance, he decided to carry a pair of earplugs. Edith was the one who wanted to go to the farmer’s market and will probably be too busy to talk to him. 

And yet, despite being well-stocked, something disconcerting from that night’s nightmare still stuck with him. He doesn’t even want to entertain the notion….

But what if….?

DING-DONG!

After feeling a split-second episode of Deja Vu, Mr. Krupp managed to make his way to the front door to welcome Edith into his home, only to realize just then that he forgot to unhook the newly installed door chain that he bought 2 days ago. 

“H-Hey, Edith! J-just give me a sec!” The principal stammered. 

“Uh, no worries. Take your time,” Edith said, slightly put off by how frantic Mr. Krupp was behaving by repeatedly trying to open the front door while his door chain was still hooked. 

“Um, maybe you should—“

*insert onomatopoeia for the sound of screws being ripped from wood. And the sound of metal subsequently falling to the floor.*

Of course, Mr. Krupp accidentally ripped off his new door chain, which he would have to replace later. 

“So….ready to go?” He asked while kicking away the now broken chain. 

………………………………

About 10 minutes south of Piqua

The two lovebirds just spent the entire drive having a one-sided conversation, particularly started by Edith, who was talking about a conversation she had with the other lunch ladies at work. She sounded lively at first, talking about some recipes she plans to try in her free time, then at some point, Mr. Krupp stopped paying attention as the radio started playing some lively sounding commercials. 

"…and coming right up, our monthly giveaway for $1000! Just call our toll-free number and snap your fingers as fast as po--"

*Click*

"Well, it's tough to be at the top~"

*Click*

“Is everythin’ ok, Principal Krupp?" Asked Edith.

"Nope—I mean, Yes! Uh, it’s nothing!" Mr. Krupp stammered. "Just feeling like, uh…not listening to music, that’s all!”

“I heard you’ve locked yourself up in your office…and the other teachers say the few times you did walk out, you looked like you were walkin’ on nails.“

“Oh….did they?”

“Did somethin’ happen recently? I-I mean, I don’t mean to pry, but I haven’t seen ya all week.”

“It’s….complicated.”

A brief silence fell between them.

“Does it…involve that towel ‘round your neck?”

“……..Again……Complicated….”

Another silence. 

“Was it because of last—“

“Please don’t guess.” Mr. Krupp interrupted.

An  even longer awkward silence fell between them.

“So…a science museum and a farmer’s market?” Inquired the principal, who wanted to break the ice. 

“Yeah,” Edith replied. “Weird combination, huh? There was a movie at their theater that I really wanted to see and it was only in that one science museum in Daytona. So the Farmer’s market’s gonna make up for all the possible boredom.”

“Sounds good. Sounds good. What’s the film about?”

“Well, it’s in a planetarium. So….Space stuff.”

“Oh, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Duh! Of course space stuff. What else would they be playing?”

“Well…since the planetarium doubles as an IMAX theater. And it’s in a science museum so….”

“Right! Science stuff! What’s wrong with me today!?” Mr Krupp chuckled. 

“A lot apparently.” Edith said under her breath.

“What?”

“What?”

………………………………

A few minutes after getting off the exit near Daytona, the farmer’s market could be seen the next road over. The venue probably covered about 5 or 6 blocks so there was bound to be some difficulty finding a place to park. There were a few spots available near the planetarium, but it was practically 5 rows away. Better than nothing, right?

After getting out of the car and re-wetting his towel, the two started making their way across the parking lot. However, Mr Krupp, starting to lag behind, noticed something about his surroundings that he didn’t expect. 

About every other light post along each row of parked cars had a banner advertising an exhibit. He couldn’t really read what was on banners but he took notice of an awful lot of bright looking colors on the graphics. 

He then noticed the sound of high pitched voices and small footsteps…and something else…

Laughter…..

It was most likely from families who had to park at the museum. 

Mr. Krupp double checked the signboard of the museum that he never had the chance to look up. 

And then he started screaming inside his head:

A CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM!?!?!?

No!! NOOOOO!!!!!

“Somethin’ wrong, Principal Krupp?”

The principal took one of his water bottles and completely drenched his toupee and put it back on his head, gathering back his resolve. If this was where Edith wanted to go, then he’s got no other choice.

“Nope! Let’s go right in!”

He was going to make this the best date ever!

However….

…as they were waiting in line for tickets, a security guard approached them.

“I’m sorry sir, but could you perhaps dry yourself off? We don’t want to get the floor wet.”

A VERY cold chill went down Mr. Krupp’s spine. 

The security guard motioned over to a nearby giant fan that was apparently airing out the building. 

For the next 15 minutes, Mr. Krupp stood in front of the fan to dry himself off. It was slightly embarrassing, but not nearly as embarrassing as waking up half naked in public, that’s for sure. 

“Oh no, I messed up again,” cried Edith. 

Mr. Krupp looked up to see Edith looking at the movie schedule. The one listed “Exploring Life On Another Planet” looked to be the only space-related movie that was showing that day and it was scheduled for 10 AM. 

He looked at his smartphone.

8:30 AM. 

“I’m sorry, Principal K. I was counting on traffic being a lot busier coming down here, but maybe we could grab some tickets to see the exhibit for a while? It looks fun and interactive too!”

Krupp was about to clench his fists with rage, but held back when Edith looked at him with puppy dog eyes. 

“Shhhhhhhhhhh-sure! Not a problem!” Mr. Krupp seethed through his teeth.

Today….is going to be the worst day ever. 

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Join the 24 hour global online picket to end the U.S. Blockade on Cuba!

Oct 29-30

Register Here

24-hour Global Online Picket to End the U.S. Blockade on Cuba! + Remove Cuba from the so-called "State Sponsors of Terrorism" list!

24 HOUR GLOBAL ONLINE PICKET: Starting Tuesday October 29, 2024 8:00 pm (ET - Havana time)

Special Celebration & Wrap-up: Starting Wednesday October 30, 2024  7:00 pm (ET - Havana time)

Send video messages in solidarity with Cuba for the 24-hour Global Online Picket action: Telegram / WhatsApp: +1-778-882-5223 Email: info@us-cubanormalization.org

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dcotoDWZRm-1UBsFn3ubfg#/registration

Event will also be live broadcast on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/474571148702025

On October 29-30, 2024 Cuba will bring a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly to end the U.S. Blockade on Cuba for the 32nd year!  While the government of the U.S. votes “no” to ending the inhuman and illegal blockade, the people of the United States & the world vote “YES, end the blockade now!”

With 90 days left for the Biden Administration it is time for us to make a renewed push for Biden to remove Cuba from the so-called "State Sponsor's of Terrorism" (SSOT) list and to end to the cruel U.S. blockade. The situation in Cuba is urgent, with a nation-wide blackout this week and an ongoing crisis in Cuba's electrical power grid the impact of over 60 years of brutal U.S. sanctions and blockade on Cuba is clear. This has been coupled with devasting and unexpected floods from Hurricane Oscar in the province of Guantanamo, which have killed 7 people. While the Cuban government and workers are organizing to repair damage, improve safety, and to solve these urgent problems, the U.S. government continues to try to strangle Cuba. 

This week folks will be taking to the streets, signing petitions, mailing postcards, printing an ad in the New York Times, and mobilizing ahead of the UN vote on Cuba's resolution to end the criminal and illegal U.S. blockade. 

We hope you will send a video message for Cuba and join us live for the 24 Hour Global Online Picket to End the U.S. Blockade on Cuba October 29-30, let's reflect the important work being done and raise our united voices around the world for Cuba!

Organized by the U.S.-Cuba Normalization Conference Coalition https://www.us-cubanormalization.org