#brother promised to drive me to my storage unit (he asked if I wanted to go sometime. I didn't ask him)

[plushie-lovey]

Storage unit plans got canceled btw. Idk why I bother saying anything about getting new things or doing things before they happen lol

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

All Men Have Limits - XI

Character: Dick Grayson x Reader x Bruce Wayne

Summary: A certain bat believes that Y/N is in way over her head, that she’s too naive to act in her best interest. So, whether she wants it or not, the vigilante family is going to help and protect her before she gets herself killed.

Word Count: 3,700+

Warnings: Mentions of past abuse

Previously on…

How did she let this happen?

Y/N had tried to push her short-lived romance with Bruce Wayne out of her mind for two years. And the moment she sees him again, for the first time since, it all went to hell. 

Why did she let him have her so easily? 

Why was he so hard to fight? 

His presence was difficult to ignore. And when he acted on their mutual feelings, Y/N knew she’d do just about anything for him.

But could two stubborn, emotionally distant, and nearly impossible people make it work?

But then Dick…Dick Grayson. 

Whenever Y/N thought of him, a warmth spread through her chest. He wasn’t scared of her. Instead of trying to break down her walls, he patiently waited for her to open a side door for him. He was patient and kind. Though he adopted Bruce’s flirtatious and charming ways, it was backed by substance in a way Bruce never bothered to follow up with.

Both men loved her differently.

But that didn’t mean one loved her more than the other either. 

–––––––––––

When Y/N reached the bottom of the cave, she found Dick training.

He was shirtless with a pair of shorts on, lifting himself up on the still rings.

She allowed herself to watch him for a moment. 

It was unreal the amount of strength he held to be able to move the way he was. He had clearly been modest when she asked if he could go to the olympics. 

Dick’s skin was shining, drenched in sweat.

How long had he been working out?

What she didn’t know was that Dick had been at it for hours, trying to work out his frustrations by making himself physically exhausted.

Finally Dick landed by doing an aerial dismount that consisted of so many twists and flips that Y/N just blinked in amazement. 

“Come to get your equipment?” Dick asked without looking at her. 

He was out of breath and clearly tired as he rubbed his face with a towel.

“Yeah,” she answered. “Jason’s bringing one of his cars to help me pack it up.”

She didn’t want to inconvenience anyone else in the family further. But she couldn’t exactly hire a TaskRabbit to help her pack up thousands of dollars worth of hacking equipment and ask them to drop it off at one of her many safe houses.

Plus, Jason owed her after the scene he cased at that infamous family dinner, and she made sure to tell him so.

Dick scoffed a bit. “So, you and Jason hang out now?”

Y/N smirked. “We started a club. We’re calling it The Club for the Parentally Abused and Recently Resurrected.”

Dick could help but let a smile slip.

“But I also came to talk to you.”

He walked past her now, and still hadn’t even looked at her since she arrived.

“You don’t owe me any explanation, Y/N. I got the message loud and clear.”

Y/N took in a deep breath. This was going to be hard. But she had to do it.

“When I was five years old, I left my stuffed animal at the park. I wouldn’t stop crying on the drive home. My parents started screaming at me to be quiet. Eventually they gave up, pulled over, and kicked me out of the car. It was 5 miles back to the apartment and it was 30 degrees out. Luckily, I knew my way home."

The story made Dick’s eyes snap up and he finally looked at her. And when he did, his expression was filled with rage and sympathy – rage towards her parents, but sympathy for Y/N. She should’ve never had to deal with such abuse.

Y/N shrugged. “And that’s one of the better moments.”

Dick took a step towards her. “Y/N…”

Her eyes were glued to the ground as she continued. “To this day, I jump anytime someone drops something. I can’t watch sports because the sound of men yelling causes panic attacks.” 

Then she finally found the courage to meet his gaze. 

“When I meet men, in my eyes, they’re all my father until they prove otherwise. And the reason I’m always waiting for the floor to drop out from underneath me... is because it always has.”

Dick waited. 

Y/N knew he was silently telling her he understood.

A couple tears managed to slip down her face, but she quickly wiped them away.

“Bruce was the first person I ever shared my past with. And now…now you’re the second.”

Dick still didn’t know what to say to her.

“I’m so sorry for hurting you, Dick. That was never ever my intention.”

Dick sighed, “I know.”

And he did. He did know.

Dick took in a deep breath, “I spent a big part of my life trying to stop myself from turning into him. I became terrified by the idea. I started disagreeing with his methods. He stopped looking like the perfect man to me. Eventually, I left Gotham because of it all.”

He shook his head in disappointment. “But I’m realizing those are the same things that make him the man that you love.”

His hand moved through his hair. “Now I’m starting to wonder…what if the only things you like about me is just everything that he made me be?”

Y/N couldn’t listen to any more of it. She couldn’t keep standing there and hear him tear himself down and compare himself to the man he had idolized for most of his life. Even if he saw Bruce as just human now, the man was still somewhat of a father figure to him.

“No,” she immediately stepped to Dick and clutched his face.

On instinct alone, he put his hands on top of hers, scared she’d stop touching him too quickly.

“Dick, listen to me. That’s not true. None of that’s true.”

“Don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear,” he begged.

“I’m not. I promise I’m not.”

Y/N took in a shaky breath.

By telling Dick what he needed to hear, Y/N was also exposing herself. It was scary for her. Talking to Dick about their complicated relationship was like speaking a different language compared to the way she used to communicate with Bruce. And she could admit that communication was often no communication at all.

“The things I love about you have nothing to do with Bruce,” her words were unafraid and sincere.

Dick blinked at the word ‘love.’

“You wear your heart on your sleeve, Dick. And I know you’re sometimes ashamed of it, because you’ve been convinced that you shouldn’t do that. But it’s…it’s so… different.”

She laughed lightly at herself, “Different than what I’m used to. Different than what I’ve ever expected from men.”

“I always know what’s going on in that heart of yours,” she continued. “There’s no guessing with you. I never doubt your feelings. Because you don’t hide anything.”

Y/N figured out what she was really trying to get at.

“Because you’re not scared.” She paused. “You’re not scared to love me, even when you think you don’t have a chance.”

“Do I have a chance?” He whispered.

Y/N finally dropped her hands from his face and stepped away from him. “I can’t – Dick, I can’t get between you two.”

He chuckled darkly. “It’s a little late for that.”

Y/N hid her face in her hands in desperation. “Please, don’t say that to me. Please.”

“He’s in love with you, too.” Dick declared.

“Dick, stop!”

“No, I won’t.” He snapped back. “Bruce is in love with you, Y/N. And you can’t keep lying and convincing yourself that he’s not.”

“It’s not that simple!”

But she could tell he was growing frustrated with her.

“Then tell me why you love him,” Dick surprised her by asking. “I need to know. I need to know why, because that’s the only way I’m going to be able to let you go.”

Y/N’s lips trembled as her eyes filled with tears again. She shook her head, “Please don’t make me.”

But when she looked up, his gaze was pleading.

So Y/N closed her eyes, the pressure of it made more tears escape and slide down her cheeks. She took in a deep breath, desperate for it to calm her down enough to even speak.

“That first night me and him shared...I hadn’t slept that soundly in years. And it was because I felt...safe. He’s always made me feel safe, like nothing could ever happen to me.” She shook her head and her eyes glazed over as she remembered the past. “I know I asked for this life. I’m always on the edge of being in danger, and I always have to be on the move. But it just felt like...like I could finally breathe.”

She gave Dick a sad smile. “And it’s been the same since I got here. I was just too stubborn to admit it.”

Then she shook her head. “I’m so tired of being scared. And I’m so tired of convincing myself that I don’t deserve to be loved.”

“Y/N,” Dick whispered her name as if he was begging. He moved to her and clutched her face and bowed until their foreheads touched. “I can keep you safe, too. I promise. I always will.”

“I know. Because you’re the only reason I’m alive right now.”  

“I love you, Y/N.” He murmured as if it was his most treasured secret. 

But they had both known that for awhile. 

“And I know you love Bruce…but I think you love me, too.”

Y/N hesitated before she whispered, “I do love you.”

Dick didn’t even try to stop himself from kissing her.

He pulled her hips to his, refusing to allow any space between their bodies. Her lips were wet with tears, but he didn’t care. This kiss needed to tell her everything he felt. This was his final statement. If his words couldn’t convince her, then maybe he could make her feel it all.

Jason Todd’s timing was like the rapture. 

His car screeched to a stop on the platform below them.

Except Dick didn’t give a damn if his brother saw them. He barely let Y/N pull away, but still tried to brush her tears away with his thumb as it grazed her cheek.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jason yelled up with a cheeky grin.

Y/N still shifted out of Dick’s embrace.

To both the men’s surprise, she didn’t glare down at Jason.

“Come on. I’ll help you get all this into his truck,” Dick told her softly.

Their moment had ended.

And Dick couldn’t help but believe that he’d lost her.

———

Jason helped Y/N carry all her equipment in the storage unit she had directed him to.

The young man had the same strength as three professional movers and she was taking full advantage of it.

“Don’t you want all this crap with you?” Jason asked when he finally moved the final piece inside.

Y/N pulled down the garage door, slamming it closed, and activated multiple locks before facing him.

“Nope.”

Jason eyed her suspiciously. “Don’t tell me The Court traumatized you into retiring…”

“Of course not. But I am taking a break.”

He nodded, accepting the answer.

“Where to next?” He asked while nodding towards his truck.

“You don’t have to give me a ride. I think I want to walk.”

“Hell no. Bruce and Dick would kill me if I let you do that.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and slowly opened her jacket to show that she had one of her guns hidden away.

“You taught me well.”

Jason sighed heavily, “You wanna be alone. I get it.”

“Thank you for your help, Jason.”

He just shrugged, “I owed you.”

Y/N nodded and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

“You know what you’re doing?” Jason asked.

“Not really,” she admitted.

To her surprise, Jason's face was sympathetic. “Look, I know I give you a lot of shit. And none of it’s my business.”

He scratched the back of his neck.

“They both love you. OK? And I know they both go about showing it in completely different ways. But that’s just how they are. We’re all a fuckin’ mess.”

“I know,” Y/N mumbled as she looked at the ground, shoulders slumped.

“But I know what it’s like to be beaten down by life. So I just want to make sure you remember that you deserve it.”

“Deserve what?” Y/N asked, confused.

“To be loved.” Then his eyes turned the most serious she’d ever seen, and he pointed to her sternly. “Don’t let what happened in the past make you think otherwise.”

Jason already hated how preachy he sounded, so he gave a final nod and walked to the driver’s side of the truck.  

“Jason!” She called out.

He paused before he got into the driver’s seat.

“The same goes for you.” She smiled. “Remember, we’re in a club now.”

He smirked before giving her a final salute, and driving away.

———

Walking back to her safe house was therapeutic for Y/N.

Yeah, there were worse places than Wayne Manor to be kept on house arrest. But Y/N also couldn’t remember the last time she went on a walk like this. It did wonders to clear her head.

Though she was still paranoid and made sure to remain aware of her surroundings. And she probably looked over her shoulder too frequently to appear natural. But after everything she’d been through, her life still didn’t feel safe.

So, imagine Y/N’s panic when she walked into her safe house and immediately knew someone had been there.

She immediately pulled out her gun and started to do a perimeter check.

However, her panic slowly subsided when she saw a note on the kitchen counter.

Next to the note was what appeared to be a tracking device. Not as sophisticated as anything Y/N could make. But it was still rather advanced.

She walked closer to read it and instantly recognized Bruce’s handwriting.

“We had a deal,” was all he’d written.

When Y/N turned on the tracker, she quickly noted that the coordinates it gave matched the location of Wayne Manor.

A sad smile spread across her lips at the blinking light.

This was a strange way of expressing affection and trust, but that was Bruce.

There had been a part of her that didn’t believe Bruce Wayne would ever allow someone to always know where he was. But then again, he always found a way to surprise her.

Y/N looked around at her apartment.

It was cold and unwelcoming. The purpose was to provide a safe location and remain isolated. It was never meant to become a home – none of her safe houses were. Without her equipment humming, it felt even quieter than usual – unsettling even.

One thing was sure to Y/N…she couldn’t live this way anymore.

–––––––––––

Dick was fixing up his motorcycle in the garage at the manor.

He was planning on driving it across the country and wanted to make sure it was in good ship before he put that kind of mileage on it.

His attention shifted away from it when his phone lit up and vibrated from a message.

To Dick’s surprise, he read Jason’s name.

“You should talk to her. I think she’s really going through it right now,” was all his younger brother texted.

Dick sighed in frustration and tossed his phone away a little too roughly.

He rubbed his face. 

He’d been suffering from a headache every day since he last saw Y/N. 

Maybe it was his punishment for submitting so easily.

Dick stood up from kneeling next to his motorcycle.

No, he wasn’t going to talk to Y/N.

But he was going to talk to Bruce.

While Dick had been distracting himself with his upcoming escape back to the Titans, Bruce drowned himself in new cases. He’d extended his patrolling hours so long that he barely had time to sleep and eat. Half the time, he didn’t even bring Damian along with him. 

Dick knew he would find Bruce in the cave, seeing as he hadn’t left it in days.

Bruce didn’t turn away from his research even though he heard Dick’s entrance.

But that didn’t slow Dick down as he marched to him.

“Are you really going to do this?” Dick shot.

He didn’t need to elaborate, they both knew what he was talking about.  

“We’re not having this discussion,” Bruce tried to shut it down without even looking at him.

“Nope. That’s not going to work anymore.” Dick reached out and pressed a button, turning all of the screens blank. “We’re talking about this whether you want to or not!” Dick snapped.

Bruce was clearly irritated. Not only did he finally acknowledge Dick and meet his gaze, but he also stood from the chair and sized him up.

Dick’s jaw clenched before he began. “I know you’d protect her with your life. But are you going to protect her from Bruce Wayne?”

The question was brutal, but necessary.

Dick wasn’t holding back any longer.

“Because we didn’t have any choice. We changed our expectations and adapted. But Y/N? She shouldn’t have to do that. So you’re either all in or you need to let go.”

The ‘we’ was Dick and his brothers, but Bruce didn’t need him to clarify.

Dick never had any intention of being cruel. But he had to be blunt with Bruce. And Dick wasn’t going to watch as he put Y/N through what he and his brothers had to in the past. 

She would bend and fold herself for Bruce, lowering her expectations and latching onto what little he gave her, putting it all on a pedestal and giving it more meaning than it deserved.

“If you promise to actually commit to someone for the first time in your life and put them before Batman, I’ll walk away. I’ll do it for you. And I’ll do it for her.” The fire in his eyes was blazing. “But I can’t sit back and watch as you treat her like shit. She deserves better than that. And you know it.”

There wasn’t a single lie in what Dick said. 

Over the years, Dick was always the most frustrated with Bruce’s lack of emotional competence. Jason was angry at Bruce for far more than just that. Tim didn’t seem to have many thoughts on it. And Damian didn’t see it as a problem, which was an entirely different issue.

But if it weren’t for Dick, Bruce would be far worse – even though that seemed rather impossible.

“Do you love her?” Bruce asked Dick.

He blinked at the question, taken off guard by how intimate it felt coming from Bruce.

“Yes,” Dick answered, leaving no room for doubt.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?” Dick glared at him.

But Dick still jumped right into it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Y/N is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met in my life. She makes me laugh – even when I know her sarcasm and humor are hiding darkness. She’s selfless – more selfless than all of us. And she cares about everyone, even when they don’t deserve it. She dedicated her life to helping people and, until recently, she was fine doing it all by herself. ”

Bruce couldn’t help but smirk darkly at Dick’s list and crossed his arms, “You forgot to mention how beautiful she is.”

“Yeah. Well… anyone with eyes knows that,” Dick rumbled.

Bruce was quiet, clearly deep in thought.

What was going on in that head of his?

“She left Gotham,” Bruce finally stated.

Dick’s eyes widened. “Left?”

“Yesterday.”

“Yesterday? So...what? You don’t know where she is or you’re not going after her?” Dick snapped.

“I know where she is.”

Dick’s face dropped. “You’re not going after her,” he muttered in disbelief.

Bruce didn’t have to say anything to confirm Dick’s suspicions.

“You’re an asshole and a fool, Bruce.”

“I’m doing the best thing for her,” he countered.

“That’s what you think. But how will she feel?” Dick shook his head in disgust. “But you never ask yourself those questions, do you, Bruce? You never consider other people’s feelings.”

“I promised to always put Gotham first, Dick.”

“Oh, come on, Bruce!” Dick groaned. “You made that promise – what? – 20 years ago? Don’t try to tell me that things haven’t change.”

“You think she wants to stay in this mansion by herself, wondering if I’m going to come back alive?” Bruce finally fought back. “You think she deserves a man who will always put her second?”

“Then don’t, Bruce! Don’t put her second! She chose you! Don’t make her regret it!”

But Dick had enough and he also wanted the final word.

So with that, he stormed out of the cave, leaving Bruce alone again.

Dick was about to go to his room and finish packing up his things to leave when Alfred called his name.

“This arrived for you,” Alfred informed him politely as he offered him an envelope.

Dick’s heart beat faster as he grabbed the letter, somehow already knowing it was from Y/N.

He ripped it open without hesitation, not bothering to wait for the privacy of his room to read it.

Dick,

We both know I’m absolute shit at opening up. But I am hoping that maybe writing it all down will be easier. I figured it’s worth a try. 

I’m sorry for the way things happened. I hope you believe me when I say that I never meant to hurt the two of you.

It recently occurred to me that I haven’t experienced much of life.

I went from living in an abusive household, to living on the streets, to using all of my energy trying to bring down the corrupt. I’ve spent so much of my life either running or fighting that I realized I don’t actually know how to just simply…live.  

So...

By the time you get this, I will have left Gotham. I think it’s about time I stop running and start learning who I am when I stand still. 

I don’t expect you to forgive me for pushing and pulling you.

But I hope you believe me when I say I love you. I really do, Dick Grayson. 

And the truth is, you scared the shit out of me. But I also know you deserve someone more than just me. And the idea of you realizing that at any moment, only to leave me, was too heartbreaking to face.

I hope this isn’t goodbye forever. 

“When did this arrive?” Dick asked almost panicked.

“Just this morning, Master Dick.” Alfred answered.

“Thanks, Alfred.”

He took a few steps toward the stairs before Alfred called out, “Master Dick?”

“Yeah?”

“It feels rather important to emphasize that there was only one letter…”

Dick’s gaze flickered to where the cave entrance was, the place they both knew where Bruce was currently hiding. 

Then he looked back to Alfred, showing that he understood what he was trying to silently tell him.

Y/N didn’t write a letter to Bruce.

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

Part 12 – The End

I’m sorry to tell you that there is only one more part after this. 

So please please please let me know what you think. Write me a book report. Write me a novel. 

A/N: The scene between Bruce and Dick was inspired by two things:

This conversation from the comics. 

And this scene from Sabrina. Obviously this is a much more comical take, but I’ve seen this movie probably 100 times and it holds a similar meaning to this story. 

[yutaya]

Iron Fist Week Day 7: minor character/missing scene

Albert is a man. A man... with a van.

He's proud of his van. Sure it was a bitch and a half to get certified and sometimes trying to drive three freaking blocks in this city when he's having a bad enough day can threaten to put his blood pressure through the roof, but he's ground out an honest living for himself with it. That's no mean feat, in this neighborhood.

Plus, Al likes his job. It involves a lot of visiting every nook and cranny of the area, meeting loads of people at varying levels of talkative - it's a job that requires someone personable, and Al doesn't think it's too immodest to say that he fits the bill.

Staring down a fully loaded armoire, though, Al can admit to himself that there are times he's less fond of this job than others.

By the time he's got the thing down on the sidewalk, doors and drawers bound shut and with an initial layer of wrapping to protect it from pedestrian traffic while he sets up the loader, Al has mentally added two upticks to his pain-in-the-ass fee.

"Woah, can I help you with that?"

Al pauses in his transferring long enough to take a look at who's spoken. It's a white guy, 20s, a little scruffy but looks comfortable, and, most importantly, seems genuine.

Al smiles at him. "I appreciate the offer, but these need to be moved in a specific way to prevent scuffing."

"Oh." Al goes back to loading the armoire. "...Would you show me?" Al pauses again. Looks back at the guy. "I'm Danny, by the way," he adds, and smiles beatifically.

Al blinks up at the sky. Had the sun shone more brightly for a second, there? He turns back to wrapping the furniture with blankets and bungee cords. "You need to move a lot of furniture, Danny?" he asks while he works. Engaging in friendly conversation with strangers is second nature to him, at this point.

Danny, who has the courtesy to remain standing out on the street behind the van as they talk, bounces a little as he replies. "Yes, actually! My girlfriend and I have been redoing her apartment."

"Wow, big project. Hey, if you guys need stuff moved around, I've got you covered. Back and forth from the storage unit, delivering your new stuff from the store, bringing your old stuff wherever it's going... My rates are fair and, as you can see, I'd actually take care of your things." He pats the carefully cushioned furniture from his current job in indication.

Danny laughs a little, looking at it. "At least that isn't a piano, right?"

"Hey man, pianos have wheels. I can walk them right up the ramp."

Danny eyes the ramp Al uses with the handtrucks. "Isn't it too skinny?"

Al laughs again. "What kind of piano are you picturing, a grand?" As if anyone who owned one of those would be hiring Al to move it. As if anyone who owned one of those would be living in this area at all.

Danny shrugs, unbothered. "I haven't seen one since I was a kid. Maybe it seemed bigger back then." A beat passes, and then Danny continues talking, the oversharing sort of babble symptomatic of the sleep-deprived. "Anyway, we'll definitely call you for help with our stuff. And you can show me all the right ways to handle everything! I'm probably going to be doing a lot of rearranging furniture and stuff since Colleen is out at Bayard all the time now; she keeps talking about helping the community during the daytime - Colleen's my girlfriend, she's the best - and, I mean, she's right, of course, plus, we just got back to the city and I am not used to not having to do something -" he cuts himself off, lighting up. "Hey, could I get a job with you?"

Al startles. He can usually recognize when someone's coming at that angle. Granted, they usually don't seem to stumble into it by mistake.

"The shop down the street is hiring," he offers. "On the corner."

"Thanks! I'd like to work for this business, though."

Al pauses. Revaluates "Danny". There are only so many reasons someone would be looking for a moving job specifically, and in this neighborhood, the most likely scenario is one that Al has been very carefully steering clear of for 30 years.

"I appreciate the interest," he repeats cautiously, "but we're a small business. I'm afraid we don't really have the means to hire right now." It's a bit of a risk, revealing a vulnerability like that. Luckily, Albert is overstating it a bit; it won't be that easy for any of the triads to put financial pressure on him, and, well. He's stubborn. He swore a long time ago that he wouldn't go there.

"Oh, that's not a problem!" Danny says brightly. "You wouldn't need to pay me. I'm more looking for the experience, you know? I've never had a normal job, and Colleen thinks it'll be good for us to start over."

The alarm bell clanging in Al's head rises to a shriek, then falters. If this is a ploy, it is astoundingly poorly executed. If this guy is in with any sort of organized crime, he can't be more than a fledgling recruit. Al feels a moral obligation to try and steer him better, even if his self preservation instincts disagree.

"Look," Al says, watching Danny's face carefully. "I'm running an honest business, here. I'm not interested in having our name attached to anything. And, if I could offer you a word of advice?" Danny, who mostly just looks confused, nods. "Don't go saying that stuff about working for free. Depending who hears it, that's a good way to end up either severely taken advantage of, or in a coffin. Anyone you might be trying that hard to get a resource for won't be happy about you overplaying your hand."

Danny still looks confused. Al mimes swinging a hatchet. Danny's eyes go wide with clarity.

"I'm not with the triads," he says disconcertingly earnestly. "I'm the Iron Fist. I'm sworn to defend the city from people like them."

...Ok.

Well, at least this is an interesting conversation.

"If you're not with the triads, why do you want this job?"

"I guess I'm looking for something new. For fifteen years, I had one purpose. Now, it's done. Now, I need to build a new life, and..." His voice dips in a certain way with the next words, a way that makes Al's stomach sink with the familiarity of it. "...keep a promise to a friend."

Al looks at Danny, a pit in his stomach and memories in his heart. Resignation settles underneath his skin.

"You have a résumé?" he asks. At least Danny doesn't seem inclined to just throw things around, like some other shipping companies that Al could name. Royal Al Moving provides quality for its clients, thank you very much.

"I don't think so. What is that, equipment? I could buy some."

Al stares at him. He'd been expecting either an agreement to email or bring by a copy later, or a conversation along the lines of 'do I really need one?' followed by a verbal listing off of previous work or even just ability.

"Do you have any previous experience?" Al tries again. "Had any jobs before?"

"Yeah, I have," Danny says, and doesn't elaborate.

White people.

"What about ID?" Al asks, despite knowing full well he'll probably pretend not to notice if anything seems off about it.

Danny laughs a bit, seemingly unphased by his own complete lack of knowledge regarding ordinary job application/interview etiquette whatsoever. "Oh, I definitely have that. Had to fight really hard for it, too. It was almost all gone, but once everything got sorted out, we made, like, 10 new copies of everything." Danny pats around at his pockets, not appearing to notice Al's incredulous expression. "I don't have any of those with me right now, but... Ah ha!" He pulls something out triumphantly. "Business cards! I'm pretty sure my brother thought I was just going to destroy them, but my friend Jeri said it's important to always have one. It might have gone through the laundry, though, sorry."

Assuming this day can't get any weirder, like a fool, Al takes the card.

Even worn and slightly crumpled, the obnoxiously expensive quality of the original card is still clear. There's embossing and gold foil, for god's sake. The Rand Enterprises logo glints up at him almost mockingly even as the three dimensional lines of the border rise and fall under his thumb. Either seems unnecessary and frankly tone deaf for a Humanitarian Aid company, let alone both. Then again, maybe they reserve this version of the card for the executive level, those who hobnob among the elite, who need to make a certain type of impression on the too rich in order to convince them to donate well.

Because that's another thing this card reads, right there in plain English: a 9pt bold 'Daniel Rand', and under that, 'CEO'.

'What,' a little voice in Al's head wails semi-hysterically, 'the fuck?'

"Is this a joke?" Al asks out loud, vaguely surprised by how calm he sounds given the way the voice inside his head might be having a meltdown. "Am I on Candid Camera?"

But, no, wasn't he just thinking that this card is way too expensive - and thus definitely too expensive to be a prop?

"Hey, I know that one!" Danny Rand says cheerfully. "Joy and I used to watch it together!"

'Joy,' the voice in Al's head supplies. 'Joy Meachum.

'Well, at least this explains why he said he doesn't need money.

'Wait, why is he looking for a job in the first place? Is he not CEO? Did they kick him out or something? Did they disown him for wearing a hoodie with holes in it? Is that what he meant earlier when he said the thing he was doing before is over now?'

Al has never felt more rueful that he doesn't pay much attention to celebrity news.

"So," Al tries to find a way to word this that isn't 'have you been cut off or what?' "Why is Danny Rand looking for a job here?"

By "here", Al means a lot of things. This type of neighborhood, in general. Chinatown, out of all of them. At a low-wage position in a manual labor business with very little room for growth, if they're really getting into it.

"I like your name," Danny replies. It's far from the kind of answer that Al was expecting, but he finds himself unperturbed. Maybe he's hit a point where nothing is surprising anymore. "It reminds me of a friend. He was more of a Big Al than a Royal one, but I saw your logo and it seemed right."

-

(Al still pays Danny, because he refuses to be a shady business and because if he's finally getting around to setting up an employee system, he's needs to make it one that will work for anyone he might hire in the future, too. They won't all be Danny Rand. Danny keeps finding ways to immediately give it back, because he's literally a billionaire.)

[lovelyirony]

Through flames and oceans (for the fic title)

u know. this was supposed to not go the direction it did. but it did. 

People say they will do a lot for love. They will walk through flames, cross an entire ocean for love.

Bruce tells himself that that’s the stupidest fucking thing people say. He, for one, will not do that. There is also the unspoken reason of that love really isn’t in the cards for him.

Currently, he’s running away from his ex-girlfriend’s dad, General Ross, because he may or may not have done some experimentation and turned into a rage monster, but also revealed some state secrets.

Come on, can you blame him? Cosmo said twenty-year-olds need to accomplish something before they hit thirty. And he’s quite sure he just made the list.

But as for love, he is thinking about it right now because his ex-girlfriend found a very nice girl named Valkyrie, and they’re kind of set to have an engagement party, and “would you please come to the United States to help us celebrate?”

Betty is a wonderful woman, really and truly. And Bruce is okay with how their relationship ended, because it’s not like Bruce could come to family dinner and expect anything besides murder or maybe cold potatoes. And Betty deserved someone far better than him, and from the picture that was sent, it looks like Valkyrie is an amazing catch.

But there is the small matter of making it to the States without getting caught. He is on quite a lot of “no-fly” and “travel restrictive” protocols. This sucks, by the way. He had frequent flier miles saved up and everything.

It sucks, at least, until he remembers Tony’s number and calls it.

(Tony had given him his number, but sometimes he forgets that four and nine are two distinctly different numbers.)

“Brucie, baby! What can I get for you? Don’t worry, the government hasn’t been able to tap my phone calls since I was seventeen and mostly joking about finding out where their secret weapons storage is.”

“Betty’s having her engagement party, and I’m invited. I kind of need a ride home.”

“Where are you located at, right now?”

“Buenos Aires.”

“You lucky son of a bitch, god I miss it there. You having a good time?”

“When I’m avoiding government agents, yes.”

“Hm, well i’m sending a new employee of mine to go and get you. Big guy, probably Swedish.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t presume if someone’s Swedish or not, Bruce. I’m a terrible person, but not that terrible.”

“I...I don’t follow your sense of humor.”

“No one does, that’s why celebrities call me avant garde and ahead of my time.”

“Good to know. What’s your new guy’s name?”

“Thor.”

“Are you...are you fucking with me?”

"Darling, you’d be having a much better time if I was.”

“I don’t like the energy we’re manifesting here,” Bruce deadpans.

Tony snorts. “Okay, hippie. He’ll be there by tomorrow morning. Just stay tight where you are, sugar.”

-

Thor is a gigantic man. He parts crowds like it’s what he was meant to do, and maybe it is. Bruce stares up at him.

“Hello Dr. Banner,” Thor says, smiling gently. “You are Dr. Ross’s friend, right?”

“Um...yeah. I am.”

“Excellent. I’m a friend of Valkyrie’s, is it okay if I go ahead and fly out to the airport nearest their house?”

“Uh, is Tony okay with that?”

“Of course. And we can stop at your house if you need anything.”

“Oh, I don’t have a house. Or an apartment. You would not believe how much the US government hates my credit score.”

Thor chuckles a little bit, leading him back to a nondescript car.

“Right this way.”

-

Thor is cool as a cucumber on the outside, as they’re driving. He’s mindlessly tapping on his phone as Bruce stares out the window.

Inside? Oh, Thor hates Val for this. So much.

so, you didn’t think to send me a picture of dr. banner? just the address?

lmaooooo called it. betty owes me something now. fuckin nerd. just ask him out.

no. we still have to bypass american security

which you are “old hat” at. or did i forget that you nearly almost charmed the pants off of one of the airline people?

we don’t speak of that.

relax. stark’s taking care of it anyway.

The airplane ride home is uneventful, thank god. One of Tony’s jets awaits, and the pilot is very surprised to see a man who ranks number four on America’s Most Wanted List to be there.

“You...you know Tony?”

“And you know what an NDA is,” Tony announces over the intercom. “Bruce, welcome. Mimosas are premade, in stock. Sit back and enjoy the ride! Thor, you do what you gotta do to make sure Bruce stays safe. Enjoy the bridal shower!”

The pilot is a bit apprehensive. But mostly okay. Bruce promises nothing’s going to happen, he’s just going to drink tea and catch up on news about the current state of things.

Bruce gets bored with finding out that things are still terrible, so he talks to Thor.

“So...are your parents just really into Norse mythology, or did they know you’d come out a huge guy who has the potential to probably stop Ragnarok?”

Thor chuckles, the laugh rumbling and deep.

(Okay, that’s hot.)

"My parents’ names were Odin and Frigga. You could say they were traditionalists when it came to my brother and I.”

“You mean...?”

“He embodies the name a bit too well for my taste, but yes.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“Yeah. Let me tell you about the time we accidentally crashed a fashion week thing...” 

Bruce laughs a lot about that story. Thor’s laugh is majestic, and they sit a little bit closer. 

-

By the time the plane lands, they’re great friends and Thor reaches over Bruce in the baggage area and wow that man has very defined muscles. 

Not that that’s important. No, that’s like. Not important at all. So what if Thor is very well-muscled and maybe this will play into Bruce’s intrusive thoughts/daydream thoughts at later intervals? Does not matter. At all. 

(Oh god the man smells like salty ocean air Bruce has got it so so bad. So Bad.) 

- 

Tony greets them at the landing pad with a wide grin, eyes lighting up. 

“Well, don’t you two make the happy couple,” he teases. Bruce turns red. This does not go unnoticed. 

“Bruce, honestly, you run away from government and my friendship, and this is what gets you--” 

“A bridal shower? To get me home? Yes,” Bruce says, cutting in not-at-all smoothly. “Now, where are Betty and her bride staying at?” 

“Oh, they’re staying at the cutest little bed and breakfast for their bridal shower. Rented out the whole thing--well Pepper did, it was our wedding gift to them, and of course I mean Pep’s wedding gift, because I have something else planned-” 

“Please tell me that you do not have a house bought for them,” Thor says. 

“Complete with a laboratory and gymnasium,” Tony says with a wink. “I’m kidding, they already have a house. I just kind of kicked them out for a week while I remodel their entire kitchen. Val gave me the colors, I was surprised that she has taste.” 

“If she hears you say that, she’ll kick your ass.” 

“Which is why she won’t,” Tony reminds Thor. “Now, let’s get to unpacking. Bruce, I’m getting you some good shampoo, holy shit your hair sucks.” 

“Thank you Tony, I love and value our friendship and our kindness towards each other as well,” Bruce deadpans. 

“Oh come on, you have to look good. It’s your ex’s wedding party!” 

“You make us sound so dramatic,” Bruce says with a snort. “We broke up. Big deal.” 

“You and Betty...?” Thor asks. 

“Yeah, but it’s fine. We were dating, and then I pissed off her dad, who happens to be a general. I mean, also the government. But mostly her dad.” 

“Wow.” 

Thor’s type shouldn’t be feral scientist. But it is. 

They’re led inside, and Tony bids them goodbye. 

“Duty calls,” Tony says airily, waving. “Make yourself at home, don’t put coffee grounds down the disposal or I will kick you out. Rogers is still nursing his wounds.” 

“Noted,” Bruce says. 

“I drink tea,” Thor answers. 

Bruce shares a look. 

“You too?” 

“Yeah, I prefer it over coffee most of the time.” 

Bruce smiles. 

“I think we’re going to get along.” 

- 

They have a couple of days until the wedding party, and Thor has never seen New York. Bruce is fairly sure that no one will even see him on the CCTV footage as long as he’s walking next to Thor, so he deems it good enough to go and get a bagel. 

Thor is a very gentle man. That’s a good quality. 

He smiles at a little girl, who is staring, open-mouthed. Even gives her a little wave. Bruce grins. 

“You like kids?” 

“I do. They mostly just want to have fun, want to see what the best of the world is. I think we all need that occasionally.” 

“I’ve never thought of that,” Bruce confesses. He takes a sip of his coffee.

“I love watching my cousins,” Thor continues. “The way they grow and figure it all out, it’s rewarding. What about your family?” 

Bruce freezes. 

“Um. I don’t exactly have a family.” 

“Then you’ll just have to meet some of my cousins,” Thor amends, smiling as he sips his drink. “You’d like them.” 

“I’d like that,” Bruce says, grinning. “What’s next on our New York agenda?” 

"I told Loki I’d visit some stores for him and pick up some items he’s been wanting.” 

-

Have you ever seen a sales associate from Chanel be terrified at your presence? No? It’s worth it. 

Bruce is kind of concerned. 

“I...are you...?” 

“My name is Robert, uncanny similarities,” Bruce responds. “We both were born in Ohio.” 

“Why is it always Ohio,” Thor mutters. “You reckon my brother would want this shoe or that?” 

“Ooh, definitely go with the heel. I think that’s good.”  

“Gotcha.” 

Next shop is Dior. 

This goes a bit out of hand. His whole line about being Robert with Incredible Similarity does not go as planned. 

He and Thor are on a subway, currently running away from some authority figures and calling Tony. 

“I was in the middle of learning drama about high society that I can use in my next romance novel, are you joking?” Tony hisses. 

“You write romance novels?” Thor asks. 

“Now is not the time to question that, I’m in the middle of making sure you get a car to your next stop. How well do you both know what a Chrysler is?” 

“The building, right?” 

“God, I hate you so much,” Tony groans. “No, um...it looks like the wing things that they give army people when they do something that I guess they think is cool.” 

“Oh. Okay. Get in that car?” 

“Yes. It’s gonna be red with silver detailing.”

“Tony, they’re gonna know it’s us.” 

“Believe me, they won’t. Trust me.” 

- 

So as it turns out, it’s not the most ostentatious vehicle. 

Because Tony pulls up in a lifted pick-up truck, painted a sparkling, neon green with bright orange wheels. 

It is the ugliest goddamn thing Bruce has ever seen. Also the most effective. 

Thor nearly shoves Bruce into the car, and they’re sitting too close, and Bruce probably shouldn’t be focusing on the fact that Thor’s hair is now artfully messy, but here he is. Doing that. 

“So, sorry that before the wedding shower we’re being hunted down by the government.” 

“Not the worst thing that I could be doing on a Friday,” Thor says with a shrug. “I think you’re just about the most interesting person I’ve met, Bruce.” 

He smiles at him. Bruce’s heart skips a beat. He can’t tell if it��s because of the eye contact or the fact that they’re in close proximity. Maybe both. 

“You wanna go on a date after all this?” Bruce blurts out. 

He does. And as soon as he says it, he kind of regrets it because they’re in a car with glittery silver interior seats and he’s also in pants that have seen better days, and his hair is a Mess. 

(Also self-esteem issues, but Bruce is used to that so he’s not counting it.) 

“Like, after we get home or when the government gives up on finding you?” 

“I don’t know. Whichever one comes first?” 

“Technically, I think I count as army jurisdiction, and military budget is a fountain of money.” 

“Ah. Then home it is. How do you feel about ordering in?” 

“Mm, sounds good,” Bruce says, grinning. “You’re the best.” 

“Well, I certainly try,” Thor says, grinning right back. “You wanna go to Betty and Val’s shower together?” 

“Yes. Do we have to amend our ‘how-we-met’ story?” 

“Not at all. Valkyrie used to run an underground fight ring. She knows the feeling.” 

“How has that not come up in conversation?” 

“We were kind of preoccupied trying to figure out what a Chrysler car looked like.” 

“Oh, true.” 

- 

At the wedding party, Bruce and Thor are very happy. Betty and Val roll their eyes and laugh as they talk. 

“Leave it to my dad to ruin everything,” Betty gripes. 

“Well he didn’t ruin this party or my meeting Thor,” Bruce defends. “Besides, you know what happens if he steps a foot near you.” 

Betty grins. 

“You serious?” 

“Can’t promise you’ll get your security deposit back, but yes.” 

Betty pulls him into a hug. 

“You’re too sweet to me.” 

“Yeah, tell me that after he steps on the limousine.” 

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry,” Thor says, grinning. “I think Tony has some sort of security feature worked in.” 

“Oh, he does,” Val says. “He’s threatened to pull some of the contracts for safety gear. Won’t go through with it, but Ross can’t touch the wedding. Best gift ever.” 

- 

When the party gets late, Thor and Bruce are sitting out on the porch. Clean-up is happening, and they’re taking a break. Thor thinks that Bruce has never looked more beautiful in a rumpled yellow shirt, soft lights making his face glow. 

“I’m glad I met you,” Thor murmurs, moving a stray curl. 

“Really?” Bruce asks, smiling softly. “I think I’m glad I met you too.” 

- 

Bruce grins behind his door when they make it home. Thor had kissed him on the cheek, and while that wasn’t too big of a deal, it was a big deal to him. 

“See you in the morning, dear,” Thor had told him. 

He was going to be up half the night with that line running through his head. 

- 

A lot of people do a lot of things for love. Bruce still wouldn’t walk through flames, or swim across an entire ocean, but he’s starting to understand. 

[fandom-necromancer]

601. If you kill them, you’d better kill me too, because otherwise I’m going to kill you.

This was prompted by the awesome @smolandangry001! Thank you so much for the prompt, this has gotten a bit longer than the normal stories but it actually has story, not just fluff or angst XD Enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 (Warnings: Undercover mission gone wrong, kidnapping, violence, offscreen mentioned torture)

‘Nines! Anderson! Connor!’ RK900 looked up from his screen towards Fowlers office. What could possibly have happened for him to be called up there? And why him and the others? The only times Fowler had called him it was because and together with Gavin, something that was impossible now. The man had been on an undercover mission for three months now and one would have thought he had adjusted to him missing in the workplace and in their flat. But no, the void space opposite to him and at home felt weird and even hurt sometimes. He missed his partner dearly. He missed the man’s rare moments of cuteness, the little sweet things he did for him and the habits Nines had developed to return them. He missed their fights, their snarky comments and most of all he missed someone having his back and someone to care for. Sure, he had their cats at home and whenever it was safe, Gavin contacted him via a special chat-program, Nines had written and installed on his phone. They still were in contact relatively regular, but it just wasn’t the same.

The android got up from his seat and followed Connor and Hank into the office. Fowler stood up as soon as he entered, coming around his desk and laid a hand on his upper arm. This wasn’t good and immediately Nines tensed and felt his LED glowing red in his temple. ‘Nines, I… This isn’t good, okay, but I need you to stay calm. We will take action. We will do everything we can. But we have to plan beforehand to make it work.’ Yeah, this wasn’t good at all. ‘What is it?’ Nines forced himself to not let it show how panicked he was. This was something about Gavin, it had to be. But, oh, how he wished it wasn’t. The Captain leaned back to turn his screen and immediately Nines’ analysis-software went haywire.

The screen showed a paused video. Some figure sat slumped down on a chair, held up only by ropes around legs, chest, arms and throat. It was a bit blurry, but the clothing matched Gavin’s. Still, there was a 0.2% chance they were just wearing similar clothing and it all was just coincidence. He held onto that calculation. Fowler sighed and hit the spacebar letting the video continue.

“Hello, fellow boys in blue out there!” The voice was distorted heavily, but Nines was already trying to restore it. “Didn’t think we would find your man, huh?” There was laughing and Nines immediately knew he hated the idiot behind the mic more than anyone else he had ever met. “Well, maybe next time find someone who has less qualms and a more polite mouth.” The words were emphasized by a clangourous slap across the chained man’s face, that let their head bounce back, so the camera could get a good picture. Nines had been about to step forward in an useless attempt to stop the person who hurt the man. The 0.2% quickly dropped to zero. This was Gavin. This was his partner, his friend, his- Gavin woke up from whatever it was that had him hang in the ropes and shifted with a painful grimace. ‘No.’ Nines had whispered it, but the room was dead silent. “I don’t know what to do with him yet, so maybe you could help me? I could kill your friend here, but I think he could be useful still. We demand a school bus. And a safe passage out of this state. Once we left, you get your idiot back, how does that sound, huh?” Only as his artificial skin retracted Nines realised how hard he had pressed his hands into fists. Everything in him screamed to run, to help, to do anything. “Two am. Monday. Location is attached. No tricks. I won’t hesitate to play with him a little, so if you want him alive and in one piece, better do as we said.”

The video stopped and restarted as they watched it again and again, Nines fixed on his love in that chair, wincing every time they hit Gavin. It was Hank, who reached over and stopped it, speaking slowly and low. ‘I think that’s enough. What do we do?’ Nines was still staring at the screen, at the clearly visible bruises and the ropes that dug into his skin, and his combat profile rose up. What do we do? We run. We find Gavin, we free Gavin, we kill anyone who stand in our way. That was what the soldier said. And that was what he wanted.

‘Connor!’ As Fowler cried out the order, Nines was already flying out of the door and down the bullpen, before the other RK unit could throw himself at him and stop him. ‘Nines, stop! Don’t do this!’ ‘They have Gavin!’, Nines hissed against the floor he was laying on and pressed against the weight of the other android on top of him. ‘What would you do would they have the Lieutenant?’ ‘I know. But you can’t just run out there without a plan. We will do our best to safe him.’ ‘Your best is not enough, Connor. You are an obsolete model saved by deviancy. Your careful planning and rational actions will get him killed!’ He didn’t want to be so cruel, but he had to go, he had to help his partner! ‘Nines, I agree. That’s why we need your power on the team, not wasted!’

Nines went lax. Still everything told him to follow his prime directive and the soldier wasn’t about to back down. But he knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t fight against his brother. As he was sure Nines wouldn’t try anything, he let go. ‘Okay, calm down. You will get him back faster than you can think. I promise. Concentrate on the case at hand, okay?’ ‘Okay.’ ‘Good. First of all we have to find out where he is.’ ‘I already know that.’ Nines was still bouncing to let this spiel fall and run. ‘What? How?’ ‘I sort of programmed a form of a pseudo-android-network on his phone. Until three hours ago I know exactly where his phone was. And if they demand a bus, I don’t think they want to leave now.’ ‘Good. Where?’ ‘A house in the suburbs. Still marked as vacant since a family left during the revolution.’ ‘Do you have a building plan?’ ‘Of course I have, Connor, I would be far quicker had I just already gone!’ ‘But do you know how many there are? What weapons? No. I figured. Stay here. It won’t help Gavin when you are killed trying to save him.’ ‘Fine.’

 Nines played along precisely long enough for his shift to end. ‘I’m off, Connor. See you tomorrow.’ ‘Nines. Where are you going?’ ‘Home. The cats need to be fed.’ ‘Are you sure? Don’t lie to me.’ ‘This isn’t a lie.’ ‘Good. Then stay safe.’

It wasn’t a lie. He did drive home and fed the cats. Even cuddled a bit, just in case. But then he left. There was no way he was sitting around doing nothing, when Gavin was hurt and in possible danger. Who knew what these criminals would do to a police officer. Maybe they would stay true to their promise and care enough to let him stay alive. But that didn’t equal unharmed.

He was quick to be back outside again and stopped in his tracks as he found Connor leaned against Gavin’s car. He sighed. ‘I hope you are not here to stop me.’ ‘I don’t think I would be able to if I tried. I got you by surprise, but I am no match for you being the obsolete one.’ ‘I’m sorry, Connor, I really am. But I’m worried. If something happened to him… I- I wouldn’t-‘ ‘Don’t. I know what you feel. I would do the same for Hank. That’s why I came.’ ‘You won’t stop me.’ ‘I didn’t come to stop you. I want to help you. It’s the least I can do for my brother.’ ‘Thank you. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’ Connor already entered the passenger side. ‘Try not to kill anyone, that would be enough.’

Nines speeded across town on the fastest route there was. ‘What do we tell the precinct once we have him?’, Nines asked. ‘I wanted to take you somewhere to keep you from running to Gavin’s rescue. Then we happened to come across some illegal activity and coincidentally this was the house Gavin is kept captive in.’ ‘They won’t believe that.’ ‘They can’t prove it either.’ ‘Anderson knows of this?’ ‘I left him a note. He’ll understand.’

They parked the car a few blocks away and got out. Nines dropped his Cyberlife jacket in the car. It was already dark, so he would blend in with his black turtleneck and trousers. ‘I can make out three persons in the front, you see anything else?’ ‘Three in the front. There is a laptop I could try hacking. Not sure if they would notice.’ ‘What about the phone? You said you built an android network?’ Nines nodded. It basically felt like an extended part of him now. ‘I’ll try to access it.’ His LED spun yellow for a few seconds. ‘front camera is dark, back camera shows a lamp on a ceiling.’ ‘All the lights upstairs are off. A cellar?’ ‘Yes. There is one. No outdoor access, there is a stair down.’

They came nearer and hid in the neighbour’s bushes. ‘There is a window’, Connor pointed out and Nines zoomed in on it. ‘Possible entrance. But they might notice. It’s closed.’ Connor smiled. ‘But it is a digital log. I can hack it. The whole house is connected to a central processing AI. I could try and hack it, while you scout around the place. You get in, get Gavin and come back, I’ll distract them. Sounds like a plan?’ Nines nodded. He crawled out of the bush, while Connor’s eyes started to flutter. Not much more time passed, and the window opened silently. Nines stuck his head into the space and scanned the place. The window led into some empty broom closet. He signed Connor an okay and squeezed himself through. He barely hadn’t made it as his frame was designed broader than most humans. But he made it and pulled up the floorplan in his HUD. Outside the door was a narrow hallway leading to a single room intended for storage. Most likely the place they kept Gavin in. He fetched some duct tape from a shelf and ripped off a piece to cover his LED, then made way for the door. From the heat signatures, there are two persons outside, Connor sent him over their wireless connection. I’ll create a distraction upstairs. Maybe that will get them out. Nines waited, until he heard a scream from upstairs. What did you do?, Nines asked. Someone was dumb enough to sit on the stove. Nines grinned. Weren’t you the one who said no person harmed? No person killed, was his answer.

Nines waited some more. Any movement on our two guards? Can you see Gavin? Still there. And yes, he is in the next room. I’ll try something else. Nines saw the flicker of light under the door. Soon enough footsteps. Nines pressed himself against the door until the person was right in front of it, then he opened it and put his whole strength into the blow. The door smashed into the man’s face, Nines took him by the collar and yanked him inside the closet, closing the door again and making sure the idiot was unconscious. Then he used his duct tape to gag and handcuff him and let him drop to the floor. One out, he reported. One left. She has heard the commotion. Is coming towards the door. There is an 87% chance she’ll open it. Nines nodded although Connor couldn’t see him and pressed himself to the adjacent wall. There were footsteps again. Then there was light, as the door opened. Nines waited until the woman entered, then grabbed her back and throwed her against the wall and preparing her just like the other guard. Now the way was free. Gavin was nearly safe!

Nines jumped out, ready to run towards his partner. Nines, stop, there is another heat signature there is- He saw him. Standing behind Gavin, smiling devilishly at him, was a well-dressed man, holding a gun to his head. ‘I told you no tricks. I knew you would come. And I’ll tell you what you’ll do now: Go back out and maybe I won’t kill him.’ ‘If you kill him, you’d better kill me too, because otherwise I’m going to kill you’, Nines growled low. ‘Please, no one has to die here. Just go, get your boss to get us that bus and no one will be harmed.’ ‘Oh, but maybe I want to see you harmed?’, Nines hissed. ‘I’m not sure you know my model, but you would either be fast enough to kill him or to save yourself by shooting me. If you kill him, you are dead. If you let him live, there is no need for me to kill you. So, what is more important to you? Proving a point or continue to live?’ Switch off the lights, Connor!

In pitch darkness there was a shot. Then a clatter. Back on!

Nines was on top of the asshole that had threatened his partner, who was holding his bloodied, cleanly shot through hand. Nines didn’t hesitate to punch the man over and over again, until he was unconscious. And then, for good measure, again. After that, there were more important things.

Gavin had been gagged since the video and was barely awake. There was blood on his face, bruises all over and red marks from the ropes around his throat. Nines couldn’t be fast enough to untie him and catch him as he fell towards the ground. ‘Gavin! Gavin, I’m here! You hear me? All is good, we are going home. You are safe!’ Are we safe? This was Fowlers plan. They arrived a few minutes after you entered as backup and are now cleaning up the upper storeys. I needed distractions after the stove. Stay there. Ambulance on its way.

Nines exhaled heavily and pressed Gavin to his chest. He was safe and with him and nothing else mattered.

[diary-of-a-housewifes-housefire]

I got out of the house because my step mom asked for help cleaning her garage. When I got there i told her whats going on at home and I need help. It took 6 hours with a break for dinner.

Then she asked what my plan was. And we polished it up.

Step mom is opening a bank account and making me a signer on it so I can have that set up without any entanglements. Every penny I've earned, and tried to save, has conveniently been needed, even though he makes a few thousand more than we need per month.

I used her phone to call Friend-R. She talked with her husband and said yes about the living situation.

Brother-B did the phone thing, brother-in-law- J is setting the phone up for pick up in bremerton OR overnighting it to BFF-A's house. Then sent a follow up message saying He doesn't know, nor needs to know what's going on, but if I need anything to re-start my life that they're more than happy to help. First, last, & deposit. Legal. Food. Whatever.

Brothers M & C and dad thought I was talking about next week, they're all out of town right now, but will be back.

So, Plan is to do the TRO with papers while the guys are here and use that time to pack and move without his interruptions. I'll message attorney-H about what I need to do about legally taking the kids without it being kidnapping, setting a temporary parenting plan, how long the TRO lasts. THEN relocating the goats, getting a storage unit and cost, and getting a truck and horde of people to get it done in a day or so. AND take pictures of the condition I leave it in. Then a job.

What actually happened..

Had a very challenging night with husband. He began a conversation that pressed all my buttons and I remained calm. Right up till my refusal to react brought about the mother of all reaction grabbing requests. "One last night together." He knows I'm an assault survivor. Barely. He knows I get wound up with touching, hugging, and can't get to kissing. He knows these all affect me. He knows I've had sex with him because I was too scared to say no. He knows im scared of him now. And it did affect me. Yay for him. Almost passed out again from the heart rate and panic. And then he tried to calm me down by holding my hand and rubbing my back. And he knows that doesn't help. But he's "being nice and trying to take care of me." I should just calm down. Stop acting so crazy.

Eventually the conversation ended. I can't remember what we talked about. Obviously I didn't log it. Stupid.

The next day I ran school with the kids and compulsively cleaned. (Stress management) He showed up unexpectedly with lunch for everyone. Asked me if I wanted to kiss him. Jesus fucking christ with this. He stared at me till I made a semi verbal grunt of disagreement. Then he left saying he was used to my rejection. He's supposed to work late, about 7 or 8. I never know when he'll be home. At about 3 I started to panic. I can't do this again. I can't make it another day with another conversation and more messing with my head. What if he presses the sex issue more? I can't do it. So I hid in my closet with my secret phone and called my brother-M. He walks me through my plan. Suggests I go to dad's rather than a friend. Dad is a marine, armed like someone in a post apocalyptic movie, and more than anything, intimidating as fuck. Husband won't dare darken his doorstep to mess with me. Then he tells me, call dad, call the attorney, make it happen. And I do.

So I call dad. He wants me to stay in the house. Don't lose the house. By all means, if I'm not safe, then bring the kids and get on the road, but don't lose the house. He's talking like I've taken a hill in Nam and retreat will be handing the ground back to the VC.

I call the attorney-H. She assured me I'm not losing the house. Abused spouses don't forfeit their homes when they run from their partners. We'll get the papers started for the TRO. We'll set the court date. I come back when he's gone. He can't come near me or he'll be arrested. I don't have to fear his divorce papers reaction. He can't come near me for 2 weeks, at minimum. And that's only because the temporary is reviewed to be permanent in 2 weeks.

I hang up. Barely grab enough stuff for 2 days for myself and the kids. I couldn't think. I'm shaking. I grabbed 6 pairs of socks and only 2 pairs of panties. 2 shirts, then the kids. 1.5 pairs of pajamas, 4 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a bra, 2 pairs of underwear...in total, not per kid. Went downstairs, told the niece to pack. She knew it might happen. She jumped up and got packing. I grabbed essential stuffies, 2 kid blankets, school laptops and books, and told the kids we were going to visit grampa. Thank God we're in a quarantine and school is online.

I was shaking. I was afraid he'd come home while I was packing. I was trying to plan a lie to explain what the fuck I was doing in case I got caught. My son started an autistic meltdown when he had to put on shoes. I yelled at him. I was scared. He was slowing us down. I promised him a milkshake, which I forgot about. I left all the phone chargers, my daughters ADHD medication...my own ADD medication. I thankfully remembered insulin. No toothbrushes, no books, no pens or pencils for the road. No snacks.

I had $100 from my step-mom and a $200 gift card that was delivered with the phone. All of my $900 had to be used for medical and household stuff. Eyeroll. That is called financial abuse. Trapping someone by removing their access to money.

We got in the car. The video camera alerts him any time anyone is in the driveway. We hurried. Pulled out of the driveway while daughter was still putting on her seat belt. By the time I got to the end of the dirt road my phone was ringing. 4 minutes down the main road and it was still ringing. GPS was still on. I turned off my phone. Asked niece to turn off her phone. He's gotten into both of them with his contract holder privilege. He can read any text, observe any app, track any location, unless the phone is off.

I used the phone gifted from my brother-B and in-law-J. I sent messages while shaking and driving. "Headed to dad's" I copied it and pasted it into text chats of the essential people but couldn't reply while driving. Of course it's dark and raining. Don't fucking wreck the car!!! Is ringing in my head. The data doesn't work. Messaging does. Daughter-R is asking where we are, how long till grampa's house, what city....she's got her phone. She has no fucking clue what we're really doing, and I'm worried she's on a messenger with him. Thankfully she wasn't.

A white car is tailgating me. It pops out to pass, or pull along side me. I ask niece what kind of car it is. It's a jeep. Then it happens again, it's a silver suv. Then it happens again, it's a white truck. Fuck. ...Is there a mismatched gas cap? ...No. Ok...sigh of relief. Tacoma rush hour traffic. Fuck. Searching rear view mirrors, checking the phone checking daughter. Answering questions vaguely. Wrong freeway exit. Can't see well at night . Back on the freeway. Panic. Right freeway exit. Shaking stops. Nerves are calming. Stop for food. Accidentally order 60 chicken nuggets. Who fucking cares. Get to dad's house. .... I can breathe.... I almost cry, but I gotta be normal for the kids. We unload. He's taking them around the house, and the night progresses from there. I check in with friends to say I made it. Brother-B tells me he's proud of me. He's never said that to me. He's my little brother, and he was the key to me getting out. I almost cry again.

I managed to get out of the house, with all 3 kids. The controlling mentally abusive commanding officer of military police/ training officer for the DoD husband didn't pull me over on the road or track me down and stop me.

It all happened because I was given a phone that he couldn't track. This is the same phone I'm using to write this post.

[perahn]

Happy Life Updates

I don’t generally make a habit of posting about my personal life on here, but I felt like celebrating a bit (and also showing off someone beautiful; you’ll see in a minute).

2018 got very messy for me. I bounced through five jobs:

 a job community nursing in a country town, which I loved. I was renting a nice unit by myself.

 a job community nursing in a major city, during which I was underpaid and overworked, had a car accident, and gave my notice after less than a week. I was sharing a house with an anal-retentive guy who knocked on my bedroom door at 10pm to tell me I had left the dish-brush in the sink and would I please come pick it up.

 a job agency nursing in another major city, which meant that I got calls at 5am to ask if I could take a shift at 7. The money was excellent but never knowing if I was working or where was a strain. I was crashing in my parents’ spare bedroom.

a casual job in a multi-purpose service (part aged care, part acute hospital, part emergency department) in a tiny rural town. When I say tiny, I mean it was a 45 minute drive to the nearest McDonalds. I was promised full-time work after a month. I worked for 7 months as a casual in the next tiny rural town over. I lived in the nurses’ quarters, which was a very nice private flat in the first town and a souped-up hospital room in the second.

literally the first job again, except as a full-time permanent employee. I was living in the nurses’ quarters, which used to be a convent. The corridors are air-conditioned but the rooms are not, which is a very pertinent point when the temperature remains above 40C during the day and above 30C overnight. 

Things, as you might have gathered, began to change around December, when I got my old job back. I also became an aunt and godmother to the most adorable boy imaginable (his eyelashes! his eyes! his chuckles!).

Almost immediately after New Year’s, I started looking for a place to live. I was expecting to rent. I found, instead, a beautiful and underpriced flat, and my offer for it was accepted. There were hiccups along the way (my brother also made an offer on a place the same weekend mine was accepted, and he moved into his place over a week before I did), but on 25/3/19, I became officially a home owner.

(you can tell by the scattered boxes everywhere. This also means my books are out of storage for the first time in a year. I have missed them desperately)

And because I now own a home, I can do something I have wanted to do all my life. Enter this gorgeous boy...

According to the paperwork, his name is Takao. I think it’s a hard-sounding name for such a soft, floofy, constantly-purring boy. Mostly I’m calling him Pfeff or Pfeffer, for ‘Pfeffernusse’ - his tail is about that colour.

When I daydreamed as a child, all the future I could ever really imagine was a quiet space that was mine and private, with a lot of books to read and a purry cat in my lap.

It feels lovely to have achieved it.

[ao3porcelainstorm]

poison ivy & stinging nettles 12

On Ao3

Pairing: Sherlock/OFC

Rated: M

Warnings: eventual violence, torture, swears, adult themes (no explicit smut)

Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

Chapter 12- Lies

~~~

I’ll admit, I’m not as good at writing these things as John is. However, he’s still admitted to the hospital and is unable to attend Sirenshore with Amelia and me.

The legal case against Chemco has continued, with a large manhunt announced for Lydia Brenner in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Amelia had joked that perhaps her mother would turn up at the funeral out of respect for her older brother. I didn’t account for the humorous anecdote in my own considerations, however, as improbable as it would be, I’ve found the Brenner family to consistently act emotionally.

I have to take the suggestion as seriously as any other, just to be sure.

~~~

“I haven’t been out here since I was a kid,” Amelia was gazing out the window of the rental car, watching the rolling hills Sherlock navigated through. “It’s prettier than I remember, even without the leaves on the trees.”

“Lots of sheep,” he added bitterly, slowing behind a farmer and his flock. A low sigh of irritation passed his lips with a scowl.

“The house is by the water at least,” Amelia glanced over apologetically. “Far fewer sheep in the Channel, or so I’ve heard.”

“Hilarious,” he answered, swerving around the large crowd of sheep and continuing down the country road.

“Ruthie said the new chef is really good,” Amelia continued to babble aimlessly. She was obviously nervous, and while normally Sherlock would have been annoyed by the incessant noise, it provided a nice ground for him to focus on while driving.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Sherlock found himself cutting in while she talked about a great aunt that was due to attend the funeral.

“These are some of the worst people I’ve encountered in my life,” she muttered, sinking into her seat. “We’re literally wandering into a pit of vipers.”

“We could go back to London,” he offered, albeit too optimistically.

“You’re welcome to,” Amelia gave him a sad smile. “I need to be here for Ruthie. I can’t let her face these monsters alone. It wouldn’t be right.”

Looking at her, Sherlock felt a twinge of guilt for so easily suggesting they go home. Of course, she was going to stand by her cousin despite her own misery. She was stubbornly loyal to those she loved, he knew that well.

“I want to look through his study,” he cleared his throat, returning his gaze to the road. “I promised Mycroft I’d inform him if I found anything.”

She made a noise of acknowledgment, her attention now lost as they approached the large winding road leading up to the estate. Massive trees bordered the drive, with rolling fields that cut off at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean.

There was a foreboding feeling that settled over the car, the manor ahead cloaked in a blanket of fog from the shore, with dark clouds rolling in toward them.

“The family cemetery,” Amelia pointed over his shoulder where a group of men were measuring out a spot for what he assumed was Maxwell. “Stables, the garden…”

It was an impressive plot of land, far grander than Amelia’s hesitant descriptions had painted it.

“Ruthie told everyone it was a hunting accident,” she supplied when he pulled the car to a stop at the entrance of the manor. “The only people who know the truth are us, her, and Frank.”

It made sense to come up with a cover story. The allegations were fresh, and there wasn’t a good enough reason to sully the reputation of a man who’d only recently fallen to corruption in his life (or so it seemed).

Sherlock took both of their bags, ignoring Amelia’s insistence she could carry her own. They’d barely made it up the steps to the house when Ruthie opened the door and hugged her cousin with tears in her eyes.

She looked awful. She must have spent several hours crying, and given the sway to her walk, she likely sought comfort in the manor’s wine cellar.

“I’m so sorry,” Amelia pulled her cousin into her arms, rubbing a loving hand over Ruthie’s shoulders, the other woman shaking with sobs. “I’m so sorry…”

Frank appeared in the door, glancing from the women to Sherlock with a somber expression. He gestured for Sherlock to come inside, leaving the two Brenner women to their privacy.

“It’s been hard,” Frank offered a space to set the bags. “Monty got here this morning to watch Tommy while we deal with all of the planning and final directives. She’s just been a mess.”

“It’s unusual circumstances,” Sherlock noted lightly, taking in the massive entryway that led to a more intimate sitting room.

“I’m glad you two were able to get here early,” he took a relieved sigh. “I’m at my wit's end. Glass of scotch?”

Sherlock took the drink politely, barely touching it while Frank filled him in on everything that had happened since Ruth and Amelia last spoke.

“Your brother is going to be stopping by tomorrow,” he added, taking a large swallow of his drink, quickly refilling his crystal glass. “He found Lydia.”

That caught Sherlock’s attention. The detective turned around in surprise.

“Alive?” he asked, much to the amusement of his host. Frank chuckled and nodded.

“She turned herself in after hearing the news of Max,” he explained. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you. He called up this morning.”

Surprised? Sherlock snorted. Hardly.

Pulling out his mobile, he typed out a quick message to Mycroft, demanding an explanation. Almost immediately, there was a buzz of notification.

I thought it’d be a lovely family reunion.

-MH

So that was it. Mycroft didn’t trust any of the Brenner’s, Amelia included. Which meant, he would be keeping things from Sherlock due to their association.

What an idiot.

Sending back a snarky reply, the voices of Amelia and Ruth floated into the room, the front door closing behind them.

“We have the two of you set up in the East Wing suite,” Ruth was explaining, the women arm in arm.

“We could have taken a sofa,” Amelia smiled, rubbing her cousin’s arm affectionately. “You’re too sweet.”

“It’s more private than the other rooms,” Frank added, a sloppy wink in Sherlock’s direction.

“Oh-,” Amelia quickly caught the exchange and cut in. “We’re not- that’s not- we’re friends.”

Ruth looked horrified as Amelia stumbled through the explanation of their relationship, which left a strange hollowness in Sherlock’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” Ruth squeezed her hand. “The other rooms won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon, and they’re all set aside for the rest of the guests.”

“It’s okay,” Amelia assured her, a chipper smile fixed on her face. “I wasn’t joking about the sofa. We’ll make it work.”

Ruth suggested they settle in a bit before dinner, promising a large seafood spread and the best wine she could track down.

A maid showed them to their room, an isolated suite at the far east side of the house. There were a few rooms scattered in the hall, but once they entered the suite, Sherlock understood what Frank had meant by privacy.

The bedroom was in the very back of the ornate space, with a large sitting room taking up the entrance. Already, it seemed that someone had taken the consideration to start a fire in each of the four fireplaces.

The maid excused herself, leaving the pair to explore the large chambers.

“I can sleep on the chaise,” Amelia called from one of the rooms. “It’s bigger than my bed at home. Plus, you can’t pass up the opportunity to sleep on the beds here.”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be to make you sleep on a chaise?” Sherlock joked, following her laughter to a small study tucked next to the bedroom.

“I’m sorry about the confusion,” she answered, draped over the chaise next to the fire. “I’ll make sure the record is definitively set at dinner."

He waved her concerns off, distracting himself with a large grandfather clock at the edge of the room.

“Don’t pay it much mind,” he assured her. “We have other matters to focus on.”

“Like burying my murdered uncle,” she chimed up. When he didn’t agree, she sat up in the chair. “And what else?”

“Mycroft has stumbled upon something,” he replied vaguely, still fiddling with the clock.

“And what’s that?” her voice rose in pitch. Nervous.

“Your mother,” he answered, listening for a reaction from his companion. He felt a little bad throwing the information on her like this, but it was better to get it out of the way. In private.

“Oh,” she simply replied. “Does that mean… she’s coming to the funeral..?”

“I would imagine,” he finally turned around to find Amelia sitting with her elbows on her knees, staring off in the distance.

Lost in thought.

“What time did they say we were having dinner?” she asked after a pause of silence.

“In an hour,” he replied with a glance at the clock over his shoulder.

“Ah,” she stood up, adjusting the scarf and collar of her coat. “I’m gonna take a little walk, I’ll see you at dinner.”

She looked like she was just floating through space, stepping past Sherlock, and leaving the room without another word.

~~~

Amelia missed dinner, having texted Sherlock that she wasn’t very hungry. No one seemed to notice the lack of presence with Frank and Monty quizzing Sherlock on a recent murder in Edinburgh. Ruth just stared at her wine glass, and Tommy would occasionally chime in with a comment about his favorite color or his mismatched socks.

He decided after eating to track her down, even though the sun had set over the grounds, and cloaked the space in darkness.

He didn’t like the brisk text message or the fact she had been ignoring his response.

When he tried calling her, the phone went straight to voicemail.

It didn’t settle right with him.

He started with the garden, a logical place he could expect to find the flora enthusiast. Searching the whole area, he found no trace of her.

It wasn’t ideal at all. He started for the stables, quietly searching each stall, and finding nothing.

The small parish was empty, the storage house was eerily silent, and finally, he found nothing in the boathouse at the edge of the shoreline.

He was about to give up his search when the breeze threw a large crimson cloth at his waist.

Her scarf.

Following the direction of the wind down the shore, he found a small enclave with a figure sitting on a large rock, staring at the moon over the water.

“Lose something?” he tried to keep the concern out of his voice when she glanced up at him in surprise. He moved closer and saw that her cheeks were red from tears and she’d pulled off her boot, her ankle being soothed between her hands.

Wiping at her cheeks angrily, she scoffed under her breath.

“I forgot the drop,” she admitted miserably, pointing to the steep drop off above her. “When it got dark, I was trying to find my phone in my pocket for a light and slipped.”

She nodded to the shattered mobile next to her.

“I caught my ankle on the ledge,” she added, lightly touching the tender limb. She hissed under her breath at the touch. Even at the distance, when he turned the flashlight on his phone, he could see how swollen the injury was.

Sherlock sighed, dropping down next to her and gesturing for her to set her ankle in his lap.

“Do you have any idea how worried I- Ruth was?” he demanded, using his light to better examine the injury. It didn’t look the best, but he was pretty confident it wasn’t a break. Using the scarf, he wrapped a makeshift brace around it, helping her tuck it back into her boot.

“I didn’t think anyone would have gone this far down the beach,” she replied softly, a low chuckle when he helped her up, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I had just accepted an overly dramatic corpse that died for incredibly stupid reasons by the water.”

When she leaned in, Sherlock was hit with the scent of sunflowers mixed with sea salt. Adjusting her out of the breeze, they started the trek back to the manor.

“You’re lucky I bothered checking on you,” he continued to lecture, the pair struggling through the loose sand.

“I figured after the night, someone would have gotten worried,” she teased, nearly falling over when she slipped with her good foot in the sand.

Huffing in annoyance, Sherlock scooped her up, carrying her bridal style the remainder of the way.

“This is humiliating,” Amelia complained continuously, quickly protesting when he began to lower her back to the ground. “This isn’t going to do a good job of convincing my family we aren’t an item.”

“Who cares,” came his honest response. By the time they reached the house, one of the housekeepers informed the pair everyone was in their respective rooms for the evening.

She helped Sherlock get Amelia to the suite, and brought back a few supplies so he could properly wrap and ice the injury.

“I think you’re going to live,” Sherlock stated decidedly, studying the injury in the brighter light. “I do think we should go to town tomorrow and have it professionally examined, just to be sure.”

“If we time it right, maybe we can avoid Mycroft’s visit.”

“Even so, if your mother is staying for the funeral, she’ll likely be spending the night,” he replied.

“Always gotta ruin my excitement,” she grumbled, laying on her back on the large bed.

He wrapped the ankle with a proper bandage, elevated it, and instructed Amelia to ice it for twenty minutes.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, pulling off his coat and tossing it over a nearby chair.

The question came as a surprise to Amelia who started to decline, but her stomach gave a large growl of protest.

“Ignore it,” she insisted when he started for the door, sitting up quickly. “I’m really fine, don’t worry about it.”

He rolled his eyes, exiting the room and starting for where he guessed the kitchen was located.

The house had been incredibly well kept over the years. He could see where panels of wood had been diligently replaced, windows cleaned spotless, crisp paint on the walls, and not a speck of dust to be seen. Centuries of artifacts decorated the hall, from ornate 17th-century tapestries to trinkets from all over the world.

He was looking at a Nigerian tribal mask when the housekeeper from earlier intercepted him.

“19th century,” she explained over his shoulder. “A gift to Robert Henley Brenner, the late Maxwell Brenner the First’s father.”

“A gift?” Sherlock arched a brow, not quite believing the explanation given the Brenner family history of malice and manipulation.

“There were a few good ones,” she joked, quickly looking over her shoulder to see if anyone else heard her.

“What about your late employer?” Sherlock asked when she offered to guide him to the kitchens. “The third Maxwell Brenner.”

“I did hear what happened in London,” she confessed. “He and Lydia had an agreement regarding their father’s will, with her serving as the face while he worked behind the scenes. There hadn’t been much of an issue until he got caught up with the board demanding increased quarter profits moving forward.”

“There are only so many products one could sell,” Sherlock noted with a hum.

“I’m aware of your reputation Mr. Holmes, so I would imagine you’re familiar with the merger with the NHS?” she asked, stopping and looking at him directly.

“Amelia mentioned it,” he replied.

“That was brokered by a man with some government connections,” she supplied, lowering her voice significantly. “We were instructed to go about our daily tasks without any explanation as to who he was. They met multiple times in Max’s study.”

“You never learned his name?” Sherlock pried.

“It never came up,” she admitted bitterly. “Though I’m not so ignorant as to ignore the very obvious pattern that’s arisen over the last few days.”

“You knew he was murdered,” Sherlock stated while she nodded.

“And then Miss Mia arrives with London’s famous detective in tow?” she chuckled under her breath. “I’m surprised the rest of the staff hasn’t figured it out. This family is infamous for its intrigue and lies.”

“When was the last time the man came by?” Sherlock asked firmly.

“The day before Max left for the dinner in London,” she answered confidently. “They were arguing, lots of shouting, before the man left in a right foul mood.”

That was all of the information she had to give him, but once they arrived at the kitchen, she introduced herself more formally as the head housekeeper, Mallory Heath, and promised to “keep an ear to the ground” during the events of the weekend.

More or less, she’d confirmed what Amelia had said about Max working with Moriarty, even if names weren’t specifically mentioned. He would just have to poke around Max’s study when the family was distracted with the memorial to confirm any records and confirm a motive.

When he returned to the suite, he heard the distinct sound of Amelia snoring. He had started to recognize it after she’d picked up the habit of only sleeping when he was around. He certainly didn’t miss that it had started directly after John had been shot.

Still, she must have been exhausted if she had fallen asleep in her winter coat, a bundle of ice in her hand.

Nudging her arm, she startled awake, yawning and smiling up at him appreciatively when she spotted the large plate of food in his hand.

“You’re an angel,” she sighed, taking the plate, and sitting up. “Thank you.”

While she ate, Sherlock pulled out his laptop and dropped onto the bed next to her.  It was, admittedly, a very comfortable bed. Much larger than his own king-sized mattress at home and significantly plusher.

“Has Mycroft said anything to you about what my mother has said?” she asked quietly, nibbling on a large dinner roll.

“No,” came his deflated response. “I think he’s suspicious of something though. Why else would he attend this circus personally?”

“Then she either lied or this is still ongoing,” she reasoned lightly. “Granted, it was with Moriarty anyway. Maybe she’s confirming the details?”

“I hoped you might be able to find that out,” he replied, looking over. “I spoke with the housekeeper and she all but confirmed Moriarty’s presence here the day before Harvest Festival. If your mother can reliably affirm their connection, the motive behind Max’s demise is obvious.”

“And just what? Ask her?” she looked scandalized by the very idea.

“She spoke to my brother, willingly,” he answered. “A change of heart, perhaps?”

“Or Moriarty has a gun pointed at her head and Mycroft’s position offers her an opportunity to disappear,” Amelia shot back. “She isn’t exactly mother of the year. Or Mother Theresa."

“At least she isn’t dead,” Sherlock hummed in response. “There’ll likely be a trial in the States. And Chemco will be hit with more aggressive legal action here.”

“I’ll try,” Amelia set her empty plate on the nightstand next to the bed. Peeling off her coat, she threw it on the floor and fell back against the fluffy pillows behind her. “Only because you asked so nicely.”

“I’m always nice to you.”

“Mmm,” she closed her eyes, lifting the covers and snuggling underneath. “I’ll let that slide for today since you’re being so nice.”

“I should have left you on the beach,” he mused, opening a case file Lestrade had emailed over while they were out.

“So nice,” she rolled on her side, humming the words under her breath. “Mr. Sherlock Niceguy Holmes.”

He watched her until her breathing fell even, and he was sure she’d fallen back asleep. After the events of the day, plus the traveling, he was surprised she’d made it that long without sleeping.

Making a note to relocate after he was done working on the new case, he started digging into the triple homicide with interest.

~~~

It was sunrise when he woke up. His laptop was folded shut next to his legs, and Amelia had found her way to his side of the bed, wrapping herself around his waist.

At some point, he must have crawled under the large duvet as well, the warmth of his companion's body flush against him. It was undeniably cozy.

He closed his eyes again, listening to her steady breathing mixed with the sounds of the early morning.

Peaceful. He could actually hear himself think amongst the chirping birds outside.

This mixed with the scent of clean linens with Amelia’s subtle floral scent created an almost perfect atmosphere to wake up to.

In the back of his mind, he wondered why he was never as refreshed in the morning at home.

Amelia shifted in her sleep, nearly knocking the laptop off the bed.

Catching it silently, Sherlock set it on the floor next to the bed, attempting to slide out and get ready for the day.

Instead, Amelia pulled him back, nestling deeper next to him with a grumble of discontentment.

Considering his options, he moved back into place, snuggling under the covers and waiting for her to fall still again.

This was nice, he realized when she pressed back up against him, bringing back the warmth from earlier. He’d never liked sharing a bed with someone before. Even when he’d taken the brief nap at the hospital to sleep off his drugging, it was with significant hesitation.

But, then again, he had slept like a baby that day, and this, clearly, was not an exception to his unwitting experiment in sharing his space.

Before Sherlock knew it, he was slipping back into a contented sleep, his arm lazily thrown around Amelia’s back.

Chapter 13

[tobythewise]

A for apple! 🍎🍎🍎

~A is for apple~

“Sammy, why did you stop?” Dean asked as he rubbed his eyes.He and Sam were on their way to take care of a vamp nest.

“There’s a farmer’s stand on the side of the road. I wannagrab some organic fruit for the road.” Dean groaned. He didn’t understand hisbrother’s obsession with organic food. We are men, not rabbits! “Come on, Dean.Just come and see if anything interests you. We have to stop for the night anyways.I just want something to eat that’s not fast food!”

Dean grumbled, “Fine! Let’s go,” as he made his way out ofthe car. He crossed the street making his way towards the stand when he noticedthe gentleman manning the stand. He was sitting on a chair with his feet up onthe table reading a magazine. He had aviators on and sported a messy mop ofblack hair and looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Honestly, Deanthought he was really hot. “Might be interested in something after all, Sammy,”he murmured to his brother.

“Seriously?” He asked, looking towards the stand, “Twentybucks says he shoots you down.” 

“Oh, you are so on!” Dean knew he was an attractive man. Henever had issues when it came to flirting. He put on his best smile and walkedup to the stand radiating as much confidence as he could. Just as they made itto the stand, the guy lifted his aviators from his eyes and placed them on thetop of his head. Blue. Beautiful, sky blue eyes that made Dean stop and stare. Hetook a deep breath and placed a smirk on his face. 

“Hey there gorgeous.” 

The guy huffed. “Does that line usually work for you?” 

Sam started laughing, not even trying to hide it. Dean’sface faltered for a second in embarrassment. Keep it together Winchester. You’vecome back from worse. The guy looked to his brother making small talk. “Nicecar. You guys road tripping or something?” 

“We’re traveling for work. And actually, that would beDean’s car.” 

The guy hummed his acknowledgement, “Explains why you haveno game. Relying too heavily on your ridiculous good looks and beautiful car.Must be a real panty peeler.” 

Dean just smirked and replied, “So, you think I’m goodlooking?” Sam started laughing at Dean again. 

“That would be the thing you heard.” The guy looked back toSammy. “So, you see anything you like?” The guy stood up and gestured to theproduce laid out in the stand. Dean noticed the guy better now that he wasstanding. He was only a few inches shorter than Dean. He was built like arunner and Dean wanted to see just how fit he was under that shirt. 

“Yeah, I just want a bag of those blueberries and some ofthose apples please.” 

“No problem,” the guy said as he started grabbing the thingsSam wanted. Dean couldn’t keep his eyes off of the dude’s hands. The movementof his slender fingers seemed to mesmerize him. He needed to act fast if he wasgoing to win this bet. He knew this guy wasn’t interested but maybe he couldstill wiggle his way into winning that twenty bucks. 

“Sammy, why don’t you take this to the car and I’ll pay.”Sammy sent him bitch face number nine his way. 

“Really Dean? You’re gonna pay for my organic fruit.” Dean just leveled his brother with a stare ofhis own. “Fine. Just hurry up.” 

Dean watched his brother make his way to the car. He turnedback to the beautiful man in front of him and noticed him smirking. 

“That will come to ten dollars, Dean.” Dean fumbled to gethis wallet out. He started taking out the money when he started stumbling withhis words.

“So, umm, this is gonna sounds crazy. And, like, don’t freakor anything, but umm… My brother bet me that I couldn’t get a date with youtonight and I’m really hoping to prove him wrong. Nothing serious or anything.Just ummm, could I maybe take you to dinner or something?” Dean could feel hisface was hot and red and he was looking everywhere but the man in front of him.When he finally stopped talking and took a breath he finally made eye contactwith the guy. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The guy had a giant grinon his face. The kind that was full of teeth and gums and made his eyes squintyand his nose crinkles. It made his heart beat faster and his stomach flip. Thisman was honestly breathtaking. 

“Alright. But I have one condition.” Dean’s stomach didanother flip. Is this guy seriously considering it? 

“Let’s hear it.” 

“You let me drive that beautiful car of yours.” Dean bit hislip thinking. That was his Baby and no one drove her. Was this really worthtwenty bucks? But then he was met with those blue eyes again the answer seemed soeasy. 

“Fine. As long as you promise to drive the speed limit andpull over as soon as I say so.” The toothy grin was back and damn, Dean woulddo anything to keep that smile on his face. 

“Give me your phone.” Dean handed it over and the guyprogramed his number into it. He took his phone back when the guy grabbed Deanby his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss. Dean was so surprised that hedidn’t even have a chance to kiss back before he was pulling away again. Thesmile on Dean’s face was so big it hurt his cheeks. 

“Dude, I just realized I don’t even know your name.” 

The guy smiled and told him, “Castiel.” He sat back down andstarted reading his magazine again like he hadn’t just kissed Dean. 

Dean got into his car and smirked over at his brother. Samjust huffed and slapped a twenty into Dean’s hand. 

Later that night, after Castiel had driven the Impala intothe middle of nowhere the boys found themselves laying on the hood of the carlooking up at the stars. They chatted about their siblings. Apparently, Castieldoesn’t normally work at that stand where they met. His brother, Gabe, owns itand needed Castiel to cover. 

When they started talking about work, Dean went with a coverstory of a head hunter. It’s not like he could go ahead and tell this guy thathe and his brother were on their way to take care of a nest of vampires.Castiel talked about a shop he owned in town. They talked about how Sam wouldlove to retire and stay in one place, maybe open up a base command type thing.Dean on the other hand loved the open road and would miss it far too much. Deanhadn’t been on a real date like this in a long time. It was really refreshingand he was loving the company. Him and Castiel just seemed to click. On theirdrive back to town Dean even went so far as to reached over and grabbedCastiel’s hand. 

“You know, I don’t normally do this sorta thing.” 

“Let people drive your car?”

Dean snorted. “Yes, but no. I mean go on dates. We travel somuch that I usually just pick someone up for the night. But honestly, I’m gladI didn’t do that in this town.” 

“I’m glad too, Dean.” Cas said as he got out of the car.“Especially since I don’t put out on the first date,” he finished with a winkand walked towards his apartment. As Dean made his way back to his hotel room,he couldn’t think of anything that could possible wipe the smile off his face. 

That’s how Dean started up a real, honest to God,relationship with Castiel. They texted and called each other every day andwhenever Dean was anywhere close to Cas’ town he would swing by so they couldspend some time together, mostly in bed. The only problem was that Dean stillhadn’t told Cas what Sam and Dean did when they traveled. It was started toweigh on Dean but he just didn’t want to risk losing Cas. 

About three months after they met, Dean made his way intothe now familiar town. He went to pick up Castiel from his apartment and foundthat his boyfriend wasn’t home. Dean knew that meant Cas was working in theshop that he owned. It’s funny, Dean’s never actually been to the shop beforetoday. He was thinking about that fact as he strolled up to its doors. He wasgiving the windows a once over when his breathe caught in his throat. He felthis heart speed up and felt unbelief fill his chest. There in the corner of thewindow was the universal hunter sign letting hunters know this place waswelcome to them and had real supplies they might need. 

Dean burst through the doors and bee lined to where Casstanding behind the counter. Castiel saw Dean and had a huge gummy smile on hisface until he realized Dean looked distressed. 

“Babe! What’s wrong?” 

Dean just barreled up to Cas and grabbed in a tight, bonecrushing hug. 

“Cas,” Dean breathed into his boyfriend’s neck. 

“Dean, you’re worrying me. What’s wrong?” 

“That symbol on your window,” Dean says softly as he finallylooks around the store. It’s exactly like the other shops that Dean and hisbrother have gone to for supplies. Random nick nacks, trinkets, and books thatlook new agey but among them are harmless things that hunters would need forspells and such. Dean had no doubt the more ‘crazy’ things are hidden in theback. He finally looked back at Cas who looked spooked. 

“Are you… Dean, are you a hunter?” 

Dean just grabs Castiel tighter, “Yeah Cas. Imma hunter. Iwas so afraid to tell you cause I assumed you’d think I was crazy but youknow!” Dean felt in awe that the man in his arms actually knew about him. Itfelt like a weight was lifted from his chest. 

“Dean, I never let you come see the shop because I thoughtyou would think I was a crazy hippie or something.” Castiel started laughing ashe kissed Dean breathless. 

“I’m so glad I don’t have to hide this from you. Cas,” hehelp the man at arm’s length so he could look him in the eyes. “Cas, I loveyou.” He heard Castiel’s intake of breathe. 

“Dean, I love you too.” He gave Dean one of his favoritesmiles that included scrunched eyes and gummy smile.

Six months later

Dean was hauling Castiel’s bag into the Impala’s trunk. Theyjust finished packing up everything from Castiel’s apartment and moving it intoa storage unit behind Castiel’s old shop. Once the bags were in the trunk hemade his way to the driver’s door and got in. He started his Baby up and madehis way out of town. 

“Are you worried about leaving Sam here alone?” Cas asked ashe reached over to hold Dean’s hand. This is the first time Dean and Castielwere leaving Sam for a hunt. Dean was afraid he wouldn’t handle leaving withouthis brother but he was feeling at ease as he gazed over at his new shotgunoccupant. 

“Nah. He’s not really alone. There’s Gabe and lately he’sbeen flirting with that woman who owns the coffee shop in town. He’ll be okay.”And he honestly means it. “Besides, he’s always wanted to set up shop and stayin one place while also being able to help the hunting community. Now he can dothat thanks to you Cas.” 

“Well, I’m glad I can make you both happy.” 

Dean looked over at his boyfriend with a fond smile on hisface, “You do Cas. You make me so happy. I never thought I would be able tohave this. I’m so thankful Sam wanted those stupid organic apples.” 

Cas squeezed Dean’s hand, “And I’m so thankful that Sam madethat stupid bet.” 

Dean leaned over and kissed Castiel’s temple, “Best twentybucks I ever won.”

[stillness-in-green]

Human Debris Masterpost (14/15)

Okay, gang, I am officially finished with the re-watch, and all that’s left is formatting and posting.  I’ll be doing that in two posts--one now, one later in the week.  in the meantime, lets get into the last big space battle, with...

EPISODE FORTY-FIVE — If This Is the End

We open right up with Chad and Dante this episode, engaged in combat with a some stripe of Graze unit or another.  These guys are taking more work to put down than the usual goobs, we see as it takes a lot of shooting, a grenade, and one of those Rodi machetes to get the job done.

Chad says that they’ve strayed from the battlefield and need to get back to the Isaribi.  Dante wonders aloud how the battle is going, and Chad, in a surpassingly rare moment of raising his voice, flares back that there’s no way it’s going well.  

Back on the main front, Orga is promising his teenaged followers girls and money (neither of which they have a damn clue what to do with, a disparity a number of reviewers observed back when this episode first aired).  Akihiro, ever the ascetic, fires back that he doesn’t have or need ‘em.

The fighting continues after the credits, with another brief shot of Akihiro, and, cursing at Arianrhod and still hurling machetes like a champ, Derma.  He’s down a Rodi-arm, too, which is a nasty bit of foreshadowing, I must say.  

Some Graze units close in on the Isaribi, but Chad and Dante return in time to drive them off before anything too serious can happen.  

Dante is the first one to react to—something, an alert beep starting up in his cockpit.  It could be the arrival of Isurugi and company, but, more likely, it’s a heads-up that Arianrhod’s forces are falling back, as another of Rustal’s signature false flag plays goes live.  

Dainsleif shots pepper the field, swiping the Hotarubi and Shino’s Flauros Ryusei-Go. Our Debris boys seem to have been enough on the outskirts that they don’t have to evade much; we get a shot of Akihiro, and can hear Chad and Dante reacting as well from their Rodis.

After two volleys, Arianrhod goes to standby, to see if any signals of surrender go up.  This gives Tekkadan some time to regroup, pulling people off the Hotarubi, and collecting some bodies, which we find Eugene, Chad and Dante paying some quick respects to, possibly having just finished moving the bodies in themselves.  Eugene uses harsh words—idiots cashing in before they got to the finish—while Chad apologizes that bodybags in a storage room is the best they can do for the dead at the moment, and Dante promises revenge for them.

Afterward, they report to Orga on the bridge, Eugene that they’ve finished moving things over, Dante with the more technical report about fried weapons control and reduced propulsion, and Chad with the bleak summary that the Hotarubi could be remote-piloted and used as a shield for the Isaribi.

Eugene asks what their next play is and, when Orga starts talking about McGillis and retreat, interrupts to ask where they’re going to retreat to. When Orga turns his gaze on this blatant display of lip, he finds the three staring at him very seriously indeed. Eugene looks actively angry; I think Chad and Dante are mostly just wondering if Orga’s really thought about what he’s saying.

Dante echoes Eugene, observing that they don’t have anywhere to go back to unless they win. Chad says that if it is the last battle (as Org has been repeatedly claiming), then they need to see it through. As I commented in the last post, neither Dante nor Chad show the slightest fear at the prospect of dying out here; they’re 100% willing to give everything they’ve got for the chance of victory.  (Orga’s used those tactics all along, of course, and here is where the fruits of those tactics finally begin to wither—but Orga’s tactical insight and how his deep-rooted insecurity feeds into his strategies are an entirely different essay topic.)

Shino interrupts to announce his own idea, and his audience goes from this:

to this (note the sudden profligation of sweatdrops):

Once the terminology is out of the way, however, the boys find that Shino’s plan is indeed to their tastes.  

‘Nice and simple,’ Dante says.  ‘Like us, right?’ Chad jibes.  

(Help, I love them.)

And we get one last lovely shot of this group-togetherness, as Orga allows himself to be pushed by his followers’ confidence into a plan you can see his gut instinct rejecting as too brash. Enjoy those smiles while you can, boys.

The whole gang guards the ships as the Hotarubi pulls the Isaribi on towards this last fateful shot; you can see Gusion and the Rodis swooping and circling around the ships along with all the other unique suits Tekkadan has.  

Akihiro and Ride, and probably a great many others, yell at Shino to shoot.

And—well, we all know how that went.  

One last thing to bring this episode to a close: it’s easy to miss in all the gut-curdling screaming Shino is doing as the credits kick in, but someone in a Rodi is bringing Hush back into the mobile suit bay.  No definite way to say who—maybe Derma, who’s backed-up Hush in the past?—but here’s the shot of it, in any case.

EPISODE FORTY-SIX—For Whom?

The bulk of the first half is taken up with the retreat from the combat, and the sacrifices made to ensure said retreat is successfully.  We can spot the Rodis here and there, but the first time one jumps out as significant is when Derma gets pegged by Arianrhod’s parting shots and an explosion goes off in his cockpit.  

A Rodi perched on top of the ship flies up and retrieves him, returning fire.  No one calls out on the commlines, so there’s no telling who it was.  Dante is the more dramatically appropriate choice, as he’s much more closely tied to Derma, but Chad does do an awful lot of rescuing people through the second season, and it might make sense for Dante and Derma to have been mirroring each other’s positions on the Isaribi’s sides while Chad held down the center.  

Thank god for whichever one of them it was, though, because as I believe I noted in posts made back when the show was still airing, Derma was the number one character I wanted to make it out of the series alive, and it’s thanks to the other Rodi’s quick response that he did.  

Later, we find Derma outside the medical area, now down one arm.  Atra apologizes that all the beds are full, to which Derma says it’s fine, that everyone else is worse off than him.  And I feel the need to point out here that, while several of the guys we see in the quick shot of the med-bay are indeed wearing more bandages than Derma, there are an awful lot of them who still have all four limbs attached, so I am—to say the least—skeptical that they are all in worse shape than Derma.  

Color me totally unsurprised that he would say so, though.

He slides down the wall, certainly already thinking about how useless he’s going to be even if he recovers, when our other three ex-red stripes show up en masse—a strikingly uncommon sight, outside of the opening credit sequences—to check on him.  

Akihiro goes down to one knee, saying his name, but there’s no response, and Akihiro himself is still clearly figuring out how to approach the issue.  

Dante jumps in to say that Derma’s lucky, that it was just his arm.  I’m sure he means well.  

Derma says, harshly, that he wishes he’d died out there, because—as he now says out loud—he’s no use to anyone as “an incomplete body.”  The camera cuts to an extremely tight shot of Akihiro, close enough to hear the low, ragged inhalation he takes.  

He then thanks Derma, which startles the boy’s eyes opened again.  

And it’s not, as one might expect who didn’t know exactly how many people Akihiro’s lost in his life at this point, a thanks for his service, or his sacrifice.  In a direct callback to the aftermath of the Silent War Arc (over ten episodes ago), when Akihiro told Lafter that he wishes he’d talked to Aston more when he was alive, Akihiro tells Derma that he’s glad he’s still able to talk to him.  

And then he thanks Derma again, for surviving, using the boy’s full name this time—Derma Altland.

Much like me by this point, Derma begins crying.  

God only knows how much of what Akihiro’s communicating he’s really receiving, but I think he must get the gist of it.  He knows Akihiro was Masahiro’s brother; he knows Akihiro had taken a personal interest in both Derma and Aston after Tekkadan took them in.  He knows, certainly, that Akihiro lost those Masahiro and Aston as surely as Derma himself did.  I’m sure Derma’s tears in this scene are, in part, shed for what he’s just lost, and for the uncertainty of the future, but my hope is that some of his tears are also for the gift that Akihiro’s just given him—the reminder that Derma matters, that there is at least one person in the whole wide, cold world that is glad of his existence.  

Shakily, he accepts the thanks.

And, barring a few shots taken from the closing moments of the first season, that is the last of the Human Debris for this episode.  Which is just as well, because much more would probably have destroyed me completely.  Lets move on along.

 EPISODE FORTY-SEVEN—Scapegoat

We rejoin our boys in Orga’s office in Tekkadan’s HQ, back home on Mars after quite a lot of time away.  They’re discussing McGillis when we first find them, with Dante putting in that he thinks the man is both dangerous and crazy, for still thinking about fighting Arianrhod.  

When Eugene floats the idea of turning McGillis and Bael over to Gjallarhorn, Chad and Dante get the first reaction, exchanging solemn looks, with Dante agreeing that it could be a chance for Tekkadan to just start over.  

It’s a nice thought, but one that ignores how much of a name Tekkadan has made for itself, as we will find.  Akihiro objects on different grounds, though, saying that the boss he knows would never betray an ally like that.  Recall that he praised Lafter for ‘seeing through her obligations’; even though he doesn’t really know and, given the man’s involvement in Aston’s death, probably doesn’t really like McGillis, Akihiro is against betraying him.  And of course, as far as his regard for Orga goes, Akihiro was handed his freedom by Orga, for nothing more than being an old ally and staying out of the way of the Third Division’s coup, back at the beginning of everything.

Orga agrees that it wouldn’t be the right thing to do, but hedges that ‘the right thing’ doesn’t matter to McGillis anymore.  We don’t get to see anyone’s reaction to this, as that’s when a news program starts talking about their ties to McGillis, and they have more pressing things to react to.  

Dante is impressed that Tekkadan made the news—as people thought of as revolutionary heroes, no less! I think this is probably a flash of Dante’s thing about recognition, rather than the first time he’s ever seen his group mentioned on the news—I mean, they have to have been on the news before, given all that stuff with Hashmal, right?  And protecting Kudelia?  And so on? But Dante’s always valued being known, and I’m pretty sure he’d take notoriety over being unknown any day, so even in a situation like their current one, he’s still a little pleased to see Tekkadan in the news.  

The others are decidedly less thrilled.

We find them again later, when Orga gathers everyone up to talk about how to proceed—namely, that anyone who wants to get out should do so immediately.

Dante protests, along with Eugene, while Akihiro watches with serious eyes, just saying Orga’s name under his breath.As protests grow louder, Zack cuts in to be the doom-saying Cassandra no one wants to listen to.  Derma is on-scene, we find in a series of crowd-pans, having drawn in close behind Chad and Dante.

Afterwards, as everyone is making their final preparations, Orga makes a last-ditch effort to give up first McGillis, and then himself, to Rustal Elion.  Rustal refuses—as to why Orga’s life alone isn’t enough, he gives Orga some schpiel about organizations being groups of members, and one person’s death not erasing another person’s crime.  Personally, I suspect it’s more that Rustal is canny enough to know it wouldn’t make Gjallarhorn look good, noble, or powerful to publicly execute a lanky Martian teenager for getting caught up in adult affairs—thus are tyrants exposed, and martyrs made.  The average citizen of the system probably only knows Tekkadan as an organization name, and better by far for them to stay that way—just a name, with no faces associated with it that might touch peoples’ hearts.

In any case, Eugene and Akihiro catch at least the tail end of this conversation, and while Eugene has Orga by the lapels, Akihiro is clutching at where his red stripe used to be once more, looking actually hurt that Orga would try to pull a stunt like this, that Orga could be so oblivious to how much he means to everyone.  (He’s a little off from where the red stripe would have been; I am willing to concede that he might also just be clutching at his jacket to keep from laying Orga out with a right hook.)

“You gave us life when we were nothing but walking corpses,” he says, and “You made a family for us.”  And more than a lot of the members of Tekkadan, Akihiro values family, as Orga well knows.  

Orga implicitly agrees to talk things over, which presumably is what leads him and Eugene down to the cafeteria, where we find Dante and Chad again.  Chad is summing things up, that they’re now on wanted lists and have nowhere to run, so long as they are who they are.  

This tips Kudelia off to the plan that will end up saving what few survivors that make it out of this series (good teamwork, guys!), and she asks why they don’t become someone else?  It’s impossible to change their personal data on Mars, but on Earth…

47.10

Chad namedrops Makanai as he figures out what she’s getting at, which I have to say I’m a bit impressed by, but then I suppose he had lots of time to figure out the exact nature of Arbrau and Chryse’s relationship when he was on Earth.  The gist of it is that, since Chryse is still technically Arbrau’s colony, all Chryse ID records are handled back in Arbrau, so if those records can be adjusted, Tekkadan can, in fact, disappear. And, as Chad has recalled, Tekkadan is on good terms with the best possible person in Arbrau to help them with that, its honest-to-god Prime Minister.  

The next bit of good news comes from Merribit and Dexter, here to announce that Tekkadan has scraped up some funds after all, and Dante turns a look on Chad like, “Holy shit, are we about to get away with this?” that I deeply enjoy.

Dante’s also the first to ask what’s going to happen to Tekkadan as the credits begin to roll, though. He’s not the only one the name means a great deal to, of course, but as I mentioned above, I’d imagine a significant amount of his current self-esteem is tied to Tekkadan’s fame, so it’s no surprise he’s the first one to voice hesitation about, essentially, betraying and abandoning the lily emblem they’ve been bearing all this time.  

Mika responds with a content smile that where Orga is, is where everyone belongs, which Dante accepts with a rueful kind of cheer.  Chad seconds that, even with a different name, they’ll still be themselves.  

Kudelia gets up to contact Makanai, and that’s when everyone realizes the outside lines have been cut.  Also we find out where Akihiro’s been, as he shows up with his lieutenant to announce that Tekkadan’s been surrounded by Gjallarhorn forces.  

EPISODE FORTY-EIGHT—Promise

After some intro material, Chad is the first person we hear talking after the credits, relating the state of Tekkadan’s communication—the cables have been cut, and all their LCS drones get shot down as soon as they send them up.  Dante summarizes as we cut into the group meeting, that without methods of communication, they can’t get any outside information, let alone contact Makanai like they’d planned. 

Eugene observes that, while Gjallarhorn hasn’t done anything yet, they could attack at any time, leading Dante to ask if they should attack first, then?  

Eugene shoots the prospect down due to the disparity in the size of their forces, and Akihiro asks Orga what they should do.  

Orga, for his part, reiterates that if they can make an escape, the victory is theirs—they demolish the building, make it look like they’ve been wiped out, then go ahead with the plan to contact Makanai.  This plan impresses Dante, who smiles about it only briefly before returning to a frown when Eugene stands up to remind everyone that they still don’t have a way to escape.  In lieu of two screenshots, I offer this in-between one.

(Do your best, Dante.)

Yukinojo gives the team a method, though—old maintenance tunnels—and Orga reiterates to everyone, over a batch of serious-face pan-overs, that the upcoming battle is not about killing anyone to end the battle, but rather about every single member of Tekkadan making it out alive.  

Dante makes a curious face here, as Orga tells them to never back down on living—he’s the only one to make a verbal response, rather than just nodding resolutely like we see Eugene and Chad do.  The obvious difference is that Eugene and Chad have both led before—even aside from his position as Orga’s second, Eugene was always in the captain’s seat of the Hotarubi, and Chad of course had his position as leader of Tekkadan’s Earth Branch. One can assume they’re both familiar with the concept of victory being how many heads you can count at the end of the day.

Dante, on the other hand, has always been out on the front-lines, in a mobile worker, a mobile suit, or even just a team of dudes with guns and armor.  I’m sure he’s very used to the idea that Tekkadan’s victory will be bought with Tekkadan deaths, one of which might be his own; historically, that’s what most of Orga’s battle strategies boiled down to.  Hearing that victory means him—means everyone—living is basically unprecedented for him.

As Orga walks away, Eugene complains a little about him, just like the old days, to which Dante responds in kind—that Orga seemed more like his old self just there.  Chad concurs, noting Orga’s confidence.  And they’re right; it’s been a long time since Orga’s had that fire and self-certainty.  Being free of all other chains and requirements, and no longer obligated to listen to McGillis, Orga is more like himself than he’s been in a long time—Dawn Horizon or earlier, I’d say.  (Orga and McGillis parallel each other in an interesting way in that regard, I think.  Neither of them is very good at adjusting the way they operate for scenarios outside what they know, though McGillis hides it better.  More on that another time.)

Feeling the group’s confidence, we get one of Akihiro’s rare smiles, and the four go off to get back to work.

At the tail end of the next scene, when McGillis finally realizes that he’s on his own for this one, he gives Orga a way to get a small group out, by taking a car while all of Gjallarhorn is focused on Bael breaking through the lines.  Orga contacts Chad to get the car prepared, and get Atra and Kudelia as well, as they’re heading for Kudelia’s Admoss Company.  This, I think, solidifies Chad as next in command after Eugene (who was off investigating the tunnels at the time), which is certainly gratifying to me.

We find Chad doing his best to carry out those orders in the next scene, where he, Kudelia and Merribit are having to convince a reluctant Atra to leave.  He doesn’t use an honorific with her name, I notice, which is a bit nice—it speaks to him seeing her as a peer, rather than someone removed from him by rank or social distance.  

This scene also puts him in the room for Kudelia saying right there out in the open that Atra is carrying Mikazuki’s child.  It’s easy to read it as a running gag in combination with his not knowing about Merribit and Yukinojo’s relationship, but it’s not played anything like as comedic, and Merribit’s reaction indicates that it’s the first she’s hearing of it, too. I’m pretty certain this is the first anyone outside the Bracelet Trio has found out.

For her part, Merribit is staying behind.  I’m certain she, too, is reluctant to leave behind the man she loves, but aloud, she claims that she still has work to be done.  She tells the other girls not to worry, that they’ll meet again—the iron flower won’t wilt so easily, which brings a smile to Chad’s face likewise.  

The next time we spot him, he’s finishing up getting the car ready.  

Two cars head out when Bael does; given later dialogue and setting shots, I’m assuming the second car is headed for Yukinojo’s best guess as to where the old CGS maintenance tunnels are going to surface?  Chad’s driving one car, we can assume since we don’t see him in the shots showing Ride and Orga or Kudelia and Atra seated, but someone else must be driving the other, and we never see the driver of that second vehicle.  

Anyway, they make it to Admoss in one piece, at which point Ride and Chad take up watch out the windows while Kudelia reunites with Cucubita, who’s been very worried.  When Cucubita drops the bomb that the news is saying Tekkadan is refusing calls to surrender, though, they close the curtains.

Chad’s the first one to articulate the understanding of why Gjallarhorn was so intent on blocking their communication—because Gjallarhorn is manipulating the media narrative, exactly like we saw them do back on Dort.  Orga knew already, of course, that Rustal had no intention of accepting a surrender from Tekkadan; now he knows that Rustal won’t even let the world see that Tekkadan tried to.  A scapegoat.

They put the talk aside, though, to get on with matters at hand—contacting Makanai.  Kudelia and Orga are the ones to make the call, though Chad and Ride are right on hand.

Makanai plays reluctant for a bit, presumably because he is so old and has been in politics for so many years that it is actually, physiologically impossible for him to just agree to something without being kind of an ass about it first.  (I love him.) As Orga goes to beg, though, Makanai interrupts with a cheery comment about how hard it is to refuse the one(/s) who saved his life.  He’s directing this at Orga, but it’s likely he’s referring to Tekkadan in general. Tekkadan, of course, is the organization that delivered him from exile and returned him to power.  One other alternative is also possible, of course.

Chad is the one who actually and directly saved Makanai’s life.  While we don’t know that Chad greeted Makanai at the beginning of this phone call, we do see Chad straighten up in response to Makanai’s aforementioned dialogue, and say the man’s name aloud in the way of one who knows when he’s being talked about and is responding accordingly.  Certainly I prefer the reading that Makanai’s line there is obliquely aimed at Chad, or at least Tekkadan-as-represented-by-Chad, because it means the Silent War arc was good for more than just stripping Tekkadan of assets and members, beginning the season-long process of knocking them all the way back down to where they started.  It means that Chad’s prior courage and devotion to duty are now the vehicles by which Tekkadan will be delivered.  Not bad for a third-stringer!

Makanai says, in any case, that they should hurry to Earth, as there’s someone there so worried about them that it’s hampering his (and therefore also Makanai’s) work, leading to a nice little exchange between the group and Takaki.  The prodigal returns!  Chad doesn’t lean over the video screen, but does contribute to the conversation, wide-eyed at the news that Takaki’s working at Makanai’s office now.

Takaki credits Orga for his current circumstances, though vaguely enough that we still don’t know exactly who landed Takaki this job, or if Makanai just reached out himself—a plausible enough idea, I think, given how much attention Makanai had clearly been paying to the young men of Tekkadan’s Earth Branch, both before and after the bomb.

In any case, after the call ends, Cucubita and Atra bring in some drinks for everyone (coffee?), which I imagine go almost completely untouched.  Chad points out that they still don’t have a way to get to Earth—Gjallarhorn will be watching the Isaribi. Seeing as Chad was piloting the Isaribi back in season one, and thus presumably the one dealing with port authority on both Dort and Earth, and Mars when they went back home, he probably has a good idea of what he’s talking about here.

As it has been since the first season, though, the girls from the Turbines are there to pick up the slack.  Orga is jubilant in his rebellion against certain death, and his mood is catching.

Chad and Ride bring the car around while Orga has a last conversation with Atra and Kudelia. Then, as Orga heads to the door with Ride, Ride says the cursed words: “It’s quiet.”  The soundtrack pretends not to notice what’s just happened, and we get a look around outside.  Chad is standing outside the car, and looks around at something.  

For the third time this season, I knew my favorite was dead, so dead, but nope, his luck continued to hold out!  Turns out he was just looking at Orga and Ride coming down the hall!  No problems at all!  

Ha ha…

I provide the rest of these screenshots with no further commentary, save to note that Chad’s reflexes are as sharp as ever, and wonder if this will be the scar that sticks with him where the healing tank washed all signs of the office bomb away.  I suppose it must be so.

Check back later this week for the last two episodes, and wrap-up, and thanks to everyone who’s read along this far.

[imthedoctordonna]

What do you mean I updated a fic?

Yeah... so after a long hiatus in the fanfic department, I went ahead and posted a new chapter to Lost and Found my Olicity AU fic that is a sequel to my Woman in Wolf’s Clothing. Pop on over to AO3 or FFN to read the fic in it’s uncompleted entirety.

OR you could read chapter 4 below...

               After an hour of briefing the team, pacing the floor, and worrying about Felicity, Oliver stepped in their bedroom to find her sleeping peacefully. He fought the urge to cuddle up next to her and shut the door on his way out. He collapsed on the couch, his whole body exhausted from the events of that morning.

               “Here, eat this.” Donna handed him a slice of pizza that Roy had ordered earlier.

               He chewed it mindlessly, and when it was gone he looked to the woman fidgeting uncomfortably on the couch across from him. “What did you mean by ‘This isn’t the first time’? I have a feeling you were speaking literally.”

               “I was and I wasn’t.” She sat in a pensive silence for a couple minutes before looking to him and continuing. “I have quite a few years under my belt, as you can imagine. Even tried my hand at dating once or twice since I left Damien… those men were only interested in one thing, and it wasn’t something I was willing to give up easily. Felicity. After the third date, when I thought everything was going great and I might actually have the opportunity to be happy again, they would start pushing about ‘When am I going to meet your daughter?’ and ‘Where does she go to school? Maybe we could pick her up someday’ or ‘My cousin would gladly watch her for the weekend while we go to Havasu.’

               The thing was, I rarely ever mentioned her. I am extremely guarded when it comes to her and had mentioned her only once or twice. They were fixated, and that’s when I knew it had to be Damien’s doing. He was trying to get at my baby through me and I was not going to let that happen, so I called off all the relationships when they got too insistent. They were confused, but eventually most of them went their own way without much of a fight. This one guy though, Roger, he took it a bit… harsher… than the rest. He became overbearing and borderline violent. I was truly afraid for the second time in my life. He would show up at the casino and sit in my section. If I would switch areas with someone; there he was. I even went so far as to request a schedule change, or to work the VIP area only and he still found a way to harass me.

               That’s when I asked my brother for some help. He helped me file a TRO by falsifying a few small things here and there and for a while, Roger had disappeared. I remember the relief I felt, not having to fear going to work or letting Felicity ride the bus to school…” She smiled sadly. “Not three weeks later, right as my world started to feel normal again, Roger was waiting by my car after work.” Donna paused, the memory making her voice shakier than she wanted. She wrestled for the strength to speak smoothly and detached, as she always did when it came to recalling that night.

Oliver waiting patiently for her to regain her footing, and only a few minutes had passed when she started speaking again. “He was sweaty and shaking. This angry smile stretching his cheeks too wide. He had said I looked good for an old hag, and that my ‘B’ of a daughter and I had missed the opportunity of a lifetime with him… When I started telling him just where he could shove his ‘opportunity of a lifetime’, he unzipped his jacket. Eight little pipes were strapped to his stomach and…” She took a deep breath and shook off the tears that were threatening to fall. “Anyway, one of my coworkers had seen him in the parking garage and went to get security. They must have seen the bomb on the feed because they made it there only seconds after he had unzipped. One of the officers pulled me behind an SUV while the other tried to talk him down. Roger took off running toward me, but he tripped and accidently set off the device before he could get close enough to kill me. I walked away with some shrapnel wounds and small third and second degree burns.

So other than some rather ridiculous plans that never came to be, that is the first time something, or someone, ever blew up in my face.” She shuddered out a laugh and rubbed her upper arms attempting to fight off the internal chill.

Placing a hand over one of hers, Oliver spoke. “I am sorry you had to go through that, and this may seem insensitive, but do you think your brother would have any information on this Roger? If he was connected to Darhk, we could uncover a whole trove of information.”

“I know he would. I can call him now and see if he can’t pass it to your boss.”

“That would be great, Agent Diggle can give him all the information he needs to get ahold of the director.” When Donna stood, so did Oliver. “You know that by pursuing this new lead, you are going to need to tell this story to Felicity, right?”

“I know. I just wish this is one of those times she was acting like she was asleep but she was really listening to the whole thing…” They both looked toward to bedroom door. When there was no movement Donna whispered “I am really worried about her.”

Me too, Oliver thought. He placed his hand on her shoulder with reassurance and turned to his team (who were currently acting like they hadn’t listened in on the entire conversation) “We need someone in the crime lab helping them sift through the debris and giving us up to date information on the bomber and their handiwork. Also, I need two of you to start on the outskirts of Henderson, working your way to North Vegas, searching for storage units Dahrk might have owned. Look for all his known aliases and ones that seem similar.”

“He went by Noah Kuttler when we were married.” Donna chimed in.

“I can call Iris,” Barry suggested, “She has sources everywhere, and might be able to find more details faster, especially with Cisco and Caitlin.”

Oliver nodded in agreement and with that, the team dispersed, looking for the smallest clue to lead them to the missing kids.

 Hours later Felicity finally stirred, her eyes dry and overly sensitive (which was saying something) and her throat scratchy. If this is what it was to be “normal” she could do without. After a few minutes of sitting on the bed in a fog, she walked listlessly to the en suite bathroom and rinsed her face, attempting to wash away the cobwebs. She realized that the face rinse wasn’t going to wake her up nearly enough, so she started the shower.

The sound of the water hitting the tiled shower wall drowned out the ambient noise that was always driving her to the brink of insanity. She stood beneath the near-scalding heat, letting the water beat the tension from her body and the haze from her mind. Her mind raced over the events of the day, trying to problem solve with minimal facts was only leaving more questions than solutions. It was only when she realized her hands were getting pruny that she shut off the faucet.

She stepped out of the shower and into the steamy bathroom, wrapped herself in the hotel’s luxurious robe, twisted her hair into a matching towel, and proceeded to brush her teeth. So what if it was almost dinner and her stomach was yelling at her? She was finally feeling human again (or as close as she gets at least). Her eyes no longer burned and her headache was only a horrible memory. Feeling miles better she went to the bedroom to get dressed and join the others in the main living area.

She stopped short when she saw Oliver standing just inside the closed door, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together in that adorable nervous way he has.  She let herself enjoy the sight of him for just a moment before reality dragged them back into its all too firm grip. He exuded strength and confidence even when he was worried or unsure, he was safety personified. His shifting stance and furrowed brow made her smile to herself.

“Are you alright? I’ve been worried. We’ve been worried. Your mom says you’ve never been sick. You slept for hours. Should we get an ARGUS medic here? Maybe Caitlyn?”

“I am much better now, Oliver. Diggle is probably right, it’s probably just the let down from the adrenaline rush. No need for a doctor. How long was I out?” She looked down, questions furrowing her own brow, “I woke up feeling like I ate sand. Or like I dipped my entire head into the sand like some sort of ostrich. Though I know they don’t actually…” She took a breath and looked up from her own fidgeting hands to see his smile. “I am good. If I start feeling anything like that again, you can call Caitlyn. Deal?”

“Deal.”

As they stood there smiling at each other, Felicity slowly came to the realization that she was wearing just a robe and a towel. Her eyes darted to the bed and back to him, and her heart started racing. She must be feeling better because she was beginning to have many ideas about how to get full use out of that large mattress. He seemed to sense her train of thought because his smile dropped, his eyes went half-lidded and he took a step toward her, matching her own determined steps. They met, not with a crash, but with a caress.

He cradled her face, tilting her chin upwards, and searching her face for the answer to a silent question. Her hand stroked his stubble, she bit her lip, smiled and gave him a nod. Yes, I am ready. He took a steadying breath and grinned.

“Later.” He promised. “When we don’t have half the agency in the hotel room with us.” He sealed that promise with a tender, lingering kiss. They parted when Felicity’s towel fell to the floor. Barry, Iris, Cisco and Caitlyn are looking at all the self-storage places between North Vegas and South Henderson. If they find anything suspicious, they’ll let us know. I’ll leave you to get dressed.” He backed toward the door his hands lingering on her until she was out of reach. “And there is almost an entire spread of Big Belly Burger out there. You might want to hurry before Barry gets back and eats it all.”

Her stomach growled in appreciation, drawing a chuckle from them both. Food was just the right motivator. She was dressed in record time.

[xannmariefmx]

5/6/20

Dear Diary, Because of counseling, I have been driven to start writing through my problems, memories, and traumas. An hour once a week or lately every two weeks is just not enough for me to make any progress. Today my counselor and I talked about my older brother Luke who is living with me, my friends Hannah and Becca, and trauma I suffered mostly at the hands of my former stepmother Lori and my dad Loren. We also discussed some of my younger brother Remington's current situation. I'd like to introduce myself because I intend to make this a public diary and I plan to be as raw and honest as possible. My name is Ann Marie. I'm 27 years old. I live in Kansas born and raised. I'm married without children. I have been married to my husband Nathan for 5 years and in my current relationship for almost 8 years. I'm unemployed and my husband and I live together with my mom Diane, which I will touch on later why we live together. I come from a family of divorce. My parents divorced in 1995 when I was 2 years old. I am the youngest of 3 siblings from that marriage. My oldest brother is Luke and he is 37 years old. My older sister is Desiree and she is 34. I have a younger half brother Remington who is 18 and is from my Dad's 3rd marriage. I have a slew of health problems also. I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), Type 2 Diabetes, Mild Sleep Apnea, knee issues, and I deal with infertility and mental health issues. All of my health issues mostly stem from PCOS. The mental health issues are trauma worsened by the hormone imbalance caused by PCOS. So far my counselor has diagnosed me with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Major Depressive Disorder, and several anxiety disorders. I apologize if this is a little all over the place because a lot of my trauma is suppressed for my safety so I can function and I'm having to slowly dig into my past to bring it all back up. I assume this will be like thousands of tiny puzzle pieces that will hopefully start to form together and form a bigger picture of understanding for anyone who is reading this. It's not exactly chronological or has any rhyme or reason. What comes up is whatever comes up in my thought process and emotions or whatever my counselor can coerce out of me. **********************TRIGGER WARNING******************************* (Will contain physical and emotional abuse, self harm, topics of suicide, rape, drug abuse, infertility and pregnancy loss, and traumatic experiences) May not be suitable for those under 18 years of age. ***************************************************************************

It is currently 2:00 am.  I was inspired by a TikTok I was watching in bed that made me sob uncontrollably. It brought back the pain of things that have been said to me since a child. Painful things that I knew were untrue, but still fed into my fears and insecurities. I needed to vent and put things into words and release them from my mind so I can hopefully process them better. So here I go I'll start with how counseling went. I had counseling earlier today, well technically yesterday. We continued our talk about Luke and the stress that comes along with him and how it is affecting my sleep. We talked about our relationship from the start until the present. We talked about a few occasions where he verbally and physically attacked me back when he was actively using Meth. We talked about the betrayal of his denial and rejection when my dad physically and verbally abused me when I was 16 that had consequently sent me into foster care. So here's a little bit of current background on my older brother Luke and how he came to live with me. In March of 2018, he was living with my dad Loren in Medicine Lodge. I had moved from Medicine Lodge to Haysville in March of 2017. I will discuss later on why I moved, but for now, I'll discuss how Luke got where he is now. So my dad had moved in a new girlfriend named Sandy from Pennsylvania. Not even two days into her living with my dad she caused a huge scene with Luke's baby mama Ashdon when she came over to pick up the kids after my brother's weekend with them. Sandy was rude to Ashdon and was mad that she had entered "her house" without knocking. Luke was strapping his kids into their car seats and had sent Ashdon inside my dad's house to grab their bags. Sandy then rudely and aggressively confronted Ashdon. Ashdon is not one to handle someone coming at her in such a negative way well. Luke left with her and returned the next day. Luke couldn't last in that house with Sandy for even a week so he moved out. He had no job and nowhere to go so he ended up living in his storage unit. I will get into later how toxic Sandy was for my dad and my family. Just to let you know she doesn't stick around forever, but there is a lot to tell about her and right now I'm talking about Luke so I will get to her, I promise. Anyways this had sent Luke into a deep depression and heavier usage of Meth. At some point, he was able to get a job in the oilfield and started living out of his work truck.  And at some point, he lost that job. During this time my dad and I were both worried sick. I cried a lot over Luke's situation. I grieved over the person he used to be when I was younger. I feared because of the Meth that the person he use to be would forever be gone. Well, Christmas drew near. It was still 2018. Luke was desperate for money and was committing crimes of theft and burglary to survive and be able to purchase Christmas gifts for his kids. Luke had never been in major trouble but his actions had finally caught up to him. He had burglarized a laundry mat in Alva, Oklahoma. He was easily identified and had agreed to turn himself over to authorities after Christmas if they would let him have Christmas with his kids first. Well, he ran. Also on a side note was on my deathbed in the hospital recovering from emergency major abdominal surgery when he was captured. That's another thing I will touch on later as that is not the main focus right now. Luke was arrested in Wichita and returned to Alva, Oklahoma where he spent several months in jail. When he was released from jail he was immediately transferred to Barber County Jail for crimes he had committed before the burglary of the laundry mat where he had stolen pipe fittings from an oil rig and had pawned for cash. He spent a few months with them. He was released on July 10th, 2019. My dad was in Lansing, Michigan for a Highschool National Championship for Trap Shoot that my younger brother Remington was competing in. He was out of state for 10 days. So my dad asked me if I would pick Luke up from jail for him. I didn't have a choice in the matter so I did as asked and brought him home for a few days until my dad returned. When my dad returned he screwed me over. He took advantage of the situation and my kindness. Luke had no vehicle and nowhere to go. My dad couldn't afford to have Luke live with him and couldn't take the time off work to take him to his court hearings and probation appointments, so it all got dumped on me. I was never asked if Luke could live with us, it was just put on me. I'll come to regret not standing up for myself when I was backed into this corner. Now there's a lot that happens between the time he moved in with us back in July and the present. I will touch on those later because I do not want to lose focus on what is currently causing me stress about him. Anyways in those 10 months, Luke does not look for a job or chip in anything of his responsibilities. My husband and I 100% support him and his children. We pay for his cigarette addiction, his phone, his gas, food for him and his kids, and run him to all his appointments. In October he knocks up my husband's younger sister which I promise I will tell you about in complete detail another time. Anyways it didn't work out. So currently he has finally started working and has had a job for a month now. His probation forced him to go through a staffing agency and they put him with this job. He works for a plastics company and only brings home $300 a week. He could have had a better paying job a long time ago, but he wouldn't put in the effort until he was forced to. Well, now we're caught up to speed. The latest frustration and stress is that Luke has no vehicle and no license. And with the Corona Virus, my mom is working from home. We only have 2 vehicles. There is her car and my husband's car. My husband has his car at work with him. So since I do not work the responsibility of driving Luke has always solely fallen on me. I wake up at 6:00 am every morning and leave at 7:00 am to drive him to work. Then I leave at 3:30 pm to pick him up from work. This is an issue because I notoriously have sleep issues. I have sleep apnea. I've had insomnia from the age of 7 and my anxiety has a strong effect on my sleep. So I was having problems sleeping at night before anyways. My anxiety causes problems for me when I have an appointment or some kind of responsibility to handle the next day. The pressure to be awake in time keeps me from being able to sleep until the last minute when I'm exhausted. So around 5:30 am has been when I've finally been able to fall asleep. See my problem? Then it takes me 45 minutes total of driving which wakes me up to the point that I can't fall back asleep when I return home. This leaves me with a short period of sleep and a short period to get anything done during the day before I have to go pick him up. Even if I go to bed at a normal time I wake up 2 hours later and unable to sleep. The responsibility of taking him to and from work has affected my sleep problems and made them worse than they already were. Ok, moving on from there, my counselor asked how my relationship was with Luke from the beginning. I told her when I little, we had a really good relationship. I spent a lot of time with him and we were close. After the divorce, my mom struggled with his behavioral issues and was advised by her counselor to focus on me and my sister and to have Luke move in with my dad and let my dad worry about him. My mom had too much on her plate to deal with her mental health and the divorce to also be trying to parent Luke who was way more than a handful. We were close until after he moved out of my dad's in highschool. Luke use to take me everywhere. We use to watch WWF wrestling together. He would give me airplane rides, body slam me on his bed, thumb wrestle, and play Mortal Kombat on the Nintendo. We spent a lot of time together. For several years Luke was barely in my life. He stopped attending al family get together and I maybe saw him twice a year until my dad and Lori got divorced in 2008. I will go over that more later and that timeline at another time. By the way, Lori was my dad's 3rd marriage. Anyways Luke came around a little more after the Divorce. That year was a tough year that will touch on later because there's a lot that went on and will need to be addressed, but right now I'm focusing on my relationship with Luke. So fast forward to April 2009. My dad and I got into a physical fight after I had a car accident. I reported him to my SRO (School Resource Officer) and I ended up in Foster Care. Luke rejected this, called me a liar, and had denied that our dad had ever physically abused him. I'll go over Luke's abuse and trauma another time. This is what began the hate that Luke had for me for years. Let's fast forward to the summer of 2015. My husband and I had moved to Medicine Lodge after a long bout of unemployment from the oilfield so he could start a new career as a truck driver. Well, he was still my fiance at the time because we didn't get married until January 25th, 2016 which I will address more on that later. Luke's relationship had fallen apart from Ashdon and he had lost his good-paying oilfield job. He was living in Sterling and had no other job opportunities so he moved in with our dad. This is when I believe Luke had started using Meth. Though I am not sure when or if he had before, but his behavior was suspicious enough for me to suspect he was using. Luke is a narcissist and a very jealous person. He accepts no responsibility and believes everyone has wronged him and that he is the victim in his life. When we moved to Medicine Lodge we did so because we needed help. Nathan had just bought a brand new truck before he was laid off from the oilfield and had spent his entire unemployment on the payments. Well, his truck driving job didn't take off fast enough and we knew the truck was going to be repossessed. So with that reasoning, we chose to live in Medicine Lodge because I could lean on my dad and he allowed me to drive his ranger. That and my dad was struggling to get Remington to come down for his visits so I knew if I lived down there too that Remington would come down because he wanted to hang out with me. After all, at that time my dad was working overtime on Saturdays and had no internet or cable so understandably Remington would be bored. The reason I'm bringing this up is that Luke became jealous of the help I received from our dad. I was driving his Ranger and there was a time or two that my dad helped with groceries because Nathan did not make much when he was training at his new job. During this time I was also babysitting Lukes children when they came down to visit and he had to work. The first verbal attack came out of nowhere. My dad was present, Nathan was gone on the road. Luke just relentlessly tore me down about anything and everything. He even brought up my weight. And any reason I could give was not good enough. I brought up my depression and he said that he didn't believe in depression and that it was a choice. At some point, he told me to go home and put a gun to my head. I look back now knowing that Luke was using and that I can't 100% put the responsibility on him for the things he said to me because of the drugs. I've confronted him about it since he's moved in with me and he has no recollection of ever saying that or ever attacking me. Another instance of one of Luk'es attacks was a few weeks after Nathan and I had gotten married. Again my dad was there and I had been taken care of him because he just had shoulder surgery and Nathan was gone on the road. Luke was not living with our dad at the time. I had been out taking care of my responsibilities such as running home to take care of my dogs and do some laundry. I had been spending time with Nathan's little sister Anastasia who we call Anna. She was 15 at the time. It was a Wednesday night and I took her to religion class and had picked her up. When I came to pick her up I stayed at the church for a while before taking her home because we were chatting with her friends. When I returned to my dad's house Luke was there. He came at me in a fury and a rage accusing me of "driving the wheels off" of my dad's truck. He said he had seen me all over town cruising. He was wrong, but this came from a place of pure jealousy because our dad had been allowing me to use his truck. Luke was relentless and would not stop. Luke started threatening to kill me and had backed me up into a corner and when he realized I was trying to call 911 he had tackled me to the ground and tried to break my phone. In the process, he had ripped off a couple of acrylic nails I had left from my wedding. If you have ever had acrylic nails, you know how painful that is. When he realized I made it through to 911 he had taken off to avoid the cops. I'm pretty sure he was high or coming down now that I know he was using. Again when I have confronted him about this as he currently lives with me, he claims he doesn't remember that. So currently, Luke has had no violent outbursts towards me since he's lived with me. In the beginning, I dealt with a lot of criticism from him and I still do, but I feel like he has no choice but to behave towards me since he has nowhere else to go. Because of the time I've had with him taking him to his appointments and such and being around when Anastasia up and left him he's opened up more to me than he has in my entire life. I wouldn't say we are close, but I'm getting to know him better. It is now 4:00 am and I can't even fathom typing anymore as I have said so much. So hopefully later today or when I get a chance, I will talk more about how counseling went and maybe more. We'll see. There's just so much to express and say. With the amount I have to tell, this isn't even a grain of sand in a desert if that says anything. Not even a scratch on the surface. So until we meet again, Goodnight.

Ann Marie

[shewantstobebeautiful]

I wanna be mad

I guess that’s what I can say. Even if it’s not true. I don’t wanna be mad. I don’t want to hate. I try to forgive. I try to forget. I try to move on. But I’m only human. And I’m a human controlled by the negative emotions. The ones nobody wants to feel. The ones I tend to feel too much. The curse of mental illness.

That all being said, in this case I’m having a very hard time not being mad. Not hating. Not forgiving, forgetting, and moving on. I keep trying. But the mountain of emotion, no matter how much I try, ceases to fall. Maybe it’s because I haven’t processed and addressed...the mountain in general. To which I say, I have talked about it before. With Patrick, with my mom, with my therapist, with my new therapist. And yet here I sit, still stewing in hatred and holding on to the past.

Thinking back to the past...the past past, like things that happened years ago. Not the stuff that’s going on now. I’ve moved past a few things. I’ve moved past all--literally all--the bullshit that I’ve gone through with Kendall and we’re all good now. I’ve moved past the messiness that was the ending of my relationship with Cal. I’ve accepted my father for the asshole that he is. I’ve accepted the shit that went down when I was younger and moved on with my life, knowing that I can’t change it.

So why is this different? Is it even different?

Maybe it’s different because I’m just over this bullshit and I was over it before it started. Maybe it’s because I’m 25 (was 23 when this fuckery started) and I went through this drama in high school. Maybe it’s because it has to do with my child. Maybe it’s because he is acting selfish, a trait that I cannot stand in people. Maybe it’s because he knew what was going on before and still didn’t care, making his selfishness in my eyes, even worse.

If you haven’t guessed, I’m talking about Nicholas [Last Name]. So much shit went down between learning I was pregnant and now that I just can’t let go and I don’t know why. Maybe because this is some serious shit to me. Maybe because it’s my child, the child I’ve been dreaming about and wanting and fearing I would never be able to have. Who knows really? Maybe I will by the time I’m finished typing.

It starts with him telling me that I should abort my child upon first learning that I was pregnant. Yes, that is right. When Nick learned I was pregnant, he told me to abort the thing. It was after he and Celia had “broken up for good” and Celia was going to move out. Patrick and I were set to move in with Nick and then the three of us were going to move to Wisconsin when the lease was up in March. But the problem with that was March was 8 months away and I wasn’t going to move to a new state while 8 months pregnant, away from my family and support. Nick’s opinion didn’t matter anymore. Everything was now my and Patrick’s choice to make and he just had to deal with it. But for him, he was inconvenienced and on his own to figure his shit out because we were too.

The next problem issue that I have was about a month later in October. I was already on my leave of absence because of the hyperemsis. Nick knew this. He also knew that Celia was having a panic attack or something at work and he wanted to be with her. But Julian was being a brat and he didn’t want to bring the demon child along. So he called me to watch Julian for a while so he could make sure Celia was okay. This one isn’t as bad as the others. But it still irks me. He called and asked if I could sit in the living room while Julian was in time out in his room. It was my decision to call Nick and see if the kid could come out and eat since he was calmer. It wasn’t that bad, I didn’t vomit while I was there and it wasn’t for that long. But it still happened and it still adds to the mountain.

Fast forward to around December if I’m not mistaken, as I was wearing the Christmas joggers that Patrick bought me, and I went to the ER for the second time because I couldn’t stop vomiting and was very dehydrated. I was dizzy and needed help standing. It late, I think Patrick may have come home early to take me to the ER. For whatever reason, Nick and Celia took Celia’s dying car to pick up Julian. They were somewhat close to the ER, picking up Julian when the car died. Nick’s first thought was to call Patrick. “brother, come jump my car.” Patrick at first time him no, that he was in the ER with me. Two more calls from Nick saying he had nothing else and trying to justify why it would be fine for Patrick to leave his pregnant girlfriend in the emergency room. I finally gave in just so Nick would stop fucking calling and told him to go. The third time he called, Patrick went. He was gone for over an hour because he tried to jump their car, then had to drive them all the way back out to Nick’s apartment to get his car keys, drive them to Walmart to pick up Nick’s truck, and stop somewhere else so Celia could pee, before coming back to me. The minute he left I got scared because suddenly I was alone. I wasn’t being well taken care of by the nurses, they were barely responding when I was paging so I could have help to go to the bathroom or so they could turn off my beeping IV stand or to bring me a blanket. They never did any of those things. The whole time he was gone, I kept texting Patrick asking when he would be back, where he was, begging him to come back, telling him what was going on with me, and eventually because I was crying and scared and he was taking so long, telling him that I hated him. Yes, he did came back and held me and told me he was sorry. Nick never apologized for taking Patrick from me or thanked me for letting him use me car. All he said was I didn’t need Patrick there and he had nobody else to help him.

Next, I’m halfway through the pregnancy and back to work. I was working with Nick in pharmacy and we were stocking the pain killers. For the life of me I can’t remember what we were talking about. I just know that there was context to his remark, but all I remember is the remark. “I kinda feel like it’s my kid too. I’m gonna be real protective of him.” First of all, no. Just no. That statement can imply so many things and to me it fucking does. It implies that him and I fucked. That there could be some possibility that the child is Nick’s. That Nick will try to raise this child. So many things that are by no means true at all. Never once did Nick cross my mind in the conception of my son. Never have I ever wanted to fuck Nick [Last Name]. In no way, shape, or form, is my son Nick’s and in no way will he partaking in raising him.

Up next is my labor and delivery, which I’ll never be over. It was my first child and it didn’t go the way I wanted because nobody listened to what I wanted. But that’s a different post entirely if it even becomes on.

Moving in with us when Grayson was only two months old. Not upholding his promises and responsibilities like he said he would while he lived with us. The stupidity and selfishness that was his taking more of his and Patrick’s security deposit because he felt more entitled to it because of a situation he and he alone caused when they both put of half of the money for the deposit. Still keeping his fucking shit stored here despite having a storage unit. Constantly telling us “it’s only gonna get worse” whenever Grayson is a handful because he feels like he knows what it’s like to raise a child because he spent a year with Julian, a toddler.

Julian was 2 when Nick met him. Grayson is a newborn and cannot be compared to Julian, who was basically passed around from family to family before ending up back with his birth mother who originally didn’t even want him and didn’t bother to really parent him. Grayson was wanted in every sense of the word and it will only get better from here because Patrick and I plan on raising our child with love and compassion and actually raising him, not just tolerating him.

The mountain is now huge and I don’t know what to do about it. Honestly, it goes back even further than just to when I learned I was pregnant. I’ve written about all of that though. Laundry, using us as his personal therapist, ignoring us when we gave him advice, come back crying later after it went wrong again after ignoring our advice, constantly dragging us into his shit with Celia even when I asked multiple times for him to kindly leave us out of it and keep it out of my home. The whole thing was a trigger for me. Shit, it still is.

I already knew what the problem was. Writing it out helped a little. At least it isn’t stewing in my brain. But do I like Nick again? No. Will I ever be able to like Nick again? I hope so. We shall see in the future.

[cyberdelusionphilosopher-blog]

What if im 18 and want to pay for my own auto insurance?

"What if im 18 and want to pay for my own auto insurance?

I'm thinking about moving out of my house cause it sucks. I'd have to buy my own car and I'm thinking an older civic, cause they're reliable. Anyone got any ideas on what a good but cheap way to insure would be?

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://averageinsurancecost.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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I have always used a Mobility car, hence the ignorance re, insurance""

Cheap insurance for a 95 reg 4.6 litre Range Rover as a young driver.?

I am aged 18, have had my license for over a year & have one years no claims discount. I have recently purchased a Range Rover with cost nothing to transfer over from the car already on my policy, however upon renewal it will cost me a whopping 4K to insure! Does anybody know of any companies which either specialise in this department or will be able to get me a cheaper quote? Currently I have tried both confused.com & comparethemarket.com but was wondering if there are some other cheaper companies which are a little more unknown. Would be really grateful if someone helps me find a cheaper quote as that is just daylight robbery.""

""Car insurance help, i need advise?""

Im 15, hoping to buy a decent car (when i turn 17) that is reasonably cheap to buy and insure, i have around 10,000 budget for the car and 20,000 budget for the insurance, i work on cars so any mechanical problems wont be an issue and i am a very capable driver and certainly not a 'boy racer' i have experience in driving and i just want a nice car that i can keep for a long time that i can pass in and out if london in to my future job (architecture) any car and insurance company suggestions? And remember decent car, 2nd hand.""

I need affordable med. insurance for my children. How do I find the best deal?

I need affordable med. insurance for my children. How do I find the best deal?

What is the best teen driver insurance in California?

Taking driving test tomorrow and need insurance coverage for just me, 18 years old.""

My first car.. What is the best and cheap on insurance?

im saving up for a car, but this will be the first car i buy. Does anyone know what car is relatively smart, and cheap on insurance for a UK full license? thank you""

Liability car insurance?

Im 18, never had a wreck or any tickets, i live in a small town/rural area in alabama, and i want to know about how much liability insurance would be for a... -2008 mustang -2010 mustang -2012 mustang""

Cheapest way to buy new glasses without insurance?

I recently broke my glasses that ive had for two years. I am currently in a predicament that does not permit me to spend alot of money on a new pair and to make matters more complicated, i do not have any insurance. I cannot apply for medicaid so that is not an option either. I need a fast alternative or some ideas as to how I could go about buying a new pair preferably under $100. I constructed a plan of buying my own frames and having the lenses filled but all the optical offices i called do not allow that method, they prefer you to buy their glasses. Thanks (:""

What if im 18 and want to pay for my own auto insurance?

I'm thinking about moving out of my house cause it sucks. I'd have to buy my own car and I'm thinking an older civic, cause they're reliable. Anyone got any ideas on what a good but cheap way to insure would be?

What are the minimum requirements to insure a moped (UK)?

I have recently passed my car driving test and was told a easy way to reduce my insurance cost (because it was 3000+ per year) was to insure a moped for a year, not drive it but thus getting a years no claims. Obviously this then will reduce the insurance quote for the next year. (I am also going to undertake the PassPlus Scheme). So... I was just wondering what the minimum requirements are to insure a moped? Do I have to have passed a CBT (Cycle Basic Training)? Do I need a motorcycle license or will my UK driving license cover a moped up to 50cc? Does the moped need to be taxed throughout the whole year or just for the start of the insurance cover? (EG: if the tax runs out during the policy will it invalidate it?) Does the moped need a valid MOT or is it alright if it expires during the year that the policy will run?""

Does anybody have Progressive auto insurance?

Im thinking about getting Progressive auto insurance, I live in Massachusetts so the prices seem too good to be true. So is it a good insurance company.""

When will a vandalism( to my vehicle) go off my record for insurance purposes???

About 2.5 years ago some kids used nylons and a hamburger wrapper in my gas tank to set my truck on fire. It was a brand new tahoe with dealer plates and it had to be deemed totaled due to damages. Now I am trying to change insurance and get quotes and even though I was not at fault and didn't even know these children it increases my premiums by about 600 every 6 months. Does anybody know when this will go off my record? I cant understand why I'm being held financially accountable for some delinquents behavior.

Which insurance companies are cover homes in High Brushes Areas in California?

which insurance companies are cover homes in High Brushes Areas in California beside Farmers and State Farm?

Why is auto insurance through Geico so cheap?

Why is auto insurance through Geico so cheap?

Around how much would car insurance be for a 16 year old girl?

I'm just looking for a range of prices per month. If you can, comment with any good insurance places that I could look into because I am getting my license in August and am curious of what I'm going to have to pay. Also, what depends on the cost? Type of car, or etc..""

Is minimum coverage car insurance the same as an SR22?

In Tennessee, is minimum coverage car insurance the same as an SR22? I already have minimum coverage but am now required to get an SR22. Is this something that needs to be added on or will minimum coverage suffice? Thanks.""

Can I get auto insurance through another company if I owe on another insurance company money?

I lapsed on my old insurance policy and do not have the money to pay it off. My registration expires tomorrow and I need insurance in my state to register my vehicle. Will another company insure my vehicle if I still owe money to another insurance company?

Do I need SR22 insurance after a DWI 1st offense if my license is not suspended in the state of Louisiana?

About a year ago, I received my first DWI. I plead guilty under Article 894, and then about 3-4 months later, I contacted the DMV here in Louisiana, and they stated my license has not been suspended, and never was. Now, I am trying to get insurance on my truck I just bought, and the insurance company is telling me i have to get SR22 insurance. I thought SR22 insurance was needed when either your license was suspended previously, or you were forced to get a hardship license? I have never had to do either, and I don't understand why they are requesting me to get the SR22 insurance. The rates are already high enough with the DWI on my record, and the SR22 will be adding a good bit more. Just curious if someone can explain this to me about Louisiana and insurance which is required of me. I do still have a valid Class A CDL, not suspended, and never had to get a hardship license.""

""How much a month will insurance be on a 2003 Nissan 350z with a 19 year old driver, (2 yrs exp)?""

How much a month will insurance be on a 2003 Nissan 350z with a 19 year old driver, (2 yrs exp)?""

Add another driver on Hastings car insurance?

hello we are currently trying to add another driver onto the car insurance (with Hastings Direct) is there any way to do it via their website does anyone know? they make it very clear how to draw in the new customers and get a quote but not much else! thankyou :)

Car insurances?

18yrs old just been quoted 1,300 for a 1100cc car K reg.Offered 300.00 plus 1.000.00 returnable deposit if he dont have any accidents, broker did not want to know but said on top of all that he has got to pay the first 350.00 if involved in a accident. How dear is that?ps past tests.""

Two cars? Insurance?

>In high school >Both parents getting new cars soon >old cars: 1 is decent, 1 is cheap >I get old car >I want to convince parents to let me keep cheap one as well, so I can modify it and stuff BUT, I just realized I'll have to pay extra insurance just to drive it around every now and then. What to do? How much does average insurance usually cost? (Not minimum PIP)""

How much would insurance cost for an 18 year old girl in NY?

Does anyone know how much insurance would cost the car is 97 so i heard its cheaper if its an older car she cant add it to the families insurance cuz they dont live in the country.. Thanks

Life Insurance questions?

Why do life insurance companies often charge different rates for males and females? Who pays more by age, male or female, and why do you think this is so? Come back later and respond to two other classmate's posts and answer any responses to yours.""

How would you haggle the best car insurance in this situation?

cheapest quote on comparison website:Admiral quotes, 919 apr 8.9% access of 750 Key Info: Car Vw Polo 1.4 1yrs no claims i do not want to pay no more than 500 accesss what I would like to know is the difference ways in how you would approach this matter, how would you haggle the insurance company to go cheaper and to how much would you be targeting from the price stated above.""

""In North Carolina, do you have to already have insurance to get your license?""

I am going to try to get my license sometime this week but im not on the insurance, yet. I was wondering if you had to already be on it, or if you could take the test and if you pass, then get on the insurance. B/c we already have the papers ready for it but... yeah?""

How much do you pay for your car insurance?

I just bought a new car. A Honda fit, and my insurance went up $40 more per month. This is my first brand new car, and I am use to the insurance that comes with a used 7 year old car. I was wondering what others pay for their car insurance, and whether it is new or old. I hope I am not asking anything that people would feel uncomfortable with. I just want to see if I am being charged in the range of what I should.""

Premium rates increase after an auto accident?

I rear-ended a car and that car hit another car. The car in the middle I believe will have lots of damages to repair. When my premium rates increase, what is the deciding factor on how much it will increase? Is it the cost of repairs to the cars? or just the fact that I got into an accident. In addition, with this one accident and 2 cars having damaged does that mean that the insurance company would see me hitting 2 cars instead of one which will increase my premium even more? And by the way, my insurance company is mercury if that helps! Thanks!""

How much to lease a car (WITH insurance)?

How much is it to lease an economic car (in Canada please), with insurance calculated into the mix? I am willing to pay 4-500 altogether, is this enough? Practical examples from people who lease their car, with how much they pay, etc, would be most helpful. (I am a recent graduate at the verge of starting an entry-level position). I am looking into VW golf and honda civic (hatchback).""

Anyone have Mega Insurance?

It's supposed to be for the self employed. Is the high premium worth the benefits or even the coverage compared to other insurance companies out there (like e health insurance.com)

Am I legally insured to drive my car?

I live in the UK and hold a provisional driving license. Recently I became the registered keeper of a car, and to cut down on insurance costs, my mother insured it in her name with me as a named driver. As I am still not fully qualified I always drive under supervision. A friend has suggested that unless I make my mum the registered keeper of the vehicle, my insurance is not valid and I am breaking the law. Is this true?""

Cheaper car insurance?

im 18 and am in the process of buying a ranger rover sport supercharged, ive got a few good quotes for inurance, i just wanted to know how can i get it cheaper and if you know some one in the insurance bussiness, can u get it cheaper? thanks""

Best term life insurance quotes?

where is the best site to get term life insurance quotes?

""How much would an insurance company give me to repair Keying damage, three hood dents, and 3 areas of chips?""

My car was badly vandalized about a month ago and i made a claim to my insurance company. I originally decided to take my car into one of their many One Stop shops, where i would only have to pay the 250 dollar deductible and have my car completely repaired. Since then i was laid of from work and have been going through alot of money trouble. I have been considering just having an adjuster come out and write a check for the damages and repair only some of the damage at a friends shop. My question is... how much would the adjuster write off for... Deep key scratches down to the metal, a line all around the car. (20 feet) Three dents on the hood (about 6in diameter) three areas that where hit, and began to chip( about 5in in diameter each) It seems desperate. I know, because i am. I would appreciate any answers, please do not judge me and this situation, i'm just curious if it would be a somewhat wise decision. If you have nothing nice to say, please refrain from commenting, im depressed enough as it is. Thanks!""

What if im 18 and want to pay for my own auto insurance?

I'm thinking about moving out of my house cause it sucks. I'd have to buy my own car and I'm thinking an older civic, cause they're reliable. Anyone got any ideas on what a good but cheap way to insure would be?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-best-cheap-motorbike-insurance-i-can-get-beland-rajka"