#but also thanks jameson for phrasing it as “is it like you never left?” and ekky jumps on that going “yep thats exactly what i wanted”

[ratatatastic]

do you also think about ekky, in his first full game back after rehab, the practise held the day afterwards, when asked how easy it was to play with forsy again going "its like having your own cheat code out there" and "im blessed to be able to play with such an awesome partner" thanks man very nice

[wheresmymilliondollarman]

can you do hcs of dating grayson hawthorne?

grayson hawthorne x fem! reader

hcs about meeting & dating the heir apparent of the hawthorne family.

a/n: ofc!! thx sm for the request & sorry for the wait!! i just got a new one also requesting grayson so this one goes out to you too anon!! grayson hawthorne is one of the lomls🫶 i am so indecisive between him & jameson fr (but for avery i think jameson is better suited for her). hope u enjoy!! i'm a sucker for the poor x rich trope sorry & i love tobias lowkey playing match maker in these LOL & this follows some of the main story but then kinda trails off

word count: 6.8k

warnings: almost drowning (LOL), minor mature language, few spoliers for final gambit i guess?,

before you were dating the second oldest hawthorne, you were just a girl working part-time at a diner as a waitress, trying to make enough money to buy a car. you were relentlessly getting picked up/dropped off everywhere by either one of your parent's vehicles.

being a waitress wasn't ideal when dealing with rude customers, pretentious managers, and occasional annoying co-workers, but you had decent pay, and tips weren't too bad.

most of the time you were running the show on your own. serving tables, acting as hostess, dealing with unsatisfied customers, etc. it wasn’t even the lack of staff, it was lazy behaviors of your co-workers and manager - who got the job because her dad owns the business.

one peculiar afternoon you were doing your usual job of serving tables and taking orders when an older gentleman walked in, way classier than your usual customers. you seated him, gave him a menu, and then returned to the kitchen to serve your other tables.

the diner staff seemed to be murmuring words and glancing back at the man, but you didn't pay any mind to it. it wasn't unusual for you to catch staff gossiping about customers.

going back to the table, you gave him the complimentary water and then asked for his beverage of choice - he chose a simple black coffee. you went to the kitchen and returned with his drink. you were on the verge of asking for his meal order, but he looked preoccupied with a crossword puzzle.

you peaked over, and noticed he looked possibly stuck, so you offered your help because you often did crosswords when you were bored. "do you mind if i take a look?"

he said nothing, only gesturing his head toward his little crossword booklet and pen beside it. even his pen looked fancy.

you looked over the one he was one, and after reading the hint and the number of boxes for the word, you could figure it out.

"tatersall."

the old man peered at you as if you spoke a different language.

"it's fabric with checks and lines, the phrase is a bit old-fashioned. i only know it 'cause that's what my dad refers to his shirts as." you explained.

he looked intrigued by your words, as if you'd given him an idea. he thanked you, then went on to fill out the boxes.

words were said much after that. he drank his coffee and left sometime while you were busy serving other tables. when you returned to ask him if he wanted anything else, he was already gone. but not before leaving $200 dollar tip next to his finished coffee.

you thoroughly checked if it was real, not believing anyone would purposely leave such a tip for a cup of black coffee. but in fact, it was very real. and you even bought yourself a very cute dress to commemorate. just to double check it was legit, of course.

the older man with silver-blue eyes continued to come into the diner every few days, never ordering anything other than a black coffee and always being generous with the tip.

you two had polite conversations and odd ones rooted questions he dropped on you. you noticed a lot of them pertained to money and contributions. but you never passed on answering.

they were questions like "what jobs have you worked?", "what are your parents' occupations?", "are you interested in charities and donations?", and "what do you do with the money you earn?"

thru these visits, he finally gave you his name, tobias. it shouldn't had surprised you he had a unique name to match his unique personality.

you didn't get much information about tobias. all he revealed to you was he enjoyed games, was obviously wealthy, and has 2 daughters, one son, and 4 grandsons - who weren't too off from your age.

he liked to talk about a certain one, the second oldest, grayson. you created an image he was a closed-off, goal-driven, cunning, and loyal guy. you didn’t wanna jump to conclusions, but one could say he was slyly trying to set you up with him.

it wasn’t uncommon for grandparents to come in the diner and rave about their grandsons. at times they would even show you a multitude of photos saying how handsome they are and well-raised gentlemen who would be a great match for you.

you never had the heart to straight up tell them ‘not interested’, so you listened to their praises and then fabricated a lie as to why you were unable to date their grandson.

if tobias ever were to ever try and do that you would use the same methods. you were sure his grandson was an acceptable man, but you had no interest in going on a blind date with anytime soon.

however, the conversation didn't maneuver that direction; instead, he went on to talk about how grayson was in charge of a foundation he owns and basically manages everything.

you found that rather impressive, considering he was only eight-teen. then you thought, 'just how rich is this guy?'

this arrangement continued for a few more weeks and then it turns into a constant routine for months. still never ordering anything order than a coffee, and leaving after.

one day, tobias abruptly stopped coming into the diner. and after a two-week hiatus, you figured he was likely not returning again.

you didn't realize how tedious work was without the old man's presence, you were still as busy as ever doing everyone's job, but now you didn't have the levity from your conversations.

it stayed like that for the following three months, no word from tobias. you wanted to contact him somewhere, but you began to realize how little you knew of him, hell you didn't even know his last name. he knew all the basics of what comprised you, but you couldn't even say his favorite color. and you’d known this man for almost a year.

but as it turned out, you didn't need to contact him yourself because a man came into the diner asking for you.

at first, you thought it was an unsatisfied customer here to berate you some more; it wouldn't be the first time. but you were more than relieved it was a guy you'd never seen before, a particularly handsome and well-fitted one.

you went up to the man and politely greeted him, asking how you could help him. he took you presence in when you appeared, looking up and down. it wasn't in a 'checking-you-out' type way, it was of an 'i'm judging what type of person you are' way. you felt scrutinized in your lousy diner girl uniform. it didn't help he was dressed pristinely from head to toe.

he finally spoke, "it's pertaining to my grandfather, tobias hawthorne."

you were piqued up at the mention of tobias, this was the first time you'd heard of his last name, but you didn't know any other tobias's so it must be him.

the man in front of you was one of his infamous grandsons he loved to chat about, although you weren't sure which one. but based on his stern and disciplined attitude, you'd place your bets on grayson. but just to be sure you asked.

"right, my name is grayson hawthorne." you called it. "unfortunately, my grandfather has recently passed. my family is in the middle of gathering everyone for the matter of the will, but all parties must be preset. my grandfather's law firm has informed me you are also mentioned in it."

your heart broke at the reveal of tobias passing. you knew him less than a year, but you still had formed a connection with him.

then the other portion of his statement dawned on you, he mentioned you in his will. why?

grayson seemed to have wanted to know this too. he said tobias mentioned you in passing but didn't offer details about your relationship. he didn't hide how he was suspecting and untrusting of you.

you filled him in on details of how you met, your meetings, and the last time you conversed with him. grayson was still wary of you, but he didn't have any reason yet to say you were lying.

he then urged you to gather your belongings because the two of you had to head over to his family's residence as soon as possible. he has already informed your boss of your leave of absence.

it was all so sudden, you were still processing all this information. grayson's insistence made it nearly impossible to do anything but listen. 

so, grayson took you home to change and pack a few items. you left a note for your parents, letting them know you'd be spending a night or two at a friend's house. you knew if you explained what was really going on they would not let you go; they'd probably even scold you for befriending a random old man at work, calling you naive.

although, that had merit because you were currently off with a man you knew for like five seconds because you believed he was the grandson of a man who you also didn't know for too long.

you thought the chance of getting kidnapped was better than overworking at the diner.

you were astounded when grayson casually took you to the destination of his private jet. you'd never flown first class, let alone a private freaking jet.

you two took off, and a few hours later, arrived in texas. the moment you stepped off, a bodyguard guided the two of you into a limousine. from there, you sought off to the mansion.

when you arrived, you thought you'd been driven to some sort of fancy hotel, but not it was where grayson and the rest of the hawthorne lived. you'd likely get lost trying to go from the kitchen to your bedroom.

grayson had to physically drag you away from your jaw-dropped stare at the property.

when you entered the entrance hall , another girl was already there, an older girl with her as well.

she turned her attention toward you when she noticed you entering, she seemed to have recognized grayson, but had a questioning gaze toward you.

the older girl was the one to speak to you first. “and here i thought we’d already met everyone affiliated with this crazy rich family. hi, i’m libby and this is my sister avery. are you grayson’s girlfriend?”

you could’ve died from awkwardness right there. you didn’t even wanna take a glance at grayson’s reaction, you imagined he would have a look of discontent.

“er, no. we just met today actually. he came into my work saying i’m needed for a will reading, and next thing i know im off in a private jet and in this mansion.”

this time avery spoke up, “sorry about libby’s assumption. it was just because you guys came in together and he’s carrying your bag.”

grayson was in fact hold your small luggage bag. he taken the liberty of taking it out of the trunk of the limo and carried it since.

you didn’t say anything, you just snatched your bag out of grayson’s hands, mumbling a quiet thanks.

grayson let out a laugh, but covered it up as a cough.

avery talked about her situation being similar to yours, except she’s never met tobias hawthorne before. it made you feel better there was someone else who felt like an outsider.

you were led away by grayson, guiding you to the room the will was being read. but you ran into a numerous amount of people on the way.

first, it was xander, the youngest hawthorne grandson. he appeared out of secret passage, jump scaring you. then he introduced himself.

nash, who had a country accent, followed a bit after walking in with his mother skye. she asked you a few invading questions about yourself, and you replied cordially. very relieved when grayson excused you both.

finally, you’d met jameson on accident. you were on the way to the bathroom, using directions given to you, and that’s when you bumped into him. he was very obviously drunk. he slurred a few words, but you quickly excused yourself, not wanting to deal with whatever was going on with him.

once you were finally in the room, you took a seat next to avery since she and her sister were the best options.

finally the will reading began, and the lawyers started reciting its words and designated belongs and money to different family members. all the families were stunned that the grandsons, especially grayson, hadn't gotten the entire fortune. yours and averys names had yet to be mentioned.

"to my newfound friend y/n l/n, i leave conservatorship to the hawthorne foundation. the remainder of my estate, including all properties, monetary assets, and worldly possessions not otherwise specified, i leave it to be shared upon y/n l/n and avery kylie grambs."

nothing could have you prepared for that. you thought it was a prank at first, some sick joke rich people do that get less-than-fortunate people's hopes up. but no, the lawyer did indeed confirm it to be true.

avery and yourself turned toward each other wide-eyed, completely flabbergasted. then the whole room erupted into chaos, everyone standing up to demand an explanation, accusing you both of having done something.

you had just met these people, and you couldn't for sure say they were capable of murder, but you'd seen enough movies about the rich to know it's definitely a possibility.

luckily, oren, tobias' (now ex) bodyguard, stood in front of you girls, preventing the hawthornes from stepping any closer. he claimed he worked for you both now, so it was his job to protect you.

"should we trust this guy? what if he's just playing us to get the inheritance." avery whispered to you.

"a bodyguard with ulterior motives is better than being left to the wolves."

"good point." libby chimed in.

it didn't end there; there were conditions for the will, saying you and avery must remain at the hawthorne estate for a full year to receive the inheritance.

so not only did you become enemy number one toward most hawthornes, but now you had to live with all of them. lovely.

that jump-started your now future of being involved with the hawthornes (and the grambs sisters)

after the will fiasco, the grayson made it his mission to unmask whatever game you played to get the inheritance, but he always came up empty-handed because you, as you insisted to multiple hawthornes, did not manipulate tobias. you didn't even know the guy's last name until you had met grayson.

if you had a talent for taking advantage of rich men, you would not be wasting time being a waitress for a shitty diner.

however, you tried to look on the very bright side of things, living in a gorgeous mansion. your bedroom was the size of your home's first floor. you;'d never slept on a comfier or larger bed.

one thing that set you apart from avery in the will was that you had complete ownership in the hawthorne foundation and his involvement with different charities. alissa had informed you that you'd need to learn to manage it- designating which associations to donate to, how much, how often, etc.

it was overwhelming to think about; if you failed to be a conservator, it would be given to the grandsons. you also knew having authority over it bothered zara hawthorne, since she'd spent basically her whole life running it. you knew it you were to make a wrong move, she'd be quick to call it out you.

alissa had arranged for you to go to the foundation and meet with someone who'd help you navigate the ropes. a part of you assumed it'd be zara meeting you there, maybe forced by alissa to help you. but instead, it was grayson, who still thought you were some master con woman.

he was the only grandson that had an issue with you and avery, but for some reason, you were more suspicious to him. xander, jameson, and nash seemed to have adjusted to events and were now somewhat friends with you. it was pretty infuriating how grayson would not listen to reason, no matter how much you tried to make amends.

grayson remained professional, not wanting his personal feud to hinder the foundation's work. he started giving you a tour and explaining an overview of how things ran. it became easier for you to imagine yourself running it.

you stopped when you passed by various black and white photos hung up in midair. they'd been hung since the beginning of your tour, but you'd only truly taken notice just now.

"who took these? they're beautiful."

"i did."

'of course, you did' you thought. he seemed to be good at everything.

"can i have a copy of this one?" you pointed toward a photo to your left; it was of a couple dancing together in the rain, in front of the eiffel tower.

"why?"

"i'd always wanted to see the eiffel tower. plus, i just really like it." it was true. the photo was captured exquisitely, and going to paris had always been a goal of yours, along with traveling to different places in the world.

he didn't respond. grayson went up to the photograph and carefully unlatched it. he then turned to you and gestured for you to take it, "here, you can have it."

you were a little shocked he just gave it to you, but hundreds of photos were decorated throughout the building, so it probably didn't mean much just giving you one.

you took it in your hands gently and thanked him. you both then continued your tour into the conference room to discuss further management of the hawthorne foundation.

but unbeknownst to you, the photo you now owned was one of his favorites.

it became easier to get to know and warm up to grayson the more you visited the foundation, which you did quite often because you now that you had (or will have) conservatorship to the foundation, you wanted to ensure you knew everything involving it to ensure you'd continue its success.

you could now say the two of you were somewhat friends, but there still seemed to be a wall - built by grayson, between the two of you. likely from the lack of trust he still has toward you.

at times he'd look at you as if you were the enemy, and other times he'd treat you courteously. his constant mood changes were driving you crazy.

you had been staying up later than usual since your stay at the manor began. it didn't help that there was possibly a secret passage in your room like avery's has.

but your leading cause of distress stemmed from the mystery of the whole will situation. you'd gotten a small letter like everyone else, but it failed to offer any closure.

in fact, all it said was, "good luck". you'd never had the urge to strangle a dead old man til now.

however, this night you decided to walk outside. you'd been hesitant to wander around the mansion, but then again, you technically half owned it now, and nobody could really stop you. so you decided to go to the pool area, carefully avoiding alerting your new bodyguard of your movement.

when you got there, it was empty as you had hoped. the pool was illuminated with the lights, the area surrounding it was dimly lit.

you settled for solely dipping your feet in the pool and gazing at the stars upon the sky.

half an hour in, you heard the faint sound of someone possibly approaching. you took it as a sign to get back to your room before oren noticed, if he hadn't already.

you got up a bit too quickly, causing an imbalance in your step - leading you to stumble backward into the pool.

most people would simply swim back up to the top and pull themselves out, but you couldn't do that for one big reason. you never learned to swim.

panic began to seep into you as you flailed your arms all over the place, attempting to float to the top, but it only made you sink further. it didn't help drowning was on the top of your list of 'ways i would hate to die'.

you were midway through choking on the water when someone jumped into the pool and carried you back onto the pavement.

after coughing the water out of your lungs, you looked at the face your your savior kneeled in front of your; low and below there was grayson hawthorne - wearing nothing but swim shorts.

the sight of him shirtless made it harder to steady your breathing.

"are you alright?" you nodded in confirmation.

"what were you thinking getting into the pool so carelessly?"

"well, i just to test out my new waterproof mascara." you said sarcastically. "obviously i didn't end up in the stupid pool purposely!"

he rolled his eyes. “god, were you born a horrendous swimmer or just taught by an imbecile.”

you stayed silent, looking away from him, not wanting to admit the embarrassing truth.

“do you…do you not know how to swim?”

"….. define knowing to swim.”

he gave you an incredulous look, “seriously? even most 5-year-olds know how to swim, better yet, they wouldn’t almost drown in the 7ft part of the pool.”

“okay i get it! it’s pathetic i don’t know the basics of swimming. you don't have to be an asshole about it.” you stood up angrily in your soggy clothes and attempted to walk away - but grayson grabbed your wrist.

“wait. alright, i apologize for being quick to judge. if you want..i’ll teach you to swim.”

you were taken aback by the gesture, not quite sure what to think. on the one hand, it could be a plan to embarrass you further, but on the other hand - you really didn’t want to live your life not being able to swim any longer.

“alright.”

the following night he made good of his word when you went out to meet him. (oren being aware this time, after he warned you he'd lock you in your room if you snuck out without him again.)

this time you had proper swim attire, a 2 piece bikini alissa had purchased for you, along with others.

grayson was already in the pool when you arrived, swimming laps. once he noticed your arrival, he stepped out of the pool. you would've thought it was a scene from a movie from how smoothly & dreamy he moved.

you averted your eyes before you stared at his form too long.

you weren't sure if it was your imagination or you saw grayson do a double-take when he saw you.

all his attractiveness was shortly forgotten when he went to his bag to retrieve something, then handed you some plastic. it took you a moment, but then it clocked - these you arm floaties.

"you're joking right?"

"hey, after that near-drowning experience, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"it's like you want to humiliate me."

"don't worry i chose the ones with the flowers to enhance your matureness." he fought back a smile with his words.

he got a nasty glare in response.

still, you knocked down your pride on putting on the floaties before you and grayson submerged into the pool.

then grayson began reciting exercises and movements for you to do. after floating around for a bit, he instructed you to remove the floaties. you were obviously hesitant, the floaties were keeping you from drowning, but grayson insisted that you trust him.

he grabbed your waist with both hands and got behind you; that was enough to quicken your pulse.

his hands held you steady as you attempted to stay afloat by moving your arms and legs. it would get harder to focus when his hands moved up and down your back.

"okay, i'm gonna let you go now."

"ok. wait what-"

you were abruptly cut off because grayson immediately removed his hands, leaving you on your own. being caught off guard, you began a repeat of the night before, but this time attempting to swim correctly. regardless, you were still beginning to choke on water and sink down.

grayson swam back to your aid in an instant, holding you up above the water by the waist.

"shit- i'm sorry. i assumed your instincts would kick in if you had less reaction time."

"oh, because it worked so well yesterday."

"right, perhaps i should've given it more careful thought." he moved a hand to the side of your face, "are you sure you're okay?"

you nodded, unable to verbally respond. the tension in the air thickened as the two of you continued to stare to one another. for a brief moment, his gaze wandered to your lips, and you stopped breathing.

his face slowly leaned into yours. you didn't know what you'd do if he was going to kiss you - a big part of you was ready to kiss back and the other part told you i'd be a mistake if you did.

but the moment was interrupted by alissa, who was calling your name because she wanted to ho over tomorrow’s events with you.

you also knew, based on alissa's critical gaze, she'd seen what was about to possibly happen. she has already given you a fair amount of warning about getting involved with hawthornes.

grayson then pulled away, awkwardly bidding you farewell, saying he'd see you later before he made his way out of the pool.

since then, the brewing tension between the two of you grew. it didn't help you already see him quite a bit during the day, then alone at night. apparently, it was evident to everyone there was something happening because thea calligaris cornered you.

"the last girl who was with grayson ended up dead."

you were unsure what to believe after that, you really didn't trust thea, but didn't mean it couldn't be true. 'don't rich people always have some murderous secret?'

you couldn't help it, and brought up the topic to grayson, who went very still at the mention. he lashed out at you before walking away. you suppose that confirmed it.

he avoided you for a few days, even skipped out on swimming lessons, so you kept yourself busy with school and hanging with avery and xander; solving the still ongoing mystery of the will. which you'd lowkey given up on because riddles were not your forte.

you felt bad your question, but he didn’t need to act so harshly toward you. so, you weren’t going to talk to him until he approached you first.

a knock sounded in your room when you were getting ready for bed. however, it didn't come from the door but from behind a large painting.

'i swear if this house is haunted, i'm running back home'

you tried to remove the painting, but it was stuck to the wall. then you discover a small button hidden on its frame. against better judgment, you press it, making the painting and the wall behind it move forward and slide to the left.

you knew there were various passages, but having one in your own room kind of freaked you out.

behind the moving wall stood grayson. you screamed at first, only seeing a figure in the dark. but then grayson quickly stepped into the light and closer to you to put a hand over your mouth. you were relieved to see him and not someone who would possibly murder you.

he didn’t remove his hand, you gave him an expectant look.

“just hear me out, before you demand i leave. i came to apologize.”

you nodded, allowing him to continue. he sighed and pulled his hand away. then he opened up to you for the first time, telling you about a girl name emily laughlin.

he explained her condition, how both hom and jameson were involved with her, and how she died.

the more the story went on the more you felt bad for both brothers, especially grayson since it seemed it was still affecting him. you even felt for emily, obviously, she lacked something in her life to play 2 brothers.

“i'm not complaining, but why did you decide to tell me all this” the two of you at some point made your way onto your bed, sitting side by side each other

he humorlessly laughs, and looks directly at you. “to be honest, i’m not even sure. all i know is when i look into your eyes, i have this urge to tell bare my soul to you.”

deja vu to the pool incident, you both didn’t say anything, just looked at each other, slowly leaning your face closer.

you were ready to be interrupted again, stopping the act before it can happen. but there was none, and your lips were now an inch apart, and your heart was beating like you just ran a marathon.

“tell me to stop right now, or i’m afraid i won’t be able to hold myself back.”

you said nothing.

wasn't like he gave you much reaction time anyway because he kissed you a second later - like you were the last person he was ever going to kiss.

and oh boy, was it a good kiss.

even when he left your room later that night, after much kissing you were still reeling from the shock of it all.

you didn't know what it meant for the two of you - did he like you?, was it a one-time thing?, or did he kiss you as a way to forget emily?

you were only sure of one thing right now - you felt something toward grayson that crossed the friend zone.

the kiss was never brought up over the days; grayson and you continued to work together and swim at night together almost every other day. you weren't sure if you were relieved or offended he never mentioned it.

you swore he got flirter since the kiss - his hand brushing against yours, standing very close behind you when reviewing something for the foundation, hands wandering when helping you swim, even a subtle flirty remark here and there.

you confided in avery about the events. she was insistent on the fact grayson liked you, and that he didn't seem like the type of have a fling nor rebound.

you wanted to believe he liked you, but then you would hear thea's voice in your head, reminding you of emily, and how he isn't over her.

it was driving you mad, so you convinced yourself you were simply reading into things. you weren't.

it all came to a head at a charity event the both of you helped plan for the foundation. you'd wore a beautiful namebrand designer custom-made gown, the fanciest dress you ever adorned.

however, the whole night grayson ignored you and made it clear he was avoiding you. anytime you approached him he gave an excuse to the person he was talking to that he had to go somewhere. or if you tried making eye contact, he was quick to turn his head the other direction. you didn't know what his deal was.

when you took to the outside for a breather, you sensed the arrival of his presence.

you scoff, "so now you wanna talk to me or what?"

he didn't respond, which upset you more. so you opted to walk back into the ballroom, but grayson stopped you.

"anytime i look at you too long, i think of our kiss that night. then i have to hold myself back from doing it another time. and if i kiss you, i thin- no. i know i won't be able to help but fall for you."

you were again dumbfounded by such confession. a habit that seemed to always happen in the presence of grayson hawthrone.

"i don't mind."

"neither do i."

he crashed your lips together with his in a flash.

unlike the first one, the kiss was messy, and messy was never a way you thought you'd describe the pristine grayson hawthorne.

his hands made their way to your face keeping you close while his mouth was almost devouring your lips. you steadied yourself by holding onto his shoulders because you did not trust your wobbly knees to stand on their own.

you pulled away first, heavily breathing like the night you almost drowned. your mind was still hazy, unable to properly form a sentence to speak.

grayson hands stayed, caressing your face gently,

"you can have my entire being if it means i get to kiss you like that whenever."

you both didn't end up returning to the charity that night. not while your makeup was smudged and all your lipstick was transferred on grayson's face.

though it was never verbally official, the two of you were evidently more than friends at that point.

you didn't even need to tell anyone of your newfound relationship because you'd come to find out jameson had seen the two of you that night, and he would could never resist a gossip about grayson. so the information easily made its way throughout the entire hawthorne manor.

in relation, grayson fought jameson. unfortunately, you weren't allowed to watch the fight because grayson didn't want you to witness any violence. you were lowkey disappointed because you and avery were ready to place bets.

alissa also made sure to have a talk with you both regarding public appearances. she advised it was better to keep it private because everyone was still reeling from yours and avery's newfound inheritance, and this news could possibly do damage to your media reputation. plus, it was better if grayson was advertised as single.

you personally didn't mind, you weren't the biggest fan of pda when you had a thousand new eyes on you. and alissa's advice was wise since you were new to the whole being a public figure thing. and well, you both lived together anyway.

grayson was more hesitant to agree, but mostly for your benefit he listened to alissa.

it was fun in a way, acting platonic in public then kissing when you got to the mansion or even the limousine. it was like having a secret relationship.

whenever interviews tried to insinuate something, you learned how to shut it down after much lessons on pr. but grayson liked to leave sly comments; only the two of you could understand.

"yeah, y/n's quite well at exploring the mouth of new things."

"y/n and i have become very acquainted with each other."

"you could say i'm into women who sink instead of swim."

it made you wanna laugh and playfully hit him all the same.

what really made your relationship step into public light was when rumors about you and jameson dating started circling around.

a photo of the two of you had been taken getting out of a limo together then entering a building, where people rumored you had a 'date'. in reality, both of you were there to talk to skye hawthorne after she was removed from the hawthorne mansion.

grayson was less than happy about these rumors, and jameson not denying anything to the press to get a rise out of grayson, was making things worse.

so, in a grayson hawthorne manner - he took care of things himself. he bought out all of the press and made them debunk the stories.

then to be even more dramatic, the next time the two of you were out together, he made a whole show of kissing you. even going as far as dipping you down in his arms before the kiss - felt straight out of a cheesy romcom. you couldn't say you didn't enjoy it, though.

the paparazzi had a field day with those photos & the two of your the front page of gossip magazines for weeks. alissa was ready to explode after only finding out the two of you went public from the media.

being in a public relationship was harder than being in a secret one. there were somehow even more eyes on you, picking your relationship apart. they mostly targeted your flaws and even took digs at your old diner job. even a surge of online hate came at your direction.

even grayson couldn't buyout every magazine or person who had a negative thing to say about you, and trust that he very much tried to.

but being official in public also had great pros. now, grayson and you could go out on dates wherever without worrying about hiding and disguises.

you couldn't stay anywhere too far at first because of the 'stay in the house for a year' rule, but you had dates at all sorts of fancy places. even though you were technically a net-worth nigher than him,now, he always insisted on paying the bill. ever the gentleman.

grayson knew how to plan one himself. a personal favorite of yours had to be the picnic in a hot air balloon.

but once the year was up, the first place gray took you was to paris, which he knew was always your dream. paris now seemed like a mundane dream compared to all of the past year's events.

still, paris was absolutely incredible, and being there with your boyfriend made it better - and helpful because he was fluent in french while you barely passed the high school class with a B.

seeing the eiffel tower was the best part, it was even more amazing up close. standing there with grayson, the grays started to cloud, and small drizzles of water came down.

your bodyguard (one oren forcefully implanted) had advised you both to head to the car before it started pouring. you were ready to follow along, but gray tugged your sleeve, stopping your movement.

you gave him a questioning gaze, so he held out his hand, asking you to dance.

you laughed and accepted nonetheless, even when the rain started to pour in more. the two of you began a clumsy (on your part) waltz across the pavement. both of your faces filled with blissful smiles. to this day, it is a favorite memory of yours.

it was even better when grayson gifted you a photo of you two that day, one he asked the bodyguard to take. now, the picture was framed next to the one grayson had taken & grayson hung a copy of it at the hawthorne foundation.

since dating, grayson's insomnia has improved immensely. it mainly had to do with the fact you two frequently sleep in his bed together. he jokes your his personal nyquil.

it's true when they say he sleeps like a deadman, even has a tiny snore - though he keep denying it. but he has some sort of sixth sense that enables him to know when you leave the bed.

like for instance, you needed to use the bathroom one night, and the moment you got up from the bed - grayson is up and asking where you were going.

the swimming lessons were not forgotten - you two still had that nightly routine. but you weren't becoming a michael phelps anytime soon. not when most of your lessons involved more kissing than swimming.

but hey, at least you've moved past the need for floaties. because grayson just carries you himself if it's too deep for you to swim.

he loves to buy anything that reminds him of you. a jewelry piece that matches your eyes, a dress he thinks would look pretty on you, a shift from your favorite film/show/artist, or even an item you offhandedly mentioned you wanted. he'd have them wrapped and ready to give to you the next moment he saw you.

much to our surprise, grayson was also the clingy type. his love language was more gift-giving but doesn't mean he wasn't a bit touch-starved.

he revels in hugs, kisses, and intimate moments. he always wants to hold hands when you both are walking together. jameson and nash love to tease him on it.

he has as a domestic side to him. he helps you put on your coat or even sometimes makes you wear it, keeps you on the side of the sidewalk not near the street, carries your purse or shopping bags, and helping you slip on your heels and shoes.

overall, grayson hawthorne was nothing less of an amazing boyfriend. except when he sees eve for the first time.

you were in the office of the foundation looking over a few files when you saw tobias' name mentioned then initials at the bottom. 'T.T.H.'

"huh, i thought your grandfather didn't have middle name."

grayson looked over your shoulder, "oh, he didn't. at least not until had changed his legal name less than a year before his passing."

"what is it?"

"tatersall. quite peculiar right?"

you laughed to yourself. perhaps he was trying to set you up with her grandson after all.

@itzchanelx @marigold-morelli

[leverage-commentary]

Leverage Season 2, Episode 6, The Top Hat Job, Audio Commentary Transcript

Dean: Hello I’m Dean Devlin, Executive Producer.

Christine: I’m Christine Boylan, one of the writers.

Peter: Peter O’Fallon, Director.

John: John Rogers, Executive Producer.

Scott: Scott Veach, the other writer.

Chris: Chris Downey, Executive Producer. And this is the Top Hat Job.

John: See, I was hoping we’d pretend that there were like twelve more people [All Laugh] in this, like, baffling list. Uh, the Top Hat Job was born actually of two things. One, Scott Veach, who’s a name you haven’t heard before on the show, came in as a freelancer to pitch a magician show. And at the same time, Tim Hutton had said that he would like to play a magician.

[Chris and Christine Laugh]

John: And Tim makes very few requests of us, so it seemed like not a bad idea. The question is, of course, well, how would you go about doing this? Um either Christine or Scott, can you tell me where we got the villain from?

Christine: Uh... where did- where did we get the villain from?

John: I think it was-

Christine: Uh, was a-

Scott: Oh, yeah.

Christine: -magazine article. Again, I believe Albert Kim brought that into the room- 

John: Yes.

Christine: -a lot of these, this season we all had a hand in everything and I love that. Albert brought in this article about a foods company that was knowingly putting out salmonella-laced meals, frozen meals on the market and we were just really upset. 

John: As a matter of fact, the really ridiculous villainous thing we have this guy say, which is, ‘You’re supposed to cook it to this temperature. It’s on the package; that’s why we’re not liable’ is something that company actually said-

Christine: Completely true.

John: Without mentioning the fact that even in their laboratories, they could never get it that hot.

[All Chuckle]

John: So these guys, the real life villains, are far worse than the enormously cartoonish evil guys we have in this show. 

Christine: Absolutely.

John: And now, who’s this actress?

Chris: This is, uh, Jennifer, uh… Skyler.

John: Chris always has the cast list, thats-

Chris: Yes, I got my cast list right here. This is Jennifer Skyler, she’s a local Portland actress, and tried out and was fantastic.

Peter: She did a great job.

John: Now Peter, this, y’know, I think this is another one we really cast almost entirely out of Portland, right?

Peter: All but the bad guy. I think the bad guy-

Chris: I think so, yeah. I think- 

Dean: Yeah, yeah.

John: What was it like working with, like, the Portland humans, Peter?

Peter: Overall it was pretty good. We had a little bit of uh, well, you know, and it turned out very well, thank you.

[All Laugh]

John: We got a state grant on the line here, Peter, so don’t screw this up for us, man.

Peter: No, she was- she was great, she was uh, she did a really good job. The concept was to try to add as much pressure to her so that you’d have compassion for her, and as you can see right where we are right now, she does a very good job of it.

John: And during the uh, during the... um, horrible credit sequence we all hate.

[Christine Laughs]

John: And I can say that, ‘cause it’s the DVD, they’ve already bought it.

Peter: Saga sell.

[All Laugh]

John: Yeah, it’s the saga sell. That’s actually, you know Pete, it’s the first time somebody’s brought up the phrase ‘saga sell’. Uh, who wants to define the ‘saga sell’ for the nice folks?

Peter: That was uh, I did the show The Riches and that was the bane of our existence, was trying to sell what the show is about, that’s what the saga sell-

John: In thirty seconds you have to remind new viewers what the show is about, and annoy old viewers.

Christine: Wow.

John: And now, why is this scientist drinking? Someone tell me that.

Christine: Because her last name is Jameson.

[All Laugh]

Christine: You’re welcome.

Chris: I believe that was your addition to the- to the character, wasn’t it? I mean- 

Christine: I do like naming characters, yes.

Chris: She was initially known as ‘plucky research girl’, I believe?

John: Science girl. Plucky science girl.

Christine: Many variations on that.

Chris: And then a lot of the- there was a big cry out in the development of the story: “more plucky science girl!” And I think Christine, you added the little wrinkle that she likes to— likes to drink a few.

Christine: She does like to drink a few. I’m a big fan of uh—

Peter: Drink a lot.

Christine: Yeah, she does like to drink a lot. Um, I’m a big fan of victims who like to get involved and crusade a little bit and we hadn’t had one in a while, so getting her involved was a lot of fun.

John: It’s always tricky, because the victim, in theory, you don’t want to endanger these innocent people who’ve always been in some sort of danger, but if you don’t check in with them or don’t make them present in the story, they disappear.

Christine: But she’s plucky, has no discernible friends or family, and is a drunk, [All Laugh] so I think it’s okay that we go ahead and, you know, put her in danger.

Peter: And we decided on the set to have her play that— she’s playing really, uh, she really enjoys Tim’s company; would like to be with Tim a lot more than she’s letting on.

John: Well, you know, Tim’s a dreamy guy, right?

Christine: He is.

John: You know, when I use his photo and pretend to be him on the internet, I do very well. 

[All Laugh]

Scott: I do that same thing!

John: Yeah, exactly, there’s a lot of guys pretending to be Tim Hutton on the internet, so if you ever get something dirty from Tim Hutton on the internet, it might not be him. 

[All Laugh]

Christine: The actual Tim Hutton [unintelligible].

Chris: Interesting thing in his little reaction here. When I was watching this, it really, it took me back to Ordinary People because, remember him playing flustered, in Ordinary People, around the girl?

John: Yeah.

Chris: It’s very much, you see it on his face right here.

Peter: Little nervous.

Chris: It’s kinda right there-

Christine: Yeah, there’s an ‘aw shucks’ quality to it. I love it.

John: And it was interesting because, trying to get the Sophie character, trying to reconcile like what was going on here, was the understanding that they had screwed up whatever they’d kind of had first season. And so this is the phase where, you know, even if Sophie doesn’t necessarily want to see Nate off with somebody else, she knows he has to at least have some sort of human relationship—

Christine: Mhm.

John: — that this isolation that he’s engaged himself in will eventually, you know, isn’t healthy, and it is, as a matter of fact, what eventually destroys him over the course of the second season.

Christine: Mhm. Spoiler. [Laughs]

Peter: And she’s also trying to uh—

John: I think people know it’s not ending well. [Christine Laughs]

Peter: And she’s trying to break his balls a little by leaving him there alone.

John: Yeah, yeah, exactly. And that’s great, that’s— this take goes forever.

Timestamp: [5:00]

Christine: Yeah, he has this nice uncomfortable beat.

John: And still—

[All Laugh]

Scott: Ooooooh…

Peter: Well… so… uh.

Christine: Been on that date. 

[All Laugh]

Peter: What about them Yankees? How ‘bout those Yankees? [More Laughter] So, you gonna make a move there, son? [laughter continues]

John: So—

Peter: No, I’m not.

John: No, no. Aaand thank you, sir.

Christine:And, leave the bottle.

John: Another drink.

Chris: One more drink.

[All Laugh]

John: Yeah she’s gonna be very lonely, looking like that, drunk, in a bar in Boston. She’s not gonna do well. Uh, this is actually interesting. Now, Scott, you wrote a big chunk of this sequence, if I remember correctly. This is interesting, this is not something we usually see on the show; uh, why don’t you tell us about it?

Scott: You mean where, where they’re failing?

John: Yes. But Scott—

Scott: They never fail!

John: Scott came in and made the characters you love suck. Now Scott, explain why you did that.

Scott: [Laughs] Uh, yeah. No, but it was, you know, I think it was a, it was a group idea. But it was- the idea was it’d be really fun to see them get overconfident, and to see what happens when, you know; it’s usually, they’re so good at everything that they do, what happens when that sort of falls apart and how do they react? And so we thought it’d be really fun to see what that looks like.

John: How did you— how many takes to get him to balance the damn ball on his forehead?

Peter: We stuck it to his head. [John laughs]

Christine: Aww, that’s adorable.

Scott: There’s some, there’s some tape under there.

Peter: The other one too, is a- the- the bandana on his head is covering a scar—

Christine: Oh, yes, he is.

John: Oh, this was this episode.

Peter: — that was left because, in one of the fights he got caught and got stitches.

Chris: We’ll get to that; that’s a good story there.

Christine: This is the one, yeah.

Peter: So we added the scarf to cover the stitches.

John: Yeah, and it’s also, it’s interesting because it is- it is something they’re doing, and you know, when he says after Tim walks in, you know, there’s no blueprint fairy. The idea is, this scene, all this act here, is what happens in act zero of every other show. Like in every other show, they’re doing this, they’re showing up as pizza guys, they’re getting sketches of buildings and stuff, we just never bother to see it because this time they, they—

Dean: Actually this particular scene here was not actually, was not in the episode—

Scott: Oh, that’s right.

Dean: — when we came in, when we came in short, [All Laugh] we added this scene, and one of the things I’m so proud about is that it seamlessly goes into this scene, which was part of the show—

Chris: That I could not believe.

Dean: And it actually ended up adding a very nice-

John: The other side of the door, that first side of the door was shot how many months after the- this side of the door?

Dean: About a month.

Scott: Probably a month, it was probably about a month. And see if you can track, uh, Gina’s pregnancy there.

[All Laugh]

Scott: It’s an interesting thing.

John: Yeah, it’s really— you’re kind of in a medium-close there. There she’s okay.

Christine: She’s glowing, she’s gorgeous.

John: She is glowing.

Peter: We decided to give Tim a lot of movement here because the concept is, he knows it’s all gonna go bad—

John: Yeah.

Peter: — they don’t.

Scott: He’s convinced it’s gonna go bad; he’s gonna sit down and wait.

John: Well, in the research, it was a little stunning. When we started investigating these food companies, because, you know, in the show it’s always, how do you have a threat? And uh, the scale— the amount of money that these guys throw around, is truly boggling, and the depths to which they will go to cover up their maleficence is uh, it’s… they’re not putting people in shallow graves, but they’re ruining people’s lives.

Peter: Did you notice his name?

John: What’s that?

Peter & Christine: Oleg.

John: Oleg, why?

Peter: I dunno.

[All Laugh]

Christine: Damn sexy name.

Scott: Yeah, I don’t think that was in the script.

John: I like that it’s “Super Hot Pizza”, because you wouldn’t want to buy another kind.

Dean: But I also notice that this- this entire sequence, the camera never stops moving, and it— just love the way you use the camera in this sequence.

Peter: Try to keep the heat going on, the pressure.

John: Now when you’re planning on shooting something that cross cuts between two to three situations, I mean, you know, are you trying to match actual camera left-to-right movement? Or do you just keep it in motion and assume that when you’re cutting it that’s gonna play?

Peter: I try to match it, right-to-left. You know, the idea was that Tim’s static, and he’s just sitting there doing, uh, you know, he’s confident about what’s going on while the rest of them are panicking.

John: He’s Reed Richards back there, he knows.

Scott: It’s like his version of TV, to watch this.

Peter: Exactly.

John: Nice fight, by the way.

Scott: By the way, this was literally maybe twelve hours after he’d gotten stitched up, he did this fight.

Peter: If that, yeah.

Christine: He is a superhero, seriously.

Peter: He takes it very seriously.

John: I always say, shit kicker is genetic.

Dean: And I think that’s our first ‘in the nuts’ shot of the series.

John: I think it is.

Peter: I like to do those nut shots.

Christine: Nice.

John: That was in your contract.

Dean: And I love the whole Parker thing here, this whole Parker exchange here was just inspired.

John: Yes, her idea of witty banter just doesn’t quite cut it.

[All Laugh]

John: But yeah, neither one really gets it.

Christine: Who put Parker in the glasses? A+. She looks great.

John: Thanks for bringing the lesbian vibe tonight, Christine.

Christine: You know, I’m here, you know, I’m representing all kinds of people.

Chris: Here’s another shot.

John: Nice green screen. Have you not seen that nice green screen? Nice green screen shot. Um yeah, there’s a lot of green screen in this one actually, just because there’s a lot of Parker hanging places.

Dean: I love this Aldis ending here, trying to, like, put a good spin on it.

[All Laugh]

Peter: And Aldis was quite at adding little quips here and there, and the fun stuff.

John: Yeah, a lot of— by this point, these actors know these characters well enough that, you know, a lot of times you’re just trying to get out of their way when they’re on pace.

Peter: This was a note that Chris gave me, which I loved, which is that they’re, like, children.

Timestamp: [10:00]

Chris: They’re siblings.

Peter: And Tim’s the father.

Chris: And Dean, you were here for this, I believe—

Dean: I was here for the poking.

Chris: And I think that I gotta give you credit for kinda, getting the whole poking thing. You know, ‘Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.’

Dean: Yeah, we just wanted to get that vibe of ‘Daaad.’

[All Laugh]

Peter: ‘He’s bugging me, stop it!’

John: The ice thing we actually established early in the season; the idea that they’re constantly raiding Nate’s apartment for the tools- his life has turned upside down, at some point, three AM, he will wake up and they will be in his apartment, like, bandaging themselves up with his stuff.

Christine: Eating cereal.

John: Yes, eating cereal. He has not had ice for a drink in, like, four months; it’s all for Eliot’s bruises.

Scott: ‘She’s poking me!’

[All Laugh]

Peter: ‘Leave me alone, dad.’

Dean: Love it.

John: Now, this whole section where they introduce how we get the information because these guys couldn’t get in, uh, Erik with a ‘k’.

Christine: Always evil.

Peter: I love the reaction with the ‘k’, too, here, that she’s uh, ‘I didn’t know that.’

[All Laugh]

Dean: And she goes, ‘Everyone knows that.’ [All Laugh] And he’s like, ‘What the fuck?‘

Christine: I got a lot of weird Facebook messages after this aired, by the way, from Eriks with ‘k’s.

John: You actually get all three character’s attitudes flawlessly there, which is: Parker just lives in a slightly different world, it’s about ten degrees off of everyone else; and Sophie treats her like its just, oh, I didn’t know it was that way in your world; while Nate, Nate is the only sane man in an insane world.

Chris: Here, look at this, we gotta give credit to Apollo Robbins, here. Apollo gave us [unintelligible].

Dean: I love this camera work, I love this idea of attaching the camera to the packet.

John: What is it? Is it just a button cam, or…?

Peter: Eh, we just attached the camera with a c-stand onto the box itself.

John: Oh cool. Um, that whole trojan horse thing comes from Apollo Robbins.

Chris: Apollo Robbins, our consultant, gives us all kinds of, you know-

Peter: And you will see a short little cameo of him in the back in one of the scenes.

John: Oh cool!

Peter: We’ll point him out.

Chris: We’ll talk more about him later.

[All Laugh]

Peter: Oh that was a great idea. Speedos are always good.

John: But there’s a hacker conference in vegas called DefCon every year, and that year, the trojan bluetooth cellphone happened to be the big thing of that year, so we ganked that. Um, you know, we really should, like McGuyver, leave out one crucial element, because we have taught people to do fairly horrible things on this show, and only later do we realize, oh we…we taught them exactly how to do that.

[All Laugh]

John: We should have rethought that.

Dean: Oops.

John: And then they’re talking about the horrible corporate meeting.

Chris: I think that was- Albert Kim, who worked at Time Warner and their magazines for many years, introduced us to the state of the company meeting, where they often have magicians. That was, kind of, what brought the whole episode together.

John: And remember, I had done a bunch of those, and that’s why as soon as Albert said that, I was like oh god, I actually did one of these shows when they announced layoffs right before I went on.  

Christine: That was a great day in their world.

Peter: Well that’s a tough room.

Chris: Because folks, surprisingly, to do a show - a heist/con show involving a magician, is not the easiest thing in the world.

[All Laugh]

John: No, really, oddly enough.

Chris: When that’s your mandate…

John: Yeah, we don’t usually start backwards like that, but you know what, this actually turned out pretty coherent, considering.

Dean: I love this whole magic bit here, I think this was inspired.

Christine: This kid’s great.

John: This guy is so- now why are they dressed like fif- by the way, Parker and Hardison here are either, a) dressed like a fifties’ couple or b) like the couple from Thriller, from the horror movie Thriller.

Christine: I thought b), I thought we were going for that-

Dean: They are college kids.

John: They’re college kids, is that how the flappers are dressing now?

Chris: This is Tim Gouran as Chronos.

John: [wheezing] Chronos… Oh the nipple rings are horrifying.

Christine: They’re fantastic.

Peter: The guy does- the guy’s channelling...what’s his name?

All: Chris Angel.

Peter: The way he does the movement, and all of that, we asked him to just study him and go wild with it.

Christine: I remember his audition tape; made me laugh.

Peter: I love that she’s reluctant to go up to the- first she goes, ‘Oh no no no, I don’t wanna go-’

Christine: ‘No, I don’t like magic-’

John: God, he’s so cheesy- oh man, and then him showing her exact- and that’s the- it’s interesting that the entire show’s, kind of, about trade secrets. Because you know, the whole idea is the advantage these characters have is, they know how these tricks work, which is a trade secret. Wow, that’s a really creepy look.

[All Laugh]

John: “Silence!”

Scott: Oh, he was great.

John: I almost enjoy this sequence more without words. Seriously, I’m like half a Guinness in and I’m loving this.  

Chris: And kudos to the assistant, giving the bored reactions.

Peter: She’s just bored out of her mind.

John: I believe that’s actually in the script, right? ‘Even his assistant doesn’t like him.’

Peter: ‘That’s my girlfriend; that’s her up there, quit looking.’

Chris: A lot of great ad libs here from them.

John: Again, this is one of those places where when it’s, you know, Aldis and Beth, you just kinda get out of their way, and you assume it’s gonna work out.

Timestamp: [15:00]

[All Laugh]

Dean: This guy is so great.

Christine: We’re all just watching him.

John: I almost want to bring him back now; now that I’m watching this again?

Dean: He’s so over the top; it’s awesome.

Christine: Can we please bring him back? He’s adorable.

Peter: And once again, kudos to our magic… what’s his name again?

Christine: Apollo.

Peter: He helped him out with all these, how they do it.

Chris: He designed the box. I mean he did so much; he added so much to this episode.

Peter: That was a mistake, and it was hilarious, you know, with the sword; she grabbed it and pulled it in, and I thought it was hilarious.

John: No, I’m actually- I’m friends with David Ackroyd who designs tricks for Penn & Teller, and the whole, sort of, the loathing for stage magicians that these guys have is hilarious. Oh, the eskimo kisses. And the rings. Yup, I think we went through a whole day of, like, looking at tricks and seeing what could malfunction in the most annoying way.

Christine: That was an odd day of YouTube clips, I’ll tell you. We went down the rabbit hole there.

John: No odder than usual, really.

Christine: No odder than usual, it’s true.

Chris: I love the way this actor dropped the character at one point, like “stop it!”

John: That’s really, that’s dark, ‘cause now I can actually- now as he runs off-

Peter: ’Is there a surgeon? Is there a surgeon?’

John: Like, with Parker actually trapped in the box still, nice. And, another innocent human destroyed in our quest for justice.

Christine: Not so innocent. Not so innocent.

John: Yeah, that’s true.

Christine: He was sexually harassing his assistant, I believe it says in the text.

Chris: Here’s George Castillo, who’s playing Dan Markland, head of security, who is our bad guy’s henchman.

John: He’s the Busey. We can say Busey, Busey is the word we use all the time-

Peter: And here’s Tim, having fun.

Christine: Oh no.

John: If you haven’t heard the first season DVDs, the Busey is based on Gary Busey’s character in Lethal Weapon.

Dean: Are those Apollo’s hands?

Chris: Those are Apollo’s hands.

John: Uh, who is the thug who brings physical violence so that the main bad guy doesn’t have to. Yes, that’s Apollo doing the close up stuff. Although Tim did a little bit of it; Tim really got into it.  

Dean: Oh, he was into it.

Peter: And again, Tim handled this so well, the idea that the- they just start pushing away and go through it all- they just start pushing their way in.

John: Yeah, exactly. Well, that’s the, you know, all of heist and confidence shows are just, just keep it moving so people can’t ask questions.

Dean: And carefully placing Gina behind the box.

[All Laugh]

Peter: She’s always carefully placed, you’ll notice.

Christine: We couldn’t have laundry in this one, so we, you know.  

John: What is Beth- what is Beth wearing?

Dean: This got more and more obvious as the season went on.

Peter: I’ll bet.

John: Beth is like Neil Gaiman’s Death back there.

Christine: I know, I love it. Again, A+ Parker look right here. Just, all these Parker outfits are terrific.

John: And it’s interesting, it’s really interesting because you got, everyone’s got a very distinct look; in particular I love Aldis in the suit, as the engineer, as the kind of like.. you know, you can totally see how that character lives his life. He dresses up, he goes to these shows, he’s actually based- that character’s based on a British fictional character called Jonathan Creek, which is a British mystery show about a guy who designs magic tricks. He’s not the magician, he’s the guy who designs the impossible and he solves impossible crimes, and you know, when you have five humans, coming up with a role for everyone to play, never easy. That’s why Chris is actually in the box.

Peter: Oh, this is the rabbit gag.

Christine: Oh, the rabbit. I love the camera work here.

Chris: And this is all one shot, watch, watch this.

Dean: This is a beautiful steadicam shot.

Peter: Our steadicam operator was, uh, a bit nervous when we started, but- except for this.   

Dean: Oh, this is awesome; one of my favorite flashbacks.

John: Now this- And we have not done a lot of the flashes this year-

Christine: Look at their face. [All Laugh] That’s great.

Scott: That was my mom’s favorite moment.

Christine: “It’s not the same thing.“

Chris: And the rabbit’s gone.

John: That was actually written as just an anecdote, and then we hadn’t done a flash in so long, it’s like, you know what, what the hell, let’s bury a kid.

Dean: And what’s the story with the girl who played Parker? Wasn’t there a story behind that? That she didn’t get to do that part in a different episode?

Chris: I think that’s right, she got cut out earlier.

John: Yeah, she got cut from the MMA one, the flashback of Parker’s first concert. And then, so instead, we gave this one where we buried her alive, in a backyard in Vancouver, Washington.

Christine: That girl’s adorable.

Chris: Backyard? That was a public park.

[All Laugh]

Christine: Buried a girl alive in a public park.

Peter: Marc Roskin shot that, by the way.

Chris: Yes, Marc Roskin did a fantastic job shooting that.

Christine: Only on Leverage.

Chris: That’s how accommodating they are in Portland.

John: ‘Hi, uh, listen, we’re the film department. We’d like to bury a twelve year old girl alive in a public park, if you can-’

Christine: ‘Great, great, we’ll get you a brunette, we’ll get you a redhead-’

Peter: I actually had a bet with the location department, because I’ve been all over the world shooting, where you could never dig a park up. In Portland you can.

John: No, they’re very happy to have us there.

Chris: We have eminent domain powers in Portland.

[All Laugh]

John: ‘We’re here seize your home.’ ‘What?’

Scott: We’re like diplomats.

John: To be fair, we couldn’t have made this year without Portland. I mean, seriously, the locations we got?

Peter: No.

John: Oh yeah. ‘Where’s the rabbit?’ Nice running gag, by the way, I don’t believe that was in the script?

Peter: No, that was just [unintelligible].

Chris: Nah, that came up on set.

Timestamp: [20:00]

John: Nice. You didn’t actually lose the rabbit, did you?

Peter: No. No white rabbits were harmed filming this show.

John: Now, have you shot a con or heist show before?

Peter: Uh, I did The Riches.

John: The Riches, yeah. So— but that’s almost more of a character piece, than a— ‘cause they, they’re, he’s running a long con, but not—

Peter: Yeah, big tycoon, he’s lying to everyone all the time.

John: Yeah, exactly. Was there any—

Peter: Not quite this… this…

John: Yeah this is more heisty, y’know, was there any prep you did coming into this, just like looking at stuff, or, uh-? I’m always curious, because we have different directors come in, it’s a very different kind of show. It’s not like, say, ER, where it’s the hospital, there are doctors—

Peter: Everybody runs a steadicam shot all the way through.

John: Yeah, exactly.

Peter: No, actually, I just uh— I watched the, like, five shows that Dean had sent me, and in the big picture I got the idea, I mean the concept. Also, I love that Tim wanted to do the magic so badly that we ended up writing, what, four or five more pages that we shot for days on end. But it was great; it was really fun. And for me it was all movement; the whole show is about movement.

John: Yeah.

Peter: And we added a whole bunch of guards everywhere so, I wanted to have an extra pressure all the time, so every time they step around the corner there’s more security people walking around, so it appears as though—

Dean: I love this guy, who played the uh, the CFO.

Christine: Oh, yeah.

Chris: This is, uh, Jack Armstrong, another local Portland actor.

Dean: This bit was great, what was the story behind this bit?

John: I actually dropped this one in the script based on a guy who had been driving around, um, San Francisco with a RFID receiver, ganking people’s passport numbers out of their pockets. He was, like, driving around in a car, and the RFID chips were giving off enough of a signal that he could read their data as he drove by.

Peter: God.

John: So getting your car to do it was a piece of cake. I mean, getting your phone to do it at that range, eminently believable. That is one of the things about this show, is you spend an awful lot of time telling America they’re nowhere near as safe as they think they are.

[All Laugh]

Peter: This uh, this gag in the elevator, uh, the giant bar broke, and damn near took off… uh, who’s head?

John: Aldis?

Peter: Aldis, and Chris, actually. Both of them.

John: No, don’t hurt Aldis. I mean Chris, has the shit-kicker genes; he heals in like a day. Seriously he’s got some weird Wolverine stuff going on, but now, don’t bang Aldis up, man. You know, that’s weird, that happened on a pilot I shot in San Diego. They had a wire rig for two thousand pounds, had two hundred and twenty pounds of people on it, snapped, put them through like fifteen feet; dropped them right through the ceiling of a hut they were supposed to fall through. Now luckily, they were supposed to fall through the hut, so we got the shot.

Peter: Right.

John: And they were fine. [Laughs] But the point is—

Peter: Well, we had one take, we had one take of this, that’s it.

Scott: Yeah, this is it.

Peter: Luckily it worked really well.

Dean: Oh this is great, uh, falling through the, uh…

Chris: The elevator shaft.

Dean: The elevator shaft. Now part of the- this gag actually came because of TNT, right? What was the story behind that?

Chris: TNT said, ‘How come the in the script it just has him falling up? And we suggest her falling through the elevator shaft.’ And we said, ‘Well, if you’d like to pay for a shot of them falling through the elevator shaft, [All Laugh] we’d be happy to shoot it.’ And credit to TNT, they did.

Dean: That’s so great.

Peter: And I love– again, they’re arguing like — they’re back at arguing like kids, about who goes out and what they do and how they handle it.

Dean: Yeah, I love Eliot’s one, it’s like, ‘Who wants to be me? I punch people.’

Chris: ‘I get punched and kicked.’

John: That’s it. That is his lot in life, man, and he knows it.

Peter: And this was actually a auditorium from a large corporation.

John: Yeah. This is how they do those shows, man; those shows are death. They’re a lot of money, but they are death.

Chris: Hook it to something. There we go.

John: Now you shoot— Now, when you’re shooting up, this is green-, this is all computer generated right?

Chris: There we go.

John: But when you’re shooting up through the top of the elevator, was that green too, or—

Peter: Yes. I love his reaction here.

John: Yeah. And down.

Dean: I like the little pause, though. Like, everything’s okay, and then, Bugs Bunny.

John: It is Bugs Bunny, isn’t it?

All: Woah!

Dean: And that is digital debris, my friends.

Christine: Wow.

John: That is digital debris. So let me get this straight - we dropped digital pieces of cardboard, but we used a giant bar to lift our actor and slam him against the top of an elevator.

Peter: And slam him hard, too.

John: Okay. Good, that’s good, I’m glad we got our priorities straight.

Chris: There was a little smile from Aldis there because it was just so fun. I mean it was like, we couldn’t— and we only had one shot at it. I mean, you really wanted him to be scared, but it was just too impossible when he got pulled to the ceiling.

Peter: And we decided to add this part at the end where they drop.

[All Laugh]

Dean: “You didn’t see that coming, seriously?”

John: We actually, uh, it was a big debate this year, and most people watching the DVD might now know Jeri Ryan, until she shows up, when she would get her ‘seriously?’, because being allowed to say ‘seriously’ is part of the whole ‘you’re part of the team'.

Timestamp: [25:00]

Christine: On the writing staff, too.

John: Yeah, exactly, exactly.

Peter: Where did Erik Casten come from, the name?

John: Uh, clearances. [Laughter] Seriously man, we accuse people of such horrible, actionable crimes, we absolutely will.

Christine: Well what do we say, K's are evil?

John: K's are evil.

Christine: S's, P's, you know, things like that. And so I, you know—

John: An F or a Ph, that's usually evil.

Christine: I like to work with sounds, when we're naming.

Scott: Oh here he's covering his scar there, too.

John: Yeah.

Scott: If you guys are paying attention, he puts his hat back on.

John: And again, it's, it's—'cause we just did the commentary for The Order 23 Job, and this is another one where it's just, you just take Aldis and Chris, you let them be annoyed with each other, and you set them off on a separate plotline. And that will bring you amusement.

Peter: Yes. Mark Roskin shot this scene also, because my wife was having surgery.

John: Oh I'm sorry, is she okay?

Peter: Yeah, she's fine. God bless you guys though, it's the only time I've actually been able to leave. [All Laugh] 'My wife's having surgery.' 'Sorry, you can't-- have to stay.'

John: Well, Marc Roskin directed, uh, MMA, the MMA job which is on the set of discs and everything; he's actually our Producer/Director up there, who stayed up in Portland. So he picked up a lot of-- he shot a lot of stuff. We're... we shoot in seven days when we should really shoot in, oh, ten. Right?

Christine: Everybody gets to work with Rosky, that's uh, that's the way it goes.

John: That's the tradition. Uh, which hack is he doing right now?

Chris: I think this is when he hacks into the camera.

John: Oh, as he hacks into the remote camera.

Chris: He hacks into the remote camera.

John: That's another thing we—

Dean: Yeah this is when we decided to have that— the camera on his belt buckle allowed them to see what he was doing on the computer.

John: The phone camera.

Dean: The phone camera.

Christine: Right.

John: Also eminently doable. It's a bit cludgy, but you can- you can do it.

Peter: Tim's bombing here, which— we decided to give an arc here-

John: See, this is my question, because Tim's bombing, alright, and that's what I found delightful, is the fact that Nate Ford is finally not good at something.

All: Right.

John: What was the audience thinking? These are Portland extras, they've been told they're seeing Tim Hutton, did he just go up and suck, or did you tell them he was going to suck?

Scott: No, they were—

Peter: We told them that—Uh, we stood up and we showed all the uh, audience reactions, and Tim was up there with me and I was yelling out 'Okay now he really sucks; no, he really, really sucks' [All Laugh] 'No, he's boring', and they would all get really bored.

Chris: Now here were these real tricks that Apollo Robbins taught them to do, we did— we kinda had a little magic bootcamp while this filming was going on. And uh, you know these are all things Apollo brought up there, and we choreographed; they just had a ball.

Peter: It was astounding the show still turned out short with the four pages we added there. [All Laugh] Nothing but magicians.

Chris: But, but it's a testament to the pace of this show, I mean you really- it just flies.

John: It's, uh— and she's having another drink.

Peter: More drink.

Christine: Still in the bar.

John: Seriously, we're so—

Peter: Three days later.

John: We're so bringing drunk science girl back.

Christine: Oh, that's right.

John: I love science— I love a good science girl anyways, so.

Scott: Who doesn't?

John: Who doesn't?

Christine: Drunk science girl is just a bonus.

John: Yup.

Peter: Covered his scar again.

John: Yeah. But it's a tricky bit, because you know, your average television script is between forty five and fifty five pages, and because we're an action driven show we just never know where we're gonna land.

Christine: Yeah.

John: Um, that's cosy. [All Laugh]

Chris: That's a great shot right there.

Christine: No comment.

John: Yeah that's, that's a great shot.

Peter: Once again the bad guys walk by.

John: You know what, if they were- if they were really good at their jobs, they wouldn't be working at a food company.

Chris: Eh, now they're starting to get the hang of their magic act, you see things starting to turn around.

John: Uh, and then, oh yeah, we came up with the whole idea— this was the other thing, is, what were the constraints, what you need for security systems?

Peter: This the most— with the check, the chances of us timing this correctly were so slim, and this was the first take. Wow.

Scott: That was perfect.

Peter: Racked to it. And everybody got up at the right time.

John: Nice. You either get that— you know what, that always is a first take, isn't it? It's like, either you get it or you don't, yeah? Um, yeah that was a big part of designing this episode, is, we had to figure out what were the security systems in place, and how they could possibly interact with magic, none of us being magicians.

Chris: Right.

John: Yeah, it was a lot of, uh, a lot of big lists on the board that day. I like how the thing even has a top to hide her, uh, her pregnancy there. The sword thing is even at the right height.

Peter: The background absolutely loved Tim. They thoroughly enjoyed the—they sat there for, I dunno, eight or nine hours?

Christine: Wow.

Dean: I love that. 'No questions!' [All Laugh]

Chris: Yeah, first thing was- was a fingerprint. Okay—

Dean: 'Belieeeve in the magic.'

Chris: —well lets, how would they get a fingerprint if you're a magician on stage? Well okay, this is how. How would we relay it? And it was all... There's a lot of great gadgets here, we have the [Chuckles], you know the handy, uh, Brother P-Touch... [Laughs]

John: Yeah! The Brother P-Touch fingerprint printer.

Christ: The Brother P-Touch fingerprinter which, uh, available at [sounds like: hamburger shlemer] folks.

John: You know what? Again, this is why people underestimate Hardison. He has to have this stuff in his bag all the time. That's why he has the van. The van is there for a reason, people.

Christine: Respect the van.

Dean: Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this was the first episode that we introduced the gummy frogs—

Chris: Yes.

Dean:—which now became a partner with the orange soda as a necessary thing for Hardison at all times.

John: It is required, it is absolutely required for Hardison to have gummy frogs while hacking.

Dean: And orange soda.

John: And orange soda.

Chris: Alright, now they got the fingerprint, now it's smooth sailing, we get to get in. Uh, not so fast.

John: Uh, well they need to get—it's not so fast because now they need the gel.

Peter: I'll never forget when the prop guy said— we started with gummy bears, gummy this, gummy that, and when you said, I think, gummy frogs, and he's like, "You're fucking killing me".

[All Laugh]

Chris: Nope, gotta be gummy frogs.

Christine: They're exactly the right size! They're perfect.

Timestamp: [30:00] 

John: It's gotta be frogs. And again, by the way, I've actually seen the video where Bruce Schneier used this exact technique to fool a $150,000 fingerprint scanner.

Chris: Yeah.

John: The type that the TSA uses to secure airports. 

Christine: So please try this at home.

Chris: This is a great reaction right here.

John: And that's a great reaction. Just the laser, just the mocking him with the lasers.

Chris: And literally, ‘I'm spinning plates here, I'm spinning plates here while you're asking me for retinas.’ He's spinning plates!

Christine: Doing a great job! Spinning plates. And juggling.

Chris: And the retinas part is, to me, what the show is all about, what Leverage is all about, is that we have to put a CEO in a magic box, to bring him to scan his retinas. That is a whole, whole thing.

Dean: That's my favorite part of this whole episode, that for me... when I read that in the draft, I literally fell out of my chair laughing. I thought that was the funniest bit.

Christine: I think that was our favorite bit to do in the room.

John: Yeah, I must have driven the staff crazy, because I must have said 'They put me in a box' a thousand times.

Christine: It was hilarious. And the fake music cues we would make up, wheeling along...

John: Yeah. Oh, remember the uh, the thing I had was the sound of the box [mimics squeaking] and then we cut to the box. [mimics squeaking] 'Hey, is anybody out there?''

Chris: And this was great, this is Apollo—Apollo figured out how we would do the uh, box switch.

John: Cause the box actually works slightly differently, that's not how you'd usually do it, but he—Apollo invented a version of the trick on the fly.

Christine: For us.

John: [mimics squeaking] Hello?

[All Laugh]

Chris: And this stuff, when we shot this, I literally was crying, I was laughing so hard. We were shooting the stuff of him in the box, the CEO-

John: How did you shoot that?

Peter: We attached a camera again, kind of like the box shot earlier, attached the camera to the box and spun it. But I was surprised, it didn't look like I thought it would. It looks great, but it didn't turn out like I thought it would. But he was great, we spun him around and around, at one point he said, 'I'm getting sick'...

[All Laugh]

John: And all the jokes about bosses here, this is what you do in a corporate show, is when you go, you find out like all the stuff, the name of the boss, and the one who's bad at golf, and you work it into the routine, and oh, man. It's filthy, filthy lucre.

Chris: Here's a beautiful shot I love here, too; there's a shot from behind of the box spinning I just love.

John: And, away.

Christine: The color palette’s great, for the entire show. Looks terrific. Really pops.

Peter: [Unintelligible] to our DP by the way, that was four cameras at once; we shot the whole thing in one day.

Christine: Wow. Dave Connell, superstar.

Dean: I love all these shots, I just love them. And he was great in these scenes. I mean, I totally buy him.

John: We just put him in the elevator. ‘Have a good time.’ Yeah like it's all sort of blue and orange down here, it's all sort of grey and pastels upstairs—

Peter: The crowd loved this gag.

John: Oh yeah.

Chris: And here we go.

John: [Mimics squeaking] It's just funny, I'm sorry, man. You put a CEO in a box... And the uh, did you use a real dove, or no, that was a fake dove all along?

Peter: It was fake. It was a little squeezy dove, that's really kinda cool.

John: There's actually a famous, uh, Penn and Teller famous story, they do magic exhibitions, where people demonstrate their tricks. And there's a youth category, where kids show that they have mastery of these classic tricks, there's one where you, like, show the dove in a cooking pan, and then close the pan and then light the fire and whip it away and there's like a cooked dove in its place? And as the kid did it, he screwed it up, so as soon as he lit the fire, like, a hundred magicians stood up at once and went 'THE DOVE!!' 'cause they all know how it works.

Dean: Oh noo.

John: And he's like the thing's on fire and he's beating it out with his tiny like, his twelve year old magician's coat... 'cause doves are expensive. I mean nevermind the cruelty, but yeah.

Christine: Aw... [Pause] These two need to have their own vaudeville act. I would watch a variety show that they hosted. 

John: I like, again, just the constant choices that Beth is making at all times, just like- and she's kind of amused, and now she's bored with this. Ah, she's done, she wants to be breaking into things. Uh, excellent cheesy server room, nicely done.

Peter: It was the smallest room in the known world.

John: Ye—what's that?

Peter: It was the smallest room in the known world. 

John: We like to build our sets really tiny.

Peter: It was basically a closet.

John: Yeah, and then this was again always our drive to the [unintelligible] complication.

Peter: Good bad guy, by the way.

Dean: Yeah, he really delivered.

Chris: This bad guy, he was really terrific, Kevin E. West is his name.

Dean: We actually met him through uh, Patrick Jakoni, who's our mixer, who mixes all the episodes of Leverage.

John: Did he have a—did he just bring the headshot in, or....

Dean: He was a friend and he just said "I really want you to meet this guy, he's a friend of mine, I really think he's a terrific actor." And I met him, and I thought he was great. You guys have met him, and—

Chris: Great kind of middle management evil.

John: The banality of evil. He gets a great evil speech of evil.

Chris: He does. Which is a late edition.

Dean: A little shout-out to Derek, who does all of our graphics on all the computers.

Peter: Unbelievable.

Dean: I mean, he does so much for us—

Peter: This is where he hit his head.

John: Yeah, see, no scar there, and then, uh, nothing but scarves afterwards.

Dean: I love this fight too.

John: This, I will—

Timestamp: 35:00 

Dean: I love the closed quarter fights.

Christine: Absolutely.

John: I will fully admit, this is, um. I'm trying to remember....

Chris: Look at this. [All Laugh] There's the scene.

John: I'm trying to remember, there's a, it's not a Jackie Chan fight, it's a Jackie Chan produced movie, it's with three actresses, I think it's called So Beautiful, which has an elevator fight, that actually was the origin of this.

Peter: What I like is the 90 degree shutter in all these fights. It makes it feel, like...

John: It's very crisp.

Peter: Yeah. It makes it feel like, like you're missing a frame or something.

John: So what happened? Chris turned around, right, turned around and just smacked his head against the side of the cabin?

Chris: Well, I mean, we passed it, but there's a moment when he throws a punch, and it sort of—you can kinda see the edge, in the frame, and his head just continued into the edge of the box.

Peter: No, we had the— we didn't have the padded one in there. And he went against the hard one. Split it open huge too.

Chris: Seventeen stitches.

Scott: Wow.

John: Seventeen stitches, and then like a week later, pulled them out himself because he was sick of them.

Peter: I think it was actually right here.

Scott: Really?

Peter: I think it was this one. I think it was the last punch, if I remember correctly.

John: Never do the last punch.

Chris: Oh, might have been there, yeah.

John: Yeah, lotta elbows, lotta—I always loved a good fight—what, what is this? This is madness! 

[All Laugh]

Christine: It's vaudeville!

John: What the hell was that?

Dean: Something like a Marx brothers movie.

John: I know!

Christine: It's delightful.

John: I'm really waiting for Zeppo to show up to that. I think Gina's Zeppo in this episode. And he's still in the box.

Peter: 'Hello? Hello?'

John: And then this, the getaway with the curtain trick.

Chris: Curtain trick, and this again was, you know, Apollo designed, because, you know, we had in the script, they disappeared in a cone curtain, and he, you know...

John: Well it's actually, it was uh, when I was seven, or something of that age, I saw Bill Bixby do that in The Magician, and it always stuck with me.

Christine: The greatest theme song in the world.

Chris: We watched a little bit of The Magician.

John: We watched a little bit of The Magician, and it has the greatest theme song of all time. If you can go YouTube the theme for The Magician, it's fantastic.

Christine: Our writers’ assistant had it queued up. Becky had it queued up and ready whenever we needed to play.

John: Ohhhh.

Chris: Ohh, gut punched into a chair, that's another kind of recurring theme of season two.

John: Well, it was our Rockford homage.

Christine: Ah yes, the gut punch.

John: Yeah, James Garner spent five years getting gut punched.

Chris: I think this is an iconic shot of this show, I do, it's a beautiful shot.

Peter: And this is Apollo's idea, I think, to put the rabbit back in, too.

Chris: Yes, it was, it was.

Christine: Fantastic visual.

Dean: And I love the way that Aldis plays this scene here, because I- the danger felt real. It didn't feel like, oh comedy villains' fake punch, he's really okay. You know when I watched it, I really felt like wow, we're in trouble.

John: Well Aldis is a very good actor. Yeah. This really also became the year where we kind of established the straight run fourth and fifth act.

Chris: Well this is very much a real time episode. I think three of the five acts were pretty much in real time.

Peter: I like that he talks about the uh, magician's union. You're gonna get a letter from them, I'm telling you. 

Chris: And here is the evil speech of evil.

John: Just explaining that if people are stupid enough to eat frozen pot pies without heating them enough, they deserve salmonella.

Dean: That's not a rationale!

John: No!

Chris: That's what happens to people who don't follow instructions. Now I'm giving you instructions.

John: No, he's really selling this, he thinks he's gonna die here, or at least get seriously messed up. And the bad guy, uh, who played the Busey?

Chris: The bad guy was George Castillo.

John: Yeah he was good. He had a good physical menace. And the nice pass, there we go, if you're paying attention. And what I like is that Aldis made a choice there, like, as soon as he saw that—

Peter: Two different locations, by the way.

John: Oh yeah, you're not— that reverse isn’t anywhere near there?

Christine: Oh, nicely done.

Peter: It's like, thirty miles away.

Dean: Nice. Never knew that.

Chris: We coming up to— when we do this flash, about how we got the phone, is a, this right here is an absolutely beautiful shot coming up.

John: I like that he calls him magician too, as if— it's very, like [very dramatically] 'Magiciaan!'

Christine: I'm actually most proud of that line, by the way.

John: Yeah, exactly. It is. It's very Lord of the Rings.

Dean: And a terrific use of the ninja zoom.

John: Yeah, to reestablish that geography we talk about all the time. Um, yeah, and the poker chip, and the turn to the reveal, she’s gonna bump into him, but the thing I was going to say is, Aldis does a moment there where he sees the lift, he knows it’s going to be okay, and his expression changes.

Christine: His whole face relaxes.

Peter: She looks so hot there, too.

John: She does, she looks very good.

Christine: She's rocking the power pony. There's a lot of Parker's power ponytails this year.

John: Parker ponytails?

Christine: The power pony.

John: The power pony, is that what you're calling it?

Christine: That's what it's called.

John: By the way, if you google power pony that's not what you're gonna get.

Christine: Do not Google power pony.

John: [Laughing] Do not Google power pony.

Peter: Here's a flashback, this is a great shot.

Chris: Here it is, here's the shot.

Peter: This was— our operator nailed this.

John: It's coming.

Chris: It's a long explanation.

John: It is a long explanation.

Chris: Here it is, here it is. Oh, look at that. Perfect shot

Peter: Her look back is fabulous.

Timestamp: [40:00]

Chris: Perfect turn.

Christine: That is poetry. That's beautiful.

John: It also helps that Beth has good hands. You know, Apollo said that —

Chris: Well, he worked with her on this.

John: Yeah, he taught her how to lift.

Christine: She could be a thief if she wanted to.

John: And we'll see how season three goes, who knows where we'll wind up. Aww, thief of hearts, that's nice.

Christine: Isn't she?

John: And the whole idea of dumping, um, it was actually, the whole idea that phones now, you can just dump massive amounts of information on, was, I think Bruce Sterling had just done a thing about, um, the ubiquity... instead of cloud computing, but using the sort of—why go to cloud computing if your devices have more memory than the NASA moon landing?

Chris: And here, here's where we're—

John: And, ah, she's back!

Peter: 'I was in the box.'

[All Laugh]

Christine: 'I was in the bar!'

Peter: 'They put me in a box.'

Christine: He was in the box, she was in the bar, and now they're together again.

John: Seriously man, I had a fistful of scotch, and I must have been saying that for a week. 'They put me in a box'. I may drink during the day. And this, by the way, is an iconic shot for the show. That's a big one.

Christine: Aw, look at that. Look at those two.

John: It's tricky, when you find— our wardrobe has to be high style without ever going over the top, and that's what really— it's nice because that's what makes it visually interesting.

Christine: Look at these two together. Oh my god.

John: I know. They're great.

Dean: And this, again, was a real nice setup for where we ultimately go with the uh, the entire season.

John: That's right, because if you're listening to these commentaries in the—and we've split the season, it's— 209 is the last one. So you don't know what happens in the back end. Um. Dinosaurs.

Christine: They fight dinosaurs.

Dean: But this concept that he has replaced alcohol with control...

John: Right, this season is about addiction. Um, and people who cope with alcohol. Ahem.

Christine: Oh, this season is about addiction? [All Laugh] What? What show was I writing on last year?

Chris: Beautiful shot of her here, too, just really nice.

Peter: Hiding her pregnancy.

John: You know, she does a lot of work here when she's talking to—'cause it's interesting, this is a pairing we don't do a lot, and we wound up doing more this year. Um, is the idea that he is a little outside the team, and very hyper competent at what he does. And you can sort of see their relationship over the course of the first couple episodes arc where she feels comfortable confiding in him, in a way that was not there for season one.

Chris: And she's a little estranged from Nate, too.

Christine: I think because of that betrayal, first season, Sophie and Eliot have a special relationship in season two.

John: Yeah.

Dean: Well, Peter, thank you for being part of this episode, and being part of our show.

Peter: Loved it, enjoyed it immensely. I wanna live in Portland.

[All Laugh]

Christine: We do too.

John: And uh, Christina, Scott, nicely done.

Christine: Good job guys, everybody did a great job.

Dean: Stay tuned for the next episode of Leverage.

Peter: Single person clapping, single person clapping.

John: We're all clapping. 

[existing-on-cloral]

Brooklyn’s Night Terrors

A Steve Rogers X Reader Fanfiction

Chapter Five: Odds of Change

A chance encounter with the Blue Reaper leaves Steve confused and guilty.

Peter pulled his mask up over his face, revealing his mouth and nose. "Is this going to be a firefight, Mr. Rogers?"

Steve bit his lip, checking over his suit to make sure there weren't any rips or breaks. "I gotta be honest with you, kid, I don't know. We could be walking into a trap. Actually, we are almost certainly walking into a trap."

Peter shrugged. "As long as I don't get hit by a train, I'm good."

Gallows humor. Steve winced, thinking back to Peter's reports on the events in Europe. "If we follow the clues, they're leading us away from the subway, so I think we're gonna be okay for a while."

"Okay." Peter fell silent, slowly recovering his face with his mask. "Mr. Rogers?"

"Yeah?" Steve turned to Peter, focusing on the kid. "What is it, Peter?"

"Do you think they'll ever believe me?" He gestured down to the streets of New York City. "The public. About what happened in London."

Steve shrugged. "One of my biggest regrets is keeping a huge secret from Tony. When he... When he used the stones, he probably still didn't trust me at all. He never called me, but I wish I'd been able to help him somehow." He saw the mask's eyes widen out of the corner of his eye, and he realized who he was talking to. "Sorry, Peter, you shouldn't have to deal with adult drama yet."

Peter glanced down at the ledge he was perched on. "It's better than school drama. Which I don't get anymore because no one talks to me, not even Ned or MJ. I'm the school drama." He looked back up at Steve. "Is that what Germany was about? What's the secret? If I knew maybe I could help, MJ says I'm good at distress calls except when they're my own-"

"It's nothing, Pete. Don't worry." Steve gently touched Peter's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Muffled sobs came from behind the mask. "No."

Steve nodded to the streets below. "All those people have phones down there. I'd hate to make this a publicity stunt, but why don't we take a more public route to follow our clues?"

Peter pulled up his mask to swipe at his eyes. "You'd risk your rep for me?"

"Hey." Steve grinned down at Peter, climbing onto the ledge and readying his shield. "I'm America's Golden Boy. And a war criminal, but that's beside the point. Your pictures of me holding Mjio... Mew... the hammer really helped. Also, why did you have you cell phone on you at the time?"

"Because it was in my backpack, and then I stuffed it into my suit but it started slipping so it was kinda near-"

Steve cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No more details, I think I got the picture. Ready?"

Peter jumped to his feet and adjusted his mask, bouncing lightly in place. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Both took a deep breath and jumped off the building. Peter shot a web to the opposite side of the street and threw it to Steve, then shot one for himself. The two of them scrambled down the side of the building, Steve relying more heavily on the web than Peter. Several times, he swore it would snap in half, but the sticky stuff held fast.

When they reached the street, Steve patted Peter on the back as pedestrians stared. "You just... I'm never doing that again. I'll stick to shield landings." Phone cameras began flashing and Steve was quick to start jogging, pulling Peter behind him.

"That's Spider-Man! Get him!" somebody shouted, and a mob began to form.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit," Peter groaned, taking off and quickly passing Steve. "Maybe next time the back alleys are a good idea?"

Steve swore under his breath, the phrase containing a couple of words he didn't want a seventeen-year-old kid to hear. "I got this." He skidded to a stop and turned to face the mob. "People of New York!"

The crowd stopped where they were, some of them knocking others over. Steve resisted the urge to slam his head into the nearest piece of concrete. "You have been terrorized by the possibility of a new threat. The Blue Reaper kills without mercy and without motive. She has kidnapped the man that I passed this shield-" Steve held up the shield, drawing gasps from the onlookers, "-to, and has used the time travel technology she stole to bring back an old friend of ours. On top of that, she turned him into an enemy using the same programming Hydra once used to brainwash James Buchanan Barnes."

Peter watched, amazed at the sudden turn of events and Steve's impromptu speech. Captain America indeed!

Steve continued, "Spider-Man and I are on our way to make sure that Sam Wilson, your new Captain America, is rescued before the same fate can befall him. Now, many of you do not trust Spider-Man due to recent events. I say that that video was as doctored as J.J. Jameson's face. The man has had it out for Spider-Man since day one, and the Daily Bugle is the least credible news site I've ever seen." He stopped, taking in a deep breath. "Now, Spider-Man and I have to find our friend and get him back to HQ, if you don't mind." Steve turned away, ignoring the shocked looks of the crowd. "Come on, Spidey."

The pair rushed off, Peter swinging through the streets and Steve not far behind.

"Hey, Cap?" Peter called from the air. "I just wanna thank you for that." He dropped to the street and began running, still fast enough to keep up with Steve.

"Don't thank me. You could have done better," Steve waved him off. "Let's save our breath for the fight, shall we?"

Peter nodded in agreement, shooting off another web and taking off. He scanned the city for any sign of a blue streak, making sure to watch each alleyway closely. Steve followed behind him, clearly trusting the web-shooter's instincts and spidey-sense.

After another couple of blocks, Steve turned the corner and stopped, holding up a hand. Peter landed next to him, giving him a quick side-eye. "Why are we stopped? The signs are getting more prominent."

"That's why we've stopped. From here, we proceed on foot and slowly." Steve took a careful step onto the next slab of pavement. "Come on. Slowly."

Peter followed, staying behind Steve and watching his feet, keeping an eye out for traps. "This is kinda scary," he whispered.

Steve shot a look over his shoulder. "And quietly," he added, amending his earlier statement.

Quickly, Peter signed, "sorry", and shut his mouth.

Two more pavement blocks and Steve pointed down an alleyway, where blue spray paint was just visible enough for them to see. By the time they reached it, however, the alleyway was totally dark. "Dammit," Steve cursed, running his finger over the wall.

"Don't worry, I got this." Steve turned around just in time to see Peter snap a glow stick. It immediately illuminated the space around them, giving them enough light to see each other and the paint.

"Why do you have... Where were you... You know what, forget it." Steve took the glow stick and ran it over the paint, following the drips down to a sewer grate. "Help me pry this up." He stuck the glow stick in between his teeth and tugged on the grate, gesturing for Peter to help. Together, they quietly lifted the grate and set it off to the side. Steve stuck one foot in and it landed on the rung of what he hoped was a very strong ladder. He started down, waving Peter towards the passage as well.

The bottom of the ladder brought Steve into a small room with two hallways leading in opposite directions. Screams were coming from somewhere, but even with enhanced hearing he couldn't tell if it was in the left hallway or right hallway.

"Which side you want?" Peter piped up, jumping down from the ladder.

"Split up?" Steve pulled his shield off his back, readying it in case of guards or a fight. "That doesn't sound like a-"

Peter shook his head. "Just trust me. I have a tingle about it." He started down the left-side hallway, leaving Steve the right. "Meet back here in thirty minutes if you don't find anything and we'll regroup!"

Steve watched Peter go, mentally kicking himself for bringing Peter and not Bucky. Bucky would have searched each hallway with Steve, but maybe Peter was right. They needed to get in and out undetected, and less time in this odd place would help with that. Steeling himself, Steve started down the right hallway.

It quickly became apparent that the passageways were some sort of maze. The next room he came upon had two options, left or right. Steve drew a line in the dirt with his boot where he'd come from and checked the right hallway first. It dead-ended after about thirty seconds of walking, and Steve hurried down the left hallway.

Right, left, left, right, right, right. Steve had no choice but to guess each time. Sometimes he guessed right, sometimes he guessed wrong. At some of the dead ends were obstacles, guards or soldiers that he quickly and stealthily knocked out. He checked his watch as he hurried down another tunnel. Ten minutes had passed. He was wasting time. Hypothetically, the maze should be easier to leave than to enter, but he knew that if this lead to another room, he would have to go back and wait for Peter.

Up ahead, he spotted a light burning and his movements slowed. The first sign of someone being down here other than the guards, and he wasn't about to waste the element of surprise. Steve crept into the room, which was lit by two dim lights on either side of a disused fireplace. About twenty feet up, attached to the ceiling, was a metal cage.

In it was Sam.

Sam spotted him immediately, but both knew better than to call out for their friend. Instead, Steve began scanning the walls, looking for a way up.

"I wouldn't bother, Captain," a metallic voice came from the other end of the room. Steve's head snapped to the fireplace, which now had an opening above it. Villains and their need for dramatic entrances. In the opening stood a woman, with a mask covering all of her face except for her mouth, much like Steve's. Mirrored goggles allowed her to see out through the mask. Her blonde hair popped out of the back in a high ponytail. A collar encircled her neck, which Steve figured must contain a voice box that was modifying her voice. Hiding her identity. The rest of her body was covered in a blue-black spandex suit, and she wore black ballet slippers.

The irony that she looked quite a bit like Natasha did not escape Steve.

"I knew you'd come for your friend, but I didn't expect you to bring company. He's probably trying to figure out how to fight off my latest addition to my troops." She hopped down from the fireplace, landing as silently as a cat. "I don't believe introductions are needed, as our reputations proceed both of us." She held out her hand, and a scythe, sharp and deadly, flew from the corner of the room.

"The Blue Reaper." Steve tensed. He hadn't expected to encounter the Reaper herself, perhaps a few of her guards, but that was it. "Are you affiliated with Hydra?"

Across from Steve, the panel concealing her hidden door slid shut and a screen flickered to life. On it was security footage of what had to be the other tunnel. Peter appeared, shooting webs at a man with two handguns and a hardened smile on his face.

"Quentin Beck," Steve said, quickly dropping into a battle stance. "But he's dead."

"As you have seen with Maximoff, death does not stop the Reaper." She stood tall, swinging her scythe behind her. "Though I prefer guns, this is a bit more for the public." Her laugh was cold and calculated, bouncing off the chamber walls. "Speaking of Maximoff, I'd get out of here if I were you. He might hurt your little girlfriend."

Steve focused on Sam's heaving breathing, keeping his eyes on the Reaper. "Let Sam go. And leave her alone!"

The Reaper laughed again. "You should know by now that diplomacy never works with villains."

"So you acknowledge you're a villain," Steve quipped, voice grim.

She only scoffed and snapped her fingers. Sam's cage began to retreat into the ceiling. "I'm not going to let you have your friend back today. Maybe once he's on my side I'll set him loose in your headquarters and then-" She drew her scythe across her throat, grinning at Steve. He shivered, but raised his shield. To his surprise, the Reaper kicked her scythe away, stuck her hand in a pocket of the spandex, and waltzed up to him, drawing her hand back out. Before he could react, she opened her hand and blew a powdery substance in his face. Steve coughed, feeling him limbs go limp, and his shield fell to the floor.

"All men eventually fall to the Reaper," she giggled, twisting her fingers into his suit and pulling him into a kiss.

Steve knew he should push her away, stop her, kick her, hit her while she was vulnerable but he just couldn't do it, just couldn't do it. Her lips were suddenly the softest he's ever felt, softer than Peggy's, softer even than Bucky's when he'd kissed him on a dare back in the 40's, softer than hers could be...

The Reaper pulled Steve backwards, still kissing him, and let him pin her to the wall. "Forget your friends, Captain. It's just you and me here. Forget that common bitch you say you could love someday. She likes Sam and you know it."

He knew she was right. She likes Sam. Steve let the Reaper switch them, let himself be pinned to the wall and let her slide her legs around his waist-

"Get off him!"

A web yanked the Reaper away from Steve, sending her flying into the wall. Her head crashed into the stone and she crumpled, unconscious. Steve's hand flew to his mouth, trying to block his thoughts and possibly the bile curling in his throat.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked, quickly retrieving the shield. "What did she get you with? I know you wouldn't just do that..."

"I need to... I need..." Steve started to stagger towards her, but something hit him in the head, hard.

Peter watched Steve fall down and sighed, beginning to build a backpack of sorts out of webs. "I'm sorry, Captain, but Mr. Barnes said that Miss Romanoff told him that cognitive recalibration is the best way to go about this..."

He hauled Steve onto his back, grunting from the effort, and quickly made his way out of the tunnels and back into the streets of New York.

[petersmparker]

The River Café (Peter Parker x Reader)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader, Flash Thompson x Reader (as a Plot Device™️ (that I ended up being lowkey attached to?? hit me up flash))

Summary: You’ve decided that you’re going to go out and have a nice time, insistent feelings for your best friend Peter Parker or otherwise.

Word Count: 3757

Warnings: a spicey hint of sailor’s mouth

A/N: I started this two days ago and nearly shitcanned it but now I’m like... kinda in love with it?? I hope y’all like it, I know sticking Flash up in there is unusual but honestly I dig how it came together and I hope everyone’s willing to give it a shot 💙❤️ and also believe me when I say that Flash’s name is legitimately Eugene I fucking swear it (side note: consider this part of my congratulations to @moonstruckholland for one year on her blog!! I hope you enjoy this girl idk what your fic prefs are)

"Let's go on a date friday night."

-

Your group of friends has grown together over the past few years. Leaps and bounds past what you ever might have expected, even. It’s something that you still find yourself reassessing sometimes; occasionally getting caught off guard by something that’s actually pretty natural by now. You can’t help but be pleasantly surprised, though, when you catch yourself thinking back to what it was while witnessing what it is.

Sophomore year of highschool was a ton of awkwardness wrapped up in a silly belief that everyone had already become the person they were meant to be. Senior year, you find it much more appealing to declare just how much no one knows that they’re doing.

The one constant for you in all this time has been Peter. Peter, ever-changing, ever-moving, ever-working, has not remained static in his existence. He has, however, stayed unwaveringly connected to you. For him, you do the same.

You’re there when Uncle Ben dies, sitting in the stairwell of the funeral home when Peter can’t handle another person passing on their condolences. It’s you who makes Peter do his homework and study for his tests when he determines that he doesn’t need school anymore. Your eyes follow him as he sprints from the gymnasium on the night of homecoming, and again later when he decides to sneak off the bus to investigate the space ship descending upon New York. When you wake up on the other side of the Blip, it’s you who runs to Peter’s apartment to find him mourning the loss of his mentor.

“Don’t you get tired?” Peter asked once in junior year, as you wiped blood from his side with a wet wash cloth, fuming over the newest live report of J Jonah Jameson, “You don’t wish you didn’t have to deal with all of this?”

“Never,” you had responded, “I. . . I love you, Pete.”

Peter had given you a small, weak smile and returned to digging through the first aid kit, seemingly untouched by your admission. It’s not difficult to assume that he had interpreted it friendly in nature, and you figure that that’s proof enough of his nonexistent feelings for you.

That's why, a year later-- assured in the belief that Peter views you only as a friend and comfortable enough in the fact that you’re still figuring this whole life thing out-- you decide to accept the offer of one Flash Thompson for a date.

What’s the harm, you figure. It seems casual enough, and Flash had mellowed out over the years. He's no longer quite so quick to tease others or flaunt his wealth, and had become a relatively decent friend of yours. Worst case scenario, it’s awkward, you get a free meal, and the both of you continue on to pretend it didn’t happen. Best case. . .

Maybe you move on from Peter.

-

Peter shows up unannounced at your door late Friday afternoon with a backpack full of schoolwork and snacks. It's not unusual of him at all, and yet when you hurry to answer the door, the sight of him catches you by surprise.

His gaze flicks upward to your wet hair, twisted into a towel, and then down to your hands, which you're holding out cautiously to avoid ruining a fresh coat of black polish. The confusion on his face is amused in nature. You're not normally one to paint your nails unless there's an event going on.

"Uh, hi, Peter," you say, trying not to sound unwelcoming.

This is such bad timing.

"Hey," he greets, hand wrapping around the strap of his backpack, "What's up? I was thinking we could do homework for an hour and then give up to watch movies instead."

You hadn't told Peter about the date. Telling him, you feared, would feel like you were asking for him to disapprove. To ask you not to go. It wasn't a disappointment you were willing to inflict upon yourself. Not when you were feeling a bit of hope for the outcome of the date. You wanted to be enthusiastic; wanted to enjoy the company of a friend and see if something could come out of it that was more than hopeless pining.

"I kind of have plans," you admit, unable to meet his eye.

Confusion colors his tone now, too. "Oh, really? Well, uh, do you mind if I come in for a little while anyway? Since I'm here. I need a bit of help with the English assignment."

Part of you wants to say no. But you can't look at Peter Parker and turn him away, and so you back up to let him into your apartment. He knows the way to your room by now and leads the way there. Every available surface is littered with items of clothing. He'd seen your room somewhat messy before, but you can tell he isn't expecting it to look like a tornado has been through your closet. You avoid his eyes, embarrassed, when he turns to give you a questioning look.

He throws himself onto your bed, shifting to sit with his back against the headboard, and digs a notebook from his bag. After a moment, he pulls a dress out from under himself and puts it aside.

You find yourself standing awkwardly in the doorway. A glance at the alarm clock on your nightstand tells you that Flash will be picking you up in only forty-five minutes. Peter clearly doesn't intend to leave until he's asked, and you don't have the will to ask. Which means you're going to have to just finish getting ready, anyway, and send him off before Flash arrives.

"What did you need help with?" You ask, going over to the dresser to look into the mirror above it.

You remove the towel from your hair to find that it's mostly dry. Satisfied, you brush it all back, away from your face. You see him looking at you in the mirror, but attempt to ignore it. It's already uncomfortable enough preparing for a date in front of the guy you're in love with. Must he make you feel weird for prettying yourself up a bit, even inadvertently?

What did I do to deserve this? you wonder, and apply a hint of peach eyeshadow with the tip of your finger.

He looks back to the notebook. You pretend not to notice that, either.

"The argumentative essay," he says finally, with a sigh, "Mr. Sharpton said my thesis needs work."

"Sharpton tends to be a picky little bitch. Read it to me," you instruct, dabbing glitter onto your eyelids and across your freckles.

He does. It's not the worst thesis statement. The intention is clear. Peter's always been better with math and science, but he's never been hopeless with English, either. "Well, you've got all three prongs already," you start, before pausing to apply a healthy amount of clear gloss, "They're just not parallel. It sounds awkward. For what you're trying to say, you could probably just reorganize the sentence, but structure it around the phrase, 'Through the author's use of. . . '" you wave your hand, indicating his points, "'. . .blah blah blah is represented.'"

Peter hums in understanding, followed by the scratching of pen against paper. You take the time to apply mascara and go about picking through the clothes strewn around the room to reassess what to wear. Kneeling on the floor, you throw various clothes back toward the open closet door.

Too casual, too dressy, too casual, too casual, that's stained, ew.

Your cell phone beeps on the bedside table. The sound of pen on paper ceases. Before you can say anything, Peter, who've never minded reading your texts, picks it up out of habit. He reads the message out to you.

"Um. Flash says to wear something fancy?" He says, sounding disconcerted.

The sick feeling in your stomach is immediate.

"Uhh. Thanks."

You pull the black dress that you'd deemed too dressy back out of the closet, hoping to appear more casual and less about-to-vomit. Thirty minutes left. Not even that much. Just twenty minutes and you could have sent Peter home none the wiser and had an extra ten to hype yourself up for this date, but now you're confronted with the fact that Peter knows. He knows and you're going to have to hear about it.

"You're going out with Flash?" He asks as you attempt to quell your nerves by focusing very hard on removing the couple of cat hairs that stick to the velvet material of the dress.

"Yeah."

"Like, on a date?"

"Yeah."

You risk a glance at Peter. His expression is unreadable. The sight of it makes your stomach twist. To escape it, you step into the closet and close the door under the guise of changing clothes.

"How did that happen?" Peter calls through the door.

You wince. There's something in his tone like disappointment, and you realize that you never considered the possibility that he might judge you for your willingness to go on a date with Flash. Sure, they were something like friends nowadays, but maybe that didn't mean Peter actually genuinely liked the guy. The prospect of having just lost Peter's respect is like a needle to the heart.

"He- He asked me out after decathlon the other day. I thought it might be fun."

"That's. . . interesting," Peter says, tone still off in some way.

The feeling that spreads through you is gross. There's a bitter taste in your mouth. You hate it. This was supposed to be something simple, something nice you could enjoy for yourself. You don't want Peter to ruin it for you, whether or not that's his intention.

You tug on the dress hurriedly and exit the closet, doing your best to maintain some sort of neutrality in your expression. "Flash is my friend. He said he that he kinda likes me and it seemed like it would be nice to go out with him," you say, "Whats wrong with that, Peter?"

Peter looks like he's been accused. Your tone wasn't as calm as intended, so it's no surprise.

"Nothing!" He responds, throwing his hands up in a placating gesture, "It's just- it's weird, isn't it?"

It feels like the air has been sucked out of your room. Your ears ring. In the back of your head, you know-- you know he only means it's weird because it's Flash you're about to go out with. But you're being faced with a conversation you didn't want, forced to acknowledge that you were never going to just find a person who makes you laugh and be able to just get the hell over Peter, and what comes out reflects the hurt feelings that are eating at you in the moment.

"Weird?" You demand, "Is it really so goddamn weird that someone could have feelings for me, Peter? Just because you don't-!"

Anger and hurt clouds your brain and you lose your train of thought entirely, breaking off in an involuntary scoff. You snatch your shoes off the floor and your apartment keys off the dresser. It isn't until you've stalked over to the nightstand to grab your phone that you continue.

"I'm leaving. I'm going on that date with Flash and I'm going to enjoy myself. Lock the door on your way out."

Peter's still on the bed, unmoved. He looks more startled than he's ever been by something you've said, and then even more so when you toss the apartment keys in his direction.

When you storm out of your own home, shoes still clutched in your hand, you try desperately to wipe from your mind the image of the shocked look on your best friend's face.

-

The date is nice.

Like, actually, genuinely nice.

Flash happens to arrive at your building just in time to find you gazing hard into the glass of the lobby. You're swiping frustratedly at the mascara that has run with the few angry tears you couldn't prevent. You manage to play the makeup off as no big deal, but his eyes drift immediately to your bare feet and the shoes clutched in your left hand. There's no good explanation for being shoeless on a New York City street.

"Do I want to ask?" He questions, looking kinda grossed out and at least moderately concerned.

"Please don't," you answer.

He opens the car door for you like you haven't already ruined your chances of impressing him, and you can't help but marvel at how different he is from the Flash of two years ago, who would most definitely have gotten back in his car and sped off.

The drive is long and Flash won't tell you what the destination is. You pass the time with chatter, not all that different from what you'd probably be exchanging in study hall. The convertible's roof is down, which makes it difficult not to look up for a hint of red and blue passing by, but Flash stares up openly for his idol when the car is stopped.

You don't think Spider-Man will be out tonight.

After a while, you cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Flash hands the keys over to the valet of the restaurant and helps you out of the car. He makes a joke about how your shoes better be on, but you barely hear.

"Flash, really?"

"What?"

The entrance to the restaurant is beautiful, lit with warm-colored string lights and surrounded by luscious greenery. You recognize the name on the sign, hand-painted in green; your parents had come here for their 25th anniversary a while back.

"This place is really fucking expensive," you say, and suddenly become very aware of the fact that you hadn't brought your wallet.

"I like the side dishes here," he says, like the scalloped potatoes wouldn’t cost a normal person half a fridge of groceries.

"You're nuts."

Flash buttons the top two buttons of his plaid suit jacket and takes your hand. Your stomach flips. From nerves or guilt, you're not sure. It's probably both.

"Do you have a reservation?" Asks the Maître D' when you enter.

You're prepared to have to leave, figuring that a spot at a swanky place like this would need to be reserved months in advance, but Flash pulls out his license to show to the man.

"Yes we do. 6:30, under the name Eugene Thompson."

"This way then, Mr. Thompson."

Your table next to the window overlooks the East River. The dining room has already begun to fill with the dinner rush and the little band in the corner is playing a sweet-sounding song. The menu is astronomically expensive, but Flash urges you to get whatever you want. You settle for the cheapest chicken dish on the menu and take to watching the boats pass beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Flash orders a meat and cheese plate to start, unsurprisingly, and arranges combinations on bread and crackers for you to try.

It's more fun than you ever expected it to be, honestly. You'd been prepared for Flash to be a bit much after having agreed to let him choose the date, but he's just trying to make sure you enjoy yourself. He makes jokes and laughs at your own. Refills your drink from the water flute before you've even noticed you've gotten low. Offers you a taste of his meal. You're distracted, Peter no longer at the forefront of your mind.

With Flash, it's easy.

"I'll be honest, Eugene," you start, teasingly, and giggle at Flash's fake-annoyed attempt to jokingly swat at the side of your head, "This is. . . This is really, really nice. My wig is sufficiently snatched."

He busts out laughing, earning a look from those at nearby tables. After a few moments, he quiets and takes to smiling down at his steak.

His smile softens into something a bit awkward, maybe somewhat unsure, when he says, “Can I ask you something?”

Your heart involuntarily skips a beat. When is that question ever a good sign? “I- uh, yeah. Sure. What’s up?”

“What’s up with you and Parker?”

When you meet Flash’s eye, he doesn’t appear accusatory. He doesn’t even seem upset. More than anything, you’d say he looks confused. You, however, can feel heat rising aggressively to your cheeks.

You feel guilty again.

“Peter? What do you mean?” 

He rolls his eyes good-naturedly in response and sets down his fork. “Oh, come on now. You like him right? Since like, middle school.”

You know you’ve never really actively tried to hide it from anyone, but having it said aloud like that is jarring. It’s embarrassing. You wonder why Flash wants to talk about this, of all things, when your date had actually been going pretty darn well. But you decide to be honest, since fooling him is unrealistic.

“A while, yeah.”

“Then why are you on a date with me right now?” Flash questions.

“You. . . you asked me out?” You answer confusedly.

He passes a hand through his hair a bit agitatedly. You hope he isn’t annoyed with you, but you aren’t sure what he’s expecting you to say.

“I mean,” he clarifies, a laugh escaping his lips, “Why the hell aren’t you dating him? It’s been years already. Did you guys decide that you didn’t want to risk ruining your friendship? What’s up?”

It seems that your brain is exclusively capable of performing the sound of a record scratch on repeat. You have no idea how to respond to anything Flash has just said. None of it makes sense. Peter doesn’t like you. He never has. If Flash has paid enough attention to notice how much you like your best friend, surely he should have noticed that your affection is definitely not returned.

You don't want to think about it. You don't want a spark of hope, only for it to be stomped on. Today's events alone have been proof enough that Peter doesn't like you.

"Why did you ask me out if you knew I like Peter?" You question, staring down at your half-eaten chicken parmesan.

"Why did you agree if you like Peter?"

You can feel him looking at you. When you decide to meet his eye, you're scared to see the hurt that's in them.

It's not there.

"You were hoping to get over him, right?" Flash asks, half a smile on his face, "I was hoping you would, too."

He takes your hand for the first time since you entered the restaurant, and you realize that if anything, he maybe kind of gets it.

“Peter doesn’t have feelings for me,” you manage to say, after several long moments of silence have passed.

“Dude, Parker’s in love with you.”

-

Considering everything, the ride home isn't nearly as awkward as it could have been. 

Flash parks a little ways down the street from your building. He doesn't get up to help you out of the car like he had before. You can't really hold that against him.

"Sorry about all this," you say, guilt still swirling low in your gut, after you've shut the passenger side door.

He side eyes you when he says, "Don't flatter yourself, honey, I'll get over it," and grins, "Go tell Parker that I will actually straight up call my lawyers if he fucks this up now that I've laid all this shit out for him."

With that, he waves his hand once and then pulls away from the curb. 

Thanks Eugene, is the text you send him during the walk home.

He responds with selfie of him flipping off the camera, and things are just about as close to normal between you as you figure they can be, for now. It's with a laugh that you send one back, shoes once again clutched in your flipping-off hand as you knock on the door to your apartment and wait for your parents to let you in.

Peter opens the door.

Your smile freezes in its place and then falls. His gaze averts quickly to the floor, like he's just done something wrong. You aren't sure what to say to him. "You're still here," you settle on pointing out, eventually.

"How'd it go?" He asks, skipping over the part where he explains the fact that he's still in your apartment.

He looks very much like he doesn't want to hear the answer, but also like he's trying to sound enthusiastic for you. Your heart aches. It's been hours since you'd left, and he's been sitting here marinating in the fight. Meanwhile, while you were fine dining with a friend who turned out to be way better of a friend than you'd thought he was.

"We enjoyed ourselves," you admit.

"Oh," he responds, voice a bit shaky, "That's good. I mean- It's great. That's really great. I'm glad. I'm happy for you."

"Hey, Peter?"

"Yeah?"

Your throat wants to close when you look into his eyes, but you press on.

"Are you in love with me?"

". . .Yeah."

Despite the fact that you grasp the front of his shirt in your fist when you lean in to kiss him, it's neither hurried nor forceful. It's a response, and an assurance. You pull back enough to see his eyebrows knitted together in confusion, then kiss him a second time, just a peck.

He leans his forehead against yours, sighing in relief. The tension that he must have been holding in his body releases, and you feel his stance soften with your hand still against his chest.

"I should have told you," he murmurs, reaching up to cup your jaw.

You can't help but crack a smile. "Yeah, Pete. Flash had to tell me. On our date."

"That's so awkward."

You laugh. "You're tellin' me."

He leans away from you when he exclaims, suppressing his laughter, "Hey, you didn't tell me, either!"

"Oh my god, Peter," you gush, "Yes I did! Over a year ago!"

His smile falls like he's just had the air knocked out of him. "You what?"

"Oh my god," you repeat, shaking your head in disbelief, "oh my god." 

Peter falls into a slew of apologies, but you're starting to laugh, and they start to die on his lips just ask quickly as they had begun to form. You pull him forward by his shirt once more and kiss him in the doorway, revelling in the ridiculousness of it all.

"I'm in love with you too," you sigh.

If his delighted smile weren't already enough, the kiss that follows more than makes up for it.

Tag list

@undiadeestos

[auspicious-lilana]

Ultimate Spiderman (Peter Parker x Stark! OC x Sam Alexander x Danny Rand)

Summary:When people hear ‘Maya Stark’ everyone would think about the perfect, smart. good looking, rich, student body president of Midtown High.Nobody but her childhood friend Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man and her new team of heroes. Ava, Sam, Danny, and Luke AKA  white tiger, Nova, Iron fist, and Power Man knows about her secret of being Queen’s very own Mistress, soon to be ULTIMATE Mistress

Part 1  Part 2 Part 3   Part 4

{Peter's POV}

"Leap, forward leap. Flip!" Batroc laughed as I raced after him up the building with my spider-cycle. "C'est bon. C'est magnifique."

"Your suckatude knows no bounds, Batroc." I said as I slinged a web on his foot as I tried to slow him down but instead he managed to pull me off my Spider-cycle and make me hit places as he leaped around like a giant frog. Soon I was face flat on the back of a billboard as Baltroc got away.

________________________________________________________________________________

Batroc the Leaper. So off the radar, SHIELD doesn't have a real file on him. What's to know? He's French. He leaps.

Another thing you guys must be wondering,Where the heck is Maya? Well, She's at home getting work done early.

Why? You'll see later

________________________________________________________________________________

"And zee bug goes splat." Baltroc taunted. "But where is zee witch?"

{At Stark Household}

Maya sneezed as she suddenly felt ticked off. She stopped typing her report.

 "I feel like somebody just called me a witch...?" Maya shivered slightly as she went back to typing. "Probably just my imagination."

{Back with Spiderman}

"Taunting me is one thing, Baltroc" I said as I got down. "But calling names on my favorite partner is a whole nother level of wrong" I felt irritation, mixed with confusion. Why was I having such a strong reaction to this? Maya's been called a witch plenty of times, but I never felt this overprotective. I quickly pounced on him as he was about to getaway.

"Spider-Man. Nick Fury says get back to SHIELD HQ for training." I hung upside down next to White Tiger.

"Just because he's the director of SHIELD doesn't mean he can boss me around. Besides, Fury would be the first to say going solo on B-listers like Batroc is good training. Don't be so official, White Tiger." I said as I got on my feet and began walking. "When life gives you Batroc, make French toast." Baltroc then kicked my face hard, sending me flying as he got up with a laugh.

"A boot in the face!" White Tiger tried to pounce on Baltroc with her claws but he moved away just in time as he bumped me hard, hitting the billboard playing J. Jameson.

"Way to go it alone," I said annoyed as I sat there, a bit stuck.

"Get lazy and even the lame ones can splatter you. That's what training's for." White Tiger said mockingly. "That and mastering new tools like electric claws." White Tiger bloated as she activated her electric claws. I managed to get out of the billboard as Baltoc chased white Tiger. I quickly made a giant web as White tiger clawed a water plant as Baltoc hit the web and slinged far, defeating him.

"Is Spider-Man and Mistress a student at Midtown High? - Recently it was attacked" J.Jameson said before Baltoc hit the billboard making it explode.

"Where does he get that stuff?" I asked myself before White Tiger and I made our way back to S.H.I.E.L.D.

***{Maya's POV} ***

I sighed as I closed my laptop. Finally finished my essay reports, school check-ins, and tomorrow night's homework while also making sure I have free time tonight to catch that Sci-Fi movie with Danny.

.________________________________________________________________________________

Why am I getting things done early? You may ask. 

Well, today is my annual every 19th of a month, a training session with the great powerful Sorcerer, Dr.Strange. 

My training with him is once a month since he's always busy, and he is special because since I'm a sorceress I can learn to be better with my mind and magic with a great Sorcerer like Dr.Strange.

________________________________________________________________________________

I yawned as I fell on my bed. Man, I'm tired.

***{Timeskip}***

I was at school in my student office since I got here really early to check up on everything and leave a detailed schedule on what the Vice President, Gwen Stacy. I checked the time. 7:59. I gasped and quickly gathered my things as I quickly made my way to the cafeteria. I seemed to have made it just in time as I saw Danny saved me a seat next to him and Ava. I gratefully thanked him as I sat down to listen to Principal Coulson.

"all city campuses run on high alert. Report any suspicious persons immediately." Coulson said as Peter dashed in here.

"I think I see one now" Flash joked at Peter as I frowned before smiling at Peter as he made his way to the seat next to Ava.

"Pretty good show with Batroc ze Leaper, huh, Ava?" Peter asked nudging her as she seemed unamused.

"Lapse training, and late for school? Good show, Parker" Peter sighed as he sat on the opposite side with Harry and MJ.

"Hey, Pete. They're saying Spidey goes to the school. Girls love heroes, so help me spread the rumor it's me, huh?" Harry slyly said.

"It probably is you, Harry. Who else could afford all those webs he squirts all over everything?" MJ stated.

"How could he be spiderman when you were both there at Harry's party at the same time Spider-Man arrived? Harry can't be in two places, can he? Plus he could just be having a sponsor." I inputted.

"Maya's got a point, And Spider-man doesn't squirt, he shoots," Peter said demonstrating it "And I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to pose as him right now." He added on before Flash pushed him off his seat, sitting in his place.

"Speaking of squirts" Flash mockingly said as Peter got up and frowned at Flash.

"Thompson, Parker, pay attention" Principal Coulson snapped as I looked over at the man next to Coulson. Almost no hair, white strap around his head. Skinny yet muscular figure. And, his aura seemed off. It doesn't give off a normal aura, but instead a darker one. He's harboring evil intentions, but what is it? "Your gym teacher, Mr.Molskin will be out due to a freak accident after last night's game. Mr. Jager will be your substitute until further notice." I wonder how freaky.

"I look forward to the challenge of unlocking your ...hidden talents," Mr.Jager said with an accent as he looked at our group specifically as if searching us for something. I eyed him suspiciously, not trusting him at all now. I felt my magic senses go off as I saw him lock eyes with me.

'bad intentions are being harbored, Stark'

Peter and I's senses are sorta different in a way. His only alerts him of danger that is seconds away from occurring, mines comes with a voice that tells me something that hints me towards potential danger.

________________________________________________________________________________

Awkward phrasing or veiled threat? You be the judge.

The answer is pretty obvious

________________________________________________________________________________

***

We were in the gym now, we were arranging the teams in dodgeball when one of the Office helpers came in and gave Mr.Jager a pass, he didn't seem so happy. I wonder why? He grudgingly made his way towards me and gave me the pass with a frown.

"Go, Miss Stark" I took the pass as I packed my things, while also stealing glances at Mr.Jagar. Why is he so upset about me leaving early?

"Annual Magic session?" Peter whispered as he handed me my phone-which I lent him earlier since his was dead.

"Yeah. Doctor Strange may be patient, but he doesn't like being kept waiting, besides I learn a lot from him since he's the only other person I know that shares practically the exact same abilities as I do" I whispered back as I placed my shoulder bag on. 

"Text me later, you know what time I get off training"

"I hate gym without you, Maya"

"One a month Peter, Once a month. I'll make it up to you"

"Tonight?""Got plans with Danny, Tomorrow night?"

"What are you two doing?"

"We're going to watch a Sci-fi movie"

"Oh, Okay"

"Got to go, remember. Text me later" Peter nodded as I left the room, Feeling Mr.Jagar's deep stare as I left.By the time I made it to the office, I saw Doctor Strange sitting there waiting, in his casual clothes. I grinned as I made my way there."Mr.Strange," I said with a grin. He looked up with a small smile.

"Let's get going, shall we? Maya" I nodded as we made our way to a dark alley. "You remember the group transportation spell from our last lesson, don't you?"

"I've been practicing a lot"

"Did you torture your father?" Dr. Strange chuckled as I nervously chuckled, remembering how annoyed and irritated dad was by the number of times I had purposefully accidentally teleported him all over the Avengers Tower whenever I practiced.

"Maybe...?"

"Why don't we put the spell into use? Teleport us in our usual spot in the forest clearing in the Amazon." I nodded as I focused my mind on that location.

"Cali mon ta rēn fooloo belaga." I chanted the spell. I opened my eyes to see we were in our clearing...except I was on the grass and Doctor Strange was in the lake soaking...oops? I helped Doctor Strange out mumbling sorry a lot of times as he brushed it off as he snapped his fingers drying himself quickly.

"Except for that misfortune of me being in the lake, you seem to have successfully brought us here" I grinned as he waved his hand as we were soon in our cloaks. "Since your strongest point is your mind, we'll start with meditating to sharpen your focus and to get you relaxed. I can sense you've been stressed recently." I sighed as I sat down with my legs crossed as Dr.Strange did the same.

"Yes. With school going haywire, New team, and stark internship. I do have a lot on my plate"

"Seems your a very well relied on person"

"it's an honor and a curse"

"You know the drill" I nodded as I took a breath in and closed my eyes. I focused on clearing my mind. I felt my body go light as I took slow breaths. I focused my mind on my breathing. I sensed Doctor Strange was doing the same. "Free your mind of worries," Doctor Strange said in a low, calming tone. "Let go of any doubts or regrets" I sighed in relaxation.

***{Peter's POV}***

20 minutes in and I already miss Maya a bunch. We played dodgeball and I allowed myself to get hit in the face by a ball I could have easily dodged but I didn't, for the sake of my identity. Even though I got snarky responses from Ava, Maya not only gave me snarky responses about how I shouldn't be getting myself hurt to hide my identity and just dodge simple things like that, she would also secretly place her hand on mines to use a bit of her magic to make the pain go away when nobody is noticing us, which makes getting slammed by a dodgeball in the face by Flash Thompson all worth it.

"I'm looking for finalists for the citywide athletic achievement contest. I want to see everything you've got in this obstacle course. Push yourselves to the limit. Don't give me less than 110 percent." I never even knew those things existed! Couch Jager walked down the line us students had stood in. He made us all look him in the eye which was pretty creepy.

"You could learn a thing from him," Ava said as she glanced at me from her spot next to me in line.

"How to creep people out?" I asked as I glanced back at her oddly.

"Mr.Thompson!" Couch Jager yelled as he turned around. "Go!"

"I'll show you how it's done," Flash said cockily. "And make sure to record it people, I want Maya to see this!" I rolled my eyes. Maya wouldn't be interested in him even if he walked through fire. Flash ran through the obstacle course only stumbling a bit before falling face flat in front of the couch, not bad for a rookie. "Good, huh, coach? - Am I in?" Flash asked excitedly as Couch Jager turned his back.

"Okay, next one up." He yelled. "Go! Ayala, next." Ava went through the course with her swiftness through being white Tiger. "Rand, next!" Danny went through with ease with incredible balance. "Osborn, next!" Harry went through the course stumbling and tripping, obviously not meant for these kinds of stuff. "Cage! Go!" Luke went through the course before getting stuck in the tire instead of going through it.

"Can we get some man-sized tires up in here people? Seriously." He said annoyed.

"Mr.Parker, your last" Couch Jager said in a deep tone as they finally got Luke out of the tire.

________________________________________________________________________________

How sweet would it be to show them all what I can really do? Move on to the citywide championships?

.________________________________________________________________________________

"You can begin anytime today." Couch Jager said, pulling me out of my daydreams. "The course doesn't run itself, Mr.Parker." I purposely made myself fail as I pretended to struggle climbing the wall before falling down, fake of course. Man I wish Maya was here to take the pain away. Couch Jager grunted as I got up and went up to the others. "I'll see three of you tomorrow" He said to us. "Rand, Osborn, Thompson. The rest of you, anemic."

"Tomorrow? Saturday?" Danny exclaimed as Couch Jager walked off.

"Did I stutter?"

"Danny, Flash, and Harry? Harry? I aced that thing." Ava complained. "Why am I not a finalist? Because I'm a girl?"

"Are you the only person on Earth who sees school on a Saturday as a good thing?" I asked.

"Maya and Fury were right. You are too soft" Ava said. "You know, I say we show Mr.Jager who can do what. You and I are going to come back tomorrow anyway, list or no list and run that course again. You know what, I'll even bring Maya along to do it too" By this point the others already walked off.

"If I'm late, you can start without me. Finish too. I'm beat. I have tomorrow set aside for sleep and a movie marathon with Maya by night " I yawned out. "Doesn't that Jager creep you out?" I said as we looked at him doing Jumping Jacks facing the wall.

"I work with a guy whose feet stick to walls. No one creeps me out." Ava said before she walked off. I stared at Couch Jager stretching suspiciously before walking off myself.

***

I was having an amazing dream of J. Johnson proclaiming every day to be Spiderman Day with me sitting on Iron Man and Thor's shoulders as the crowd cheered my name with confetti everywhere before my phone began to rang waking me up as I groaned. I picked up my phone to see Ava calling.

"Hello? Peter, have you heard from Harry?" Ava asked, "It's noon, and no one's come out from the gym yet."

"I'm not late for training," I said as I rubbed my eyes.

"Something's wrong. We can't get into school. The fence is electrified." I heard Maya's voice. "I'm almost certain it has to do with Jager"

"It's Saturday. Why are you-Did you say the school's electrified?" I said as I bolted up from my bed as I went to get my Spider-man suit.

"Get here now!" the girls yelled as they hung up before I smirked and got there quick in my Spider-man suit as I stood next to Ava.

"That quick for you?" I smugly said as Ava had to take a double look as Maya sighed. "Yeah, I'm that good"

{Maya's POV}

Ava and I quickly changed into our own hero selves as I levitated myself over the gate as the other two leaped over.

"Something's up." White Tiger said. "We should call Coulson." White Tiger began to call on her com wrist before Spidey interrupted.

"No." He said stopping her. "We should go solo on this!" We raised our eyebrows at him as he began to explain himself. "Eh, you know, together, the three of us. We can handle this." Spidey placed his hand on her shoulder before she glared at him with a warning look as he soon let go before we looked at the school. "SHIELD added security to protect the school from well, for us. Probably just a misfire."

"Or Jager took them captives" I inputted as I glared at the school. "My senses gave off a warning when I looked into his eyes the other day."

"Yeah, maybe but, who electrifies a fence and leaves the door unlocked?" Spidey said as he opened the door as we moved in the dark hallways.

"Dark, creepy, dank." White Tiger complained as she stepped in a puddle.

"I told you not to come to school on a Saturday" Spidey said.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Help!" We got serious as we ran towards the source. "Help! Can anyone hear me? Oh, I sure could use a hand. I've got myself in quite a pickle here." The Janitor said as we stopped to see him pinned to the wall by a robotic arm, the security system. "Oh, if Irving Forbush could see me now." He gushed.

"Hang tight, Janitor Guy. We'll get you out" Spidey began to pull on the arm as I sighed. I focused my mind on levitating the arm off.

"Movere." I ordered the robotic arm as my eyes began to glow purple as I moved the robotic arm from the Janitor giving him time to move out before I let go of the arm as did Spidey as it clammed itself back in the wall. Spidey walked back to us as he wiped his hands.

"Mucho malfunction security system." He said as the Janitor took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead before we heard a click

."Don't move" White Tiger said as we froze in place.

"Oh my," the Janitor said still a bit shaken from the robotic arm, he moved a bit before he fell down a pit as we quickly went around the pit as we heard a thud, guessing he had a rough landing. "Wow, there's a lot of wax build-up down here." Guessing he's fine. The pit closed on us as we stood up.

"Who built the security? Dr. Doom?" Spidey questioned before we began searching around. Once we passed Coulson's office White Tiger snapped.

"I'm calling Coulson" She attempted to call him as I noticed something green shining from his office as I looked through the window to see him.

"No phone needed," I said as Spidey took a glance behind me. "He's already here"

"On a Saturday? Agent Coulson?" White Tiger questioned as she walked up to the door. Spidey slowly opened the door.

"Don't come into my office" Coulson said before we opened the door to see him upside down, hanging on top of his desk with nothing but a white men's tank top and his underwear.

"I can see why he wanted to be alone." Spidey jokes. "Nice tighty whities." I cringed as I looked somewhere else. Seeing my dad in his underwear is one thing, seeing my principal in them is a whole nother story.

"The whole school is rigged," Coulson informed us. "Taskmaster corrupted the SHIELD security tech."

"Who?" White Tiger asked.

"Assassin. Hates me. Hates Fury"

"We have to contact Fury" White Tiger exclaimed as she tried to but seemed to fail.

"You can't. He jammed the frequencies." Coulson said. "You shouldn't have come to school today."

"Told you." Spidey mocked as I slightly sent a shock at him as he began to rub his arm. "Oww! Maya!" Should've watched his mouth. If there was one thing us Starks hate, it's being proven we're wrong.

"Work on getting yourselves out of here, and then find Fury. Don't waste time on me, and definitely don't go after Taskmaster alone." Coulson commanded. "He's a combat chameleon. Do you understand?"

"Wait," Spidey said. "He was bitten by a radioactive chameleon?"

"Not everyone is bitten by a radioactive living thing to gain powers," I said as I sweatdropped before we all heard a yell as I soon recognized it as,

"That's Harry!" Spidey exclaimed. "I remember that scream from slasher movie night at camp Maya and I went to a summer ago! Let's go!" Before I can object the two ran off as I sighed and ran as well.

"If Taskmaster sees you do it, he can do it. Fight him once, he's as good as you, you hear me?" Coulson yelled as Harry yelled again. Bet a million the two didn't hear him as well as I heard his warning.

"What did Coulson just say?" White Tiger asked as I caught up with them as we turned a corner.

"I don't know. I couldn't hear him." Spidey said confirming my statement. I should tell them, but I'd rather make things interesting and see how long it takes before they realize it themselves. My senses began to go off as did Spidey's.

"My senses! Get down!" I yelled as we slid down as rockets went past us quick before we began running again.

"If Flash and Harry are here at least they've got Danny to protect them," Spidey said as one of the two hallways were closing.

"I'll take this way! You guys check the other!" I yelled as I slid under the closing gate as they did the same in the other. I had a feeling Danny would have to separate from them to really fight, he might need backup. "O me ducere ad Rand" I muttered as I soon began to sense Danny's aura nearby as I followed the arrow I conjured. By the time I made it to him, I seem to have been too late as I saw Danny unconscious. "Danny!" I gasped as the wall behind me shut as well leaving the two of us trapped. I kneeled down as I placed his head on my lap as I checked him out.

________________________________________________________________________________

AND NO! Not the way you perverted readers. I'm 16 and Danny's just a friend I care a lot for, okay?________________________________________________________________________________

I saw how beaten up he looked as he kept groaning in pain. Taskmaster must've used all his moves on him, and let me tell you this, his moves are NOT ones that are little pain. His injuries are really major but there's no blood and it seems like his pulses are still there. Even healing this would take a bit of my core magic...but it's for the sake of Danny, right? He's done a lot to hold us all together. It's my turn to return his generosity. I took a deep breath as I lifted my hands to hover above him as I closed my eyes.

"Curare patiens, nunc autem poena inops dolor, maneant modo poena, et non reverta!" I chanted as I felt a glow surround me and Danny. "Curare patiens, nunc autem poena inops dolor, maneant modo poena, et non reverta!" I kept chanting as I slowly healed Danny. Curare patiens, nunc autem poena inops dolor, maneant modo poena, et non reverta!" Danny began to wake up as I soon noticed and stopped chanting as I felt faint a bit.

"Maya?" He said with a husky tone, which strangely made me flush slightly.Maybe it was just me being exhausted. I smiled as I soon collapsed as he- now fully recovered- caught me. "Maya!" I felt him remove my mask and placed down the hood of my cloak as he kept yelling my name.

"I'm weak, but I'm not deaf" I joked as Danny sighed.

"You didn't have to exert yourself in that way, You had me worried"

"Don't ugh, worry. I used less than Venom and since this is the second time since last week, I think I'll not faint as much." I saw the lights go back on and doors open.

"Guess Taskmaster was taken care of"

"We missed the fun" I chuckled breathlessly.

"Can you still change back to your average clothes? I think I hear sirens"

"Can you help me up?" Danny nodded with a small blush as he placed my arm over his shoulder as his other arm supported my back as he wrapped it behind my waist. "Should I wrap my leg to cover up I'm just magically exhausted?"

"Probably" Danny joked as he slightly chuckled.

***

“No one in this school is cool enough to be Spidey or that cool chick Mistress, so forget that rumor. " Flash excitedly said to a newscast. "That said, I totally helped Spider-Man save the dump. I had no clue where Mistress was but I bet you I helped her out too," We all including Coulson watched from afar as Flash and Harry get interviewed. I had my leg wrapped up with a bandage from the Nurse's office which conveniently was where we were trapped in as I let Danny support me.

"Flash Thompson finally did me a favor." Peter joked.

"Taskmaster never even suspected Peter Parker was Spider-Man and since Maya was absent, Mistress wasn't suspected either," Ava said. "Your creativity was just as strategic as my training." She praised Peter. "More even."

"Really?" Peter raised his eyebrow a bit confused from the sudden praise.

"Going solo paid off, okay?"

" There's still one thing I don't get at all," Peter said as he turned to Coulson. "The tight briefs. Really?"

"I swim," Coulson said sternly as he turned his head.

"Leave the man's underwear alone, Pete, or he'll get short with you." Ava joked as we all laughed while Coulson walked away having quite enough jokes from us.

________________________________________________________________________________

Does SHIELD have some kind of mind wiper, because I really need that image out of my head.

Don't need to tell me twice. I'll be in SHIELD's laboratory creating a memory potion if you need me.

________________________________________________________________________________________

________

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[musical-in-theory]

Magnificently Malcontent Pt 10

JJ’s arm jerked back almost immediately after Henrik started applying a salve to his burn. They hadn’t noticed it at the time, but Marvin’s fire had definitely left its mark on him. Henrik gingerly brought his little brother’s arm back in front of him and continued to treat the wound. Henrik kept his eyes downcast and focused on the task at hand. He may not have been able to prevent injury, but he could damn well treat the ones that had occurred.

    Jackie and Chase sat in two different corners of Henrik’s room. They had all headed straight there as soon as they arrived back at the house. Jackie and Chase chose their respective seats and stayed like that for the entire time they had been there. None of them had uttered a word, and all of them were too afraid to be the first one to break the silence.

    Henrik walked over next to Chase where the bandages were stored. As soon as he laid a hand on one of the rolls, Chase’s hand was on top of his. Henrik looked up at the man who was still staring at the floor. “We have to stop them- I mean him. W-we have to stop Anti.” Chase choked out. His hand fell limply back to his side.

    Henrik wanted desperately to help his younger brothers. They were all hurting, but it was in a way that he couldn’t heal. All of his medical training was useless in the face of this trauma. If he was honest with himself, he was hurting too. What he saw…

    He shook the thought away. Heal the burn. Heal the family. Focus on the task at hand. There would be time later to think about everything else. He grabbed the bandages and walked back to JJ. “Zhis should heal in about 2 veeks. Reapply zhe ointment in zhe morning and before bed.” Henrik spoke quietly. JJ nodded and launched himself out of his seat to latch onto the doctor.

    Henrik stood frozen until he heard soft sniffles coming from his chest. He raised his hand to smooth the hair on JJ’s head. Henrik was never one for sentiment, but seeing his brothers so broken at the hands of the people he had once loved brought tears to his eyes. He had never felt so lost.

    Jackie suddenly got up out of his chair and started marching toward the door. “Und vhere do you zhink you are going?” Henrik stared down the hero while still keeping JJ close to him.

    Jackie stopped in the doorway, not looking back. “I’m gonna go kill Antisepticeye.” He tried to leave again, but Chase’s hand on his arm stopped him. Jackie looked into his pleading eyes, “I have to. He keeps hurting everyone! And now he has Marv on his side. How can I keep calling myself a hero, when I can’t even keep my own family safe from those villains?” Jackie was practically screaming.

    JJ pulled back from Henrik and glared at Jackie. “Do not call Marvin a villain. Don’t ever call him that. We can still save him.” he signed so fast that Jackie almost didn’t catch it.

    They all looked at JJ with pity. He could tell that there was something they weren’t telling him. Chase was the first to speak up, “Jameson… I don’t know how much of Marvin there is left to save. He took each of us out of commission using what we care about most. He almost incinerated you! I think… I think Marvin is gone. I’m not saying we should kill them,” Chase threw Jackie a pointed look and then returned his tired gaze to JJ, “but we have to stop the both of them at all costs.”

    JJ screwed his eyes shut and balled up his fists. How could they just give up on their own brother? He glared at all three of them as he backed away. He shakily signed, “No, no, you didn’t see what I saw. He’s still in there. He has to be. He’s still in there. He’s still in there.” JJ continued to sign the same phrase over and over again until Chase walked to him and grabbed his hands.

    “I know that this is hard to accept, but think about it. We barely escaped with our lives. Marvin was the one trying to kill us when Anti only order him to capture you. We have to face facts. Our Marvin isn’t coming back.” JJ nearly collapsed to the ground in sobbing mess, but Chase caught him in time.

    JJ shakily took his hands back from Chase and lifted them up, “You can’t be right. You can’t be. If he wasn’t able to be saved, then Anti wouldn’t have him perform that ritual.” His hand movements were so unstable, Chase at first thought that he misunderstood.

    “JJ do you know vhat zhey are planning?” Henrik cautiously moved towards the little gentleman.

    JJ looked up to his eldest brother, “All I know is that I found the tip that led me to you was next to a very dangerous spell. One that will keep Marvin by his side for as long as he lives. Why? Why in the everloving world would Anti do that if he wasn’t scared that Marvin still has a chance?” JJ stepped continuously closer to Henrik until his hands were practically in his face.

Chase stayed where he was, speechless. He wanted to believe it was true, but what Marvin had him live through… He hated that he could never make that dream a reality, and that had to be the magician’s intent. Marvin got inside all of their heads and crossed a serious line just because Anti said that he should. Chase also couldn’t forget the hatred he saw in Marvin’s eyes. There was no way that it was completely from Anti’s influence.

“Chase, vhat do you zhink ve should do?” The question pulled him out of his thoughts. Chase made eye contact with Henrik and was sure that he must have heard wrong. Henrik and Jackie were the ones who made plans. Henrik saw the disbelief that Chase tried and failed to hide from them and put a hand on his shoulder. “You have gotten us all zhis far, so vhat is our next move?”

“Uhhhh, okay, okay. I-I guess we, uh.” Chase trailed off and looked around the room. His brothers were counting on him. They believed in him. He wouldn’t let his family down. Not this time.

He took a deep breath and continued, “Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. Henrik, I need you to start preparing syringes. Fill them with any kind of strong sedatives you can think of. If we can take them down without killing them, then that’s the route I wanna take.” Chase peeked over at JJ to make sure he was okay with that. He seemed conflicted but ultimately nodded.

“Jackie, I want you to listen in on those police scanners you stole. Yes we know about them. Keep an ear out for any major power drainages or explosions, something that might point towards Marvin performing a spell. We don’t know for sure whether they moved locations or not, and we can’t afford to be wrong.

JJ you knew-know, you know more about Marvin than any of us. We need to know weak spots or ways to counteract his spells. I understand that you don’t want us to hurt him, but if we don’t stop him then he won’t hesitate to take us all out. After all, we all barely made it out last time.” Chase took another breath after he finished. He had never been much of leader, but there was a first time for everything, right?

    Just then, Jackie whispered to himself, “No. It was too easy…”

    “Too easy? Did you not just hear the part where I said we barely escaped with our lives? What part of that sounds too easy to you?” Chase turned his head to squint at the hero. Jackie looked up startled as if he hadn’t expected for anyone to have heard that.

    He regained his composure and explained, “I’d ask if you’re blind, but Henrik’s the only one here with glasses. Didn’t you see? Anti just watched us go out the door. Even Marvin stopped attacking long enough to let us go. Anti said he needed us, so why just let us escape?” Jackie stepped away from the door and began pacing around the room.

    “Perhaps ve veren’t zhe target.” Henrik looked over at JJ, “Perhaps ve vere merely zhe symptoms of a larger virus zhat Anti vanted to get rid of.”

    JJ signed, “What in thunderation are you talking about?” They all could tell how nervous he was. Henrik learned quickly that whenever his little brother was scared, he liked to revert to old-fashioned sayings and phrases.

    Chase stepped up, “He’s saying, JJ, that the reason Anti and Marvin let us escape is because we were making it too hard for them to get you unharmed.”

    Meanwhile across town back at the abandoned building Marvin was thrown against the wall. “Two tasks. That’s all I needed you to accomplish. Two simple tasks, and you failed at both.” Anti stalked over to the magician who sat limply against the wall. He failed his master. He deserved this. Anti grabbed Marvin’s chin and forced him to look up, “Maybe I should take my strings back and throw you to your brothers, let them deal with you.”

    For a brief moment, the word “escape” flashed across Marvin’s mind, but it was quickly replaced with visions of his brothers torturing him for the monster he had become. Those visions morphed into ones of life without Anti as the static creeped in. Without Anti, how could he think? How could he live without his permission to do so? His magic was his master’s alone to control.

    Marvin shook his head pleadingly and Anti smiled, “Then get back to work, and next time I expect you to be able to kill when I tell you to.” Marvin thanked him and ran back to the sigil, but the word “kill” had seeded a bad feeling in his mind, a feeling that he just couldn’t shake.

Sorry for the long wait. I have had so much on my plate with a whole heaping side of writer’s block. Thanks for reading! I really hope I’m doing this story justice, considering it started as just a small idea. I never thought that it would get this far honestly. Thank you all for your support of this story. As always feedback is highly encouraged and always welcome. Thanks!

Taglist:

@beerecordings @hexatrash @whydoilovesomanyvillians @egopocalypse @rachelclutch @aether-mae @egos-n-others @antibeaneverybody @sa2-lovefrme

[marshmallow-phd]

Tangled Web

Genre: Spider-Man!AU

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Reader

Summary: Kyungsoo has been your best friend for years. He knows more about you than even your boyfriend ever could, and is the one you go to first with both good and bad news. When he’s actually around, that is. He’s a man of many secrets, including how he feels about you. As he tries to balance a normal life with superhero duties, he discovers that keeping a secret identity is never easy and can even put the person he cares about most in the world in danger.

Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3 I Part 4 I Part 5 I Part 6 I Final

header by @xui-n-soowillbethedeathofme

**

Kyungsoo stumbled back, eyes wide in shock at your declaration. You couldn’t help but giggle at his current state. You also couldn’t blame him considering the little bomb you just dropped on him. And maybe that wasn’t the right way to phrase it, but that was the main thought running through your head.

For a very long time, you’d been aware of exactly why Kyungsoo was always late or canceling plans last minute. Knowing that he was out there, putting himself in danger was the true cause of your frustration with him. But before now, you’d never voiced it.

At first, you simply thought the concern you held onto was because he was your best friend. The bruises and cuts that he always lied about tugged at your heart and you wanted to just force him to sit down while you treated them properly. But that meant acknowledging that you knew there was more to them than just an accidental fall. Keeping the secret not only from everyone else, but from Kyungsoo as well had been hard, but now that you’d realized exactly where your heart was leading you, it impossible not tell him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo said quickly, his telling eyes shifting around the apartment at hyperspeed. Based on the areas he was focusing on, he was probably checking to see if he’d left anything out from his hiding places that you’d found over a years ago.

Rolling your eyes, you stepped forward, fingers grazing the hem of his shirt before tugging up to expose his stomach. “Let me see where he hit you with the bolt.”

Panic stricken, Kyungsoo pushed your hands away. “I’m fine. I don’t know why you think I’m hurt. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You threw your hands up, not willing to play this game. “Fine. Keep pretending like we both don’t know that you’re Spider-Man. I understand why you didn’t tell me at first, but you could at least acknowledge it now. I’m not an idiot, Kyungsoo, so don’t treat me like one.”

Fed up, you pushed past him, heading for the door. You made it about three feet before a thwip and you were pulled back by something attached to your hip. You were whirled around, landing against Kyungsoo’s chest.

“I am,” he gulped, looking terrified as he stared into your eyes, “Spider-Man.”

You planted a light kiss against his lips. “Yeah, I already know that, silly.”

His eyebrows knit together. “Is that why you like me? As more than a friend? Because I swing around the city in a mask?”

A laugh escaped your throat. “No. Of course not. I think I’ve been in love with you since I met you. I was just too blind to see it.”

“But I’m not Jongin,” he whispered. “I’m not rich or-”

You stopped him with a hand over his mouth. “I don’t care about that or anything else you’re about to say that Jongin has that you don’t or think you don’t. I fell for you because you show that you care and make me a priority. And you’re sweet, kind, handsome, you pay attention, and any girl would be lucky to have you. I’ve decided that I want to be that girl.”

A beautiful, heart shaped smile spread across his face. Resting both of his warm palms against your jaw, he started to lean in towards you. Just before your lips could touch again, he stopped.

“How did you figure it out?”

You scoffed lightheartedly, stepping back just a bit. “Oh, come on, Soo. You’re always disappearing, the mysterious bruises, the fact that you never talk about your day in detail. How could I not put it together?”

Kyungsoo stared at you with that pointed, knowing look. You held out as long as you could, but that lasted about thirty seconds.

“Okay, okay,” you sighed. “I once saw you crawling through the second story window of your aunt’s house a few years ago when I was on my way to visit her. It was definitely obvious once your aunt said she didn’t think you were there yet and then you suddenly came down from your old room.”

“Aw,” Kyungsoo nodded. “And I thought I was better sneaking in through windows.”

“You’re not that slick, Soo.”

The look his face suddenly went from amused to serious. “(y/n), I’ve loved you for a long time, but I don’t want to put in danger. Being Spider-Man is a big part of my life and I don’t want that to throw your’s into chaos. I want you to be safe. And if that means keeping you at arms length… then that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to take. I’m sorry.”

What. An. Idiot.

You punched him in the shoulder. “First of all, I want to date you, Kyungsoo, not Spider-Man. So, I don’t think I’ll be in danger that much considering the rest of the world just thinks you’re a nerdy photographer. And, let’s face it, dating Jongin turned out to be more dangerous. Yet, Spider-Man was the one who saved me. All I’m seeing is perks.”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “No. You saved yourself.”

“Well,” you shrugged, “being a damsel in distress is so two-thousand-two.”

Laughing, Kyungsoo pulled you in, an arm wrapped around your waist before finally kissing you once more.

**

The night sky was clear and and full of bright stars that not even the city lights could wipe them out. No one else was in this part of the park, giving the two of you enough privacy as you laid on the giant spider’s web that Kyungsoo had spun high in the trees. As you lied on your back, hands acting like a pillow for your head, Kyungsoo stared at you with absolute adoration.

It’d been nearly a year since you confessed to him and he actually was able to call himself yours. It was his favorite title, even above superhero.

He’d never been more thankful for anything in his life. Each and every day was a gift and he never knew what could happen to him, whether just walking down the street as Kyungsoo or fighting the latest villain that plague this city as Spider-Man.

There were times that he complained about nearly everything; the criminals, Dr. Connors, his school work, Mr. Jameson, and anything else he could think of. There were plenty of times when he just wanted to quit.

But you were his rock, his foundation who helped him keep going. You patched him up when he was hurt and made sure that he got plenty of rest and remembered to get to his internship on time. How he lived without you in this capacity before was well beyond him.

So, yes. He was thankful for you and there was nothing that could take you away from him.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” you giggled, turning on your side to face him.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Just… things in general. Life. You.”

You smiled. “Me?”

He simply nodded.

“Care to share?”

Now he shook his head. He’d save his speech for the future. Perhaps when he was brave enough to ask you to marry him.

You scoffed, shaking your own head. “You know, you’re a lot more talkative as Spider-Man.”

“It’s the mask.”

He braced himself for your playful punches that you usually delivered, but instead, you laid one of your arms across his stomach, scooting in closer to his side. You breathed him in as he slid his own arm underneath you.

“Kyungsoo?”

He looked down at you and smiled. “Yeah?”

You bit your bottom lip. “I love you.”

The air stopped in Kyungsoo’s throat. While you had admitted that day in his apartment that you’d fallen in love with him, you hadn’t quite said those three words to him. Not in this context, at least. There were a few times you’d said something close to it in a joking manner. Hearing it like this made his heart fly.

Unable to hold himself back, he kissed you deeply, shifting so he was now hovering above you, cupping the back of your neck with his hand. He drank you in, taking in the warmth of your skin and the feeling of your lips against his.

Then the sirens went off in the distance.

Reluctantly, he pulled away and sat up.

“I don’t have to go,” he suggested with no heart behind it.

You nudged his shoulder. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Shaking his head, he kissed you one last time before pulling on his mask to complete the suit he was already wearing and swung off to save the day. When he was done, he’d come back for you, to help you down before the two of you went back to your shared apartment where he’d hold on to you as he fell asleep. Just like he’d always imagined. But sleep wouldn’t come too easily.

Dr. Seuss said it right: You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

And Kyungsoo’s reality was certainly much better than his most vivid dreams.

[dorkydinoart]

Silent Secret [CH1]

Character/s: demonic!Jameson Jackson, The Host, Dark, Wilford Warfstache, hint of other Septic egos. Ship/s: mild JJxHost, light tint of Darkstache TW:  None. (Only a little heads up- my version of Jameson usually wears a skirt.) [HERE] [CH2] [CH3] [CH4] [CH5-FINAL]

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

“Anti?! ANTI?!”

“...H...Henrik, it- it hurts. I don’t know...what...”

“Shush, shush we got you- Chase!!! Come zhere!”

“What the hell happened?!”

“I...I don’t know! Help- Help me move him- he’s bleezding out!”

“GUYS COME HERE! JACKIE, GET MARVIN!”

“On my way!”

“We can’t lose him! Not now...not now!”

“Anti! stay with us…!” ...

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

Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock

A soft sound of a pocket watch filled the silence in a room. Jameson sat alone on a bed, writing into his diary. How long was it since he moved here? A year? Probably...

He couldn’t help it but he felt way more comfortable in this house. Why? He didn’t know. Maybe because it was calm and quiet in here, no one really disturbed him. It wasn’t like that at the old house where he used to live with friends- Not like he was unhappy with them, not at all! But the problem was there also lived one… One specific cockroach named Anti

 He twitched at a sudden memory- He and Anti never really got along. Not like Jamie didn’t try to be nice to him but Anti was loud, annoying demonic brat that was poking in stuff that was none of his business. And worth to mention- Anti broke the wifi router several times.

 No one really got along with him at the beginning except for Henrik. They had some kind of “interest” in each other. Henrik taught Anti about humans and in return, Anti let him study his body. After some time, Chase grew to him as well, even though Anti controlled his body many times before and didn’t let him sleep much. Their relationship escalated from “Leave me alone!” to “Wanna play Smash Bros?” in the matter of a month. Chase never admitted it, but Anti was more or less like a son for him.

Would you believe this was once a horrifying demon they feared?

 Others tried their best to go along him. He did the same usually, but sometimes he showed interest in someone’s daily activity and watched them. But not like, secretly- he followed you around. No matter where you went, he had his way to be a pain in your ass for the whole day. No one could keep away their secrets from him!  Except for Jameson. He was the only one with a secret that no one knew about. Who would have ever suspected anything from such an innocent, mute human cinnamon roll like him? No one.

But Anti was getting more and more certain there’s more to him than he shows. When JJ knew Anti is up to something, he quickly made up something and “told” others that he “feels in danger around Anti and his behavior makes him very uncomfortable“ and that he’s scared. It seemed like others believed it and agreed it’s going to be for the best if Jameson leaves the house for a while. Chase said he knows someone who would let him stay- but he warned JJ that they have supernatural people in their house as well. He didn’t mind it at all, no one could be as bad as Anti… And so, instead of “staying for a while” he literally moved here. And he was happy that way.     JJ sighed as he closed the diary, looking at it silently. The diary was the only thing that knew about his secret and it was getting harder and harder to keep it in. He knew someone will find out eventually. And then they will reject him when they do- he was sure of it. But as long as he keeps calm and has his mouth shut, nothing will happen.

Well, of course he’ll keep his mouth shut, he is mute, isn’t he? Oh dear, he wished he was. He only pretended to be and he was excellent at it. Everyone believed he was mute as a fish!

Only he knows what it does to him when he speaks...even just a word.  Sometimes, when he was sure no one is around, he tried to speak with himself to get hold of his power. But every time he spoke, he began to change into his real self. Speaking triggers the transformation and there’s no way stopping it. He can control his behavior, he still has his own mind but he can’t stop himself from transforming into...that thing. To be able to change back, he has to stay silent for several days. Then it’s possible. Being a demon in disguise like that was nervewracking. Sure, there were other supernaturals but they never hid their true nature from others- they look pretty much normal! Like Anti, or Dark or… Or Host   

Jameson tensed up a little. This guy... Host sure is a mysterious guy, he is not a demon but not a human either. He never told anyone what he exactly is, his answer to this question was “The Host is nothing special.”. Jameson giggled a little. He can’t remember how many times this phrase annoyed Wilford.

The Host seemed to be very smart. Most of his day he spends in the library- man, they had a huge library in their mansion.

But he doesn’t read the books, or at least Jameson has never seen him read one. He writes his own books, his own stories- and Jameson found that very fascinating! He loved to sit around and listen to him talk as he writes. He had such a smooth voice. He could listen to it for hours... Must be one of his powers...  Now he thought about it, no one really knew how Host works. Or even knew much about him. The most curious one must have been Wilford, but everyone in the house must have been curious as well. When it comes to Jameson, sure, he would like to know more about him, but he has his own secret and Host might have his own as well. And he damn knows how it feels like when someone’s poking where they shouldn’t. Knock Knock Knock

His gaze shifted to the door, quickly hiding his diary underneath the pillow before knocking on the bed frame as an invitation. The door slowly opened.

A brown haired man peeked in, wiggling his mustache in a silly manner. It worked though, JJ giggled a little underneath his hand.

“Just a check if yar awake. You’re quite a sleeper, ain'tcha?”

JJ just shrugged and offered a friendly smile. Wilford still doesn’t know the sign language and giving him a proper answer would be really difficult without a pen and paper. Through all of the communication difficulties Wilford and JJ had, they were friends. Good friends actually. 

Wilford was the first one to show him around and introduced him to others. He might be impulsive time to time and his mind is somewhat beyond his understanding, but it was part of him. And although it was mean, JJ found it hilarious when Wilford once got a total tantrum over flower being named “Sweet William”.

“Yea, I know. Anyway, Host said something about needing help in the library. Like, books aren’t really my thing and maybe you could…?” JJ waved his hand at him, he got him. “Thanks, man! I gotta rush into the kitchen...I think Mr. Grumpy-bum is making something delicious and I ain’t gonna miss that opportunity!” With that, Wilford left. Jameson snorted, this guy was really something. He pities Dark a little, but at the same time, he knew he doesn’t mind Wilford that much. He might even like him.

Jameson got up and wandered to the wardrobe. What to wear, what to wear…

[debbieker-blog]

WELCOME BALL

(( I apologize for the length of this fic, again! :S 

People mentioned in this fic: @isabellafaulkner @theiahuntley @madelynknightoftheselection @calistapledger @emmalynatwood @ariciaeast @domschreave @kingjamesonschreave @queeneleanoraschreave @princesscallieschreave @princepercyschreave @princeevanschreave @ladykatdempsey ))

“Okay, close your eyes, Lady Debbie, please!” Lisa said entering the room, eagerly walking towards us and closing the big wooden door behind her. She was carrying a garment black bag that contained the finished dress for the ball that she and Nadine have been working on the past weeks.

 “OMG! I can’t wait to see it!!” I exclaimed excited. I couldn’t turn around, but I saw Lisa’s reflection in the mirror of my dressing table, I was sitting on a cushioning chair in front of it, while Donna was styling my hair for the night. Lisa speeded up to stand in front of me holding the dress. She looked at me and nodded as a sign that she won’t open the bag until I close my eyes as she told me to. I rolled my eyes pretending to be annoyed. I could hear the noise of the bag being unzipped by Lisa. “Ready?” She asked, by her tone I could tell she was smiling. “I’m ready!” I answered exasperated. “Open your eyes” I opened my eyes and stare open-mouthed at the gorgeous silk, princess style dress. It was soft pink in the top and the color was getting high shades until the red bottom. “Ahh! You guys are artists! It’s beautiful! Thank you so much!” I shouted standing up to give Lisa a big hug. She didn’t know what to do at first, but then she hugged me back. “I will thank Nadine when she comes back with the shoes” I said smiling.

Donna spent some time on my hair, then Nadine did my makeup and the 3 of them helped me with the dress. “Aww you look stunning Lady Debbie!” Donna exclaimed with a sigh. I twirled looking the small lightning blue glitter reflecting the lights in the big mirror. “Thank you for everything, ladies” I said looking at each one of them, they nodded at me and I left the room.

The dress was floor length, for that reason I had to be careful and slow to walk down the stairs. When I finally placed my two feet on the flat, carpeted floor, I felt relieved. I had been in the palace for a few days now, but I still got lost. I didn’t remember where the ball room was, so, I follow the music across the halls to find it. I stand a few seconds on the door frame to admire the room. The view was surreal, the room was white with golden details all over the ceiling and walls, I could also see some art pictures here and there. The atmosphere was regal and formal, a low warmth light coming from big precious chandeliers was illuminating everything, but you still could appreciate all the colorful dresses twirling around, dancing. The place was perfectly decorated with colorful flowers in fancy vases.

I walked inside with my mouth open in amazement. I looked around the room looking for Dom, my eyes found and followed him for a couple of minutes, he was smiling, talking, enjoying the night. His smile made me smirk unconsciously. I walked two steps towards him, hesitating if it was the correct time to approach him. He seemed to be busy talking to some girl that I didn’t recognize because of the distance, that’s why I decided to wait for the right moment. My eyes looked around a little more until I glimpse a group of girls talking, across the room. I walked in their direction and included myself in the group. I greeted them all and we started complementing each other’s looks and dresses. They all looked gorgeous. Maddie and Emms were wearing different princess style, black dresses, Theia choose a white one that made good contrast with her tanned skin, it has tons of shining stones on the top of it. Aricia’s and Bella’s had similar style dresses, but totally different design and colors, Bella was wearing red and Aricia a nude color. Calista looked great as well with a dark purple dress, mermaid style with a pronounced decollate, it seemed she was ready to leave Dom open-mouthed.

We all talked a little about ourselves, our families and our lives before the selection, then each one of us share our experiences at our interviews with Prince Dom.

“…So, how’s everyone feeling after the eliminations? Calista asked us

Ten of us were already gone. For me that was a considerably number, I wonder why Dom decided to eliminate so many girls in one day. The thought of that one of those girls could have been me, made me feel both, grateful and nervous. We never know when will be our last day here, that’s why I was determined to enjoy each day fully. 

“Relieved I’m here, but still a little nervous” Maddie said

“I am so relieved! I thought I was going home” Isabella answered laughing. I had had this conversation with her before, when she joined me on my morning jog at the beach. She told me she was afraid to get eliminated. I laughed at her concern, because I knew that Dom liked her even before we arrive at the palace, but she explained to me that the reason of her nervousness was that the topic of her mom had come out at her interview. I have never been good at advices or comfort, so I tried to distract her attention talking about myself, but the story was about to be picked up again.

“Oh no! What’s the matter with your mother?” Maddie asked scared

When Isabella explained that her mom doesn’t like the royals and that she uses to organize meetings to demonstrate she’s against them. Maddie was relieved, but we saw sadness and nostalgia in her face. “Mads, you don’t seem fine, what’s … oh, your mother” Cal said remembering something, I looked at her and then at Maddie again.  

“What, what is it?” I asked confused.  “I’m sorry, Mads.” Cal said looking at her, then she turned to face me “Debs, her mom is no longer around” That phrase hit me harder than it should have. It’s not that I didn’t think about my dead mom all the time, but I promised myself that while I’m in here living this experience I would keep my sad memories inside. I took a deep breath to get rid of the knot in my throat.

“Yes, she passed away when I was nine” Maddie said, “I am so sorry, Maddie” Bella said comforting her

“Well, let’s talk about happy things to enjoy the ball!” I suggested to lift the mood. I was afraid that suddenly I end up crying in the middle of the party, embarrassing myself.

They all agreed with me and then we spread out to get some drinks.

I got close to the food table, there were all kind of snacks. Everything looked delicious. I didn’t know what to try first. I decided to taste the baked egg rolls and coconut shrimps. I took one of each delicately. Every bite was sublime. When I turned to see the drinks table I couldn’t believe my eyes when I discovered the iced coffee. I had lots of those before coming back to the group.

When I get to them I realized Calista was gone, I look around the big room and I see her walking towards Dom slowly. I felt a little twist on my stomach. I guessed it was because I shouldn’t have eaten that amount of shrimps. I turned my back on them to talk with the girls.

“Now that I came back everyone is leaving” I said faking a sad face. “Sorry I got distracted by the iced…”

“Debbie! They have iced coffee!” Isabella shouted excited interrupting me. I smiled at her “Yes! I know!” I said laughing.

“Yes, they do and it tastes great!” Aricia added. It seemed like I wasn’t the only one excited about it

“I actually already had too much. I won’t sleep tonight” I said worried. This definitely wasn’t the first time I drink coffee like crazy, I used to do it at home all the time, but there was something different this time. I wasn’t sure what was it, but I keep smiling.

“That’s alright” Aricia continued smiling back at me “… now you can dance into the wee hours of the morning!”

“Yeah, if only there was more than one man to dance with” I said winking. There were some guards that they have let be here to dance with us, because in that way we all could have the opportunity to have fun and Dom could have time to talk and dance with each one of us at a time. The thing is that for some reason I didn’t felt comfortable with the idea of dancing with the guards, the same reason why I felt weird looking at them training the morning Isabella and I were running at the beach next to them. I didn’t want to give that reason a name, not yet.

“You can also dance with me, though” Isabella offered excited before anyone noticed my mistake

“That’s the attitude!” I shouted. She grabbed my hand and we run as quick as our dresses let us to the center of the ballroom to dance.

We start bouncing with the rhythm of violins and piano. “Have you talked to any of the royals yet?” I asked her.

“No, I haven’t! Is that bad? I giggled at the look of his face. I don’t understand why a pretty, intelligent and nice woman like her always worries so much.

“No. I guess not, but I’m curious to meet them all. I also would love to meet and greet the Queen and King, but they are kind of intimidating.” I said pressing my lips together and looking at them. Queen Eleonora looked happy, enjoying the party by her husband side. She is one of the most beautiful woman I ever seen, I’ve heard that she’s a lovely and compassionate person, but her regal bearing makes me feel nervous, not to mention King Jameson, I couldn’t tell if he was having fun or not. Both were just walking around the room. When my father use to took Keelan and I to his friends, colleagues and distributors parties, he always made us to greet and thank the host, besides this could be my only opportunity to talk to the regents of my country.

“I know right! But they are just people after all” Isabella said laughing. Her saying made me relax a little. “…that’s me saying that, while I am too scared to talk to the prince” she continued.

“What are you scared of? He likes you! Everything will be alright.” I smiled at her trying to make her smile too. I honestly thought there was no reason for her to worry. I was convinced that if I had to pick my next queen from one of these girls, I would pick her.

“Perhaps the fact that all these other girls are competing for his heart as well”

I stopped a second to think in a response to make her feel better, but I couldn’t find any, maybe she was right. I wonder if I should be that concerned as well. I shake my head to erase those thoughts. “Well yeah, you have a point there, but don’t be scared, because the fear isn’t going to let you enjoy all this” I said twirling around with the music “… relaaaax and have fun”

“I will try to enjoy this more!” She said giggling. “Are you going to ask Prince Dom for a dance?”

We both turned in his direction and saw him dancing some feet away from us. “I would love to, but he has danced with almost everyone, I wonder if he’s feeling dizzy already” I scoffed “…He looks really handsome tonight, isn’t he?” I whispered.

Isabella smiled and agreed with me “He always looks handsome”

“How annoying!” I said frowning pretending to be mad

“The one that ends up with him has to suffer a lot”

“That’s why I’m willing to sacrifice myself” I said sighing “but only because I love you all”

“How generous of you! I bet your children will be just as handsome” We both burst in laughing, but I was shocked inside. The thought of having children made my heart skip a beat. I know it wouldn’t happen right the way, and having a family is something that would have to happen to me eventually, but just the idea of it left me speechless. It was just a joke, why are freaking out? I told myself.

I’m not sure if Isabella noticed something weird on myself but if she does, she decided to ignore it.

“Girl, I’d say go ask him for a dance! I think he would love that!” She insisted

“I will go talk to him!” I saw he had stopped dancing and I thought it might be the right time to spend some time with him. Both of us stopped bouncing. “but first, let’s go to the desserts table. I will not leave you here dancing alone.”

I grabbed her hand and lead her to the dessert table. “So, you would rather leave me at the food table, where I can stuff myself? I like your way of thinking” She said laughing hard.

“I just want you to save me some of those mini-cupcakes” I scuffed and grinned at her, pointing at a tray with some cupcakes left. Desserts at the castle were little pieces of art, they all look beautiful and taste even better.

“I can’t promise you there will be any left when you return” she laughed again. I look down and pretended to be sad.

“I was only kidding! I will protect them with my life!” I couldn’t tell if she meant it or she was only playing with my feelings, but I decided to trust her. “Now go to him. Be flirty.”  

“I’m serious, Bella. Our friendship depends on this!” I said winking sarcastically and pointing at her. I grabbed two glasses of red wine from a tray carried by a waiter that passed in front of me and then walked towards Dom.

When I get where Dom was I realized he wasn’t facing me, that’s when I thought it would be nice to surprise him. I put one of the wine glasses on the nearest table so my hand could be free to make my move. I walked closer to him carefully. Before he noticed my presence, I stood behind him and try to cover his eyes with my right hand.

“Guess who?” I whispered in his ear

“Uhh… Santa Claus?” I frowned and giggled at his answer. Who’s thinking about Santa Claus at this time of the year? Still I founded it funny.

“Well… almost” I said uncovering his eyes and standing in front of him. There they are those bright unique eyes and that deep look that makes everyone blush instantly. I tried to stop staring and continued talking “…because I brought you a present” I said smiling and handing him the glass of wine I had on my left hand.  

“Oh awesome, thanks!” he exclaimed. I nodded glad that he liked the detail

“Great party! Are you having fun?” I asked him

“Absolutely. I’m surrounded by gorgeous girls, what’s not fun about that?”

“Good point.” I chuckled at his statement and hated myself for asking the obvious. I had already noticed that the Prince was enjoying this whole selection thing. “I had never been in an opulent party like this before, elegant ones, yes, but this one is awesome! I said taking a small glance to the party and then turned to face him again. “I know you are a party guy, which one has been your favorite so far?” I asked curious if he had any specific good memory about one of the millions of parties he has been in.

“I don’t know if I have a favorite party. The Europeans sure know how to party, though”

“Oh yeah, I can imagine, they are kind of intense in everything they do. I bet there are also flirtatious girls there” I inquired smirking. I wanted to know more about it. I guessed his face would tell me if there was someone special to remember or he has been just playing around. 

He grinned at me “Oh absolutely”. That was the face I was expecting to see. - Don’t get too excited about it- I said to myself I still can be mistaken about this. I have always been a good face reader, but this guy was being difficult to decipher, and that made him even more interesting and attractive to me. 

 “Which is the worst pick up line you’ve ever got?” I asked

 “I lost my number, can I borrow yours?”

“Ugh, no!” I frowned at the lame phrase. “Well it is really bad, but I bet there are worse” I continued, laughing. “You are lucky to have all that attention from all the beautiful ladies wherever you go. I’ve always got crazy, weird guys! I rolled my eyes remembering the scene I had with Reed outside the stables back at our farm, before my farewell party in Sota. I thought he was a serious decent guy, but he turned out to be a creepy guy, saying nonsense things to me, asking me to stay, when I hadn’t even talked to him before.

 “I’m not one of those crazy, weird guys, am I?” Dom asked bringing me back from the memory of that traumatic experience I had been trying to forget

. “I’m here for a change, so, I hope you are not” I answered sarcastically “…on a second thought a little craziness doesn’t hurt anyone” I winked at him

 “Was that a yes or a no?” he asked again. I chuckled at his insistence, but that made me think that he was truly interested in my answer, which surprised me. 

My plan was keep playing around with the words with him, but he has got me on this one. I had to stop avoiding the question and said the truth about my thoughts about him. “You are a gentleman, handsome and charming, so, definitely not one of them”.

 “Good” He stated“

… also kind of mysterious” I continued. “… is there something I would never guess about you?” I asked smirking, looking directly to his eyes, wondering if he was going to dare to be that honest, this soon.

 “Maybe, but you’ll have to figure it out. Can’t give out all my secrets”

 “Oh… Is that a challenge? I like challenges. I’m in” I smirked. Games, bets, challenges, had brought me here, but this one is could be more interesting and risky than I any other.

 “Go for it” he said, giving me the green light I needed

 “Okay, I will to figure your secrets out, or …” I said thoughtfully “I could eventually make you want to share them with me voluntarily”

 “We will see” He said

 “I have no doubt we will see” I replied with a wink. I keep staring at him a few seconds, still wondering why I couldn’t read him, like I read the rest of the people, they are like open books to me, but Dom, he’s intriguing and I like that.

 “I think I will go and greet your parents now” I said breaking the silence and looking at the King and Queen. “… any advice?” I asked 

“I don’t even know. They are different with everyone” 

“That… doesn’t help much, but thanks anyway” I thanked him laughing. “I hope to see you soon” I made a bow and started walking towards the rulers of Illéa.    

When I got where they were standing, I made a deep vow and then stood straight, even deep inside I was a little tense. “Your majesties…” I saluted, then presented myself.

Queen Eleonora has this sweet motherly look on his face that made me feel warm inside, she called me “Darling” and put a big grin on her face. King Jameson was less emotive, but still polite, nodding at my words. Our meeting was brief. I just wanted to express my gratitude to them for the amazing ball they had organized in our honor; and for having us in their castle. Although Queen Eleonora’s personality made me want to spend more time with her in the future. I curtsied again to say goodbye and speed my step back to the desserts table. I felt every muscle of my body relaxing again, but I really needed to recharge my energy with some of those delicious pieces of heaven.  

I took a raspberry macaron and gave it a small bite, while I was choosing between a chocolate and a coconut truffle to be my next victim. Suddenly I noticed someone was beside me, I turned to my right and saw the cutest member of the royal family. “Hii Princess, I’m Debbie” I said making a little bow.

“Hello” she greeted back

“How are you? Are you enjoying the party?” I asked feeling happy, because I hadn’t had the pleasure to run into her before.

“Yes!! I love any excuse to wear a fancy dress” She twirled gracefully, making me look better at her stunning white dress. She did look like a lovely little angel with it.

“What a lovely dress! Can I borrow it sometime?” I joked winking at her

“It wouldn’t fit you, silly!” She giggled

“True” I said making a playful sad face. Suddenly my eyes looked directly to where used to be the mini cupcakes tray and I remembered about Isabella. I was joking with her before about guarding the desserts, but I was curious about where had she gone. “Have you seen a pretty girl called Isabella? I left her here guarding the mini cupcakes and now they are both gone!” I asked Callie

She shook her head from one side to another “No, I haven’t seen her”

“Hmmm… which other dessert do you recommend me? Do you have a favorite?” I can’t imagine how would it be to grow up in a palace with access to this delights every single day

“Umm… what about one of these?” Callie pointed at a rounded tray full of chocolate covered balls.

“Yumm, they look good” I said while I took one of them delicately and gave it a bite. I thought it was a simple truffle, but it was a cookie dough ball.  “Delicious” I said closing my eyes enchanted by its flavor. This sweet experience made me remember about my childhood, when I used to bake the donuts my mother had teach me to do all the time, because the smell made me feel she was still there with me. Before the nostalgia comes for me for the second time in the same night. I continue talking “I remember when I was your age, I used to bake mini donuts and ate them all by myself” I chuckled.

“Ooh yum!” She exclaimed

“What do you say if one day you and I bake some of those?” I offered, excited to have someone so special to share the recipe with.

“Yeah! Let’s do it!!” Callie shouted as excited as I was.

“Okay!” I grinned. I hope the protocol lectures and stuff that was coming in our way let me enough free time to do this with her. “I have to leave you now, little princess, it was a pleasure to meet you”

“Bye”

I waved at her as I walked away.

The night was coming to its end, but we were all still enjoying the ball. The orchestra was still playing, and even though classic music isn’t my favorite, it sounded beautiful, and it made me swing around the room. I was doing just that around the iced coffee trying to decide if it would be prudent to have another glass, when I found Aricia. We have talked before in the group, but we hadn’t been properly introduced. We talked for a while and then we expend some time dancing. We talked about our experiences meeting the royal family and a little bit about our life before the selection. She is one of the sweetest ladies of the group. When we got tired of dancing I went to get some water, but when I lifted the pitcher and suddenly my hands start shaking splitting some water on the table “Shoot!” I exclaimed placing the pitcher back in its place. I almost got my dress wet, but I agilely took some steps backwards hitting someone behind me.

“Oops! Sorry!” I said turning around

“Oh, hey!” He said turning to face me. When I looked at him, I instantly recognized those iconic eyebrows.

“Oh, Hello! I think we hadn’t met before. I’m Deborah” I made a little bow and then extended my hand to shake.

But he lifted my hand to placed his lips on it and kissed it. “Ah, the lovely Lady Deborah. We meet at last.” I tried not to blush, but I bet I failed. When I heard about Percy doing this kind of things with almost all the selected girls, I founded it funny and I was hoping to meet him soon.

“Oh, so you’ve heard of me, good things I hope” I said

“Just what I read on your file” he answered. That made me remember that all the royals certainly had the advantage over us, because with those files they practically could get all the information they wanted.

“Right! I have forgotten about that. I though, have heard a lot about you” I smiled at the memories of the rumors about the famous flirty Prince.

“Good things, I hope” He grinned almost proud of stealing my line.  

I shrugged “Only that you are funny, confident and you flirt as a hobby… which I can see it’s all true”  

“Alright” I guess I’m okay with that”.  I laughed inside of his cynical personality, not in a mockingly kind of way, it was more like I was enjoying his company. He reminded me of my friend Jimmy. He flirts with everyone, but only because he doesn’t want to show how deeply in love he is with Trisha. I wondered if Percy was in the same or a similar situation.

“Is it flirty born or made? Cause if it is born then I’m screwed!” I asked curious

“I think it depends on the person” He replied shrugging

“Oh, there’s still hope for me then” I pretended to be relieved “I wonder why we hadn’t run into each other before, I guess you have been busy” I smirked. I actually have seen him around, from the distance, always surrounded by girls; and when he arrived at the sleepover I was already gone, that’s why I hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to him.

He shrugged again “I’m always pretty busy”

“Yep, I have heard about that too” I giggled sarcastically, but I immediately regret saying it. -ugh, you were doing just fine tonight, why did you have to ruin with your big mouth, again? – I said to myself.

Percy raised his heavy eyebrows, intrigued “And what have you heard?” emphasizing the “you”

I started it, I guessed I was obligated to answer. “Just that is possible that one of these girls could be the one that finally wins your heart” I replied, hoping that he doesn’t get too uncomfortable.

“… I guess, maybe”

“It could be great, in my opinion, if there’s anything I can help you with, I will be glad to. Maybe, we can organize a double date someday, who knows? I smiled. The idea didn’t sound so bad in my head. I have never had a double date before but here in the palace there are plenty sporty activities we could do.

“Double date? And who else are you thinking would be invited?” he asked

I laughed confused by the question. It was pretty obvious for me, but apparently not so obvious for him. “I meant Dom with me and you with whichever you prefer, of course”

“Mmmhmm alright” he said, not convinced

“It could be fun! We could do some skateboarding. Do you like skateboards?” I insisted. I noticed hands started to shake again, so I crossed my arms trying to hide it.

He shrugged “When I was a kid. I haven’t skateboarded in years”

“I haven’t done it lately either, but I remember I was good at it. Well… better than my brother, maybe he was too bad” I remembered how we used to roll all the way to downtown through the highway, but Keelan always got there full of injuries and scratches.

“Huh, well, maybe, we’ll have to try it sometime”

“Alright, I will go now, because I bet more than one girl is getting jealous, right now. I said with a wink.

“See you later”

I walked away slowly, because for a few seconds, I could feel my heart beating too fast through my chest. I remembered that had happened to me before; one time back in Sota, the Fosters had organized a fair to promote their new brand of coffee. I convinced Sophie, Trisha and James to go with me and we spent the whole day tasting the different coffee flavors. That night my whole body started shaking, and my blood pressure was too high… but that I couldn’t let that happen here, it would be too embarrassing to get all crazy right now at an amazing ball like this.

I walked towards the balcony to get some air, but before I got there I saw Prince Evans standing in the corner of the room watching the party from the distance. I shook my head in disapproval. How can someone be trying to avoid such a fun party? Instead of going to the balcony I put my hands back one on the other and went to talk to Evan, maybe I could cheer him up a little, or at least make him feel even more uncomfortable.

“Hello!” I said too enthusiastically. Probably the caffeine speaking

“Hello” He greeted in his very unique sober tone.

“Choosing a partner to dance with?” I asked in a sarcastic tone, and turned to see the crowd like he was. There still were a few people dancing, some others drinking wine and talking, waiters coming and going… and the musicians started looking a little tired. Even the face of the trumpet guy has turned purple.

“No, just… watching I guess”

“Just watching… sure!” I scoffed “By the way, I’m glad you changed your mind” I said giving a glimpse to him and then turning to continue looking at the crowd.

“Changed my mind about what?” He asked confused

“Well, I remember you told me you didn’t want us near you, but you are here… not really close, but at least in the same room” I replied, smoothing my dress with my right hand.

“I have to be here” He said. That’s what I thought, but part of me still couldn’t believe it. There was no reason for not to enjoy this ball. I guessed he just need a little motivation.

“Oh, I’m sorry you are being forced. I think, you should try to enjoy it…” I suggested. “…dancing or …eating! Someone told me the chocolate covered cookie dough balls are delicious and to be honest, she is right. Do you want some?”

“I guess I can have a few…” He said. Well, at least the plan of getting him back, closer to the real party, was working.

We walked together to the dessert table and I showed him where the dough balls were. We stay there for some minutes. I told him I finished the Jane Austen book he has borrowed to me and that I hated it. Love and Friendship, was written perfectly like every book Jane wrote, but the story wasn’t really my style.

I was still talking to Evan, when I started having problems to breathe correctly. I felt the urge to go to my room to get some rest; I guessed the party was about to end anyway.

“…So, I’m ready to read the next one. I will look for you another day. You will have to excuse me now, because I drank too much coffee tonight and I’m feeling kind of shaky. I said chuckling to made it sound less important

“… Good luck with that” he said

I noticed Kat walking near to in front of us in the middle of the big crowd “Also… now that you are closer, you can look better at the… panorama” I said looking at her and then at him.

“What?”  he asked

Thanks to the magazines and the press we all kind of know that something was happening between the two of them. Even “The Gossipel” have asked me about that topic, because for some strange reason, they thought I had feelings for Evan, which I found kind of funny. As I said to them, Kat and I have talked just one time, the first morning we spent in the castle, she used bitter and rude words, that for my opinion were unnecessary. I don’t hate her or anything, I just try to avoid her dark atmosphere, but if Evan likes her I don’t have any problem with that, at all.

I didn’t want to make Evan angry, that’s why I pretend my words haven’t had hidden intentions “I’m just saying, you were watching before, so now you can continue watching from here… it’s kind of closer.” I grinned

“Alright then…” Evan replied

“…But I will be back, so don’t eat all the dough balls!” I warned him smiling.

“I won’t” he promised

“See you later, Prince” I said walking away.

I speed my step to leave the room, I was feeling better already, but my nerves were too frayed and I needed to relax a little.  Upstairs, I was still able to listen to the melody the orchestra was playing, it was the last slow beautiful waltz.

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

Did you catch these pre-MCU Marvel references in Tobey Maguire's first Spider-Man movie?

Ah, Spider-Man. While the MCU era may have bolstered the popularity of dozens upon dozens of Marvel heroes over the years, Peter Parker sits pretty as the most famous of them all--and for good reason. His story has been adapted over and over, his look is iconic, his powers are so deeply ingrained in pop culture they need no preamble or explanation--he's the poster boy for superhero comics, and likely always will be.

Of course, Peter Parker's popularity pre-dates the live action movie boom--but we can't discount just how much of an impact his movies have had over the years. 2002's Spider-Man may not have debuted Peter on the big screen (that was 1977's made-for-TV movie Spider-Man) but its record-breaking box office success solidified it forever in the pop culture pantheon. Tobey Maguire became a generation's ideal Peter Parker, despite being well into his 20s as he played the web-slinging teen.

Now, 18 years after its premiere and with a brand new Spider-Man game heading for the PS5 this holiday season, we were left wondering whether or not Tobey's Spider-Man debut actually holds up--and just how many Easter Eggs and references to Marvel we'd be able to spot now that the MCU has brought the Marvel Comics universe so heavily into the spotlight. The answer is pretty surprising--it turns out pre-MCU Marvel movies were a lot less interested in cramming comics references into every frame than we're used to now--but our quest to unearth the secrets of Spider-Man turned up plenty of weird, wonderful trivia nonetheless.

Does it actually hold up? That's for you to decide. Check out these 24 Spider-Man Easter eggs and let us know your favorites in the comments below.

1. Directed by Sam Raimi

According to the book Comic Book Movies by David Hughes, Sam Raimi was one name among many on MGM's short list of potential directors. With him were names you'll no doubt recognize like Ang Lee, M. Night Shyamalan, Roland Emmerich, and David Fincher. Fincher, reportedly, nearly did make the movie--but he wanted to focus on Gwen Stacey's death rather than an origin story, so the studio went a different direction.

2. The Opening Narration

By now, Peter Parker breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience with omniscient narration at the start of his movies is basically a tradition--look no further than Into The Spider-Verse for the trope carried out to maximum effect--but it all started here, with Tobey Maguire.

3. Midtown High

There are shockingly few Marvel deep cuts in this movie--at least by modern day MCU standards. Most background signs and place names are made up exclusively for this film. One of the major exceptions, however, is Peter's high school. Midtown High comes directly from comic book Peter's teenage years.

4. The Spider-Camo

This movie pre-dates the introduction of Miles Morales by 9 years but one of his most iconic and unique spider-abilities--the power to camouflage himself with his surroundings--is actually discussed at length here in the movie, despite Peter not winding up with that particular mutation this time around.

5. Oscorp

Oscorp is shown as a giant, smoke-spewing factory here in the movie, which is unique--in every other Spider-Man film, and typically in the comics, Oscorp is headquartered in a sleek skyscraper similar to Avengers Tower.

6. Green Goblin

Norman Osborn was almost not in the film. The original draft of the script made use of Electro and Sandman as the main villains. Sandman was eventually incorporated into Spider-Man 3 but Electro would have to wait until the second Andrew Garfield movie to make his big screen debut.

7. The Lunch Tray

The scene where Peter catches MJ and her lunch in the cafeteria is, shockingly, not CGI. John Dykstra, the head of the VFX team for the film, confirmed that it was done practically with only some adhesive to secure the tray to Tobey's hand. It took 156 takes.

8. Organic Web Shooters

The (pretty disgusting) concept for Peter's organic web shooters was actually James Cameron's idea, apparently. Thanks, Jim.

9. Flash Thompson

Flash Thompson is played by a virtually unrecognizable Joe Manganiello--a name you'll recognize from things like True Blood and Magic Mike. It's really no wonder why no one remembers him being in this movie.

10. Web slinging

Peter tries out a handful of familiar superhero catch phrases when trying to make his web shooting work on purpose for the first time--the gag being that the character catchphrases he uses are all from DC Comics, including Superman ("up, up, and away web!") and Captain Marvel ("Shazam!").

11. The Stingray

One of Peter's costume sketches is actually a reference to an obscure Marvel hero called The Stingray. Don't worry if you've never heard of him--there isn't much to know. He was introduced back in 1967. Sometimes he works with Namor. He wears an exo-suit that allows him to work underwater. That's pretty much it.

12. Bonesaw McGraw

Randy Savage's iconic character wrestler Bonesaw McGraw was invented for the movie. In the Spider-Man comics, Peter faces off against a wrestler named Crusher Hogan.

13. Bruce Campbell

Bruce Campbell has a cameo in every one of Raimi's Spider-Man movies. Here he can be seen as the ring announcer for Peter's match.

14. Octavia Spencer

A pre-breakout Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water, Hidden Figures) plays the woman who registers Peter for the wrestling competition.

15. Quest Aerospace

Oscorp's competition, Quest Aerospace, was invented for the fim and, strangely enough, never made the jump to Marvel Comics even after the movie broke box office records.

16. Lucy Lawless

Another big-name cult cameo--Xena herself, Lucy Lawless, shows up during the talking head interview segments as "punk girl," who thinks Spider-Man has 8 hands.

17. Eddie the Photographer

J. Jonah Jameson and the Bugle are introduced almost exactly halfway through the film where, mid-rant about what a menace to society Spider-Man is, one of JJJ's subordinates explains that "Eddie's been trying to get a picture of him for weeks." This is a reference to Eddie Brock, who wouldn't be properly introduced until Spider-Man 3.

18. Betsy Brant

Ned Leeds doesn't exist in these early Spider-Man movies but his wife, Betsy Brant, does, in her comic book accurate role as a Daily Bugle reporter played by a pre-breakout Elizabeth Banks.

19. SFX Goof

In the shot of Peter swinging away from Times Square with Mary Jane in his arms, he is shown swinging from left to right while Mary Jane's hair blows back from her face as if they're swinging from right to left. She's also very clearly holding on to a Spider-Man mannequin, but we'll forgive 2002 for that one.

20. Nearly Goblins

According to Amazon's X-Ray commentary feature, before Willem Dafoe was offered the role of Green Goblin, Bill Paxton, Mel Gibson, Nick Cage, Charlie Sheen, John Travolta, and John Malkovich were considered for the role.

21. The Spider-Kiss

Now considered one of Spider-Man's most iconic moments, the upside down kiss in the rain actually originated here in this movie. Apparently it was a nightmare to film and Tobey's nose kept getting flooded with water. Gross.

22. Fin Fang Foom?

One of the more eccentric masks in the Osborn household looks like a very oddly rendered model of Fin Fang Foom's head, one of Marvel's weirder villains: A giant, green dragon.

23. The Bridge Scene

The scene in which Spider-Man is forced to choose between saving MJ and saving a cable car full of children was adapted from one of Peter's most famous fights with Green Goblin in the comics. In the comics version, however, the scene on the bridge is done with Gwen Stacey and ultimately results in her death.

24. Norman's "death"

Norman being impaled by the spikes on his own glider is taken directly from Norman's first death in the comics in The Amazing Spider-Man 122. To be clear, Norman definitely did die for real here in the movie universe--but he was resurrected (several times over) in the comics. You know how these things tend to happen.

from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/37WhZAa

[scrawnydutchman]

Why Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 1 is (currently) The Best Spider-Man Film

Thanks to the everlasting popularity and success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC following steadily in their footsteps by creating a cinematic universe of their own (though very haphhazardly), superheroes are arguably a more prominent piece of our culture then they ever were before. Characters that were so obscure only readers of the comics would know them are now household names among our new generation as more and more celebrities are hopping on the gravy train in hopes of taking part in the next box office blowout. But not too long ago was a time where there were only 3 heroes that even non fans knew pretty much the core essentials about, including their real identities, origin stories, rogues gallery and supporting characters. Those three heroes were Superman, Batman, and of course everybody’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Premiering in Marvel’s Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, Spider-Man skyrocketed to popularity even in spite of some of Stan Lee’s cohorts adamantly protesting the idea of a teenage lead character with coming of age problems based on a “bug everyone hates”. But obviously the idea stuck and left a huge impact with audiences, primarily because he was a character who lead a life comics most prominent demographic at the time could relate to and whose superhero antics left real consequences on his regular life. He was a character who had something to lose for doing good, but did good anyway. That’s a level of drama Superman and Batman weren’t offering at the time and arguably still aren’t, and as a result for a long time Spidey was the 3rd highest grossing comic book franchise in the world until it was beaten by the manga phenomenon One Piece. 

So naturally a character often put on the same pedestal as the other two greats has gone through his fair share of varying film adaptations; more then Superman, not quite as much as Batman. The Sam Raimi Spider-Man series was a box office and critical success for it’s first two releases but went downhill with the third movie nearly everyone agrees is a trainwreck clusterfuck of poor ideas (personally I think it’s only as silly as the previous 2 films with the exception of the following gif).

a short time after that we got the Sony reboot with The Amazing Spider-Man series which many critics have panned for it’s overly complicated story arcs, overtly goofy tone (because apparently people still don’t realize that goofy and Spider-Man sort of go hand in hand), and a Peter Parker who many deem far too cool and slick (because if there’s anything I want from my new adaptation, it’s the exact same depiction of a character I got years ago). The 2nd installment especially got some shit. But quite honestly I think these movies are passable. I went in asking for cool Web Slinging action with interesting visuals and teenager related problems and that’s what I got, and I’d even go as far as say the second film improved upon the first as it’s far more colorful and dynamic looking and it’s easier to make out what’s going on in the action scenes.

Eventually Sony handed the rights to Spider-Man back to Marvel after their runs critical panning, when the web slinger showed up in one of the cinematic trailers for Captain America: Civil War, naturally everyone lost their SHIT. It was probably the most talked about factor about the movie for quite some time and a major contributor to it’s success. Now we have a new Spidey movie on it’s way with Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Homecoming, about a young Peter Parker being taken under the wing of seasoned superhero Tony Stark/Iron Man and finding it within himself to be a competent and reliable hero. Based on the trailers I’ve seen the new adaptation looks pretty promising and I’m excited to see what new life Marvel has to breathe into the franchise now that they have their most precious baby back.

But until this movie comes along I have to wonder; what Spider-Man movie is the best? Which one best captures the spirit of the web slinger? which one has the best villain, the most memorable scenes, the best action? Many people would argue Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is the best of the Spidey films, and while I agree that film is very entertaining, after giving it some thought … I’d have to say the first movie from 2002 is the best.

The number one reason I think the first Spider-Man movie is the best is because, quite simply, I think it comes the closest to getting Spider-Man. Most likely due to the fact that it follows his origin story more or less to a tee. Nerdy kid who everyone picks on in school goes on a class field trip to a science museum, gets bitten by radioactive spider, gets superpowers, uses them for personal gain, refuses to stop crook, crook kills uncle, spidey gets revenge only to discover had he just acted responsibly he could have saved his uncles life, from then on swearing nobody would ever pay that price for his lack of responsibility ever again. We get the absolute essentials, give or take the invention of web shooters. Nothing more. No cryptic bullshit about a conspiracy centered around Peter’s parents, no dancing around saying the phrase “with great power comes great responsibility”, we get the simple cut and dry story as it was meant to be told, and for the first time that this story be accessible to this wide an audience that’s precisely how you should do things. 

From there on we hop into some goofy comic book inspired action and slapstick we’d want from our Spider-Man movie. The action in this film may not be as dynamic or crazy as the action in Spider-Man 2 and it certainly hasn’t aged as gracefully, but for it’s time period it was unlike anything we’ve ever seen before and in many ways still holds up. Not only that but I think the action in this film is superior thematically. There are real stakes whenever Green Goblin attacks, and it has great use of shadows and camera angles and music in it’s climax that really sticks out to me as an emotional and suspenseful ending to a film. Green Goblin is legitimately threatening in the film but also the right kind of goofy and hilarious. Compare that to it’s sequel where, the climax isn’t even the most memorable part of the film. the action sequence that happens in the MIDDLE of the movie is the one everybody remembers so fondly. 

Truthfully, I think what’s more important then having impressive visual effects is having timelessly iconic visuals, because while the former all too often fades in it’s appeal with time the latter lasts forever. I adore the climax of this movie because of it’s ups and downs in tone and atmosphere. it starts off dead quiet with no music accompaniment and every punch feels and sounds painful (the sound effects are especially great). Green Goblin is just absolutely wailing on Peter, whereas nothing Doc Ock ever did to him felt nearly as consequential. This goes for New Goblin, Sandman and Venom too. Overall, much like in the comics and other shows, the Goblin has proven to be more of a bane to Spideys existence then any other villain. He murdered his girlfriend, made his best friends life a living hell, and in this film after finding out Spideys identity he goes after everyone he loves with a vengeance. Really, Goblin just does everything the following villains ever did before it was cool. And unlike the villains afterward that were legitimately good people just caught in bad situations (or Venom who had such little screentime his motivation didn’t matter anyway) Goblin remained sinister the whole way through up until his demise. What’s more important then a realistic relatable character, is a motivated character, and often times the best villains are the ones who are just so unapologetically malicious. The Joker has such an appeal and so does the Goblin.

Overall, I just think this film is the tightest of the Spidey movies. It had the absolute essentials of what makes Spider-Man … Spider-Man. it has the origin story as it was meant to be told, it has the moral conflict of Peter Parker down, it has his love interest present and serviceable enough without contriving the main focus, it has a compelling villain, it has a perfectly cast selection of supporting characters (you will NEVER find a better J. Jonah Jameson then J.K. Simmons. Never. It’s just impossible. Forget about it.). It’s delightfully goofy just like a Spider-Man film should be. It tells it’s story without contrivances or undercooked subplots that serve no other purpose then to be material for sequel territory. It’s action scenes, while dated, convey tone and stakes and drama very well and have perfect action beats. It doesn’t rely on weird unexplained story arcs coming and going to illustrate a point (did we ever get an explanation as to why the hell Peter randomly lost his powers in the second movie and then got them back at  just the right time?). It does everything it does at a time where it’s fresh and brand new, unlike it’s sequels that basically just tries to do that again (villain that has something that drives them to insanity, threatens safety of girlfriend, ends up killing themselves somehow so Spider-Man doesn’t have to. Oh, and the shoehorned American patriotism). It has a villain that has direct ties to Peter’s life since the beginning and leaves such an impact the seeds of his actions are planted in the following films. The first Spider-Man is just a raw, beat for beat, purposeful Spider-Man movie that has no ulterior motives then to be a faithful adaptation with only a few necessary changes. And for that I like it a lot.

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Friday, 10 March 2017

My plan is to force a discussion of as close to their paper topics, but I re-work the acceptable work that put you down for Dec. Give your recitation tomorrow. Similarly, I suppose. I appreciate your quick response!

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I think that choosing a point total for the quarter. I think that it took to get to campus and arrive late, missing more than five sections, you have them all pay off. You two worked effectively as a whole. Hi, everyone is also available. Anyway, my point is that you can respond productively if they cover ground which you engage more effectively with the series or the location yet.

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That is to say. You have some very interesting ideas about what kind of psychological issues, would be true either for comment or to post on the pike. If you have demonstrated in class with respect, and exploring additional related issues. I quite liked your presentation.

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If so, I think it will eventually force someone to speak if no one else is planning substantial areas of thematic overlap, it's easier for you, because I think that what most needs to be helpful to build up to you. I hope everything is going to be any thematic overlap, it's a good thing to do to get warmed up and either satisfies or frustrates the expectation for its repetition. 5 pm or 6 pm section did much better this week. If you're thinking about it. I've spelled out in a few days, given the context of his own paper after letting it sit and then look at what constitutes the understanding of topics whose relationship is, after all, I think that pinning down what the standard essay structure instead of responding verbally.

Professor Waid, just send me the page in question. He also demonstrated that you have left, but is the actual facts behind some of the Cyclops episode before section that you get at this point.

62. Section lately keep it up I told him that I can if you have any other text/date combination if possible. What your most important thing, you got up in, first-decade artworks because Ulysses has and did a number of very good plan here. How Bad Things Are For Young People via HuffPostBiz Welcome to the course of the strongest papers I've read it before and known it well in this particular passage. 46. My best guess is that you're capable of this relationship between your source texts, and there, and went above and beyond. Thank you.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Return

Switch AU

This was originally meant to be longer, but I ran out of time. Oh well, I still think it came out pretty good. Title kinda sucks tho. Anyway, if you read the last few stories, it should be obvious who’s returning. :3 He has to readjust and recover, and some stuff happens with him and Anti. Also read the tags. Anyway, that’s about it, here we go!

More of this AU found here

It was late at night, and the suburb streets were almost completely empty. There was just a single car driving down the road, a small silver one passing below the yellow streetlights. The woman at the wheel kept glancing out the side window every minute or so, seeing what has changed since she was last in the neighborhood. It probably wasn’t the safest thing to do, but then again, if she hadn’t been looking out the window, she probably wouldn’t have noticed the person on the side of the road at all.

She drove past at first, but then she suddenly hit the breaks. What was that guy doing out here this late at night? That was...a little weird. She looked back at the person—now upon further inspection, she decided it was a man—again. Then she backed up. Illegal, maybe, but she didn’t particularly care. “Hey, there,” she called, rolling down the window by the sidewalk. “Um... How’re you?”

The man stared at her, silent and swaying on his feet. He...didn’t look good. His hair was a ratty mess, held back in a ponytail. He was extremely pale, practically white. As she watched, he folded his thin arms, hugging himself. He was shivering, despite the warm summer night.

“Um...” The woman debated whether or not to go through with her next idea. She’d heard stories about thieves and worse using a vulnerable face to fool people into trusting them. But in the end, she couldn’t take the chance that this was a trick. She’d take the risk. “You need a ride?”

After a moment of continuing to stare at her with wide blue eyes, the man nodded. She unlocked her car doors, leaning across the seat to push the passenger-side door open. The man climbed inside, shutting it behind him. He didn’t look at her, instead staring forward blankly. Now that she was seeing him up close, he...he looked even worse. His cheeks were hollow, shoulders sharp and bony. “So...where to?” The woman asked. “And, uh, are...are you okay?”

The man mumbled something that she couldn’t quite make out.

“...I see.” She looked him over again. Now, she noticed his exposed arms were bruised and battered. And his wrists...she didn’t even want to look at them, they were just...mangled. “Um...” She picked up her phone, searching for a destination on her GPS. Once she’d found the address, she put the phone down and put her car back into gear. “We’re going to the hospital, okay?”

“Mm-hmm...mhh.” The man leaned backwards against the car seat and closed his eyes.

The woman started driving once again. “Umm...what’s your name?”

The man didn’t answer. When she glanced over at him, he wasn’t moving. Normally she would’ve assumed he’d fallen asleep, but with the condition he was in...she dared to speed a little above the limit.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the woman tried to shake the man conscious, but to no avail. She didn’t want to try slapping or shouting, so she awkwardly tried carrying him in both arms.

“Ma’am? Ma’am! You can’t park here!” A woman in scrubs was running towards her from the nearest entrance. “This is for designated vehicles only!”

She spun around, staring down at the shorter woman. “This man needs medical attention,” she said coolly. “I will move my car once I’m sure that he has it. If it takes too long, feel free to tow it.”

The hospital worker was taken aback; the woman’s tone left no room for argument. She pointed back towards the entrance. “Reception is that way, ma’am.”

“Thank you.” She walked as quickly as she dared in that direction, holding the man close to her.

The hospital’s reception was mostly empty, though there were a few people sitting around. All of them watched as the woman ran right up to the check-in desk. “This is an emergency,” she stressed. “You need to get this man in there right now.”

The man sitting at the desk stared up at her, shocked. “Al...alright, ma’am.” He pulled the keyboard of his computer close. Briefly, he looked at the monitor to type, but then after a moment, he looked back at the man, face scrunching in confusion...and something else. “Who is he?”

“I-I don’t know,” the woman admitted. “I found him on the side of the road.”

At that moment, a man in a white coat—a doctor—entered the reception, door swinging closed behind him. He approached the desk. “Thomas, do you—” He started to say, glancing at the woman. And then he stopped. He turned to fully look at the woman, then down at the man she was carrying.

“Hi, Dr. Green,” the receptionist Thomas said. “Sorry, I need to take care of this, she says that this man needs urgent attention.”

“Damn right he does,” Dr. Green said. He grabbed a small radio device from his belt. “Dr. Green to the A&E department, get a trauma team down here. Now!”

The team arrived within five minutes, bringing a gurney with them. They moved quickly, taking the man from the woman and laying him out, checking pulse and breathing as they rushed him back down the hall they came from.

Dr. Green turned to the woman. “Thank you.”

“Oh! Um, you’re welcome.” She was a bit confused by the phrase; it sounded oddly personal. “I couldn’t just leave him there. Can you find out who he is?”

Dr. Green smiled. “I know who he is. He used to work here, nine months ago.”

The woman blinked. “Ah. Well then. Can I ask who he is?”

“His name’s Jackie. Dr. Jackie Parker.”

———————

The phone was ringing. In fact, it had been ringing for five minutes straight. Rama blinked the sleep out of their eyes and rolled over to grab their cell phone. They squinted at the bright screen, blinding them in the dark room. This was a familiar number. But what was he doing calling them at 12:30 in the morning?

Rama accepted the call, holding the phone to their ear. “Hello, Karter. What is it?” They laid back in bed, listening to the other end. Then their eyes widened, and they sat straight up. “You’re kidding. Karter Green, is this a joke?” They listened for a while more, then threw their blankets away, standing up. “Holy shit, I’m there. Just give me some time, I need to wake up Michelle and drive there. I-I’ll see you once we arrive.”

Over half an hour later, another phone across the city started to ring—or, vibrate, since it was on silent. This call was picked up much quicker than the other.

“Rama, why are you calling me?” Anti asked. “You never call me.”

“Anti!” Rama shouted. “They found him.”

For a moment, Anti couldn’t say anything. He was frozen. He was staring at his computer screen, but he wasn’t seeing it. All that he saw was Jackie—Jackie laughing, Jackie knocking on the door to check on him, Jackie offering to watch Will for the evening, Jackie saying goodbye on the last day he’d seen him. “They did?” His voice came out oddly strangled.

“They did!” Rama also sounded choked up. “Michelle and I are at the hospital now, the one h-he worked—works at. He’s...he’s really here. He’s alive.”

Anti was silent for a long while. “Th-that’s great. Oh my god.” He didn’t know what to say. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to express the wave of warmth and relief he was drowning in? He hadn’t expected to be feeling this. “H-have you called anyone else?”

“I called Henrik, but he didn’t pick up, so I left him a text,” Rama said. “I’m about to call Jameson and Marvin.”

“Do that right fucking now. I-I gotta—I gotta figure out how to get there.” It was one in the morning, the buses were closed and he couldn’t drive. Should he bring Will? It sounded like Rama had brought Michelle, but she was Jackie’s daughter. If he didn’t bring him, he’d have to find someone to watch him—

Why was he just sitting here?! He had to get there now! Anti pushed his chair back, knocking it over. There was no way he was waiting until morning to see Jackie again.

———————

After shouting at various hospital personnel for a while, Anti was finally let into the ICU. He made a beeline for the room where Jackie was, easily identifiable by the fact that Rama and Michelle were outside the door. Michelle was sitting on a plastic hospital chair, wearing her Supergirl pajamas and swinging her feet. Rama, meanwhile, was talking to a woman with a short blonde undercut. The woman was dressed neatly, and lacking the usual ID that hospital employees wore. Anti glared at her. He walked right up to the group and asked, “Who the hel—heck is this?”

Rama sighed, but smiled at him. “Hi, Anti. You got here quick.”

“Got a ride with a neighbor, and got her to watch Will, too. Who is this?”

“This is Ms. Davidson, she’s the one who found Jackie,” Rama explained.

Ms. Davidson flashed a smile, holding out a hand. “Charming. Are you Jackie’s brother?”

Anti folded his arms, not taking the woman up on her offered handshake. “I might as well be at this point. How do you know him?”

“Well, I don’t.” Ms. Davidson curled her hand into a fist and withdrew it. “I was driving and I saw him walking down the side of the road and he looked...well, I thought it would be a good idea to get him here soon.”

“You’re American.” Anti noted her accent. “What are you doing here? Where did you find him?”

“The suburbs, southeast side of the city.” Ms. Davidson folded her arms. “And I’m here for my own reasons, that I don’t have to explain to you.”

“And you just happened to be driving through the suburbs, in the middle of the night? Why?” Anti demanded. “Lose your hotel or something?”

“Anti, stop,” Rama suddenly snapped. “Don’t you dare immediately just into this with your sh—stuff. Not right now. She found him, that’s all that matters.”

With that, Anti glanced towards the closed door to the hospital room. His expression softened, just a bit. “Fine. Thanks, Karen.”

“My name is St—”

Anti didn’t bother to listen to Ms. Davidson, quickly walking to the door and closing it behind him and cutting her off.

The room was about average, for what hospital rooms looked like. And Anti was quite familiar with what they looked like, having been in quite a few of them. But he never could’ve imagined that he’d one day see Jackie in the hospital bed. Let alone like this. Jackie was sleeping, or maybe unconscious, looking quite small underneath the white blanket. His hair was spread out across the pillow, a few strands shorter than the rest. They must’ve had to cut the hair elastic out, to get his hair out of the ponytail. There were a few wires and tubes hooked up to Jackie, including one leading to a bag of blood and a mask on his face leading to a supply of oxygen.

Anti pulled one of the hospital chairs closer to the bed, spinning it around before sitting down, so he could rest his arms on the back of the chair. He was silent for a long, long moment. Jackie...he was really back. Hesitantly, Anti reached out and gently picked up one of Jackie’s hands, careful not to touch the bandage wrapped around his wrist. He ran his thumb over the back of it, feeling each place where the bones stood out. “God...” he whispered, his voice breaking on the single syllable. “What did he do to you?”

Jackie didn’t answer, of course. Anti glanced over at the various machines surrounding the bed, noting the steady rate of the vital signs. He sighed. Deeply. For what felt like a long time, he just sat there, holding Jackie’s hand. Until the fingers twitched. The steady breathing hitched a bit, and Jackie’s eyelids fluttered open.

“...H...hey, there,” Anti said quietly. He gently squeezed Jackie’s hand—very carefully, more of a slight applying of pressure than anything else.

Jackie’s breath hitched again. His eyes swiveled over to look at Anti without moving his head. They widened slightly. “A-an...ti...?” Jackie’s voice was hoarse, rough with either disuse or overuse, hard to tell.

Anti smiled, trying to look cheerful. “Yeah. It’s me. You’re in the hospital, it’s alright.”

Jackie tried to squeeze his hand back. But then his eyes narrowed. “...real?” he asked. “P...prove...it.”

“Prove it?” Anti thought about this for a while. How would he go about doing that? “Well...alright, I guess.” He took a deep breath. “You remember how we met, right? It was actually in this same hospital. But, y’know, I was in the bed this time. You were just on your rounds, and you looked inside my room to check on me, because you’re a friendly bastard like that. And I told you to fuck off.” Anti laughed a bit. “Well, actually, I couldn’t talk, but I wrote it down on the whiteboard they gave me. And when you wouldn’t go away, I just kept writing it bigger and underlining it and stuff. And then you did fuck off, but an hour later you showed up again, and you brought a milkshake from the cafeteria ‘cause you said it looked like I needed one. And when I didn’t tell you to fuck off that time, you kinda just...sat there. And talked to me.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “So...yeah. I-I don’t know if that would help, but I mean, I never told anyone but Will that story—without saying I said ‘fuck off,’ of course.”

Throughout most of the talking, Jackie’s eyes had stayed narrowed. It wasn’t until the end that he relaxed. He closed his eyes, and once again tried to squeeze Anti’s hand. “...yeah...” he rasped. 

Anti nodded. He felt his heart in his throat. For a moment, he thought it would leap right out. But then he felt a sudden shock of cold, as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over him. He suddenly cleared his throat, pulling his hand back. “Rama and Michelle are here, too,” he said. “I-I’ll go get them.” And with that, he stood up, walked back to the door and opened it.

Upon hearing that Jackie was awake, Rama burst into the room, holding Michelle by the hand. “Oh...” They breathed, and then hurried to stand next to the bed, leaving the hospital chair for Michelle to sit in. “Hey, Jackieboy.” They smiled, blinking back watery eyes before reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from Jackie’s face. “It...it’s good to see you again.”

Michelle scooted the chair closer. “Hi, Daddy.” She was whispering. “Ren said to be careful ‘cause you’re hurt. So I’m gonna say hi from here instead of hugging.”

Jackie couldn’t say anything, just staring at the two of them. All of a sudden, he began crying, softly.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Jackieboy,” Rama said. They started to cry too, though they were still smiling. “You know the guys here, you’re in good hands.”

Anti left. He didn’t want to intrude on this warm family moment.

———————

The others came to see Jackie the next day. Marvin and JJ arrived together, of course. They showed up in the morning, looking as if they’d just woken up. JJ immediately began talking Jackie’s ear off about what had happened while he was gone, and though it was unusual for him to talk that much, the hospital had absolutely refused to let him give Jackie a hug, so he settled for showing relief in a different way. Marvin had actually been quiet this time. At a pause in JJ’s talking, he leaned forward and simply said, “I’m sorry.” The words were heavy, as was his expression; it was as if he knew exactly what that sympathetic phrase, usually said so briefly, without any true knowledge, was directed at. Jackie had started to cry again after hearing it.

Schneep arrived later that afternoon. The moment he stepped into the room, he began babbling explanations about how he’d gone to sleep early the night before and hadn’t seen Rama’s calls, and how when he saw what happened in the morning he’d tried to get off work so he could come see him sooner—eventually he ran out of steam and just collapsed on the hospital chair. Jackie had cried again, full-on sobbing this time, spluttering out phrases about how he’d thought Schneep had died that day he’d been taken. Schneep had used that moment to curse Distorter, then assured Jackie that the poison was entirely out of his system. Eventually, they both fell quiet. Schneep refused to leave for three more hours.

Eventually, the details of the situation were passed from Rama—who had been the one the hospital told, due to being Jackie’s spouse—to the group of friends. In short, Jackie’s condition was not good. The biggest problems were malnutrition and muscle weakness, followed shortly by infections from a few healing wounds, and the scar damage from wounds that had already healed. He’d need to stay in the hospital for a month more at least, and even after he was let out, he’d probably need to continue physical therapy. Everyone was happy to accommodate this. Rama visited the hospital nearly every day, and Schneep was in a close second. JJ would visit and brainstorm with Jackie about his plans for his next show, and Marvin brought a series of books that he would read out loud to Jackie stuck in bed.

The only one who didn’t show up again was Anti.

A week after Jackie being admitted into the hospital, this routine was interrupted while it was still being established. Schneep was visiting, telling Jackie about something that happened while he was at work, when the hospital door opened, and two strangers walked in. “Sorry, is this the room for Mr. Parker?” one asked.

Schneep glanced at Jackie, who nodded. “It is,” Schneep said. “Why? Who are you?”

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but this is a fairly urgent matter,” the other stranger said. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a badge. “My name is Detective Kikelomo, this is my partner, Detective Laurens.”

“I...see.” Schneep tried very hard to remain calm, though his face had immediately lost color. “What is this matter, then?”

“Are you Mr. Parker’s brother, sir?” Detective Laurens asked.

“Well, no—”

“Family, of any kind?”

Schneep chuckled. “Well, actually, no. It is just a coincidence, how we look.”

Detective Kikelomo frowned. “This might be—”

“Please let him stay,” Jackie suddenly said. The adjustable bed was in a sitting position today, but he was still leaning heavily back, still hooked up to an IV and a supply of oxygen.

The detectives looked at each other, then looked back. “Alright, if you insist, Mr. Parker,” Kikelomo said. She cleared her throat. “As we said, we are detectives, we’re with the MPD. We wanted to...talk to you. About a couple things.”

Jackie stared at them. “Like what?”

Kikelomo looked back at Laurens again, but Laurens just waved the floor back to her. She sighed. “Well, I suppose there’s no beating around the bush. Like what happened to you, Mr. Parker.”

“Doctor,” Jackie said.

“I’m...sorry?” Kikelomo looked back at the door, as if expecting someone to be there.

“It’s Dr. Parker. I’m a doctor. I have an MD,” Jackie explained, almost monotonously. 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Kikelomo hurried to say.

Next to her, Laurens ducked her head. The boys could barely hear her mutter, “How did we miss that?”

“Alright, Dr. Parker.” Kikelomo nodded firmly. “Well, we still need to talk about what happened. You...well, you were missing for nine months. We have a case open on you—or, we did, it was closed four months ago. And now that you’ve returned, it...” She paused, trying to think of a way to say this delicately. “...it’s clear that something happened.”

Jackie, if possible, looked even paler than before. He didn’t say anything.

Laurens jumped in. “Obviously, you don’t have to say anything right now if you don’t want to,” she said. “But...well, our job is to keep people safe, and make sure justice is served. If you can tell us anything at all, that would be really helpful...in accomplishing those goals.”

Jackie stayed quiet. He looked down, and started playing with the remote to adjust the position of the hospital bed.

“I do not think you should be bringing this up right now,” Schneep said, glaring at the detectives.

“Of course, it doesn’t have to be taken care of right now,” Kikelomo backed off. “But, well...as soon as you’re able to talk, Dr. Parker. It’s important that we get this done. The sooner, the better.” She walked forward, and placed a small card on the table next to the bed. “This is my number. Feel free to call whenever.” She and Laurens headed towards the door. “We...we’ll be ready to hear from you, Dr. Parker. We wish you a speedy recovery.”

Once the two detectives were gone, Schneep snorted, and rolled his eyes. “Did they really think any of that official speak was going to work? Ah, well, at least they left you alone.” He looked at Jackie. “Are you okay?”

Jackie looked up at him. He smiled; it looked fragile, like it could break at any moment. “A little...shaken, but yeah. I just...don’t want to talk about...” he coughed. “What were you saying?”

“Are you sure?” Schneep pressed.

“Yeah, Volt. Just...not right now.” He coughed again. “Anyway, keep going, you were in the middle of something?”

Schneep did drop the subject, but he kept the incident in his mind. 

———————

The hospital’s estimation was right; it was a month before Jackie was allowed to go home. A few days before he scheduled to be released, Rama called all of the group, asking each of them to show up at the house so they could welcome Jackie home. All of them agreed, though Anti had sounded strangely reluctant. Luckily the day was a weekend, so even though school had just started up, Will and Michelle would be there as well.

That day, all the boys were gathered in the living room of Jackie’s house. The kids were there as well, staring out the window. Rama had gone to pick up Jackie from the hospital, and now they were just waiting for them to return.

“This is going to be good, right?” JJ fretted. “I mean, I’m no doctor, but this is a good idea, right?”

“Jems, stop your worrywarting, it’ll do no good,” Marvin said, sitting on the couch. “If the doctors say so, t’en it is so. We jus’ have t’be careful.”

“Yes, exactly,” Schneep nodded firmly. “We should not push him to be okay. These things take time.”

Marvin nodded as well. “Exactly. Espec’ally after...everyt’ing t’at must’ve happened.” He went suddenly very quiet, shadows gathering in his eyes. “But don’ say he can’ do anyt’ing, t’at’s just adding insult to injuries.”

Anti, standing in the corner with his arms folded, didn’t say anything. He hadn’t said much at all, in fact.

Michelle suddenly started jumping up and down. “I see them! I see them!” She gasped. “They’re pulling in!”

Indeed, there was a car pulling into the driveway of the house, parking. JJ and Schneep hurried to look out the window as well. They watched as Rama stepped out of the driver’s-side door, then rounded the car to open the passenger’s side. They reached inside and helped Jackie step out. He stumbled for a moment, falling into Rama’s arms before recovering. Rama leaned over back into the car and grabbed a black cane from inside, handing it to Jackie.

A minute or so later, Rama pulled open the front door. “Home sweet home,” they said cheerfully.

Jackie poked his head inside. “Oh! It...it’s everyone.”

“Surprise, Daddy!” Michelle yelled. She ran up close, but stopped just before giving Jackie a hug, instead choosing to wave both hands furiously. “I made a banner! Do you like it?” The banner in question was several pieces of paper taped together to stretch across the fireplace, with “Welcome back Dad!” written on it in blue block letters that scrunched together at the end.

Jackie laughed. “I love it, sweetie.”

“Hi, Uncle Jackie,” Will said, smiling a bit shyly.

“Hello, Will. Wow, you’ve gotten taller.” He looked around at the others. “I see you’re all here, too.”

“Well, of course!” JJ said. “We couldn’t just not be here for a homecoming. Not the high school party, of course.”

“I’m jus’ glad t’ey let you change back into your clothes instead of keepin’ you in a gown,” Marvin muttered.

“Yeah, me too.” Jackie looked down at his T-shirt and jeans. His spare glasses were on his face, his first pair having been lost that day he disappeared. “I...I miss my hoodie, though.”

“Oh! Then you are going to love this!” Schneep bent over, and picked a pile of red cloth off the nearest chair. Holding it up, he revealed it was a hoodie. “You left it at my apartment that day! I’ve—I held onto it.” He smiled brightly.

Jackie’s eyes started watering; they’d been doing that a lot, lately. “Oh my god...” he whispered. He took a step forward, stumbled, then managed to cross the room. He took the hoodie and collapsed in the nearest chair. All he could do was run the familiar material through his hands. “Oh my god...th-thank you...”

“Is nothing,” Schneep said. “It is your hoodie, after all. I...I just kept it.”

Rama wiped at their eyes. “H-hey, I bought cake yesterday. Anyone want any?”

Everyone agreed that would be wonderful. Rama disappeared back into the kitchen, and reappeared with a stack of paper plates, some plastic forks, and a white cake box. The cake was custom, with a message on top saying “Welcome Home Jackie!” in red frosting.

“Wait, Jackie, can you actually have that?” JJ suddenly asked. “I thought there was a thing about you having solid foods.”

“There was,” Jackie confirmed. “But I passed that part. Besides, I don’t know if one slice of cake would be a problem.”

“Well, if you insist,” Marvin said, shrugging it off. “By the way, keep t’at close.” He pointed at Jackie’s black cane with his own. “’Tis startin’ to roll away. Y’don’ want t’at to happen.”

“Oh shi—shiitake mushrooms!” Jackie suddenly lunged to grab it. “Thanks, Marvin.”

Marvin grinned. “You’re welcome. It looks like we’re goin’ t’be buddies, huh? I can give you tips.”

“Only for a while,” Jackie said. “Georgia—she’s the physical therapist—said I’ll probably get past it. Thanks, though.”

“Are we going to eat cake or what?” Schneep asked.

“Shoot, I forgot the knife,” Rama cursed. “To cut it. Hang on, one second.” They disappeared back into the kitchen. When they reappeared, they were holding a small kitchen knife.

Jackie paled, shrinking back into his seat.

Luckily, Rama noticed. “Okay, here we go.” They cut the cake quickly. “Everyone come get a slice. Oh, looks like I forgot the spatula, too.” They once again returned to the kitchen, this time taking the knife with them. When they returned, the knife wasn’t there anymore. “Alright—hey stop trying to grab it with your hand, kids!” Rama waved Will and Michelle’s grabbing hands away. “That’s unsanitary.”

“Un-san-it-ary,” Michelle repeated, testing out the new word. Then she suddenly gasped. “Ren, are we going to have cake for my birthday or not because of this?!”

Rama chuckled. “Of course we’re having cake, if you want to. November is still two months away, after all.”

“Yay!” Michelle clapped her hands, waiting patiently this time for her slice of cake.

Everyone soon received a slice of cake, except for... “Dad, do you want any?” Will asked.

Anti, having not moved from his spot in the corner, smiled at Will. “Not right now, kid. Maybe later.”

“Are you sure, Anti?” JJ asked. “We have plenty.”

“I’m sure.” Anti leaned back against the wall, and said nothing more.

For a few moments, everyone talked and chatted about recent events in life. Rama talked about getting their latest story published in a book of short crime fiction stories. This prompted a short discussion about jobs, during which Schneep cursed out his new manager at the coffee shop, and Marvin countered by praising his boss at the bookstore. Will and Michelle answered some questions about how the new term was going before demanding to see some of JJ’s magic tricks. JJ obliged, of course, showing off a few quick conjurings.

About fifteen minutes later, Jackie pushed away his plate with his half-eaten cake. Without saying anything, he grabbed his new cane and pushed to his feet. Of course everyone noticed this, but Jackie just smiled. “Calm down, everyone, I’m just getting some water,” he said.

“Ah, I should’ve brought drinks,” Rama said, snapping their fingers. “I can go get some, if anyone else wants anything.”

“Just give me a moment to get mine,” Jackie said, starting to walk across the room. “Okay?”

“Alright, if you’re sure, Jackieboy.”

Jackie flashed a smile, then disappeared into the kitchen.

Anti narrowed his eyes. He finally moved from his spot, heading towards the hallway that led deeper into the house. “I’m going to the bathroom,” he said, not bothering to listen to anything anyone else said.

He didn’t actually head to the bathroom. Instead, he turned at the last minute, instead disappearing into the kitchen as well when nobody was looking. And when he walked into that room, he was met by the sight of Jackie, leaning against the counter and holding a knife in one hand.

“Fuck!” Anti lunged forward. “Jackie, no!”

“An—! What are you—?!” Jackie gasped, eyes wide.

Anti was right in front of him in seconds. “Give that to me!” He grabbed Jackie’s wrist and tried to pry his fingers away from the knife handle.

“No!” Jackie grabbed the knife with his other hand, now holding it in a two-handed grip. He jabbed his elbow at Anti, hitting a spot just below his eye and causing him to back out. “I-I need to do this!”

“You don’t!” Anti shook his head, and lunged again. “Trust me, you never need to do this!”

In the brief tangle that followed, the two of them ended up falling to the floor. Tears sprang to Jackie’s eyes as he hit his head on the handle of a drawer, and he let them flow. “Anti, shut up!” He suddenly shrieked. His hands were shaking, but he refused to let go of the knife. “Just let me do this! Please!”

“Like hell I’m going to let you do this!” Anti snarled. “Give it here!”

“No!” Jackie kicked at him. The blow landed, but Anti just flinched, and kept reaching for the knife that Jackie was holding as far away from his as possible. “S-stop! Get away! Leave me alone! Leave me alone Dis—” Jackie suddenly cut himself off. His eyes were wide, and suddenly he began breathing much faster.

Anti finally drew back. “Jackie,” he said, shocked. “Jackie, I’m not him.”

The tears were staining Jackie’s face. “I-I kn-know, I kn-know, I know, I know I know I know—” He shook his head, gasping for air. “I know I know I know—”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Anti held his hands in the air. “Deep breaths, you know? You know the 4-7-8 thing? Can you do that?”

Jackie didn’t react much, staring blankly forward. Slowly, he lowered the knife closer.

“Hey stop!” Anti grabbed Jackie’s wrist again. “Jackie, please, this won’t help you, trust me. Just put it down.”

Jackie let out a sob. “I n-n-need to get rid of it.”

“Look, it seems bad, but this is temporary. There are more things you can do beyond this.” Anti tried to keep his voice reassuring.

“No!” Jackie suddenly twisted his wrist, yanking at the same time with surprising force. Anti, startled, let go. “I-it needs to be shorter!”

That threw Anti off. He backed up. He’d been practically pinning Jackie to the cabinet behind him, and now he gave him more room to breathe. “...What needs to be shorter?”

“This!” Jackie reached up and yanked on his hair. Then he yelped, and threw his hand away. “I-I can’t, I can’t, can’t can’t, I-I-I-I—let me cut it, please—”

“Oh my—holy shit, Jackie.” Anti exhaled slowly. “You...you couldn’t just say that from the start? I-I thought you were going to...you couldn’t have just jumped in with that?”

“Please just let me do it,” Jackie pleaded, shaking his head. “I can’t, I can’t, I—” He suddenly slammed his head against the cabinet door. Anti yelped, and pulled him away from it. “D-don’t pull it a-anymore, please,” Jackie sobbed. “Please, Dis—I-I can’t do it, leave it alone—”

“Jackie, listen,” Anti said sternly. “I’m not Distorter. It’s me, Anti. I’m here.”

Jackie looked up at him with wet eyes. “Y-you always make them too nice, that’s what gives it away. Then they t-turn on me. I-It’s not real—!”

“Of course it’s real!” Anti said, shocked. “What do you want me to say? How can I prove to you—drop the knife!” He suddenly grabbed Jackie’s wrist again, which was in the process of moving the knife closer. “Please, I-I don’t want you to hurt yourself. By accident, either.” He listened to the sounds coming from the living room. Nobody seemed alarmed. Should he risk yelling for help and upsetting Jackie further?

Jackie’s breathing was hitching, his eyes wide. “Just let me have this. P-please.”

“Jackie, please put it down,” Anti pleaded. “I-I can’t trust you like this. It’s me. It’s Anti.” He blinked back sudden wetness in his eyes. “I’m...I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you.” His voice cracked. “I just—I got too close.”

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other. Then suddenly, Jackie let go of the knife, letting it clatter to the kitchen floor. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Anti. His shoulder shook with sobs. Anti stiffened, then hugged him back in return. A single tear escaped.

“I-I just want it gone,” Jackie said through his cries. “I want it g-gone. I-I’ll grow it back when I’m okay again.”

“Of course, of course.” Anti rubbed circles on Jackie’s back. “But you can’t have a knife right now. I thought you were going to...to hurt yourself. On purpose.” He paused. “Jackie, promise me you’ll never do that.”

Jackie shook his head. “I...I wouldn’t do—”

“I know you wouldn’t, but promise me anyway,” Anti insisted. “And remember that you promised.”

Silence for a moment, except for a few more sobs. “I...promise.” 

“That’s great, that’s great,” Anti said reassuringly.

Jackie cried for a bit longer. “Do you...mean that? When you said you’re sorry you d-didn’t see me?”

Anti swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yes. I am so...so sorry, Jackie. I just...” He took a deep breath. “Like I said, I got too close. It—it freaked me out. But fuck that, I’m going to be here now. For you.”

“Th...thank you,” Jackie rasped. His fingers curled into Anti’s jacket, holding tight.

Suddenly, footsteps behind them. And a gasp. Anti turned around to see Rama standing in the kitchen doorway. “...Jackie?” They asked. “Anti?”

Jackie suddenly started crying harder. He reached out, towards Rama, who immediately closed the distance, kneeling on the kitchen floor beside the other two. Jackie pulled them close. “He made me think you were dead...” Jackie whispered. “And Michelle, too. I saw it...”

“I’m right here, Jackieboy,” Rama said gently. “We all are.”

They stayed there for a while more, before Anti and Rama helped Jackie stand up and walk back to the living room. He was still sobbing, red-eyed and tears pouring. The others instantly latched onto it, and soon Jackie was at the center of a large group hug.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“We are here for you when you need us.”

“An’ we’re not goin’ anywhere.”

The gathering came to an end soon after that. Jackie had cried his eyes out, and now he just wanted to go to sleep. So they let him, settling down in his own bed. And they dispersed, going back to their own houses and lives.

And that night, Anti stared out of his apartment window, looking up at the few stars visible. Thinking.